Wizard with the Flower Blades

By: k.linH

WIZARD WITH THE FLOWER BLADES

1. Introduction

2. Chapters

1. Jun Imamiya, 16-Year-Old High School Boy

2. Some People Take Forever in Character Creation

3. “command” is not Recognized as an Internal or External Command, Operable Program, or Batch File.

4. Even a Benchwarmer Participates by Watching from the Sidelines

5. Take Out the Snipers First. They Ruin Everything.

6. Think Before You Act … Unless You’re Out of Time. Then Just Don’t Think.

7. Always Keep an Eye on Your Stats. You’ll Regret it Otherwise.

8. It Pays to Know the Local Culture to Get the Most Out of Your Vacation

9. There’s Always a Lot of Things to Get Used to When You Move to a City

10. Some People Just Can’t Look at Something without Wanting to Take it Apart.

11. Sometimes Bullet Points Give Clear and Concise Information. Other times they’re for Lazy Writers.

12. The Odds for Getting Caught Up in Something Increases the Longer you Wander.

13. Always Take Care to be Aware of How Much You’ve Drunk in Order to Avoid Causing Trouble for the People Around You

14. There will be People You Get Along with and People You Don’t, but That Just Makes Life Interesting.

15. There’s Always a Distinction Between a Mob and a Boss.

16. It’s Easy to Forget that Difficult Things are Difficult When You Can Do Them. Also When You Don’t Know About Them.

17. Medieval Guilds were Started as Organizations to Protect the Common Interests of Their Guild Members, and then were Promptly Accused of Witchcraft.

18. Money Flies Away Quicker than You Think.

19. People with “Second Name” Titles Always Sound Like Mary Sues.

20. There’s Always Some Friction When a New Manager Transfers to Your Branch of the Company.

21. Sometimes You have to Wonder whether Your Boss can’t Read the Mood or if He’s Just Ignoring It.

22. Sometimes you Just have to Hit things to De-stress

23. In Shounen Manga They Say “Our Adventure has just Begun” Right at the End; Well this isn’t a Shounen Manga.

24. Sometimes Shopping Clerks are Helpful, and Sometimes They’re Downright Nosy

25. Even if it’s Bad for You, Fried Food is Delicious

26. Every Country has its Own Bathing Customs

27. A Quiet Night is a Blessing Young People Sometimes Don’t Understand

28. Good Timing is the Key to Good Opportunities

29. This is the Most Use I’ve made of My Materials Classes Lately; Sorry, Professors.

30. I Wonder how Many Logos were Last Minute Scribbles on the Back of a Napkin

31. Small Fry Antagonists are a Pain to Write for, and it’s not Like He’ll Show Up Again … That Better not have been a Flag

32. What One Man gets Tricked Out of is Another Man’s Treasure

33. There are a lot of MCs that get their Best Weapons Right Away. Well, there are a lot of MCs who Start out with “a” Weapon. And Skills. And an Explanation for what’s Going on.

34. Whether it’s “Stealing the Dragon’s Treasure” or “Touching the Dragon’s Scale”, You shouldn’t Provoke Dragons

35. Before a Boss there’s usually a Safe Room to Recover in; Wish that was True in Life

36. Sometimes, even if the Situation doesn’t Change, just Changing your Outlook is Enough

37. Knowing Geography is a Sign of Understanding how the World Works

38. Sometimes You Get More Excited Building Someone Else’s Characters than they do

39. For Operations to run Smoothly, People with All Sorts of Different Expertise are Needed

40. In almost every OtherWorld LN, there’s magic and crafting

41. The teachers who just can’t stand wasted potential are the most energetic

42. It always feels like you don’t have enough time to level both your combat skills and your crafting skills in a game.

43. I wonder why Twintails suit Little Girls more than Women.

44. Game Designers always Nerf Mages with Monsters Immune to Magic.

45. Every time I Read a Harem Story with a Bunch of Jealous Girls, in the Back of My Mind I’m Thinking Most RL Girls would never Date the MC even if you Paid Them.

46. While it’s Fun to Play Games with Realism, being OverEncumbered is too much of a Trial for Packrats

47. Holding Back is a Skill on its Own

48. Different Worlds have Different Technologies that Take Off and Grow

49. It’s not like Anyone can Tell them What to do, so Why do Final Bosses Always Wait Their Turns to Attack?

50. After a Boss Fight, it’s Like There’s Always a Filler Episode

51. Aren’t Timeskips like Curses for Jump Series?

52. Personally, I like to Avoid Escort Missions

53. MCs that Know Everything can be Annoying, but MCs that don’t Know Everything can also be Annoying

54. It’s Hard to Keep Track of the Topic when You’re all out Drinking

55. There are Times When People use their Parents’ Influences for Good, but because of Human Nature, That’s Always Kind of Rare

56. Somehow it can be Nerve-Wracking when Your New Friends Meet Your Old Friends

57. Is there a Name for that Feeling when You’re Dragged to Visit People You Don’t Really Know, but the Guy who Brought you there Does and OMG We’ve been here Forever, but I can’t really say Anything…

58. I wonder if People who Make Cursed Things Think Like the People who Make Computer Viruses

59. There’s Always Room for Improvements in Prototypes. Although Looking at it Another Way, it Means Prototypes are Usually Failures

60. Some Peoples’ Personalities just Change when They Pick Up the Tools of Their Trade

61. Even if there’s a Sense of Foreboding that Something Bad is Coming, Sometimes there’s Nothing You can do but Go on with Your Day

62. You Know those Puzzles where You have to Balance both Sides to Get them to Equal Each Other? What are They Called … Oh Right, Algebra.

63. Sometimes, People just Need to Walk Away from Things and Punch Something

64. Everything in Moderation is a Good Thought to Live By, but Sometimes it’s Just not Possible

65. When People Start Talking all at Once in a Meeting, My Habit is just to Zone Out and Start Making up Fantasy Stories in My Head; at Least it is until I Learn How to Sleep with My Eyes Open

66. Everyone is Competitive in Some Way or Other; You just have to Find the Right Neuroses to Trigger

67. Different People have Different Levels of Stress for Different Types of Things

68. Sometimes your Friends will Act Different in Front of their Friends than with their Family

69. There are a lot of Guys that Like to Show Off How They can Get Pretty Girlfriends, but Strangely, Usually No One Cares But Themselves.

70. I’m Just Saying, Shopping is Like Staring into the Rotting Soul of Humanity

71. For the Record, the Filler Chapter was Last Chapter, not This Chapter

72. In a Slice-of-Life, Plot Holes aren’t Mistakes; They’re Opportunities

73. People Going in Different Directions Under Unclear Goals in Different Places is a Scene of Chaos

74. Some People Get Really Angry When There’s Some Sort of Annoying Background Noise; It’s Better Not to Irritate them Further.

75. It’s not Like There’s Not Bad Things in Modern Society, but Much of Modern Society is Blind to Bad Things

76. When the Victim is Sneaking Through a Forest in the Darkness and Steps on a Stick and Alerts the Murderer, I Always Wonder; What Would the Murderer do if He Runs After it and it Turns out to be a Bear?

77. Sewers are Gross

78. Sometimes Unconventional Methods can Pull Through. Other Times…

79. Even if they Lived on the Other Side of the Country, Meeting Someone Who Came from the Same Country in a Foreign Land Always Feels Like a Miracle

80. After Finishing a Big Project, the Answer to your Future Steps Should Always Be Ice Cream. But Don’t Actually Say That in your Presentation

81. Sometimes Your Most Powerful Allies can be the Most Unlikely People

82. Great Alibis are Meaningless if You’re Conspirator is a Useless Liar

83. As We Move from 1 Arc to Another, Please Forgive the Transition Pains

84. The Preparations Before a Journey should be Well-planned Out … So You Know at Least One Way Things WON’T Work Out.

85. Goodbyes are only the Beginning of the Next Adventure

86. No Sir, Our Warranty Doesn’t Cover Nuclear Bombardment from Space, Which Appears to be a Valid Reason for Why Your Pile of Bits and Pieces has Stopped Working.

87. Even if there’s Magic, it’s not like You can do Anything without Proper Preparation.

88. Getting to Know People is Always Harder When there’s Extra Pressure to Do it.

89. Seriously, How Many Medical Breakthroughs were made with Not-So-Ethical Methods?

90. That Feeling When People Think You’re an Authority on Chinese Stuff, and You’re Like, I’m from St. Louis.

91. Demons often Leave the Confines of Religion in Fantasy

92. Some People get Really Irritable when Under Pressure. It’s Best to Avoid those People

93. Some people just have a ideas that are too advanced for mere mortals to understand; but I wonder how many of those ideas actually succeed

94. Chapters with a lot of random stuff happening is hard to come up with titles for

95. Nature will totally overtake human infrastructure in almost no time at all if you let it. Just take a look at the mini trees growing through my asphalt driveway.

96. The problem with contractors is that they don’t have any personal investment, so as long as they get stuff done, collateral damage is inconsequential

GUIDE

1. Table of Contents

2. Jun Imamiya, 16-Year-Old High School Boy

Jun Imamiya, 16-Year-Old High School Boy

The earliest memory of him I could remember was his broad back and the muscles that flexed underneath the thin jinbei[1]. I was mesmerized by the sparks that flew every time he swung his hammer down.

Even now I can’t forget the way the fire lit his face, the warm light casting cold shadows as dusk settled in. Even while Grandma scolded him to come in to dinner, he only had time for the bright steel that glinted in the limited light.

When I was little I thought Grandfather was a wizard.

◇◇◇

Thwack

“Hit!”

I may have been close before, but only on the last arrow do I hit the target.

But perhaps that’s alright. It wouldn’t do to show up people who were actually part of the Kyudo[2] Club when I was just a filler after all. Actually, my shots are already considered decent for me, but I can’t help but feel dissatisfied with making such a suspenseful score of 0|0|0|1. At least let me hit before the last shot to avoid worrying the team.

Even if it was just a joint practice match, showing shoddy archery in front of another school’s team leaves a bad feeling.

“Yo, good work today, super helper-kun.”

That guy with the annoying face standing nonchalantly over there outside the Kyudo clubroom is unfortunately my best friend and neighbor Masaki. He’s part of the “Go-Home” Club[3], and normally would have long since been home playing netgames[4].

Ah, was it today that I’d promised to try out another VRMMO[5] he’d been addicted to?

“I’m sorry, did you wait long? As trivial as it is, the Kyudo Club’s ace sprained an ankle and they were frantic for a replacement. I am sorry for inconveniencing you.”

“Hmph. You can’t ever say no to anyone, can you? And poor me takes the last spot in your priorities.”

I apologized with sarcasm and Masaki returned it. He doesn’t seem all that bothered despite his complaints.

As usual he’s being cheeky.

“Shit, she already has a boyfriend!”

“Pfft. Like you had any chance anyway?”

“Which girl were you after? The other school’s?”

“Yeah. The new girl who joined us today –“

Guys from the other school that came over and joined our school’s Kyudo team in a practice match were muttering, but I still caught their words.

Looking ahead I spotted the new club recruit, Suzuki-san, walking with a classmate. I don’t think they were technically dating, but that’s how it must look to others. I wonder whether high-schoolers who spent all their time on love and youthful feelings are using their time wisely.

Between substituting in for after school clubs, helping the Student Council, and studying, I can’t say I ever had the time or interest.

... That part of me might be why I’m always stuck hanging out with Masaki when I’m not running errands.

Masaki sighs. He might actually be upset this time for me breaking my promise. I kind of remember he had begged me kind of hard to play this VRMMO, and I think there was even a kind of deadline he’d set.

“... Hey Jun, when are you going to cut your hair? You totally look girly.”

“...Huh?”

That was kind of unexpected. I touch my hair involuntarily. It IS pretty long now, just hitting my shoulders. Come to think of it our homeroom teacher asked me if I was letting it grow because of a rebellious streak. Though I think he was joking, it must have been strange enough for him to comment on it.

Eh, but a lot of the trendier guys wore their hair half-pulled back at this length like I have it now. Is it that bad looking on me?

“I guess I should get it cut now. I haven’t had time recently, because of the funeral and going through Grandfather’s things. I’m still going through the things in the storage closet.”

“... Jun?”

Masaki and I both look up as someone called me. Oh. Uncle Hideki. I struggle for a moment not to show my annoyance on my face.

“Uncle. What are you doing here?”

“I was looking for you at the house, but you weren’t there.”

“I see.”

“I had hoped to be able to talk to you about the house, Father’s-, no, your grandfather’s house.”

“... There is no need for you to talk with me about it. Everyone’s agreed that Uncle should be the one it goes to.”

“... I see. You might think that, but I still think you should have a say in it. After all you are the only one who is still living there. You see, I intend to sell it.”

“Then Uncle should do as he pleases.”

Uncle Hideki seems to have a displeased look on his face but only says “I will come to the house tomorrow” before he heads off in the direction of the station.

“...Oi Jun, is that really going to be ok? If he sells the house.”

Masaki had been silent the entire time Uncle had been here, but he glanced worriedly at me now.

“Yeah.”

“But it’s not just the house, right? The forge too...”

“Yeah.”

Grandfather had thought of himself as a swordsmith but in reality he was just an old man who was obsessed with a hobby. That’s what everyone thought of him. He was far from being a capable smith and had squandered much of his money in fashioning himself a forge and buying materials. Most of our family thought of him as crazy, and I knew Uncle Hideki in particular has held a grudge over the neglect the sword-obsession had caused.

He especially couldn’t forgive Grandfather for never seeing his sister, my mother, on her death bed in the hospital, spending every day in the forge instead.

And that’s why I don’t intend to stand in the way of Uncle if he wants to get rid of that house and those unpleasant memories. Even though I would miss the sound of the creaking of the floor boards mixed in with the sound of bubbling soup that Grandma used to make when she cooked in the kitchen, the shoji door that was never repaired when Masaki and I accidentally fell through it while playing tag, the porch that is shaded in the orange tree that only produces sour fruit. And above all I’d miss the roar of the fire and steel of the forge.

Despite all the things I would miss, the house is empty now except for me. I won’t be able to experience the liveliness of it anymore whether the house was sold or not.

A sense of loneliness washes over me.

“... Right, let’s make your character tonight!”

Masaki breaks into my melancholy over-enthusiastically.

“Hah? No way, it’s getting late. And we have to go to the VRMMO store to do that, right? Let’s do it tomorrow.”

“Aw, c’mon. You’ll just be moping at home all night by yourself anyway. I can introduce you to the rest of the party tonight and tomorrow morning it’ll be power-leveling!”

Ulterior motives of boosting his netgame party’s strength aside, I wonder if Masaki is trying to be considerate of me. Even though I was used to being alone at night when Grandma died, these days it seems even lonelier without the sounds of Grandfather’s hammer echoing from his forge.

I sigh and somehow Masaki took that as an “okay”.

“Let’s a-go!”

“Ok, ok, you don’t need to pull me along.”

◇◇◇

“Character creation for the VR Mourning Star, right?”

The male clerk at the VRMMO store confirms Masaki’s request. Is it my imagination or is he sizing me up? Do I really look that much like a non-gamer? Look, those flashy guys over there don’t look like gamers either!

“Mourning Star uses ‘real’[6] specs to build your characters, so there’s a physical scan with the brain-sensory scan.”

“...ah.”

Masaki makes a strangled sound while the clerk was explaining the procedures to me. As the clerk leads us to the rooms in the back filled with new-age looking technology I look over at him questioningly.

“No, that’s... I forgot about the physical scan.”

“What’s wrong with it? It’s not embarrassing, is it?”

The clerk didn’t mention anything about clothing. I hope it’s not something that needs to be taken off.

“No, but... well...”

Masaki looks pointedly at the physical scanner.

There’s no other way to describe it. It’s a coffin. The scanner seems to be designed to take as little space as possible in order to let a store cram as many into a room as possible, but ... isn’t it too small? A capsule hotel is bigger!

“... Impossible. GL[7] Masaki, have fun with your netgame.”

I turn around immediately to leave.

“Waitwaitwait, c’mon Jun, you’ll only ever have to do it once! It’ll only take a few min- seconds!”

I heard that. Nope. Absolutely not. Let go of my arm, damn Masaki.

“Um, is there something wrong?”

“Ah, it’s ok. My friend’s just a little claustrophobic.”

The male clerk seems puzzled so Masaki tells him what’s up. And now, goodby-

“Ah, it’ll only take 10 minutes. Over in a flash.”

I glare at Masaki as the clerk tries to reassure me. Only a few seconds, huh?

The bottom of one of the scanners slides out, revealing a diagram that showed where your arms and legs should go. It seems like it will readjust the proportions of the diagram during scanning. Some kind of calibration ... no, more importantly, I don’t want to get in that.

... damn you, Masaki. He’s staring way too expectantly at me.

I sigh and move over to the scanner’s bed.

“If it fails the first time, I’m out.”

“Ok, ok, sounds fair.”

Masaki’s grinning from ear to ear. What a smug face. I’ll beat the crap out of him in virtual reality later to relieve stress. Maybe he’ll regret making me do this then.

It’s not like small spaces are impossible for me, I can deal with them alright, but this is really something else.

As the bed slides back into the scanner a hiss sounds as it locks in place. My nose is less than 5 centimeters from the ceiling and there’s no room to move either right or left.

My ten minutes of terror in this tiny box will be omitted.

—

1. jinbei – a simple outfit, usually blue, of a kimono-like top with shorter sleeves and pants.

2. Kyudo – Japanese art of archery. I initially wrote in “Japanese Archery”, but it just seemed off. Kyudo puts as much emphasis on form and beauty of the draw as it does on accuracy, and the aesthetics are much different to general archery. Basically, in my head I separate kyudo as a completely different sport from archery and so I left it as “kyudo” instead of trying to westernize the term.

3. “Go-Home Club” – AKA not part of a school club.

4. netgame – internet game/MMO

5. VRMMO – Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online.

6. ‘real’ – with the quotes around it, short for real-life (“rl” in the gaming fashion)

7. GL – good luck

Some People Take Forever in Character Creation

The bed slides out excruciatingly slow and I bolt from it as soon as my head clears the scanner.

“Ok, success!”

The clerk gives an ‘ok’ gesture as he compiles the data on the scanner’s screen.

“Great! Jun, let’s go back to the front and register your character. Mister, can we rent two VRMMO sets for 2 hours?”

Hm? Why two sets? When I ask Masaki while we walk to the cubicles in the front he explains that in VRMMOs, since your consciousness goes into the game he can’t help me create a character without going into the game himself.

Ok, so ... login screen, input the scan data code ... yes, link and save data to the screenname. No way do I want to ‘lose’ it and have to redo the entire scanner horror.

Generate default character base ... whoa.

So this is virtual reality. I don’t really know how to explain it. It’s like being in your own body, but dialing back your senses somehow. Is the missing sensation air resistance? It feels like those kinds of physics are linked to restrictions in your range of motion instead of how it works in the real world, but I wouldn’t have thought that missing such things would be so disorienting.

Now server selection. Hm? The server Masaki told me to join isn’t here?

A small ringing caught my attention and I reach out and touch the blinking icon that just popped up.

“Yo Jun, register me as a friend so I can come help.”

Masaki’s voice came out of the icon when I activated it.

With a little bit of trouble I figure out how to add him as a friend. Once Masaki is confirmed as a friend the chat turns into a friend-chat, allowing me to activate video-chat options. Another notification pops up shortly after asking me if I would allow my friend to teleport to my character creation instance. After I accept, a fantastic sci-fi scene unfolds as Masaki’s digital body materializes before me.

“Alright, now you can select the Nethra server.”

Oh, it’s true. Now the Nethra server is added to the list. How come?

“Hehehe. That’s actually an event server. It’s not open to anyone but the top 10 parties on each server. It’s full of really tough mobs and supposed to have instances with great rare drops. I added your screenname to my party. I’ll have to confirm your character name when you’re done making the character, but you’re now a member of [Killing Machines]!”

“Ignoring the lame party name, starting on a special server is too advanced for a non-gamer, especially a level 1 right?”

“Nono, it’s all according to plan.”

He didn’t refute the ‘lame name’ part. It seems they’re planning on power-leveling me here and debuting me as a member(temp) of their party to catch the other parties off guard during the event. It appears to be competitive somehow. I don’t bother asking about the details. I’m sure it’ll be over my head.

We’re stuck at ‘Class’ now.

“Ugh, I don’t know which class would be best if we want you to be an all-rounder. Something half-vanguard like so a warrior or stalker maybe. You did a lot of kendo right? But your archery skills from helping out at the kyudo club would make a really broken hunter class too. Hm. Let’s skip this for now and do stat-calibration. Maybe we’ll figure it out once we see how that goes.”

“Ok.”

I kind of get what he’s talking about, but I kind of don’t get what he’s talking about. I skip the ‘Class’ selection and click on the ‘Stat-Calibration’ icon on the Character Creation timeline, confirming that I did in fact understand that I was skipping a step.

A series of tests, not unlike school physicals, popped up one after another, though a few weird ones like a punching machine and stone throwing were mixed in. The last one was a spar with a holographic person. I will call him Training-Dummy-kun. The test is paused while waiting for me to select a weapon but there’s no katana.

Before I can decide Masaki looked up suddenly.

“Hey Jun, I’m gonna have a friend join us to help.”

“’kay. From the party?”

“Yeah. Hey, Sei-chan, got a moment?”

Hm, so using Friend Chat means you have to talk out loud. So Friend Chat isn’t telepathy but more like a phone conversation.

While I go ahead with the last stat calibration Masaki finishes his one-sided (from my point of view) conversation. Ah, a longsword is just awkward to use in place of a katana ... but I manage without too much trouble. Wait wait, materializing a second Training-Dummy-kun without warning is cheating!

As my spar-turned-brawl continued, the system randomly adding more Training-Dummy-kuns as it went along, another sci-fi scene unfolds as a man teleports in next to Masaki. So “Sei-chan” is a man[1]?

“Halloooo~! I’ve come to be of service~!”

“Sei-chan” gives a huge, cheesy grin and waves by fluttering his fingers. Oi.

“Yo, Sei-chan. We’re stuck on the character class. Well, we’re finishing up the calibration now. Still.”

“Fumu. So this is your childhood friend... Hya-ho~! What a beauty! Oi oi, with a childhood friend like this, aren’t you well on your way to being popular?”

Who the hell would be into that kind of BL[2]? Especially not with Masaki. I’m considering going over to hit that “Sei-chan” my sword but I think leaving the lit area would invalidate the test. I’m beginning to realize that this is an endurance match with the system adding a new Training-Dummy-kun every minute. It appears that it would be over if I get hit five times, but I resist the urge to stand there and let them hit me. Two more hits with 5+ opponents won’t take too much longer.

Sure enough, with 6 opponents the fight is over in less than another minute.

It troubles me a little that a grazing blow counted as the final hit. Since I properly returned the hit to that Training-Dummy-kun with a blow that would reach bone versus his barely-knicked-me hit, in kendo I would have triumphed.

“Ooh, good job Jun. I didn’t last past 3. Seimei was done in with just one.”

“Hmmph~! This type of strength measurement is ~useless~ for a mage. Now now, Masa-yan[3], introduce me to this peerless beauty!”

The two of them came walking over and I got a good look at “Sei-chan”. Oh? He’s older than I expected. Third year high school or maybe in university already? Well, assuming he hadn’t modified his character build too much. I guess it’s hard to tell if he modified his character at a glance but I know he’s modified it a little bit. At least, I’m hoping he doesn’t have bright orange hair in ‘real’.

If I look hard above his head his character name and class appear ... [Seimei-shi[4], Dark Mage]? I’m not sure what to think of someone who’d so candidly use the name of such a famous person[5]. For some reason I’m thinking ‘chuunibyou’[6] in the back of my head.

But back up, who’s he calling a ‘peerless beauty’, huh?

I glowered at “Seimei-shi” who just gave a goofy grin and went “Iyaaa~! A beautiful woman’s dirty look is so lovely~!” Masaki stood there laughing like an idiot. What’s so funny?

“Actually Sei-chan, Jun ...”

Whatever Masaki was about to say was cut off. His eyes widened as he turned to look at me and, though I can’t be too sure with the virtual face, I think he turned pale. Grabbing me by the scruff of the neck he dragged me off a little bit away from Seimei.

“Oi, Jun. Why is your character a girl?!”

Huh? Involuntarily I pat my chest.

Oh. There’s not much, but there’s something there.

“Huh? Wait, I’m a girl? How come? No, how did YOU not realize it before now?”

I mean, I haven’t bothered looking at the avatar customizer yet so I haven’t seen myself, and the whole experience of being in a VR body is so weird that I can’t tell if things are off because of the VR or because of other reasons. Masaki, though, should have seen my base avatar from the very beginning, so shouldn’t he have noticed before now?

“No, that ... you don’t have much of a chest, and you look the same except your waist and hips.”

“Eh? Seimei said I look like a pretty girl though. There must be SOME difference.”

“...”

Masaki is now staring at me in disbelief.

“You ... do you not realize how you look to other people?”

Huh? I know that I’m on the effeminate side, but it’s surely not at the level where I could compete with a girl, right?

Um ... staring at me without saying anything is making me feel more awkward, y’know?

“Even today at the practice archery meet you had the other schools’ guys mistaking you for a woman.”

“Even if that’s true, they were more interested in the new recruit, Suzuki-san. They were talking about ‘The new girl who joined us today’ ...”

“Nonono, what were YOU listening to? They were talking about ‘The new girl who joined us today, substituting on the guys’ team’! That can only be you, right? Though they’re mistaken about the girl part.”

I’m in shock.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of that! If it was really like that wouldn’t I be mercilessly teased all through my life?”

Though I vaguely remember the teasing when we were small, it died down in our middle school years and up through now. Isn’t that because of the situation where boys become more masculine as the go through the transition from middle school to high school?

“... Jun. You tromp the Judo Club on a regular basis and hold the Student Council in the palm of your hand. Who’s dumb enough to pick a fight with you?”

Wouldn’t that actually make more enemies? No, more importantly, I don’t remember being such a force to be reckoned with!

Masaki continued.

“I thought you totally knew about this already. Don’t I make fun of you about it all the time?”

“Masaki’s words can never be trusted.”

“...You...”

“Ahem, am I intruding, you two~?”

Seimei coughed *kohon kohon* behind us.

“Aaaah, hang on a sec. Jun, setting your girliness aside for now, you should rescan-“

“No. Way.”

“But ...”

“You can switch the gender in the avatar customizer, right? I don’t want to get in that box again.”

“Ah... but your player profile will say female... well, I guess you can hide it. It doesn’t feel... weird? Being a girl.”

Feel weird? Oi oi I just changed gender, not species or something.

“I didn’t realize it until now, did I? And I don’t really care about whether people in a game think I’m a boy or girl. I’m more bothered that I apparently look more or less the same as I do in real, but am inexplicably being called a beautiful girl.”

“Hah...”

Masaki seems confused that I’m not bothered. I am though? But I can’t check my ‘real’ face right now so I can’t assess the truth behind his claims on my looks. I’ll have to leave it for later.

He sighs and walks back to Seimei.

“Sorry, sorry. Sei-chan, this is my friend I was talking about, Jun.”

“Hi, I’m not much of a gamer so I apologize in advance.”

“Ooooh~! A bokukko[7]! Kuudere[8] too?! Hey hey Masa-yan, I was kidding earlier, but with this high-spec girl as a childhood friend, even I’ll say ‘riajuu go explode’[9]!”

He’s been speaking words, but I don’t understand them.

“Our relationship isn’t like that, though? More importantly, character class selection.”

Masaki tries to derail Seimei’s train of thought but Seimei smirks at him and says something incomprehensible about tsundere[10] being gross when it’s a guy before they both put on serious faces and turned to the issue at hand.

“Jun, your results should have compiled by now. Can you show them?”

Come to think of it, an icon had flashed up a little while ago. I fiddle with it before I figure out how to display the results so the two of them could also see it.

“Hoooh~ these stats are -! I see now why you were so worked up about including her. At level 1 she already has the stats of a level 15, and they’re ~ALL~ rather nice, aren’t they~?”

“Yeah, Jun’s a real-life cheat.”

“... sorry, I don’t get it. What do you mean I’ll be level 15 at level 1?”

“This game bases your character stats on your abilities in ‘real’, but obviously in this world where not many people live active lives it would be unreasonable to throw someone out into a field and tell them to kill monsters. The Stat-Calibration determines whether you have stats that need to be improved and will apply a stat-correction if needed so that you can have a safe level of exertion. Since the game takes into account that some VRMMO players are hikki-neets[11] or older people, level 1 is calibrated to be an average person with an improved reaction time.”

Hm, Seimei is serious when he explains things, leaving out his somewhat ~annoying~ tone.

“At level up your stats are increased, though kind of in really small increments. Level 15 is approximately a strong athlete’s abilities. And you hit that level without any stat-correction at level 1.”

“... that seems like it’s cheating. Shouldn’t the Stat-Calibration lower my stats so I’ll start the same as everyone else?”

“Nooope!” Masaki grinned gleefully. “Because the devs thought it would be unfair to cap players’ true abilities, there’s no down-grading correction! And that’s-!”

“- what we’re aiming for~! Yay~!”

Seimei and Masaki grin and do a double high-five. My head hurts.

“Masaki ... don’t tell this was your plan all along.”

“Hahahaha!”

Masaki only laughs in a carefree manner, ignoring my accusation.

“Nmaa~ Since most of the gameplay comes from the skills you get through level-up, usually the difference in stats don’t matter. Most people start with stats just a few levels above 1, but over 10-level difference~ ... kukukuku! ”

I ignore Seimei’s creepy laugh and turn back to the Character Creation timeline, hitting back one step. The virtual space changed from the Stat-Calibration’s testing equipment back to the blank, cyber-styled blue space lit up with a menu listing the different classes.

“Well~ it goes without saying that Jun-kun will do physical damage, huh~...”

“Yeah, it’d be a waste of the stats, so we can ignore all the magic classes.”

But what if I wanted to play a magic class? Well, I don’t actually care either way so I let it go. It’s hard to rebut two serious min-maxers in deep discussion.

“I was thinking Jun should be berserker, dex-based warrior, or crit-scout as vanguard, but if we want another rearguard then a ranger would go well too.”

“So off-tank or dps is the question then~?”

“Hey, y’know if anyone else is going to be on so we can all decide together? Though I’m pretty set on berserker.”

“~I~ say crit-scout! But ... um, we may have made a blunder, Masa-yan.”

“Hm?”

“The others haven’t come over yet. In fact, most players haven’t. We accepted the event server transfer too soon... today was the [Jormungard] Guild’s player event.”

“WHAT?! Crap, too late, I transferred half a week ago.”

“I transferred yesterday~! *cry* ”

Seimei is the first person I’ve ever seen actually drop into an orz[12] pose. I decide to just stand here, reading over the class descriptions while the two hard-core gamers wailed about their bad timing.

—

Author Note:

Goshdarnit Seimei ... grr. There should not be a list of footnotes this long for an English-original novel. I feel like a weeaboo.

(Well, I am one, but that’s beside the point.)

But bokukko, kuudere, riajuu, hikki-neet, etc are all jargon used mostly by otaku/web denizens, and it’s all about the atmosphere, I guess.

Anyway, Seimei is basically personifying himself as a gamer otaku who’s comfortable using those terms in common speech.

Since we will soon be departing from the realm of VRMMO, there won’t be as much slang thrown about.

—

1. “-chan” – the suffix “–chan” is often used for younger women and children (though in general usually for female). It’s rarer use for men is either a sign of endearment, a sign of a close relationship, or used mockingly in the “you got no balls” way. In this case, “Sei-chan” is used to indicate that Masaki is close enough to Seimei to use it without insulting him.

2. BL – short for Boys’ Love, aka ghey. Not “gay”, but the romance novel-esque “ghey”. (<- that’s just my opinion)

3. “-yan” – playful way of addressing someone

4. “-shi” – usually used in formal writing/speech for people the writer/speaker never met.  Seimei included it in his character name, reinforcing Jun’s low opinion of his naming choice.

5. Abe no Seimei – a legendary and historic court advisor and magician

6. chuunibyou – short for “2nd year middle school syndrome”. It’s etymology refers to the rebellious stage that usually hits around middle school where kids try to be “special” to gain attention or make them seem more important/cool/whatever. In general it refers to whenever anyone of any age tries to make themselves seem cooler than they actually are, especially when it borders on delusion. (ex believing/claiming your ancestors are werewolves, training yourself to do a kamehameha because... just in case! Any “mary-sue” type setting, really.) In this case, Jun is wondering if Seimei chose the name “Seimei” because he wants to pretend to be Abe no Seimei or thinks he’s as great as Abe no Seimei.

7. bokukko – slang referring to a woman/girl who refers to herself with the masculine pronoun “boku”. AKA a tomboy (though not all tomboys use “boku”

8. kuudere – slang referring to someone who appears to have his/her emotions under tight control, but secretly wants to act lovey-dovey with the person he/she likes.

9. riajuu – short for “real fulfilled”, it’s a term used for people who are gamers/nerds/neets/etc but have a good romantic relationship. It’s usually used when jealous internet denizens (usually male) accuse others (also usually male) of showing off their real-life relationships on the web. The sense is kind of like feeling betrayed that a gamer bothers/succeeds with real life relationships. Not really healthy, but hey, that’s how it goes on the web. Basically, “riajuu go explode” is “popular guys should just die out”.

10. tsundere – people who try to act like they don’t like someone when they really do.

11. hikki-neets – short for “hikkikomori NEET”, means a shut-in who’s Not in Education, Employment, or Training. AKA a bum who never leaves his/her house.

12. orz – a pose of despair where the person drops to their knees with their hands on the ground. The o is the head, the r the arms, and the z the legs bent in the kneeling pose. orz

“command” is not Recognized as an Internal or External Command, Operable Program, or Batch File.

A painfully bright light erupted from the ground.

No, maybe I should say the ground was engulfed in the light. From the inside out.

I suddenly felt like I was sinking, or maybe rising, or maybe I was falling. Or maybe I was being catapulted upwards. The sensation was severe and muddled. But there was one thing I was sure of:

I feel sick.

With a sharp crack I suddenly feel gravity taking control again and almost fall over. It’s not that I landed. More like my feet suddenly realized they were standing on the ground.

...

It’s silent here. No BG music and no nearly-imperceptible humming from the VR. I take a deep breath and listen to the sounds of the wind blowing through the tall grass with my eyes closed.

...eh?

Taking another breath with my eyes closed, I can feel the expansion of my chest and the rush of air as I breathe in. This ... is virtual reality right? I don’t remember feeling these sensations in the character avatar before. And the wind ...

I can feel the wind on my skin, and I feel like I’m getting goosebumps from the light breeze.

When I open my eyes I see before me:

A sea of long, undulating grass that waves as the wind ripples through.

Above me the branches of a regal old tree stretches towards the sky. It’s seriously big. I wouldn’t have been surprised if a sacred rope had been tied around the trunk, that’s the feeling the tree gave me. Taking it all in I’m struck with how real it all looks. Has VR come so far already?

I try to compare how my skin looks from when I was still in the character creation mode to how it looks now, but ... nonono, this is clearly different. The translucency of my skin and the veins that show through like in ‘real’ were definitely not there before. And the goosebumps ... no matter how I think about it, it’s weird for them to include that kind of detail, right?

“【MENU】.”

I have the feeling that something was just about to happen but the game menu doesn’t open like it should. The command should be simply “menu”. I’d read the core command list earlier and I’m certain I haven’t remembered wrong.

“【FRIEND CHAT: CONNECT】- [‘Masa’]. ”

『ERROR: TARGET IS NOT LOCATED IN THIS ZONE』

... Huh? What’s the use of Friend Chat if you have to be in the same area as the person? But while I’m thinking that,

『ERROR: TARGET REGISTRATION PENDING』

With these two errors, I am totally lost. Masaki’s character, “Masa” is on my list, so what does it mean by “Registration Pending”? It seems I will have to track Masaki down manually. It’s really kind of annoying.

“Call: GM.”

?! There is clearly a different feeling when I try to trigger the GM CALL function. It almost feels like it’s not even trying to work. Try harder, VR!

Maybe nothing’s working because I hadn’t finished my character creation yet.

Hang on. Now that I think about it, I DIDN’T finish my character creation did I? I definitely haven’t selected a character class or given my character a name yet, so why would I have entered the game? No, calm down. I have to think.

1) The game malfunctioned and sent my default character into the world before I created it.

— ... Is that even possible? I don’t know anything about netgame programming, or regular programming, but I feel like my default character would have just been deleted and I’d have to restart from scratch if an error occurred.

2) The event server uses new technology to make VR the closest to ‘real’ than any other game before it.

— No, that’d be a waste of resources to go and use completely different stuff than the original servers, right? Or could the event be a way of testing everything out?

3) Masaki and I were in the VR store near the station.

— This is clearly not the VR store near the station. I don’t remember having left. Moreover, I’m not sure WHERE this would be.

Then what is happening to me right now?

There are four options:

1) This is VR.

2) This is a dream.

3) This is ‘spirited away’.

4) This is reality.

I don’t know enough to decide which one is true. To say this is VR feels wrong but I can’t really confirm if the wrong feeling is from errors or because this isn’t VR. A dream then? But I can feel everything so vividly. No, there are times when you think you can feel pain in a dream, right? This might be the same. If I have been spirited away ... would that be the same as this being reality? But if either or both are true, then farewell my common sense.

So all the possibilities could be true maybe. -_-;

Well, first things first. If this is VR, did I finish my character creation?

“【STATUS】.”

Ooh, finally something worked!

◤

NAME: JUN

MP:【▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▋】179,950 /180,000

TRAITS:

[OTHERWORLDER]: [PASSIVE: (Secret Trait) (Resilient Body) (Magic Enrichment) (Otherworldly Knowledge) (Accelerated Learning) (Keen Instincts) (Translate)] [SKILLS: (Inventory) (Friend Chat) (Status) (AnalyzeIV)]

◣

... This looks nothing like the Status Screen I remember seeing in the guide. For starters, where are my Stats and HP bar? And isn’t that MP way too high there?! The ‘Traits’ thing is strange and different as well. I don’t like the looks of being an ‘Otherworlder’.

The interface of the Status Screen is also different from the one I remember. It seems to be made up of something shimmering, but I hesitate to say it’s made up of lights. When I look closer the words seem to dance, as if “words” weren’t actually their true form.

I squint to try to see what they really are but they only jitter and tremble as if shifting from form to form. My head starts to hurt and I give up. When I stop trying to really look at them, they simply look like words again.

There’s no class listed but I don’t know if that’s because I don’t have a class or if it’s simply not included.

I’ve used “Friend Chat” (with error) and “Status” already, so I try to check the other two skills I ... have?

Something does pop up when I say “【INVENTORY】” but because it’s empty I can’t tell if items are organized in slots like a game, listed like a menu, or just left as a jumbled mess. I also don’t know how much I can store in it.

Oh! I take off my jacket and store it in the Inventory. It looks like it does in a game, with an icon stored in an Inventory slot. When I look at the icon “[COMMONER’S JACKET]” pops up over it like a title. I don’t even get Beginner’s Equipment because I didn’t finish Character Creation, huh?

This realization doesn’t exactly sit well with me, but what can I do? I move on to the last skill.

“【ANALYZE】.”

It does nothing if I’m not looking specifically at something. I manage to make the skill activate while I happen to be looking at the tree.

◤

NAME: SPIRIT TREE

TYPE:  Unknown.

REATTEMPTING TYPE CLASSIFICATION: 75% similarity to “Magic Source”][60% similarity to “Magical Artifact”

ANALYSIS: Subject is channeling Ancient Magic of unknown type and radiating mana from an unknown process of magic conversion (Query: process – more information needed. Accuracy of analysis compromised from lack of information).

RARITY: Unconfirmed Legendary: Mythical

LORE: A mythical tree made of magic power that is rumored to be a well that draws from the magic power of the planet. Also rumored to be a birthplace of spirits.

◣

It doesn’t seem to know everything, but it tells me enough to understand that this tree is something fantastic. I wonder... since this is Analyze IV, can I increase it? How much?

Too bad I can’t Analyze my Analyze Skill. Or actually, too bad I can’t “look at” my current situation and use Analyze!

I wrack my brain a bit longer but since I don’t have enough information to figure out my situation I give up and sit down, leaning on the tree’s trunk to enjoy the feel of basking in the shade of the tree. The situation is certainly troubling but there’s no point in panicking, right? If I don’t have the information I’ll have to go find it. But first, I will take the time to calm myself in the zen-feel of this rare scenery, surrounded by tall grass.

◇◇◇

Fwaah... when I wake up the pleasant feeling from before is gone.

Ah? I suppose I’d fallen asleep then.

Though I had been leaning on the Spirit Tree when I’d dozed off, I’ve woken curled up on the ground on a grassy hill. Both the tree and the sea of tall grass are nowhere to be seen.

The scenery is more dirt and rock colored than the lush green-ness from before.

I wonder where I am.

Without much hope I say “Map”, but as I suspected the map function doesn’t activate. Another strike against this being the VRMMO.

Time to get up and start walking to find civilization. There’s hope in this act. Many roads wind through the grassy, hilly, and somewhat rocky terrain, and from the rocky outcropping near me I can see that many of the roads begin to join up near here. It’s a good sign that there’s probably someplace with people nearby. Maybe a town.

Though I say “nearby” ... If I can’t see it from a moderately elevated place like these rocks it may take at least a week to reach the spot.

Let’s review. I have no items, meaning I have no food or water. Also no weapons and no armor. My skills are “Inventory”, “Friend Chat”, “Status”, and “Analyze”.

It seems I’m at a disadvantage if I have to make the classic choice between “Fight/Item/Run”, huh?

Run.

Why not? The closer I get to where the roads lead to the better the chance I’ll have to meet people traveling there.

So thinking I check my bearings again and take off at a speed that startles me. My sure-footedness as I surge across the uneven ground startles me even more as I cut cross-country towards the dusty-brown roads.

Out of the sheer joy of free running I purposefully choose spots that allow me to kick off and leap about. I’m delighted when I succeed in pulling off a flawless somersault for the first time in my life. There is no way I’m this nimble in real, but I’m beginning to think I’d like to start urban free-running when I return home.

Even a Benchwarmer Participates by Watching from the Sidelines

I think I’m heading east. At least, I’m walking towards the rising sun.

Maybe “east” is different here, wherever I am. Maybe all of my common sense is useless.

I am beginning to lose confidence in my abilities to survive in this world.

I’m not sure how long I’ve been walking along this road. I reached it last night as the sun was just beginning to go down, and now the sun is peeking over the hills. If the night-cycle is the same as the real-world ... no, I don’t know how long night-time is in the real-world either. 8 hours of darkness? 10 hours?

My dark mood begins to fade as the sun’s morning light melts away the night’s chill. Even though I don’t feel tired perhaps I should have stopped to sleep after all, if only to stop the useless, gloomy thoughts that kept running through my head.

I can now see my surroundings more clearly. In the distance, to the ... south? ... I can see the outlines of mountains. Though they are indistinct forms shrouded in mist, they might be very close. The surrounding environment seems to suggest a mountainous region anyway. Low trees and shrubs poke through the rocks on the steep, rocky hills, but they seem barren. I don’t think there’s much to forage from this area. I wouldn’t know what I could eat, anyway.

Ugh. Now that my bad mood is gone, I’m hungry.

The road I’ve been traveling on has been clearly trodden into a road and it’s much wider than some of the other roads I had passed that joined it. That being said, it still doesn’t look to be a very well-traveled road.

And I still haven’t come across any people.

Hm...

I speed up my pace. I’d at least like to come across a more well-traveled road soon.

◇◇◇

I’ve figured out why this road isn’t more populated.

Instead of going around the treacherous terrain this road cuts straight through the hills and along the cliff-sides. If you travel with any more luggage than me I don’t think you could make it along in any good time. If you don’t remember, I have nothing.

My amazing stamina is beginning to wear as I navigate the road with uneven footing and I consider resting at the side of the mountainous road. Rather than food now, I’m rather thirsty. It’s amazing that I’ve gone this long without feeling the effects too badly. Is this the effect of the passive skill (Resilient Body)?

I bet I can’t go another night without sleep, but I’m not really tired right now. Even though my stamina is running out, it’s only at the point of having run a good few kilometers at a jog, not walking and running for over half a day. I could probably keep going without taking a break ... but that’s not why I decide not to rest.

A commotion erupts from below the path, probably in the valley at the bottom of this particular mountain-like pass. Though the source of the commotion is probably a good distance away, the rocks and cliffs echo the sound well and I can hear the words being yelled properly.

“Jer! Bandits!”

“Circle the wagons around, Mii get the merchants in the middle! Kris, Lor, guard behind! Niera, with me!”

How nice, everything’s properly in Japanese ... is not what I can say. The sound of the words is definitely not Japanese, and probably not English, but the meaning is somehow translated through. It will make learning the local language much easier. I wish I had this skill for English class. I hope I can keep it when I get home!

While I’m thinking these out-of-place thoughts I move quickly down the road towards the commotion. It doesn’t take long for the wagons to come into sight; it’s just that they’re still quite far in the vertical direction. That’s the problem with mountainous terrain ... so thinking I begin to make my way down the still-quite-a-ways distance while trying to remain stealthy. You may think I’m being a coward for not rushing in to help, but forgive me. My skill set is “Inventory”, “Friend Chat”, “Status”, and “Analyze4”. I can’t say it’s a confidence-inspiring bunch.

Halfway down from where I was I decide to stop to watch, hidden well in an outcropping of rocks. It’s still at a distance where distinguishing by face would be difficult but I can now see enough to understand what’s happening. It will be good if I’m unneeded.

That being said, I can’t just pass on by in good conscience without assuring the wagons’ group safety. Despite my skill set being “Inventory”, “Friend Chat”, “Status”, and “Analyze4”.

orz

There are three wagons, each drawn by two horses. As per the instructions before they are drawn up in a triangle-ish formation. In the middle are people not participating in the battle, the merchants I assume, with a person in armor standing protectively over them, weapon drawn. Outside of the wagons are four other armored people, two on each side fending off the bandits.

I suspect the person with the most impressive armor to be the leader. Is that stereotyping?

Of the bandits there is one on horseback. There appear to have been three on horseback initially, but the wagons’ guards have taken down two of them. A bandit hanging towards the back seems to be one of them. He looks to have withstood some crushing-type injuries and has drawn his weapon to increase the pressure on the wagons’ group, though I doubt he’ll be much help if he’s required to actually fight. I can’t see the other former-horseman, but I feel little doubt that he’s been crushed underneath one of the horses lying there.

I unconsciously pat my empty pocket for my smartphone. It’s not there, curses.

I wish I could use the camera mode to see more clearly... Almost as if listening to me my sight focuses in just like a camera zoom.

I’m a bit puzzled but ignore the strange thing that just happened and scan the battle-scene. Besides the injured man and the one on horseback there are eight other bandits, two in the back and three on each side harrying the wagons’ guards. The two in the back ... one’s an archer and the other waves an ornamental stick around. As he waves it and chants, spectacular fantasy symbols are drawn in the air. From the symbols shoot lights and translucent, sharp objects. I think I should call the stick a wand instead.

The wagons’ guards are doing pretty well. Despite being outnumbered and bombarded by ranged attacks, I don’t see an opening for me to step in. They are clearly experienced professionals. If they didn’t have to be wary of the wagons and the merchants’ safety I think they could have driven the bandits off by now. The guard in the middle is chanting something, and seeing as the arrows and magic attacks are being deflected from the area around the wagons I think it’s a barrier.

For the record, I can’t hear the chanting well. Only the loudly said words are clear from my position. I would have liked to learn the chant for either the magic attack or the barrier.

At any rate, the fight seems like a stalemate at best, and I can’t imagine bandits doing anything as unprofitable as continuing to siege a well defended caravan now that the difference in strength has been shown.

I’m too naïve.

Take Out the Snipers First. They Ruin Everything.

As I glance about me to determine the safest route to descend un-noticed a glint catches my eye from the cliff-side. I quickly duck down behind the rocks to conceal myself better. I hadn’t thought to hide from people on the mountain!

I stare hard at the glint and my sight zooms in again.

It’s a sniper. There’s another one, stationed several meters away at another point along the cliff. Though they’re snipers they’re not holding sniper-rifles propped against the ground but dangerous-looking, large crossbows. The bolts are HUGE.

They might be called something else, but I’m not too sure with any ranged weapon that’s not the Japanese bow.

Carefully surveying the cliff I confirm that there are only two men on the cliff-side. They haven’t noticed me yet, focused solely on the fight down below.

An incredibly bad feeling washes over me.

The sniper closest to me is ready to fire, but the bad feeling is coming from his bolt. It vibrates and glows dimly with a dangerous power that I can feel from over here. It’s aimed at the wagons’ guard who looks like the leader.

Make it in tiiiiime! As I kick off, the ground suddenly seems to shrink and I reach the sniper’s location in two steps. Impossible! Fantasy, you are impossible!

But it still wasn’t fast enough. Even as I strike at the sniper, even as he just begins to notice me, the trigger has been pulled and the bolt shoots through the air.

“INCOMING!”

Thankfully sound travels faster than objects through air.

Unfortunately, not much faster.

The leader-looking guard looks up and manages to dodge but there is nothing else they could do against it in the seconds it flew through the air.

The bolt pierces through where the magic and arrows couldn’t and there’s a shattering sound. It lodges itself – no, it completely skewers one of the wagons and the wagon erupts in splinters. The terrified horses rear and cause a disastrous display.

Breathing hard from my miraculous speed I look down at the unconscious man I had slapped into the rocks. The whites of his eyes are showing. I’ve powered up it seems.

I just barely manage to dodge another bolt, glowing ominously like the first. Something like a shockwave resonates from where it pierces the rock face behind me and I stumble as it crumbles through the ground and affects my footing. I feel the searing heat from the implosion where the bolt has sunk in.

The other sniper has targeted me, huh?

If this bolt was the twin of the first one, I’m relieved it didn’t manage to hit a human.

In one smooth movement I grab an extra bolt lying in the sniper’s arsenal – not the one embedded in the ground as it still gives off a murderous aura – and hurl it like an Olympic javelin thrower. I’m sure someone from somewhere will complain about my form, but right now I don’t have the time to be particular, do I?

Oh. After releasing the bolt I realize my limbs are shaking a little. Being that close to death isn’t something I’m used to. My stomach’s in knots.

I hit my target since the second sniper was only a little more than 10 meters away and the second crossbow splinters. The bolt isn’t glowing like the others. I am curious about it. Magic weapons are romantic after all.

Is it the crossbow then? Oops!

As I’m distracted, the second sniper swings at me with a short sword.

“You, who the hell are you?!”

Ah... yelling like that has surely announced my presence to the bandits below too. Well, so be it. Looking at the battlescene, I think that I should step in after all. The chaos below has destroyed the formation the wagons’ group had been, throwing the stalemate into a losing battle.

“If you won’t answer, just die!”

Nonono, I’m not doing it to be rude, I just don’t know how to answer you!

I dodge her wide swings easily despite the bad footing. This isn’t a power-up after I woke up inexplicably in this world. This woman just really sucks at close combat. I’m not too sure how to deal with her. I don’t like the thought of hitting her, and now that I think about it I wonder if I’ve almost killed that man.

This isn’t the time for this!

Part of me screams that, but I can’t help it. The only fights I’ve had were sports matches and fist fights that never carried anything close to the intent to kill that I feel now. In modern day society no one needs the determination to kill anymore so give me a break. I won’t be able to do it so easily.

Well, even with the intent to kill she’s still really bad at this. Thank you for allowing me the time to sort out my philosophical issues, but this way you really aren’t much of a threat. It makes it even more difficult for me to try to muster any intent to kill.

Drawing it out any longer than this, though, and the situation down below will get bad. And, this woman DID try to kill me in an awful way.

Stepping in easily, I disarm her and deal a blow into her stomach.

“Gefuu...!”

Ah, that’s right, I’ve powered up in this world. She makes a strange noise as she flies back a ways into the rocks. The woman twitches a bit then rolls over weakly.

Oh. She’s throwing up now.

I can’t bring myself to deal a finishing blow but I can’t just leave these two up here. It’s dangerous to leave your enemies alive in a strategic location.

There’s no rope so I improvise some restraints with the two snipers’ bag straps and belts. Sorry unconscious man, I suggest you to find pants that will stay up better without a belt if you get out of this situation alright.

The woman has recovered enough to glare at me at least, but it doesn’t stop me from quickly swiping the remaining crossbow and a number of bolts. Even if I don’t know how to use a crossbow now, I’m sure I can figure it out later. And the bolts are big enough to use as spears, which beats my current weapons of ... nothing.

It’s after I leap off the snipers’ perch that it hits me that I could have hunted around for a weapon that suited me better. Or water. I probably could have found a lot of things that would have helped me in my complete poverty.

Too late. No matter how much I’ve increased in strength and agility there’s still not much I can do against gravity. Besides, there’s no time. Even the necessity of restraining the snipers took too long. Need over greed – I’ll have to pass up looting this time.

Think Before You Act … Unless You’re Out of Time. Then Just Don’t Think.

Author/TN note: Not sure when I’ll get the next OVRMMO up, but it’ll probably be before the end of the week. Ganbatte, me.

Thanks to the echoing cliff-side our ruckus at the snipers’ perch has attracted some of the bandits’ attention and two of them have branched off to receive me as I descend the mountain pass. At least it’s taken two men off from sieging the wagons.

I say I’m “descending” the mountain pass, but really, I’m falling. Sure I’m trying to bounce from foothold to foothold, but my momentum down this particularly vertical part of the cliff carries me faster than I can find stable points to land and I’m falling further than I’d like before finding the next foothold.

There’s lots of shale, too, and I have to concentrate to avoid twisting my ankle on some of the footholds.

It’s terrifying! I’m seriously going to crack my head open if I lose focus even once. And there’s the issue of two men with swords waiting to receive me.

Oooph! I manage to find more of a landing and my knees nearly buckle from the momentum. I recover, barely, and continue the flow of my movement to make a spectacular flying leap.

I leap towards the men waiting below while pulling two bolts from my Inventory. It’s nice that I can pull exactly what I want out, and the image of the bolts materializing is truly a fantastic sight.

One to parry, the other to strike. I plunge the tip of my right-hand bolt/spear into the shoulder of one of the bandits while deflecting his wide swing and allow my momentum to somersault me over him. The carry of the trajectory rips the spear in his shoulder out at a bad angle. It’s blood all over.

Though I prepared myself for the gore, it seems it wasn’t enough. My stomach twists and the hand holding the bloody spear goes limp, the palm slick with sweat.

Ignore it, me. Keep going, this has to be done. There’s no time.

I mentally chant these thoughts like a mantra, trying to numb my revulsion to the actions I was about to do.

Since my grip on the right spear has already been compromised I toss it away and take hold of the left one in both hands. Rather than a spear I use it more like a bo staff. A pity the balance is too different to use as a bamboo sword since my skill in staff fighting is at the “copying martial arts movies” level, but at least in my chuunibyou days I secretly practiced all sorts of flashy martial arts. Secretly because it would have been too painful for others to have known about them.

Not that it ever stopped Masaki from spotting me in my “secret training” sessions and teasing me endlessly.

The second bandit is disarmed quickly and the butt of the spear hits him in the pit of his stomach. I leave him winded; it’s best to just take the rearguards out as fast as possible.

With the disaster of the wagons, many of the wagons’ group were injured by the shrapnel and the horses going berserk.  They are only just barely able to fend off the bandits now. With the archer and magic castor over there adding to the mayhem, it’s hell.

The bandit leader, though, is perceptive. He had been circling the scene leisurely, but apparently he didn’t expect me to come out unscathed from the fight with two of his men. Now he senses the danger and decides to intervene himself.

“Where did you come from, you bastard?!”

As he screams he whips his horse into a frenzy and thunders towards me. But, like the entirety of this fight, I don’t have time! The castor is preparing another chant like before. What magic will he make rain on the wagons’ group? Their magic shield-thing was destroyed earlier; that they’ve survived this long is a miracle! Like before, make the distance shrink!

Fully concentrating on that thought in the blink of an eye I once again find myself where I wanted to be in far fewer steps than it should have taken.

No time to ponder, as usual! The tip of the spear slices the bowstring. The butt whips around and cracks the castor in the jaw, then whips around again to crack across the back of the archer’s neck.

Both were sickening cracks. Neither archer nor magic castor is moving. Broken jaw, broken neck ... I forcibly numb the sympathetic part of my brain again as I turn to face the bandit leader. He’s reared his horse short at my disappearance, and his look at me is of horror.

“You ... chantless magic?!”

Nnh?

I’m not sure what that means, but he is clearly moving far more cautiously now.

“Then...  「relathintamanelloranamathun...」”

There is no translation for what he is saying. Is there no meaning to the words in the chants? His sword glows a dark color, rippling down the blade, and he urges his horse towards me.

It looks like being hit with that would be bad. The difference in height is bad. Getting kicked in the face by a horse ... also bad. But ...

Spears are for throwing, you know?

I throw it as hard as I can, since he’s still a bit away, and ... miss. By only a little, but it’s a miss nonetheless. It hurtles past him like a speeding train and disappears into the distance. Oops.

The backlash seems to have been enough to make him go pale. It’s definitely enough to make the horse give in. It rears and tries to break away.

The bandit leader didn’t brace himself and is tossed from the saddle, and the horse stumbles, breaks away, and flees off to the side.

Falling hard on his left side, the bandit leader is dazed but somehow he gets up shakily. I am amazed at his guts as he readies himself to fight. He doesn’t look like he wants to though.

“B-back up! Regroup!”

Oh? I thought maybe he’d be like a bandit NPC in a video game who would continue attacking until they were all dead, but life is precious after all. That makes it harder to face the fact that I might have killed three men.

He’s facing me, glaring as if he’s wondering what to do. Ah, it’s because I’m standing over his maybe dead comrades. I look over and see that the bandits sieging the wagons have backed off, also watching me carefully.

Eh? The wagons’ group is also watching me warily!?

The bandit leader laughs hollowly as he backs away slowly. He’s favoring his left leg and limps.

“Fine then, give us our men and we’ll go for today. Shit, hiring such a monster!”

Monster... I’m not being viewed as human. I replay my actions. Descending down an over 6 kilometer cliff-face in seconds, defeating all his men in one blow each, and moving so quickly it looks like I’m teleporting. Well, I’m not sure I’m human anymore either.

I step back from the archer and castor. Oh, the castor’s moving and the archer looks to be breathing ... but neither can stand. The bandits move to collect them ... I look over at the wagons’ group to see if they’ll object but they look to be in no mood for justice.

Medication and recovery seems to be both sides’ priorities right now.

With the frenzy of battle gone my limbs suddenly feel weary, but I don’t let it show. It would look stupid after my superhuman moves, right? I focus on the wagons’ group that’s left behind after the bandits retreated.

The four guards who had surrounded the wagons have various scrapes and bruises, and the leader-looking man took a blade to the shoulder. All in all they don’t seem to have taken any life-endangering wounds, though a few of their wounds seem nasty. The group in the middle ... they are not so lucky.

There’s a very obvious reason the guard in the middle didn’t resurrect her magical barrier. “Couldn’t” resurrect her magical barrier. When the horses ... and donkeys...? panicked, one of the remaining wagons had broken it’s rear wheel while the other toppled over, threatening to squash the people in the middle of the formation. The third wagon is in splinters from the snipers, and the shrapnel has injured animal and human alike.

Straining with all her might the guard in the middle has been using her body to keep the toppled wagon from falling on the four injured merchants. It’s barely a success; her body looks like it will give out any moment, and wooden splinters are embedded all over. She’s likely only managing through sheer willpower.

That’s the first priority for everyone. Despite their wounds, the guards and even some of the more lightly injured merchants struggle to her as soon as the bandits are out of sight.

“Hang on, Miinalya!”

“Carefully now!”

“Uuuu...”

She groans weakly as the merchants are moved out from the crash zone and passes out before they can rescue her.

Gchun.

I grab the wagon frame with both hands and stop it from falling on her as she collapses. Though they had been acting as if they were ignoring me, I see that they’re actually still quite wary of my presence. The leader-like man has tensed up as I hold the wagon, and he’s watching me out of the corner of his eye ... That kind of hurts, y’know?

“We thank you for saving us, but aren’t looking to be in the debt of a Noble-sama. If there is anything in our power we can reward you with, please take it and go back to your master.”

“... eh? Noble-sama? No, a reward, that’s ...”

One of the merchants, a strong-willed looking woman, approaches me with such startling words. This world seems like it has some issues. Even this woman has been pierced with wooden splinters and nurses her leg. And she’s one of the more unscathed. Who is heartless enough to demand something like a reward from injured merchants who just had most of their new stock destroyed?

... The bandits maybe.

“That’s ... no, sorry, I don’t know any Noble-samas, and a reward is not ...”

Suddenly I feel extremely dizzy. Instead of standing the wagon up like I’d hoped to do, I am barely able to set it down gently. My temples are throbbing and I sit down, trying to look as if I’m alright even though I want to curl up in a ball and clutch my head.

Sitting helps a little bit and I focus on regulating my breathing.

“... a reward ... well, a little bit of water is enough?”

Always Keep an Eye on Your Stats. You’ll Regret it Otherwise.

It seems the merchants and their guards were nervous because of they thought I was working for some “Noble-samas”. I don’t really get it, but when the woman had found an unbroken skin of water she asked “You ... really have no affiliation with Nobles?” dropping the honorific. When I confirmed it a large tension seemed to be removed from everyone’s shoulders in an instant.

“I see, I see, you don’t work for a Noble? That’s good news!”

“Well, then. We are truly lucky you came across!”

“Hey, are you alright? You look pale.”

“Uwah, probably used up all your magic power, huh? That’s dangerous if you overdo it, you don’t want to die right?  ... but we’re not complaining!”

They turned out to be a group of good natured people.

What’s that the male soldier over there said? Used up my magic power? But I didn’t use any skills?

I mutter “【STATUS】” under my breath.

◤

NAME: JUN

MP:【▏                               】0,000,015/2,500,000

TRAITS:

[OTHERWORLDER]:

[PASSIVE: (Secret Trait) (Resilient Body) (Magic Enrichment) (Otherworldly Knowledge) (Accelerated Learning) (Keen Instincts) (Translate)]

[SKILLS: (Inventory) (Friend Chat) (Status) (AnalyzeIV)]

[MAGIC BORN]:

[PASSIVE: (Secret Trait) (Boundless Magic) (Chantless Cast) (Well of Magic) (Magic Sense)]

[WANDERER]:

[PASSIVE: (Steady Balance) (Perceptive Sense) (Light Foot)]

[SKILLS: (Augment Body) (Augment Mind) (Farsight) (Ground Shrink)]

◣

Ooooooi! Just 15 MP left?! No, wait, didn’t my total MP go up?! What’s with that ridiculous number?! That’s 2.5kk, 2.5 MILLIONS, you know?! And I used it ALL?!

No, wait, what’s with all those traits?! Since when?!

Could 2.5kk MP be not that much?

As I look over the skills, the name of the skill I’m inspecting shimmers into descriptions of the skill. From the [WANDERER] trait I soon understand why my MP vanished.

(Augment Body) devours MP and allows me to push past my physical limits. The further I go past the more MP it eats up. (Augment Mind) – well, I’m not too sure but perhaps I used it while trying not to mind the blood and gore. It eats MP provisionally like (Augment Body). I can’t say I used it a lot, but since the skill description doesn’t give me even a rough estimate, due to its provisional consumption, I can’t be too sure it wasn’t also a culprit for my ridiculous MP drain.

(Farsight) only uses a little bit of MP over the time I have it activated. It was what allowed me to see things in the distance like I zoomed in on them. I probably didn’t use more than 15 MP worth today. (Ground Shrink) ...

500,000 MP per use?!

It lets the user shrink the distance needed to travel within sight ... and I used it ... twice, I think... 1 million MP gone just like that! And would that mean I used almost 1.5 mil for those stupidly superhuman stunts?!

What bothers me most is that I used MP without even wanting to. No, also, what did that male soldier over there say? I could die from using too much MP?

...

A cold chill washes over me.

On top of my dizziness, this new information weighs heavily on me and I flop back on the ground while pressing my cold hands to my forehead. Even though I should go help them fix their wagons and help move the injured people... ah ... my head is swirling.

Almost dying, almost letting others die, this pain must be divine punishment for not keeping track of my status better!

“Um, are you alright?”

A young girl from among the merchants leans over me, worried. She is lucky to have gotten away with just scrapes and bruises ... ah, I bet the others shielded her. She’s the youngest of everyone here, middle-school aged with freckles and pale-red hair twisted in two braids. Now she’s been running back and forth trying to help the injured, tend the animals, and sort out the wreckage all at once.

“Nn, fine. Reflecting on my insufficiencies.”

Despite the nausea I wave a hand carelessly in the air and speak casually. Masaki always told me I get sloppy when I’m tired.

The answer seems to persuade her and she darts away to help the others again.

“Haha, so it’s magic power depletion after all.”

A guard sitting nearby laughs weakly as he overhears us. His right arm is wrapped tightly with a splint and he has various bandages wrapped around his stomach. For a guard, his armor is rather light, mostly leather or lacquered wood with little metal. His long light brown hair is tied back in a low pony tail, and he’s on the slim side.

“I’m Lorenzo, you can call me Lor.”

“Ah ... Jun.”

I reach up and shake his outstretched hand, though gently because he appears to be in pain all over. And, well, I still had a splitting headache.

“Well, we’re all grateful that you helped us out to this extent, despite pushing yourself to your limits.”

Lor’s words of gratitude hurt. I feel like I have to correct that misunderstanding.

“Ahahah ... no, rather than saying I was pushing myself to my limits, how should I say it ... I couldn’t control how much MP – er, magic power I used until it was almost all gone.”

I heaved a sigh and rest my throbbing temple in my hand again. There is no excuse. Not knowing my skills and not knowing how to activate – or not activate – them caused me to use both my skills and MP wastefully.

If I had known about the skills, at least, I could have done things in a safer manner. I could have intervened before the situation got so bad. Instead, there were so many casualties. For no one to have died, I can only believe it was luck.

... The silence after me was very long. I look up. Lor is staring at me with his mouth gaping open. I look at him questioningly.

“N-no, sorry, just ... um, are you perhaps ... a novice magic user?”

“Un, yeah, today was the first time I used magic – in a fight.”

I quickly added that last part as an after thought. Perhaps it would be weird to not ever have used magic. Eh?! My response seems to have shocked Lor even more!

“T-to be that powerful but still be a novice-! You were using (Fleet Foot), (Slow Fall), and (Strength of Arms) continuously, where you not? To perform such amazing feats... and chantlessly!”

He shakes his head as if he can’t believe it.

“Ah, no, just (Augment Body) ... I think. Ah, and (Ground Shrink).”

With that statement I seem to have done him in. Uh... if I hadn’t killed anyone yet today, I think I just did. I didn’t even tell him about (Farsight) or (Augment Mind), though I’m still not sure I used (Augment Mind).

“Au-Augment Body, certainly if you are capable of chantless magic, (Augment Body) is possible, right. Ahahaha...”

Um... hello? Oi, Lor? Are you alright? He’s laughing kind of weird, as if I broke his world. Just when I’m thinking about trying to comfort him ...

“(Augment Body) and (Ground Shrink)?! There’s no way you’re just a novice with legendary skills like that!”

Lor leans forward all of a sudden and smacks his left hand on the ground. It seems to have been a bad move. He groans and crumples a little bit, nursing his stomach.

“Jeez, what are you doing Lor? You have broken ribs, y’know, broken ribs.”

A pretty Onee-san walks over to where I’m sprawled on the ground and the guard, Lor, is curled up in pain.

Niera and Lor

She’s in armor, one of the two female guards of the group. The other is currently lying in a swathe of blankets and bandages, unconscious from all the wounds and trauma she had undergone while being slowly crushed by the wagon.

“Don’t mind him too much, he’s a mage’s apprentice just close to finishing his apprenticeship. I’m Niera, you know that’s Lor, Jericho is the big guy in the armor, Kristaf is over there, and Miinalya is the injured one. We’re part of the Guild’s Militia, escorting this caravan to the Nyl Labyrinth City. The merchants and company are Kali, that stern-faced woman, and her aides Feron and Louie. Also, the old man Harulf and his granddaughter Lyla.”

“Ah, I’m Jun. I’m ... um, lost?”

I’m not sure what I am.

Niera is a platinum blonde with a pleasant face. Her eyebrows seem eternally quirked, as if she is always laughing inside. Unless she has completely flattened a pair of mountains under her armor she seems to have an average build; not too skinny or too wide. For some reason, because this is a fantasy world I expected all the women to have large breasts. But that stereotype is only in games and anime from my world, right ...

As Niera and I finish our introductions, Lor has recovered.

“Oi, I’m not overreacting this time, Niera. (Augment Body), the ability to be as unlimitedly strong and fast as you want! (Ground Shrink), the space magic to teleport short distances! Those are skills so difficult to learn and with such great magic power consumption that only great people like High Priests or Heroes could learn them!”

Uh oh. So those skills are considered cheat-like abilities, huh? And they don’t seem hard to learn ... they just kind of popped up from somewhere before I realized it.

“And this girl shows up out of nowhere and – hack, cough cough-!”

Lor jabs his finger in my direction, getting worked up again, and collapses in a coughing fit.

“Jeeez, Lor, calm down, calm down.”

By the way, I don’t refute the “girl” part, though it doesn’t sit entirely well with me. Right now I don’t think I can make a very convincing argument since I have what I shouldn’t have and don’t have what I should.

This is one of the reasons I can’t give up the idea that this world might be in the game. Why am I a girl?  ... I file this problem to the back of my mind. It’s not like the immediate situation will change if I’m a boy or a girl. That’s something to investigate later, after I figure out how not to suicide by using up all my MP.

I sigh heavily.

“Legendary or not, (Augment Body) is really troublesome...”

I muttered it under my breath, but Lor and Niera seem to catch it all the same. Niera tilts her head.

“Oh, how so? Aren’t you a ‘Close-Combat Magician’? I would imagine (Augment Body) to be super beneficial.”

“Nn... (Augment Body) consumes MP continuously. Though my own strength is enough, it seems like I’ve been using (Augment Body) indiscriminately until I reach this point. I don’t really know how to stop.”

“I-indiscriminately ... no, using magic without even thinking about it ... your original strength is enough for you?”

Lor doesn’t seem to know what to respond to.

“If I had to say, I prefer swords to magic.”

“N-no, no, you don’t understand exactly how whack what everything you’ve said is, do you?”

“... forgive me I come from a very backwaters, isolated place.”

Sorry, Japan, I don’t really know what else to say other than “I come from another world”, and that just seems like it could have all sorts of bad consequences.

A low, rumbling laugh comes from near us. I finally sit up, as my dizziness has subsided. Checking my MP it seems that it’s replenishing itself, but it’s slow. Around 50 MP now. So I should aim to stop consumption before I get below 50 MP.

Near us, in a tattered lean-to the others have set up for the injured, the old man among the merchants, Grandpa Harulf, was nursing his wounds while eavesdropping on our conversation. “Young one, why don’t you explain to us how you’ve ended up all the way out here without luggage and supplies?”

“Eh? W-wai- oourgh...”

Lor tries to stop Grandpa Harulf from derailing the conversation, but Niera elbows him in the ribs. Ouch. Didn’t he have broken ribs, Niera?

“Ah ... how did I end up out here I wonder ... for that matter, I’m not sure where HERE is.”

To tell the truth I’d been thinking about how to answer that question this entire time, but nothing came to me.

“Don’t tell me you have amnesia ...”

Nearby the leader of the guards, er militia, Jericho muttered darkly. He still seemed suspicious of me, as did the female merchant, Kali. Eh... They’ve finished tending to the wounded and are now preparing camp. Right on the road? Well, I guess I’m tired out too. There’s not much energy left to move everything away.

“Ah, no. There was a bright light, and when I came to I was separated from my companions and in a place I didn’t recognize. ... I don’t know if they’re here as well or not.”

“... How strange... Space Magic, I wonder? But, to separate your companions...”

Lor was muttering. I said “here” as in “this world”, but I think they all took it as “here” in “this part of the world”.

“Hmm... it might have been the Star Fall.”

Old man Harulf said something mysterious.

It Pays to Know the Local Culture to Get the Most Out of Your Vacation

From what I understand, it’s been centuries since the true stars in the sky have been blotted out and what I’m looking at in the sky are imitations.

Every once in a while, on the scale of tens of years, these fake stars seem to melt and fall in torrents of light, streaming across the sky. Where they fall to, nobody knows.

“The ends of the earth, maybe.”

Was the only reply I got.

Anyway, when the stars fall, they release unimaginable amounts of magic called Mana. When this happens the ground shakes, strong monsters are born, new sources of mana are found, and old things from ages ago are brought to the surface.

It’s not unheard of for strange things to happen at that time.

I wonder if world-hopping is considered one of those “strange things that happen.”  I decide to avoid asking.

“I see, so she suddenly received a lot of magic power despite not knowing anything in the Star Fall a few days ago.”

Lor is convinced and has taken it upon himself to be my magic instructor. Despite feeling a bit annoyed at his high-handed attitude, I welcome it. I’d like to make it to the first town without self-destructing due to magic.

He starts with the theoretical explanation of mana.

The magic called “mana” is apparently in everything. For living things it’s produced within – where and how are still trying to be determined by mages today.

Mana sustains the body through the blood or life waters; apparently it gives the blood potency for life. Mana is constantly being used and being replenished just through everyday living. But most beings produce more mana than they need to replenish. Most living beings can store amounts of excess mana, though the capacity for every being and every person is unique.

That excess mana is called Magic Power. For the record, Magic Power cannot be reabsorbed to become mana again. The living simply cannot absorb mana from any external sources. Once you exceed the capacity to store Magic Power, the magic is harmlessly released from the body as an aura. Non-living things absorb that mana, depending on their chemical composition.

For sentient creatures, Magic Power is a source of power that can be drawn upon and controlled.

The danger of running out of MP, Magic Power, lies there. Even though Magic Power cannot become life-sustaining mana, mana can become Magic Power. If you use up Magic Power, the excess mana, you’ll start drawing on the vital mana in your blood, and that’s when bad things start happening.

Like organ failure.

By the way, I asked about the average person’s MP capacity and

“If you train all your life you can get to 500,000, probably.”

Was Lor’s reply.

... I won’t say it. I definitely won’t tell anyone about my MP.

“Well, normally you can’t ‘just use’ Magic Power as easily as you seem to. It’s usually the opposite, where you have to train hard to gain the ability to manipulate your MP. It takes a lot of mental focus and visualization. Chanting is one way of helping you visualize your magic and helps most magic users to get the results they want. Well, that’s the theory behind it. As time has passed and we’ve developed chanting techniques, nowadays you can say chants activate your magic.”

Hm, so chanting is more like a meditation tool, but through ages of development they’ve become trigger words? As Lor explains he rummages one-handedly through a rather sorry looking pack. With all that pack’s been through it’s impressive it’s still in one piece. He pulls out a piece of paper.

“... well, I guess the most important thing is to help you control your Magic Power. This is usually used to help someone START using their magic, but we can use it a different way for your training.”

Usually the trainee channels magic from their Magic Power into the paper. As you channel the magic the paper will turn from purple to blue to green. Purple means there’s barely any magic while green is the amount typically needed to cast basic spells. Blue is just an intermediate, it seems. By the way, the paper doesn’t absorb any magic so slowly pouring Magic Power in won’t add up to green.

Anyway that’s not how I’m going to use it.

“Heheh, this is my own method I came up with. See how long you can hold it at green. Then try to reduce it and hold it at blue.”

“I see.”

So it’s a training to regulate how much Magic Power I’m using. Nice idea, Lor.

I reach out my hand to take the paper from Lor. It immediately turns yellow.

“Uhhhhh...”

I don’t know what yellow means.

Lor’s staring at me, dumbfounded.

“... try putting more Magic Power in.”

I don’t really know how, but I imagine ... something ... going through my hand into the paper. It turns bright red.

Lor says nothing, does nothing, for a few seconds before he turns and pinches the bridge of his nose with his good hand. He finally says, in a defeated tone,

“... it doesn’t go past red.”

I look at my Status screen that I’ve been keeping up all this time to keep an eye on my MP. It was at 364 MP, after 3 hours from when it was 50MP, and now it’s going down fast. I immediately stop doing what I was doing, the paper turns yellow again, and I’m left with 76 MP.

Well. Damn.

That was 288MP in about 5 seconds.

“... I’m almost out of Magic Power again.”

“Yeah, I’m not surprised. After green, it goes yellow, orange, then red. You completely blew past a stage, and I’m betting you’re actually past the degree the paper can measure.”

Lor’s lost his awe-stricken voice and now just sounds really tired, and kind of irritated. Apparently the red means you can use the higher-end apprenticeship spells. Naturally there’s levels past that. So this is a paper used for mage apprentices.

Lor sighs heavily and says,

“Ok, so it looks like the problem isn’t only control, you’re also constantly “using” Magic Power. Actually, with this kind of situation you can’t call it ‘using Magic Power’ anymore. More like Magic Power is constantly leaking out of you. I guess the first order of business is teaching you how NOT to use magic, but ...”

He scratches his head with a frown. It doesn’t seem like this is something he’s used to teaching someone.

Well of course, most of the time people can’t let magic out.

I think I really SHOULD learn to stop this ‘MP leakage’. It’s like I have a giant sign over my head saying, “Look at me, I’m SPECIAL!”

... Hang on a moment. So I’ve still been regenerating MP while I’ve been constantly using it?

Magic Power control training is put on hold until my MP regenerates. It’s unfortunate, but it was nice timing at least. Niera just called us to come eat.

I’m a little hesitant about eating, since I’m not really part of the caravan and they just had half their supplies annihilated, but Niera and the little girl, Lyla, urge me to come sit with them.

I glance at the two I think would protest, the militia leader Jericho and the merchant leader Kali, but neither of them show even the slightest sign of caring. I guess they’re more worried about me being trouble than about the supplies.

“So, missy, where ya from? I don’t recognize the language yer usin.’

A slightly round man with a moustache, who’s just beginning to bald, waves me over. I think he’s one of Kali’s workers. Feron, no, Louie? His arm’s in a sling, but it seems he can still use it.

By the way, I am speaking in Japanese. The only reason they can understand me is because I properly have the (Translate) passive. Since no one seems too concerned, this situation might be common.

“I’m from an island country, I guess it’s far from here” – reeeally far – “and my companions had just invited me to join them on an adventure when we were suddenly separated.”

I had been thinking of my response since a while ago, since it was just a matter of time before I was asked the details.

“You’re really lightly equipped to go adventuring. Don’t tell me your companions had ulterior motives.”

Niera frowned, though her quirked eyebrows lessened the scowl.

Huh? Ulterior motives? For what? I tilted my head.

“Dressing a young girl in such fancy-looking clothes and those long impractical boots to go on a journey...”

Nonono. In the first place, I’m a boy. Was. Was a boy. And even if I wasn’t, what’s with Niera jumping to THAT conclusion so fast?

Well, to protect Masaki and Seimei’s dignity ...

“Ah, no, I was going to be dressed as a man. We were just discussing equipment when I ended up here without anything else. But putting that aside, was there something you guys were carrying that made the bandits attack you? They seemed pretty determined for just trying to rob a caravan.”

I quickly change the subject.

Everyone’s face sours.

Eh? Did I just step on a landmine?

“It’s those damn Nobles. Usin’ us in the middle of their stupid power plays.”

Kali’s other assistant, Feron, has bandages all over. He wasn’t walking much, so I think his legs or hips were hurt badly. His face is the darkest of all the others’ as he spits out those words.

“... I see. So the Noble-samas of this country terrorize others.”

I say that, convinced, but everyone else murmurs sounds that sound like disagreements.

“You must be from pretty far away. There’s no Nobles in this country, because this isn’t a country.”

Niera says that kind of proudly.

“Hmph, who would want to be living underneath those scoundrels, always fighting and getting us Unaffiliateds involved just because the treaty doesn’t let them fight each other in Unaffiliated territory.”

Feron mutters while drinking something that smells of alcohol. I vaguely recall drinking to be bad when you’re bleeding and injured, but since I can’t remember the exact reason why I let the scowling man be. I think he’s the kind of person who would only get angry it I tried to separate him from his alcohol after a stressful day.

Anyway, there’s something to be said about recovering your nerves after a day like today.

Feron continues.

“Always tryin’ to make Unaffiliateds work for ‘em like slaves, looking down on us, dammit. This time too has to be something...”

Kali snorts at that and says bitterly,

“Not ‘something’, there’s only one thing they could be after, either for stealing or keeping them from reaching market. Our main trade, Mana Pots.”

◇◇◇

The long and short of it is, there are many countries in this world. They’re all fighting each other, claiming lands and resources or just trying to sabotage the other countries. Noble-samas are of course those with high standings in their own country, but also those who have strong hands in developing magic – magic medicines, magic spells, magic weapons ... those types of things.

They won’t hesitate to fight a Noble-sama from another country. Defeating a Noble-sama from another country is the greatest feat that they can perform, short of annihilating the other country’s capital.

Your abilities with magic are everything.

That’s this world’s common sense. Developing magic, Labyrinth diving for potent magical artifacts, scouring ruins for lost technologies, Noble-samas will do anything to further the amount of magical power attached to their name. Including recruiting people with strong magics and Magic Power.

And ... “recruiting” people with strong magics and Magic Power.

“Well, that’s why we thought you were working for a Noble. Usually if they found someone strong, with talent, they won’t let them be. You’ll be kidnapped if they can catch you unawares, or somehow forced to work for them some other way.”

“I’m relieved my situation is like this instead, then. ... but I wonder if my companions are ok?”

I mutter my thoughts out loud.

“Are they that strong?”

Niera asked that, her eyebrows quirking even more than usual.

I thought about it. If they’re the way they are in the game ...

“... much more so than me.”

““““...””””

Everyone looks dumbfounded, and silence reigns.

I silently pray that Masaki and Seimei won’t be forced into anything ugly.

Well my worry might be for nothing. I don’t even know if they’re here.

There’s Always a Lot of Things to Get Used to When You Move to a City

<A/N: I wasn’t going to have a disclaimer about the romance, but then I thought about how it sucks to invest in a story and get to the romance bit, only to go, “Well, this isn’t what I signed up for.”

So Disclaimer: Jun being Jun, forget about which gender, I don’t even know if we’ll get to a point where I can say, “that person’s the main love interest.” At any rate, it’s something I don’t want to force and just let happen naturally. But, as the author I like tormenting Jun giving Jun interesting situations to work through so I will be planting lots of flags in both gender pools.

... It was only just recently that I realized, “Hang on, doesn’t that make Jun a harem protagonist?” orz >

“No, people can’t absorb magic power. Medicine that adds mana to the body would be useless. Mana Pots increase your ability to replenish your mana for a short time. They’re very expensive.”

So it’s not the game-like MP pots in MMOs, where it heals a portion of mana. It’s the type that speeds up out-of-combat regeneration. I wonder what’s in Mana Pots, but since I think the answer will be “magic”, I don’t ask.

Wait, I think Lor already told me that we can’t absorb mana from other things. I’ve been thinking of this in game terms. I’m ashamed.

Kali continues.

“Since the areas around old ruins and Labyrinths are considered Unaffiliated territory and Noble-samas can’t fight each other there, they’re reduced to petty tricks like erasing the supply of Mana Pots, or attacking supply convoys. Usually by bribing or hiring Unaffiliateds so they can say ‘We don’t have our hands in it.’ And that’s why Noble-samas hire Unaffiliateds to run Mana Pots and supplies, so their personal losses will be reduced.”

“Not like we have much of a say. We Unaffiliated are only living by the good graces of the esteemed Noble-samas and their countries, otherwise we’d be caught in a tug-of-war of invasions.”

Niera’s voice drips in sarcasm and she raises her hands, palms up, exaggeratedly.

Kali sighs, as if she’s worn out. Well, after today, she has to be worn out. And who knows how many similar attacks have happened throughout her merchant career.

“Well, we can’t stop running Mana Pots no matter what happens. There are too many people whose lives depend on them.”

Kali says this with some determination, then falls silent staring grimly at her meal.

Hm? Ah, the adventurers in a labyrinth need those MP pots, huh? But is it really worth risking your life ...? Just when I’m considering asking that, though it’s a bit boorish in this type of atmosphere...

“Yes, over the last few decades there have been more and more people afflicted with mana deficiency.”

Was what Old Man Harulf said.

In extreme cases there are people who can’t produce enough mana for living, but apparently not being able to produce more mana than your body absolutely needs, aka Magic Power, is inconvenient enough to reduce people to starving on the streets.

People who can’t produce Magic Power are discriminated against, and many leave their countries and become Unaffiliateds. Well, there are apparently a lot of people who hate their country who become Unaffiliateds too. And people who love adventure, the so-called free spirit type.

“That’s why we need to develop better methods for making medicine. These Mana Pots are too inefficient – 50,000 ecrue for 12 ly is too much. No one but the rich can afford them, but if you’re rich you wouldn’t have mana deficiency. Like this, Mana Pots only serve as insurances to the rich, expanding the differences between those who have everything and those who have nothing.”

Lor spoke up suddenly, as if he was preaching. I don’t miss Niera’s eye-roll that seems to say, “Here we go again.”

By the way, the meaning for the currency and units were transmitted clearly through [Translate]. “Ecrue” meant “round silver”, probably a type of currency’s name, and is equivalent to about 1.2 Japanese yen (around $.01). A “ly” was ... roughly a milliliter.  ... Eh? 60k yen ($500-ish) for barely a mouthful of medicine?!

That’s too high, too high! That’s at the amount where it could be about a month’s rent!

“Um... h-how many bottles were destroyed?”

I couldn’t help but ask. It’s the penny-pincher’s habit I got from living with my grandfather spending all the extra money on his forge.

Louie smiled and pointed. Eh? Despite the wagon’s condition being ... not a wagon anymore, the crates of Mana Pots were in pristine condition.

“With that price, an extra coupla thousand ecrue is nothing to put the best Protection Magic on those shipments.”

The wagons were too big to be a financial risk. If they’re destroyed they could easily buy another for the price it would take to put the Protection Magic on.

“Well, we had basic Protection Magic on the wagons, but ...”

Louie shrugged and left off the end of the sentence.

But the crossbow bolts’ magic was stronger, huh?

“... but just think, if we could reduce the price, the difference between people who can use magic and the people who can’t will disappear! Maybe we can even make weapons that people without Magic Power can use for their defense! By making it so not having Magic Power means nothing, wouldn’t that throw the warring over which country has the most magical offenses out the window? It would put a stop to these wars ...”

“... Jeez, Lor, save the fantasy talk for a fantasy world!”

Niera and Lor have been arguing in the background. I have to try very hard not to say anything to Niera’s statement. This IS a fantasy world, y’know? But I understand her. Save the sleep-talking for your dreams, such an idealistic way of thinking ... that belief of Lor’s would never happen.

“Even in a world without magic, where everyone has the physical ability to use all the weapons equally, it’s not like that fact alone will put a stop to wars. Because people are people, if there’s no reason for discrimination they’ll make one. If there’s not a reason for there to be equal distribution of weapons, they’ll make one. If there’s no reason to use weapons, they’ll make one. And they’ll easily use those reasons to wage wars of all sorts of forms. That’s just how people are.”

Not just physical wars, social wars, political wars, and internet wars ... people like drawing up their own factions and fighting other factions. What I’m saying is the truth; because I come from such a world, see. Of course I don’t say that.

Despite not saying it, my words seem to hold weight as being “truth”. Though actually, I read it somewhere on the internet back home. Well, I do believe it.

Lor is silent, a thoughtful frown on his face.

“...then what can be done about this situation? Are you saying there’s nothing we can do so we should just let people die from the class differences, from getting caught in the stupid scuffles for each country’s ego?”

Lor’s words are bitter, angry, and frustrated. They’re directed at me, but I understand they’re not REALLY directed at me. Because it IS a stupid, harsh, un-fantasy-like situation.

“Just because they won’t stop wars doesn’t mean those types of efforts would be meaningless. If it weren’t for people who were always TRYING for peace, wouldn’t the world be a worse place?”

Lor’s hard look has softened. I don’t know if he’s convinced, but he seems to have drifted off to his own thoughts. I hope those words were some sort of comfort. Though I was just repeating an idea I’d heard from somewhere in the OTHER world.

◇◇◇

After everyone had eaten and the watch order was decided, Lor and I attempted the magic training again, but it was no good. I have 62 MP left.

“... I will think on it.”

So muttering, Lor went to his makeshift bedroll talking to himself the entire time, trying to think of ideas based on the concept of Magic Power use. He’s a mage who’s the scientific type, huh?

I had volunteered for a later watch since I’m the least injured person, but I stay awake a little longer.

Old Man Harulf wanders away from the fire and finds me sitting on a rock nearby, staring at the stars in the sky.

“Do they look fake?”

I turn to him as he says that.

“No, they don’t.”  It’s the truth. I don’t know the stars, never was into astronomy even in the other world, but it looks like the night sky from back home.

“But there was a time when the planets above the sky shown through. It must have looked at least a little different. That was a time when mana deficiency was rare. Ever since the stars became fake, the mana of this world has been strange. Though that’s only the tales of long ago.”

... Eh. Maybe I should have said “I don’t know if they’re different” instead... Luckily Old Man Harulf doesn’t seem to pick up on it.

He sighs and sits next to me before he continues.

“Lor is very idealistic, with all his theories and concepts. Though he’s half-elven, he’s only lived 264 moons, after all.”

Hoh ... I glance over at Lor. Though I hadn’t noticed it before, he really does have pointy ears. Not the really long kind like some fantasy games in the OTHER world. 264 moons ... months? Then... 22 years in my world’s time?

“Then how old are you?”

I couldn’t resist asking.

Old Man Harulf laughs, though he holds his injured back.

“This old dwarf is 3482 moons.”

... hang on, I can’t do the math that fast. It’s about 300 years though. ... 290, +/- a month.

Heh? So Old Man Harulf is a dwarf. I did think he was rather short, but it’s rude to ask about it for older people, right?

“And so, this old dwarf will teach you a different method to control your Magic Power. It’s an imprecise type of way, so the youngsters don’t like it, but an imprecise way might be what you need right now.”

He had me stay seated, closing my eyes and centering myself.

“Imagine a thin film around your body, then draw it closer, closer, and closer until it’s at your skin. Do it slowly, let yourself note any of the little differences.”

I do as he says, and struggle a few seconds before I can pull it off.

Ah... there really is a difference. I can’t say what it feels like, almost like if you coated your hand in something so your skin can’t breathe, but there’s no real added layer and it’s not that uncomfortable. I open my eyes.

“That is the feeling of not using magic.”

Old Man Harulf smiles, seeing that I’d noticed the difference.

I glance at my status.

Ohhh the numbers are going up super fast now. Seeing that my MP is quickly regenerating, I’m sure that I’ve managed to stop wastefully emitting MP.

“To use magic, instead of releasing that imaginary film, think of it as poking holes in the film where you need to use Magic Power. That is how you control it.”

It’s not like I’m really making a film to hold my MP in; it’s just a really effective image that Old Man Harulf is describing. Now that I’ve done it once, I can sense that all I’m doing is holding my MP in instead of constantly emitting it.

But as expected, it was impossible to know what that felt like until I could do it.

I follow his advice and “poke holes” in various places and slowly feel how having just the amount of MP I was emitting felt. Though what I’m really doing is choosing to emit MP in small amounts from different parts of my body.

When I “poke holes” around my eyes, suddenly I can ... see magic?

It’s not quite like it’s lights, but various colored... I guess lights for lack of better term ... things move and jitter, collect and disperse from various objects, people, everything.

Old Man Harulf is aware of my startled reaction.

“Did you just learn (Magic Sensory) just from that?”

Some People Just Can’t Look at Something without Wanting to Take it Apart.

Old Man Harulf was delighted with my ability for magic, especially with his “feel the magic” style of teaching, and taught me a skill, (Barrier), before the little girl, Lyla, came to get him for bed.

By the way, though Lyla and Old Man Harulf are living together as grandfather and child, Lyla is human and they are not blood related. It seems as if they are traveling from another Labyrinth city and joined Kali and her group for safety.

Well, it didn’t turn out the best ...

After a few hours of sleep, thanks to (Resilient Body), I’ve recovered myself well enough to get up easily for my watch. I’m watching with Jericho, the militia leader, it seems.

“【STATUS】.”

My MP is now just shy of 500,000 and still regenerating. I have some new skills under two new traits, [Mana Manipulator] and [Combat Magician]. They’re from training with Old Man Harulf.

It seems I get a skill when I successfully use it. Normally, you would probably get a skill the way I got one with Old Man Harulf teaching me. Practice and practice while someone is showing you how to do it.

Apparently I can make my magic just do what I want it to without any training, or even knowing what magic can or can’t do. Essentially, I can get skills randomly. Getting a skill that way is probably something only I can do.

At least, it’s something I’m not going to tell Lor about. He might have a heart attack.

After checking my MP level I shut off the (Status) screen, since leaving it open also consumes MP. Though it’s only a little amount, less than my regeneration rate, there’s something else that’s taking my entire attention.

Right now, I’m sitting next to the fire with the big crossbow propped up and one of the bolts lying out in front of me. I don’t know how to restring the crossbow, though I’ve struggled until my palms start to sting.

I did think about using (Augment Body) to force it, but there’s no way they’d make it impossible for normal people to use it.

While I’ve given up and gone to carefully inspecting the crossbow – though to be honest there are a lot of parts so I’m a bit at a loss – Jericho has gotten up and walked over. He took a little bit of effort for Kristaf, one of the previous watch guards, to wake.

It was a LONG day yesterday, after all.

Jericho freezes when he approaches the fire.

“... That ...”

He points at the crossbow sitting next to the fire.

“I ... uh ... swiped it yesterday.”

I’m a bit ashamed of myself. Though it was on the spur of the moment, stealing is still bad, right?

Jericho stands there, a little stunned, before he shakes his head.

“Ah ... sorry. I’m still sleepy. For a second I was thinking you were actually one of the bandits. That-“ he nods at the crossbow “is the bandits’, no, the mercenaries’ ballista, right?”

“Um ... it’s what they were using to shoot at you guys yesterday. One of two.”

So this thing is called a ballista. Ballista ... it sounds kind of familiar. It probably exists in the OTHER world.

“There’s two?! That’s not good. We’ll have to be on guard ...” Jericho’s face clouds over.

“They HAD two. I smashed the other one and stole this one... Well, I’m not sure they didn’t have more ...”

There’s a silence. I glance over at Jericho. I hope he still doesn’t suspect me ... eh. He’s laughing silently.

“You ... you really are something else. Smashing a magic weapon... amazing.”

He sighs after a bit when his shoulders stop shaking. I’m torn between paying attention to him and continuing to investigate the ballista.

“Ah... magic weapons aren’t normally that easy to break, you know. For you to say that so nonchalantly ... for a while I really thought you were sent to waylay us too, but there’s a limit to playing dumb if you’re a spy.”

... I think I’m insulted.

“But for you to be able to sneak something that big ... you have the [Storage] skill?”

“...yes.”

Yeah, let’s go with that. I’m reluctant to admit to any skills I have under [Otherworlder].

Jericho reaches over and shows me how to draw the string back with the hook and winch that I had overlooked. The front support on the ballista is also adjustable for helping with the aim. It’s pretty mechanical for a magic weapon ... I’m a little disappointed.

When we load the bolt it begins to glow faintly.

Jericho and I both panic suddenly and turn the armed ballista in the opposite direction from our sleeping companions.

... but the bolt isn’t really getting as bright or frightening as the ones earlier...

Jericho whistles as low as he can to avoid waking the others.

“Yeah, those definitely weren’t normal bandits if they have two of these. Magic weapons run 100,000 ecrue on the low end; these gotta be 30 times that each at least. Without counting the bolts. They had to have been fairly expensive hires, and this is the second time in as many moons that Kali’s caravan has been targeted... I’ll have to write a report.”

As he mutters to himself, I’ve triggered (Magic Sensory).

For the ballista there isn’t much magic accumulated, either in the trigger or in the string. Instead, the groove in the sling where the bolt’s end rests has a strange etching in it that seems to swirl the magic into patterns.

The bolt, on the other hand, has the etchings all throughout it, particularly at its end and at its tip.

But, really, the bolt isn’t getting any brighter and the magic doesn’t seem to be flowing. It’s simply sitting there, pulsating slowly in its dim state.

“... how does this work?”

I finally ask, admitting defeat and my lack of magic knowledge.

“The sling and the bolt have magic circuits that activate only when they touch, so you have to use the ballista to get the bolt to charge.”

“So the bolt only collects magic when it touches that part of the sling... but it’s pretty weak.”

“That’s ‘cause the bolt’s made up of metal that absorbs magic easily so it sucked up some from the sling right away. But you have to charge it full of magic yourself through that part on the back of the sling if you want its full effect.”

“Hmm...  so it’s more the bolt that’s the magic weapon. But then why make it so roundabout to put magic into it?”

“It’d be bad if a bolt went off in storage by accidentally charging itself with magic, so it’s a safety.”

I’m not really getting the answers I want. My questions are more “why use a circuit” or “isn’t there a way to charge the bolt directly even if it has to be connected to the ballista” types, but Jericho’s kind of making a face like he’s trying to remember the answers ... after all, he only has to use weapons, not make them.

“Hm.”

I begin to pour magic into the sling and watch the magic surge through the circuits from the sling and into the bolt with (Magic Sensory). The bolt glows quite bright and gives that fearsome, deadly aura.

“Oi oi, if you don’t shoot it, it’ll explode right here!”

Jericho panics.

Oh, so the bolt won’t just stay charged with magic until it’s released? Jeez. Wouldn’t it be safer to add something to the trigger? Like, “don’t explode the magic out until I shoot”. I feel like the circuits on the bolt simply fill the bolt with magic until its breaking point, then discharges the magic violently after a certain amount. Of time? Or of magic put in? I’m not too sure.

I try to reabsorb the magic, but no can do.

Right, can’t absorb magic. How many times must I be reminded of that?

Ah, but what about dispersing it?

I touch the bolt and try to disperse it. The magic trembles as if it wants to go but doesn’t know how. I forcefully envision the magic leaving the bolt, and feel some of my MP leave me. My MP doesn’t enter the circuits but seems to wrap around the bolt instead. I picture it siphoning the magic from the circuits out forcefully.

It takes a lot of concentration, and I have to pour more MP onto the bolt to get it to work, but ...

As Jericho makes a dive for the trigger, both the magic in the circuits and my MP suddenly ... pop away from the bolt and disperse into the air.

Success!

Jericho is shocked for a second as the bolt immediately stops glowing.

“... what did you just do? Don’t tell me you ... absorbed the Magic Power?”

“No, I can’t, right? I just had the magic leave the bolt. Though, I’m sorry, I didn’t know it would explode without being shot. That was too dangerous to experiment with close to the camp.”

My excitement from playing with the magic weapon and seeing how the ballista worked has worn off, and now I’m seriously reflecting on what I just did. That ... was stupid, oi.

Jericho’s mouth is wide open for a second, but only a second.

“Haha, it really feels like I’m talking to a Wizard from the legends...”

He laughs a little, though it’s not the despair-filled chuckle Lor has.

Sometimes Bullet Points Give Clear and Concise Information. Other times they’re for Lazy Writers.

In the morning, Old Man Harulf, together with Lor, Louie, and the other militia guard Kristaf, showed us the Dwarven ingenuity that’s famous even in the OTHER world.

He cobbled together a fully functional wagon out of the bits and scraps of the three other wagons.

While they were doing that, I helped Kali, Lyla, and Feron sort out the demolished supplies, the salvageable supplies, and the good supplies. Well, Lyla and I were sorting them into good and bad piles while Kali made the decisions which were too bad to be sold.

Feron was in charge of the inventory and calculating the losses.

Niera, meanwhile, tended to the very badly injured Miinalya and ... put the animals who were too far gone out of their misery.

They had done it last night for a horse who was just about dead, but the ones Niera led off this morning were ones they hoped would rally in the night.

I can hear the death shrieks from here. It’s an uncomfortable sound.

The ones we have left are two donkeys, one who has miraculously escaped with just scratches and the other who miraculously just has scratches and an injured rump, and a horse who has gouges on its shoulders.

Naturally, the horse can’t pull a wagon like that, so he will be led along.

For Miinalya’s sake, the merchants want to hurry to Nyl Labyrinth City, but they’re reluctant to leave behind any supplies that could still be sold. After all, fitting 10+ people, one who needs to be lying down, in the wagon PLUS the commercial goods ... impossible.

Impossible ... until Jericho mentioned I had the (Storage) skill. Which I don’t, but that’s ok.

It seems there’s a magic item, Magic Bag, that’s similar, but you can only fit a certain amount of things in that would normally fit in the bag. I don’t mean that you can only put in the amount of items that would normally fit in the bag; each item cannot exceed the volume of the bag, but you can put 5-20 of such items into the Magic Bag.

Well, Magic Bags are expensive. A little less than Mana Pots, but not by too much.

The (Storage) skill can encompass about a wagon’s sized volume of stuff, total. It’s a very difficult skill to learn, as most Space Magics are, according to Lor.

I wonder if anything that breaks the natural laws of physics is considered “Space Magic”.

So what is my (Inventory) skill, then?

A cheat. Even after they gave me stuff that would normally fill (Storage), I don’t feel that it’s at all full. Also, everything’s easy to find in tiny icons. Seems like in the Magic Bag or (Storage), everything’s just thrown in a pile in a sub-space.

Am I sure I’m not a player character in a game?

So we soon set off towards Nyl Labyrinth City. Though Jericho and Kali were still worried about possible attacks, the journey went without too much more trouble. Some of the more notable things that happened:

Day 1

- We made good progress, though we stopped to rest the animals several times.

- Lor has me training my MP in the wagon. Though Old Man Harulf’s training helped me get started, after all there’s still quite a ways to go.

- Of course neither Old Man Harulf nor I tell Lor about that late night training.

- At evening we stopped and, before dinner, Kristaf decided he wanted to spar with me since I said swords were more my style. It’s regretful that I’m not experienced with foreign swords.

- He says that even without magic, I’m pretty strong for a girl.

- I feel a little insulted, because my strength hasn’t changed from before this world and I had thought that I was pretty strong in general.

Day 2

- I’m caught in the last minutes of my night watch practicing suburi sword swings with a long sword, and the militant guys are curious about such a strange way of practicing using the sword, which repeats up and down monotonously.

- I asked about one-sided swords, but it seems there are only sabers and scimitar types from another country. I am displeased there are no katanas.

- While in the wagon I manage to duplicate the circuit pattern from the sling in the palm of my hand and can charge the bolt by holding it by its end. I’d like to understand more about how the patterns control magic...

- It’s difficult to maintain the circuit in my hand, though. I can’t hold it more than 30 seconds.

- Lor grumpily told me to stop breaking magic.

Day 3

- Miinalya’s condition isn’t good. We thought she was stable, but last night her condition suddenly dropped. We plan to continue traveling through part of each night until we reach Nyl.

- I find out Miinalya belongs to a race called Featherkin, and supposedly has small wings where ears normally are. It’s hard to tell since she is completely swathed in bandages and cloths.

- Kristaf and Louie are teaching me to drive the wagon, since I seem to do the best at night. They’re hoping I can keep the wagon going with one of them by my side. They don’t trust themselves not to fall asleep, it seems.

- I feel sorry for the animals, but I understand the hurry. But ... my abilities aren’t really that good so we go at a much slower pace until about the start of the 3rd night-watch shift. Then, Kristaf and I stop and unhitch the donkeys to let them rest a few hours.

Day 4

- Everyone’s on edge because of Miinalya, and also because we’re coming to a spot well known for its ambushing capabilities. I had slept a while after everyone woke up, but Niera apologetically woke me up as we went through this pass.

- I am relieved that nothing happens. Though Niera and I confirmed with our (Farsight) skills that there were, in fact, people in the surroundings, they are either travelers or uninterested in us. Either way we make it through safely.

- Lor talked some more about his dream to make cheap medicines. It’s a bit discouraging, though, because as an Unaffiliated it seems he will only ever have dreams about working in a state-of-the-art facility, not to mention the lack of funding.

- He laughed dryly and said, “Well, if some country would just let me use their alchemy labs for a week, I’d make 5 times more progress.”

- I do better driving the second night, though Louie scolds me for making a mistake. My mistake made the animals stumble, shaking everyone in the wagon awake, and Louie seems to have grown fond of the donkeys, making him extra angry. I apologized endlessly, since I feel ashamed as well.

- Well, Louie’s a good-natured sort of guy, so he let it go after I apologized the first time. I, however, was deeply embarrassed and continued to apologize for another 5 minutes.

Day 5

- Towards dusk, with Kristaf driving the wagon, we finally caught a glimpse of the gates of Nyl Labyrinth City.

—

◤

NAME: JUN

MP:【▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▍】2,300,000/2,500,000

TRAITS:

[OTHERWORLDER]:

[PASSIVE: (Secret Trait) (Resilient Body) (Magic Enrichment) (Otherworldly Knowledge) (Accelerated Learning) (Keen Instincts) (Translate)]

[SKILLS: (Inventory) (Friend Chat) (Status) (AnalyzeIV)]

[MAGIC BORN]:

[PASSIVE: (Secret Trait) (Boundless Magic) (Chantless Cast) (Well of Magic) (Magic Sense)]

[WANDERER]:

[PASSIVE: (Steady Balance) (Perceptive Sense) (Light Foot)]

[SKILLS: (Augment Body) (Augment Mind) (Farsight) (Ground Shrink)]

[MANA MANIPULATOR]:

[PASSIVE: (Magic Sensitive) (Magic Intuition) (Magic Control)]

[SKILLS: (Magic Sensory) (Magic Channeling) (Magic Dispersion)]

[COMBAT MAGICIAN]:

[SKILLS: (Barrier)]

◣

The Odds for Getting Caught Up in Something Increases the Longer you Wander.

The gate to Nyl Labyrinth City is giant, at least three stories tall and enough to loose an army through. It’s surrounded by craggy rock cliffs that tower even above the gate. The cliffs that surround the city blend in with the mountainous region around it; it’s difficult to gauge how large the city actually is.

Truly a fortress of a city.

But, before that, while we were still a ways off from the gates, the militia members agreed that all the able-bodied people should get out and walk.

Why?

Because they didn’t want to expose that I can use (Storage) – though it’s not – to other people.

As we re-organize the merchandise and supplies into the wagon, Lor instructs me on all the skills I shouldn’t have.

“... and pretend to chant when you use magic, and of course for the Ancients’ sake, don’t mention you’re using (Augment Body).”

“Yes, I got it.”

I resist the urge to answer him like an exasperated kid.

The reason I’m using (Augment Body) continuously is because my MP bar had finished filling up along the journey. And ... apparently my aura was too potent.

That is, after my MP is filled, the mana that is still being generated releases itself as an aura around me. At this point, trying to hold it in like before is impossible because there’s nowhere for the MP to go.

Magic sensitive people will take note, Lor and Old Man Harulf said, so I need to periodically use my mana to prevent the aura – but no, I couldn’t use it like I did before, where it just leaked out of me. Because that would mean magic is still being projected around me ...

Sigh. They fussed over me like so many mother hens. Anyway, that’s why I’m using (Augment Body) constantly, keeping my MP around 2.3kk to 2.4kk. Of course, it’s not to the superhuman degree like before; I’m just a little bit stronger, a little bit faster, and a little bit more resilient.

... Well, I do feel a bit embarrassed that they’re so concerned about me. Is it because of everything we’d been through together?

“Also ... well, here.”

Kali roughly pushed a small pouch towards me.

?

It jingled as it exchanged hands and, though I suspected what it was, I opened it to confirm the contents.

“W-what is this for?”

An amount of coins were nestled in the bottom.

“Don’t get it wrong, that’s money that should have gone to Jericho and them in case we ran into any extra trouble. Like a bonus for extra work. Since you did all the extra work, we all agreed it should go to you.”

Niera laughs and smacks her on her shoulder.

“What Kali MEANS to say is, thank you very much for showing up in the nick of time and saving us.”

Kali gives a wry smile even while she glares at Niera, before shrugging and turning to discuss the inventory sheet with Feron.

Is this what they call tsundere? An older woman and it’s not in the “romance” direction, but it’s still kind of cute.

Regardless, I’m kind of at a loss if I should accept the money...

Old Man Harulf laughs his deep laugh as he sees me hesitate.

“It’s better to accept such things, you know. Besides, you don’t have any money, and you’ll probably need to get new equipment soon, right? 30,000 ecrue won’t go very far as it is.”

Well, that’s true.

Lor gives me the idea of storing the money in (Storage) – though it’s not – and keeping the pouch at my waist. Reaching into the pouch before retrieving money from (Storage) – though it’s not – wouldn’t raise suspicions, and keeping the money in (Storage) – though it’s not – would prevent easy access to thieves.

Nice idea, Lor.

We part ways at the gate. Niera hesitates, seemingly unwilling to suddenly leave me on my own, but there’s no choice. Jericho and Lor are required to go give a report on what had happened when the guards saw the state of our traveling group. Kali, Louie, and Feron had to go off to the side to confirm their goods, what was lost and what they had, and Kristaf was off to help Old Man Harulf and Lyla to get to their friends in the city.

It was left up to Niera to take Miinalya directly to the Guild’s hospital.

“Don’t worry about getting an ID Plate, come by the Guild Hall tomorrow morning!”

She finally says before rushing off with Miinalya on a floating stretcher.

Wait, ID what?

Well, that’s fine; I’ll just be there tomorrow morning I guess.

The real question is, what am I supposed to do now?

30,000 ecrue is only 36k yen... as Old Man Harulf said, I’d probably need every bit of that – and more – to get a weapon, armor, and a new outfit.

As for which to get first ... you’d think a weapon or armor would be more important since they’ll help me make a living, but I’m seriously considering getting a new outfit first.

Before anyone cracks jokes about how it’s because I’m a girl now, let me tell you, these clothes stand out WAY too much. Even at the gate the guards asked which Noble-sama I belonged to. I curse at the character designer who designed these “Commoner Clothes” to be so luxurious!

Anyway, like this I’ll probably draw too much attention to myself and it’ll be harder to interact with the local Unaffiliateds.

So thinking, I walk around looking for a clothing shop, but ...

Looks like all the shops close when it starts getting dark.

I wander around aimlessly a bit more, partially because I’m lost and partially because I don’t really have anywhere I NEED to be.

The ground the city covers is immense; some of it is carved out of the mountains. That being said, I don’t think the people per square kilometer would reach anywhere close to Tokyo. In other words, the city being built out of the mountains just looks really impressive.

The gate enters onto the lowest floor, or the ground floor. I guess I don’t know if it goes down any further.

When you look up you can see walkways crossing overhead, and I’ve seen various ramps and stairs leading into rock faces going up. At least, the upper levels seem accessible. It’s not like the bottom level is the slums or something.

I wonder where the Guild Hall is... I groan a little inside at the thought of searching for it by myself.

Well, I’ll leave that for tomorrow. For tonight, I should try to secure a meal and lodging ... ah, but lodging’s usually expensive, right?

I mean hotels easily cost 9,000Y a night on the cheap side. Even if it’s not quite that much here, it’s probably at least a little comparable, and that’s a big chunk of what I have ...

At that moment a scream sounds.

Hm... I appear to have walked into a shadier part of town while lost in thought about my financial crisis.

No, before that, what happened?

I look over across the street, down the dark, narrow alley the scream came from. With (Farsight) I can make out the figures.

A girl, probably a little younger than me, screams again, pulling with all her might. Her light-colored hair is tied back in a short ponytail and covered with a cloth, like a bandana. She’s clutching a basket ... no, now she’s dropped.

She’s trying to free her arm from a man who’s gripping it tightly.

Now I don’t know the situation, and it’s probably bad to judge strictly on appearance, but aside from his unkempt look, swaggering manner, and evil looking dagger, the lecherous sneer on the man’s face doesn’t help him to appear as anything other than a bad guy.

With his frizzy hair and big, lumbering build, he kind of looks like a bear. A really creepy, hentai bear.

At any rate, isn’t it bad to treat a girl like that? Even if she’s done something wrong there’s no need to pin her down like that. You’re so big, surely you can restrain her in a different manner.

... Ok, dropping your trousers REALLY isn’t helping this situation move in your favor, perverted old bear-man.

There’s two other guys flanking him, but they’re laughing and cheering him on so I’m pretty sure they’re not going to help her.

Ah, my feet already started moving unconsciously towards the alley.

It’s a bad habit of mine to interfere, but in this case it’s fine.

Thinking so I start to increase my speed, when swoosh someone moves incredibly quickly towards the group, with a flick of short, dark copper hair.

These hair colors really made me think, “I am definitely not in Japan anymore.”

With that out of place thought, I watch as the woman charges down the alley determinedly. Even when the two flankers try to shove her away, she takes their rough blows without flinching and elbows her way through.

Without hesitating she tries to separate the girl from the bear-man, and even seems to be arguing him.

I had stopped involuntarily at her appearance, but now I pick up the pace in a hurry and dash across the street towards the alley.

The woman is protecting the girl and continuing to argue with the bear-man, but it seems to just make him angry.

No good, just take the girl and run away! Even from my position I can see that man isn’t someone who can be reasoned with.

Always Take Care to be Aware of How Much You’ve Drunk in Order to Avoid Causing Trouble for the People Around You

I think I said something about how I shouldn’t expect women with big breasts even though this is a fantasy world.

Puyo~n.

I’m wondering what exactly is jiggling in front of me right now.

... How did I get here again?

◇◇◇

I apply a light trickling of mana through my legs to the bottoms of my feet to increase my speed and reach them before the large, hairy bear man can strike the girls. Though to be honest, I wouldn’t have made it in time if he hadn’t been distracted when I tossed his companions to the side.

And then it hits me.

Stinks. This guy REALLY stinks.

A wave of uncleanliness hits me all at once. It’s a mixture of everything that stinks, but the one that stands out most is the smell of alcohol, followed by the smell of vomit. His eyes are a little unfocused and his face is bright red.

This man is WASTED.

I really hate those drunks who terrorize their surroundings and cause trouble to everyone around them.

It’s bad enough when Masaki and I have to find his older brother passed out outside a bar and bring him home to their mother who’s crying and begging him to stop drinking so much, but the aggressive drunks who disturb the peace are the worst.

It takes the bear-man a second to understand what had just happened. By then I’ve grabbed his wrist.

Ugh. It’s all grimy and sticky... but this isn’t really a time to be a clean freak.

“What’s your problem, huuuuh?”

“I don’t think these ladies appreciate your attentions. I suggest you take your ... business elsewhere.”

“Shuttup, they’re whores so it’s fine, huuuh? If I just give ‘em money afterwards it’s fine, huuh?”

I can’t help but glance at the women. The younger girl he had assaulted wears a normal-looking commoner’s npc-like dress with an apron, but the older one is definitely in somewhat of a sexy outfit. Her top dips down in a low v to the bottom of her breasts, showcasing her cleavage. Though it’s properly laced up to keep from falling open, normally someone would wear something under it.

Oops. Wandering eyes.

But what’s with that kind of logic, bear-man? Even if they are prostitutes, didn’t they clearly refuse you? Even restaurants can refuse to serve bad customers!

“What are you saying, doesn’t she have a right to choose? If you want to buy a woman, go take a bath and sober up!”

I glare down at them with as much force as I can muster and the drunk man’s companions seem a little shaken. Though it looks like they’ve also been drinking, it seems they still have some reason left. The man himself though, well, like I said, he’s DRUNK.

“Torinelle isn’t for sale. As I said, go after one of our other women, though there won’t be any who’d let you touch them with those filthy hands!”

Aaah... copper-haired oneesan? Is this the time where you’re supposed to insult him?

“What are you saying to me, huuuuh?! When you’re just a dirty whore!”

The bear-man swings his arm at the copper-haired oneesan, but I’m not really sure what he’ll actually end up hitting so I stop it right away before it really starts. He blinks, as if unsure of what just happened, before turning his anger on me.

“I get it, you’re one of them, huuuh! Then it’s fine if I take you too, huuuh!”

Huh? What the hell are you saying you stupid drunk? How does any of that make sense? In the first place, I’m a guy ... wait.

He rushes blindly at me like a stumbling cow, no, a drunk bear, so I step out of the way and let him run until he crashes into the wall. He pauses, tries to understand what happened, then turns around and glares at me.

No, that was completely your fault, totally.

I guess this is the time to do something kind of big to scare them off.

As he regains his balance and rushes at me again, I grab his arm, drop down, and then throw.

A bear goes spinning marvelously through the air and lands on its back.

“Geho!”

Ooh, nice reaction. The bear man bounces, and then is still.

It’s not liked I knocked him out or anything. He’s just lying there staring at the sky. It must be mesmerizing.

His two companions are also sitting motionless from when I’d knocked them down right at the beginning.

It’s a situation where we’re all frozen still and looking at one another, except the bear man who’s still staring at the sky.

...

It’s uncomfortable so I hurry the two girls out of the alleyway. They’re hesitant to push past the men, but we make it out without incident.  Or, actually, the men only watch us go with wide eyes and open mouths, except the bear man still lying there staring at the sky.

As we came out onto the main street,

“Th-thank you so much! I’m Torinelle!”

The younger girl clutched her basket and bowed in a flustered manner. Like I said before, she’s dressed in the type of young girl’s dress for a fantasy rpg’s npc character with a skirt a little above her ankles and an apron. She has light brown hair pulled back in a short ponytail, and a bandana wrapped like a headband. She looks about 7 or 8 years old.

“Ah, I’m Jun. Nice to meet you Torinelle.”

The older woman is silent with a serious face, looking away. The sexy v-neck aside, her skirt has long slits up the front of both legs, making it seem as if she’s actually wearing a miniskirt. Also, she has an almost transparent veil before her face. Hm... if I say it’s like those Arabian Night-type veils, would you understand? She’s on the slender side, probably 18 years old, with dark copper hair in a short haircut.

Both of them are attractive, though the younger girl’s a bit young to ogle at. She’s more of a cute, lovely girl.

... I wonder if Bear Man’s a lolicon.

“If there’s any way to thank you ...”

“No, don’t mention it, I was just passing by-”

Guuu

... Right when I tried to refuse her and turn to leave, my stomach decided to make itself known. How are you even hungry after being so close to that bear-man’s gross existence? My stomach responds, but not to my question.

“... um, if you don’t mind, let us thank you with a meal.”

“There’s no need to treat me, but if you could bring me to a place I’d be grateful.”

On reflex I thought to refuse, but honestly I had no idea where to begin looking for food or lodging so this is quite the blessing.

But I’ll pay for it myself; even though I’m worried about my money situation there’s a bad feeling to having them treat me. You don’t need a reward to help someone, right?

... Masaki would yell at me, saying that you can’t live off of gratitude.

“Torinelle, you have to take the shopping back.”

The copper-haired oneesan said abruptly.

The little girl, Torinelle, seems a little upset, trying to figure out what she should do.

“If it’s alright, I could go with you to wherever you need to go first.”

To be honest, I’m a little worried about leaving them to fend for themselves after an attack like that.

Actually, it’s surprising that they’ve both rebounded so well. I wonder if this is a common occurrence. For a girl of age 7. That’s... a thought that quite disturbs me.

“Oneesan, are you new to this area?”

“Hm? Oh, yes. I just got here today.

For a second I didn’t know who Torinelle was talking to. I guess I’m an “oneesan” now  ...

The copper-haired oneesan is walking a little ways away from us, a clear difference from Torinelle’s happy chattering. Is she avoiding me?

I glance back. She doesn’t look particularly pleased...

Along the way I’m made very aware that I have accidentally stumbled into the red light district.

Scantily clad women are calling the men who pass by. Men too are trying to wheedle customers into shops where open balconies on the second floor have girls dancing provocatively. Some of the women have rather... aggressive ways.

I’d be lying if I said they didn’t attract my attention, I still find them erotic after all, but somehow the atmosphere sours the scenery.

Vulgar looking signboards are propped up outside many of the shops, but I can’t read them ... hm, so I can’t read even if I have (Translate)...

“Oneesan, would you like something good or something cheap for dinner?”

“Hm... something cheap. I don’t have much money, ah- and I’m currently unemployed.”

“Oh, if you’re looking for work maybe Maryist can –“

“TORINELLE.”

Solyana cut in. She frowned at Torinelle, then turned to me.

“I’m sorry, she means well, but our girl doesn’t know how to speak to those from higher society.”

Solyana bows gracefully, keeping her eyes down.

Eh... So it was like that after all.

“Just to be clear, I’m not ... from a Noble-sama or high society or anything like that.”

Solyana’s subtly sullen look changes to surprise. She stares at me, I suppose trying to determine if I’m lying.

“I see.”

Torinelle doesn’t seem to quite understand what just happened.

“Um, can I ask something?”

I asked Solyana that, since I’ve now understood that Torinelle doesn’t really understand the hierarchy of this world.

Solyana nods.

“Why did you think I was from high society? I get that it’s from my clothes, but ...”

To tell the truth, I didn’t think the clothes were THAT fancy. They’re not shabby or anything, and being in pristine condition despite all my travels is definitely something amazing, but it’s not like they’re covered in fancy designs or frills or whatever. The jacket may be more eye-catching, but that’s still tucked away in my inventory.

“There aren’t many people who can afford fabric like that.”

I see. Certainly the top looks like silk or something. Come to think of it, in my world we use a lot of synthetic stuff for clothes so things like T-shirts can be stretchy and thin. Even the stuff that says it’s 100% cotton is soft and smooth. Perhaps all those fabrics, even the T-shirts, would be considered expensive fabrics.

... I had thought about selling my clothes later to boost my money stash, but now I wonder if it wouldn’t be worth analyzing and trying to find someone who’d be interesting in trying to duplicate the material. I know next to nothing about textiles so I wouldn’t be able to do it.

I file that thought away into the back of my head.

Solyana doesn’t seem as thorny towards me now, but she’s still pretty distant.

Torinelle stops outside of one of the storefronts. It’s clean looking and the women standing around aren’t desperately trying to attract attention like the girls outside the other shops.

Basically, it looks like a reputable establishment. Even the signboard that I can’t read is clearly written in a less vulgar style.

Torinelle doesn’t go in the front but through a side door.

“Jarna, I’m sorry it took so long!”

“Ooh, Torinelle, we were going to look for you. That’s no good, you have to be on time to tend to Erina’s customers while they wait.”

I look at Solyana questioningly. Isn’t Torinelle, well, too young? It might be different in this world, but ...

“She serves the men waiting for Erina drinks, and brings them to her room.”

Oh, I see. Kind of like a geisha in training?

But then that’s really it after all, that Torinelle is being trained for the business.

All of a sudden:

“TORINEEEEELLLE~!”

A pair of very large breasts came flying towards me.

—

Skills added:

[Wanderer]: (Accel) – Increases the force of the push-off from your feet.

There will be People You Get Along with and People You Don’t, but That Just Makes Life Interesting.

“Mou, Torinelle, don’t make me worry so much!”

“E-Erina nee-sama! Wait!”

Torinelle is flustered. I am as well.

“Wait, Erina, stop stop! That girl isn’t Torinelle!”

Another girl in the backroom panics as well.

That’s right, the girl she has pressed against her voluptuous chest while stroking her hair isn’t Torinelle. It’s me.

... I have absolutely NO idea what to do in this situation.

“Eeeh~? But this girl is just as cute da mo~n...”

‘Da mon’? Are you a child? No, more importantly, her breasts are very soft – no, I mean, what is up with this situation? It’s not that I don’t want to push her away, but the problem is that I’m not sure where my hands would go if I tried to push her away.

Yup.

“Erina. She can’t breathe.”

Solyana’s calm voice breaks through the chaos.

“Ara, I’m sorry cute girl. I’m Erina!”

“Um, no ... uh ... I’m Jun?”

Brain has shut down. Need to reboot.

“Erina nee-sama, she helped me earlier!”

“Ooh, thank you so much!”

At Torinelle’s statement, again Erina smooshed me up against her.

“Mm? The feeling of this fabric... Ara, are you a Noble-sama’s attendant?”

Erina held me at arms length and looked me up and down.

“N-no, I’m not...”

I thought I had made up an answer about how I’d gotten the top as a gift, but to be honest I’m having a hard time remembering the details.

It’s a little hard to not be thinking about the soft sensations I’d just been feeling.

“So, what did she help you with?”

As Erina asked that, she still held me at arms length. Now that I take a look at her, she has a very pretty face. Though if I had to say, I prefer more of the refined look. Still, the bubbly, cheerful type isn’t too bad either.

Erina had blonde, wavy hair that just overflowed the tops of her shoulder and, as for her body types, those dangerous weapons aside she has a medium height and small waist. Curvy hips and a round face with big eyes ... “Did you just step out of a manga?!” is what I want to say.

But I don’t say it of course.

“You think to ask that now ...”

Solyana sighed, but her voice sounds strangely full of good humor. I glance back at her.

... Was she laughing at me?

“There was a man who assaulted Torinelle, and this girl stopped him.”

“Ooh, thank you!”

*Squish*

... Of everything I’ve experienced so far, Erina-sama is the most formidable opponent I’ve faced.

To begin with, I’ve always been bad with excessive body contact. I’m also not very good with dealing with people with this type of personality; I’m always being dragged into their pace. And Erina-sama’s most defining traits aren’t really helping matters.

“Mou, Erina-chan, you have a customer. Torinelle too, hurry it up and change.”

“Aah...”

Torinelle looked upset again. Did she forget she had to do things once she returned? Looks like it.

As several of the oneesans rush Erina-sama from the backroom, despite her pouty protests, from what I can see, the ladies at this particular shop are good people. They have a warm feeling about them, like they’re a family. It’s a much more comfortable feeling than the one I was getting from some of the other shops in this district.

Looking at Torinelle’s troubled face, I wonder what I should do.

“If you don’t mind waiting in a pleasure parlor, you can stay until Torinelle gets a break. She’ll be upset if you leave without her being able to properly give her thanks.”

Solyana steps in when both Torinelle and I continue to look troubled.

“I see... I’ll do that then.”

After I say that, Torinelle’s face brightens and she hurries after Erina-sama.

I have a soft spot for children and the elderly.

Though the other girls are rushing about, up and down a flight of stairs in the backroom, Solyana simply sits there, crossed legs and leaning her face on her hand. She’s removed her veil, but ... crossing her legs like that causes the slits in her skirt to ride up.

“It looks like those clothes give you some trouble.”

“Eh? Ah, yeah, it’s a pain. I’d like to change it, but ...”

I was surprised when she started to talk to me. From how she was acting earlier I thought she didn’t like me, but perhaps she was just put off with the Noble-sama look.

“It’s your only outfit?”

“... yes.”

Solyana thought for a moment.

“Come with me.”

She led me up the stairs to a narrow hallway crowded with rooms. Other girls were rushing about, putting on make-up and skimpy ... clothes ... It looks like this is the living quarters. I try to avoid looking in the rooms, since there ARE girls changing... I didn’t peek. Definitely didn’t peek on purpose.

Solyana stopped at a door and motioned me inside.

Two narrow beds stacked on top of each other, shorter than a bunkbed, took up one side of the room. A wardrobe and copper plate took up the other side. I would never be able to sleep in the bottom bunk of that bed. There’s not enough room to even sit up.

Solyana was rummaging through the wardrobe, and pulled out a light shirt and skirt.

“This might be enough at least to get you through a day or two.”

“Oh, but ... I can’t take this...?”

It was more like I was asking.

Solyana gave a wry smile, the first one I’d seen her with.

“If a prostitute’s clothes don’t suit you...”

“N-no, it’s not that...”

She shrugged, as if she wasn’t really concerned about that. No, but you looked at least half seriously offended...

“It will be difficult to buy normal clothing while wearing that. The shopkeepers will definitely only show you the most expensive things, or try to rip you off.”

Oh. I didn’t think about that. Or rather, I had no idea.

“... I see. Then, if you’ll allow me to borrow it ...”

“Yes, hurry up and change.”

Solyana didn’t move or turn around or anything. I guess... she’s used to seeing guys and girls in all states of undress? Well, I can put the shirt on at least.

“Then... if you’ll... excuse me?”

I began to change.

Solyana chuckled so low I almost thought I’d imagined it, then tilted her head and looked at me.

“You’re very polite. Together with your clothes I would have said you definitely come from high society, or at least a rich family.”

“No, I’m really not. It’s just how all the kids are raised in my hometown.”

Well, they say the Japanese are a very polite people in our world too, so that may be true.

“I see. Well, I’m convinced, since you don’t seem to be too concerned with hanging out with prostitutes.”

... ? I guess if I were still a guy I’d be more concerned since my reputation would plummet for being in this kind of place, but I’m a girl... right, I’m a girl now. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen myself as a girl yet.

Wait, I’m a girl and I totally just stripped off my shirt to change.

...

Solyana didn’t even seem to care. ... Well, I’M self conscious now.

I quickly put on the shirt Solyana had given me and move to the skirt. But ...

... I don’t think I can bring myself to wear it. No, I get that I’m a girl now and it wouldn’t be weird. I get it but ...

“I-I think I’ll just keep my shorts on.”

“Ah, okay. Pants are easier for adventurers to move around in, after all.”

Whew. Dodged that one.

I think girls in hot pants look good, but it’s an uncomfortable feeling for me to have that stretch of bare thigh. I’d been wanting something longer, but I guess I still won’t be able to wear skirts. Is it because of the principal of the matter?

“Um... do you have a mirror?”

Hm? Crap, isn’t a mirror one of those infamously rare things in this type of setting? I had completely overlooked that before I asked.

Solyana pointed to the copper plate.

Oh, I see. It has been polished to a shine. Come to think of it, what are mirrors made of in my world? Glass? Aluminum? I’m much more interested in this dilemma than the fabric one. I want to reproduce a mirror from our world. I file that into the “important” section of my brain. But first I want to make a katana.

It’s hard to tell the colors, but I now look at myself in this body for the first time.

Certainly, my waist and hips have taken a more curved, though slender, appearance. There is also definitely more of a slight swelling under the rough fabric of the shirt on my chest. But ... for being a girl it doesn’t look like much has changed. I’d even say everything is roughly the same. If I hadn’t looked for it, I wouldn’t have noticed the difference.

I’m a little depressed. Hasn’t everyone been properly seeing me as a girl? At least be a little hesitant when trying to determine my gender dammit!

The template of looking at your changed body and being turned on ... didn’t happen. Quite the opposite, actually. I totally look like myself as a guy, just with girl parts, so who wouldn’t be more disturbed than aroused?

... Well, if I had changed according to the template with a dynamite body, even if it didn’t rival Erina-sama’s, maybe things might have been a little different. Right now, other than the times when I had to use the toilet, I often forget that I’m a girl.

Solyana chuckles softly again.

Ah, was I looking at myself for a long time?

“Thanks, Solyana, it makes me feel much less self-conscious.”

I can’t REALLY tell, but I think she smiles. I think this would be the true cool-dere that Seimei had wanted to see.

Well, now that I’m paying attention, aren’t I alone with her in her room? Well I guess I’m a girl so it’s ok? Anyway, the door’s open.

... the door was open while I was changing. Uh...

Now that I think about it, the girls didn’t close their doors at all while changing so they could rush out as soon as possible.  Is this ... normal? I guess guys don’t care either if it’s all guys. Probably these girls are even less sensitive to it because of their line of work.

“Um ... so... the oneesans here are all very pretty and cheerful.”

I try to make small talk. It’s always awkward when you’re forcing small talk.

Solyana doesn’t seem to be too opposed to the question, so I guess I can say it’s a success?

“It’s true that at The Queen Mary’s, the working conditions are much better than other places. The maitresse, Maryiste, is a good person with good business sense. She’s strict when she chooses which girls she’ll let work here, but she’s kind and supports the girls she hires.”

So this place is called The Queen Mary’s. The way Solyana talks about the owner, Maryiste, makes me think she must be quite the dignified woman who deserves respect. To be called someone with good business sense instead of saying she has good sense in THE business, especially with the type of business they are in ... I’m a bit curious to see her.

While I’m thinking about what to say next ... a loud ruckus starts from below.

Solyana is startled and runs to the door, poking her head out and listening carefully. Her face has grown thorny again.

The living quarters have gone quiet in contrast to the noise below, and the few girls still up here are huddled together looking worried.

... It seems there’s a lot of trouble in this world.

—

There’s Always a Distinction Between a Mob and a Boss.

Hearing some loud, rough, male voices, Solyana rushes towards the stairs.

“Wait, that ... “

I’m slightly impatient as one of the frightened girls in the hall clutches at my sleeve when I try to follow Solyana. I hear Solyana’s hurried footsteps thudding down the stairs.

“It’s ok, little miss shouldn’t get involved, it’s dangerous.”

The one who’s trying to stop me has rabbit ears. It slightly distracted me, otherwise I would have shaken her off.

“No, but ...”

“They’re the type of guys you don’t want to anger... ah! We should have stopped Solyana!”

The other girl gasps and makes an unsteady move towards the stairs.

Nono, you two should stay here. What do you think you can do with your knees trembling like that? I wanted roughly dismiss them and charge off after Solyana, but it seems insensitive to further frighten two terrified girls.

I clap the rabbit-eared girl lightly on the shoulder and try to smile gently.

“It’s fine, I will go get her.”

I move, light-footed, chasing after Solyana. She has quite the headstart though.

Coming down the stairs, I find a few other girls are huddled in the backroom, and a few guys have also bustled into the back, like they’re hiding. Customers?

A loud thud and loud, mocking voices sound from beyond the backroom, from the main part of the shop.

I reach the doorway into the rest of the shop and see that beyond it is a short hallway; the right side opens up into a receiving area, the left is just a wall, and the opposite end from the backroom leads to more hallways.

It’s the receiving area where all the commotion is coming from.

From what I can see, the loud thud was from some unsavory characters shoving an older woman against the counter. She’s fallen onto the floor.

The unsavory characters are all men, five in all, jeering at the older women and the frightened prostitutes’ faces that peer from behind doors and around corners. They’re swaggering, acting as if they own the place.

A few men who look like they had been waiting as customers are behaving cautiously, as if wondering if it would be possible to leave without attracting any attention.

Cowards.

One of the unsavory men tilts his head cockily, towering over the older woman.

He seems to be the spokesperson of the group. But, man, he just looks like a mob character, a grunt. He’s probably the type to go overboard and terrorize his underlings just because he got promoted. A fox who borrows the authority of a tiger type.

“Nyahaha, Ms. Mary, you won’t want anything to happen to these girls, huh?”

“You, stop harassing the Maitresse and leave if you aren’t here for business.”

Solyana has put herself between the older woman, who is still dazed from being knocked down, and addresses the mob character.

“Oh, but we are here for business? You haven’t paid the fee for our protection after all?”

“As if we’d need you scums’ protection. Now leave.”

Aaah... Solyana, I’d thought this before, but you’re not very good at calming down situations like this, are you? The two girls I left huddled upstairs weren’t worried for nothing.

Wham.

The man has driven his foot into the wall very near Solyana. He leans close to her face and grabs her arm.

“You never know what will happen without our protection, wench.”

So what they’re actually saying is, “Give us money so we won’t harass you,” huh? Tch. What a detestable strategy.

I think I’ve heard of yakuza-types doing this sort of thing back in Japan. It’s regrettable, but the worlds aren’t so different after all.

Solyana seems to have frozen for a second, but she manages to say coldly,

“If you aren’t here to buy one of our girls for a while, leave. Or is it because ‘it’ doesn’t work anymore that you’re taking your frustrations out on the shop?”

She flinches as he increases the pressure on her arm and yanks her closer.

Danger. His face has changed to an ugly color; it would be too dangerous to let this continue any longer.

In a flash, despite some of the girls trying to hold me back, I leave the backroom.

They’re desperately trying to tell me to stay out of it, but who would?

“Stop this.”

I grabbed his arm and stepped out in front of Solyana, roughly shaking it to make him release her.

He’s being persistent so I tighten my grip until he lets go with a grunt of pain.

The surroundings have gone quiet. Patrons and girls alike act like they’re holding their breath.

For the unsavory men, it’s like they can’t figure out what just happened.

The man I’d forcibly stopped grips his wrist like it hurts. Man up, weren’t you doing the same to Solyana?

“Shit, who are you, wench? A new girl?”

He finally manages to spit out an angry curse.

... Kuu... So I really am denied any semblance of masculinity, being confused as one of The Queen Mary’s new girls. I was going to be forceful when kicking these guys out anyway, but that really clinches it.

“I don’t think I owe you an explanation for visiting the pleasure district. I’d appreciate it if you left, since you’re disrupting the atmosphere.”

That statement might have meant something a little more if I was a guy, but really, it’s none of his business: this store, the girls, why I’m here... he should just butt out.

“Fufufu... Hahaha, you think I’ll let this go on without any punishment?! That’s it; we’ll show you what happens if you defy the Dark Wyverns! Balil, burn it! Burn it all!”

The man starts laughing, half-crazed.

Have I made things worse?

Before I can reflect on my actions, another man steps forward. Compared to the first mob character, I distinctly feel a chill.

This man isn’t a grunt.

His eyes glint, and he smirks as he raises an arm. He begins to chant.

『Smolder well and ignite! Spew forth, fire of disaster! Fire Blast!』

Short, the chant is too short!

I had planned to take him out while he was chanting, but like that how can I?

As the fire gathers into his hand, like a snake recoiling before its strike, I ignore the screams and commotions from the people behind me as they struggle to escape and prepare the (Barrier) Old Man Harulf had taught me ...

...What was the chant again? Ah, mou, forget it, “Barrier” is fine, right?

With the blast of fire hurtling towards me, I don’t have much time to yell anything else anyway, so,

“Barrier!”

The result was kind of unexpected.

The (Barrier) I erected is nothing like the one Old Man Harulf taught me. For one, it extends to a far greater area. Not a single wall or ornament behind me was touched from the cone-like blast of the fire attack.

For another, the fire attack magic was sent careening straight back towards its castor.

... Well, I had certainly thought it would be nice if that had happened to wipe that damn smirk off his face.

Magic, you’re too responsive.

Later on, in reflection, I would remember that Old Man Harulf had said that the power and wishes of the castor could affect the size and effectiveness of (Barrier), but currently the situation didn’t let me remember it.

He hadn’t expected his attack to be sent flying back, but that fire castor, Balil, is, unfortunately, talented.

『CometomyaidawalloflightprotectBarrier!』

He slurs the words together in his haste, but an instant before he would have been consumed by flames he erects a (Barrier) as well, saving himself. His companions standing directly next to him, however...

The screams as they are hit directly with the fire are horrible.

Casually, like it was an after thought, he glances over at them, and

『Incindere, come hither to me.』

The fire on them floats towards his open hand. When they had gathered at his palm, he clenches his fist and extinguishes the flames with another small chant.

The entire time, though, he kept his eyes on me.

His expression is somewhat unreadable, but it’s definitely unpleasant. His eyes are glinting dangerously.

What, you want to fight?  Fine, I’ll take you on.

But contrary to my expectations Balil merely lowers his hand slowly, then breaks off eye contact by turning suddenly.

“We’re leaving.”

“Wha- Balil!”

His frightened companions hesitate. After all, being run off by a group of prostitutes and a random girl would be bad for their reputation.

In the end they scamper off on his heels, dragging the injured, unable to understand what had just occurred.

There was a silence again as everyone watched them leave. Then...

“Kyaa! That was amazing!”

“Good job, miss!”

Patrons and the girls alike erupt into cheers.

“Jun-chaaaaan!”

Erina-sama came out of nowhere, tackling me with her over-powered hug.

Solyana helps the older woman to her feet then shyly puts a hand on my shoulder.

Quietly she whispers,

“Thank you.”

◤

NAME: JUN

MP:【▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▍】2,300,500/2,500,000

TRAITS:

[OTHERWORLDER]:

[PASSIVE: (Secret Trait) (Resilient Body) (Magic Enrichment) (Otherworldly Knowledge) (Accelerated Learning) (Keen Instincts) (Translate)]

[SKILLS: (Inventory) (Friend Chat) (Status) (AnalyzeIV)]

[MAGIC BORN]:

[PASSIVE: (Secret Trait) (Boundless Magic) (Chantless Cast) (Well of Magic) (Magic Sense)]

[WANDERER]:

[PASSIVE: (Steady Balance) (Perceptive Sense) (Light Foot)]

[SKILLS: (Augment Body) (Augment Mind) (Farsight) (Ground Shrink) (Accel)]

[MANA MANIPULATOR]:

[PASSIVE: (Magic Sensitive) (Magic Intuition) (Magic Control)]

[SKILLS: (Magic Sensory) (Magic Channeling) (Magic Dispersion)]

[COMBAT MAGICIAN]:

[SKILLS: (Barrier) (Reflective Barrier)]

◣

—

Skills added:

[Combat Magician]: (Reflective Barrier) – Repels incoming attacks exactly.

◇◇◇

Extra

Solyana’s POV:

At first, I didn’t understand why Torinelle insisted on thanking her.

If you owe someone from high society, it’s best to just do as they say. Especially a woman. Even if they decide to be altruistic, most women would try to limit their contact with prostitutes and just get annoyed if you continue to persist.

As if being a prostitute is a disease they’d catch by being around them.

Those women who have never experienced real hardships would never understand the comforts of a warm roof overhead, being allowed to keep part of what we make, and having a Maitresse who doesn’t beat us and actually cares about our well being.

Just last week at the pleasure den operated by the Black Rats, the Maitresse had beaten a girl until she had broken bones because a client complained she didn’t meet his expectations. They threw her out, telling her not to come back until she recovered. Such an unreasonable thing. It’ll be more likely that she’d die than that they’d take her back in.

What? Why didn’t I do something for her? Don’t be ridiculous. I can only live like this because of Maryiste’s benevolence. I would never betray her by bringing the anger of the Black Rats onto us. Just giving her medical attention would be too dangerous. That girl was used as an example for the rest of their girls, after all.

Even if this girl says she’s not part of high society, it’s hard to believe anyone would bother to be polite to prostitutes if they didn’t have other reasons for it.

... Though my opinion of her changes as I watch Erina lock-on to her.

If I had to say, this Jun is probably just a naive girl from a sheltered town. It’s a lot of fun to watch Erina toy with her.

If that’s the case, then I guess it’s alright to try to help her out a little. She seems uncomfortable at looking at our girls, but it’s not a look of disgust. She even seems to be embarrassed to change in front of someone; she has no resistance to this type of thing, huh?

And then the evening takes another bad turn.

The Dark Wyverns should just go get themselves involved with politics in some country if they’re so power hungry. What’s the fun of picking on prostitutes who are just trying to make a living?

The man from the Dark Wyverns grabs my arm and twists. It hurts, but I can’t let them lay a hand on Maryiste. I have to stand up here...

I can already feel tears filling my eyes despite trying to act tough. The man just gets angrier the more I try to make him leave, and when he pulls me closer, face full of anger, I can’t resist trying to shrink away.

Someone shakes his hand away and I look up.

Despite being a girl, and being younger than me, somehow for a second Jun’s back appears broad and reliable when she stands in front of me. In no time at all, she’s sent them running.

Afterwards Erina showers Jun with her skinship, and when she places Jun’s hands on her enormous breasts, Jun flushes bright red and freezes.

I can’t help but laugh loudly.

In a previous life, Jun must have been a man weak towards women.

It’s Easy to Forget that Difficult Things are Difficult When You Can Do Them. Also When You Don’t Know About Them.

<A/N: I suppose this would be volume 2. Not that splitting it into volumes has any meaning; this is purely for self-satisfaction nyahaha.>

I woke up quite early and the morning mist is still lying about thick and heavy.

I had noticed it while traveling; the closer we drew to Nyl the thicker the morning mist got. It’s certainly quite thick here in the city.

I’ve gone too long without my morning suburi sword swing practice, but even though I have time now and am no longer traveling in a wagon I have no sword.

It didn’t feel right to request one from Jericho and the others.

So this morning I’ve taken out one of the bolt/spears from my inventory and am trying to practice some fighting staff moves.

Swish. Slash.

I move fast trying to drive the morning chill from my hands and feet. It’s fun to swing the makeshift staff in the mist, swirling patterns through it and at the same time tracking how I handle the spear.

It works the best if I imagine shadow opponents in the mist; how they would act, where they would strike at my weaknesses ... Ah, but I do feel a bit like a chuuni like this... don’t mind, don’t mind, this is actually serious practice! It’s a different world after all!

By the way, where am I you might ask?

I’m in the small back lot of The Queen Mary’s pleasure parlor. It’s very small, but it’s enough to swing a spear around without hitting anything as long as I don’t move too far from my starting point.

I have to take care not to hit the well or the small table set out in the lot too.

Maa, I guess I can say it’s just more practice for control.

Last night, among the commotion of the celebrating onee-sans and some of the more friendly customers, I understood the basic idea behind those unsavory men.

They are from a group called the Dark Wyverns. From what I understand they’re basically a new group of gangsters who are trying to muscle in and force their influence into Nyl Labyrinth City. They’ve been trying to mark their territory by threatening all the shops that aren’t already under other groups, leeching funds from the shops.

They’ve come by The Queen Mary’s several times already, but it seems like they get more violent each time.

Even if I hadn’t aggravated the situation, they might have tried to burn down the shop this time anyway as an example to the other shops in the area.

That’s basically the situation.

The oneesans told me about it as everyone celebrated having driven the Dark Wyverns off with a drinking party. Several of the customers had loudly announced they were paying for everyone’s drinks.

... Though it’s called a pleasure parlor, it’s more like a cabaret call-girls bar than a brothel. Customers ask to be served alcohol and cheap snacks by a girl they choose, with an inflated bar tab because it includes the girls’ company.

It’s just that sometimes a girl or two would disappear into the back with a customer for a while. That’s also charged, of course.

It seems like The Queen Mary’s is the only shop with this sort of entertainment in the city.

Now I understand why they need girls like Torinelle who serve the customers with drinks and chat with them if the girl they had selected is busy. It serves as training for the business, so it’s very much like a geisha-in-training system after all. Just much less refined.

It seems it got quite late before I thought to go, and the oneesans insisted that I be leant a room in the living quarters. They told me most of the inns wouldn’t take new customers after a certain time of night, since the manager would be asleep by now.

I am grateful not to have to sleep out under the stars, and though the room is a BIT narrow, there’s no bunkbed. Safe.

By the way, I took the opportunity to ask the prostitute onee-sans about whether there was any magic for gender change.

“Mm... lemme think. I know you can change the appearance, though it’s pretty expensive even if you find someone willing to enchant you, but you don’t actually become a guy, right?”

“Yeah, that’s true. Even if you add a ####, it won’t be usable.”

... Woah. It always surprises me how blunt these girls are. Even if they act all cute in front of their customers ...

But, well, it’s like that, huh?

Like in our world, you can only go so far to change gender. In the end you’ll be trans.

If it’s like that, maybe I’ll give up.

Not that I have anything against trans, but if I’m going to go through with changing my body I’d like to change it back to the one my parents gave me. Otherwise I don’t particularly have an urge to undergo the process(es?).

“Poro-san said something like that is as impossible as turning lead to gold.”

Erina-sama said that. Apparently Poro-san is an alchemist-mage customer of Erina-sama’s. A regular.

Hm, so the alchemists didn’t manage it in this world either, huh?

I guess I understand, but at the same time I don’t. Is it because you have to have an exact image when manipulating magic? For things like “boy” or “girl”, there are more than just the physical parts you can see, after all. In changing lead to gold you would have to mess with the atomic structure – though I doubt anyone from this world knows that.

But those types of differences aren’t easy to grasp clear images of.

Certainly I can sense that I could manipulate color or weight, but I have a strong feeling that I can’t change material traits or gender.

Perhaps magic doesn’t like to work on a more scientific scale, like down to the atoms and numbers. It has more of a “picture it to do it” type feel. In any case, the scientific way of thinking developed in my world’s schools has no bearing on what magic is.

Is it a particle or is it a wave? I’m reminded of that question every time I use magic.

Like light, magic seems to have no form, size, or weight. But you can fill something to capacity with magic.

... Let’s just leave it at that.

While I like to think logically to calm myself down, to be honest I’m fundamentally much better at operating on intuition.

My logic sequences usually list all the options, and then I’ll systematically go down the list and find fault in every single option until I’m dissatisfied with everything. I’ll end up just choosing at random after all.

At least if I make a decision based on instinct I’ll be satisfied with ONE of the options.

◇◇◇

Fuu...

Since I had woken up so early, long before the oneesans have slept off their hangovers, it’s only now that the sun has risen enough to begin melting off the mist. There’s no clock, but maybe it’s been an hour? Or more?

Swinging the makeshift staff has lost a bit of its novelty now that I can no longer draw patterns with it, so I stop. It’s been a long time since I could just lose myself to morning exercise without worrying about time, even in the other world, so this is probably sufficient as morning training. Also...

“You’re awake already, Solyana-san?”

I had noticed her when she came out earlier, but thinking she was just seeing what I was doing I hadn’t said anything. It’s best to let the morning pass in quiet until the sun fully rises, right? But she had sat down on the steps, watching me, and as time went on it got more and more awkward to say hello.

I’m pretending that I’ve only just now noticed her because I was too engrossed in my practice.

I’m sorry; I’m not good with awkward situations.

At my greeting she stands, dusting off her skirt. Right now she isn’t wearing seductive clothes so I don’t need to be careful with my line of sight.

“If you have a moment, Maryiste said she’d like to speak with you.”

Ah, oops. It was probably bad to ignore her then.

Solyana leads me back into The Queen Mary’s back room, through the hall, and down into another room.

It looks like a waiting room and, like the rest of the place, it’s tastefully decorated for being in the red light district. The walls are a warm shade of red-orange, and the couch and coffee table are simple pieces made of a dark wood. The couch is lined with a simply-patterned dark red cushion.

There’s an older woman seated in a chair of the same make as the table and couch, across the table from the couch. With wavy hair, she’s probably in her late 30s or early 40s. She’s stout, but not obese, and has an intelligent face. There’s an air around her that makes it feel like she’s seen lots of things and done lots of things. She has a presence that deserves respect.

This is Maryiste, the owner and Maitresse of The Queen Mary’s.

She’s doing something on a slate with chalk, then carving it into a tablet of wax  ... inventory? Budget?

I can’t read the words so I’m not sure. I’m a little frustrated that I can’t read it. It’s strange that I can understand speech but not text, isn’t it?

So I thought, but ... well, after I thought it somehow a “No, that’s about right” feeling came instead. (Translate) probably uses magic to transmit the intentions behind the words. It’s useless to transmit the intentions of a piece of paper.

I file that away for now, since Maryiste stands up to greet me.

“Good morning. I’m sorry if our girls were a little loud last night.”

“No, it was fine.”

I can’t say they weren’t loud; the party lasted late into the night. Maryiste has a slightly sentimental smile as she talks about the prostitute oneesans. I think she is probably a good boss for them to work under.

Maryiste gestures for me to sit down as she sits down again.

“I’d like to ask you for a favor.”

Hahaaan... Yeah, I figured as much. I stay quiet and listen.

“We would like to lend you a room in the girls’ living quarters. It’s not big, or really very comfortable, and you would be surrounded by those loud girls, but there won’t be need for any rent. There’s no length of time specified either. Just that, when you’re around the shop we would like you to keep people like the Dark Wyverns away.”

I’m a little confused.

To be asked if I could stay and guard the shop, that much I expected and had prepared myself for. But aren’t these terms too strange? Like this I can quit without warning, and if someone shows up while I’m away I can say, “It’s not my responsibility.” But they will still have to provide a room for me. There’s almost no benefit for The Queen Mary’s.

Well, of course if I accept I will do my job properly, but I think it’s very strange. From the other side’s view, there’s no guarantee that I’m that type of person.

“I believe you’re an honest person with a strong sense of justice, and that’s why I think if I said, ‘Please guard our shop until we’re safe,’ you would probably do it. Though, this may be presumptuous of me.”

... She found out somehow.

Maryiste continued.

“However, in the long run I don’t believe it will be beneficial for either us or you to tie you to the shop. To be honest, if we weren’t in such a dangerous situation, I wouldn’t ask you to do this. It’s like asking a lion to guard an ant hill.”

“...”

I’m not convinced.

“You are a young and powerful adventurer who came to a Labyrinth City for your own purposes. Even if you are so inclined to help now, there will be a time when a responsibility like guarding a shop will become a hindrance. And, to be honest, it’s the first few weeks that are most important for an adventurer to establish herself in the city. We will lose our honor if we, knowing that, still tie someone we owe a debt to down to this shop.”

“Um...”

“Further more.” She cut in before I could say anything else. “Furthermore, it is disadvantageous for us to hire too strong of a guard and attach her to our name. Your magic abilities will draw attention. I have experience fighting the powers of the slums and red light district, but I am completely unprepared to fight against Noble-samas or the Guild if it came down to it.”

... I think I understand.  If it were strictly up to her, Maryiste wouldn’t ask me to the guard the shop. Not only does she consider it impolite, she’s also considering the dangers it would pose to the girls.  But this is an emergency situation, where she doesn’t feel like she has much of a choice. Just knowing I’ll be living there is probably a strong enough deterrent for the Dark Wyverns.

There’s just one thing ...

“Was it noticeable that I have strong magic abilities? I didn’t think I did too much yesterday.”

Just that reflective barrier and then a staring contest, if I remember correctly.

“Balil is one of the strongest officers of the Dark Wyverns with a magic strength where it wouldn’t be surprising if he was an officer of an army. We’ve probably only survived so long because they never sent anyone like that before. To have repelled his attack, that sort of thing will draw notice.”

I think about it. If I remember correctly, Old Man Harulf said something like stronger magic triumphs over strong magic. In the case of an attack versus (Barrier), an attack without magic is always defended, an attack with less or equal magic is more or less usually defended, and an attack with more magic can’t be defended against.

Basically, a strong mage will defeat a weak mage. The stronger spell will overpower a weaker spell. That kind of theory.

... Oh. So ... did I accidentally stand out?

It wasn’t just defending against an attack; I flashily sent it flying back.

Sorry Lor. I’m properly reflecting on my mistake.

Medieval Guilds were Started as Organizations to Protect the Common Interests of Their Guild Members, and then were Promptly Accused of Witchcraft.

There’s nothing for it. I would feel bad if those guys from the Dark Wyverns came back right afterwards so I accepted. In exchange for a room I would be a deterrent for bad bugs.

I’m actually grateful to Maryiste. I had made up my mind last night that I wanted to help the oneesans at The Queen Mary’s, but to tell the truth, I really want to go on adventures. Maybe it’s because I’m always made to go at Masaki’s pace in netgames – VRMMO and MMOs alike – but I really want to try adventuring while making my own decisions.

And, well, in the back of my mind I’m worried that this really isn’t a game and Masaki and his friend Seimei got sucked into it too. If I go on adventures and travel around, there’s a greater chance I’ll run into them. Since (Friend Chat) is completely useless.

If it weren’t for Maryiste’s consideration of me, I probably would have unknowingly tossed “adventuring” aside to help the oneesans. I most likely wouldn’t have noticed it until later, when I’m filled with regret.

After Solyana told me how to get to the Guild I left in a hurry. Niera hadn’t mentioned what time we’d meet, just “in the morning”. I’m not sure it would have mattered though, since I have no idea how to tell time here.

I got there without too much incident ... so I’d like to say, but the winding staircase I took to the second level of the city was a different one than the one Solyana told me to take. It took me a bit of wandering around until I finally hailed a shopkeeper preparing his stall and got directions.

The Guild Hall is carved right into the center of the main mountain the city resides around. As I walk up to the doors it feels like going into a large cavern.

“Juuuun!”

Ah. It’s hard to miss Niera. She’s waving at me from the lobby of the Guild Hall.

“Good morning Niera.”

“Oooh, you changed clothes, good thinking. Which inn are you staying at?”

“Ah, this shirt? An oneesan at the place I’m staying at leant it to me. But I’m not staying at an inn; it’s a brothel. They lent me a room when it got too late.”

Well, I guess I’ll be staying there longer for now.

Niera’s quiet for a moment. Her eyes have gotten really wide... It’s a little unnerving. I’m not a guy so it shouldn’t have been that offensive to have stayed at a brothel ... right? Maybe? I feel like I’m beginning to get confused on what’s ok and not ok to do nowadays.

Niera finally says,

“Jun, don’t tell me that you’re after that kind of thing after all... ouch!”

Lor came out from behind her and smacks her lightly on the head. He’s not wearing the sling anymore; he has his arm wrapped up still, though.

I’m grateful to him for coming and stopping Niera. I don’t know if she’s referring to the oneesans or the customers, but either way I’m 100% not ready to explore that side of my femininity so I really don’t want her to continue talking about it.

If she were in our world she’d be the type to read the celebrity gossip news and bad romance novels, definitely.

Lor sighs and lectures Niera.

“If you think about it properly there have been reports of the night district getting rougher lately. It’s more likely that Jun-san here got wrapped up in some trouble with the brothel.”

... Correct answer. Am I that easy to read?

“Erm, yeah, that’s what happened. Anyway the shop I was at was clean and the oneesans were polite, so I thought it wasn’t so bad.”

“Hm... The Queen Mary’s then, probably.”

Lor-san ... Niera and the other girls nearby are giving you disgusted glares. You’re right, but I’m not sure I want to confirm it and completely drop your reputation with the women here.

“A-ah, Niera, you said something about an ID that I needed?”

For his sake let’s move the situation along.

“Oh, that’s right. It’s best to get an ID Plate made as soon as possible. With your skills you should probably be fine, but there are some people who like to take advantage of people without IDs.”

“Basically, it’s easy to make someone disappear if they don’t have an ID registered anywhere. If you go missing and someone wonders about it, there will be a record that you existed, the last times you were around, that kind of thing.”

Lor supplemented her explanation.

So it’s like that, huh? Even if it seems like being able to go around unmarked is a great freedom, especially compared to our world, there’s also great dangers that go with it.

“Oh, ok.”

“Then let’s go!”

I’m getting deja vu as Niera grabs my hand and drags me to a counter. Please don’t make me get into a coffin-sized scanner. Or maybe I’ll wake up somewhere I don’t know again. It wouldn’t be so bad if I woke up and found myself back home, I guess.

The receptionist is a pleasant looking oneesan.

“Hi there, Lor, Niera. Is this the girl you want to register?”

“Yup. You should have all the paperwork...”

As Lor confirms things with the receptionist oneesan I suddenly had a thought. I was all for going with the flow ... but what is “the Guild”? I’ve been thinking it’s like an rpg’s Adventurer Guild, but to assume that kind of logic on game knowledge is dangerous.

After all, this is most likely not a game.

I ask Niera.

“What does the Guild do? Hm... well they’re kind of something like the government of the Unaffiliated territories ... I guess?”

Niera tilted her head and ended up asking a question instead. Lor sighs.

“Well, that’s not wrong, but it’s not right either. Strictly speaking, the Guild was started as a neutral organization to act as a go between for people with requests and people who take requests. It was because some countries tended to think if you did them a favor you were allying yourself with them, which causes all sorts of political messes.

Since the Guild often got requests to control order in Unaffiliated territories and negotiate between the Unaffiliateds and other countries it became an organization that isn’t entirely unlike a government.

Well, it doesn’t take taxes or impose any regulations on shops or housing or whatever. People who work for the Guild get paid on commission, so rather than being employees they’re more like quest-taking adventurers themselves.”

From Lor’s explanation I understood that the Adventurer’s Guild that’s in rpgs is what the Guild started out as. And it still runs as a place to take quests and make a living without settling down.

“Then ... I’d like to register as an adventurer?”

I turn back to the receptionist oneesan.

“Okay ... since you’re Niera and Lor’s recommendation I’ll deduct 10% from the fee.”

She chuckled lightly but ... is that ok? The Guild makes money strictly on business so can they really afford to make any discounts like that? Maa... I guess if they think of it like an investment in future dealings ...

The receptionist oneesan opened a small drawer. It contained several small trading-card like cards.

For a second I thought they were made of dark grey hard plastic but of course something like that doesn’t exist here.

The receptionist oneesan pulled one out and held it in front between her and me.

“『Record Information: Questioner Voice Registration』”

A strange, almost imperceptible humming when she said that. She turns to me after making sure whatever it is just activated.

“Okay then ... answer my questions. Is the person in front of me the adventurer who is to be registered and not a proxy?”

“Yes.”

When I responded to her question the entire card lit up.

“What is your name?”

“Jun.”

“What is your race?”

“Human.”

“What is your gender?”

“... Female?”

“What is your age as of this moon cycle?”

“200 months.”

“That’s it.”

The oneesan smiled as the card shimmered vibrantly before it died down. Every time she asked a question a row on the card would light up. Every time I answered, patterns would appear on the card within the lit up row.

But really, I almost answered “male” for gender, and “16 years” for age. I’m glad I did the math for my age on the wagon ride over to Nyl. Though I’m not 100% sure the months are the same length. There are still twelve months in a year, at least.

“Now, 『Register Mana Reading』.”

The card glows dimly in response as she hands it to me.

“Please channel enough magic to activate a small spell through this card. It will mark you as its owner and allow only you to activate it.”

I do as she asks, being careful to only put in enough magic to light Lor’s training paper to green. I had been trained hard to be able to fine tune my magic channeling so there was no problem there.

“What if you can’t use magic?”

I couldn’t help asking as I handed it back.

“Then we would need to use a different type of card that requires a drop of blood to react. It’s rare for someone who is unable to channel enough Magic Power to use the Guild Card to want to become an adventurer though.”

She accepts it then says,

“『Guild Card: Activate』.”

Nothing happens but she seems satisfied as she hands it to me.

“Please activate the card and confirm that everything is accurate.”

“『Guild Card: Activate』.”

The card lit faintly and patterns appeared on the surface. I worried about not being able to read ... but surprisingly I could. Aah... I see. It’s the same strange phenomenon as my (Status) screen where the words might not be words, but as long as I don’t try to analyze them I can read them. I suspect it’s somewhat related to how (Translate) works, but ... well, let’s leave it for now.

The card reads:

—

Name: Jun    Race: Human

Age: 200      Gender: Female

Rank: C Class

Current Requests:

Special:

Money Flies Away Quicker than You Think.

After verifying that I can activate the newly made Guild Card, it reads:

—

Name: Jun    Race: Human

Age: 200      Gender: Female

Rank: C Class

Current Requests:

Special:

—

“Um... what’s this ‘Rank’ and ‘Special’?”

I can mostly guess what “Current Requests” means, but I’d like to hear the explanations for the other two.

“Rank is how we divide adventurers according to their abilities purely for the Guild’s convenience. The ranks go from F, E, D, C, B, A, and SS at the highest. Many quests will be listed with a recommended rank to help adventurers determine the difficulty it would be for them, but rank is not a requirement unless specifically requested by the quest giver. It also helps the Guild when we are looking for individuals for private requests.”

“I see. Then the ranks are set?”

“It is possible to raise your rank. There isn’t really a set requirement, just go to any Guild Hall and appeal to have your rank increased. The Guild will then have a group come together to review your achievements, and in case of dispute you might have to display your strength. Normally you start at Rank F and then make an appeal at a later time. Usually the second rank you get is the one that displays your true strength, but with Jericho’s backing we have already placed you in ‘C’ rank for now.”

So normally everyone starts at Rank F, then based on the Ranks of the quests you can actually perform they will raise your Rank accordingly. Well, I’m starting at Rank C already.

“Current Requests are the requests you have active, but the Guild does keep records of all past quests done by B Rank or higher, as well as any quests that would be better to have records of, especially those done for Noble-samas. Just in case. ‘Special’ is mostly for the Guild’s use. It marks achievements or particulars we feel would be helpful for identifying adventurers in case we’re looking for someone for private quests or the like.”

Geh. For some reason I don’t like the sound of “Special”. Let’s try not to stand out. Let’s try very hard not to stand out. ... Is it already too late?

“Is everything correct?”

“Uh... yes.”

The receptionist now pulls out a small clear-ish plate.

“And this is for your ID Plate. Name: Jun, Job: Adventurer, Age: 200, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

This time she’s writing it down. Ah... I can’t read this one. The pen the receptionist oneesan is using glows where it contacts the plate.

She’s reading what she’s writing out loud though. As I suspected, people being unable to read the local language is common.

“Height ... 190 nell. Hair ... Black. Eyes ... black. Gender ... Female. Affiliation ... None. Ok. Now, the Guild Card is the ID you’ll need for things within the Guild, but this ID Plate is what you’ll be showing for everything else, like customs or verification for identity.”

Eh... so I needed two forms of identification. Maybe if I think of it like needing a School ID versus a Passport...

“Please be aware that the reissuing of a Guild Card is 20,000 ecrue while a reissuing of an ID Plate is 1,500 ecrue and take care not to lose them. The total with 10% off is 10,350 ecrue.”

Um... ouch. That’s kind of expensive. Over a third of my 30,000 ecrue. That’s a LOT of money... But reissuing a Guild Card costs almost double getting a Guild Card and an ID Plate made together. Well, I probably won’t lose it unless someone can figure out how to get into my (Inventory).

I pretend to take coins from my bag through (Inventory). There are small, medium, and big pieces of copper, silver, and gold. Lor helps me count them out. 1 small gold piece, 3 small silver pieces, and 1 big copper piece... small gold pieces are 10,000 ecrue, small silver pieces are 100 ecrue, and big copper pieces are 50 ecrue, huh?

Later on they tell me that for copper, big pieces are 50 ecrue, medium pieces are 10 ecrue, and small pieces are 1 ecrue.

For silver, big pieces are 1,000 ecrue, medium pieces are 500 ecrue, and small pieces are 100 ecrue.

For gold big pieces are 1,000,000 ecrue, medium pieces are 100,000 ecrue, and small pieces are 10,000 ecrue.

It seems there are other types of coins that go up from gold, but they’re not used as much. As it is, I had one small gold coin and none of the medium or big gold coins.

... I want to at least learn how to read numbers and the ecrue symbol. I need to avoid getting ripped off.

“Thank you very much, you can begin taking quests immediately if you’d like.”

The receptionist oneesan scoops the coins into a tray and I take the Guild Card and ID Plate.

As I put them into the bag and directly into inventory, I take a look at the screen-like interface that pops up before me. I wonder if there’s a secure lock ... mm? There’s a tab called “Lock Box”. Ooo. By looking at it and thinking about accessing it I open the tab.

There are only 10 slots, but no one can access it except me. I succeed in mentally dragging both the Guild Card and ID Plate into the Lock Box. When I want to switch back to the normal tab, it does automatically. I still have the “Commoners Jacket”, “Commoners Tunic”, several stacks of coins, and now Guild Card and ID Plate shown. But the Guild Card and ID Plate have little lock symbols in the corner.

Fuun... Even though I’ve begun thinking that this is reality, this kind of thing really makes it feel like a game.

“...Jun?”

Lor seems concerned. Oops. From everyone else’s standpoint it must look like I’m staring off into space with a hand in my bag.

“Sorry, I was just wondering what I should do next. I don’t have a lot of money left, but I’ll need equipment before I take any sort of quest, I think.”

“Mm, yeah. Going for a Guild Card right away is always a big expense, but the commission the Guild takes for every quest reward is reduced if you’re registered so it’s better to do it right away if you have the money.”

Lor says it so nonchalantly ... well I wish you had told me earlier... but it’s fine. I still have nearly 20,000 ecrue left... it ... should be fine?

◇◇◇

It’s not fine!

Looking at the weapons they’re easily 20,000 ecrue for a semi-decent one! ... Well, I guess that’s not really that big of a shock. Real weapons are expensive in our world too.

Sigh. I guess the plan is to buy a cheap one, make some money, and then upgrade. Very game-like.

I suppose I could do with a semi decent one for now... no. Just taking one in my hand makes me uneasy. This isn’t a game, so I can’t bring myself to compromise on something that my life depends on.

“Hm? You don’t like that one? It’s pretty good for a 4,000 ecrue sword.”

“... Mm... It’s good... for a 4,000 ecrue sword...”

Heavy tip, brittle blade. I’ll break it by swinging it once, I bet.

Because Lor had to go back and write reports, it was up to Niera to take me shopping for equipment.

“What am I, a little kid?” ... is not what I said. I’m grateful they’ve taken an interest in me, since I don’t know my right foot from my left in this place. Niera’s taken me to a weapons’ store, one of three she says. If I can’t find anything here, we’ll go to the next one ...

But really, what am I going to do? I feel like I absolutely have to buy a weapon today. My funds just had a third of it torn out, so I can’t afford to delay my adventuring debut. Even if I’ll have a room at The Queen Mary’s, I’ll have to provide for my meals, get pants and more reasonable shoes ... And I can’t keep wearing Solyana’s shirt forever.

Aside from my price limit, another problem is I don’t actually know how much swords are worth. I can guess that low quality swords are under 10,000 ecrue ... but I don’t know which prices I should be looking at for one that has been treated and forged properly ... and would it be too much to ask for a steel sword in this era?

Just because I know some things about swords doesn’t mean I know a thing about how to price them.

As I randomly pick swords up to look at them in the low-priced end of the shop, the shopkeeper waves Niera over.

“This one runs for 8,350 ecrue.”

“Oh, this one looks really nice, Jun. What do you think?”

Niera took it from him and pulled it from its sheath. I glanced over. It was certainly looked decently made, with a delicate looking hilt.

“Hang on a sec.”

I had found one for 8,200 ecrue and was looking it over now. They’re similar in price but look worlds different, so maybe I can use this as a learning opportunity.

As I tentatively brandished the heavy sword another customer came into the shop.

Well, I thought he was a customer but the attentions of the shopkeeper made it obvious he was important.

“Oh, Gustav!”

“Hail, Mailo, is this a good time? It’s about the swords you’ve ordered from our shop.”

“Mm... more or less.”

The shopkeeper nervously turned to the older man who came in. Good, I’m uncomfortable when the shop attendants look over your shoulder as you inspect a product.

This 8,200 ecrue sword was no good because it’s too heavy; truly a western sword built for hacking through with brute strength. It would probably do for a beginning adventurer with a bulkier stature, though. It’s unfortunate that most of the swords are like this.

“You see, since Helward’s been gone we’re having some problems with keeping up on the orders so we’ll have to delay our shipment.”

“Ah, I see. I thought you lot took in some promising apprentices though? I’ve been promising some customers that our next shipment from Helward’s was coming in soon, you see.”

“Fu... Forget about forging, the new apprentices are a mess when it comes to properly tending the fire. Anyway, Jetsom and I have to handle a 25 sword order for the Guild militia first, it’s impossible unless Helward returns.”

The older man had sighed wearily as he said that. I’m interested in the conversation, but it’s probably bad to be caught eavesdropping on a business transaction.

I went over to where Niera was and took the sword. One glance and one touch told me everything I needed.

“No. Not this one. I don’t like the blade.”

“Huh? It looks well made, at least it won’t come apart from the hilt. And the handle is made of ... bone? That’s a good deal for the price. But well, if you don’t like the blade than the rest is meaningless, huh?”

How can she tell what the handle is made from? It’s covered with leather... I glare at the handle trying to see through it.

◤

Name: Iron Straight Sword (Replica)

Type: Equipment – Weapon (Melee) – Decorative

Maker: Korzel

Analysis: A slightly carbonized iron straight sword that was made poorly and converted into a decoration. It is decorated with a bone and leather handle trimmed with silver.

Rarity: Common

◣

Oh, right, I had (Analyze), didn’t I? But before I worry about that ...

Glare.

The shopkeeper seems visibly shaken by my glare, his voice breaking in the middle of talking to the older man who’d come in.

I sigh and turn back to Niera.

“First, despite how secure it is, or maybe because of it, the weight is all towards the hilt; in contrast the tip was over-forged and is way too light. Well, I suppose there are some people who might like that type of distribution. But what I REALLY can’t accept is that the blade was heated too long. It’s too soft; there’s no way it will be able to hold an edge.”

I say that last part somewhat loud so the shopkeeper will overhear us. Did he think because I was a newbie that he could get away with showing us a replica sword?

“So that means...”

“If I had to say, this sword would be one you’d buy just for show.”

Niera’s face colors angrily and the temperature around her seems to drop a few degrees.

She takes the sword and resheathes it, then sets it with a distinct THUD on the counter in front of the shopkeeper, interrupting his discussion with the older man.

“Excuse me, I believe you recommended this sword for an adventurer. Do you mind telling me why?”

The shopkeeper opened and closed his mouth wordlessly, having gone quite pale. It doesn’t seem like he’s scared of Niera’s cold, angry words; from the side glances he’s making he looks terrified that it’s happening in front of this other man.

“I-I’m sorry that you didn’t like –“

“Did you think you can recommend bad weapons because we’re women? Or tell me, what was the point of recommending a sword that can’t be used in combat?”

Achyaa... looks like she hit the mark as his eyes start swimming in all directions. The shopkeeper only opens and closes his mouth, completely panicked. Before Niera could get any angrier the older man speaks up.

“Oya, isn’t it the Labyrinth diver, the Flickering Pike Niera? Are you switching to swords now?”

Niera takes a few deep breaths as she struggles to control her rage. Heh, she has a nickname ...? So Niera’s actually a pretty famous person then. But then why would the shopkeeper try to trick us ... he answers that for me pretty quickly.

“F-flickering Pike? The Labyrinth diver?!”

The shopkeeper’s face has surpassed pale. He looks like he’ll faint any moment. So he didn’t know what Niera looked like.

People with “Second Name” Titles Always Sound Like Mary Sues.

“The nerve of that scoundrel.”

Niera glowers angrily as we leave the shop. I had considered buying a sword there and using his attempt at cheating us to bargain for a discount, but as expected the swords within range were ones I couldn’t stand to own. And it wouldn’t do to get too greedy and try for any of the higher-end ones.

There’s a tact to negotiating a discount.

“Um... well, he’s certainly infuriating, but you didn’t notice it at first either, Niera.”

“Whether I could tell or not, a shopkeeper who tries to trick his customers is the worst.”

Well, that’s true.

Niera continues.

“Also, I’m more knowledgeable about pole arms. When I need a sword I usually have Jericho come with me to recommend things to try out. Anyway, it’s hard to tell what’s good about a weapon until you give it a good hard swing.”

I see, so even if she doesn’t know too much about the make of a sword she can judge by its performance. Certainly the poor balance would be obvious with one good swing. Niera gives off that type of aura after all; the type who’s good at feeling things out instead of thinking.

“Fumu. It’s not the first time I’ve heard of that shopkeeper trying to pull this kind of trick. It’s because he tries to aggressively sell weapons that have been stocked too long without lowering their prices. We’ll have to rethink out business with this shop after all.”

The one who said that was the older man who had been talking business with the shopkeeper. He’s muscular with broad shoulders, but he doesn’t look all buff like an adventurer or athlete. More like someone who does hard labor for a living. He’s bald, but has a rust-colored moustache and beard trimmed short.

“Yes, I only chose that shop as one of the ones to look at because they sold swords from Helward’s forge. But that kind of behavior is a disgrace.”

Niera complains kind of high-handedly towards this ossan. He laughs in response.

He’s the good-natured sort, huh?

“Ahaha, that’s true. What a pity. There isn’t much need for a decorative sword in Nyl, but it was well made and moderately well-priced for its purpose. If he hadn’t tried to pass it off as a usable sword your impression of it might even be quite good, for a decoration. But now that sword will probably be regarded as ‘the sword the Flickering Pike Niera rejected’, making it even harder to sell. A bad salesman is the bane of us craftsman.”

I have a lot I’m interested in with this discussion. Like, how famous is Niera and her group? And who is Helward? Does a forge not sell its own swords? But it’s hard to ask since Niera and the ossan are having a long conversation.

All of a sudden the ossan looks at me with a smile.

“Well, I’m interested in how this jou-chan recognized it for what it was so quickly.”

He says.

Jou-chan... I never thought I would have to prepare myself for being called jou-chan...

Jun has taken 10 points of damage.

“Uh... well... my grandfather was a smith of sorts.”

“A smith of sorts. Hm... Are you new here to Nyl?”

“Ah, I’m-“

“This is Jun, someone we took care of on the caravan back from Tiertha. No, someone who took care of us? Well, she is a promising new adventurer that all of us have high expectations. Jun, this is Gustav, the second-in-charge under Helward at the most famous forge in Nyl.”

Niera gives the introduction while she puffs out her chest a little. It’s a little embarrassing that she thinks so highly of me. Hey, wait a minute, if a famous person with a title like you treats me like a VIP, won’t it be impossible to avoid standing out?

“I can tell Jou-chan is talented if Flickering Pike Niera, Steadfast Fortress Jericho, Silver Sword Kristaf, Wind Enchantress Miinalya, and the Learned Wizard Lorenzo all have high hopes for her.”

The ossan laughs while he says it; I think he’s teasing Niera, since she twists her body and blushes.

Aaah... I give up all hopes of not standing out when he rattles out a list of chuuni names like that. They’re all famous, even Lor who’s still only an apprentice mage. I’ll just do what I want now, since it’s impossible to tiptoe around.

Well, in moderation.

It seems Niera’s title is from her abilities with the pike. Though it’s longer than a spear, her nimble way of handling it causes the tip to dance in and out of her opponents’ vision. Even a narrow passage won’t hinder her. I haven’t seen her using a pike yet, so I can’t speak for it myself.

“Hm... well, can I ask something?”

All of a sudden ossa- Gustav switches to a serious tone, similar to when he had been talking to that shopkeeper.

“Yeah?”

“To be able to judge how well the blade was forged at a glance, how well can you do it?”

“Mm... I have a good accuracy when it comes to recognizing the quality of the forging and heating from watching my grandfather. Though I have to say he made more failures than successes.”

I’m thinking about how to expand on that when a wave of nostalgia hits me.

Even if I was scolded by Mother or Grandma, I always snuck back into Grandfather’s makeshift forge in the shed out back, just sitting and watching.

Grandfather ... to be honest I could never really tell if he understood I was there or not. Silent as always he would sit there, back to the entrance, working with all his might. And I would watch mesmerized by the clanging and sparks that flew from his hammer.

There were some times, though, that he called me over. I’d jump, scared that he would kick me out, but instead he would hold out a piece of metal.

“Too much heat,” or “Over-hammered,” or “Bad steel,” would be all he’d say, but he would let me take it and then turn around again. And again Grandfather would be silent except for the ringing of the hammer, ignoring my presence.

Perhaps just sitting and watching for over 10 years honed my instincts. It got to the point that I could tell what had failed with just the sound of the hammer and the subtle change in Grandfather’s back.

... It’s a little lonely to think I can’t visit that forge anymore. Ah, even if I was in the other world it would be sold soon, right?

“You see, we’re so swamped we’ll even take help from a cat. Even if it’s just checking the quality of the blades, well... Having someone to go through that mess will greatly reduce our burden. Of course it would be paid. I’m afraid I haven’t thought of the rate yet. ”

Gustav cuts into my reminiscing. Ah, so he was talking business.

“Ara? Even Helward’s can get like that?”

At Niera’s words Gustav’s good-natured smile freezes a bit.

“Ahaha...”

His usual happy laugh is also a bit stiff-sounding.

Gakun. He endures it only for a little while before he hangs his head and sighs heavily.

“With a light-hearted, ‘I’m off to look for interesting materials,’ Helward has disappeared into the Labyrinth. Three months now. We won’t be able to maintain our reputation at this rate.”

“Eeh... isn’t that bad if he’s missing for three months in a Labyrinth? What if he’s in trouble?”

I can’t help but ask. After all, a Labyrinth is that, right? Full of monsters and dangerous traps and such, so if he’s missing for such a long time it could be a bad situation. So I thought, but...

“ “No problem, no problem.” ”

Both Niera and Gustav brushed that worry aside without a second thought. I’m kind of interested in meeting this Helward.

“Hm, you might say you’d like to hire Jun, but this is just the first day she’s been in Nyl, you know? The first few days at a new Labyrinth are a sensitive time for an adventurer.”

“Ah... I understand what I’m asking is quite shameless.”

“No. I am interested.”

I surprise even myself with that. But, you know, I don’t think it’s a bad idea? I don’t have a weapon or too much money for the rest of the equipment so it’s not like I’m going down into the Labyrinth today, probably, and getting acquainted with the best forge in the city isn’t a bad idea.

It seems that Niera needs to go back soon to find out what Jericho and the rest of her party were thinking about doing until Miinalya recovered, and so since I’ve decided to follow Gustav she leaves.

“Well, if you need me again just ask at the Guild!”

She shouts that while she waves furiously, then jogs off.

As Gustav leads the way to the forge, I’m surprised to find myself trembling with excitement.

◇◇◇

“What, you mean we have to let this girl judge our work?!”

Ah, of course. There’s always a downside.

There’s Always Some Friction When a New Manager Transfers to Your Branch of the Company.

I’d noticed before; the blades of the swords I’d been looking at all had different compositions.

It’s not like I can tell what the composition of the metals were just by looking and holding them, but I can sometimes tell the differences when comparing blades. I’ve always been kind of sensitive to big differences in metal alloys.

If there are so many different metals I DID notice, there’s probably 2-3 times more different alloys that I DIDN’T notice.

Basically, because there are so many drastically different metal alloys just among the low-grade swords in that one shop, I’m beginning to assume there isn’t a central ore refinery in Nyl City.

That seems strange to me. Judging from the swords I’ve seen, I think the sword-making in this world has as much history as sword-making in the modern era from back home. Just without the power tools. With the advancement of sword-smithing to this degree, I speculate that the smiths who make weapons here are weapon specialists who don’t deal in general products or armor.

Well of course, in this world your blade meant everything, from your life to your living. It’s not surprising there are people dedicated solely to improving weapons.

Specialization in specific components has always followed as technology advances. In the modern age back home there are people who smelt and refine the ore, who sell ingots to the blade makers, who hand blades to the hilt makers and add-on makers ... for katana there are even families who make a living purely by sharpening blades.

Even though there were people who learned all the steps and could do everything, you could easily find a specialist for every step of sword construction back home.

Then isn’t it strange that, at the very least, they don’t have someone who specializes in smelting ores in this world? It’s super burdensome and requires separate facilities, you know?

Thinking about it, certainly one reason for this could be the lawlessness in Nyl City. Though there seems to be some sort of comradery between people who recognize each others’ talents, it doesn’t feel like a community that bands together for the common good.

Security patrols aren’t scheduled but done on request, after all. There’s no way competing smiths fighting for customers would band together and assign someone to be in charge of the vital ore. In a way their livelihoods would depend on “submitting” to the smelter... something like that?

The other reason I thought about is something that excites me a little bit more.

In this culture, the refinement of metal might be as highly valued as the smithing of the sword. The worth of a bladesmith might depend on how well you can refine your basic materials.

In our world you buy a piece of steel – wire, bar, rod, sheet – and it can turn into anything. Knife, hammer, or a pot ... Only when you begin to forge it can you say, “This is definitely going to be a sword and nothing else.” You could say that you start making a sword from the ingot.

In this world, could it be that you start making a sword from the ore?

◇◇◇

When I reach “Helward’s forge”, I understand a lot of things.

First, it’s hot. There’s no way for anyone to do business here. This is why the smiths let merchants sell their wares in other shops scattered throughout the city.

Second, it’s beyond hot. And there are tall, chimney-like towers built around the forge. They’re a bit small, but are they what you’d call blast furnaces? And there’s not just one. There’s THREE. My guess that the smiths smelt their own metal seems completely supported. Unless Helward’s is special ... but I see other forges down this particular mountainous path with their own towers, so no, it seems this is normal.

Gustav grins, since I’ve stopped in the face of the awe-inspiring sight of the forge.

“Quite a sight, huh?”

“... yeah. It’s my first time seeing a blast furnace in person.”

“Hm? Hot wind furnace?”

Oh? Did that part not translate well? I wonder why.

“Um... that is... you put charcoal and metal ore in the top and blow air heated with a furnace through the middle for first refining the ore?”

“Ahh, yes, though charcoal is for the cheaper swords, and it’s equipped with a heat bellows. Well, you seem to know quite a bit. They’re called Feed Kilns, though.”

Heh~. What... exactly are you “feeding” it? But I see. In my world, the blast furnace is known by how you blow hot air through to directly heat the ore. Here this furnace is known for putting in the fuel and ore in the top.  Is that the reason for the mistranslation? Now I wonder if it’s just fuel they put in with the ore.

... Hah! I’m totally spacing out.

“Sorry. I’m taking up valuable time.”

When I look over at him, Gustav’s eyes are glinting towards me with a strange light. Eh... was I being weird?

““Heheh, it’s alright, I don’t mind. Or, actually, you have the eyes of a craftsman looking at her new target. I’m glad my instincts haven’t dulled.”

I’m still ashamed. He asked me to help them because they have a time crunch, and here I am wasting time. I follow Gustav into the forge.

Inside I look over and see a huge trench in front of the bottoms of the Feed Kilns. That must be where they draw the ore. Wonder what they do with the waste. The trench is empty though the Feed Kilns are still running. It must take too much effort to reheat the Feed Kilns.

Ara? There’s a smaller furnace in the back, not a blast furnace though. Oh, and behind it are two small pit furnaces.

In the middle of the large room are the forges. 6 of them in total, 2 large and 4 small. Around one of the small ones, 5 men were gathered.

They look up as we entered the building.

“Oh, Gustav-sama, we’ve finished refining the ore!”

“Please give your permission for forging the sword!”

Three of the men ran up as Gustav entered, carrying a lump of metallic metal in a fat, bar ingot form. Iron? They must have been in charge of the second refinement. From there it should be able to be made into swords...

Gustav inspects it, then turns and tosses it to me. Without warning.

Oi, don’t just throw something so heavy ... Well I guess it’s okay since I’m using Augment Body and I can catch it with one hand. But what would you do if I couldn’t?

At that, the men all seem to notice me for the first time.

“... Gustav, are you going on dates in the middle of work?!”

“Whoo, bringing a girl to a workplace like this!”

“Ain’t she a bit young for you?”

Even though I’ve resolved to accept that I’m a girl for now, it still hurts that they don’t even hesitate on whether I’m a girl or not.

I ignore the whistles and inspect the large ingot-like metal. It IS iron. Or steel? Well, it’s one of them. Ah, this spot... Did they not pound it out well? If I can find one, there might be others. Well, having even one weak spot like this won’t do to make a sword out of. And like, isn’t this ingot too big? At least divide it up properly if you’re refining it for the second time.

“Well?”

Gustav ignores the men too and watches my reaction.

“It might need to be reforged.”

Well, it definitely needs to be, but I’m a little hesitant giving my opinion as an outsider.

Gustav nods approvingly. He’s testing me, huh? On the other hand...

“What?! How would you know?”

“Tch. Oi, Oujo-chan, don’t shoot off your mouth like that.”

The men change their tones quick, huh. Uwaaaah, they’re glaring at me by a lot. One of them in particular is especially upset. He doesn’t say anything though.

One of the younger guys turns to Gustav to complain.

“Hey, Gustav-sama, what’s with you bringing her? Women are distractions in the forge, y’know?”

Well I was a man. Who still looked like this. They really know how to rub it in. Darnit!

Gustav still ignores them.

“Hey, the swords are that way, Jou-chan. I’ll leave it to you.”

Ah, he’s still calling me Jou-chan ... I’ll call you “Ossan” from now on if you don’t stop, oi! Though Gustav seems to be the type that doesn’t care if he’s middle-aged so it might not be effective.

It’s kind of intimidating, having the group of men glaring at me as I walk past, but I accepted a job after all. I won’t back down. The swords, well, blades, are on a rack, twelve of them total.

Oi oi, didn’t you have an order of 25? This is just under half! I hope they can make it in time.

I try to block out the sounds behind me of Gustav explaining why he hired me.

Urgh... such an explosion of anger.

Well sure, I’m an outsider after all.

Maa... my business is with the swords. I don’t need to worry about the reactions of those guys.

◇◇◇

From what I can see there are 8 swords that are ready to sell. Or rather, aren’t these sword’s great? Dammit, I’d want one of these. A little thinner would be nice, but they’re way beyond what I was looking at in the shop. Well I was only looking at the cheapest swords in the shop. Guess I won’t be able to afford it.

3 swords are ok, but the balances are off just enough to be noticeable. 2 of them will also probably deliver too much vibration to the handle. It’s not awful, but too much vibration isn’t good for the wrist. 1 of those has an awkward taper for a broadsword. The last is also just plain heavy in addition to the weird balance, even though they tried to reduce the weight by grinding the middle channel down so much. These are still much better than the swords I’d been looking at in the shop.

The last ... eh... is this supposed to be used as a sword? I was impressed the others were heated treated well, the 8 good ones of course, but even the 3 mediocre ones can’t be thrown aside. The last, though, is brittle. It will break easily. The shape is off, it’s tip heavy, basically an amateur’s forging of a sword. Well, I bet if I had an opportunity to make my first sword it would probably look like this.

I cheated a little and used (Analyze), though it could only tell me basic information. Video-game-like information. But I found out the first 8 were, understandably, made by one talented guy named Jetsom. 2 of the mediocre ones were made by a guy named Nars, the heavy mediocre one was made by a guy named Kulir, and the last bad one was made by a guy named Pieta.

... I feel like Pieta probably shouldn’t be at the level of making swords.

<A/n: Now that we’re past the setting establishment, I felt comfortable enough to go back and put more specifics in the synopsis on the Index page.>

Sometimes You have to Wonder whether Your Boss can’t Read the Mood or if He’s Just Ignoring It.

I’m not sure of the time, but it couldn’t have taken me an hour to appraise the swords. I report my findings to Gustav.

The angry looks from the other guys hurt. They were busy at one of the forges, but when I approached Gustav they all stopped and glared at me.

I wonder if I’m not used to open hostility. I can’t think of any incident where I’d made enemies before back in the other world. No, wait. There was that guy ... and the one from that time ...

... hm.

Setting whether I had enemies or not asides, I have confidence that I lived in the other world while avoiding conflict as much as possible. By helping when people need help, interfering when there’s a need to, and stepping down when it’s necessary, it’s easy to control the level of hate people have towards you.

At the least, I’m not used to being hated for any reasons I haven’t made myself.

Gustav listens to my report seriously.

Ah, by the way, the reason Gustav himself didn’t inspect the blades isn’t because he doesn’t have the ability. Or at least that’s what I’m guessing. It seems like, along with one apprentice who does the odd jobs, Gustav is the sole maker of all the sword hilts and sword guards in this forge. And he’s an exceptional one at that.

I, who only was interested in blades back home and know absolutely nothing about the add-ons, want him to teach me.

Anyway, Gustav was busy adjusting hilts on two other blades aside from the ones he asked me to appraise, so he had no time to appraise the other 12 that had been finished. He didn’t let the other men appraise them; is it because they are apprentices?

Yeah, if they’re just apprentices who were all moderately at the same level, then it would give birth to bad feelings between them if they critiqued each others’ works. That’s why he outsourced this bothersome hostility to an outsider, huh? If I think about it like that I can understand. Well, it’s still weird for a famous smithy to ask an outsider for help on appraising their blades.

Especially if you have whoever that Jetsom guy is. Couldn’t he appraise them ... ah, well I guess it’s helpful to have a second pair of eyes. If he’s busy making all the blades then I guess it can’t be helped.

Speaking of that Jetsom guy, is he not here? I haven’t seen anyone who would match the aura of an experienced bladesmith yet. I’m not sure what I should expect; because the names have all been foreign-sounding ones I haven’t heard often, I can’t picture his face at all.

“Oh, that’s right, we haven’t talked about the request’s reward.”

Gustav said, after hearing me out and taking the poor quality sword(tentative) that I had brought to him.

“I thought we did ... not, I suppose.”

Hm? I thought we had, but when I tried to remember what we had agreed on I came up with blanks. Ahh... was I so excited to see the forge that I forgot to confirm something like that? Not good; I’ll be easily tricked if I let down my guard like this.

“You finished it quicker then I expected. Let’s see ... how about 2,000 ecrue for every 12 swords?”

I haven’t the slightest idea. What’s the going price for knowledge? A barely usable sword sells for 8,000 ecrue, but the Guild Card and ID Plate cost over 10,000 ecrue. I haven’t looked at a single other thing. And it’s not like I actually made anything, just looked over some swords ... so 2,000 ecrue would be alright?

... I am a poor fool who knows nothing about prices, whether in this world or that one. I was spoiled with price tags and listed part-time salaries in Japan. Not that I worked all that much. Just sometimes around Christmas and New Years as extra help.

I don’t know if it’s high or low so the easiest thing to do is just accept that rate, but I don’t want to sound like I’ll just take whatever people give me so I’ll just say,

“Isn’t that fine? I get to observe a pretty interesting facility too.”

Maa, it’s fine even if I got underpaid since I have the opportunity to make acquaintances of the most famous forge (according to Niera) in the city.

“Heh. Let’s see... I’ll get it reimbursed later.”

Gustav mutters to himself as he counts out 2,000 ecrue from his own pocket and hands it over. I slip it into my bag. After drawing the strings closed, I realize I’d forgotten to slip it into Inventory. Ah well.

“Now then, Jou-chan, it would be a shame for you to just hang out in the forge until the blades are finished for appraisal.”

Gustav turns fully and faces me. I wonder if he’s going to suggest a change in payment or an additional odd-job he wants me to do; though prolonging this discussion is good for me. It will be easier to try to ask if I can buy a good sword cheap. It may be bad manners ... I’m sorry in advance.

Gustav grins.

“I want to see you make a sword.”

Eeeh?!

◇◇◇

Nononono. One doesn’t just “make” a sword for the first time. How many years do you think apprentices need to do oddjobs and image training before a master let’s them forge a sword for the first time?

My protests don’t make it out of my head. I won’t refuse this opportunity; no, I don’t think I have it in myself to refuse.

“Wait, Gustav?!”

“What’s with that, why are you letting someone else use the forge?!”

I don’t resist, but boy are the other guys protesting. Gustav waves me over to a separate forge.

“I want to see what this Jou-chan is capable of, is that a problem? Ah, if two of you have time, could you strike for her?”

Eeeeeh... Gustav, read the mood, the mood! Ah, no good. So many angry outcries.

“What?! Gustav, what are you thinking?!”

“Why should we strike for some unknown girl apprentice! Don’t cut corners just because she’s a girl!”

“That’s right, let her train 3 years like the rest of us before touching a hammer!”

“We’re all training hard to perfect the ingots, how can we have time?”

Mm...  despite their hostility, they have a point. With this kind of reaction, if I forge a sword lousier than Pieta’s ... ah, I don’t want to think of it. But unfortunately, I feel like whatever sword I forge will DEFINITELY be lousier than Pieta’s. This will be my first time holding a hammer, you know? I haven’t forged anything before, you know?

But for some reason I can’t really bring myself to stop this farce.

Gustav shakes his head at their angry comments and sighs.

“Hm... you guys don’t have time? There was time enough to make this.”

Gustav brandishes the sword(tentative). One of the younger men flinches. Ah, is that Pieta?

“Also... other than the swords Jetsom made, there weren’t any worth putting Helward’s mark on.”

Achyaa... So even “good-enough” swords fail to make the mark. Doesn’t that mean that Jetsom guy will have to make the entire shipment himself? Eh? Out of the 8 people here there’s only 1 + 1other actual staff?

What’s with this poor personnel lineup?

Or actually, this forge’s reputation is pretty pristine, huh?

I tune out for a second, thinking about the swords. Other than Pieta’s, I didn’t think the other two decent swords were that bad. They were way better than the under-10,000 ecrue swords I was looking at, you know?

Well, I guess it’s like Jetsom’s swords were over 100,000 ecrue, while the other guys’ swords were around 50,000 ecrue ... that kind of double-the-value difference? Though I’m sorry, I don’t know what the actual prices would be; this is just a rough comparison.

“Alright, I’m going to check up on Jetsom’s merchant rounds.”

Gustav just waves his hand cheerfully and leaves, in spite of the grumblings of the apprentices.

Ah? Ah?! Hang on a second, you’re leaving me here like this?!

...

All that’s left is an uncomfortable silence.

Uwaaaah, I can feel their stares stabbing into me. One of the apprentices finally snorts, and I can hear his shoes scraping against the dirt floor as he turns away.

“Well I can’t help strike, since I’ve got training.”

He grumbles it while avoiding looking in my direction.

The rest mutter agreements and walk away as well.

The 2 older-looking apprentices are sullen, but say nothing. Despite their reluctant looks, I bet they would follow Gustav’s orders if I asked them to help. It looks like they understand Gustav has his reasons even if they don’t understand what the reasons are. They probably have the most important work assigned to them, and I bet they’re supervisors for the other apprentices too. It would be pretty rude to ask them to do something as menial as becoming my strikers...

But the younger apprentices have a reeeally hard-to-approach air to them. Or like, they’re totally angry.

I can probably manage by myself, so I’ll just let the apprentice group do their work. They need to catch up to that Jetsom guy’s level and reduce the amount of labor.

The younger apprentices are hanging around as I walk over to the other forge, talking loud enough for me to hear.

“Tch, what the hell? She’s just a little girl, why would Gustav bring woman to a man’s workplace?”

“Even letting an amateur judge our swords. I bet he’s just showing off to try to impress her.”

“What does she know about good workmanship? She totally badmouthed Nars’ swords. Looks like she wouldn’t know a good sword if she was attacked with one.”

Nonono, I didn’t badmouth the swords. They’re good swords, you know? Just not when compared to the 8 REALLY good ones. Anyway, even if you had left the appraising to Gustav the same result would have happened, you know? This is just misplaced anger.

And anyway, what are these guys doing, standing around and gossiping like old housewives? Weren’t you too busy training to do anything else? Tch.

“And your sword too, Kulir.”

“Keh. I know. ‘It’s too heavy’? Of course it’s too heavy for a girl. She didn’t even try to swing it. Dammit, just because she can’t swing it doesn’t mean it’s too heavy for a sword!”

“Haha, I bet she won’t be able to swing the hammer!”

Haah!? You damn ... even YOU know it’s too heavy, or else why would you grind the middle fuller down to the limit? Don’t raise a fuss and blame it on my arm strength just because you’re a sore loser! I’ll have you know I can throw a spear so hard that it disappears in less than a second!

...Ah, no, wait, that’s Augment Body-sama’s doing. Regardless, I have confidence that I won’t lose to most people my age with my own strength, you bastards!

What’s with these guys? There’s a limit to doubting others, you know; I mean your superior, Gustav, hired me, you know?

Suddenly I recall the discussion I had with Niera in the wagon on the way over.

I had asked her if being an adventurer was difficult, and she said,

“Hm... pretty much if you’re a woman. Girls have to be stronger than everyone to be recognized as adventurers.”

Ahaha ... I see, I see. I thought she was just complaining about guys who try to put the moves on her or cop a feel, but THIS is what she meant.

To get them to recognize me I have to overpower them, huh? Completely crush them in strength and ability? Stupid. Truly stupid. Dammit, to be looked down upon in strength just because I’m now a woman, isn’t that unfair? Guys who judge by appearances are the worst.

...Hm? As a woman I feel like l should have a different point behind that statement.

Heh. That random thought completely cooled my head. If those guys want to keep yelling about pointless things and ignore their work, then fine. What can they do anyway? I’ve already gotten Gustav’s permission, and with Augment Body-sama there’s no need for me to have a helper to strike the metal.

◇◇◇

Clng.

That sounds too light.

wwWHAMmm.

... I didn’t know it was possible to hit too hard. Augment Body is too frightening. I think I dented the anvil through the ingot. Leeet’s just say that hit was for the sake of folding the metal. It’s totally a u-shape now.

I had memorized how to tend the heat of the fire and the color metal should reach for forging simply through the 10 years of watching Grandfather. I had memorized the sound the hammer should make simply by being in the same room and listening to Grandfather swing his hammer. By using a method of trial and error, for the first time in my life I’m copying it.

There’s a complete difference between watching and doing, especially being right in the brunt on the heat and the sound, but 10 years of silent observation has paid off.

Clang Clang Clang Clang.

I move my hammer quickly and rhythmically after I feel out the right amount of weight to hit the iron with. I only use the bare minimum of Augment Body for increase in strength; instead, most of Augment Body is being used for stamina so I can continue swinging the hammer without tiring.

In the modern era back in the other world, a power-hammer is used to help with the tedious work. Without power tools, one or two helpers with large sledgehammers, the strikers, help reduce the labor. But well, like I said, there’s no way I can ask any of the apprentices to help me.

The first refinement of metal turns the ore into metallic metal. Impurities float at the top of the molten ore. Those molten impurities are called “slag” and are drained off ... mostly. That’s where the second refinement comes in.

By reheating it and beating it with the hammer you drive the slag trapped in the metal out.

I had kind of wanted to try to making Wootz steel, but that may be a bit beyond a “first sword”. Simple is best.

But in that case I would have chosen several pieces of different steel and force-welded them together with the hammer. The process of cutting the hot metal with a chisel and folding it, then beating it out again and repeating would serve to make the entire ingot uniform.

... un, I want to try Wootz or Damascus steel next. There probably isn’t a sword-smith wannabe who hasn’t dreamed of perfecting folded steels.

Whew. I’ve hammered it well, and for now I can’t see a spot of slag. Should I try to draw it into a bar now?

I had been trying to actively block out the apprentice’s squawking to concentrate better, but now that I’m not focused on beating out the slag I loosen my concentration. Aaah ... are they still going? These guys are pretty free for being “busy” ...

Are? Isn’t this noise different? I look towards the large, open entrance of the forge. What’s this racket about?

—

Skills Added:

[COMBAT MAGICIAN]: (Sound Barrier) – A derivative of (Barrier). Nullifies sound within and without of the barrier.

Sometimes you Just have to Hit things to De-stress

There were 5 men I hadn’t seen before standing in the entrance of the forge. They were loudly calling for Gustav.

... Is it just my imagination or are they sneering because they know Gustav isn’t here?

“Oi oi, this sword is completely useless. You wanna get us killed, hah?! We’re E rank adventurers, yeah, E RANK. You know what will happen if you cross us?! So hurry up and bring out the guy in charge!”

What’s with the cheap delinquent act?

“Like we said, if you have any complaints, take it up with the shop that sold it to you. Likely they sold you a fake!”

“No no, there’s Helward’s Mark, see? And we have to make sure that shitty swords don’t kill off other adventurers, see?”

Shitty swords?  I’m kind of interested in what’s going on. It doesn’t look like anything other than Jetsom’s swords pass for sale in this forge (well, I haven’t seen the owner of the forge, Helward’s swords yet), so I’m having a hard time picturing what would be wrong with the sword.

I move as silently as I can, trying not to attract too much attention, and look at the broken sword in the man who seems to be the leader of this group. With Farsight it’s easy to examine the details just by drawing a little closer.

Uwaah... it might have been a sword at one point. This isn’t a problem with the forging. Or if it was, that was ages ago. It looks like an old sword with a mark newly chiseled in. And poorly at that.

“Doesn’t that mark look fake? For people calling yourselves adventurers, you were scammed quite thoroughly.” I don’t really know what the real Helward’s Mark looks like, though, but Analyze-sensei is saying that the maker is some guy I don’t know name Iorne. Not even Pieta was at fault for this one. I highly doubt this sword came from this forge. Well, I’m kind of getting the feeling that they don’t really care about the sword. They’re totally looking for a fight.

“Tch. What’d you say?!”

Before he could get going, one of the other adventurers tapped Mr. Red-Faced-and Angry on the shoulder with a “Pft.”

“Poro, they have to have a girl to stand up for them.”

“Ah, see, this forge is no good, if they’re hiring women they gotta be desperate! Wahahaha!”

The thugs adventurers all laugh like it’s hilarious. Ha. Hahaha.

Ahahahahaha. Though I’m laughing silently, head bowed forward, my shoulders are shaking.

“What are you laughing for, bitch?!”

Ha...

AaaAh ... even though I briefly thought of just kicking you out; it’s been a stressful day, so if you’re looking for a fight, I’ll go all – well, I won’t go all out since there would be nothing of you left, but I’ll make you taste pain.

Fine then. Let me show you how I fight as a woman.

Whack.

I crack my knuckles. I hadn’t noticed it until now, but my hands were a bit stiff from wielding the hammer and holing the tongs for so long. It looks like I have no problems with making a fist though.

The man I had smacked hard in the mouth is sprawled on the floor, looking as if he doesn’t know what’s going on. He sits up in a daze, rubbing his chin.

“Y-you bitch, I said we were Rank E adventurers, right?”

He tries to pull himself together and splutters that semi-angrily.

I ignore him.

“You talk too much. Shut up and come at me.”

My voice sounds cold even to myself, but I’m past caring now. To show that I’m confident, I grin, though my eyes are narrow since my feelings of irritation are stronger than my feelings of excitement. Or like, this situation is a pain in the ass.

The man in front of me turns pale for a moment, but only for a moment. Dumbass. Animals have better instincts than this.

“Shit ... get her!”

Pan.

Whack. Smack.

Crash.

Whew. That felt good. 1-hit KOs are always satisfying, even if they aren’t all knocked out. The conscious guys are unlikely to want to continue fighting though.

Oh, you want to know what happened?

I backhanded the first guy who reached me, then turned and used my wrist to knock the next attacker’s punch away. His punch ended up coming back to himself since I smacked him below the elbow.

Taking advantage of the fact that he was disoriented from hitting himself in the face, I stepped in, grabbed him, and then threw him rather forcefully into the next guy. All that was left was to watch them tumble off into the distance. I didn’t use any judo throws or techniques or anything; I decided to satisfy everything with brute strength this time.

I must be angrier than I thought. I seriously want to instill the fear of my strength in them.

“『... ignemvenideinferno; voraxbestiaignisegredieturetdevorabiinimicosmeosetincendesinignemintorrentibus』『Fire Blast』!”

What a long chant. Impossible, you won’t be able to use it in a real fight.

This isn’t a real fight? Of course it’s not. The level’s too different. There’s no danger even if I let him complete his magic; that’s what my intuition tells me. Oh, that’s right, I should use a chant.

Mm. I have a hard time remembering the chants. I mean, if you don’t need to use something you usually won’t remember it, right? Um...

As the (kind of small) blast of fire hurtle towards me, I give up trying to dummy chant. The result ...

pechi

The people surrounding me have eyes as wide as saucers. Well yeah, I guess since I didn’t chant and the magic I used doesn’t have any visual effects, it just looks like I smacked the fire out of the air.

Ah, well, that IS what I did.

I just tried wrapping a small barrier around my hand first. I had some thoughts about what would happen if it didn’t work after the fact ... but it did well, good job. Looks like I can make mobile barriers.

The person who cast the Fire Blast looks like he just wants to run away. Was it that terrifying to have your attack deflected? The guy I first decked in the chin, however...

“Sh-shit! You, do you think you can get away with –“

“Get away with what? Was there a rule against putting stuck up adventurers in their place? Or would you formally like to duel to the death? You’re welcome to come and give it a try, but you should try to get stronger first, ‘kay?”

I take a step forward, grinning kind of menacingly.

I’ll give the adventurers props for not just running away, but I’m not sure it’s possible to save face after a one-sided trouncing like that. Just give up trying to act tough.

I stand coolly in the entrance of the forge to make sure they actually do leave.

...

Ah ... now there’s an awkward silence behind me. Did I meddle unnecessarily?

“Are you an adventurer? What’s your rank – ah, and I’m Pieta.”

One of the apprentices asked.

I didn’t mention it before, but of the apprentices at Helward’s Forge, there were 2 ossans and the rest are around my age. I’m guessing a bit on the ages, since this is a different world. There’s probably a difference in diet and such, so I can’t tell how many years older or younger the 4 younger guys are compared to me. They’re definitely between 15 – 20 years of age though.

One of the younger guys is the one who asked me about being an adventurer. So this is Pieta after all. Mischievous face with a lot of energy, tousled hair and a reckless attitude ... kind of how I imagined him. Ah, just so you know, he’s not asking me about my rank like he’s looking down on me this time.

Actually, what’s with those glittering eyes ...?

“C rank. But aside from that, is this a usual occurrence?”

I ignore the murmurs of surprise when I mention my rank. I can’t blame them for being surprised. It’s not just because I’m a girl (though I can’t deny that they probably thought that); such a young person being rank C is surprising in itself. Besides I only became an adventurer today.

“Usual is...”

“I guess it’s our ‘usual’ recently.”

“Ugh...”

All the apprentices are saying things with eyes like dead fish. Instead of despair, it’s more like ... exasperation?

“It’s because there’s rumors that our Master Bladesmith has died in the Labyrinth so other smiths have been hoping to drive us out of business. By completely destroying us.”

“Yeah, Gustav’s been running around all over making deals and connections with all sorts of people. Without his political connections I think we would have been done for.”

“Yeah, right now they can only try this kind of underhanded tactic using fake reasons to pick fights, so it’s already a better situation than it used to be.”

“Dammit, where is Helward-sama off to right now?”

“Isn’t he just asleep somewhere?”

“Tsk.”

If you want to take out your competition, it’s easiest to literally take them out. This is the kind of dangerous place it is here, ne? For the situation to turn this desperate just because the head of operations was missing, it makes me appreciate the peaceful life of Japan more. It might be that Gustav is a great person to keep everything together so long.

Master Bladesmith Helward-sama, disappearing for a long time causes a lot of stress for your subordinates.

“Hey, but even with Helward-san is gone, isn’t there still an active smith? He’s pretty good, right? Or is that Jetsom guy also missing?”

I ask just to make sure.

“Nono, Jetsom’s fine. Did you hear about Jetsom from Gustav?”

Ah that’s right, I only know about Jetsom because of Analyze. Thankfully no one seems to notice the discrepancy. One of the other apprentices explains.

“It’s because Jetsom’s status isn’t too good, see. He’s young still, and there’s lots of back talk about how he’s only able to sell because of Helward’s influence.”

“Cheh. Even though it’s an envious blade-making talent. I completely want one of those blades.”

I’m broke though so I can’t buy one. Ooh, looks like the other apprentices’ opinions of me have gone up from me acknowledging Jetsom.

One of the apprentices, a tall man with coffee-colored hair who looked around college-age, similar to Seimei’s age, bows his head.

“It’s because of all these guys aiming for ruining Helward’s forge that all of us apprentices have been in bad moods lately. We’re sorry to have taken it out on you earlier. Since we’re all chasing after Jetsom and Helward’s backs, it’s just kind of frustrating to have someone else come in and earn the approval ...”

“Ah, no, I also wondered what the heck Gustav was doing letting an unknown person handle the forge. The forge is sacred, after all. I have no idea what he’s planning with this. Well, if he offers, I’m not going to turn the chance down.”

It’s true; I was confused at this turn of events. Though I was angry about their attitudes it’s not like I didn’t understand. If I felt that their hostility was completely undeserved I wouldn’t have kept quiet. Still, it’s nice that they’re obediently admitting the real reason they were feeling frustrated instead of just insulting me.

The younger apprentices nodded and agreed matter-of-factly. What person would turn down a chance to forge a sword?

The older apprentices just smile wryly.

Ah, youth ... that kind of feeling?

◇◇◇

Naturally I want to go back to forging my sword, but Pieta and Forin, another young apprentice, have been hanging out over here. At first they said they wanted to help strike, but I’ve already finished the second refining. Despite that, they didn’t go back and help the others tend the forge or strike for ingots. They seem to want to talk about why I knew so much about swords and all the adventures I’ve been on. Even though I’ve only been here about a week. Or like, get back to work!

I’m kind of self-conscious about this, you know? This will be my very first time forging a sword, and I’m half-expecting it to be a disaster. Not that I feel like I can tell them that.

Thankfully the tall man with coffee-colored hair, Kulir (the one who made the heavy sword), has managed to pull them away by threatening to report everything they’ve been doing behind Gustav’s back if they don’t get to work. I suspect part of that “what they’ve been doing” is Pieta’s unauthorized forging of swords.

By the way, thanks to Pieta chattering away I found out that he’s 223 months old, even though he looks younger than 18 years old. Forin is 192. I’m not sure why it was necessary to exchange our ages, but when I said I was 200 Pieta seemed happy about it. I wonder if I look young for my age. Though my Asian looks aren’t too strange in this area, with demi-humans around I imagine no one is sure about anyone’s age.

“Good luck Jun!”

Pieta says it cheerfully, waving wildly as he slowly walks back to the other forge. One of the older apprentices clobbers him lightly on the head.

Whew. Finally.

It’s time to get started on my first sword.

...

... Right, I’d left the ingot half shaped. Sigh.

—

Skills Added:

[COMBAT MAGICIAN]: (Barrier Armor) – A highly advanced derivative of (Barrier). Wraps designated item in a barrier and moves with the item.

In Shounen Manga They Say “Our Adventure has just Begun” Right at the End; Well this isn’t a Shounen Manga.

When forging steel, there’s a certain temperature the steel needs to be in order to be malleable enough to draw into various shapes. But heat it too much and it’s too soft. Experienced smiths know the perfect color the metal has to be to achieve that state.

I’m not an experienced smith, but I’ve seen it time and time again, so after the steel heats past the red glow and before it gets to the yellow glow I pull it out of the fire to forge it.

The problem begins from here. The right shape, the right size, the right balance; just because I can appraise a sword doesn’t mean I know how to shape a sword to reach that ideal state. This is what experience is needed for. Just watching from the sidelines won’t mean much.

Pulling every last bit of knowledge I can gather in my brain, soon I can’t see anything else other than the fire, the steel, and the hammer.

Sssssssizzle.

Hah ...!

Eh. How much time has passed?

I was forging the entire time, but only when I plunge the blade into water to quench it am I aware of what’s going on. Did I temper it in the fire properly?

I feel pretty dazed. I can vaguely recall drawing the blade, tapering it, and all the various things I had to do, but it feels like it was a distant memory. Blinking a few times, I suddenly remember ...

There in the water trough is the first sword I’ve forged.

Pulling it out, despite needing to be ground down still, the naked blade of my first sword glints in the light of the forge.

“Whoa, you’re done already?!”

WHAT THE-! I almost drop the sword. Pieta has stuck his head over my shoulder out of nowhere. You almost gave me a heart attack, damn you! Or like, you’re way too close!

Ah... all the apprentices are kind of gathered over here. When did that happen?

“Wow, it took you almost no time at all. It was what, 4 hours? Even heat treating it was done quicker than usual.”

Kulir looks really impressed.

... No, heat-treating should have taken a really long time, no compromises. I remember thinking it was well done when I decided to quench it in the water, but now I’m having doubts.

I don’t really like all the attention I’m getting. I haven’t taken a good look at the result myself, what’s with the crowd?

Though strangely, I have some confidence in the blade. Even though it’s my first time.

Can’t be helped.

I hold it up to finally look at it.

A double-edged straight blade with a simple taper. Shorter than a longsword, designed after the Western style broadsword. Extraordinarily orthodox for a Western sword, and yet...

A hush goes through the forge for a split second.

It’s breathtaking.

Nonono, there’s no way. This is the first time ever that I’ve held a hammer in my hand. How could I have made such a sword?

The only thing I’ve done back in my world was watch and handle swords of all types. Aside from watching Grandfather, I did help sort out a small museum’s cataloguing and got permission to study their weapons a lot, and I watched all sorts of videos of sword smithing over and over, even the amateur y○tube foreign sword makers ... was I a sword otaku?

What a shocking revelation. I’m a bit in despair.

B-but anyway, disregarding all that, no where was there any chance for me to pick up the practical skills to be able to produce this sword. Just knowledge and no experience can’t produce this result. It’s like saying you watched and read everything there is about soccer without training or playing before and making it into the J-League.

Suddenly it hits me.

Ignoring the awed voices of the apprentices, I activate Magic Sensory and stare at the newly forged sword. My heart sinks as soon as I see the traces of magic all over the blade, all over the anvil, and all over the hammer.

That’s what magic is, huh? I can make whatever image I have in my head come true with it. Without any experience in the forge, with only the images and knowledge I had from years of obsessive study, I can make this sword. Just like that?

It’s actually kind of a dark feeling.

The talent that people spend decades nurturing, that Grandfather spent years and years trying but failing to grasp, I have managed it with a cheat called magic.

It makes me feel bitter.

It’s disappointing; it’s too disappointing. I ... for what was I waiting for, for what was I hoping for all this time? It’s not like I was looking forward to “following in Grandfather’s footsteps” or something by spending my life mastering the forge, but somehow ... this kind of result is depressing.

Pieta and Forin look confused. Is my disappointment showing on my face?

No, it has to be showing. This situation is the worst.

“Hahaha, as expected, a Master Bladesmith isn’t satisfied with just this much, right? Well, that’s all you’ll get out of normal steel. Sorry, we don’t have any enchanted ores made up.”

Kulir slaps my back so hard that I almost topple over.

Please don’t do that. I’m in a miserable state right now. This entire day up through now has been a roller coaster of emotions; in the morning there were things that made me angry enough to snap, and now I’m feeling like I’ve lost all the goals I had in my life. I just want to curl up and go to sleep  ... Wait, what did he just say?

“Enchanted ores?”

“Yeah ... well, that’s why Helward-sama’s gone into the Labyrinth. For materials for enchanted ores. Ah ... the hunt must not be going well for him right now since he’s been gone so long.”

“Actually, since it’s Helward-sama, don’t you think he’s just going, ‘I have to find something interesting,’ so even if he found Rock Serpents or Cavalier Beetles, he’s just ignoring them!”

The apprentices all laugh loudly.

Huh? Sorry, with the way things were going I was expecting Orichalcum or Mithril, but ... those material names sound suspiciously animal-like.

“What ... do you do with those things?”

“““Eh?”””

Eh. Is that supposed to be common sense or something?

“Um, well, monster minerals are used to help make better metals...”

“Monster minerals?”

“Hard parts like the shells or scales can add magic effects to ore... Didn’t you have magic blades where you grew up?”

“Sorry, my hometown was dedicated to mastering the secrets of steel.”

Which is just a really cool way of saying I have never seen a magic blade in my life. Forget magic blades, there wasn’t even any magic in that world.

“Huh... well it’s not like there isn’t a need for steel swords, but I’d think every swordsmith wants to make magic alloys.”

Hahaha... no comment.

One of the older apprentices, the one who made the two pretty good swords, Nars, explains a little further.

“Steel and iron don’t hold or channel magic well, so adding certain monster minerals helps that process. Also, some monster minerals will form strong alloys at lighter weights, and various things like that. Like ... ah, did you register at the Guild? The Guild Card is an example of a magic metal alloy.”

I pull out the Guild Card. The dark gray plastic-like card that can’t be plastic ... It’s light, slightly flexible, but has a subtly beautiful sheen like metal.

“Is that why these things are so dang expensive?”

The Guild Card replacement fee was 20,000 ecrue after all. ($200)

“Mm, yeah. It’s around 0.90 silver alloyed with copper, germanium, black batrachite , and Jewel Bug wings.”

... I get that silver with copper and germanium is sterling silver, but Jewel Bug wings? And what is batrachite? This all sounds more like a witch’s brew than a metal alloy.  Or like, this is supposed to be sterling silver?!

I’m starting to understand the ridiculous price, but I still don’t have any idea about the how or why.

Before Nars can begin to explain we’re all interrupted with a *kohon kohon* cough from behind us.

Gustav and another guy are standing there. Well, they’re leaning against the wall watching us. From the reactions of the apprentices, looks like I wasn’t the only one who didn’t notice them. How long were they watching?

“So Jetsom, what’d you think?”

Gustav grins and gives a nod in my direction.

! So this is Jetsom. He gives Gustav a side-glance as he pushes off from the wall and approaches myself and the cluster of apprentices.

“I got it, but I wonder what Master Helward would say ... no, there’s probably no trouble there.”

I almost miss what they’re saying. Because Jetsom’s tail and ears are distracting. Up until now the beastkin I’ve seen in town have been ferocious-looking animal types, but this is the first time I’ve seen one with traits like a domestic pet. A tail with a moderate length, slightly curved and the fur feathered silkily down it, and floppy dog ears on the sides of his head. Is he a golden retriever?

On top of that, he’s young! There’s no way he’s too much older than me. Kuu ... he’s so young and has such good skills. Ah, by the way, I don’t count. Sure, I just made THIS blade, but it’s not comparable.  As usual, I’ve cheated with magic. From the looks of the apprentices, even in this world smithing takes years to master, so obviously a young swordsmith is something to be impressed with, right?

I’m not sure what I was expecting to see when I met Jetsom, but this probably wasn’t it.

“Can I see the blade?”

He holds his hand out.

Erm... this is kind of a lot of pressure. Even the apprentices have gone silent. I hand over my first blade to be appraised by a guy who has probably spent his entire life in the forge.

A trained eye and experienced hands ... I can say that any doubts to this Jetsom being the smith of those swords are dispelled as I watch him handle the blade. This man is definitely the only reason this forge can continue with the Master Bladesmith missing.

“Fuu~.”

He lets out a small breath, then turns to Gustav.

“To think this is just steel. This isn’t just at the level of being able to supplement our forge until Helward-san returns, Gustav. It’s at the degree that people will ask for it by request.”

Heh, that good? ... I’m very sorry. It’s a cheat.

“Really, to use Mana Forging at such a young age is completely enviable.”

? Jetsom muttered something beneath his breath that I didn’t quite catch. He sighs, then gives me a lopsided smile.

“With this kind of quality, I have no complaints about you helping us finish the shipment. Ah, it would probably be better if you put your own mark on them though, since we didn’t get the official ok from Master Helward. We’ll just have to say this was a collaboration. Well, with swords like this there shouldn’t be any complaints.”

real quick sketch

Hm? Hang on a second. What’s this?

“Cho- Wait, time out, time out. What are you talking about?”

“... Gustav?”

Jetsom seems equally confused.

We both turn to Gustav.

“Iyaaaaa, well, it would be awkward to ask her to help if you didn’t agree Jou-chan’s skills were good enough, right?”

At Gustav’s reply Jetsom sighs, but he doesn’t seem to be all that surprised. He turns back to me with a serious face.

“Basically, we have 7 days to finish the order of 25 swords, so you’d be helping us greatly if we could hire you.”

... Sorry. My brain just stopped working.

EEEEEEEH.

A week for 17 swords? Dondake?!

That’s impossible, you know!

“WHAT!?”

“Gustav-san, Jetsom-san, when was this decided?!”

“Why didn’t we hear about this situation?!”

The apprentices all raise their voices in a panic.

I can’t blame them. If forged normally, a sword takes 2-5 days, you know? Just heat-treating it takes 2 days. Ah, I guess I finished it all in 4 hours. Though I’m not sure how.

Anyway, 7 days for 17 swords isn’t as nice as forgetting about your high school finals until the night before. This is like suddenly remembering you have a college entrance exam in 30 minutes!

Gustav grins with a careless shrug. Oi, it seems like Helward-san is a pretty carefree guy, but Gustav, you’re no different! This old man ... I’m calling you Ossan now.

“We have no choice. We need the support of Guild by being their number 1 supplier to go to right now, and unfortunately we’re in a tight spot because of it. Master Helward has disappeared for 3 months, and we are 3 months past due for several magic swords for highly influential people.”

I feel like there’s some tension behind Ossan’s words.

I see. The situation might be more dire than the apprentices are led to believe. Ossan and Jetsom are carrying the burden by themselves. I think if they fail to make this shipment there will be some big problems.

I’m not so boorish as to demand the details, though.

Ossan continues.

“So you see, we’re in a bit of a bind. Jou-chan looked like a pro when you were appraising the swords in that merchant’s shop, so I thought, ‘Well, what if,” and brought you here to see if your skills are real. Since you passed the first step of recognizing the best swords, naturally I had high hopes for your forging abilities.”

Ah... it kind of feels like I was set up. Did he already know the results of the swords he had me appraise? This was all a test? My head’s swimming a bit. That was a huge risk for Ossan to take; in fact, I had never touched a hammer before today.

“I see. Ossan, is this what you were planning from the beginning?”

I sigh and look at him kind of tiredly.

“Hahaha! Well I got a better deal than I thought! The time limit doesn’t seem as deadly as before, since you’re a Mana Forger. Ah ... well, there is one problem.”

?

Not only I, but Jetsom and the other apprentices all tilt our heads to one side in confusion.

“Regarding the pay ...”

“... Ah.”

Jetsom understands now.

“That’s right, we’re only charging them for 50% of the price... we won’t be able to pay you for what the swords are worth.”

There really is a lot more going on with this 25 sword shipment than I first thought.

“But I’m using your materials and your tools, so I shouldn’t be paid full price anyway.”

That’s my honest opinion.

“No, within the price of a sword, the talent of the smith is worth more than the materials, you know? At the cheapest, it should be a 70% cut of the value of the sword for you.”

Jetsom raises an eyebrow as he said that. How am I supposed to know this kind of thing?

And well, you guys can say that and all, but that’s a problem, right? If you pay me 70% of the full price, but only sell them for 50% ... I’m not the only one who sees the problem, right?

I think a moment.

“Actually ... I’m ok with a 30-70 split of whatever the swords go for. Ah, me getting the 30 I mean.”

“Hah?! Hey, don’t you get what your swords could go for?”

“I mean, you guys can’t help it, right? Anyway, instead of money, I’m more interested in magic swords and stuff. My country didn’t deal in those, see, so I have no knowledge of it at all. If you guys teach me about that stuff, won’t that make up the price? And ... well, I’d really like the opportunity to forge my own sword. As an adventurer, as long as I have a sword, I can make money, right? So this can be considered a prior investment.”

There was silence. Did I say something weird?

“I get the appeal of using a sword you forged yourself, but even if you only made 5 swords, at the standard rate you’d make enough money to buy a magic sword with skills. Even though this forge deals in those types of swords, without Master Helward it’s impossible to make magic ores capable of holding enchantments.”

... I have no clue what you just said, Jetsom-san. Magic swords can have or not have skills? What’s with the “enchantments”? Anyway...

“It’s not like I’m stubbornly wanting to only use swords I made myself or anything like that. It’s ... a little complicated. The swordsmanship of my country is very different. I’ve looked, but every sword I’ve found would handle poorly in my sword-style. It doesn’t seem like I can find a sword like those things that were called national treasures in my country.”

If it sounds like I’m kind of bragging about the katana, well... I am.

Ah, there really are only craftsmen here. I can see the gleam of interest in everyone’s eyes. Jetsom’s ears are slightly perked up as if to say, “What type of sword, what type of sword!”

After a bit, Ossan frowns slightly.

“So Jou-chan, you’re saying that unless you forge it yourself, there’s no chance for you to find a sword that can match your abilities?”

“I’m saying that it’s impossible for me to buy the type of sword I’m most used to. Using a sword I can’t handle well would be risking my life every time I get into a fight. Getting the opportunity to fix that problem is priceless for me.”

“The ores won’t be anything more than steel.”

“There’s no problem. I said it before, but my country specialized in plain steel swords.”

Or like, I wouldn’t know what to do with your beetle ores right away anyway.

“Hm... I see. We’re in a tight spot so we’ll agree to these ridiculous terms... but Jou-chan, you’ll get ripped off some day if you always act like that.”

Ossan is saying something, but I’m only half listening as he confirms the deal. It’s all I can do to hide my excitement.

Honestly, I think it’s too much in my favor. Knowledge is priceless; this way I can learn about the strange alloys and how magic weapons are made. I’m going to learn about this world’s forges AND get paid. Isn’t that a great deal?

And soon I will forge my own katana.

Grandfather, I’ve almost reached the pinnacle you’ve been aiming for all this time by a cheat, but it looks like there’s a long way to go to the top in this world. I’ll run down the path of magic swords.

—

Trait added:

[Mana Forger]: Details to be revealed later. Jun needs to learn to check (Status) more often ...

—

A/N: ... Even I’m getting worried with Jun’s lax opinions about money. Will this girl be okay?

Sometimes Shopping Clerks are Helpful, and Sometimes They’re Downright Nosy

Somehow or other, I’ve found a job and an apprenticeship(?) right away. I’ve always felt I had greater luck than most, but ever since I’ve found myself in this world I’ve been feeling like I never appreciated it enough before.

As for the 17 swords in 7 days deadline, I start tomorrow.

Why not today?

After registering at the Guild, spending several hours getting duped by a merchant, and the over 5 hours in Helward’s forge, it’s already 4 pm, and I haven’t eaten since last night. I’m also worried about leaving The Queen Mary’s for so long. Even though it’s the template for bad guys to act at night, that’s not always how the real world works.

Another reason is ...

“Right there, it’s my cousin’s tailoring shop!”

Pietra points out a small shop wedged between two other buildings down a wide mountain road.

The road looks like a main street, sloping gradually from the second level of this tiered city down to a wide open street-stall market on the first level.

While passing people by on the streets, I’m noticing that there are a lot of beastkin. The demographic seems to be mostly human and beastkin, humans making up the greater portion. There are also a number of dwarves (though a few of them might just be short humans) and featherkin.

So why is Pieta taking me to his cousin’s shop? That’s a good question.

I know why I’m heading there; I have no clothes other than the luxurious “Commoner’s Clothes,” and that is bad to wear for so many reasons. But why is Pieta taking me?

Sure this is helpful, since I don’t have a clue as to where the clothing stores are, but is the forge going to be alright with an apprentice missing? The apprentices do a lot of odd jobs, like striking, helping to regulate the fire, and so on. That way the smiths can just focus on forging the best they can.

Well I guess it’s 5 apprentices to one smith – that is, Jetsom – so I guess it’s alright?

Anyway, I have to buy food and clothes with my remaining 21,650 ecrue before the day is over. There’s also one other VERY important thing ...

... I need to replace Solyana’s shirt.

I messed up; or like, I didn’t think about it at all.

It was really hot in the forge, I was working next to a roaring fire, and I was hammering away with all my might. What do you think would happen to the clothes I was wearing?

Aaaargh, how could I have been so inconsiderate? There’s no way I can return it to her. Even if I wash it I have doubts that the soot will come out; and also, it’s just soaked in sweat.

It’s totally gross.

Speaking of gross, I need a bath. I haven’t had one in a week; I mean, I couldn’t when I was on the road in the wagon, and then coming to Nyl City I got immediately wrapped up in another incident and didn’t get a chance, and now I’m here.

Fuu ... there were a lot of things I needed to do, but I ended up spending the entire day working in a forge.

When we entered Pieta’s cousin’s shop, a handsome woman greeted us. Although she is definitely attractive, “handsome” seems to suit her better than “pretty”.

“Welco- Pieta, what are you doing here? Oh my~ skipping work to go on a date? Even when you say things like ‘I’ll become a Master Bladesmith in no time,’ you’re doing things like this~!”

She’s teasing him pretty relentlessly.

Pieta’s turned bright red.

“I-it’s not like I’m skipping! And this girl is –“

“I’m Jun, a new adventurer hired by Ossan – that is, Gustav-san. Ossa – Gustav-san told Pieta to help me buy the necessary things I need.”

Please spare me from the love-talks.

“Booo... you’re no fun.”

The woman pouts playfully. Maybe she’ll get along with Niera well.

Pieta stands there kind of helplessly, opening and closing his mouth. I didn’t think he’d be so bad against being teased.

“J-juri, cut it out! Man, where’s cousin Moran?”

He finally manages to spit out.

“Moran’s at the weavers’ right now.”

“I see...”

“Hey, hey, but Pieta ...” *whisperwhisperwhisper*

“Seriously Juri, cut it out, we just met today.”

“Oooh, it’s not mutual?”

“Damn, cut it out and do your job! Jun, I’ll be waiting outside.

Juri laughs happily as Pieta turns red, then stomps off outside the shop.

I miss what they’re talking about behind me because I’m looking at the clothes.

It’s more of a tailor’s shop, that is the clothes are order made, but there are some ready-to-wear things. I absolutely need things to wear today. But this is a problem...

I’m not really into fashion; I wore school uniforms most of the time in the other world, so there’s no point in being too picky; and on top of that, I’m a girl now. Won’t there be a lot more I need to pay attention to as a girl? Like more types or options or whatever. Girls’ fashion in the other world always sounds like another language when I hear the girls in class talking about it.

That kind of thought is going through my head.

... I’m tempted to just grab something and leave. I don’t like shopping, it’s too overwhelming.

“So what are you looking for? Something tailor made, or ready to wear?”

Juri asks.

“Ready to wear. I need all the necessities ready to wear.”

I feel a little helpless. Do they have bras? Will I need to wear a bra? I glance down quickly.

I think I’m good.

“Everything? Need a new wardrobe, huh?”

“New wardrobe ... well, I definitely need clothes. You could say I don’t have anything to change into.”

My “Commoner’s Clothes” don’t count.

“That’s not good. For a woman adventurer, you’ll be looked down upon if you don’t take care of your looks.”

Juri’s being a lot more serious now that she’s not teasing Pieta.

“Looks huh ... is that really necessary for an adventurer?”

“I know, right? But well, girl or boy, if you show up everyday wearing the same clothes covered in grime, it’ll make human relations hard, no?”

Ah, she has a point. I haven’t noticed so far because my Commoner’s Clothes have miraculously always been clean. Thank the heavens. I was considering selling them, but maybe I’ll keep them after all for emergencies.

“Ahaha ... it’s not on purpose that I don’t have a change of clothes. I lost my luggage before I came to this city. It’s a bit troublesome, huh?”

I laugh sheepishly while rubbing the back of my head.

Juri looks me over carefully.

“How much money do you have?”

“About 21,500 ecrue.”

“Hm... ok. Since you’re Pieta’s acquaintance I’ll give you some free advice.”

She winks at me.

“First, you’re going to want to splurge on your boots. They’ll have to last you through thick and thin, and those boots you have ... I don’t suggest it. They look flimsy and hard to move in. Buy a pair with some grip. That might cost you anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 ecrue. There’s a cobbler across the street, ask Pieta to show you later.”

Well, I agree that these thigh high boots are ridiculous, but they are actually very flexible and wear-resistant. But yeah, I don’t like them either. I’ll keep them just in case though. Anyway, new shoes are expensive!

“Next would be pants. You’ll want a few, sturdy, durable pairs, but since they might get roughed up in combat you don’t want to go overboard. We have some here, ready made. It’s best to keep your skin more covered than less in the Labyrinth. If you get shorter boots you’ll definitely need longer bottoms.”

I definitely want pants. These shorts ride up like crazy.

“Socks... quality wise it would be good to get a lot of the best, since feet are an adventurer’s life, but at your budget you will only be able to afford a pair or two. As for shirts, anything that’s easy to move in goes. Ah, of course you’ll need underwear. Also, a breast wrap ... would you like one?”

... That means I’m pretty flat, right? Yeah, I know. I get it. Thanks.

I think for a bit.

“In a few days I should get some money, and I don’t think I’ll be going into the Labyrinth any time soon, so underwear, socks, and pants should take priority? Also, the shirt I’m wearing now was someone else’s, so I need to provide a replacement.”

“Ok, got it.”

Juri purses her lips together.

“One pair of these sturdy, flexible pants, 5 pairs of underwear, and 2 pairs of these thick-knit socks would be 6,100 ecrue.”

Eh... well, maybe that’s about right. There are pants that go for over 11,000 yen in our world, so wouldn’t these be considered pretty cheap? Actually, they probably ARE cheap pants, even here. Juri seems to be showing me things within my budget.

“For two pairs of pants and the rest the same?”

“Um...” Juri traces something on her palm with her finger. “9,600 ecrue.”

Dang. I don’t like the thought of wearing the same pants two days in a row, but I have the shorts after all.

... I thought the Commoner’s Clothes were a pain and wanted to sell them as soon as I could, but having a set of eternally clean clothes will make things much easier in the future.

“Ok... just one pair of pants. About the shirts then?”

“Over here. These ones are 1,000 ecrue, here’s 1,500 ecrue. They’re cheap, and comparatively not as durable as other ones, but these can always be worn under other shirts and tunics, so it won’t be a waste to buy one or two.”

I take a look. Well, I’ll just take the cheapest... It won’t be too late to buy durable clothes right before I enter the Labyrinth, and in theory I’d have armor to go over the top. Also ... I technically DO have all these clothes from the Commoner’s Clothes set that don’t get dirty. The problem is ... Solyana’s shirt, huh?

A long, dark green shirt catches my eye. I don’t know much about fashion, but it’s a flattering shirt for a girl, cinching in at the waist, with elegant long sleeves. It’s simple otherwise. The color caught my eye more than the style. I think Solyana would look good in that color.

“Um, that one ...”

“That one is 2,500 ecrue.”

Expensive! Well, expensive for me. I look at the other shirts in the store. Fashion can get pretty elaborate, huh? ... I don’t want to know how much they cost. I tilt my head to the side and think. Even if I’m not going into the Labyrinth, I need pants that are durable in the forge. Also, it would be a waste to get something too cheap and never use it again. I have underwear and socks with Commoner’s Clothes, so I can afford to skimp a little... alright. I’ve decided.

“Nn... it’s not too good to skimp on a present that’s both a thank you and an apology ... Can I get that shirt, 1 pair of the pants you recommended, 2 pairs of underwear, 1 pair of socks, and 2 of the shirts at 1,000 ecrue?”

Juri whistles.

“Wow, Jun, you’re so cool! Putting your own needs aside for another lady! Well, okay, let’s see...”

Juri pulls out a tray that is divided into compartments. There are stones and stick-like things in it. She moves them around as she calculates.

“That would be 9,200 ecrue. Is that ok?”

“Yeah, that’s good.”

Whew, I was right, it was all under 10,000 ecrue. Lucky.

Juri insists I try on the pants to check my size. It was good I did, I guess. Wearing uncomfortable pants due to a mistake in size would be tough for 7 days until I get paid.

When I pay for the clothes, it takes me a bit to count out the coins. Un... I should write myself a memo on what they all are. I’m hoping I do my math okay, because I’m not keeping track of how much I have left with what types of coins I have. It’s strictly all numbers in my head.

Juri hands me a cloth bag. It’s nothing special, more like a sack.

“It’s a special service for you this time, a bag, since you don’t have one. Ah, by the way, there are public baths on the second level near the Guild.”

“I-I see. Thanks for that.” ... That bad, huh? Well I guess I spent all day working in a forge.

She must have noticed my complicated look, since she says,

“It’s not that bad, but working in a forge gets sweaty, right? Anyway, thanks for coming! And treat Pieta well!”

She grins and says the last bit loudly as I head out the door. It was clearly aimed at Pieta, since he turns bright red before walking quickly away.

Even if it’s Bad for You, Fried Food is Delicious

Right after buying the clothes Pieta leads me over to the cobbler’s and I buy boots quickly. By the time I finish buying boots, it’s been about an hour I guess? There are these things called water clocks that I can see every once in a while.

Water releases from a hovering stone every so often into a central tube. That tube is split into two other tubes. There are markings on the tubes. Is one minutes and the other hours? I need to be able to read numbers at least.

Anyway, the waterclocks have gone up an interval on the tube with less markings, so it’s probably been an hour.

Pieta has taken me to a large square with a lot of food stalls surrounding an eating area. He told me to grab a seat while he went for food. I guess I’ll split the cost with him later.

The air smells of cheap, oily food. The kind you get hungry for when you just catch a whiff.

Mm... I want gyuudon. The cheapest stuff you can get. I’m not sure why, just a bad craving.

Of course there’s no gyuudon. Cheh.

Pieta returns with 4 shares of a shallowly fried meat. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s been lightly breaded and smells good.

“The food in Nyl City’s pretty good, ‘cause you can get rock salt pretty cheap in this area.”

I guess that means in other places food won’t be as flavorful... I wonder how spices are.

Hm. It’s good, but a little lightly flavoured for my taste. Still, it’s a luxury after eating meals in the wagon. The first few nights, when we were still camping, they boiled preserved meats to make a thin soup with a potato-like vegetable, and after that we only ate preserved meat and a hard wafer. Properly cooked meat is wonderful.

He also brought two fruits that look like pomegranates, but when they were peeled they looked more like citrus fruits. It had a salty-sweet citrus taste, not unlike yuzu.

I flexed the peel, but the scent wasn’t very strong. A pity. If it was more like yuzu I could dry the peels and put it with my clothes to keep them smelling fresh. It was something Grandma used to do.

The two of us begin eating. No really, Pieta, is it ok for you not to get back to the forge? It’s the apprentices’ job to tidy things up at the end of the day, right?

“Hey, um ... Jun?”

Pieta got all polite all of a sudden.

“Yeah?”

“How did you learn how to forge like that?”

Hm...

I see, so he wanted to know about that. Well, yeah, the apprentice who hurriedly forges a sword in secret would be the type who tries to find all the ways to become a full-fledged smith as soon as possible. Almost like someone who wants to lose weight asking everyone about their dieting methods.

Maa, that attitude isn’t detestable. But really, asking “how” instead of “where” ... aren’t the motives a little too obvious?

“Well, I don’t mind telling you, but it’s a method where you spend 10 years without even touching a hammer.”

“EH?!”

I decide to dissuade him like that. Well, it’s technically not wrong. I learned how to forge a sword through years of silent observation, and a lot of magic cheat. We’ll just leave the magic cheat out...

I’m pretty hungry so I’ve devoured the meat and moved on to the fruit. I glance at Pieta’s sad face, saying,

“Anyway, you’re learning under Master Helward, right? Wouldn’t it be bad if you learned something that goes against his teachings?”

Trying to add together everything you hear won’t help you succeed; rather, won’t they cancel each other out? On top of that, there are some master bladesmiths on Earth who would probably kick you out just from hearing that you’re thinking about asking someone else’s methods. I doubt there AREN’T these types of eccentric masters here too.

In general, geniuses are eccentric.

“Aww. And here I was thinking I could hear about how to learn mana forging.”

Pieta’s shoulders slump and he hangs his head. But there’s a term I hadn’t heard before.

“Mana forging?”

“Isn’t that the Trait you have? Since you can use magic to forge the sword.”

That’s a legitimate thing?!

I activate Status in a hurry.

◤

NAME: JUN

MP:【▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▍】2,300,500/2,500,000

TRAITS:

[OTHERWORLDER]:

[PASSIVE: (Secret Trait) (Resilient Body) (Magic Enrichment) (Otherworldly Knowledge) (Accelerated Learning) (Keen Instincts) (Translate)]

[SKILLS: (Inventory) (Friend Chat) (Status) (AnalyzeIV)]

[MAGIC BORN]:

[PASSIVE: (Secret Trait) (Boundless Magic) (Chantless Cast) (Well of Magic) (Magic Sense)]

[WANDERER]:

[PASSIVE: (Steady Balance) (Perceptive Sense) (Light Foot)]

[SKILLS: (Augment Body) (Augment Mind) (Farsight) (Ground Shrink) (Accel)]

[MANA MANIPULATOR]:

[PASSIVE: (Magic Sensitive) (Magic Intuition) (Magic Control)]

[SKILLS: (Magic Sensory) (Magic Channeling) (Magic Dispersion)]

[COMBAT MAGICIAN]:

[SKILLS: (Barrier Series)]

[MANA FORGER]:

[PASSIVE: (Fire Sensitivity) (Fire Resistance) (Steady Hand)]

[SKILLS: (Metal Reinforcement) (Keen Edge) (Mana Imprint) (Craftman’s Trance)]

◣

“Mana Forger...  it’s there alright.”

It’s there, and I have no idea what any of the skills do. I must have used them, though. If there’s anything I’ve learned so far, it’s that I don’t get skills unless I successfully use them.

But what’s this Barrier Series? What do you mean by Series? Are different teams of Barriers trying to see who’s the best or something? (Baseball World Series ref)

Before I can investigate any further, Pieta leans forward.

Too close!

“You ... do you have a skill that lets you see your Traits?”’

He asks it in a low whisper.

“Ah ... eh? How did you know?”

“No, well, you just said ...  no, nevermind.”

Finally aware of how close he is, Pieta leans back with a red face.

Hm. Did I say something about my skill out loud? Oops.

“It’s a rare skill, but if it’s Self Appraise it’s not that big of a deal. If it’s Appraisal or Analyze, you could be in for some trouble.”

Hwa?! From behind me, a voice sounded.

“Oh, Old Man Harulf.”

A familiar old dwarf was sitting at the table behind me. Pieta looked between Old Man Harulf and me.

“Um ... an acquaintance?”

“Yeah, we came to the city together. Hi Old Man Harulf, what are you doing here?”

Old Man Harulf tipped his glass in the direction of one of the foodstalls. Lyla was rushing to and fro, bringing people their food.

“It’s Lyla’s first part time job, so of course I’m here to watch over her.”

“Overly doting parent. No, grandparent.”

Old Man Harulf bursts into laughter at my retort. He chortles into his drink, then gives me a look.

“By the way, though I’m not saying you have them, but Appraisal and Analyze are dangerous skills to have, since they can be used as spying tools to identify people easily, or scout their strengths. It’s not just Noble-samas who would be interested in someone like that.”

... Eh. I hadn’t thought to try Analyze on people. But those types of skills have always been template-like super abilities when people are summoned into another world in light novels, so maybe I should have expected it. I guess it just slipped my mind ... I didn’t play many VRMMOs, ok? Even if you have to trigger Analyze or Appraisal in a VRMMO, in an MMO you can usually just mouse over something to get a tooltip, or right-click to inspect.

But for now let’s deny that I have any such skill ...

“Well, the skill I have for seeing my Traits is personal use only, so I guess that’s that.”

This is technically not wrong. I just have another skill that’s kind of dangerous. I want to ask if Analyze4 is the same as Analyze. Something tells me that’s not a good idea.

I turn to go back to eating, but I’ve already finished.

Hm ... I’m still kind of hungry, and I’d like to treat Old Man Harulf to something for teaching me some magic.

“Ah, I’m going to get something else to eat, I’ll be right back.”

“Eh, let me com –“

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

I wave down Pieta. He hasn’t finished what he has in front of him yet so he should focus on that.

Hm... it just doesn’t feel like a meal without some carbs. Walking down the line of stalls, all I can smell is meat or roasted nuts. It looks like I’ll have to make an effort to find fruits and vegetables if I want a balanced diet in the future.

A somewhat sweet, somewhat savory pastry-like smell suddenly wafts through the air, intermingling with the meats. Walking over, there’s an onee-san flipping thick cakes on a hot-plate.

“Excuse me, what are these?”

There’s a sign, but ... I can’t read.

“Buckwheat cakes with shredded radish and carrots, 25 ecrue each.”

So there are fruits and vegetables that correspond to things I know from the other world.

The onee-san smiles pleasantly, and then cuts a small piece with her spatula and holds it out.

“Want a try?”

“Is that ok?”

“Yeah, go ahead!”

It’s hot, but good. It’s just lightly seasoned with salt ... hm. I think it would be really good dipped in soy sauce. Or Ponzu. But of course I don’t have any...

“Then I’ll take three.”

“Coming right up!”

The onee-san enthusiastically puts another round on the hot-plate.

Since I have nothing else to do while I’m waiting, I decide to try out Analyze4.

◤

NAME: Pelma

TYPE: Human– Female – 278 Moons (conversion: 23 Years)

[ERROR: MISREPRESENTATION BY TARGET]

ATTEMPTING TYPE CORRECTION: [SUCCESS]

CORRECTION: Deva (Hidden) – Female – 158 Moons (conversion: 13 Years)

ANALYSIS: A popular vendor of a food stall that sells savory cakes in Nyl City. She is a young woman of the Deva race disguised as a Human, currently in hiding. Appears to be under minor appearance alteration magic.

FURTHER ANALYSIS OPTIONS:

RACE ANALYSIS

TRAIT ANALYSIS

TITLE ANALYSIS

ATTEMPTING RACE ANALYSIS

NAME: Deva

TYPE: Race – High Magic Affinity

ANALYSIS: A bipedal shaped race born from a Fae and an Elemental. Attributes include life-spans of about 360 Moons (conversion: 30 Years), metallic hair, and retractable wings made out of the Magic Elemental the individual is attuned with.

RARITY: Nyl City Locale: High Rare][Orelia: High Rare

LORE: A race known for its beauty and magic elemental attributes, they are popular as slaves for various reasons. Devas are unusual births among the Fae, and often exiled to avoid bringing trouble to Fae villages. Most live their lives in hiding to avoid exploitation.

ATTEMPTING TRAIT ANALY –

[ERROR: FORCED TERMINATION]

◣

EEEH.

No more further analysis! Stop, stop!

I completely thought this was a harmless test for Analyze4. What’s with this time-bomb-like troublesome analysis?! Just like that, and I can find out all those things about her? People with Appraisal or Analyze are scary!

“Here you go!”

The onee-san, whom I now know as Pelma, interrupts my panicking and hands me three cakes wrapped in a thin paper.

“U-um, thanks...”

I take the three cakes and step back.

Pelma tilts her head and smiles.

“No problem, come again.”

I’m sorry, forgive me for invasion of privacy. I didn’t see anything. Do your best to avoid getting kidnapped- I mean, I didn’t see anything.

◇◇◇

Extra

Old Man Harulf’s POV

Fufufu, Lyla really is cute, working hard. When I picked her up several dozen moons ago, she was unresponsive with dead eyes. Watching her stepping so lively while carrying drinks to the waiting adventurers with a grin makes this old dwarf’s heart swell with happiness.

Alright, tomorrow I too must work hard.

But right now this old dwarf has nothing to do but watch over Lyla.

Oya? Isn’t that Jun-ojou? She’s with a young lad, but ... what is with that look?

Her shirt is discolored in many places, and looks to be singed here and there. She seems to have been doing heavy labor today.

I chuckle into my drink. This girl has the guts to challenge everything equally, and an open mind to learn. It’s not everyday one sees a promising youngster.

Jun-ojou moves towards the food stalls, but the lad with her directs her to sit, then goes off himself and brings back some food. I take the opportunity to sit behind Jun-ojou without her noticing.

I wonder how long it will take her to notice. I am still a bit mischievous at my age, though maybe it’s the alcohol talking.

Fumu. From what they two youngsters are talking about, it seems that Jun-ojou was working in a bladesmith’s forge.

My my, Jun-ojou is certainly a surprising character. My dwarf’s craftsmen sense wasn’t wrong after all; she seems to be an accomplished smith according to the lad’s reactions.

I intrude on their conversation when they start talking about risky skills. Though Jun-ojou says she doesn’t have Analyze or Appraisal, I wonder if it’s not because she has something even more unmentionable.

When Jun-ojou darts off to get more to eat, I watch as the lad’s eyes follow her.

He’s a clumsy lad, isn’t he? Though it’s hard to tell if he’s just idolizing her or ...

“...Um, Harulf-san...”

The lad, what was him name, that’s right, Pieta, addressed me.

“Yes?”

“Um, since you were with Jun before arriving at Nyl City, did you know what her comrades were like?”

Oh? I struggle to keep a straight face.

“Sorry, when we picked Jun-ojou up, she was already separated from them. This old dwarf hasn’t met them before.”

“I-I see. I was just wondering if she was looking for them...”

I chuckle.

“Well, why don’t you ask her when she gets back?”

Pieta-bou mumbles something that I can’t quite hear, going a bit red in the face. I decide not to tease the youngster anymore.

“I believe she said her companions were two lads about her age, one of them being her childhood friend.”

Pieta-bou makes a complicated face.

Aah, youth.

Every Country has its Own Bathing Customs

I take my leave from Grandpa Harulf and Pieta and head off looking for the bath house.

Pieta tried to insist that he would take me there, but since I learned the ability to ask for directions this morning, I declined. He looks a bit disappointed. No, well, you should stop slacking off and go back to the forge, right?

When I enter a girl at the front desk calls out to me.

“Welco~me! Is this your first time here?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Alright, alright, here’s a quick explanation. There’s two public baths, split into girls and guys; that’s 800 ecrue with no time limit. Private baths are available off on rooms to the sides of the public baths; that’s 1,000 ecrue for 30 minutes. If you’re here just to wash clothes there’s an area in the front; that’s 300 ecrue for 30 minutes, but it’s free if you have purchased bath time. Soap is 50 ecrue and towels are 100 ecrue. Dear customer doesn’t look like you have any, but just in case if you need to wash vehicles or animals you have to take them around to the back, and an attendant will wash them. The price is variable, so please discuss it with the attendant.”

Hm. Rather than a public bath it’s a wash-everything-shop. It’s probably much cheaper to have a central place for washing than digging out plumbing into every house in this mountain-like region.

“Then 30 minutes in a private bath, also a soap and towel please.”

At 1,000 ecrue for 30 minutes the private rooms are expensive. I thought about it for a moment, but it’s a necessary expense. Because my body is female. Because I’d have to go into the female public bath. Because it will be far too awkward. Let’s set that trial aside for another day far into the future. Like when I don’t have a choice but to bear it.

“Right, right, then that’s 1,150 ecrue. Here is the key to the private room on the girls’ side, room B3. The timer will start automatically once you lock the door. Also, will you need a voucher for washing clothes?”

“Yes.”

“Right, right, okay. Thank you very much!”

I paid my 1,150 ecrue, a bit slowly since I’m still figuring out the money, and take the key, the soap and towel, and a small silver-colored plaque.

I head into the baths, down the hall and to the left. Right is for guys, left is for girls.

I have never been more self-conscious in my life. Some small part of me is still expecting to be thrown out of the girls’ bath, but no one bats an eye.

... Am I supposed to be happy about this? Or not?

After turning down the left-hallway, to the right is the group changing room and beyond it the girls’ public bath. To the left are 5 rooms.

I unlock the room with “B3” written on it and enter. There’s a small section for changing. Yosha! I can undress in private too. I was worried there for a bit.

It’s dark inside. I don’t know how to turn on the lights just yet, so I leave the door open.

I want to find the light switch, but I also want to inspect the bath equipment. 30 minutes is a really short time for undressing, washing, and then soaking, so I’ll need to be quick about things. I’ve also heard stories in the other world about how some people go to other countries and make a complete mess of the bathroom when they shower. Seems like in those countries the bathroom doesn’t have a drain in the floor and you’re supposed to use the shower inside the bathtub. Anyway, I need to carefully look over how things work in this bath to avoid being a nuisance.

I take off my boots (these really are ridiculously long) and enter. Further in from the changing section, partially separated by a screen, there’s a tub. Next to it is an area for washing. It’s Japanese in style.

The tub is already filled with water. Hm? It looks like there’s something on the tub. I touch it and it lights up. Scary!

It’s too dim to be the light for the room...

“Oh, do you not know how to use the bath?”

A voice from behind me calls out. I turn around, then turn around quickly again.

“U-uh, yeah, sorry.”

My face feels hot. I apologized on reflex. The woman framed in the doorway behind me is only wearing a towel. Why is she only wearing a towel?! If you came from the public bath, you should have gone through the changing room first, and if you came from a private bath you should have gotten changed there first!

“Hehe, you should have asked the receptionist. Here, this controls the temperature of the bath. Put your hand on the stone and say ‘More’ to increase the temperature and ‘Less’ to decrease it.”

Wow. I wonder how this stone works- Oneesan, you’re way too close!

Ignoring my face, frozen from her brushing against me to demonstrate how the stone work, the woman turns to the washing station beside the tub.

“And this is the same. Turn on the water stone with this panel, then increase or decrease the temperature. Fill up the bucket with the tap to rinse yourself off. Do you have any questions?”

“N-no, I’m – Oh, about the light...”

“Ah, the room will light up when you lock the door. It’ll turn off automatically when your time is up, so don’t get caught unaware. There’s a timer there next to the tub.”

It’s a water-clock timer.

“O-okay, um... thank you... um...”

She smiles; I notice that, but end up looking to the side of her face. I just don’t know where to look!

“I’m Kriea, the manager of this bathhouse. I, and the rest of the staff, are all here to help.”

“Th-thanks. I’m Jun.”

Does she walk around in a towel all day because she’s the manager?  ... I think I just thought something rude.

She smiles.

“A new adventurer?”

“A-ah, yes.”

“Well, welcome to Nyl Labyrinth City, and enjoy your time.”

She bows – wait, wait, the towel is riding up! – and leaves.

... I honestly don’t think I could recognize her again. I spent the entire time trying not to look.

I close the door and lock it, and sure enough the lights come on. To be efficient, I don’t bother with placing my clothes neatly and just strip. I also take out the change of clothes I’ll use after bathing.

The water stone is amazing. What’s with this? How does it work? I wish I had more time to investigate, but I really don’t want to feel hurried in the bath so I only use it as I should. How regretful. Maybe I’ll ask the staff later ... or the manager if she puts on clothes.

I thoroughly wash myself to make up for the week. This is the first time I washed myself since coming to this world, but I’m not really enjoying it. Somehow I feel like I’m doing something bad. What is this sense of shame?

It’s only at times like these that I’m forced to face the fact that I, a high-school boy, have become a girl.

... Let’s not think about it too hard. Please.

I try very hard to pretend to be elsewhere while washing myself.

The soap is a small bar soap with a flowery scent. There’s no shampoo, so I make do with the soap for my hair too.

After several minutes of excruciating embarrassment, I finish giving myself a good scrub, rinse off, and get into the bathtub.

I was really fast, despite being thorough, and despite not really knowing how to feel about my body. There’s still plenty of time to enjoy the bath.

Fuuu... it feels so goooooood.

When I couldn’t take a bath it didn’t really bother me at the time, but really, it feels the best to be able to take a bath everyday. Well, I’ll need a lot more money since the private baths are so expensive ... maybe I’ll just go to the public bath instead.

... Pass.

I spend a few minutes just staring into space. Hm... this might be a good time to investigate if I can organize my Inventory. I can bring out whatever I want by thinking about it, but I’d like to organize stuff so I can easily see what I have if I want to.

The Inventory, looking very much like a game interface, opens.

Oooh? Now that I take a good look, there are four tabs in Inventory. All, Lockbox, Materials, and Wallet.

“All” is a list of everything in Inventory, even the things in the other tabs. It’s the default that Inventory opens up to. I spend some time dragging the items around. Looks like I can arrange them how I want by dragging with my finger. What a game-like function.

“Lockbox” I’ve used. Like I noticed before, there are 10 slots. Currently I have the Guild Card and ID Plate in there. It seems to be a secure area that people can’t steal out of. To be honest, I question its necessity. I don’t think there will be many people able to get into Inventory itself.

“Materials” is empty. I instinctively poke at the title and an explanation pops up. This is really game-like handling. “Organizes your crafting materials” it says. Because of its game-like feel, I can’t help but think about the game I should have been playing. Mourning Star had a big crafting and social emphasis, now that I think about it. Well, Masaki was never into crafting, but he always bought player-made stuff.

“Wallet” was also empty. Hm... I switch back to “All” and try to drag a stack of big copper coins I had onto the “Wallet” tab, just like dragging computer files around.

『CURRENCY: ECRUE (BIG COPPER) REGISTERED』

After a long time, it’s the system warning(tentative)! I drag every type of coin I have into “Wallet”, prompting a “Currency Registered” alert message flashing in my field of vision for each one.

After I finish dragging every last type of coin, though there wasn’t that many, I switch back to “Wallet”.

◤

Currency

Ecrue:

Copper: Big(10), Med (15), Small(25)

Silver: ..Big(1), ..Med (2), ..Small(9)

—-

Total:

Ecrue: 3,575

◣

Oooooh, this type of function is convenient. Gold coins aren’t listed. I guess I need to “register” them first. Also, the money disappeared from my “All” tab. Hm. How do I access it then? I think about taking a big copper coin out, and it appears in my hand. The “Wallet” now reads

◤

Currency

Ecrue:

Copper: Big(9), ..Med (15), Small(25)

Silver: ..Big(1), ..Med (2), ..Small(9)

—-

Total:

Ecrue: 3,525

◣

I think about putting it back in, and it disappears. The “Wallet” also returns to the original numbers. How nice. How nice but ... I only have 3,575 ecrue left.

I am extraordinarily thankful I don’t have to worry about finding a place to sleep for a while. Buying all the equipment really reduced my funds, just like Old Man Harulf said. And I don’t even have armor. Well, can’t be helped. If I just eat the bare minimum off the food stalls, I’ll last 7 days until I get paid for the swords.

Resilient Body, do your best until then.

It’s strange. In the other world, I was very conscious about money. It’s not like we were very poor, but Grandma was always counting the balances in the check books. Debating whether or not to buy older foods closer to their expiration date because they were cheaper was a daily occurrence. In this world, I feel like I’ve become very indulgent recently.

Well, I guess that’s natural. Since coming to this world, I’ve been able to easily trade my services and actions for both money and a room to stay in. I started out with no money in the beginning and was able to make more than enough for basic needs in just a few days. In this world, money feels more like a convenience than a necessity.

Like, you can’t eat money, so how much is it really worth? – that kind of feeling.

Also, I only have my own expenses to worry about now. There aren’t any utility bills or estate taxes to pay; there’s no need for saving any money as long as I can make it later.

But it’s still surprising how I adapted so soon. Maybe it’s because the currency is so fantasy-like that it’s taking me a while to see as currency? Or maybe I inherited the wasteful spending of Grandfather after all.

Mm... there’s still about 1/3 of the time left to go. Around 10 minutes? I’m reluctant to get out until I absolutely have to. Baths are important, you know.

I wanted to check out the changes to my Status while I had some time to myself, but 10 minutes is too short. I’ll do it after making sure The Queen Mary’s is safe.

... Come to think of it, there’s something else I wanted to do.

I’ve been using magic recklessly, but I haven’t really used magic. You know, the type that wizards attack with in games. Fire Ball or Ice Wind or things like that. If I had to say, all I’ve been doing is manipulating raw magic power. Barrier is just hardening magic power (kind of? Magic power and mana are still kind of like mysterious objects to me), Augment Body is just circulating magic power through me.

But there should be those types of magic in this world. I’ve seen two people use fire-like magic already.

Holding my hands out of the tub, I take a deep breath and focus my attentions on them.

Nothing happens.

“Fire!”

Nothing happens.

“Um... produce fire...?”

Nope.

I’m a little shocked.

What’s with that? Recently, it’s like as long as I think about it I can do it. That’s how my magic went. Just thinking about making fire magic should have caused something to burst into flames.

...

Looking at the wooden walls around me, I’m slightly relieved that didn’t happen.

Hmm. What’s up with this ...

I spend almost all of the remaining time trying to activate fire magic.

Though I keep telling myself that all the things I have are already cheats, I am still a bit disappointed.

Let’s go find Lor and ask about it tomorrow.

A Quiet Night is a Blessing Young People Sometimes Don’t Understand

The area for washing clothes has several water-stone spigots and basins with rough boards affixed to them.

There are a lot of people washing laundry so I figure out how to go about it. To begin, I have to insert the metal plaque I received underneath the spigots in order to make the water-stones usable. You can’t remove the plaque after you insert it, and after a half an hour it’s ejected below underneath the washing station so you can’t reuse it.

I take out the Commoner’s Clothes, which consists of the shirt, jacket, shorts, knee-high socks, sports bra, and pan- er, underwear, to wash them as well, but there really isn’t a speck of dirt or grime on them. They also smell fresh. Even the boots are in pristine order, with no odor in them. Just having these is a cheat.

Unfortunately, no matter how much I scrub it doesn’t look like I’ll get the shirt I borrowed from Solyana perfectly clean again.

I’m really ashamed.

The washing stations also have a hot blow dryer-like thing. It looks a lot like the automatic hand dryers from our world. It’s convenient since I don’t have to wait for drying, but if you let your laundry pile up wouldn’t 30 minutes be far too short for washing and drying?

... Well, most of the people here look like adventurers and not citizens. Maybe all the citizens do their washing at home, so that’s not really a concern.

I took the opportunity to stick everything in Inventory when no one was looking. By the way, I could stick all my clothes in the sack Juri gave me and put that into Inventory. It was listed as “Sack of Cleaned Laundry”, but it didn’t list what was specifically in the sack.

I see.

It’s convenient that I can put things in other bags, but not being able to see a list of what’s in each bag makes it hard to take stock of what I have. Inventory isn’t omnipotent, I guess.

When I make it back to The Queen Mary’s, I take the opportunity to walk around the building.

It doesn’t look that easy to break into the first floor. There are only three entrances; the front doors for customers, the side door for servants, and the rear door that exits into the courtyard.

The rear door isn’t easy to get to from the street, but that might not stop anyone who was determined to get to it.

The windows on the first floor have metal lattices behind the glass. Maryiste made a good decision. If the metal reinforcements were straight bars, it would make the establishment feel much shadier, like a prison. Anyway, someone breaking in would have to blow the entire window away to get in that way.

Satisfied with my survey of the building, I finally go in through the side door. The girls had told me to go in this way. Apparently some men would become uncomfortable if a woman entered this type of shop at the same time as them? I don’t really get it. If they’re coming to a brothel, should they really be so self conscious?

“Jun-dono! You’ve come back already?”

A bunny-eared girl hailed me over as I entered the backroom. I said I hadn’t seen many passive-looking Beastkin, but I forgot. Or like, there are so many Rabbitkin in this city I just got used to them. The warriors and adventurer Rabbitkin look fierce, but there are far more civilians who look like people wearing bunny cosplays. Maybe that’s why I overlooked them.

By the way, I had soon discovered, after arriving at the city, that Beastkin are the people who only have ears, tails, and sometimes wings or a few sparse scales of animals. There are as many types as there are animals, barring bugs. For the ones that are closer to animals than humans, they are called animal-head tribesmen. These are much rarer, and more heavily discriminated against.

But anyway, I’m not sure I’ve seen this particular Rabbitkin here at The Queen Mary’s before.

“Yes I have, um ...”

“Ahaha, I’m LeeAnne, an adventurer who owes Maryiste-dono.”

She holds her hand out. As I go to shake it, she snatches it and pumps up and down enthusiastically.

I take a better look at her. Tanned skin with short, straw-colored hair and an athletic-type body. She’s different from the pale-skinned Rabbitkin beauty who works in the shop, but she has a good appeal all the same.

“Iyaaa, I’m so relieved Maryiste-dono found someone reliable these days. I can’t do much by myself, but if there’s someone strong living here, the girls and Maryiste-dono will be safe.”

The adventurer Rabbitkin, LeeAnne pulls me closer, winks, and then whispers,

“To be honest, it’s such a relief nowadays. Erina-dono and Solyana-dono have been wound up tighter’n a corkscrew ever since the Dark Wyverns started settling in. Those girls take themselves way too seriously, y’know? Solyana-dono especially ... we’re super thankful that Jun-dono came by!”

...?

“Um ... I see ... but is it okay for me to go off during the day like this?”

“Ahaha, of course! Well, maybe not “of course,” but the group that’s harassing this shop isn’t trying to take it over or anything. They want to beat this shop down as an example, so there’s not much point in destroying the shop when there aren’t customers around.”

“I see.”

It’s not a guarantee, but it looks like I won’t need to worry too excessively about Maryiste and the girls as long as I get back before dusk. I should aim to return around this time of day.

“So what business does LeeAnne-san have here tonight? Is there anything I can help you with?”

LeeAnne-san giggles. She has a temperament closer to Erina-sama than Solyana, if I use those two as a scale. I’m relieved she isn’t into the skinship like Erina-sama is, though.

“Jun-dono is exactly as the other girls said.”

I don’t know what they’ve been saying. LeeAnne-san continues.

“I’m just here to check in on Maryiste-dono and the current situation, but I’m just about to head out to do some night hunting in the areas around the outer gate. Would Jun-dono like to come with me?”

Night hunting ... it sounds interesting, and I haven’t really fought any monsters yet so I’m pretty tempted to go, but it would be really short-sighted for me to go now and leave Maryiste and the girls alone during the night. Also, I STILL don’t have a weapon.

“Sorry, I’ll have to decline for now. Maybe another time.”

“That’s too bad, I wanted to see what you were made of!”

LeeAnne winks at me, and her bunny ears bob a bit.

“Ah ... another time perhaps.” Like when I get a weapon. Or when Maryiste and the girls aren’t in danger of being attacked.

“Alright then, good evening!”

LeeAnne departs with a flirtatious wink and a wave.

An adventurer who owes Maryiste, huh? I still don’t know much about her, but she sure talked a lot. I had almost forgotten what I wanted to do after getting back.

Mounting the stairs, I’m thinking about checking the security of the upstairs ... but I don’t know if it would be improper to check the other girls’ rooms.

No, I mean, I need to check for security right? It’s nothing weird right? And I’m a girl now, afterall, right?

... uuumu...

While I’m standing there, wondering what to do as I hear the girls all rushing about and preparing for the evening, Solyana catches sight of me.

She’s wearing seductive clothing tonight as well.

“Is there something wrong, Jun?”

“A-ah, Solyana... I was wondering if there was a place with a good vantage point for watching.”

Solyana tilts her head to one side, staring at me with her amber brown eyes.

“A place with a good vantage point, is it?”

With smooth movements she suddenly crosses the room and opens a window, pushing aside the shutters.

“Solyana-san?”

She turns and gives a quick toss of her head, beckoning me over. Though her expression doesn’t change, I can see her eyes sparkle a little.

With an unladylike move, Solyana hitches her already short-enough skirt up and steps onto the window sill. Agilely turning, she manages to twist her body, catching hold of the low roof.

“Solyana-san!”

I can’t help but panic as she struggles to hoist herself up, and so I throw the window next to her open, leap from the sill and pull myself onto the roof so I can turn to help her.

Though I have confidence in my pull-ups, thank you Augment Body for making this easier.

Solyana was able to pull herself half up, and gives a wry smile as I help her up the rest of the way.

She’s breathing a bit hard, and her rust-colored hair is slightly disheveled and in her face. At the same time, the sparkle in her eyes seems to have made it to her face, and she can barely keep the mischievous look from showing in the moonlight. And because she’s in her street-walker’s outfit... I can see the tops of her breasts heaving from the slight excursion.

What a seductive woman.

I push the discomforting, and impolite, thought wondering how many men have fallen for her charm out of my head. Solyana is a woman with a lot of pride, despite circumstances, so I’m sure she’d be upset if she knew what I was thinking. It’s also just a really uncomfortable thing to think of.

“You’re like a cat.”

Solyana breaks through my thoughts as she smoothes her hair back.

“A cat?”

“To leap from the window and onto the roof in one move like that, at least I doubt you’re human.”

Even though Solyana is laughing quietly while she says it, it kind of hurts. It’s not that I’m not human, it’s Augment Body that’s not human. But I, who can use Augment Body, don’t think I’ll be able to argue this convincingly.

After ensuring that Solyana won’t tumble off the roof, she’s more physically capable than I first thought, I stand and look around.

The Queen Mary’s is a floor shorter than one of the neighboring shops, but since it’s still 2 floors tall, it’s enough to get a good look around the district.

“Mm, I see, this is certainly a good place to take a look or keep watch. I’m surprised you thought of it, Solyana-san.”

Or like, you seem kind of knowledgeable on how to get up onto the roof. Only from this part of the shop could you do this. Even though the windows on the second floor don’t have metal reinforcements to prevent thieves, the roof juts out too far from the other windows to catch.

“There aren’t many other places you can be alone.”

Solyana has sat down on the gently sloping roof, and the night breeze plays with her hair. I wonder if it’s not too chilly for her in her getup; the night air can be cold in these mountains.

She gives me a glance.

“You’ve changed your clothes, haven’t you? You match into the town quite well now.”

“Ahaha, well it took a hunk of money out of my savings, but if it helps me from standing out too much I guess it was worth it. Oh, that’s right.”

I’m unsure how to go about it, but I reach into the small money pouch to access Inventory and pull out both the shirt I had borrowed and the shirt I had bought for Solyana.

... It must look ridiculous, pulling two shirts out of what looks like an empty pouch. I should reflect on this later.

“Um, I’m sorry about this, but I had thoughtlessly gotten the shirt I borrowed from you dirty. I did try to clean it as best I could, but in the end ... This isn’t much, but as an apology... ”

I hand over both shirts and bowed towards Solyana. I really did do my best to clean her shirt, washing it over and over again. It was all I could do to resist scrubbing as hard as I could when I saw that all of the soot and stains weren’t going away.

Solyana wordlessly looks over what I was offering her. Since my head was low I couldn’t tell how she felt about it. Er ... the silence is killing me. Just when I’m about to lift my head and look, I hear her suppress a giggle.

How cute.

“It would be foolish to lend clothing to an adventurer and not expect it to get dirty, but thank you for your consideration. I will take the replacement, but you should keep the one I lent you in case you have to do more dirty work.”

“I-I see...”

It would have been nice to let me know you weren’t expecting it to remain clean-! Do you know how much I worried about it?! Ah, but it would still be impertinent not to buy a replacement, so in the end the results would be the same.

I replace the clean-but-not-really shirt into Inventory through the bag, since Solyana seemed firm in not taking it back.  Also ... it’s just kind of gross to give a girl something that you drenched in sweat, even if you tried to wash it, right?

There’s silence for a little while, but it’s not too uncomfortable.

I sneak a glance at Solyana. Like LeeAnne said, she certainly seems less tense than when I first met her, but when I first met Solyana the situation wasn’t exactly normal either. Well, if I can lessen the stress just by being here, that’s fine too, isn’t it?

After a bit, Solyana sighs, and it looks like a weight comes back onto her shoulders.

“I should go now, but I’ll have the girls leave one of the windows open.”

“Ah... ok. Thanks for everything Solyana-san.”

She smiles, kind of stiffly.

“I didn’t really do much.”

After she managed to safely re-enter the shop, with me hovering overhead like a worried parent, I sit back down on the roof and look up into the sky.

Shortly afterwards, I hear her call, “Jun!” and so I lean over the edge of the roof. The window is closer than I thought when I had been climbing up.

Solyana, with a soft smile, hands me a waterskin and small glass. The waterskin is warm to touch. It’s a thermos-like object?

“It will get cold up here, so Erina sent up some tea. It’s cinnamon and clover tea with goat’s milk; the girls drink it for their skin, but it’s warm at least.”

“I see. Thank you.”

The girls here really are kind.

There was the moon overhead and the night sky was brilliant, though the stars scattered overhead are fake. I’m keeping watch, but with Resilient Body, this minimal amount of concentration isn’t enough to make me tired and the cold mountain breeze doesn’t feel as biting.

This is such an interesting world. There wasn’t much of a chance to experience something like this in my other world.

While keeping an eye on the people below milling about, I try to straighten out my thoughts.

First, I really need to learn how to read, at least on a child’s level. Well, on a child’s level in Japan, since reading and writing seems uncommon here. And though I have Translate-sama, just by hearing my words makes it clear I’m not a local, so maybe I should take the chance to learn how to speak the local language.

Second, I’ve been putting it out of mind for a while ... but I really do wonder if Masaki and Seimei are alright. I’m at quite a loss as to what to do about this. Without even knowing if they exist in this world, how am I supposed to look for them?

I put some serious thought into it. Let’s see... first has to be the problem with geography. That is, I don’t know it in this world. There are countries at odds with each other, but how many? And where are the Unaffiliated territories? That settles it, I really do need to find a map and someone to teach me about the countries.

And then about entering those countries ... as an Unaffiliated ... un, I don’t want to be a citizen of any country after hearing about the circumstances, but will that make passing the borders more difficult?

In the worst possible case, let’s say I can’t enter any of the countries. Would asking people who travel between countries work? Ummm ... aside from not really knowing how to go about asking, what kind of people would be able to travel freely between countries? Diplomats? If they’re diplomats, they’re probably Nobles right?

... Un, let’s not get involved with Noble-samas.

Then... merchants and adventurers are the next two types of people I can think of. Are? If adventurers can travel between countries ... aren’t I an adventurer?

It seems I will need to ask about this.

The other option is to try to indirectly let other people know that a person from Japan is here so that they can come to me. Now how do I do that without outright saying, “Hey, I am someone who came from another world”?

The positive side to doing this would be that it wouldn’t only attract Masaki or Seimei, if they’re here, but anyone else who knows about Japan. This may be a naive way of thinking, but I would welcome contact with anyone who was transported here from Japan. Actually, any citizen from our world, American, Chinese, Russian ... whoever!

Certainly they may not be good people just because they came from my original world, but when everyone’s thrown into the same boat, allies are made – something like that.

Aside from these worries, I guess there’s not much else I’m too concerned about.

I still need some things, but I don’t have the money to buy them all. What I really want is a toothbrush and toothpaste, but who knows what they’ll have instead. Other than that ... more changes of socks and underwear, some gloves when I head into the Labyrinth, and another pair of pants.

A bag as well. I hadn’t thought of it, but it’s weird to pull large things out of what looks like an empty coinpurse, and when going into a Labyrinth, it’s all about things you loot off monsters, right?

You might think I’m too obsessed about going into a Labyrinth when there’s so much more I can do in the city, like in the forge and stuff, but even though I’m no match for Masaki and his group of serious gamers, I’m still a high school boy who likes rpg-style games at heart, you know? It’s a boy’s romance.

... Has my character become strange?

In Japan, I think I was more level-headed and responsible, though. In this new world, I seem to be cutting loose quite a bit.

I suppose I should reflect on it.

Good Timing is the Key to Good Opportunities

Announcement

Later on in the night there were some people moving suspiciously, hiding themselves in the shadows around the shop, but in the end nothing happened.

Were they scouts or were they being cautious?

Anyway there were only a few of them, and even when the late-watch bell rang there was still no movement.

Hm? Is the place the bell is ringing from a church? I wonder...

I’ve roughly gathered that the bells ring 3 times in the night, one clear ring each time, and I vaguely remember hearing them throughout the day ... I should have paid more attention, I suppose. These are definitely how everyone tells what time it is ... what a blunder, me.

Before turning in for bed, I’d had the time to check out that [Mana Forger] Trait, as well as that (Barrier Series) skill.

It seems I had just learned too many Barrier skills that were just different barriers. Barrier, Reflective Barrier, Sound Barrier, and Barrier Armor are the ones that it lists if I touch (Barrier Series). ... Am I going to become a Barrier specialist? I don’t even know when I got some of these.

As for [Mana Forger]:

◤

[MANA FORGER]:

[PASSIVE: (Fire Sensitivity) (Fire Resistance) (Steady Hand)]

[SKILLS: (Metal Reinforcement) (Keen Edge) (Mana Imprint) (Craftsman’s Trance)]

◣

The Passives are pretty self-explanatory, but I need a bit of help with the Skills. Even with the system explanations(tentative), I’m still having a hard time understanding how I use them. Metal Reinforcement is reinforcing metal ...? Thank you. What the heck does THAT mean, exactly?

Keen Edge – aids in making edge-holding metal and balanced edges.

Mana Imprint – mana circulates in both materials and equipment to aid in crafting.

Craftsman’s Trance – a state of mind that transcends the senses for crafting.

USELESS! System Explanation-san (maybe), you are useless!

... Well, I used them somehow, so I should be okay if I don’t think too much about it tomorrow.

Anyway, that’s how I spent most of the night until after the Late Watch bell. Then I slept for a few hours in small room I was provided with before waking at what they call the Farmer’s bell, which sounded with 3 rings at dawn. Even the girls were beginning to turn in when I went to bed.

Resilient Body is amazing. I’m averaging 3-4 hours of sleep, and I feel perfectly fine.

After about half an hour of morning self-training with my makeshift spear (I really miss sword training), no one else in the pleasure district is awake yet so I wander out towards the central part of town.

I’m half being drawn by the scent of food.

As I draw closer to the food stall area Pietra had taken me to yesterday, I hear a fuss going on.

?

As I approach I see several older women, some younger women, and some kids milling around a large object on the ground. They seem at their wits end.

Ah, now that I’m closer, it’s a large pull-cart? The wheel ... oh, the wheel’s broken. Of all the emergencies I’ve stumbled upon so far, this one is comparably easy.

“Hi, what’s going on?”

As I approach and greet them, a girl separates herself from the group and runs my way, eyes full of tears. That’s Lyla isn’t it?

“Jun-nee!”

“Lyla – ooph!”

She hurtles herself into my solar plexus. That’s dangerous.

“It broke, and we don’t know what to do!”

The older women had begun lifting objects out of the cart to carry them up the slope. The square with the food stalls is on a flat spot midway between the first and second levels of the city, like a mezzanine, so although they don’t have to go all the way to the second level, they still have to climb. The housewife-aged women laugh, though a bit tiredly.

“Ah, don’t mind, don’t mind. It’s just a little extra work out in the morning, that’s all.”

“Well, might as well get to it. The early risers won’t wait for us forever for breakfast.”

With some groans and half-hearted laughter, the oba-sans and onee-sans lifted as many parcels as they could carry ... It will still take them a while, huh?

As the kids also try to mill around and pick up the parcels they can handle, I stop them.

“You guys get the front, I’ll get this.”

I lift the side of the cart with the broken wheel. Or like, I’m just going to replace the wheel. It will be awkward, but that’s a lot of trips up and down the slope for these people. There’s heavy stuff like hot plates, large pots and pans, and you can’t ignore the weight of such large bags of grains and the other ingredients. I bet it will take all the oba-sans and onee-sans to lift some of the bags.

Lyla gives a yell of joy and darts to the pull-handle, followed by several others of the kids. The rest stand and gape, wide-eyed.

I laugh and challenge them.

“Look, such young girls are going to pull this. Can you call yourself men after that? If you can’t get in front, push from behind.”

When I say that, several of the boys flush and charge among Lyla and the other young girls, throwing all their might into pulling the cart. The ones who can’t find a spot on the handle gather around behind to push. Though they strain the cart moves steadily, but slowly, up the slope.

That I’m doing most of the pushing from behind is a secret, ok?

Halfway up, since it would be too suspicious if we went quickly, the oba-sans and onee-sans are coming back towards us. Throwing aside their shock, they have some of the younger girls go to push from behind while they take their spots.

A working woman’s strength should not be underestimated.

Though it’s still somewhat slow-going, since I don’t want to damage the remaining wheel, we all make it to the top in great success.

The children cheer and celebrate until some of the oba-sans lightly tap them on the head and tell them to go set up.

“My my, thank you so much, young one.”

“Yes, it would have taken us ages to get everything up. We’d probably have to give up on making money during the morning rush!”

“You’re very strong, aren’t you? That’s good, women have to be strong!”

One of the onee-sans pumps her fist into the air and mimics flexing her biceps before they all laugh, happily chatting as they set up their stalls.

The women aren’t fools. They know that I’m the one who got the cart up the slope.

“It’s ‘cause Jun-nee’s super strong! She saved us, you know?”

Lyla has puffed her slim chest out proudly.

Haha, iyaa... I scratch the back of my head awkwardly.

Because of the group of men, most of them laborers looks like, that have now gathered waiting for breakfast, the women are kept busy for a while. Where were you guys when the ladies needed help?

... Well, the women probably try to get here and set up before these guys show up, so I guess it can’t be helped.

While they’re doing that I go gather the remains of the cart below. It’s just the wheel, really, but it’s still not good to leave it behind in the middle of the path.

Mm, the smell of food is very appetizing ... too bad I had decided to go without breakfast today.

The waiting men had noticed the broken cart and helped to pull it off to the side while I went down and came back up. They were quick. It’s still quite heavy, with all the stuff in it.

“Nima, I’ll send one of my guys to repair that cart for you once we finish opening shop.”

“Hey, this the Jou-chan who helped you? Good job, Jou-chan!”

The rough, middle-aged men laughed and chatted with the middle-aged women, teased and joked with the young women, and played with the young children. It was a boisterous, heart-warming scene this early in the morning.

The men who aren’t good with mornings are seated in a corner, just watching, though they don’t seem irritated with the noise.

“Jun-chan, won’t you get breakfast?”

“Come on over, try these flat cakes!”

“Nono, these sausages are much better for people who use their muscles!”

The onee-sans good-naturedly compete with their food.

“Why don’t you wrap a sausage in a flat cake?”

I suggest that to tease them, but they laugh and reply,

“Ahaha, Jun-chan thinks like these old men!”

“Oi, who you calling old men! That’s just the easiest way to eat breakfast quickly!”

I now notice that the guys don’t stay very long. This is definitely breakfast on the go for them, huh?

I give in and buy a thick wafer for 25 ecrue. It’s not too much; I’ll just eat lightly at lunch.

While chatting with the men and women, I learn that the bells are rung from the stone tower carved in the mountain in the Guild Hall. The bells are rung three rings each at the Farmer’s Watch at dawn, the Morning Watch 3 hours later, the Mid-day Watch at noon, the Afternoon Watch 3 hours later, and the Returning Watch at dusk. After that the bells are rung 1 ring each at the Dimming Watch 3 hours later, the Mid-night Watch at midnight, then the Late Night Watch 3 hours after that.

Looks like they’re rung at 00:00, 03:00, 06:00, 09:00 ... in intervals of every 3 hours. That’s pretty convenient to know.

So when people kept telling me to meet in the morning, they meant at the Morning Watch bell huh ... whoops. At least I now know I have a few hours before I have to show up at the forge.

When I finally leave, I have an arm full of food the ladies insisted on giving me. Even after stowing a portion for lunch, it’s too much for myself and I don’t know if it will be any good if left too long in my inventory, so let’s give it to Maryiste and the girls.

I leave a cup of hot tea in Inventory to see what will happen to it for future reference. Unlike the herbal tea from last night, this tea is made from tea leaves. What a nostalgic taste ...

When I return to The Queen Mary’s, I’m not too sure how long I’ve been out, but Maryiste and Solyana are up already.  Maryiste is in the backroom today, calculating the night’s profits.

“Ah, I got this from the food stalls, so if you’d like ...”

I unload the sausages, savory hotcake-like flat cakes, salted boiled eggs, and thick wafers in front of them onto the table. It’s quite a bounty, more than enough for Maryiste, Solyana, and the 8 other girls.  I suspect some of these are leftovers they couldn’t sell yesterday, but I won’t complain since I got them for free.

Maryiste laughs and Solyana’s eyes get as big as saucers.

“You needn’t worry about us, Jun.”

Solyana protests, but after I tell her that they were freebies I couldn’t refuse she lets herself pick up a boiled egg, cutting it into quarters with a fruit knife.

Eggs are apparently more on the expensive side, though they’re not impossible for commoners to buy on a more or less regular basis. For the prostitute girls, though, it’s a bit rarer. Mm... a pity I was only given three of the eggs, but Solyana continues on and quarters the other two as well.

I see, this way everyone can get a bite.

While Solyana prepares a soup to go with the rest of the food, I’m interested in something else ...

“Um, Maryiste? I was wondering ... how should I go about learning how to read?”

Maryiste smiles, like she was expecting that question. I feel like this woman can completely see through me. From the beginning I’d thought she had the air of a sage or wise man.

“Hm... it’s not impossible to get through life without knowing how to read here, you know?”

“Well...”

It sits really badly with me, though! I really hate not knowing how to read, it feels like an entire side of the world is being hidden from you.

“Hm... I can teach you a little here and there. Otherwise you’ll have to pay a lot for a tutor. And, well, it’s quite the sum.”

If it’s really that expensive to hire a tutor, then isn’t reading super advantageous?

“Is that ok, Maryiste? Is it really something you give for free?”

“Fufufu, I was unaware Jun thought that repayment was necessary.”

Huh? Of course repaying people is necessary. When I say that, Maryiste and Solyana exchange glances.

? ??

Maryiste sighs and moves the conversation along.

“Well, to tell the truth, it’s not too much trouble for me to teach you the basics. Since you seem like you already know how to read in your language, I’d imagine it’s not too hard to transfer it over, though I think learning our vocabulary will be the biggest hurdle for you.”

That’s right, I don’t know their language. Being able to communicate with the locals here is all thanks to Translate-sama.

While I’m thinking about it, Maryiste sends Solyana to get some paper.

By the way there’s paper here, and it’s not terribly expensive. Even for the food stalls, some of the carry-outs are wrapped in a flimsy, though not very smooth, paper. The reason Maryiste does all her calculations on a wax tablet first is because there aren’t any pencils and erasers here.

Maryiste fills her pen then writes a series of 11 symbols on a sheet of paper.

“This is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, null, and the ecrue symbol. You should start there. Then here ...” Now she’s writing a series of 30 symbols. It’s their alphabet-like thing.

Nothing like kanji appears. That’s seriously a relief. One set of something like kanji is enough in my head.

I have her repeat the pronunciations for everything, writing them in kana next to each symbol. It’s a mix of alphabet and kana for the pronunciations for their alphabet-like system.

Maryiste is interested in the kana and alphabet I’m writing.

“It’s a lot like elven script here ... but here is more like the eastern countries’ script.”

“Ah, this is the script of my country, and this one is of a neighboring country.”

Well, America is closer to being a neighbor to Japan than any country from around here could be. I’m sorry, our world’s geography, but let’s just leave it at that.

Maryiste is greatly impressed that I know two languages, and that both languages are required in our schools. Sorry, though we ‘learn’ English, it’s debatable whether the majority of our students ‘know’ English.

But I’m more interested that the kana looks like elven script. By the way, the script the Unaffiliated use is more alphabet-like than our world’s Asian scripts.

When we’re done, I look over the sheet.

“Hm... I’ll have to memorize these first. Especially the numbers...”

“Don’t forget to try to learn some words just by speaking with everyone-“

As Maryiste says that, the Morning Watch bells ring. Oops!

“Oh no, I’m late!”

This is the Most Use I’ve made of My Materials Classes Lately; Sorry, Professors.

It looks like I wasn’t late.

Because watches aren’t common at all, when people say a time to meet it usually means, “When you hear the xxxx Watch bells ring, come over.”

So ... you’ll usually end up waiting for people? Nothing has a ‘set’ time? There’s nothing keeping people from just being lazy then, right?

This is probably the biggest culture shock I’ve had so far.

Or like, the forge guys are shocked that our culture has something like strict meeting times.

They’re saying, “But ... isn’t it impossible for everyone to show up right at the same time?”  and “You mean, people have things planned down to the minute? Isn’t that too much?” and things like that.

They said that no one would dare to not rush over right away, since they would probably get fired or lose other people’s trust in them. In that case, it wouldn’t be surprising for them not to be able to make a living and end up as beggars ... or slaves.

Hm... this would definitely not work in Japan. I can just imagine a few of my classmates’ ridiculous excuses for being late in the back of my head. They would definitely show up hours late, like at the next Watch bells.

◇◇◇

What I want to try today is damascus steel. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can make true Damascus steel, since I’m not to be forging blades from the first refinement this time, and true Damascus steel is more of a chemical reaction than a technique.

What I want to make is the pattern-welded steel that’s known as damascus steel. By taking different pieces of steel and iron and force welding them together, and repeating it while folding the hot steel over and over, a beautiful pattern will appear on the blade. And, more importantly, a blade of different variations of softness and hardness would be made.

Why must a blade be hard? So you can sharpen an edge on it.

Why must a blade be soft? So it won’t shatter when you strike something with it.

With folded steels, instead of finding a perfect balance which compromises both the hardness and the softness, you take the best of both and force them together, making bands of steels in the metal. A Master Bladesmith back in the other world can forge a blade with more than 300 layers.

... Ah, once again, I seem to have been in a trance. It must be that Craftsman’s Trance thing. I stare dazedly at the new blade in my hand.

Fumu. Splendid. If the fuller is polished to let the pattern shine through, and with the two edges on both sides bordering it, how beautiful it will be.

By the way, this is the second blade I’ve forged today. According to the clock in the corner, which is operated by weights instead of water (probably because of the heat), it’s over an hour past the Mid-day Watch.

I totally didn’t hear the bells.

Craftsman’s Trance is impressive, and a little scary.

As I look over, I see the other apprentices at their lunch breaks.

Ossan is ... nowhere to be seen. He’s kind of like the business side of things, so I guess he’s out for now doing those kinds of things.

The business side of things is something I’d like to say “No thank you” to.

“Are you done here too? Everyone else is breaking for lunch now.”

Jetsom says that as he comes up from behind me. It looks like he went into the back room to wash his face and hands. His face is red from the heat.

I bet mine is too. I only notice the heat now, though.

“Yeah, just give me a sec.”

I wipe the sweat from my forehead and push back the stray hairs roughly. Ah... I feel like I got soot all over my face.

Jetsom tries not to laugh as he says,

“You can wash up in the back.”

Ahahah... hey, this unkempt look is proof of my hard work! Well, it’s not hygenic to be dirty while eating though.

There’s just a sink-like pedestal in the back, with a water stone attached like a faucet. No soap, but I have one in Inventory so that’s no big deal.

I retie my hair back too. Hm... what will I do if the elastic in the hair-tie wears out? Fumu... I’ll deal with it when it happens.

Oya? My hair’s almost long enough to be all tied back in a ponytail. It’s really too long; I should get it cut ... ah, I guess I’m a girl now so it won’t matter.

The random thoughts flood through my head rapidly, like they were making up for the time when I wasn’t thinking about anything in a trance. Thinking those strange thoughts, I shake my hands and face dry, not bothering with my towel, and go over to join the others for lunch.

“Is this the usual lunch time?”

I ask as I sat down next to them.

“Ah, well, however fast you finish your work, you have time for lunch until the Afternoon Watch bells.”

Eh? That means... we’d get 2 hours for lunchtime today?! That’s a really long time. Is it efficient?

So I think, but ... I guess if they get their work done, they would all just be lazing around until lunch anyway.

Jetsom smiles at me.

“But well, Jun-san, you’re pretty impressive. You seem to have halved your time for forging since yesterday.”

“Ah... yeah. Um, just Jun is fine.”

It’s weird to be called “-san” by someone older than me, who’s also my smith-ing senpai.

Jetsom’s right, though. Yesterday it took me 4 hours to forge my first sword. Today, in 4 hours, there are 2 blades sitting next to the anvil I was using.

“But wow, it’s pretty amazing to watch someone who can mana forge!”

Pieta says, as I take out my lunch.

Mm, the cup of tea is still hot, and not spilt.

I have some interest in the subject, so I ask, “Is it rare to be able to mana forge?”

Whatever mana forging is.

Jetsom responds, saying,

“The only other person in all of Nyl City who can mana forge is Master Helward.”

Hoe~ so this Mana Forger thing is a trait with high demand but low fulfillment.

Jetsom gives a look towards Pieta and the other junior apprentice, Forin, and says,

“By the way, being a true Mana Forger is different from just having the trait. The trait Mana Forger has a bunch of skills that lets you use mana to reinforce your forging abilities, but it’s hard to skillfully use them while also focusing on your forging. So even if you two get that trait in the future, you’d best not think of yourselves as having mastered mana forging.”

Kulir, the college-aged looking guy who made the heavy, but decent-ish sword, laughs at Jetsom’s reprimand to the two younger junior apprentices, adding,

“Actually, there are a lot of people that can’t make swords worth their abilities when they try to use skills from the Mana Forger trait. The ones who try to say they can mana forge just because they have the trait Mana Forger are nicknamed ‘False Forgers.’”

Heh ... I quickly ask,

“Um... so are you saying that even if you can use the Mana Forger skills, it’s difficult to use them well?”

I really just want to ask it directly, but for some reason I can’t bring myself to say, “How does mana forging work? I don’t actually know despite being 1 of only 2 people you know who can use it, teehee.”

Jetsom sighs, then continues to explain.

“Actually, I have the Mana Forger trait too, but it’s impossible for me to use when I’m actually at the anvil. I can only use Metal Reinforcement skillfully if I’m sitting still and concentrating hard.”

“What does Metal Reinforcement do?”

Lucky! The youngest apprentice, Forin, asked this. I’ve been wondering about this too.

“It’s the same Metal Reinforcement people use in combat. It uses mana to manipulate the hardness versus brittleness of the blade.”

Oh?

“People can use it in combat?”

I ask, hoping it won’t sound foolish.

“By simply casting it like you would any other spell, if you cast it on your weapon you can strengthen your blade against shattering until the spell wears off. But when you use it for forging...”

Jetsom grimaces and falls silent.

No, please tell me. How does it work while you’re forging?

“How is it different?”

Nice! Good job Forin.

Jetsom shakes himself, as if coming awake and gives Forin a wry smile as he replies.

“When the usual person casts Metal Reinforcement, all they want is a stronger-than-usual weapon, and that’s all they’ll get. Only someone exceptionally skilled can adjust the degree of durability added, as well as how long it will last.  Above THAT level is the Mana Forger. Able to adjust Metal Reinforcement, Keen Edge, and Mana Imprint at will, they can maintain it and use it to adjust and shape the blade. Then they use their forging abilities to change the blade to the enchantments they’ve used.”

Umuu ... Let me think on this. If someone just casts Metal Reinforcement it’s a low-hassle spell buffed onto the sword for a short while. It’s a buff that makes it more durable, but it won’t make the sword unbreakable; it’s just harder to break. But how much harder? Without knowing that, it’s only a minimally useful buff.

But what does it do exactly... a light bulb suddenly went off in my head.

Could Metal Reinforcement be manipulating the microstructure? That is, we’re now talking about manipulation on the molecular level.

This isn’t something most people will think of, I admit, but back in Japan, if you were interested in steel and iron you’d stumble on it.

The first thing you’ll find out is that steel is just iron with a certain range of percentage of carbon in it. (0.12%- 2.0% to be exact, not that I memorized it or anything. ...Ugh, I can’t deny it anymore. I was a sword otaku in the other world, dammit!)

You can say that steel is iron with the ideal amount of carbon. See, iron with no carbon is extremely soft, but iron with too much carbon is hard to the point of being extremely brittle. Steel is the range that lies in the perfect balance of hardness to softness.

There are other alloys of steel, like adding chromium to make stainless steel, but when people talk about steel, it’s usually concerning carbon-iron alloys. ... Ahem, I’m getting sidetracked.

Anyway, the reason for why adding carbon will influence the metal’s basic traits is because of how the carbon and iron atoms arrange themselves. The molecular structure.

The second thing you’ll find out about steel is what blade-smiths worry about most.

The heat treating.

When heat-treating a blade, it’s usually heated to above 800ºC (1472ºF) and then cooled at varying rates. When heated to this point, it changes the molecular bonds between the carbon and iron and shifts them into a different structure.

Letting the metal cool will reform the bonds, however ...

If you let it slowly cool to room temperature, the metal will form large, uniform “grains.” Since the strong parts of the grains are the edges, if all the grains are the same size and large, and they’re all lying in the same direction, the resulting metal will be soft.

If, instead of letting it slowly cool, you force it to cool down immediately, the grains will be smaller, won’t all be the same size, and nor will they be lined up properly. Basically, by immediately cooling it you’re forcing the grains to stay in whatever shape and orientation they can manage in the quick cool-down. Because of this irregular structure, the metal will be hard.

This is just the basic explanation. There are way more things with heat-treating, like how long you keep it heated or changing the rate you cool it, that will change the shape and positions of the grain, but if I get on that topic I’ll just go on about it forever.

The reason heat treating takes a long time is because you have to maintain a constant rate of heating and cooling. There aren’t any shortcuts – well, there wasn’t any in the other world.

In THIS world... let’s say Metal Reinforcement and Keen Edge changes the molecular and grain structure of metal with magic. Then, with normal forging abilities and a little bit of magic circulating through your materials and equipment with Mana Imprint, if you shape the blade so that it will hold onto the changes you made with Metal Reinforcement and Keen Edge after they wear off ...

Though I don’t think anyone in the forge would be able to understand me if I had to explain it, I completely get it now.

Like this there’s no need for long heat-treatments, and the time it would take to forge it is greatly reduced.

Separately, the Mana Forger skills are ... well, kind of a load of nothing. System Explanation-san (maybe) didn’t mistake anything there. They’re skills that are only worth something if the user is skillful.

“... What’s with that, it sounds hard.”

Forin pouts.

Is it really that hard to do? The theory sounds simple enough.

Kulir snorts at Forin.

“I don’t think you understand how hard it is to do, Forin, if that’s all you’re saying. True Mana Forgers don’t just cast Metal Reinforcement and Keen Edge once and then forge. Supposedly, they’ll cast it in multiple stages, and sometimes maintain casting the skill for extremely long periods WHILE forging. Get it? They don’t actually enchant the blade with the skill, but suspend it in the middle of casting.”

“Uwaaah, is that even possible?!”

Forin makes a face of disbelief, but ... ah, so that’s how it was.

Even though I can’t remember exactly what I was doing in my Craftsman’s Trance, now that they mention it, there were times when I remember holding my magic power within the blade, while at the same time circulating magic power through my hammer, the blade, and back.

Er... why do I get the feeling that Lor would be very angry with me if he about heard this?

“Heh, just sending out magic without activating a spell or exploding things is impressive in itself. I mean, Jun-san, do you get how crazy the things you can do are? Not only can you send out your magic power like pure mana, you can even control it. Not only can you control it, you can even make it do really detailed things!”

Oh, I’m being addressed personally now.

Kulir says all that and sighs enviously, though he grins at me.

Heh... really ...

Jetsom laughs.

“It looks like she doesn’t understand after all. Jun-sa – er, Jun, the ability you’ve shown so far isn’t just rare, or special. It’s like seeing some legendary Master Bladesmith come back to life. That’s how amazing your mana forging is.”

It’s not like I don’t understand it. I’m just trying to wrap my head around it.

Hm ... yeah, now that I think about it, along with Mana Forger, I have another trait called Mana Manipulator.

This must be the trait that has been letting me perform magic as if it was nothing. If I can imagine it, I can do it; if I can picture the process to make fine blades, I can make them. With that trait, switching between all of the Mana Forger skills at the appropriate time is as easy as thinking.

Without knowing how mana forging works, all I needed to know is what I want to make, and my mana control abilities will leech the knowledge I accumulated in order to make it happen?

The 10 years of image-training back in Japan became powerful weapons in this world.

From the depths of my heart, I feel gratitude towards Grandfather for his efforts that I had engraved onto my mind.

“They say the proof of becoming a true Mana Forger is having the Craftsman’s Trance skill.”

Jetsom speaks up suddenly.

The Craftsman’s Trance skill huh ...

“Ah...”

As I let out my voice, Jetsom’s ears twitch towards me.

“So you have it afterall, huh? It’s very envious. I can’t help but wonder if your mana forging is even better than Master Helward’s.”

Jetsom says this a little bitterly, but just a little. I don’t blame him for it. If someone came out of nowhere and could do what you wanted to be able to, it would be hard to swallow. He’s honest about it, at least.

“Is the skill hard to get?”

“There are more people with the Mana Forger trait without the Craftsman’s Trance skill than there are with the Craftsman’s Trance skill. It’s a skill that’s almost impossible to learn.”

Ehh... Come to think of it, I can accumulate skills under traits after I first got the trait. So just because you have a trait, it doesn’t mean you get the skills associated right away. And with Mana Forger, you’re considered a False Forger until you get the Craftsman’s Trance skill ... is that how it is?

“Umm ... did Helward-san not want to teach the Craftsman’s Trance to you?”

I’m really hesitant to ask Jetsom this, but at the same time I feel like I can’t just leave him like this. And it doesn’t sound like that frivolous(tentative) man would refuse to teach it to his second-in-command at the forge.

“It seems like it’s not that easy to teach. He tries, saying things like, ‘Aim for the position of #1 Bladesmith!’ or ‘It’s this feeling when you’re trying your hardest!’ or ‘You just have to be obsessed with smithing!’”

The frivolous(tentative) still stands. Or like, what the hell is that? That kind of advice would make anyone, not just Jetsom, feel bitter about not being able to use the Craftsman’s Trance.

Urgh ... but it really is a hard thing to describe how to do... I wonder how to even begin to explain it.

I think for a moment.

“Rather than saying it’s an obsession with smithing, at least for me, it’s more like it’s an obsession with blades. Er ... sorry, that’s not much more helpful, is it?”

Jetsom laughs lightly.

“At least you’re not saying it with a Guts! pose or a thumbs up with a wink, so you sound more reputable.”

Aah, he really is holding a grudge over it; that is, a grudge against Helward-san. I really have to meet this man someday.

But for Jetsom’s sake, let’s think harder.

“The problem is, when you’re forging, er, I guess you could say when you enter the trance, you aren’t thinking much of anything. All I can remember clearly is only about the blade I’m forging. What I want it to be, and how it needs to change to get there. Techniques, time, sweat, or tiredness; none of that enters your mind. All I can think about is how the metal will become the blade. Sorry, that’s all I can really think of to explain.”

Actually, now that I’ve said it, it kind of sounds like a swordsmith’s version of enlightenment. Exactly how am I supposed to explain THAT?

Jetsom has grown silent, but his ears are *piko piko* twitching as he thinks.

“So it truly is a frame of mind thing.”

He says that at last, along with a deep sigh. He seems less tense though, like he’s become determined.

I Wonder how Many Logos were Last Minute Scribbles on the Back of a Napkin

<previous chapter]   [index]    [next chapter>

The apprentices and junior apprentices have been silently listening to me and Jetsom talking about the “fabled” Craftsman’s Trance. Looks like they didn’t think they could intrude in this particular conversation.

“Um, by the way, I was wondering...”

To break the silence, I try asking something that I’d been wondering about.

“Helward-san is a Master Bladesmith, so I was expecting some, but there aren’t any Dwarves in the forge, either as apprentices or otherwise.”

“Aaaah...”

“Yeah...”

“Nnn...”

Everyone made sounds, like they were tired of hearing that.

Did I say something wrong?

Jetsom smiles wryly and explains.

“It’s true that Dwarven blades are exceptional pieces of work. They far surpass anything we make here in magic technologies, but that’s all.”

To think that I’d hear the words “magic technologies.” I am finding that this world, more and more, is advanced in its own way compared to our world. But, what’s up with that? So the Dwarves’ blades are better after all. Or, actually ...

“So Dwarf blades are completely different entities from normal blades, is that it?”

Jetsom nods in response to my question, then asks

“An exceptional blade that surpasses any other – how many people do you think can use something like that?”

“Ah ... I see.”

Because we’re all blade fanatics here, I instinctively understand. The Dwarves’ swords are magnificent but, in game terms, they’d be on the scale of Legendary or Mythical items.  How many players can use weapons of that grade if they’re more than few levels under level-cap? Or unless they have a strength or magic stat over 50% of maximum? (Or if they don’t cash.)

The swords of the Dwarves. Uumu ... I want to see one.

“So then, Helward’s swords are different – no, then they’re made differently?”

In short, the Dwarves use fancy magic on their swords, and so you have to use fancy magic to use their swords. Fundamentally, Helward’s swords, no, not just Helward’s swords, it might be a regional difference too. The magic swords of Nyl City are all made in a different manner. One that lets just about anyone use them.

“Ah, indeed. The magic of Helward’s swords isn’t from magic technology, which is what most think of when they hear ‘magic sword.’ This is a mining city, and we specialize in smelting the best of magic ores. Using the best of basic forging abilities to make the best swords from magic ores; we are able to produce high quality swords with some magic without enchantments, circuits, or imbuement’s.”

... So ... cool.

What high school boy who’s played fantasy MMOs and VRMMOs (though dragged into it by Masaki) or read light novels (though they were pushed onto me by Masaki) doesn’t dream of magic swords? This is a whole other world in sword making! Ah, I’m almost drooling.

“In the realm of magic ores, there’s no race that excels better than Kobolds.”

Jetsom says this smugly. Erm... what’s a Kobold again? Aren’t they lizard-like humanoids? No wait, dog-like? Or were they goblins? Fairies?

I feel like the answer is “all-of-the-above” – that is, if you were talking about fantasy races from my world.

I wonder how it is in this world.

“So ... Helward-san is a Kobold?”

“Half. Nars is also half Kobold.”

Oh? He doesn’t look all that different from a middle-aged human ... Ah, wait. His ears stick out and are kind of pointy, though in a different way from Elf ears, and his eyebrows are thin and whispy, like an ancient Chinese hermit’s, fluttering off to the side. And his skin is ... rather than pale, it’s more gray than flesh-colored.

Um... How does this work again?

If you would, please, Analyze-sensei!

◤

NAME: Nars Heavyhand

TYPE: Half Kobold – Male – 1,045 Moons (conversion: 87 Years)

ANALYSIS: An apprentice of the Master Bladesmith, Helward. His expertise lies in magic ores and smelting.

ATTEMPTING RACE ANALYSIS

NAME: Half Kobold

TYPE: Race – Medium Magic Affinity

ANALYSIS: Born from a human and a Kobold. A bipedal shaped race born from a Fae and an Elemental. Attributes include life-spans of about 2400 Moons (conversion: 200 Years), ashen skin, fae-like ears, and the ability to see in the dark.

RARITY: Nyl City Locale: Common][Orelia: Rare

LORE: A hybrid race close between both Fae and Human, they are sensitive to mana flow through mineral and metal deposits in the earth, though to a lesser degree than that of full-blooded Kobolds. Many half Kobolds live among humans, intent on refinement of metals, tools, and mining methods.

◣

I’m getting the hang of using Analyze-sensei slowly. It’s frustrating that I have to go through the basic analysis when I only want the Race Analysis, but I discovered that after the basic analysis, I can choose whichever of the three Analyses I want. This way I can minimize privacy invasion while using Analyze-sensei to help me along. With Pelma-san, not understanding how to use it, I triggered the full analysis.

Though I force-closed it in the end.

So a Kobold is obsessed with natural ores, but a half Kobold usually turns to industrializing or refining them; something like that? I’ll have to find a pure-blood Kobold to be absolutely sure, but that sounds alright for now.

While I’m thinking that, Nars chuckles quietly and says

“Well, as magic swords they can only do small things when you put magic power in, like reinforcing the blade or making it lighter. Even the most impressive things are just channeling raw energy through it to damage a Barrier. It does nothing to embue an element into the magic.”

“No, what’s with that? It’s properly a magic weapon just like that, isn’t it?”

Oops, my inside voice came out and I ended up retorting. The other apprentices laugh at that.

“That’s right, that’s right, they are proper magic swords.”

“Magic swords anyone can use! That’s Nyl City’s swords!”

“Swords that shoot fire balls or split or whatever, what use are they if they just devour your magic power?”

Uh ... I want to see a sword that can shoot fire balls, but at that point isn’t it just a ranged weapon? Well, if it devours your magic power, I guess it’s a last-chance type gimmick.

But for some reason I’m glad to have started my journey into magic swords in a forge that prefers fundamental traits than flashy traits. Here I can learn to hone my senses with the birth of a sword, from the ore. If I become satisfied with that, traveling around to various places and learning their methods of creating magic swords ... yeah.

Instead of an adventurer, a wandering swordsmith always looking for another way to forge a sword; that sounds fun too, right?

First, though, we have to finish forging the 25 swords. The Afternoon Watch bells have rung while we were chatting, so it’s time to get back to it.

Alright, I wonder how far I can pursue damascus steel ...

◇◇◇

I finish up half an hour before the Returning Watch bells. The third sword took me a bit longer. After I found out about how the Mana Forger trait worked, I got a little ambitious. Aah, no good. I should try to keep all the swords more or less the same quality ...

The results for today:

3 blades forged by me, 3 blades that still have to be heat-treated by Jetsom, plus Jetsom’s 8 blades from before and the 1 I made yesterday.

15(ish) out of 25 blades, and 6 days left, huh?

Ossan and his senior apprentice, the older man Jeptha, managed to fit 6 of the previously made blades with guards and hilts. That was fast.

Jetsom’s goal is to forge many blades, then heat-treat them all at the same time.

At the rate we’re going ... we can get this done in 3 or 4 days. Actually, if we were REALLY pressed for time, I have confidence I can forge a decent sword in an hour, but where’s the pride in something done so half-assed?

“Ooi, Jou-chan!”

“What is it, Ossan?”

I cross into the woodworking area where Ossan is still working on the handles. Amazing. He churns them out 1 every half hour. In between business calls.

Because Ossan and Jeptha make the grip, guard, and pommel for all the swords while Jetsom and I are only focused on the blades, I try to make the tangs of my blades all about the same so it will be easier for them.

That’s simple enough for me to do as long as I have a clear picture of the tang in my head, thanks to mana forging.

In contrast to us out in the heat of the forge, who smell of charcoal and metal, Ossan smells of wood and leather.

“Jou-chan, you’ve put something on the tang, but no one will be able to see it there. You’ll need to put a mark on the blade to differentiate it from Helward’s mark.”

Ahh ...

The reason Ossan said “something” is because I have the strange (for this world) “純” engraved on the handle. It probably looks like scribbles instead of a proper mark to them.

But, iyaa ... It’s not my full name, but how embarrassing to have it pointed out. So I’m imitating the masters of Japan who inscribe their names and dedications on the sword’s tang, ok?  ...  I mean, it’s like that, right? Like if you write a story, even if you’re an amateur or don’t intend to get it published, you’ll still think of separating chapters into volumes and naming the volume titles like a professional would.

... AAAH HOW EMBARRASSING.

I manage to keep a straight face.

“That’s right, I forgot.”

Uuuum... It will be hard to chisel it in after it’s been heat treated. The poor chisel. Working on hardened steel will dull it quick. I wonder if half of it will be left after all the times I’ll have to resharpen it.

...?

There’s a silence.  Ossan’s been holding out one of my blades expectantly.

It’s a little awkward.

“Err...”

“Could it be that you don’t emblazon your marks with magic in your hometown?”

Ah ... of course. Magic.

It’s not difficult to do, but I still have Ossan teach me how to emblazon a mark with magic. The image to make it work is similar to using a hot brand to burn a design into a piece of wood, but on a mana-level and on any material.

Sorry, it’s magic. That’s the best explanation I can give.

But hey, this is amazing! It won’t wear or rub off, leaving the mark pristine for as long as the sword isn’t destroyed, and there’s no potential for weakening the sword with a bad engraving job.

Umu ... now that I know how to do it, what kind of mark should I emblazon onto the swords?

... Actually, there’s no need to think about it. I’ve already decided last night.

The mark is ...

A simple sakura mon, an emblem in the Japanese style.

Any Japanese who sees it will recognize it. It’s a symbol that says, there is a Japanese person here, for any Japanese or Japanophile to notice and investigate.

I affix, er, emblazon, the mon to the 4 blades I forged, directly below where Ossan shows me the crossguard ends.

Wow. The blade I had made yesterday has already been fitted with a leather-wrapped grip, pommel, and crossguard. It’s not a katana, but it’s my first completed blade. A double-edged broadsword.

I can’t suppress the shiver of excitement that runs through me when I see the sword, completely finished.

“Oooh? How unusual. You’re not even trying to hide that you’re a female smith with this mark, huh?”

“Eh?”

I tried to draw oversized eyes for  wfb, but I give up now lol. Usual is best.

Ossan is looking over my blades with a satisfied expression.

What does he mean by that?

“Ah, I mean, since a lot of tough guys think swords forged by women aren’t good, the female smiths I’ve met try to use more gender-neutral marks. But you’re using a rather girly flower, huh?”

Oi. Apologize to the people’s national flower of Japan.

Uuun... should I have chosen the Imperial chrysanthemum motif instead? Ah, but it’s not as globally recognizable. The Japanese flag in motif would be a rectangle with a dot in the middle; no, it might be easily mistaken for just some weird mark. What else do foreigners think of when they think of Japan? Samurai? Ninja? Should I have done a shuriken as the mark? No, that’s super weird. And dumb.

I sigh and explain the sakura.

“This flower is a symbol of nationalism and the bravery of soldiers in my home country. The meaning of the flower is the appreciation of impermanence; that is, things that will die or fade away are all the more beautiful because they don’t last. It is also associated with the acceptance of destiny and death.”

“Heh...”

Ossan and Jeptha look it over again.

“I see, I see. So those who see Jou-chan’s mark as their opponent should be prepared to accept their death, and the one who wields it should wield it with the conviction to take life.”

“It’s a deep meaning, one full of the smith’s pride, ne.”

Er ... that wasn’t my intention. ...Well, whatever, that’s fine too.

“Uh, yeah ... anyway, with this they’re ok now, right?”

“Yup. Jou-chan, the crossguard and pommel are fine, right? Well, since we were told it’s for a military consignment, they all have to be the same.”

The pommel is a simple knob up top, and the guard is a simple straight guard. The handle has a few cords embedded under the leather for grip. A simple design indeed.

“It’s fine, isn’t it? The simple-is-best policy works well with this type of broadsword.”

Ossan grins.

“It’s going to be quite the shipment of swords. Look forward to it!”

◇◇◇

This is how 3 days passed.

In the mornings I’d wake up at the Farmer’s Watch bell and do some exercises and training.

Then I’d head to the Forge at the Morning Watch bell, stopping at the food stalls to pick up breakfast and lunch while getting to know the food stall ladies and the labour force, and then at dusk I’d head back to The Queen Mary’s, stopping at the food stalls for dinner and exchanging pleasantries with the food stall ladies and the adventurers just out from the Labyrinth.

Afterwards I’d keep watch, sometimes inside the shop, sometimes on the roof, at The Queen Mary’s for unsavory characters until the Late Night Watch.

Learning new things as I wanted, meeting new people as I wanted; it was a fulfilling lifestyle that I wasn’t able to experience back in Japan.

It’s been 12 days since Masaki and I were at the VRMMO store, creating my character.

—

Skills Added:

[MANA FORGER]: (Emblazon) – A method using mana to affix a design to a material. Even if magic is used to erase the magic signature, without physically destroying the surface the design is on, it is not possible to remove it.

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A/N: Interesting fact: Japan doesn’t actually have a national flower. The sakura (Japanese cherry blossom) and kiku (chrysanthemum) are the two main contenders, though the Japanese appreciation for sakura has more or less pushed it to be the unofficial national flower. (Also its use in wartime propaganda, but well...)

Small Fry Antagonists are a Pain to Write for, and it’s not Like He’ll Show Up Again … That Better not have been a Flag

After the first 2 days passed, we had met the quota of forged swords so I was done. Though strictly speaking, I had finished my part; Jetsom still had to heat treat the 5 blades he had forged at the same time I had been forging, and Ossan was still fitting crossguards and curing leather and stuff.

I take advantage of that time to start learning how to make hilts. It’s mesmerizing to watch Ossan and Jephtha making the metal bits. For Jephtha’s training (and for fun), Ossan had Jephtha show me how they make intricate basket hilts, like the kind you see on western rapiers.

After heating metal in a pan over charcoal, not so that it’s molten but so that it’s pliable, strictly using magic to manipulate the metal, they twist it into intricate designs; this is totally cheating. Though it looks more impressive than mana forging, it’s actually easier since you aren’t really caring as much about the metal’s structure.

Well, apparently it’s still pretty hard for the layman.

“Haha, this is where we can’t hope to match the Dwarves’ work. When a Master Dwarf filigree craftsman works, he can spin it so fine and delicate that the result looks like metal lace.”

Ah, so this skill is often used to make filigree then. The way Ossan and Jephtha use it, there’s little need for such fine, delicate threads of metal, though.

I decide to leave off experimenting with it for now, but when I get the opportunity to make that mirror for The Queen Mary’s girls ... un, I want to try my hand at making something spectacular. Maybe I’ll make one for the entryway where the customers enter.

A mirror for men to check their appearances before they leave is probably more necessary than other people realize. While I hope there’s no one who goes there while cheating on their wives ... urgh. I have conflicting feelings about it, but in the end I have decided to be on the girls’ side.

Anyway, I am far more interested in watching how Ossan makes the handle for the swords. I haven’t taken as much care in learning about grip making, and wood and leather is something I’m less familiar with, so I take the opportunity to ask Ossan a ton of questions.

I think I asked so many that I might have slowed his work down...

The last day of the 3 days that passed, though I didn’t have to come to the forge, I came anyway to watch them work, to learn more about grip and hilt making, and to learn more of the local language.

The local language, called Lorwian, is apparently the “universal language” here. Though all the countries have their own languages, Lorwian is the one that is used the most between countries, and is the language of the Unaffiliateds. Lucky!

Lorwian’s letters are so close to the alphabet, it’s not really funny. It’s to a point that Translate-sama actually translates the first of the Lorwian letters as ‘A’ and the second as ‘B’, etc, when they’re used in ranking things, just like in English. Or maybe that’s a reflection on how much English is used in Japanese?

Lorwian’s letters aren’t EXACTLY like the alphabet, but thanks to my excellent memory (that I’ve had since the other world) I don’t have much of a problem learning them. The problem is ... vocabulary, after all. I can sound written words out, slowly, but I simply don’t know what they mean.

Whenever any of the apprentices are free I’ll talk with them, having them repeat sentences slowly while I write them down with the translations.

They’re really interested in the Japanese writing, saying,

“Aren’t these too intricate? How does anyone get any writing done?”

Of course they’re talking about the kanji.

Hm ... it’s still impossible for me to read or speak Lorwian well, so I’m still relying heavily on Translate-sama. Keep it up, me.

◇◇◇

The 4th day after my first day working at the forge, and the 4th day after I learned all about mana forging, I’m back at the forge.

Well, strictly speaking, I’m back with the forge personnel. We’re outside the Guild, at the moment.

“... Is it ok to hand the swords over early?”

“Haha, of course. Everyone’s happy to get things earlier than they expect, right?”

Though Ossan laughs like it’s common sense, in Japan being early can be as big of a problem as being late, you know? There are all sorts of stories how people tried to get things done early, only to screw themselves since the other party wasn’t ready for them.

Well, we’re talking about a world where people don’t have perfect meeting times, and where watches and phones aren’t used, so I guess this sort of deadline is a “finish by this day” type of scheduling.

The forge personnel I’m with is actually just Ossan and Jetsom. The large rack of swords has been wrapped in cloth, being pulled by Jetsom in a cart, with me pushing from behind.

Jetsom looks a bit gloomy.

As we wait for Guild personnel to come and admit us through a side door, I ask,

“Um ... is everything ok, Jetsom?”

He sighs.

“Ah, yeah. It just seems like this time the commission is going to be a bit troublesome.”

Wasn’t it already troublesome?

“What do you mean?”

“Most of the time the Guild won’t entertain commissioners that insist on meeting the commission-takers, but this time the commissioner is insisting that he sees the smiths who made the blades. So this commission is most likely going to be kind of a pain.”

Jetsom isn’t bothering to hide the look on his face that says he doesn’t want to be here.

“Eh... then why did you guys take something so bothersome? Or like, why did the Guild let it pass?”

Ossan laughs in response to my questions.

“Ahahaha, well I guess you can say we’re being taken advantage of in a bad situation?”

No, what’s with that questioning tone? Or like, aren’t you being pretty relaxed for being taken advantage of?

“... I get there’s been random thugs showing up, but is the forge really in such a bad situation?”

“Ummm...”

Jetsom and Ossan exchange glances.

“I guess we haven’t explained it well before, huh? Actually, those thugs are certainly annoying, but in the long run they won’t do much to close down the forge.”

Eh...

“Jou-chan understands that Nyl Labyrinth is a mining city, right? All the smiths, weaponsmiths or regular metalsmiths, are also smelters. Though Helward’s forge is well-known for its swords, there’s actually a greater demand for our smelted magic ores. That is to say ...”

“Aah... I think I get it. You guys smelt the best quality and some of the rarer metals? So, like, the best supplier of metals in the city?”

I had been getting that feeling these past few days. They hadn’t been taking any orders for swords, though I did think it could just be because the Master of the forge was missing, but even so the blast furnaces had been running every day.  Even if you wanted to make a surplus of steel, isn’t that a bit much?

“Exactly. Wee~ll now, with Helward gone though, we can’t smelt Stone Iron or Scale Steel so the groups we originally supplied it to are getting behind on THEIR work, and then the groups we DIDN’T supply it to are hoping to hinder our sales and reputation enough that we’d be desperate to supply to THEM when we get tight for money ...”

Hiring thugs to harass them into making business negotiations ... are they grade school boys who have a crush on a girl or something?

Ossan continues.

“Well, anyway, the Guild and Helward himself limits us on who we can sell our ores to, so in order not to ruin the delicate balance amongst the metal artisans, it’s best to keep the Guild on our side. And, well, there’s someone who is unfortunately important in the Guild who likes to take advantage of this type of thing.”

“Hah ... so it’s most likely a political maneuver after all ...”

Jetsom shakes his head in annoyance as his ears droop a little.

“Um ... exactly ... what were the contents of this commission?”

Perhaps I should have asked this before I got involved. Too late, but I still want to know before I go any further.

“25 masterworked steel swords in 2 weeks, and a presentation of the smiths at the transaction, at 150,000 ecrue each sword.”

To Ossan’s reply, I, unable to believe it, ask,

“... Just to be sure, masterworked means ...”

“Yeah, you’re not mistaking it. They wanted 25 swords on the grade of a sword made by a master, at a rate of 1 sword every 6 hours, for a price that is half the going cost – on the low side.”

“...”

I am literally speechless. There is no response I can make. Seriously?

Ossan shrugs carelessly.

“No one else was taking it, so an unfortunately important Guild personnel came and made the request. The commissioner is probably someone who doesn’t know the price of swords and, since they aren’t requesting magic swords they must have thought steel swords, even masterworked, are trivial both in price and labor.”

“No, that’s not on the scale of being mistaken! That kind of thinking is like a rich man who’s never gone out into the world before. What’s with that impossible play?”

I retort instinctively.

There’s little wonder no one took the commission. Even if there were other Master Bladesmiths in the city, which there might be, who would want their swords used by someone who doesn’t understand what they have? The commissioner is either a fool, or trying to insult all the smiths in this city.

“Welcome, Gustav-san. The Noble-sama hasn’t arrived yet, so if you could, please wait in the waiting room.”

A tall woman with glasses and a stern look greeted us as we entered the Guild.

“Right-o, Minerva.”

Ossan grins at her.

Ah, a Noble-sama. I’m definitely influenced by the locals, but just hearing that we’re dealing with a Noble-sama makes me feel unpleasant.

In the waiting room, Ossan starts, as if remembering something.

“That’s right, Jou-chan. If you can help it, try not to say anything or make any unpleasant movements. We’ve got kind of a tough opponent.”

“...It won’t be good if I upset the Noble-sama?”

That type of thing makes me unhappy, you know? I hate people who push their own statuses on others.

“Ah, well, there’s that too, but I meant the Guild member who’s in charge of this entire situation is a bit hard to deal with.”

Heh?

“Uwah, Dobin’s participating himself? This should be good.”

Jetsom’s face brightens a little bit.

Um...

“This Dobin is ...?”

“Dobin is a hardcore merchant, that’s what Dobin is. Basically, he permitted such a ridiculous commission for his own reasons, and now he’s going to be orchestrating some sort of scheme. Whatever happens, Dobin’s trying to provoke it to happen, so we should just try not to say too much and let it happen. I’m just telling you because Jou-chan can get kind of hot-headed.”

That ... I can’t 100% say that it’s not true.

My thoughts must be written on my face, because Ossan and Jetsom laugh, though their laughs are tinged with a bit of tension.

◇◇◇

I was expecting a thin, sleazy looking merchant, maybe with a moustache and wiry spectacles and gaunt hands, but Dobin was NOT what I expected in the slightest.

The small meeting room had two couches facing each other with a low table between. At the head of the table was a chair.

When we were finally permitted to enter the small meeting room, wheeling in the 25 swords on the sword rack, I saw

A person who looked like an adult man with a child’s stature.

While he wasn’t rotund, he wasn’t thin either. He had a full head of brown hair and no facial hair. But naturally, the most noticeable thing was that he was extremely short, about the height of an 8-year-old child.

This is the sly businessman, the halfling Dobin.

He gives a brief nod at Ossan, then lets his gaze wander towards Jetsom, then over to the swords, and then...

When he sees me, his eyes widen.

Ah, was I not expected?

Well, other than widening his eyes, the halfling Dobin barely changes his face. He turns to the other people in the room, who were behind him.

Seated there, on the couch opposite to us, was a young-ish man. His hair is slicked back, and he had numerous glittering things adorning his outfit. His clothes shimmered in the light as he moved thanks to the metallic embroidery, and rings and bangles covered his hands.

He looks super out of place in this mining Labyrinth city. Like a costumed performer, though other than the shiny things his clothes were pretty neutrally colored.

Behind the man seated on the couch stood 3 retainer-like people.

“Baronet Mucle-sama, as you have requested, these are the smiths who have accepted your commission, as well as the commission of 25 swords.”

The halfling addresses the man seated on the couch with respectful tones. He shoots Ossan a sharp glance, and Ossan and Jetsom move the sword rack off the cart and remove its coverings.

“Bring one to me.”

Uwaaah... just from the Noble-sama’s tone of voice, I can tell this is going to be a pain. He commands one of his retainers or servants or whatever, with a snobby tone and a dismissive look.

People in charge of commissions at the Guild, I definitely would have preferred to just hand over the swords without meeting the commissioner.

After the servant hands him the sword, the Noble-sama gives it a careless glance.

Can you check the swords while sitting on the couch like that? I mean, maybe you don’t have to take a stance, but you can’t really swing a sword while sitting, you know? And if you’re testing out a sword, is it possible to get a feel for it if you don’t even swing it once?

Noble-sama looks down his nose at the blade, then hands it back to his servant. He crosses his legs, clasping his hands and placing them on his knee.

“So, can I take it that the man over there forged these swords?”

Oooi! That’s it?! He barely looked at it! At least check the mark! According to what I’ve heard, Noble-samas should be worried about branding and stuff, right?  He’s totally dismissing our work! Or like, this man totally doesn’t know anything about swords, huh?

Anyway, the Noble-sama was looking at Ossan when he said “the man over there.”

Somehow I’m getting a bad feeling.

Instead of answering, Dobin glances over at Ossan, and Ossan answers instead.

“I’m afraid Sir Baronet is mistaken. The two smiths are the ones over here.”

Aah... as expected, Sir Noble-sama’s face has grows dark as Ossan points in the direction of Jetsom and me. I’m not sure anyone was expecting a different result. Or like, there was no way this template wasn’t going to be happening, huh?

This is such an annoying situation!

The Noble-sama gives a sniff,  then waves his arm dismissingly.

“I see, there’s no point to considering these, then.”

Dobin’s eyes widen.

“Sir Baronet, at least allow me to call an appraiser in for you-“

“There’s no use with that, right? There’s no use for any swords forged by a beast and a woman!”

Hey! A sword by a woman is ... well, whatever, I’m getting used to the idea that guys are turned off of using swords forged by a woman, so with a prejudiced bastard like this it was bound to come up, but Jetsom’s as good as a Master Bladesmith, you know!?  And like, with me I’m a completely unknown entity, but Jetsom’s well-established in this city, so what you just said is a major insult!

When I first held one of his swords, my heart skipped a beat, you know? It’s impossible for me to keep quiet when you insult someone whose work I recognized!

Just when I’m about to say something, Jetsom quietly nudges my foot with his foot.

Ah ... I keep my mouth shut.

I don’t know what’s going on, but is it really worth going through this annoyance? I wonder if it’s ok to just take it out on Dobin if this entire thing goes south after this meeting.

That Dobin is emitting a weak aura as he slumps his shoulders and hangs his head, but he coughs and simply says,

“I see, I’m sorry that we are unable to meet your requirements. If that’s the case, than we will refund half of your commission posting fee as promised.”

Dobin removes a small case attached to his waistcoat by a chain and opens it. A small, clear orb is nestled within, and he speaks into it.

“Minerva, please remove the commission of Noble-sama, Sir Baronet Mucle...”

“Hold on, just a second!”

The Noble-sama interrupts Dobin quickly.

“There was the option of reinstating the commission without an additional fee if the Guild fails their part! Don’t tell me, you chose a shoddy smith in order to pocket our fee!”

... Eh?

Well, I mean, the Noble-sama is sneering at Dobin, looking all proud of himself for figuring it out, but ... aré? Doesn’t something seem off? That kind of thinking just seems a bit too petty for all the work that went into this situation ... at least from our side, anyway.

Suddenly, a cold chill shoots through the air.

Dobin tilts his head at the Noble-sama, then gives the picture-perfect business smile. It’s a terrifying smile that can barely conceal its malicious aura.

“Ah, but you see, if the best forge in the city is unable to satisfy your tastes, then I’m afraid our city will be unable to meet your commission.”

“... Best, forge ...?”

“Ah yes, since these people are Master Helward’s people.”

The chill has gotten so strong, I wonder if the temperature has actually dropped in the room.

—

Skills Added:

[MANA FORGER]: (Material Manipulation) – A method to shape a material that is normally shaped by hand exclusively through manipulation of the mana channeled within.

What One Man gets Tricked Out of is Another Man’s Treasure

The chill in the air is cold enough that icicles should start forming.

I sneak a look around.

The differences in everyone’s expressions are amazing.

I’m not sure what kind of face I’m making, but Jetsom looks slightly bored and irritated, Ossan is trying to keep a polite business smile, the Baronet’s haughty look seems to be frozen in place, and Dobin is smiling his angelically demonic smile.

I don’t know much about these types of situation, but it’s clear that the power balance has suddenly swung from the Noble-sama’s side to Dobin’s.

So, what are we, the forge people, doing here? Being add-ons? I am super uncomfortable with the atmosphere here. Is it ok if this mob-chara sneaks out the side door?

The adults in the room are completely ignoring me, so I miss the chance to appeal to leave.

I don’t think I would have been allowed to anyway.

“The best ... forge you say?”

The Noble-sama recovers himself, and he narrows his eyes, glaring at Dobin.

“Don’t joke around with me. As if Helward’s forge would allow some demihuman to represent them!”

Hahaan... it was like that after all. He’s completely ignoring me, an unknown female (in this situation I’m thinking of myself as such, huh?) smith, and going after Jetsom because he’s a demihuman.

Well, if it wasn’t obvious, this guy had the potential to be a racist from the beginning.

Ah, well Dobin is a demihuman too, isn’t he? And Helward himself is a half-demihuman, right?

Ummm ...

Is this Noble-sama ok with not understanding the state of affairs like this? He totally doesn’t get that Nyl City is a city that is over half demihuman. Or like, why the hell did he even come to a city like this to do business anyway with such a huge prejudice?

Dobin’s eyes are slightly widened, giving an impression of half-shock and half-pity.

It’s such a drastic change from the perfect smile covering up that dark aura. This guy ... he’s totally been putting on an act the entire time! I bet every move he was making was calculated. He could win the J Academy Awards for Best Actor!

“Oh my, what are you saying, Sir Baronet? Could it be you came here without understanding our city’s finest artisans?”

Ah ... ruthlessly going after the weak point. Though I don’t know much about this halfling, for some reason it just feels like that ruthlessness is very much like him.

Anyway, the Noble-sama couldn’t say anything in response to that statement, so he was left going *paku paku*, open and closing his mouth wordlessly while his face continued to change colors.

“Even though we have run ourselves ragged to give dear Sir Baronet the best our city can possible serve, even bending over backwards to reduce the price astronomically, if they’re not to your liking than it can’t be helped.”

Dobin heaves a huge sigh of regret.

“I-if it’s truly the best that Nyl City can provide, it can’t be helped. For a discount, we’ll have to take them!”

Now that the Noble-sama has realized what forge made the blades, he’s backtracking huh? It’s quite the amazing turn around. Even though he’s struggling to avoid losing face, he is unexpectedly quick to go back on what he’s said.

Hm? If a stuck-up Noble-sama would go to this extent, could it be that Helward’s forge is actually super famous? I had thought it was just a good forge in this city.

Ah ... right now, Dobin isn’t saying anything. Are we just going to let the Noble-sama flounder  ... Oh?

It’s very slight, but I see Dobin glancing slyly at Ossan. The Noble-sama over there, with his eyes swimming all over, has no way of noticing.

A quick look of exasperation darts over Ossan’s face, but he puts his business face on and suppresses a sigh.

Ossan cleared his throat to get the Noble-sama’s attention, and then said,

“This isn’t a laughing matter, Sir Baronet. Not only did you insult the only smith of our forge that has surpassed the skills to be permitted to sell blades under Helward’s name, you also insulted a Master Bladesmith who came to exchange forging techniques.”

Eh... who’s that Master Bladesmith you’re talking about? It’s the first time I’d heard of this information exchange program, too!

Of course I say nothing and try to keep a poker face through the web of lies.

Ossan continues.

“You might not be aware of it, but even if we’re Unaffiliateds, a Master’s forge still has its pride. After having agreed to reduce our prices by over half, you then insult us to this extent by asking us to reduce the price further. We will not be selling you these swords.”

Achyaa ... the Noble-sama’s face is turning an amazing shade of purple. See, this is why you follow the rules when making a commission. If you never insisted on meeting us, you would have gotten a great surprise when you finally noticed Helward’s mark, right?

Or like, doesn’t Dobin have a really bad personality? He should’ve told them who the forge was at least, if we were going to meet ...

Oh. I see.

He wanted Baronet Mucal to insult an internationally famous forge. Noble-sama won’t be able to live this one down, huh? He’ll forever be known as a Stupid Noble who ruined his chance to buy amazing swords at a low price.

I have decided that I don’t want to make Dobin my enemy. Someone like me will be swallowed into the halfling’s flow.

“B-but, I’m doing you a favor, aren’t I? After all, we’re offering to buy these swords even if we’re not satisfied! Or are you saying you’ll be fine even if these swords remain unpurchased?!”

Ooh, the Noble-sama is starting to get desperate.

“Ah...”

Dobin starts, as if just remembering something.

“That’s right, another Noble-sama heard that swords from Helward’s forge would be passing through and expressed an interest in them, so Sir Baronet has no need to worry about the matter.”

“Don’t joke with me! Isn’t this MY commission?! Do you think you can get away with selling the things I commissioned to someone else?!”

“What are you talking about, Sir Baronet? Since you aren’t willing to pay the price agreed upon by the commission contract and the commission-takers are not willing to compromise further, the business with your commission is now over. Should Sir Baronet wish to make another request to purchase them with the Guild as the mediator, we are more than happy to take your duty. However, as another Noble-sama has unexpectedly heard of this and already made that request, we are obligated to first entertain them. Should they refuse to purchase, we will contact you again, Sir Baronet. Minerva, please escort Sir Baronet and his entourage out.”

The stern-looking woman shows the protesting Noble-sama out.

... No, it’s not that the other Noble-sama “unexpectedly heard of this,” right? This is 100% something that Dobin orchestrated, right?! What the heck is this kind of political power play?!

The world of merchants is heavy...

◇◇◇

“Mou~, bringing in a guy no swordsmith would ever sell a sword to, what were you thinking?”

Ossan started complaining with a playful tone shortly after the door closed behind Minerva and the Noble-sama.

He’s right about that. No swordsmith would want to sell a sword to a man who can’t understand its value even if he was holding it. But complaining to Dobin-sama is a bit ... well, I wouldn’t do it.

“It’s not like you didn’t get your revenge. Tch. Bringing in some unknown, female smith ... if I had known I would have brought Pulman-jiji in for appraising in front of the commissioner. If that Noble wasn’t so stupid and asked about her, I really wouldn’t have known how to reply. You were really making me sweat.”

Despite saying that, Dobin-sama doesn’t really look all that agitated, playing leisurely with his cufflinks.

Jetsom tilts his head, staring at Dobin, and asks,

“Vice-Guild Master, what was this situation all about?”

EHHHH. Vice-Guild Master?! This evil scheming halfling is-?!

“Ah... the Stupid Noble just recently inherited his grandfather’s baronetcy, and wanted to earn enough recognition to be awarded peerage, like. And since he heard all the Noble-samas with peerage had their own personal militia, he wanted to get one together, like. And then he’d need swords, like. And he heard that Nyl City’s swords are easiest to use, like. That was the extent of the Stupid Noble’s reasoning.”

Dobin, er, Vice-Guild Master, answers way too casually.

No, what is that? Just because other people had militias that Noble-sama wanted one too? What is he, a little kid?

“Not that, right Dobin-kun?”

Ossan grins broadly at the Vice-GuildMaster.

The Vice-GuildMaster lazily waves his hand.

“Ah ... getting entangled with a Stupid Noble just smells of trouble. Just by looking at his face, you can tell he’s the type that will never be satisfied. If you do him a favor, he’ll entangle you into all sorts of political messes. The Guild says “no thank you” to that. And anyway the Stupid Noble made a huge fuss when making the commission, giving everyone involved all kinds of trouble ... well, with this kind of insult, there’s little chance he’ll come bothering Unaffiliateds again.”

Ossan sits on the couch nearest to where we were standing.

“Ah ... Baronet Mucle ... that’s a title from Fernett, huh? Yeah, I would have you excuse us from that country’s politics in the future. That aside, I hope you aren’t seriously just trying to pawn off our swords onto any old person who came by. Though we took this absurd commission because you were the one who offered it, these are technically still masterworked swords, you know. If you had actually planned to sell them to that foolish person who has no appreciation for our blades  ...”

“Yes, yes, I’m aware. We wouldn’t do something as foolish as to sour our relationship with Master Helward. The Noble-sama who came forward hoping to purchase them in case the deal fell through is a man who lives by the sword, so there is little concern there. He is a Knight Captain who gained his title through his abilities with the sword, after all. If there’s any concern...”

Here the Vice-GuildMaster frowns and peers over at where I am still standing next to Jetsom.

“Even if the lady over there is a Master Bladesmith, if the buyer doesn’t know about her it’s pointless, you know? And he’ll be even more suspicious because she’s a woman. Tch. I’d like to send for Pulman-jiji now to act as an appraiser, but he’ll take at least 30 minutes to make it, and the Knight Captain has actually been waiting next door all this time ... My word, you’ve truly overstepped your bounds this time.”

The Vice-GuildMaster glares at Ossan, but because of his childish proportions it’s not that intimidating.

“That’s what you get for making sneaky plans without telling your accomplices. If this Noble-sama has any sense about swords, there won’t be any complaints. I can tell you don’t believe me about her being a Master Bladesmith,” – well, duh, because I’m not – “but let me tell you, her steel swords, at least, are comparable to Helward’s.”

The Vice-GuildMaster and Ossan stare at each other for a bit, but then the Vice-GuildMaster closes his eyes. Ossan grins, like he’s won.

The Vice-GuildMaster sighs and taps his Communication Orb.

“Minerva, show Sir Knight Captain in.”

◇◇◇

In contrast with Sir Baronet, Sir Knight Captain was dressed much more simply. Or rather, he was in armor.

As expected of a Knight Captain.

It was still more extravagant than the armor a normal adventurer would wear but, how do I say it, compared to Sir Baronet’s gaudy appearance, the extravagance was directed towards quality rather than showiness.

Well, you’d still notice him if you passed him by on the streets of Nyl City.

When I think that the clothes I first wore attracted the same kind of attention ... ah, no good. It’s too embarrassing!

Sir Knight Captain entered the room with one other man, probably his subordinate.

Fumu. A Noble-sama DID give off the feel of being someone who was accompanied by a servant or similar follower, no? So I suppose there’s little surprise there.

“Good morning, Vice-Guild Master. I thank you for entertaining my unreasonable request.”

“Not at all, Sir Knight Captain. Well, the request came at a good time, since the previous commissioner did not seem willing to follow through. It was unfortunate. I don’t understand why the Sir Baro- er, I mean the previous commissioner wouldn’t try to keep such a opportunity, but I suppose it couldn’t be helped.”

The Vice-GuildMaster shook his head regretfully. Oi. That slip-up was on purpose, wasn’t it? This halfling really has no intention of letting the Baronet live this one down.

Sir Knight Captain laughed. Hm? Is it just me or does he have kind of a strange tension building up?

“Well, for it to give me such an opportunity to purchase swords made by a Master’s forge, I am grateful. It is usually unheard of for so many masterworked swords to be sold in a set.”

The entire time Sir Knight Captain’s been speaking, his eyes have been glued to the sword rack.

The Vice-GuildMaster definitely had no problem getting him to want to purchase the swords in case the deal fell through. I bet all the info he had to leak out was, “There’s a commission involving Helward’s forge,” and Sir Knight Captain probably came forward to find out more about it himself.

“So, um, what was the price these swords are going for?”

Even while asking about the price, Sir Knight Captain’s fingers have been twitching, like he wants to try out the swords.

“200,000 ecrue a piece.”

Eeeeeh... I’m sure my face showed my surprise, but I couldn’t help it. I can’t believe Dobin – are all merchants like this?

Sir Knight Captain didn’t notice anything wrong. His mouth was wide open.

The Vice-GuildMaster calculatingly tilted his head.

“Is there a problem?’

“No, no! I was just surprised at such a low price!”

Sir Knight Captain regains himself quickly and says that real fast. Is he afraid that he’ll lose the deal? Sorry, an honest man like yourself is being played by a devilish halfling.

“Ah ... well, even if the price is low, well ... you won’t mind if I appraise the swords myself?”

Oh, Sir Knight Captain’s finally pulled himself together. After all, the price is so low it wouldn’t be strange if there was something wrong with them. It would be stranger if you didn’t worry about being ripped off.

“Go ahead, take your time.”

The Vice-GuildMaster puts on a (false) smile and calmly leans back, crossing his legs.

Sir Knight Captain takes up one of Jetsom’s swords from the rack. His eyes glitter with delight as he looks up and down the length of the sword. Finished looking it over, he suddenly takes a fighting pose and swings it once, twice, three times.

“Hah... this truly is a sword that came from Helward’s forge. Other swords just can’t compare ...”

I glance over at Jetsom. Though his face doesn’t show it, I can tell he’s very happy that his sword is being praised.

How?

... Jetsom, your tail is wagging slightly.

With a satisfied smile, Sir Knight Captain slowly replaces the sword, but as he’s withdrawing his hand he stops. Something flashes through his eyes; anger or confusion? He reaches for another sword.

“There are swords with a different mark. Why is tha-“

The Vice-GuildMaster stiffens a little, but he keeps up his carefree facade.

“Due to the unreasonableness of the previous commissioner, the smiths at Helward’s forge enlisted the aid of a traveling Master Bladesmith.”

Like I said, who’s this Master Bladesmith! I tensely retorted that in my mind, but I too am worried. What’s going to happen ...?

?

Everyone in the room is now looking at Sir Knight Captain. He hasn’t said anything after that. No, forget about not saying anything, isn’t he just standing there, frozen?

He finally moves, removing the sword from the rack and giving it a swing without even taking a stance.

Now he’s channeling magic through it.

What is he doing? I can’t read his face.

Sir Knight Captain lets out a breath, cutting off the magic and dispersing it from the sword.

“The magic flow is smooth, even if it’s a patterned steel .... Sevin, draw your sword and hold it out with both hands.”

Sir Knight Captain orders his subordinate in a shaky voice.

Clearly confused, his subordinate does as he’s asked, holding the sword straight out in front of him at mid-level, level with the ground.

Sir Knight Captain takes a stance then ...

“Hah!”

With a yell, he swings and –

Zu’baa!

– bisects his subordinate’s sword.

The terrified subordinate aside, the Vice-GuildMaster has half-risen from his chair and Ossan and Jetsom have visibly tensed at the unexpected action.

“Magnificent ...”

Sir Knight Captain’s voice leaks out as he holds the sword up to his gaze, hands trembling a little. Suddenly, his eyes land on me.

“You, were you the one who forged this flower blade?”

Oh?

“How could you tell?”

“You were the only one who wasn’t surprised at the result from cutting the other sword.”

“No, I’m plenty surprised. Even if a sword has the potential to cut through steel, without the corresponding ability it’s impossible after all.”

Or like, there’s someone who can actually cut through steel?! I’ve read too much manga and watched too many movies and anime, though, so maybe that’s why I didn’t react as much. After watching and reading all those stories, you start believing that those types of things are actually possible somewhere...

I’ll admit I was biased against him at first, since he had minor nobility, but my opinion on Sir Knight Captain has now been greatly improved. At least, as a swordsman he must be one of a grade far above the average. Not only are his skills like some legendary swordsman, he is well-versed in the quality of swords. After all, if you don’t become at least somewhat knowledgeable about the tools of your trade, you’ll have a difficult time in a pinch. As expected of a man who gained his title with his own abilities.

“Even if it was because you were appraising it, to do such a thing with unpurchased merchandise is a bit ...”

The Vice-GuildMaster’s voice cuts disapprovingly through our discussion.

“My apologies. May I ask how many of each sword there are?”

“13 with Helward’s mark, and 12 with the flower mark.”

“I see. And the price is 200,000 ecrue, correct?”

“Yes.”

Sir Knight Captain smiles, though he seems to be trying to control himself.

“The Carnus Militia will certainly purchase them!”

There are a lot of MCs that get their Best Weapons Right Away. Well, there are a lot of MCs who Start out with “a” Weapon. And Skills. And an Explanation for what’s Going on.

612,000 ecrue.

That is the unexpectedly large amount Inventory’s <Wallet> function has been stuffed with.

After Sir Knight Captain happily completed the sword purchase contract and left, the Vice-GuildMaster and Ossan squabbled over the price that was to be paid to us.

“You sold them at a higher price than expected; isn’t that a reflection of the quality of our goods?”

And

“Hmph, I was enterprising enough to manage it, so the profit is the Guild’s.”

And the like. Well, I’ll leave the rest of the negotiation to your imagination.

In the end, they split the unexpected profit and we were paid 170,000 ecrue per sword.  As I had promised before, I only took 30% for my swords. Ossan and Jetsom seemed like they were going to push a little more on me, but it was the agreement we had reached before.

Though they said that they only made such a hasty agreement due to the time constraint ... well, I won’t hear any more of it.

Ossan sighs a bit.

“That Dobin ... if he had discussed it with us, we probably could have sold them at 300,000 ecrue, and it would still be a great discount for the buyer.”

Ahahaha....

We leave the Guild’s meeting rooms and head out through the lobby. This is where I came to register as an Adventurer.

“Oh, hey, since this was a commission ... there’s no way I can add it to my card, huh?”

They kept using the words “commission” and “commissioner”, but it’s not really an adventuring request. Well it’s worth just asking at least, right?

“Ah, no, sorry. The commission is for ‘Helward’s Forge’ this time.”

Is what Jetsom said, but Ossan strokes his short beard thoughtfully.

“That’s true, but it might not be a bad idea for Jou-chan to get registered at the Guild for being a Craftsman as well as an Adventurer.”

“Eh? What’s the difference? No, I mean I get the difference... What’s the benefit in doing that?”

“Craftsmen get special services ... is what I’d like to say, but not really. The main reason to register as a Craftsman is so that the Guild is aware of you being a Craftsman. For craft-type commissions, a maker or rank of maker is specified and the Guild acts as an agent in enlisting the Craftsman for the commissioner. And for Jou-chan, I think it would be better to register sooner.”

“...Hah...”

Is there really a need to hurry? I’m pretty unknown, you know. Or like, there won’t be many people who will be happy to hire a female smith without any merit to her name. But Ossan seems to have a better head for this type of thing than I do, so I suppose it would be best to follow what he says, huh ...

Taking my “hah” as an agreement, Ossan leads me to the front desk.

It’s not the same receptionist as before.

“Yo, Nel, can you register this Adventurer as a Craftsman? She’s a bladesmith, just so you know.”

“Hm? Oh, Gustav-san. Alright, I can do that, but she’ll have to go through an appraisal you know.”

The receptionist oneesan holds out her hand so I give her my Guild Card.

She places it in a strange, shallow tool that lights up when the Guild Card was inserted.

While we’re waiting, Ossan asks,

“Hm... how long will that take? The appraisal?”

“Let’s see... With Helward missing, the other Master Weapons Appraiser, Pulman-jiji, won’t be available for two days. Would it be ok if we called you back for that? If that wait isn’t ok, we can find someone else, but the appraisal won’t be able to award ranks B and above.”

“How about it, Jou-chan?”

Hm... well I don’t really have any pressing worries about this.

“It’s fine isn’t it? To wait, I mean.”

“Oka~y. Added the Craftsman identification but left the rank blank. Please come back in two days on the Day of Fire, in the morning, to be appraised and for the rank update. Also, please confirm the correct information is on the card.”

The receptionist pulled the card back out and handed it to me.

Ah, what was it again ...

“『Guild Card: Activate』.”

—

Name: Jun    Race: Human

Age: 200      Gender: Female

Rank: C Class

Craftsman Rank: -tbd-

Current Requests:

Special:

—

I find out later that the cards for Adventurer and Craftsman are different colors. My card, being the dark grey metal, says that my primary job is an Adventurer, but I can also do work for craftsmen according to rank.

The Craftsman card is a light silver metal. Adventurer can be added to it, but then the card-carrier would be considered to have a primary job of Craftsman.

The only other job the Guild backs is Merchant, with a bronze-colored card. It’s not necessary to have a Merchant card to sell items or set up shop in general, and there aren’t that many people who have them. Most people who bother getting these cards are like the traveling merchant I first met, Kali. They’re the people who make a living selling others’ items.

The Guild only acts as a middle man between commissioners and the ones who take the commissions, so they don’t make the job categories more specific like Hunter, or Scout, or Beastmaster as they do in games.

Adventurers often take jobs that don’t matter who takes them as long as they’re fulfilled. They take the jobs that suit their expertise, whether it’s hunting for monster materials, gathering information, exploring, etc. In other words, Adventurers are the jack-of-all-trades, and nobody really cares exactly what you do as long as you can finish your job. Though there are various small exceptions, with regards to Adventurers, the Guild does very little other than making sure commissions are displayed and that finished commissions get to their commissioners.

The Guild lists Craftsman as a separate job because of the difference in which commission are handled. Commissioners usually have specifications for Craftsman Commissions. The fee to make a commission for a Craftsman is larger because the Guild must sort through their data and solicit the Craftsmen themselves. The Guild also takes a larger risk, because they assure the quality of the Craftsman according to the commission. That’s why an appraisal is necessary of the Craftsman’s skills when they register.

Merchant is treated the most differently of the bunch, and Merchant Cards are the most difficult to get. Tons of references, strict observation, submitting reports every moon phase on what you’ve sold, to whom, and where ... there’s a lot of stuff that’s left unsaid about Guild backed Merchants. All that I really understand is that there’s a lot of risk with the Merchant Card, both for the Merchant and for the Guild.

Anyway, after I confirm my Card and thank the receptionist onee-san, I catch sight of a familiar person walking briskly across the lobby.

He looks like he’s pulled a few all-nighters, but it’s Lor crossing the Guild’s lobby area.

That’s right, I had a few questions about fire magic and stuff.

“Ah, Lor!”

I wave him down.

Uwaaa ... his eyes are kind of bloodshot, aren’t they?

“Oh, it’s Jun. What is it? Did you need anything from the Guild? I’m just temporary staff right now, but if I can help ...”

“That’s, I had a few things ... um, before that, are you alright?”

Lor stifles a yawn.

“Yeah, I’m good. So?”

“Um, yes, well some things have happened and I’ve had Craftsman added to my Guild Card.”

“Heh...”

I feel a bit bad for asking, but

“Um, Lor, it’s not pressing or anything, but I had some things about magic that I was wondering about, but ... um. Is there a good time for you?”

“Let’s see ... I’m a bit busy now, but tomorrow around the Returning Watch I should be fine.”

... Will you really be ok? You’re counting in time to sleep, right?

Watching him walk off, well, kind of wobble off, I paid the fee to update my Guild Card (just 800 ecrue this time) and left with Jetsom and Ossan.

“So you know magic as well. Was that one of the Adventurers you came to the city with?”

Jetsom asked.

“Ah, yeah. He helped me out a lot.”

That’s not untrue. He taught me what was mostly common sense.

“Heh ... so you know the Learned Wizard. In this city, he’s considered the magic encyclopedia. The Guild often seems to want to work him to death because of his expertise. He’s mostly interested in medicines, so I’m sure Dobin-san’s been taking advantage of that, with the lab space they rent out to him in the back of the Guild Hall.”

Uwaah. If the Vice-GuildMaster has his sights on him, then I guess Lor’s sleep-deprived state is to be expected.

“That Dobin ...”

Ossan said, sighing again.

“Those swords were worth at least 500,000 ecrue.”

Ah ... Ossan can’t let it go. He has a merchant’s spirit too, huh.

Frankly, I’m satisfied with the amount I got. From the beginning, the greatest amount I’ve ever had was 30,000 ecrue, so 612,000 ecrue is quite the windfall. I can now prepare to go into the Labyrinth-!

Speaking of which ...

“Um... Ossan, Jetsom ... now that we’re done with the shipment ...”

“Oh, that’s right, that’s right! According to the agreement, we need to start teaching Jou-chan about magic and enchanted ores!”

...! Not that-! No, I mean, that too, but ... I can tell I’m making a complicated face, but I can’t help it.

Ossan laughs hard.

“Just kidding. Jou-chan wants to forge that sword from her country badly, right?”

Yes, that! I nod wordlessly.

Jetsom grins and adds,

“I’m curious too, what kind of sword it is.”

“Well, let’s go back then.”

It’s all I can do to keep from skipping there.

Aah, I definitely caught it. Grandfather’s disease for katana.

◇◇◇

I’m slowly choosing bits of steel that has been refined once. Though they offered me ingots that have already been prepared, since this is a katana, I can’t have that.

Of course I wish I could have tamahagane, the steel made from iron sand that they only sell to reputable sword smiths in Japan, but even I understand that it’s just because I want to imitate the Japanese masters.

Strictly speaking, it wouldn’t make a huge difference. Actually, tamahagane is only REALLY still used as a dedication to the ways of Ancient Japanese swordsmithing. Some modern steels are getting popular to be used in katana smithing.

Even so ... tamahagane ... Ah... one day I want to try smelting my own.

But right now it’s all about the sword.

I have to be careful choosing the steel pieces I will be using in my folded steels for this katana. I’m concentrating ... a little too hard on this task, if the side-glances from the apprentices in the forge are any indication.

As I begin to hammer and fold the metal, a strange sensation suddenly surges through me. Almost before I knew it, the presences of everyone else in the forge had disappeared.

It feels like the metal is singing to me, flowing through my head and echoing through my core. A strange ringing seems to shake through my skull.

Shin. The heart of the sword.

Kawa. The skin of the sword.

Without one there is no strength. Without the other there is no resilience.

Should you fail with one, or the other, all essence will be lost.

Through repeated adversity shall their steel both be forged:

Shingane. Kawagane.

Combine the two, as inside and outside is one.

Shape it, straight as the pride of its soul.

The tip pierces as the herald of keenness.

Without the trial of heat it shall not become.

Though overheating is but meaningless torment.

From fire to water will the shape give.

While earth will the sharpness protect.

Come into being.

...Hah!

Eh?

What time is it now?

I’m not sure how long I’ve been at it. But, well, the forge is dark except for my forge.

My mind feels a bit hazy. This time the Craftsman’s Trance was a little stronger than usual ...  I sat back on my heels.

I’m tired. I haven’t been this tired since I first came to this world.

The weight in my hand suddenly jolts me back to reality.

I clean off the blade in my hand, then hold it up.

The light from the forge’s embers glints seductively off the edge.

“Dammit, it isn’t good at all.”

I sigh, turning it this way and that to look at it better.

“No, it’s a katana, but ... hm... it could definitely be better...”

Despite saying those dark words, I can’t help the grin that’s splitting my face.

I mean, this is my first “true blade”, you know? My first katana.

“Hahaha, shit, it really isn’t good at all.”

I laugh a little like I’ve gone mad. There’s this intoxicating feeling in my chest.

... Hah ...

I’m really glad there wasn’t anyone in the forge right then. I kind of lost myself there for a bit.

Taking a deep breath I look at the blade again.

No, it’s not a bad blade, but I’ll need to be careful on the form for next time.

I wasn’t really sure exactly how the blade would curve when I quenched it, so I feel like I got lucky this time. There are a lot of things I will need to reflect on.

It was probably too much to hope I’d be able to forge something on par with Sanjo’s Crescent Moon right away.

No, I get it, but you still kind of hope for it ...

Anyway, it’s still a good katana.

But I swear I can do better!

Squinting carefully at the clock in the forge, it’s ... oh, it’s already past the Midnight Watch?! Arara ... I may have greatly inconvenienced the forge doing this.

As I was thinking that, a rustling sound came from the back of the forge.

Carrying a lantern, Jetsom walked out.

“Oh, I thought the sounds of forging had stopped. How was it?”

“Ah, well ... there’s some merits ... and demerits.”

“It’s hard for me to think that there’s something you can’t make.”

He drew closer, clearly curious.

“Well ... like I said, I’m not a Master Bladesmith in my hometown...”

Jetsom stared at me in disbelief, but took the blade I offered out to him.

Though the light was meager, with just the lantern and the dying fire of the forge, it’s not too hard to tell that it’s definitely not the same as the swords we’d been forging.

“... Ah, I see now. The style of swordplay you’d use with this type of sword would certainly be impossible to mimic with a broadsword.”

He can see that much already, huh ... Well, as a swordsmith you’d naturally know a little bit about swordplay, so it’s not that unexpected.

“Right? It’s not like I refuse to use a different kind of sword, it’s that I can’t really use a different kind of sword.”

“Hm...”

As Jetsom looks it over, he tries to give it a swing. Ah, careful. Because the balance and shape is different, it would be easy to mishandle if you’re used to broadswords. And by mishandle, I mean it’s easy to cut yourself.

While he’s doing that, I cough and meekly say,

“Um ... I’m sorry about going so late into the night.”

“Ah, it’s fine. You helped us out a lot this time, and well ... it was kind of hard to call out to you.”

Apparently I looked like I was possessed when I was forging the katana. ... I want to blame Craftsman’s Trance, but I suspect that it was mostly just me concentrating too hard, so I don’t say anything.

Ahh, it’s not good though, greatly inconveniencing people like this by working over time in a borrowed work place.

◇◇◇

Though I sharpened the naked katana blade, I still want to take the time to polish it properly and show off the hamon pattern from the use of ashes and clay in the heat treatment.

Ah, of course the pattern is suguha, that is, just a straight line. It was too embarrassing to try to make the first blade all fancy when I wasn’t sure what the resulting quality it would be.

But that’s a discussion for another time. The katana’s hilt and handguard will have to wait until tomorrow too. It’s late after all, and I don’t want to keep Jetsom and Pieta, who Jetsom woke up to douse the fire and clean the forge, awake any longer. As it was, it was well past Midnight when I hit the streets, the naked blade by my side simply wrapped in a linen.

Hm? I could have left carrying it to <Inventory>? Well, yeah, but ... ... ... I just want to carry it with me, ok?

Because I’m currently bunking in what can be considered the night-life area of the city, I hadn’t noticed before but the industrial part of the city goes dead at night. I guess it’s because there are only forges and warehouses and that kind of establishment here. Even places like Helward’s forge, where the apprentices and other personnel live in a dormitory out back, have extinguished their lights and are just about motionless by the Midnight Watch bells.

Since laborers have to wake early every day, it’s to be expected that they also turn in early.

The many visitors to the red-light district are probably Adventurers with no set schedule or rich people who like to play around.

So thinking, as I move closer to The Queen Mary’s, the streets get more alive. Light magic stones illuminate the streets where shops are still open. They’re mostly seedy-looking taverns and greasy-looking fried food stalls so far, but as you get closer to the brothels more of the Light magic stones are shaded in red-glass, shining red haloes down on women standing on the streets trying to get your attention.

Hm? I was certainly expecting an increased amount of people as I got closer to the brothels, but isn’t this a bit too many?

No, it’s not necessarily that there are too many people. The fact that they’re all just standing, gathered about, is what’s worrying. And the place they’re gathering around is ...

A bad feeling wells up in the pit of my stomach as I push through the crowd towards The Queen Mary’s.

Whether it’s “Stealing the Dragon’s Treasure” or “Touching the Dragon’s Scale”, You shouldn’t Provoke Dragons

“Stop – Oh, it’s Jun-chan.”

As I make my way to the shop I’m stopped by a few men warding off the on-lookers. They’re a party of Adventurer regulars, 3 Beastkin men who enjoy merry-making with the shop’s girls. They are also members of LeeAnne’s party.

“Jun-chan, what a relief, you’re alright.”

“Hey, you bastard over there, keep moving, mind your own business! Jun-chan, this way.”

I can’t find words to respond to them.

Because half of the front wall of The Queen Mary’s has been reduced to a burning heap.

As Binno leads me into the wrecked shop, I’m finally able to find my voice but only a hoarse “Wha-?” comes out.

Binno shook his head grimly and said what I didn’t want to hear.

“The Dark Wyverns came back.”

My thoughts are running at full force in my head, but I can’t put any words together.

How could this have happened? It’s as if ... no, not as if, they were waiting for a night when I didn’t return to do this. Because I didn’t return in time this happened. This is my fault. No, the Dark Wyverns were lying in wait all this time, so the fact that they attacked the shop isn’t my fault. No, but this time that the shop got attacked, it’s my fault.

It’s my fault. It’s not my fault.

My thoughts spin round and round flip-flopping between guilt and denial.

“It’s not your fault, Jun. We’re actually glad you weren’t here. It was ... impossible.”

Binno’s hushed voice breaks through my daze. When I look, I realize that the 3 men were badly beaten. Beastkin are tough as usual. Even with those wounds they are already back, trying to defend the shop.

“They got some big guys backing them. A Rank at the least, if we’re talking Adventurers. And that Balial the Firebrand was there again.”

It doesn’t matter what he says, the fact remains that they chose to attack the shop because I didn’t make it back in time remains the same.

My stomach clenches as I see the interior of the shop. It’s been completely wrecked, beyond the level of a bar fight. There’s also blood in spots here and there.

I don’t like seeing blood. It means someone bled, and a lot.

Binno notices my look.

“Some of the Adventurers in the shop were trying to put a stop to it, but we were all overwhelmed. The injured are in the back with ... with ... the girls.”

Something about what he says worries me, but I follow the Foxkin into the back of the shop. As we enter the room, Binno says,

“Oh, LeeAnne, you’re back from tailing them?”

The Rabbitkin Adventurer nods grimly. She’s kneeling next to Maryiste.

“Binno-dono. I made it back to their hideout, but I don’t think it’s their main base ...”

I don’t hear the rest of their conversation.

When we entered the room, the stench of blood and gore wafts up. Some men are lying there, staining the sheets red. It’s not an exaggeration to say quite a few of them are close to death.

Near them are some of the girls, wrapped in blankets. They’re covered in bruises and their clothes are torn, and they’re clinging to each other and sobbing.

And next to the men Solyana is laid there, unconscious and wrapped up in bandages.

It was a scene that was hard to stomach.

Before I realize it, I’m grinding my teeth so hard there’s a *girigiri* sound and the grip I had on the katana that was just newly forged tightened until it creaked.

My mind goes white.

-Narrator PoV-

“Where are they?”

It was LeeAnne who first noticed the change in the atmosphere. An Adventurer who acted as a scout, without this high-sensitivity to danger she would not have survived.

The words Jun spoke were heavy with a venomous aura.

“W-what?”

“The Dark Wyverns. You said you were tailing them. Doesn’t that mean you know where they are?”

Jun snapped at her, startling Binno. Though they had only known her for around 2 weeks, it was rare for Jun to raise her voice.

“That ... it’s not like it’s their main hideout, you know? The place I found, I mean. And anyways, it won’t do us any good ...”

“Where are they?!”

Unable to control her anger, Jun roared at LeeAnne.

The Rabbitkin Adventurer trembled under the force of the voice, managing to squeak out,

“The cellar underneath the Sign of the Grey Martin down Rockturn Alley ... ah! Wait! Jun-dono!”

And like that, leaving the voices of the Binno and LeeAnne calling after her behind, Jun darted off into the night.

Jun knew where Rockturn Alley was.

The friendly old woman who sold roasted sweet potatoes had made sure she knew never to go there because there were pickpockets and suspicious people, and though Jun secretly thought that the pickpockets wouldn’t be a problem for her, she had dutifully memorized it every time the old woman forgot that they already had the conversation.

Jun dashed through the streets with a speed fueled by rage. It was a speed where people she passed would stop and wonder what just went by.

She doesn’t even slow down to take the corners. Without even trying to turn, Jun takes the momentum up onto the opposing wall, leaping straight at it and rotating to run along the wall a ways until gravity reasserts itself.  It was like she was a ninja, but instead of the ninja tricks she accomplished it with brute force.

The walls took the full force of the momentum. The next day, jittery townspeople crowded around dented bricks, swapping stories of the loud *Pan!* that echoed through the dark alleys that night every few minutes.

In Japan, for the people who knew Jun, everyone said he was a guy with endless amounts of patience and an almost stupidly naive generosity. A gentle person who didn’t hesitate to act on behalf of others.

But there were some people who knew the side of Jun when he was angry. His family knew of it, but if you had to say who actually KNEW that side of Jun, it would have to be Masaki. Because the best friend gets the job of calming down the situations. He had long given up calming Jun down when he got like this.

When girls coquettishly asked him if Jun was always such a good guy since he never got mad, Masaki could only answer with a half-hearted laugh and say,

“Jun doesn’t really have a lot of things that get him angry, but the things that do should run away as fast as possible.”

Jun doesn’t slowly get angry. Irritation and things that make him upset won’t pile up to make anger. Either he’s angry, or he’s not.

As long as he can endure Jun can make his decisions logically, adhering to his code of morals, and making the decisions that suit his objectives best. Because he can still think logically, there isn’t much that can make Jun break that cool-headedness. And so, Jun rarely gets angry.

But right now, Jun is angry. Right now, Jun has no self-control.

Rage is truly the only way to describe Jun’s current state of mind. She’s completely lost her impulse-control, and Jun’s mind is only focused on rampaging. Unable to factor in strategies, consequences, and alternatives, Jun is only out to destroy her enemies. Even allies who stand in her way will be harshly dealt with.

Masaki’s received the brute end of Jun’s fist once, and that was enough for him. After that, Masaki devoted himself to talking the situation down, mostly by convincing the other party to leave. Though the burst of rage was usually short, Jun could do a lot of damage if his target got in range. To tell the truth, in Japan, even on the rare occasion when he lost himself, Jun still managed to cling to a shred of sense that kept him out of the police stations. Inanimate objects were usually the ones that suffered from Jun’s rage. And Jun’s own broken knuckles did as well.

But right now, the civil laws of Japan no longer apply, Masaki isn’t around, and the current Jun is far deadlier. She’s stronger, faster, and has magic that molds itself to her will.

And right now, Jun’s rage has never been greater.

The door to the sub-basement underneath the sign with a purple bird painted on it was no match for Jun. No, that’s not an accurate description.

The door to the sub-basement underneath the sign with a grey bird painted on it was kicked in with a force that burst it into 3 splintered pieces and sent it flying so that it became embedded into the opposite wall. Along the way, several unfortunate men got caught in the explosion of wood and iron.

There were a lot of men crowded in the small sub-basement apartment, but the Jun right now didn’t care about numbers.

“Which one of you put your filthy hands on those girls?”

Jun spits out the question like she’s cursing. It’s a voice that those who knew Jun wouldn’t believe came from her.

“Those girls? ... Ah ...”

The suddenness of the situation rendered the ruffians of the Dark Wyverns unable to comprehend the question, but they soon understood.

With a sneer, one of the men replied.

“The Mary’s girls? Hahaha, which ones of us didn’t? Those @#$!es were just right for the picking, you know? Especially that ...”

“So ... All of you, then.”

Jun cut him off roughly. With slow, deliberate movements that radiated a murderous aura, Jun released her newly forged partner from its linen wrap.

Too late, a chill crept up the spines of the men in the room.

In the next moment, before they could do anything else, a typhoon tore through the room.

Perhaps you’d think that these men should have noticed it from how she kicked the door in, but though they saw how the door flew through the air they still couldn’t connect it with the slender girl in front of them. They still tried to fight back.

It was laughable.

Before they could un-sheathe their weapons Jun had cleaved through two men.

They couldn’t even see her sword-strikes.

What Jun doesn’t know is that these men are the Dark Wyverns, a cowardly group of men who like to swagger under borrowed strength and do as they please. In other words, they’re grunts. The A-rank-equivalent men are not part of the Dark Wyverns. They’re part of a much larger organization. It was this organization that was actually tormenting The Queen Mary’s through the Dark Wyverns. At least, at the beginning.

But Maryiste made the mistake of assuming her opponents were the Dark Wyverns, based on the information that LeeAnne had gathered for her, and hired Jun to deter them. Jun even easily thwarted Balial, a former B-Rank Adventurer, who the organization had lent out to the Dark Wyverns to increase the threat. There was no way the organization would let that stand, and that is how this situation came about. Who was at fault for this turn of events? There’s no point in trying to point fingers anymore.

Though the people from that organization were the ones who ruined the shop and destroyed the few Adventurers who tried to stop them, for what its worth, the ones who carry the blame for what angered Jun the most are the Dark Wyverns. When the people from the organization left with a “Do as you wish,” the Dark Wyverns, crude men who were drunk on strength that wasn’t their own, were the ones that put their hands on The Queen Mary’s girls and even threw Solyana into the bar as she tried to stop them.

To tell the truth, for the Jun in her current state, it doesn’t matter whether they were the main perpetrators or whatever. She was set on wiping the entire group out; these guys just happened to be first up.

And they’re a pitiful group.

For Jun, these men who would rank the lowest, at F-Rank, on a good day were no match for her. Rather than fighting, it was a one-sided massacre. Her biggest inconvenience was, surprisingly, her sword.

With no hilt or ornaments, it was difficult to keep hold of the tang. It was simply too slim.

Gritting her teeth with a grimace that terrified the people who looked at her, Jun roughly tore the linen she wrapped the blade in and wound the scrap around the tang. She had to grip it quite tightly in order to keep it from sliding, but the added width helped greatly.

Of course her victims thought to take advantage of the moment when she was distracted, but they were met with fierce kicks and thrown elbows that sent them flying into the opposing walls.

To tell the truth, those were the unluckiest ones. With Jun’s heavy kicks and elbow jabs, being slashed by the sword might have hurt less. At the least, it broke fewer bones.

Without their tough A-Rank support, it didn’t take the Dark Wyverns stationed here to throw their pride out the window and try to flee. In the end, of the roughly 30-some men, 7 managed to flee the carnage. Only 4 of the men who remained inside survived.

No wait, there were 5.

Engulfed in rage as she was, Jun didn’t notice him, but even if she had been level-headed there was a good chance she wouldn’t have noticed him anyway.

There was a man who, as soon as the door was kicked in, immediately sensed danger and hid in the shadows. He stayed hidden for a bit to see how events unfolded, and then he remained hidden because he decided it was the best damn idea in the whirlwind of violence going on.

He wanted to find out what she was doing here but, forget about being able to safely approach her, his hiding spot was going to be engulfed in the bloody brawl soon.

“Hm...”

After surveying his options the man came to his decision, laid down, and proceeded to play dead.

-Jun’s PoV-

When I finally calmed down I found myself in a sea of blood.

Urgh.

I feel a little nauseous. This scene is the perfect example of going to far. There’s little doubt that I’ve killed someone tonight.

Once you cross the line, you become able to kill someone; no, life is not like the fantasy stories.

I have no doubt that I will be unable to kill a person when I’m in my right mind. That’s how I feel right now. If you ask me if it’s because of the morals I learned in Japan, I can’t answer that. I just know that I, personally, don’t want to get used to killing a person. That’s what my gut is telling me as I look at the dead eyes of the man lying in front of me.

But really, killing a human or whatever, what’s affecting me the most is the blood. I ... don’t like the sight of large amounts of blood. It turns my stomach and makes my hands clammy.

And this ... this is a lot of blood.

With this much, it’s not just the sight. A musty, metallic, and somehow wet smell that clogs your nose and sticks in the back of your throat is there too.

I ...

I really don’t like blood.

As I crouch on the spot, hey, didn’t I have Augment Mind? Isn’t it supposed to be for this type of situation?

Swallowing hard I try to use it, but I still can’t get rid of this nauseating queasiness.

This ... this could be a problem. I cheerfully thought that I’d be an Adventurer and go around killing monsters and what not, but ... Compared to the problem of whether to kill or not kill a person, this problem of being weak to the sight of blood is something I’ll definitely have to overcome. I have no choice but to overcome it.

“So, um ... hey.”

!!!!

When did this person get behind me?!

With a quick turn I slash at the person who had appeared behind me before I had noticed it.

Clang!

...!

The hooded man smoothly parried my sword strike? This is a speed that most people wouldn’t be able to see, you know?

Immediately after I slashed out, I returned the sword to my side in a position as if I was re-sheathing it and take up an Iai stance. Even though a foreigner who’s never seen a katana before should assume this to be an inconvenient position to attack from, the man immediately leapt back several steps.

I see. The sword he’s using is a curved double-edged blade with a flare-clipped tip. It’s a falchion. Well, kind of. It’s broader, and about 70% shorter than the average falchion I’d seen in the other world.

...Hm? Even when I purposefully look at a puddle of blood on the ground, the queasiness doesn’t return. I can feel myself using magic power as well. It seems I’ve finally succeeded in using Augment Mind.

Oh, I see, it’s easier to use Augment Mind if I focus on something else. Or like, rather than something that can reduce my negative emotions, it’s something that can enhance my concentration.

After leaping back, the man continues to take his distance until he’s fully out of sword-strike range; his steps are light and he almost looks like he’s dancing.

Tch. He has good instincts and good martial techniques. Is he one of the A-Rank-equivalent guys with the Dark Wyverns?

Completely different from my expectations, the man takes his distance and ... holds his hands up. He holds his sword loosely in his right with the blade pointing away from him and me. No matter how you look at it, this is not a fighting stance at all.

“Hey hey, hang on. I just wanted to confirm something. Did the Guild send you?”

I narrow my eyes a little.

“The Guild?”

“No then? I see, it would have been weird for them to double-book on a request like this.”

I don’t let my guard down, but I’m getting the feeling that this guy isn’t one of the Dark Wyverns.

He continues to ask questions.

“Then, are you here for a reconnaissance request ... no way that’s true. Let’s see ... are you here about the slaves? Or some other kind of commission?”

I sigh. It’s not like I’m completely counting him out as a potential attacker, but with the way things are going my adrenaline rush is wearing off and I’m starting to feel tired again. This candid question-answer session in a middle of a sea of blood ... it’s kind of surreal.

“I’m not really sure what you’re talking about with slaves, but I’m here for my own reasons. I’m guessing ... you’re not a Dark Wyvern?”

“Hmm ... if I said I was, what would you do?”

“Depends. I’ll fight you if that’s what you’re looking for, but I’ve finished rampaging so I’d like to excuse myself for the night.”

It’s a rampage I’m super embarrassed about now that I have time to reflect over my actions. It’s not just shame either; I’m upset with myself for losing control. This would be the 4th time in my life. I’d like to leave the count under double-digits.

There’s a silence before the man lets out a Pfft! and tries to stifle his laughter. He finally coughs, saying,

“*gohon* Ah ... I really can’t get a good grasp on what your objective here was at all. You come in and tear the place apart, then meekly try to leave without doing anything else. Ah, by the way, you’re right. I’m not one of these guys.”

As he talks he nudges one of the bodies on the floor with his foot.

“I even took the trouble to sneak in for this, but I guess it’s not needed anymore with these guys lining the floor. Aah, it’s itchy.”

The man standing there flips back his hood before removing his brown wig and scratching the back of his head.

It’s completely obvious why he had to wear a wig. Rare for even this world, at least on a young guy like him, is a messy head of light grey hair. And it’s not just hair, his skin is abnormally pale, devoid of color in a different way than a half-Kobold’s skin, and his eyes are an eerie red.

This better not be some ikemen vampire from a girly romance story.

<A/N: Thank you DV for your donation!

I was planning on starting another original story, but since I unexpectedly acquired another WN to translate, I suppose that will be postponed for a while. >

Before a Boss there’s usually a Safe Room to Recover in; Wish that was True in Life

A stupid worry about vampire protagonists popped into my head, but I can’t let it distract me. Although he doesn’t seem like a threat, with the situation as it is, I need to be wary of this guy.

I take a good look at him. His clothes are a dirty, bandit grunt type outfit, but he did say he was trying to infiltrate so I guess I can give him the benefit of the doubt concerning his hygiene. Neither really good-looking nor really bad-looking, the guy in front of me would be an average, normal-looking human man if it weren’t for his coloration.

Rather than the ikemen vampire protagonist, he’d be kind-of good-looking best friend type background character?

I use Analyze on him. This time, I’m unreservedly snooping on someone’s information.

After my rampage, I’m now experiencing a massive load of fatigue. I don’t think I would be able to fend off a sneak attack if he turned out to be an enemy after all.

◤

NAME: Ragnall

TYPE: Human – Male – 235 Moons (conversion: 19 Years)

ANALYSIS: An A-rank Adventurer known for his monstrous strength but lack of most magic capabilities.  Appears to have an abnormality in mana-conversion. Currently based in Nyl City.

ATTEMPTING TITLE ANALYSIS

[NO OFFICIAL TITLES RETURNED]

◣

Huh. Human? I wouldn’t have guessed that. And the thing about magic is ... whatever, not like I understand it anyway. But with this it’s confirmed that he’s an Adventurer at least.

I don’t know if I can write him off as a non-threat even with this, but it was better to use it than not. At the least, it confirmed that he hasn’t blatantly lied about ... um...

... Did we actually exchange any information that I can confirm with this Analysis?

Well, at least now I know what they mean by A-Rank. We didn’t fight seriously or exchange many blows, but this guy is at least on the level of someone who can fight evenly with me. I’m not some martial sage, so unless I get a chance to fight him again I don’t think I’ll know for sure how his abilities compare to mine. But there’s a good possibility he’s stronger, if we’re strictly talking about melee combat.

At the least, the uncertainty I have about whether or not I can beat him in a fight should be telling enough how he is compared to the other Adventurers I have encountered so far.

I break into a bit of a cold sweat as I think about the fact that there were supposed to be several A-Rank-like guys with the Dark Wyverns.

Could this have potentially been the most life-threatening situation I had been in since coming into this world?

It’s ... kind of like a wake up call.

Here, in this room that stinks of blood, people died that easily. If the situation had been just a little different, I could have died that easily.

I wonder if I’ve been treating life in this world too light-heartedly.

I feel like vomiting.

While I’m in a daze, the man, Ragnall, disappeared into the back room of this small half-basement hideout.

I hadn’t even noticed there was a back room; now that I thought about it, there must have been people flooding in from there too. It DID feel like the numbers didn’t go down no matter how many of them I ... cut ... down...

My head suddenly felt extremely light.

“Whooa... hang on there.”

I hear Ragnall’s voice and feel him moving me to sit down near the wall. He tilts my head slightly upwards and instructs me to breathe deeply.

As my vision clears, I see Ragnall looking down at me in concern. I wonder when he returned.

“Ah ... did I perhaps almost faint?”

“Yeah, but you’re handling it well, considering. Hang on- stay seated a bit longer. You’re not dizzy anymore?”

“Yeah, I’m fine now.”

Kind of.

“Is this your first time killing someone?”

Though he asks, Ragnall’s not really asking. He said it with a serious, knowing tone. Well of course, with my panic attack it was pretty obvious.

I can only nod my head.

Letting out a long breath, Ragnall surveys the room before placing his hand gently on my head and patting it.

“Well, this kind of reaction is natural. Just take your time until your breathing calms and you can stand again.”

He stands, then mutters under his breath,

“Well, it might be good to leave this room soon.”

He seems used to taking care of someone in this kind of state. I’m grateful he’s being gentle with me, but I’m also frustrated at it because it emphasizes my uselessness. Didn’t I realize that this kind of thing would happen in this world? Why is it affecting me so badly?

I give a small sigh and say, kind of self-pityingly,

“It seems like I’m not cut out for this kind of thing.”

“Hm... by this kind of thing do you mean fighting? Or killing? Well, if you’re going to get caught up in a brawl like this again, it’d be better if you got your feelings sorted out. Stepping into a fight with half-hearted feelings is going to get yourself killed.”

The words from an A-Rank Adventurer who has had a lot of experiences hold a lot of weight.

I feel my face get hot as I bow my head and meekly follow him out of the room stained with blood. It wasn’t until later that I realized Ragnall never actually said that I should only fight if I was prepared to kill.

I was beginning to feel even more worthless.

But I didn’t really have time to wallow in my negative feelings.

As soon as we stepped out the door, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I immediately dropped into a stance, prepared to draw my sword.

Naturally, Ragnall noticed the presence as well and had a hand tensely on his hilt, unclasping the strap that held his blade in its hilt with a flick of his thumb. He also moved as if to cover me.

Though I can’t say I’m in a good state of mind for a fight, I’m able to defend myself, you know. But I guess there’s no way anyone would be convinced of that after I nearly fainted.

A shadow came down on us from above, accompanied by a swooshing sound as it brought a blade down on the two of us.

Barely bothering to shift into a stance, Ragnall takes the attack with his blade and sends the attacker flying backwards with just the strength in his arms. Monstrous strength indeed.

As he flew through the air, the attacker shot fireballs at us while chanting before he landed, provoking us to leap out of the way.

Of course we leapt in opposite directions; going the same way and tripping over each other wouldn’t just be embarrassing in a dangerous situation like this.

The attacker landed, then stood up casually.

“Just when I thought something might have happened, I come back and find that girl and the Money-Grubber.”

Ah. It’s that fire guy, what’s his name... the one who was with the guys I threw out of The Queen Mary’s that first night.

It took me a second to realize it, but since I’m “that girl”, does that mean Ragnall is “the Money-Grubber”? That’s ... an insult, right? It’s not actually his Famous Name, right?

“Call it ‘being enterprising’ at least.”

Is what Ragnall said cheerfully, tapping the back of his blade against his shoulder. He isn’t feeling insulted in the slightest. He continues, tilting his head at the fire guy.

“So what are you doing here, former B-Rank Adventurer Balil? Ahh, that’s right, I heard you became a babysitter for a group of overgrown children.”

“It’s better than being the lapdog of people who can’t even see what’s right under them.”

“Haha, at least I know I’ll be fed. I wonder if it’s the same in your case?”

... Are they just going to keep insulting each other like this? It’s like watching two cats in a standoff. Well, it seems like Ragnall is actually enjoying the bantering, while Balil just seems reluctant to get into a real fight.

“You greatly underestimate the capabilities of the people I work for. Why don’t you join us? We’ll pay a lot more than that pocket change you’re getting.”

“Haha, I don’t think they could compensate me enough for having to work in the same organization as you.”

“You bastard...”

Ah, as expected, Balil is losing in the word-play. He glowers at Ragnall, then shifts his gaze towards me and asks,

“Then what about you?”

“... What?”

Tch. In the moment I was surprised by the invitation, Balil rushed in.

I couldn’t judge the distance well when I tried to take my distance so I’m pressed up against a wall. Because it’s a disadvantageous situation, Balil takes advantage of it to try to push his offensive.

You’re too naive if you think I’ll just let you – !

I’m worried that I’ll hesitate and show too many openings if I go to cut him down, so I use my blade for parrying and throw an elbow towards his stomach instead. It will be good to get a proper hilt on my blade so I can use the guard and end for blunt attacks.

Balil barely manages to dodge before coming back and slicing his sword at my face. I block it easily, but he’s in a position that makes it easy to press down from above.

Up against a wall with a sword pressing down from above, it’s difficult for me to get into a stance to fight him off with pure strength, but to be honest it’s not really a crisis for me.

It’s just, before I could use Augment Body to throw him off, he leans in over the sword.

His face is too close-!

“I’m not kidding, you know. You should come join us. I’ll ... welcome a woman like you. In more ways than you can imagine.”

... !?

Swish!

He slashes wide on purpose, but Ragnall’s blade-strike succeeds in separating Balil from me, and Ragnall quickly steps between the two of us.

“Oioi, Balil, that’s sexual harassment you know? Sexual Harassment. Ah, well I guess that’s not the worst thing you’ve done since you’ve tossed aside being an Adventurer.”

Though he’s still saying it in a bantering tone, there’s a hint of irritation in Ragnall’s voice.

“Hmph.”

Balil sneers and ignores Ragnall’s provocation, instead staring in my direction. His gaze feels like it’s licking me all over.

My skin is crawling with horror.

“I’ll get them to stop going after those prostitutes, so think about it. [Conceal]!”

With that last exclamation, Balil throws down a clear orb and disappears.

After a moment, Ragnall relaxes.

“Tch. I can’t sense him anymore. He’s gone.”

...

He sheathes his blade, still watching our surroundings carefully.

“Well, I’m not being paid to arrest him or anything, so I guess this result is fine”

...

“And hey, you should just come right out and give that self-absorbed bastard a rejec- Eeeh?! Oi, your face is turning blue! You okay?!”

“Ah ... yeah.”

WHAT. WAS. THAT.

...

AUUUUGH.

I finally un-stiffen and drop into a crouch. No more, I don’t want to deal with this anymore ...

This has seriously been the longest night. I can’t even ... I hide my face by dropping my forehead to my knees and sigh.

The aftershock of intense anger, the nausea from the gore, the fear that I could have died, and the disgust from being hit on; all of it is swirling inside me to a point where my mind feels like it’s shutting down.

Feeling slightly deranged, I laugh quietly non-stop, head still down on my knees. Is this hysteria?

“H-hey, you ok? No, I guess there’s no way you’d be ok after tonight...”

Ragnall’s worried voice breaks me out of the haze, and after a while I manage to calm down.

I take a deep breath.

“Hey, do me a favor and take that guy out will you?”

“... ... ...

...

... HAH?! Oioi, even if he’s completely a bad guy, are you seriously telling me to commit murder here?”

“Yes. Think of it as doing community service.”

“Um, how about no?”

“If it’s you, you have a chance.”

“Yeah, no. I’m not doing any work for free, and even if it’s paid I’m not taking hit requests. Come on, pull yourself togeth- ... Could it be you’ve never been propositioned by a guy before?”

Piku.

I twitch a little. Damn right I’ve never been propositioned by a guy before! Because I was a guy before! Don’t expect ridiculous life experiences from me!

“...Correct. So what?”

I finally lift my head and glare up at Ragnall.

“Ah, no, it’s just kind of hard to believe ... I mean, you’re not my type, but ... Ah, I don’t mean that, I mean, you’re attractive, but I’m more into women who are ...”

Ragnall is suddenly getting flustered. As he speaks his hands start flailing about.

Even if you try to disguise it as a hand gesture, I totally know what you’re thinking when your hands pause at chest level for a second. Because I was a guy too.

No well, since I was a normal high school boy it’s not like I’m immune to the attraction to breasts. Even though I’m indifferent about breasts attached to myself, since I have the chance to be in a female body it did seem a shame that I didn’t have more defined ones ... I mean, if I’m going to be female anyway ...

Ah, but I don’t really know how I’d feel about it if I ACTUALLY had large ones. I’ve heard that the athletic girls back at school complain about them all the time, so maybe I don’t want them after all ...

My mind and its swirling thoughts have completely gone on a weird tangent, but it’s definitely calmed me down. While bantering like this, with Augment Mind going, I can make it a little longer ...

“Ah, I get it, I get it. You’re into ‘well-rounded’ women.”

I say that so Ragnall would stop increasing the amount of gibberish he was saying.

“Ah ... *cough* Um, what were we talking about?”

“How should I know? Your preferences in women.”

“Uh ... oh. Anyway, my preferences aside, I find it impossible to believe that guys haven’t propositioned you before. Your body-style isn’t bad, and you have a really pretty face – Eh? Hold on, I was complementing you though?!”

“... Ah, no, there are various reasons for this...”

I’m sure my complexion got bad again.

◇◇◇

After he was convinced I was alright, Ragnall escorted me to the street in front of the red light district before taking his leave. After raiding the Dark Wyverns’ hide out, though I’m the one who really raided it, he had to return to the Guild.

I, on the other hand, didn’t return to my room in the shop.

That is, I went back the The Queen Mary’s, but I didn’t go inside.

Trying not to be noticed, I climbed onto the roof from the outside.

I don’t know if it’s guilt for not being there for them or if it’s because I didn’t know how to face them after losing my head and massacring a room full of men, but I didn’t want to see the girls and Maryiste. I won’t go in.

But even if that ... guy ... said he’d keep the organization from going after The Queen Mary’s again, that flippant way he said it ... *shudder*

Anyway, I don’t really trust him. There’s no way I wouldn’t at least come back to keep watch.

Sitting on the roof, with nothing to distract myself from my thoughts, the negative feelings I’d been trying to suppress come flooding back down onto me. The self-loathing as I think over my weaknesses is especially strong.

I can’t help but wonder if I’m really going to be able to live here. For the first time since I’ve come into this world, I feel like I want to go home.

This was how my second week in this world ended.

◇◇◇

Extra

Lor’s PoV:

...

...

I lean back from the desk and rub my eyes.

They’re really starting to hurt.

I have been going through documents for days. That slave-driver halfling has me going through translating all sorts of documents, from various bills of sales and contracts to other items from more questionable sources.

All of this work is because I can read more or less fluently in 4 different languages, along with several others that I can manage with great difficulty.

Aside from reading, the language I can speak fluently are Lorwian and Carnish, and I have the skills Translate: Lorwian-Fernetch, Translate: Lorwian-Orrwyn, and Translate: Lorwian-Inourian.

There’s a reason most of the commissions that ask for me by name are translation or scribe related.

My magic and research abilities are being completely ignored. Even my Famous Name “Learned Wizard” is a reference to my abilities to read, write, and translate in this world where just being able to read at all is something that will get you noticed.

I wonder if I’ve made a mistake somewhere in life.

But I can’t find too much fault in the job this time; that slave-driver halfling, or rather, Dobin, is having me trace a smugglers’ group through their paperwork. Not only do they have dealings with different countries, and therefore in different languages, at times they write in code.

It was a simple code in the end, but having to transcribe all these documents from various languages into Lorwian as well as break the code ... I am at my limit.

I’d really like to take a break and get some sleep, but that slave-driv- Dobin is here. He says he has things to do, but I’m certain he’s actually here to ensure I don’t leave until I’m finished.

I don’t understand how that Jun was able to get by with just 3 hours of sleep every night. I am about dead from it.

Florian is here too, but that man is reasonable, unlike Dobin.

As I reluctantly lean forward again to get back to work the door to the office opens.

Ms. Minerva, with her lovely, though severe, looks, holds the door open for the person behind her and announces,

“Florian-sama, Dobin-sama; Ragnall-san has arrived.”

She then bows and leaves, closing the door behind her.

Oh, it’s Ragnall. Pale as always, the reliable-as-long-as-you’re-paying-him Adventurer approached Florian and Dobin’s desks.

If he’s here this late in the night he must have been given a commission directly from the Guild.

“Ah, I’m here about that matter, but ...”

Ragnall glances in my direction. As expected, it’s something confidential.

“I see. Then, if you’ll excuse me...”

Saying so, I stand up quickly in order to leave. Chance! I’ll just use this opportunity to disappear for about an hour ...

“Oh, don’t mind him. Just act like he’s a decorative plant or something.”

... I reluctantly sit back down. Curse you Dobin-!

Florian laughed lightly.

“Haha. Now now, Dobin-kun. Lor is also working on things related to this case, Ragnall. There’s no problem.”

“Oh, that so? Good working with you again, Lor ... ‘tte, oi, are you guys letting him rest properly?”

He’s observant as always, that Ragnall is. Unfortunately, Dobin just dismisses his question with a lazy wave.

“So you came here...?”

“Ah... that’s right. I’m back from raiding the Dark Wyverns. Like you requested, I grabbed all the papers I could find, as well as anything that might be important. There didn’t seem to be all that much, and I’m not sure of the worth of these things, but that’s not my job so I will just hand it all over for now.”

Ragnall handed over a bag lashed tight with a belt. If there are papers, I can say goodbye to most of my day tomorrow then. Ragnall realized it as well, since he’s been shooting apologetic looks over in my direction.

The only person I blame is Dobin. I am running purely on resentment towards that halfling at this moment.

“Good work then, Ragnall. Did you run into any troubles?”

“No, there wasn’t any trouble, technically...”

Ragnall trailed off. Everyone looked up at him as he hesitated a moment before continuing.

“That is ... how should I say it ... when I got to the place, it was already being raided? A girl, using a weird sword and all by herself, came in and completely wiped them out.”

“Completely wiped them out you say? What do you mean?”

Florian’s usual easy-going look disappeared as he leans forward and questions Ragnall.

“I mean the Dark Wyverns don’t exist anymore after tonight.”

Lone girl? When I hear that, for some reason a certain someone’s face popped into my head. No, it can’t be, haha.

...

I can’t even begin to try to convince myself that Jun isn’t involved.

“So you say, but won’t someone else become the leader tomorrow?”

Dobin says it carelessly, but he’s right. A group like that can be harder to exterminate than cockroaches. In this case, one would be more worried that they’d take revenge.

“Impossible. I can’t imagine more than 10 people survived tonight.”

At Ragnall’s words, time seems to stop for a moment in the room.

WHAT.

“... Even though they’re still a small group, there should have been over 50 people.”

Florian was the first to recover.

“Even so.”

“... Dead?”

“As you guessed.”

“One girl, by herself? Who was she?”

“She was ... eh? Um... I might have forgotten to ask her name. The situation was a bit traumatic for her, so ...”

Traumatic for her?! No, I can see that. Despite her ridiculous abilities that girl is really gentle at heart.

“Is she alright?!”

I half rise in my seat and say that a little too loud.

3 piercing pairs of eyes are directed at me.

“Do you know her?”

Florian asks, staring at me seriously.

“... I have my suspicions, but I’m not certain. Did she have dark hair to here, half pulled back?”

I gesture towards my shoulders while I ask Ragnall about the girl he ran into tonight. It might not be that noticeable because of the other races in the city, but hair that dark is rare on humans in this area.

“That’s right! A real pretty girl on the slim side. So you do know her then, Lor?”

“So it seems. Her name is Jun, and she’s a recently registered C-Rank Adventurer.”

There’s no point to hiding that information. If they know her name the Guild can do a search on their system and find it all out. This isn’t staying inconspicuous, Jun!

To my surprise, Dobin seems startled at my response, half rising in his chair.

“Wait, a pretty girl with dark hair half-pulled back ... and a strange sword? She’s an Adventurer, not a Craftsman?”

“Eh?”

“Huh?”

Both Ragnall and I are confused.

Though now that Dobin mentions it, I feel like Jun told me she was or wasn’t adding Craftsman to her Guild Card? The past few days have been a bit fuzzy; I can’t remember exactly what was said.

Dobin rubs his chin.

“No no, I might be mistaken, it’s nothing.”

Florian, who has been watching quietly this entire time, folds his hands in front of him on his desk before he speaks.

“If she’s gotten this far involved, it would be dangerous for this case to let her go on without the Guild monitoring her movements, wouldn’t it?”

Dobin snorts.

“And your true intentions?”

“It would be a waste of a promising talent if we let something like this get to her.”

Florian replies like that, and then fixes his eyes on me.

“So Lor, what are you doing tomorrow?”

I only look down and gesture at the papers on my desk. I suspect it’s wiser not to mention that I made an appointment with Jun, but I also suspect that in the end it won’t matter.

As I expected, Florian smiles and says,

“Go and get some sleep. There’s something else I’d like you to do tomorrow.”

Sometimes, even if the Situation doesn’t Change, just Changing your Outlook is Enough

Dawn is finally here.

Well, I say that but it’s only been a few hours since I had returned from my berserk rampage.

I’m not sure if it’s because of my mood, but the chilly morning mist seems to reach my bones as I drop silently from the roof of The Queen Mary’s.  The sun hasn’t reached the depths of the streets yet.

Thanks to my cowardice I couldn’t bring myself to go in and face them last night, but now I feel horrible for not checking in on the girls and Maryiste-san. I don’t even know if anyone has been very badly injured ... or worse.

The gaping hole in the wall has been covered with sheets tacked up inside, but this will definitely need to be fixed before the next rain. I go to the side and try to enter through the employee door.

I had planned to sneak in quietly to see how they’re doing before sneaking back out, but ...

As I tried to so~ftly close the door, there’s a presence behind me.

I turn quickly to find ...

A very stern-looking Maryiste-san.

Though my heart is quivering like a puppy that knows it’s done something wrong, I try to pull myself together. If I keep this act of avoiding them, I’ll end up cutting my ties with these people. That, I don’t want. I might as well bite down and bear the blame.

... Maryiste-san, the silence is too long. I can’t take it!

As if responding to the cry of anguish in my heart, Maryiste-san breathed out a long sigh. With that her expression softened, and she said,

“If you were alright, Jun, you should have come back.”

Ah, something inside me broke down.

What was it, something about Maryiste-san looking like that, it somehow reminded me of a time when Grandma, looking at the mess Masaki and I made when we tumbled from the roof and destroyed her precious flowerbed, controlled her emotions and said, “At least the two of you aren’t hurt.”

Like that, I cried. Even though I haven’t cried in years, right now, I cried.

Maryiste gently pulled me into a hug, and I cried into her chest.

When I had calmed down some, Maryiste began talking.

“There’s no need to blame yourself, Jun.  I think, even if you were here at that time, it wouldn’t have changed the result, except that you might have gotten badly injured. If we had been fighting just the Dark Wyverns we might have been alright, but we didn’t know we were fighting a larger group supporting them. If it was like this, we’re all lucky we got away with our lives.”

“... But I couldn’t do anything.”

Feeling embarrassed now that I had let out all my emotions, I mumble that into Maryiste-san’s shoulder.

Maryiste pulled me away at arms length, looking me dead in the eye.

“Don’t get us wrong, Jun. We asked you to be a guard, but somewhere along the way you’ve become like a little sister to those girls. If you had gotten yourself hurt for them, I don’t think they could have stood back up after this attack. To me as well, you’re not just a guard anymore. Jun, remember, there are people here that will worry for you.”

Now that we both had calmed down, though I’m still not satisfied that she wasn’t angrier at me, I listened as Maryiste-san told me what had happened.

At first, it was the Dark Wyverns, acting aggressive as usual, but they had brought along people that Maryiste-san had immediately not liked the looks of. It was these people that proposed Maryiste submit The Queen Mary’s to them so that they could do business. When she told me about this, Maryiste had a troubled look on her face. I don’t interrupt her to ask about what the business those people wanted to do was, but I mentally note it to ask later.

When Maryiste refused, the men blew the hole in the wall and attacked the customers as a threat. The stalwart Adventurer customers couldn’t do anything. When those men left, the Dark Wyverns put their hands on the girls.

I felt sick to my stomach when I heard about that. I don’t care if you say they do that kind of thing all the time as a job. Thinking about those men enjoying forcing resisting women; I hate it.

Maryiste tells me that it didn’t last long, though. LeeAnne’s Adventurer Beastkin party members recovered enough from their wounds from the unknown men and managed to drive the Dark Wyverns out before too much damage was done.

GJ trio Beastkin Adventurers. I think their party name was “South Wind” or something like that.

“In the end, the Dark Wyverns were easily beat back and the girls are recovering quickly, but the damage to the shop ...”

Maryiste looks around. Probably, it’s not just the damage to the shop and the girls she’s worried about. Their customers will also probably drop for a while because of this incident.

“As if attacks from trash like that could do anything. It neither hurts nor itches.”

As Mariste-san falls silent, Solyana emerges from the back. She has a bit of a limp and her head and arms are all bandaged, but her face is determined as usual. She may be forcing herself to ignore her pain, but Solyana is indeed already recovered to this degree.

“Solyana, you shouldn’t be up and moving around yet... Oh, it’s Jun-chan!”

“There’s no reason for me to be lying down, so why shouldn’t I be up?”

Jarna, a half-elven girl that the customers praise for her listless beauty, came running out chasing after Solyana, but when she saw me, her syrupy voice brought all the other girls out from the back and down from the living quarters even as Solyana retorted at her.

“Jun-chan! Where have you been?!”

“We were so worried, do you know how worried we were?”

“Mou, come back if you’re alright!”

Without a word of blame, the girls showered me with questions while scolding me. And ...

“Jun-chaaaaaaaaaaan!!!!”

Oof! As expected, even though she’s bruised and battered all over, Erina-sama’s tackle hasn’t lost any of its force.

*surisurisuri*

As she rubs up against me, she cries,

“I waf fo wowwieeeeed!”

‘I was so worried,’ I guess?

“Um, I’m fine, Erina-sama, so ...”

“Nu-uh, this is your punishment for making us all worried!”

“Oh, good idea!”

“Yeah, take this Jun-chan!”

Uwaaah! It’s touching, they’re all touching! The girls enjoying messing with my nervousness towards their skinship on a regular day, but today they’re going beyond their usual! But, I feel like I don’t have any choice but to put up with it.

It’s already good that they’re so lively. Women are strong!

*Pan!*

The front door bangs open, startling all of us as the familiar figure of LeeAnne rushes in. The three Beastkin men aren’t here with her today. Those sturdy men are probably sleeping off their wounds.

“Maryiste, is Jun-dono here?!”

Ah, she stops when she sees the giant pile of girls. The girls reluctantly pull themselves away from me, and when I’m visible, LeeAnne breathes a sigh of relief before she starts talking to me. A-are? I’m sensing a hint of anger. Ah, was it because I yelled at her last night? I vaguely remember doing that.

“Jun-dono, what on earth did you do last night after you left? Right now, everyone’s talking about how the Dark Wyvern’s were completely wiped out!”

*piku*

Ah ... uhoh. If they were already this upset with me for not returning right away, I’m not really sure what they’ll do when this comes to light... How did LeeAnne already know all about it?! And what do you mean everyone’s talking about it?! It just happened a few hours ago!

*gi gi gi*

All of The Queen Mary’s girls’ heads turn creakily to look in my direction.

“Jun... what ...”

“Don’t tell me ...”

“Hey, you didn’t...”

With a stiff smile on my face and a cold sweat breaking out, I’ve already seated myself in seiza before they had finished turning. It’s really hard to meet their eyes right now.

Ano, Onee-sans, the looks on your faces right now are a little scary ...

“Um...”

I fidget a little, then suddenly prostrate myself with a dogeza.

“I’m very sorry, I have gone and done something rash!”

“”” It really was you!”””

The girls and Maryiste explode.

“Jun-chan, what are you thinking?!”

“Hey, what are we supposed to do if you get hurt?!”

“Don’t you ever sneak off and do something like that again!”

“Even if you care about us this much, don’t think we won’t be angry!”

One by one the girls scold me. On one hand they seem happy that I would go that far for them, but it’s greatly outweighed by the livid anger they have towards my reckless behavior. Even though they’ve only known me a little over a week.

Remaining in the dogeza posture, with my forehead to the ground, I can’t help grinning like an idiot while my face is hidden. That I also shed a few tears is a secret.

Ah, I don’t want good people like these to go through something like this again.

◇◇◇

Though I haven’t slept, I feel refreshed. Having sorted out my feelings, I understand I can’t stay the same as I have been. Just childishly doing whatever I want without understanding the world I’m in; there’s no way I haven’t been treating this world like a game.

For both my sake and the sakes of the people who will worry about me, I have to start living seriously in this world.

I’m not really sure exactly how to go about it though...

Currently I’m helping restore the shop.  Though Maryiste-san was going to hire some workers to come do it, for the things I can do, please let me do them.

Maryiste-san is seated quietly at the bar. It was the request of both the girls and me that she not strain herself too much, so leave the rubble clearing up to us! So they said, but I can’t let the girls, especially the ones who have been injured, lift heavy things, so it’s mostly me clearing the rubble while the girls clean up after me.

Well, I was formerly a man, so leave the heavy lifting to me.

Oh yes, Solyana did want to help despite all of our rejections, but thankfully Erina-sama put her foot down. It seems the power hierarchy in the shop is Maryiste-san > Erina-sama > Solyana. Anyway, after Erina-sama turned stern for a rare moment, Solyana is sitting with Maryiste-san, helping to work through the shop’s budget.

After I returned from taking the rubble to a scrapyard I intended to help the girls finish scrubbing the floors, but they had finished by the time I came back. Most of them had gone back to sleep. Well of course, the Morning Watch bells are only just now sounding. They couldn’t have gotten much more sleep than I had in the time between the attack and the cleaning.

With the sun coming up, Erina-sama is finishing putting out all the lanterns and magic lights we’d been using before she yawns and gives me a light wave, saying,

“Make sure Solyana doesn’t do anything reckless ... well, I guess that goes double for you!”

before heading back up to the living quarters.

It amazes me how quickly these girls jumped back from last night’s violence.

“You’re surprised at how quickly they’ve recovered, aren’t you?”

Maryiste-san read my mind.

“Yes. I don’t know if I could do it.”

“It’s because those girls have experienced worse before they came to work for me.”

Maryiste-san looks fondly at Solyana, who has dozed off in one of the chairs we salvaged. A brothel in a time period like this isn’t a place you’d think would have a lot of work benefits, but here at least is a place where the employer cares for her girls and worries about their needs.

There’s a brief silence before I ask,

“Maryiste-san, I realized that there are a lot of places I’m lacking in, especially in my lack of knowledge about this world. I wonder if there are things you could teach me, especially about money.”

“If there are things I can teach you, I don’t mind doing so.”

“Ah, so you realize that you have no common sense after all.”

Thank you for waking up just in time to insult me, Solyana. I can’t refute it anyway.

What Maryiste taught me is that the girls, on average, each earn about 15,000 ecrue a night.  That is the number I will engrave into my heart.

I still can’t wrap my head around the worth of ecrue in this world; it’s much like losing track of money when using foreign currency in my former world. Even if you know the exchange rate, you’ll still have a weird disassociation with money when it comes time to buy things. But now, with this number, at least this I’ll know this much; I won’t take that 15,000 ecrue that these women entrust their livelihoods to for granted anymore. Wasting that amount of money would be an insult to them.

While talking to Maryiste and Solyana about the common commodities versus the uncommon commodities (and how to tell which rich people were scammable by Solyana – I won’t use that information, Solyana, definitely not), time went by quickly until just about noon.

I insisted on going to buy the girls lunch – er, breakfast – as an apology for making them worry. Anyway, after injuries, they’ll need good food, and I don’t want Maryiste to have to worry about more finances and just let them eat their fill.

I did consider offering to pay for the repairs to the shop, but somehow ... I couldn’t bring it up to Maryiste.

Anyway, after buying way too much food from the food stalls, and getting way too much for free, on my way back, there were two familiar figures that I didn’t expect to see in front of The Queen Mary’s.

“Are? Lor, Niera? What are you doing here?”

<A/N: Rather than a brothel harem, looks like Jun got some older sisters.  At the moment, it’s looking like men are attracted to Jun, and Jun is attracted to women. Of course, this is from first impressions. How things go after Jun and her flags get to know each other ... even I don’t know! Anyway, Jun will probably prefer crafting and adventuring over romance.>

Knowing Geography is a Sign of Understanding how the World Works

“What are we doing here you ask ...”

Lor heaves a heavy sigh, then suddenly, with an angry glint in his eyes,

“That’s what we’d like to ask you! What’s with the news that you wiped out a gang last night?!”

No, wait, HOW do people know about this already?! And why is Lor angrier than Maryiste-san?!

“Tch, and then without warning, you didn’t show up to Helward’s Forge this morning; stop making everyone so worried!”

Eh? How did Lor know about that? I may have told him I was doing crafting, but did I ever tell him I was helping out at THAT forge?

... Is there anything I do NOT broadcasted to everyone everywhere?

Or wait, I DIDN’T let Jetsom and Ossan know I wasn’t going to show up this morning, did I?

“Mou, Jun-chan, you got to stop being reckless!”

Niera nodded in agreement with Lor, crossing her arms and frowning at me, but as always with Niera, it’s more like she’s pouting than actually being angry.

The three of us look up as a low chuckle sounds from behind. Maryiste and Solyana are standing at the front door.

With an amused look, Maryiste steps to one side and gestures, saying,

“For now, why don’t the 3 of you come inside to talk?”

◇◇◇

For a second I was worried a bit about how Niera would feel, eating lunch with all the prostitutes. I mean, she’s been the type to freak out over intimate-type stuff ... is what I thought, but I’m rethinking my analysis of her now.

For some time I’ve been hearing, “Kyaa! You mean ... that guy ... that type of thing?! Waa!” coming from the corner she and some of the girls have been giggling away in. Rather than freak out over it, is she the type that likes gossiping about it? Or like, there’s no question about it, she is DEFINITELY the type that likes lewd rumors.

Later I asked Jarna whether it was ok for them to tell her all that, you know, because of client information confidentiality or something, but Jarna just laughed and said,

“Oh, no problem, no problem. We didn’t tell her the REALLY interesting stuff!”

... No. You know what? I don’t want to know.

ANYWAY, over here, away from that ... weird ... corner over there, Lor sighs wearily.

“Well, the Guild already found out all about you. That slave-dri-, er, I was sent all over town to dig up information on what you’ve been doing since you’ve registered, see? It’s not like I was just being nosy, it was a job. And anyway, if you hadn’t stood out in such a drastic way like wiping out an entire group of men that the Guild just so happens to be keeping an eye out for, they wouldn’t have wanted to know anything about you.”

“No, how was I supposed to know that the Guild was keeping an eye on them? Well, I’ll apologize for my actions that seem to have caused more problems than I had even begun to realize.”

I don’t intend on ever doing that again, never, so I’m not just saying it to make you feel better.

Lor sighs again, propping his head up with a hand, leaning on the table, as he looked me over carefully. He must have been satisfied with my sincerity, because his irritation level seems to have dropped a notch or two.

“Well, as long as you’re fine, I guess. I’m sorry that you have such a troublesome child in your hands, Maitresse-san.”

Lor said this to Maryiste-san, and she responded,

“Ufufu, to you as well.”

Oi. I can’t deny that I’ve been troublesome, but do you have to say it right in front of me?

“Um... Lor-san, may I ask why you have taken the trouble to come out of your way here today?”

Or like, please get to the point! Why did you come here after investigating all of that stuff about me?

“Ah... right, right. I came on behalf of the Guild. The Guild Master and Vice-Guild Master want to meet you at the Afternoon Watch to discuss your current actions and such.”

“As expected, it’s that, huh?”

Umu... I probably should have expected this, especially when that Ragnall guy was supposed to be doing something for the Guild right there like that. Hm?

“If they want to meet me at the Afternoon Watch, you came kind of early, didn’t you?”

“Ah, you know, in case you didn’t want to go to the Guild ... so I would have time to convince you to go.”

“... eh. Not so you could give me a prior warning or something?”

“No, well, it would be within MY best interests if you go.”

Lor makes a strained face.

... It seems Lor has some sort of complicated relationship with the Guild. Anyway,

“Un, well, I don’t think not going is an option, so I’ll come.”

After causing that much of a rampage, either I obediently follow Lor to the Guild or I spend the rest of my time in Nyl City sneaking around. And I just don’t have time for that. Or like, I have way too many other things I want to do other than spend my time in hiding.

“Well, technically you do have the option to refuse, but I’m pretty sure you’ll end up getting dragged over there sooner or later, so you might as well get it over with now.”

“Hey, are they going to slap her with a penalty?”

Solyana cuts in, glaring at Lor. Her glares are still really sharp even if she’s tired and injured.

“Ah... it shouldn’t be that. I’m not sure about the details, but it’s probably something like checking Jun’s character or something like that. Sorry, I’m just the messenger.”

As expected of Lor, even if he’s a little nervous from Solyana’s glare he still gives her a full answer.

Maryiste-san chuckles a little.

“As expected of the ‘Learned Wizard,’ the Guild won’t let you go, hm? Are you still mostly getting requests for acting as a translator nowadays?”

“Recently it’s been more deskwork than traveling, but unfortunately, yes.”

“Eh? But isn’t deskwork better? You have more time to do your medicine stuff than when you were traveling all over the place.”

Heiran, a pretty Featherkin girl, is the one who asked that.

Lor’s pretty famous, huh? Or like, aren’t the people at The Queen Mary’s too well-acquainted with you, Lor? As expected, he’s come here as a customer before. From what it looks like, his type is the pretty girls with cute gestures, like Heiran.

But putting that aside, there’s something else I want to ask about.

“Hey, Lor, you traveled a lot? Then you know about the geography around here, right? Since I don’t really know anything outside of this area, could you tell me what I should know – you know, about what an Adventurer should know.”

“Hm... that’s right, you don’t really know about the surrounding countries, huh? I guess we have time before we have to head back to the Guild, so that’s fine. How basic do you want me to go?”

“From the very basics if you could.”

Yosh, learn about the basics of the world, get! After being in this world for over 2 weeks, I don’t even know how many countries there are, or what countries can be considered the ‘powerhouses’. Even though I’ve interacted (kind of) with Noble-samas from two different countries, I didn’t really know what kind of impression I should be expecting from the countries they represented.

Lor cleared his throat and stood up.

? Stood up?

“*gohon* Ok, well first of all, the world we’re in is called Orelia.”

Uwaaaa, I didn’t even know what the world was called. Am I really going to be ok?

As he continued to talk, Lor pulled out something that was shorter than you would expect a wand to be. The tip lit up, and as he traced it through the air, a drawing was left behind. Ooo, is that a magic too- ah, no good Jun. Focus.

“Ok, so these South-West mountain ranges ... here is where Nyl Labyrinth is. The city is around this point here, and the Labyrinth sprawls below aaaall over here below the mountains.

Around the Northern parts of the mountain range, and stretching past them, is the country of Carnus. The population is mostly human but, especially around the South here, closer to Nyl, the percentage of demihumans increases a lot. The country is against discrimination, so they say, but, well ... centuries old feelings are hard to erase. Anyway, Carnus tries not to have discrimination in the legislature at least. It’s an older country, and pretty powerful. They used to go around invading territories, but that’s a thing of the past.

Now they’re mostly focused on acquiring new magic technology to improve their infrastructures and the living quality of their citizens, as well as adding to their military power. Because they want to expand their ways of thinking and not their territories, Carnus is one of the easier countries to have dealings with, but well, you still have to watch out just in case you get pulled into their internal political affairs.

To the East, and a little North, of Carnus is Fernett. They’re much smaller, like this, only about 30% of Carnus’s territory, and their land has high elevations and steep slopes, and it isn’t very fertile. That might be why they’re so greedy for more power and land. It’s mostly a country of humans, and most demihumans are slaves. Well, maybe because they’re imitating Carnus, but they claim they don’t discriminate against demihumans. No demihuman has been dumb enough to believe it yet, and it’s definitely a country demihumans try to avoid.  To the South, there’s been a long-time feud with the elves about the Southern border, so elves especially get a bad treatment.

South of Fernett is a huge forest. It’s several times the size of Carnus, and there are several countries and territories in it. I don’t go into the forest much, or really any more East than to around here. But here, in the South, is the Ploids Labyrinth. It occupies this entire corner of the forest above ground, as well as extending down underground.  The closest country is more of a giant city with surrounding territories; Inouria. As an Adventurer, the Inouri Elves are probably the elves you’ll deal with the most. There are at least 3 other elven countries but, well, elvish territories are always kind of hard to pinpoint, and it seems there’s been some political disputes between them, so you’d have to get more information from locals if you want to go into the forest.

North of Carnus and Fernett is the dwarven territory, Orrwyl, but well, dwarves are a pretty reclusive group so it’s more like each city and town has its own ruler and laws. Ah, this city to the south, Korwal, accepts and scouts for apprentices and disciples of all races for smithing and the like, if you were interested.

The mountain range in Orrwyl extends all through the North, past Fernett, and extends a bit down as Fernett’s Eastern border. On the other side of the mountains from Fernett is Raun Labyrinth. East of that is the most problematic country for us Unaffiliateds. Extus, a country that rivals Carnus in power, is there. Unlike Carnus, though, they’re still ambitiously eyeing other countries’ territories. I’m certain if anything upsets the current balance, they’ll swoop in, starting with the Unaffiliated area around Raun Labyrinth. It’s a country of human supremacists, so in general, Extucians are just a pain to deal with.

To the South of Extus are Gestis and Derfan, two other human countries, and then South of those, and along the Southern border of the forest, is a bunch of Beastkin territories.  Ah, and Tren Labyrinth is here a bit South. Any questions?”

Uwaa, as expected of the “Learned Wizard,” he could totally be a teacher. Anyway, that’s a lot for me to have to remember; I’ll probably have to ask him for a review later. But, hm...

“Is there anything beyond the borders? Like, further North or something?”

“To the East and West is a giant ocean. There are theories that the oceans connect around, but no one’s managed it yet. They can’t get past the whirlpools either East or West. Also, no one knows if there are other lands in the oceans. The North ... if the weather and the ever-increasing-in-altitude mountains don’t kill you the Frost Grims and Snow Yetis will, so no one really goes too far North.”

So, it’s like climbing Mt Everest, but with yetis. Ok, yeah, I can see why people don’t know if there’s a North Pole, or anything else, up there.

“As for the South, that’s where demons are, so at least while you’re a new Adventurer you shouldn’t go down there-“ *Gong gong gong* “- ah, the Afternoon Watch, we should get going...”

Eh? Wait, demons? Wait, Lor-san?!

“Aw... already? See you Jarna, Heiran! I’ll bring some guys to come along and play next time!”

Eh? When did Niera get so close to the girls?

“A-ah, then, I’ll be back.”

I say that while I scramble to stand, and quickly follow Lor and Niera out the door.

“Take care to come back safely and not take any reckless detours, Jun,” is what Solyana tossed out after me.

Yes, I get it, I’m a problem child. I’m sorry.

◇◇◇

Because Lor thought we’d have enough time, we dropped by the forge so I could let Ossan and Jetsom know I had some other business to take care of. If there’s one thing I’ve learned today, it’s that I shouldn’t let people worry too much.

It’s a pity I can’t stay around the forge longer. Ossan REALLY wants to start helping me make the hilt for my katana. He’s curious about how the grip is fastened to the blade, and what all the metal add-ons I had described to him actually look like. I want to get started on it too! But, I really shouldn’t .. Ah, but...

Anyway, it was a good thing Lor and Niera were there to drag me away.

And now, on the way to the Guild Hall, we were discussing what was bothering me.

“You didn’t have demons in your country either? That’s a blessing.”

Lor, it’s not just demons. Demi-humans and magic too.

“Hm, it’s a good thing you asked, then. Demons don’t really look all that different from humans and demi-humans so you need to be careful. The thing is, demonkin are the only types of living creatures that can absorb mana and magic power.”

Uh ... huh? So?

“But they can’t make their own mana.”

Ok, so demons are people who can absorb mana, can’t make their own mana, but need mana to live? So that means...

“So basically, demons are people who prey on the living. They aren’t undead, but they have to take mana from living people and creatures in order to stay living. Well, there are all sorts of demons too, and some types take in mana different from others, but in general, you should try to avoid them. The demons who live right near the borders between demon and non-demon territories sometimes do business with us, but I think you get why we generally try to avoid them.”

“Do they ... kill people by taking mana?”

“Some demons drain people dry, yes, and others have to physically eat their victims’ blood or flesh. But there are also some demons who don’t need to do that.”

That means ...

“So like, vampires?”

“Oh, so you do know about them. Yeah, vampires are one of the races of demons. Anyway, just be careful. You could get targeted if you wander around near demon territory, since you have very pure magic power.”

Hai, I don’t know what that means, but I understand it must mean I look tasty to demons. I will ask Lor about what he means by “pure” magic power later, when I ask about fire magic.

But right now, we’ve arrived at the Guild Hall.

A/N: For the record, it’s ok if you skipped most of Lor’s monologue. I 100% guarantee Jun won’t remember, since she probably zoned out halfway through, and will have to be reminded of things as they happen. It was supposed to be as dull to read as possible to make it feel like Jun was getting a class lecture. That being said, I am properly reflecting on the critiques regarding the text wall and will take it into account for the future ... and not do that again.

My mis-experiment.

Sometimes You Get More Excited Building Someone Else’s Characters than they do

Niera sends us off at the Guild lobby with a wave, saying,

“I don’t really like stiff meetings like that, so I’ll see you guys later.”

... I’m beginning to get a bit worried. I know Lor said that this meeting was just for “them” to meet me, but I’m not really sure who “them” is, or what kind of things they’ll ask.

Saying I’m from another world is still NG (not good), right?

I’m being led into the back of the Guild Hall. The conference room we had used when dealing with the swords are up front, off to the side of the lobby, so this will be the furthest I’ve gone. Because the entire Guild Hall is carved out of a black-rock mountain, or maybe it was initially a cave they expanded, instead of stairs there are slopes chiseled in, with maybe a few steps carved into the particularly steep areas.

After passing through the main lobby, we come to a large slope going downwards. Although the rest of the Guild Hall has tapestries and wooden sideboards up on the walls to give it a less-primitive look, along the downwards slope there is none. Nn... with the chill and the darkening aura as the slope goes further down, there’s a distinct “Entrance to the Labyrinth this Way” feel to it, even if I can’t read the signs posted here and there. But anyway, we’re not going that direction.

Along the left and right are slopes that go upwards. So we’re going that way, huh?

‘tte, hang on, we’re going into this main-hall looking room on the second floor? Don’t tell me this is the Guild-Master’s office or something.

As we approach the kind of imposing, tall doors chiseled out of the mountain with decorative wood panels embedded in them, it opens and the stern-looking woman from before comes out. She blinks on seeing Lor, glances over at me, then returns her eyes to Lor.

“Should I let them know you are here?”

“No, it’s fine Minerva. They know we’re coming.”

The woman, a secretary or something like that I’m guessing, nods sharply, bows, and then hurries on her way. Her shoes sound *click clack* even through the carpet. Are those high heels? Definitely something I will avoid wearing at all costs even if I’m a girl now.

While I’m distracted, Lor has already knocked and opened the door.

“Excuse me, Florian, Dobin, I’ve arrived.”

There are two desks, surrounded by shelves filled with books, minerals, and I don’t even know what all is there. Rather than looking like a library, it looks like a personal museum.

At the desk off to the side, piled with papers, I can barely see the halfling Vice-Guild Master, Dobin. At the other desk, placed more prominently in the middle of the room, is a human man. He’s tall and a bit on the thin side, but he has very broad shoulders. A well-groomed, old fashioned hairstyle parted 7:3, and a splendid moustache. He looks kind of like a European dandy, not just in his physical appearance but also his suit and waist-coat-like choice in clothes.

Mah, but then, he’s slouched over on the chair, leg propped up on one knee, and kind of giving off a slacker’s atmosphere. All that combined makes him feel like someone who looks down on others.

A flash of white enters my vision to the left. When I look, oh, it’s that pale guy, Ragnall. As expected, they found out about me through him, huh? I guess I can’t get too mad, since he was doing his job. Or like, I’m not sure if I should be mad. I still don’t know what I’m here for.

Ragnall is seated on a couch off to the side, looking like he’s just killing time by playing with something or other he’s found on the shelves. When he sees me looking, he gives me a slight nod, then goes back to fidgeting with whatever he has.

... Is that ... a wire puzzle? This guy carefreely playing with the wire puzzle completely feels out of place in the oppressive atmosphere being emitted from the rest of the room’s occupants.

Lor coughed and introduced us.

“Florian, Dobin, this is Jun, the new Adventurer in the report. Jun, this is Florian the Guild Master, and Dobin the Vice-Guild Master.”

“Nice to meet you.”

In response to my greeting, the Guild Master just nods, but the Vice-Guild Master responds with a, “Greetings.”

Eeeh... This slim, posh-looking guy is the Guild Master? He looks nothing like you’d expect a Guild Master to look! Even having a loli GuildMas would surprise me less! Though that’s thanks to light novels and manga, so I’m not sure that counts.

Well, my expectations aside, it’s kind of hard to imagine this guy with the snooty atmosphere being in charge of an organization designed to help Unaffiliateds interact with other countries.

Is this really going to be alright?

“Well then, you should get back to work, Lor.”

The Vice-GuildMas halfling gives a kind of evil grin in Lor’s direction.

“Eh? Waita ...”

“There was something else Ragnall dug up that you have to decode.”

Lor shoots Ragnall a kind of dirty look, but Ragnall instantly looked the other direction. I have no idea what’s going on.

“Maa, it’s magic-encoded so it’s back in the work-station.”

With a sour face, Lor sighs and leaves the room. I mentally clap my hands together. My condolences. Even though I really don’t know what’s going on, it looks like it’s a pain.

Ah, wait! Now I’m left alone in this room with two people who look really difficult to get along with!

“Well, for now we should confirm who you are.”

The GuildMas lazily tilts his head to one side as he speaks.

“It was reported that you told The Valor of Arms Brigade that you were separated from your comrades. Can I confirm whether or not that is true?”

What is this, an inquisition? And who the heck is The Valor of Arms Brigade? How can I confirm it if I don’t know what the heck you’re talking about? Uwaah, it looks like this meeting is going to be a pain after all.  Oh right, I have to respond. But how?

At that moment, Ragnall coughed and, without looking up, said,

“*kohon* Jericho’s Brigade, with Miinalya, Niera, and Kristaf, is called The Valor of Arms Brigade, if you weren’t informed.”

“Ah, then yes, that’s true. I did tell them that, and it’s what happened.”  Thank you for that.

The GuildMas nodded, then asked,

“And is it true that you and your comrades are unaffiliated with Nobles from the Established Countries?”

This will be tedious. I decide to try to hurry the conversation along.

“Yes, If you’d allow me to explain it to you as I did to them, my home country is very different to this area, so I believe it to be very far away. My comrades and I belong to the common-class in our country. While preparing to go on an adventure, a light engulfed myself and my comrades, and then I woke up about a week’s journey away from this city. That is all I know of what had happened. I had the luck to be picked up by Jericho and the others, and have been taken care of in this city since then.”

The GuildMas blinks, then continues on.

“I see, that corresponds indeed. Then, the next line of questioning. You registered as an Adventurer two weeks ago, and yet you haven’t done any sort of Adventurer’s activity. Were you not told that the first few days were the most important to establish yourself as an Adventurer in a new city?”

Um ... WAS I told that? It sounds familiar. Or like, this kind of questioning really is a pain...

“A, Florian, you might just want to be upfront with this one. There’s no point in dancing around the subject, trying to act like Dobin; it’s really tough to listen to. Also, that act is really weird.”

Apparently Ragnall is also finding this to be tedious.

The GuildMas blinks. He looks surprised, a big change from his earlier, bored looks.

“Hm? But didn’t you guys say I was too imposing and too upfront, so I’d scare her away?”

“That was all Dobin, but even if that was true, you acting all shady like some corrupt bureaucrat is just going to make it worse.”

“Shady-? Even though I was just mimicking Dobin?”

“Well, it works for Dobin. Because he’s shady through and through.”

Um... are they insulting him? Sneaking a look at the Vice-GuildMas, he doesn’t seem at all annoyed. Or like, he’s splendidly ignoring the back-and-forth between the GuildMas and Ragnall.

“Alright then.”

As he says that with a sigh, in an instant Florian sits upright and places his hands on the desk, lacing his fingers together. His posture is perfectly straight, as if he has a pole strapped to his spine. Both of his feet are properly planted on the floor, and he’s sitting on the edge of his seat.

It’s a startling transformation from a stuck-up bonbon to a serious, elegant gentleman. Though his eyes are sharp, with a strong feeling like they can see right through you. Hm... he kind of gives the atmosphere of a butler? Extremely polite, and extraordinarily attentive.

The atmosphere has changed from an overbearing oppressiveness to an overbearing feeling of confusion. And what I mean by that is that I’M confused.

“Um, excuse me, Guild Master, this is...?”

“Ah, don’t bother calling us by title. It’s too stiff and Noble-like, and makes my skin crawl. Just call us by name. And Florian, if that was your attempt at being less intimidating, you still have a long way to go on being able to read the atmosphere.”

The Vice-Guild-, er, Dobin, interjects.

“Uh... ok...”

I’m not really sure how I should feel about this.

With a frown and a sharp look at Dobin’s sly comment, Florian coughs into a fist.

“*Ahem* I shall be straightforward about what we want, then. As you might expect, after the recent event in which the Dark Wyverns were wiped out from this city, we are extremely concerned about the person who was involved; that is, you. While the Guild isn’t in a position to enforce laws, that kind of action is a little ... extreme.”

Yes, I understand. I am very sorry about my actions.

Florian continues, without caring about my uncomfortable feelings.

“Well, there’s really only one thing we’re concerned about. What are your intentions on coming to Nyl Labyrinth? Your background is a mystery, even after your explanation, and though you display extraordinary abilities, the only instances in which you’ve used them were saving the Valor of Arms Brigade and this time when you destroyed the Dark Wyverns.”

I understand. My background and its relation to where I am now is a complete mystery to me too. I frown as I think it through.

“I don’t have any real intentions, but if I had to say something, perhaps it would be an understanding on how I should live my life now that I’ve been separated from my comrades and being far from home. And for the record, I am really sorry about the problems that will come from my behavior last night.”

Dobin snorted, saying,

“Oh, we’re not here to scold you about that. You got revenge for some brothel girls, right? Well, Unaffiliated territories are just like that. Though it’s a bit over excessive, most of those men had international criminal records, and they aren’t protected by the Guild so we’re really not in any position to do anything unless a commission comes out against you. Well, you’re registered as an Adventurer, so even then you have protection from the Guild.”

Ah, so as long as I’m an Adventurer, the Guild’s on my side ... I’m seeing why Niera and Lor had me register right away.

Florian nodded.

“I see. I suppose we can consider this as your first reprimand for over-excessive violence? From what I can see of your character, there doesn’t seem to be a need to oversee your activities too closely just yet. Then, there’s one other thing we are concerned with.”

Florian is sitting even more upright, if that’s possible, and staring at me with a sharp, intense gaze. Um ... what could it be?

“With this recent event regarding the Dark Wyverns, the Guild was actually monitoring them because of our interest in the group backing them. Since The Queen Mary’s has drawn them out, we’d like to keep an eye on that shop. Now normally, since you have taken their request to be their guard, we would ask you to continue to do so and send us reports if anything happens.

However, since you’ve become an Adventurer, you haven’t taken any commissions or gone Labyrinth diving at all. Frankly speaking, you aren’t getting the experiences you need as an Adventurer, but with this recent event you will be getting attention from all the wrong sorts of people. It may just be my meddlesome nature, but I would like you to begin prioritizing your activities as an Adventurer if you wish to continue as one.”

“So you’re saying that you want to keep The Queen Mary’s under surveillance while I am learning to be an Adventurer?”

“Yes, that is exactly it.”

That would be very helpful indeed.

“Ooobjection!”

Dobin-san sprang up from his chair.

Heh? Florian also looks surprised. What’s up with that?

Dobin snorts, smacking a palm down on his desk.

“Are you planning on forcing her to only Labyrinth dive and focus on live-combat?”

“Oh, so you know?”

“Of course, how long have I known you? I object to that, if that’s the kind of full-course menu you’re planning for her.”

... Oi, don’t I get a say in what I’m going to be doing? Mou, it feels just like when Masaki drags me along for netgames.

“Florian, didn’t you say that order of swords was really great?”

“Ah, the one that came in for your dark schemes that you eventually sold to the Knight Captain?”

“That girl was the flower Bladesmith. She came to learn from Master Helward you know? That’s why she was constantly at the forge.”

“Eh?!”   “Nn?”

The first exclamation was from Florian, the second one was a curious Ragnall who had been spacing out until right then.

Florian frowned, resting his chin on his hands while he thought.

“Then ... may I ask what your plans are, currently?”

He finally asks me what I want to do.

“Naturally I want to get used to the Labyrinth and live-combat, but honing my skills as a Bladesmith is just as important. I’m also interested in the artisan specialties in Nyl City. Ah, that last one is more of a hobby, but I think learning different trades will help supplement my abilities as a Bladesmith.”

Because, after throwing magic in the mix, you really don’t know where you’ll stumble on the best ideas. Like making a magic sword staff or something.

“I see. If it’s artisan things, then it would be best to also have you meet various Masters and high-ranking merchants in order to make some contacts for the future.”

Florian nods, furrowing his brows in thought. Dobin adds,

“That’s right. Well, I didn’t know that you were interested in things outside of smithing, but tagging along for various Crafting commissions from Carnus is always an option.”

“Fumu, I see.”

Aaand they’re back to discussing my future without me. Well, it’s not entirely a bad situation. In the end, I could always refuse if I don’t like it, I think.

“Carnus ... Ah, I had heard you were new to the area, so you might not be aware of it’s standing, but it’s a very influential country that likes to push the limits with magic technology, so there’s always room for creative folks to intrude on those types of Crafting commissions.”

Hahan, I may be new, Dobin-san, but I JUST learned about it. Let’s see...

...

...

E? Wait, hold on, I’m sure I properly learned the geography of this world when Lor was telling me about it. Carnus is ... Carnus is ... the country that Knight Captain who bought those swords is from! Wait.

It’s a human country ... kind of in this area? It’s close, right? And Lor said they were ok to do business with?

Eh? How can this be? I forgot everything so fast!

Certainly, I remember Nyl City was kind of South and West, and there were elves in the middle and Beastkin to the South ...  and there are yetis to the North. As for the human countries...

...

I don’t remember which of the human countries were which.

No good. I didn’t realize my short term memory was so bad.

While I’m spinning over what I can’t remember, Florian and Dobin are arguing over what my schedule should be.

Well, I AM glad they’re not really thinking I’m suspicious or something, but now there’s an overbearing atmosphere in a different way. It’s a little uncomfortable that they’re discussing what I’m going to do without really including me.

I glance over at Ragnall. Noticing me looking, Ragnall shrugs and gives me a wry smile.

So there’s really nothing that can be done about these two? Though I’m grateful for advice, y’know, this is a little...

Clearing his throat, Ragnall finally speaks up to interrupt the two overzealous middle-aged men.

“Well, you two are getting pretty enthusiastic, but doesn’t the final decision rest with her?”

Florian and Dobin stop discussing abruptly and look over at me. If I don’t speak up now I’ll regret it, huh?

“Um, I’m grateful for your interests in my welfare, but would it be alright for me to experience some things before I decide what I want to focus on? In the first place, I won’t be able to start Labyrinth diving right away. There are some preparations I’ll need to make both in the forge and in supplies. I will admit I am lacking in understanding of what I should be doing, and am grateful for your guidance, but there are still things I need to consider.”

How about that? All my practice for politely declining advice from my senpai at school and managers at work from a previous world!

Florian blinks a little before replying,

“That’s true. We’ve gotten a bit too excited and are over-stepping our bounds as advisers, aren’t we? Well, as advice from the Guild, we recommend you go into the Labyrinth as soon as you’re able. It would be better if you found someone to go in with, in order to give you advice. If you would like any help with crafting, it looks like Dobin’s willing to help. Will that suffice?”

That last question isn’t directed at me, Florian is looking at Dobin. The halfling Vice-Guildmaster frowns, clearly not satisfied, but nods his head anyway.

◇◇◇

Extra

After Jun and Ragnall had left the room, Florian and Dobin were left alone in the Guild’s Main Office.

“It’s been some time since we’ve seen such a talented person who is still a rookie, so it seems we got a bit excited and went overboard there.”

“Hmph, speak for yourself, you training maniac.”

“No no, you also had a hand in it, Sir Dobin.”

Dobin sniffed at Florian’s response.

There was a moment of silence until Florian spoke again.

“So ... your impressions? I can tell she’s piqued your interest.”

Dobin’s eyes glinted.

“A child with an almost stupidly honest outlook on life, and yet smart enough to be able to avoid being taken into the flow of things. I have some doubts, but overall I believe her story on arriving at Nyl to be the truth.  I am, however, extremely curious about the country she came from.”

Florian frowned. He appeared a bit bored at the direction the conversation was going.

“The country? That doesn’t hold any bearing, does it?”

“That just goes to show you’re not very observant. That girl carries herself like a Noble does, but she claims she’s part of the common class in her country.  A country where the common man is well-learned and well-bred, where the skills for martial arts are learned but rarely used, I don’t think it’s a very far stretch to think that it’s a stable and wealthy country?”

“Certainly that’s so... but...”

“You could say Carnus is a stable and wealthy country, but what it’s most known for is it’s breakthroughs in magic technology. Certainly they made many breakthroughs during wartime, but since they’ve started focusing on infrastructure and internal politics, with the percentage of educated citizens on the rise, it’s only natural that they’ve soared to even greater heights in magic technology research.”

“Then you think she may be from Carnus?”

“There was a slim possibility, but when I mentioned it, she seemed not to know the country. Certainly, a commoner from Carnus wouldn’t have that kind of atmosphere to her anyway. Even if there are more citizens seeking education in Carnus, it’s still a far cry from the average commoner being educated.”

“So you think it’s a country wealthier than Carnus?”

“Almost assuredly. And looking at the reactions to her swords, it seems her countrymen could be quite the artisans. And if they’re not at war, there’s a good chance that skill goes beyond weaponry. The fact that she took for granted the idea that she should observe other crafts in order to better her own ... I wonder how many others would think of that? Could it be an idea that’s common in her country?”

While mulling over what wondrous things the mysterious country of the mysterious girl could have, Dobin was still unable to scratch the surface of the reality of Japan, a country in a world without magic.

A/N: Thank you to MSJ, SM, and LYNKZ for your donations! 😀

So yea, the previous chapter’s text blob was supposed to be a setup for this chapter (and the next), but ... I have regrets over the execution now.

orz

Thank you for everyone who pointed out that it’s really tough just to move past the blob. It’s simply too confusing for readers. I will chalk it up as a bad experiment and learn from it.  From an author’s standpoint, I thought it would be interesting for readers to see what they remembered versus what Jun remembered, but this has completely flopped. There was probably a better to way to have made it happen, and if there wasn’t I should have just blatantly changed it.

For Operations to run Smoothly, People with All Sorts of Different Expertise are Needed

“Ms. Jun, this way please.”

At Dobin’s call, through that clear orb, that stern lady came back, bowing and opening the door for me.

“Hoi, so I’m good to go too, right?”

Ragnall stood up from where he was seated and stretched as he said that.

“Yes yes, we’ll update the reward, so collect it from the front desk.”

“’kaaay.”

Ragnall followed me out the door.

Did they not have any other business with him?

“Were you called in just to be there when I came?”

“Yup. We had to confirm that the person Lor knew was the same person I ran into last night. And, well, those two are like THAT, so...  Don’t hold it against them. They were chosen to be Nyl’s GuildMas and Vice-GuildMas because they have good instincts when it comes to finding talented and trustworthy people, but they’re not exactly good at first impressions. Florian gets too nervous in front of women he hasn’t met before, heh. Well, this was easiest 1,500 ecrue I’ve ever made, so I have no complaints on the loss of time babysitting them through a meeting.”

Ah, right. That ... guy ... *shudder* ... called Ragnall a money-grubber. It seems there’s at least SOME truth to that.

Ragnall slaps me on the back, saying,

“Well, if you need any help and I’m around, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Ow.

“... Will I have to pay you?”

“Hahaha, just asking’s free! Anything beyond that and I might have to charge!”

He really doesn’t seem to mind being known for being hungry for gold. Ma, everyone has their own circumstances, I guess.

“Right ... well, thanks for your help today.”

“Yup yup, see ya! Time to raise the income rate for today.”

Oh, instead of heading to the lobby immediately to get his commission reward, like I expected, Ragnall immediately hops over what’s left of the slope from the second floor, down onto the other slope heading down into what I assume is the Labyrinth.

I guess he wants to increase the amount before he goes to get his reward from the front desk. I wonder how you make money in the Labyrinth. It’s so well-established, I can’t imagine that people are commissioned to explore unknown parts of it, but I guess I don’t really know. It’s most likely hunting for materials after all, huh?

Well, that guy’s going into the Labyrinth. I wonder what I will do.

Fumu. Well, put a hilt on the katana, huh? That’s the most obvious. And then buy Labyrinth supplies? Like what kind of supplies?

Socks and pants, oh and gloves. That’s what Juri, the tailor shop’s attendant, said, but what aside from clothes? Armor? Nn... I guess I won’t be able to get a flashlight, but there should be something similar...

Oh, and a damn map. Tch. To think I couldn’t even remember the country names... It’s not like this is Europe or something, with all those countries.

While I’m thinking that, Niera is waving wildly at me from the lobby.

Hey, Niera’s a well-known, and probably experienced, Adventurer. She also seems to have a lot of free time ...

“Hey, Niera.”

“Hii~ Ara? Lor isn’t with you? Ah. He got caught and dragged back to deskwork hell, huh?”

“Ahaha... yeah. Hey Niera, there are some things I need to prepare for, but I don’t know what I need...”

“Fufun, leave it to me! Actually, Jericho gave me today off after he heard that you haven’t entered the Labyrinth yet, so I was expecting to take you around anyway. You need stuff for Labyrinth diving, right?”

“Yeah. Oh yeah, and I’d like to get a map.”

“A map? Oh, of the Labyrinth.”

“Well, that too, but I’d like a world map.”

What was this world’s name again? ... Or-Orphelia? No, hang on.

Niera frowns, staring at me, her head tilted to the side.

“While studying an Orelia Map might be useful if you’re planning on traveling later, it’s not necessary right away. Aa, could it be you don’t remember all the stuff Lor told you about?”

*biku*

“Um ...”

“Yeah, it happens to everyone. That’s why I was over there, on the other side of the room, when Lor went into lecture mode.”

“Oh, well, I mean, it was interesting information, and I was paying attention...”

Niera laughed as I tried to defend both myself and Lor.

“Ah, don’t get me wrong, Lor knows a lot of stuff, but what he thinks an Adventurer should know is different from what other people think Adventurers should know. It’s ‘cause he gets commissions for translating, and sometimes he has to do ambassador like stuff, so he has to know where countries are and all the political crap that goes with it. But I mean, isn’t it like, waaay too much information for us commoners to know?”

“Hah...”

I guess that makes sense. In the end this is a world where, if you don’t use it, you have no need for it. I guess Niera’s right. Even if I want to remember all that stuff, if I can’t remember the stuff I absolutely need right now, there’s no point in gathering information.

“So here’s Niera’s crash course!”

Ah, as expected, this is where she was going with that. Niera’s giving me a v-sign and striking a pose. So that gesture even exists here, huh?

“Ok, number 1! Life in Orelia revolves around Labyrinths! Because materials for magic tools, medicines, and research stuff comes from Labyrinths! Because of that, there were tons of wars over Labyrinth entrances, but now there’s a truce and those areas are now Unaffiliated territories!”

Eeeto...

“So, you mean, these Labyrinth areas are managed by Unaffiliateds because they are neutral to every country?”

“Ooh, that’s a good way to put it! Yeah, and that’s why we don’t have to worry about that political mumbo jumbo.”

Um, there’s still something called noblesse oblige, though, right? Like, doing things that will benefit the world as a whole? Just doing whatever without considering the consequences would be bad, though, right?

“Ahaaan, you’re making a face like ‘we should consider the consequences’ that Lor makes... But you know, if we’re not neutral anymore, the countries will start invading, see? So it’s best just to not worry about that stuff.”

I see. The only reason there’s a truce between all the countries is because Unaffiliateds deal with all the countries equally. Put that way, I guess it makes sense to not care about the origins of a commission.

“Ok, number 2! Though it’s safer to only take commissions from the Guild, there might be times when you want to take a request directly from someone. There’s no rule against that, but in that case, only take ones from people you get to know and trust! It doesn’t matter what country they’re from, because there’s always going to be bad people in good places and good people in bad places.”

“I see.”

That’s true. It’s like, there are always corrupt politicians no matter where you go, but there are also sometimes politicians who really want to make the country better. And even if I take a commission from an Unaffiliated, there’s a chance it may be a bad person. So in the end, I’ll only be able to tell whether or not someone is trustworthy with my own eyes.

“Ah, but if you’re curious, around Nyl City, the other countries we deal with are mostly the dwarves, beastkin, Carnus, and Fernett. It’s Fernett you have to watch out for. They’re notorious for nitpicking and making a fuss over every little thing to avoid having to pay you full price. Maa, if you’re ever in doubt with any sort of request from anyone, just say, ‘I’ll take that if you put it into a commission through the Guild.’ If they refuse, it’s probably a bad request to do anyway.”

Fumu. So to review, Labyrinths are great places to find work, and to avoid getting rolled up in a political mess take jobs from the Guild? I think I can handle remembering that.

“Um, it’s not any time soon, but if I wanted to travel around and see the rest of the world... um. Are there any recommendations?”

“Hm...”

Niera pouted her lips and tilted her head.

“Well, I usually travel between Nyl and Tren Labyrinths down south, but that’s a reeally business-like trip. Because of the Elven culture, a lot of Adventurers like to leisurely sight see around Ploids Labyrinth. Well, for Jun, if you want to do business with swords, that one town in Dwarven Territory Lor told you about would be good. I don’t remember exactly where that is, you’ll have to ask Lor. What else ...”

“Ah, no, that’s more than enough! I’m not planning on going on a journey any time soon, anyway!”

It would be the elves or dwarves, huh? Well, I’m definitely interested in dwarf swords! But first, I’d like to at least meet Helward before I go. I mean, saying I worked at Helward’s forge without ever seeing the Master Bladesmith himself ... it kind of feels like I’m taking him too lightly, right?

Ah, but the elves are ... you know, they’re elves! Even though there’ve only been half-elves in Nyl City, after seeing them you get some expectations for the beauty of full-blood elves, you know? And there are probably magic tools different from dwarf swords ... if I could put the best of both together ... right. I guess I’ll be visiting both places in the future.

Hm?

While I’ve been thinking all of that to myself, Niera has been fidgeting in front of me all this time.

“Um ... Niera? Are you ... No, did you need something else from me? You weren’t waiting just to give me your ‘crash course,’ right?”

“Ahaha, you could tell?”

Niera rubs the back of her neck.

“Nn... it’s about those girls at The Queen Mary’s... well, they asked me if I could train them. Because they want to get stronger, see? Ah! Aaaaa, its not that they don’t think you’re strong or something, er, how should I put it? Because Jun-chan, you’re like, way too strong, like, um ... you know, the type that normal people won’t be able to imitate? So that’s why they asked me instead?”

Oops, did it show on my face? No, I’m not that upset they didn’t ask me ... not ... at all... *sulk*

“So ... what’s the problem? Ah, do you not have enough time to do that?”

I try to set aside my sulkiness for a bit. From how she’s acting, it seems like Niera wants to, but there’s something she’s worried about. It’s probably not something easy to tell the girls, or Niera would have told them right away. She’s pretty upfront like that.

“Well, there’s that too, but it’s a more fundamental problem. See, I use the pike, right? They want me to teach them to use the spear. Now, if it was something like training soldiers to use a spear on a battlefield it’s not so big of a deal, but teaching how to fight in close-quarter battles is something entirely different, you know? If you haven’t been training in those movements since you were young, that’s ...”

Oooooh. I get it. After all, the pike and spear aren’t for slashing or cutting. The most effective part of those weapons is the tip.

That’s a really small percentage of the entire weapon that you have to focus your attacks with. Those weapons are supposed to be for meeting charging attackers, so they were designed to be a long weapon that concentrates everything forward into a stab. To be honest, Niera, who can use those weapons easily in close-quarters-combat, is really amazing. I haven’t seen her use it yet, though.

I imagine you have to be super flexible, with an extremely strong back and strong arms, in order to whip the spear or pike around in time to attack enemies with the point. If you weren’t heavily trained since you were young, you might as well just use the spear as a bostaff and do stick-fighting techniques.

Ah, that’s how I was using it, wasn’t it?

“I see. They’re more likely to get hurt with that kind of weapon.”

“Yeah. I knew you’d get it, Jun-chan. But I don’t want to refuse them. I know how worthless you start feeling when you’re just dragged around at the whims of men. Well, at the whims of strong people of any kind, I guess. If possible, I’d like to teach them something for self-defense, and a pole-arm would honestly be best to help keep enemies from getting too close, but ...”

“Fumu ... that’s a tall order. A pole-arm that doesn’t require overly excessive movements with a blade, for self-defense ...”

Hm? Wait a second. A pole-arm that cuts well, primarily used by women ... that does exist! But, well...

“Oh! You’ve thought of something?”

“Yes, but I don’t know if those exist here, and though I have some experience in it I can’t really say I know it well enough to teach it to someone... It’s something like a sword on a pole.”

“Like a glaive? I did consider it...”

“Um... it’s similar, kind of. I can’t say I really know how a glaive is used, but the naginata is used a lot like a sword with an extremely long hilt. In my home country, it was a form of martial arts that was mostly practiced by women, since the leverage reduces the amount of physical strength needed to cut deeply. “

Actually, there’s a lot of history to the reason why the naginata is considered a woman’s weapon in Japan, but I don’t think I’d be able to explain it here.

My experience with naginata-jutsu came from being dragged continuously into the school’s naginata club as a helper for their training a lot back in Japan. I didn’t think a lot of the fact that they kept asking me, a boy, to participate in a female club’s activities, but with my recent revelation that I have a girly face, I’m beginning to wonder if those girls weren’t doing it because they thought it was funny.

... Let’s not dwell on that. I’ll get depressed.

“Jun-chan!”

Out of nowhere, Niera’s suddenly grabs my hand.

?! Hang on, what’s with that light in your eyes? That’s the look that a craftsman gets when they’re introduced to something new that interests them, isn’t it? Why do you have that, Niera-san?!

“That weapon, you can make that, right?! I want to see it! What it looks like, and how you use it!”

Eeeeeh?!

“Wait, weren’t we supposed to be discussing what weapon you can teach the girls?”

“I’ll help you figure out how to teach it, so show it to me!”

Nonono, that’s not the problem though?! Well, it’s basically a katana on a stick, I can have Ossan teach me how to make the pole part and get some practice in ... wait, no, is this really going to be ok?!

It was soon that I was going to learn Niera’s SECOND Famous Name that’s only hinted at with her first; Flickering Pike Niera, the Polearm Genius.

◇◇◇

I thought women took a long time with shopping, but apparently Niera’s love of strange pole-arms trumps the fun of shopping.  She rushed me through it so I could make it back to the forge before they started closing for today.

The result:

2 pairs of gloves

2 pairs of pants

3 pairs of socks

1 pair of bootstrings

Kneepads

Elbow pads

Leather tunic

Water bottle

An Adventurer’s set of utility magic stones

A kilometer of rope

An oil lantern

Oil

Flint and steel

A dummy bag

Cheap cloth for wrapping things in

That’s it. Normally you would have a lot of parcels and bags and stuff, but since I have Storage (not really), I didn’t need as many. She also advised me to get a skinning knife and a hand hatchet, but well, it would be good practice to forge them myself, I think. Also, though Niera has a lot of experience as an Adventurer, if you ask her what kind of edge is best to have on a knife for skinning, or what kind of grip would make things easier, or any sort of technical questions like that, she’ll have a blank look and answer, ‘Well, it should go *slash* and *swoosh* when you stab like this.”

Really, a woman who lives by instinct. At the end, she told me she went through lots of knives before she found one she likes for skinning.

I ... will go ask the smiths. They’ll know better.

By the way, I ask about their hurt party member, Miinalya. It seems she’s doing fine now, but is taking some time to rehab her arm. She will be able to rejoin them on commissions soon. That’s good. I was honestly thinking she might be seriously injured for good.

Like that, the excited Niera dragged me along up the road to Helward’s forge.

A/N: Thank you JL for your donation!

In almost every OtherWorld LN, there’s magic and crafting

There was a commotion when I showed up with Niera at the forge. She’s really popular, huh?

Taking a look at her, she’s not wearing her breastplate, though she does have a leather armor on in case of hooligans who want to pick a fight. She has a sturdy body that’s not lacking in femininity, though her shoulders are a bit broad, and her hair is let down today. She is attractive, overall, and with her friendly personality as well as her fame, it’s little wonder the smiths are excited that she came by the forge.

Well, it’s only the young apprentices who are fan-boy-ing over her.

Nars, the senior apprentice half-Kobold who’s knowledgeable about all the ores, approached her too, but instead of getting all excited, he politely asked her how her sword and lance were treating her, and if she’d like them to do maintenance on it.

So Niera had a lance too...

Jetsom and Ossan, though they greeted Niera, made a beeline for me.

Ossan has a look of a mixture of curiosity, relief, and slight anger on his face.

Uuu... You really aren’t aware of how many people you rely on until you do something stupid and they all scold you for it, one after another.

It seems like when I first met them earlier today, the rumor about the destroyed gang hadn’t circulated around to non-Guild and non-Adventurer people yet. But they heard about it shortly after I left, and figured out pretty quickly what happened.

After I bowed and apologized for making them worry, Ossan and Jetsom ask to see the katana blade.

Jetsom saw it last night, but it’s not like he had good lighting so it’s understandable that he’d want to see it again.

Ossan’s face twists as he looks at it.

“Hmm, it is interesting after all. But what kind of crossguard would it take? It would be a shame to ruin such a simple shape with a typical crossguard and pommel, huh?”

As expected of a craftsman. He’s already trying to figure it out.

“... Hey, Jun, I thought about it before, but you really have no problems with patterned steel, huh?”

? I don’t know what Jetsom’s talking about, so I just say,

“... Right. It’s common in my hometown.”

“Ah, no, it’s just, it’s really hard to get patterned steel to channel magic through smoothly. If you do it poorly, the magic will get stopped up in various places. But yours really have no problems at all. Maybe it’s because you use mana forging?”

Eee ... I have no idea, sorry.

Jetsom closes his eyes and channels magic through the sword. His eyes pop open.

“Eh? This one’s different? Did you make it with two different ingots?”

Ah.

“Yeah, the inner part is a softer steel, and the outer part is a harder steel.”

“This is amazing!”

Is it really that amazing? Even if they hadn’t seen it made in this shape before, it should be obvious that having the outer steel hard so it can hold an edge while the inner steel is soft so it absorbs the shock would be a good idea. Hmm... I guess a lot of foreign swords aren’t like that, huh?

“Oi, Gustav, this sword, just with steel, has a dead core! Without any magic ores mixed in at all.”

Umm ... what?

“The steel on the outside channels magic through it quickly, while the steel on the inside channels it slowly. It’s great for reducing the amount of magic when you’re using a magic sword with an enchantment that only triggers on the surface of the blade. Usually, to do this you have to mix crimonite in while alloying, having the alloy be completely molten until you quench or finish, so it’s usually only used for casting. The crimonite recedes from the surfaces, making a core that magic flows through slowly, but this is amazing! A forged sword with a dead core, and without crimonite, the other ores that will remain effective when you alloy will increase in number!”

So only cast swords would have this kind of ‘dead core’? Cast swords aren’t bad, but ... meh. Forgers are always a little biased against them, and I’m no different. Their only great quality is that they’re made fast and the same for every mould.

That aside, did no one think to try this kind of thing with just steel before? I mean, if poorly made patterned steel had hiccups in it when you channeled magic, it’s because of the different steels in it, right? I wouldn’t imagine that NO one would think to try something like this, using two completely different ingots to forge. I mean, I’m sure there were western-style swords that people had put together similar to this in my home world? Well, it wasn’t for magic reasons.

Maybe because they had another way of doing it, or because it’s not really that big of a problem, they just never bothered. I mean, it only reduces the amount of magic used by a small portion. Well, in an endurance match, that little bit might be a big margin you need.

“Nn? It’s not just the ingots in the whole of the sword. The surface too, the edge channels faster than the rest. Oooo! There’s a clear line you can see between them? Ahhh, is that why it’s curved? Wow, this is just steel?”

Ossan is speechless for a second as Jetsom plays with the katana blade. Oh, Jetsom’s tail is wagging happily, and his ears are twitching in excitement.

Erm... y’know, that blade killed a bunch of people last night... Aaaa. It’s frustrating to think my first katana blade, before it even got a hilt, got its first blood as a mass-murdering weapon. All because of my weakness and lack of self-control. It’s super depressing.

“... Jou-chan. We HAVE to get you knowledgeable on magic ores. I can’t wait to see what you’ll come up with. Right now, though, show me how the hilt and guards should look. What’s this hole in the tang? It’s for attaching it to the hilt, right?”

As both of them bombard me with questions, I notice someone suddenly standing near me.

Niera... why are you getting that excited look too? Stop giving me those looks, I’ll ask now.

“Actually, Ossan, about that, there’s another weapon like this with a longer hilt.”

Ossan stops for a moment, then glances over at Niera.

“Aaah... I see. Alright, let’s go in the back to the woodshop. Hoy, guys, get back to work! Jephtha, come on. We’re setting everything else aside and working on this for the rest of the day. It’s going to get fun!”

Mm... I understand now how much money I tossed aside by refusing to take any more from the sword sales, but earning the good will of this world-renowned forge to a point where they would set aside all their other work to put my work first; I’m pretty sure the amount I didn’t take wouldn’t even be a third of what you’d need to hand over in order to buy this kind of treatment.

In the end we, or should I say mostly Ossan, had made all the parts for the katana hilt. He seems a little amused that it’s made so you can remove the hilt easily. Now that I think about it, most of the swords that we made were just about welded to the hilts.

After we assembled it, Ossan disassembled it. Are? Ossan?

In response to my confused look, Ossan laughed and said,

“Haha, I’m not satisfied. The first one you make is always just a practice run for the second one, you know?”

Un. I understand. It was the same with my first blade for the shipment. Though it was good, the second one was definitely better.

Heck, right now, if I didn’t need a sword immediately, and wasn’t facing pressure from the Guild to start Labyrinth diving so soon, I would definitely remake my katana. There’s no doubt that the next one will be better. I need to experiment more with the clay coating for heat-treating. And I think I may have done some unnecessary steps since I was a little too worked up about making it ...

Ah, my thoughts are beginning to wander.

Wood is ... definitely different than working with metal. You might think that’s obvious but, somehow ... Hm. Maybe it’s some sort of weird magic habit I’ve developed, but I just can’t get as comfortable with working with wood.

How should I say it ... when working with metal, when I send mana through it, it’s constantly circulating, and I maintain a steady flow of mana through it. Metal is also easier to just ... mould with mana. Wood doesn’t budge. It’s like the difference between sending water through a sieve and sending water through a towel.

Nnn... I don’t want to just leave my skills with wood half-assed though. I don’t care about being able to build a house or a table or whatever, but I’d like to at least be able to make my sheathes and hilts myself.

After drawing up the plans for the naginata and Ossan showing me how to whittle, it was time for the forge to close up. Niera and I came quite late in the afternoon, afterall.

Speaking of Niera, I thought she had disappeared off somewhere, but she was actually outside the forge, just idling by and chatting with the workmen who were headed home.

“Sorry Niera, I kind of just ...”

“No worries, no worries. It’s kind of nice to have a day to laze around, and you guys were working on that polearm anyway. Anyway, it’s dinner time, so do you want to grab a bite to eat? Ah, just so you know, Jericho and Kristaf are staking out The Queen Mary’s, so you don’t need to worry about that. The Guild’s already commissioning people they trust to watch for that organization’s activities.”

“Already? That was quick.”

“Weeell, they were planning on doing it before they met you, so that’s just how it went.”

Hm... come to think of it, I haven’t eaten at an actual restaurant ever since I’ve come to this city.

“Alright. I don’t know any places...”

“Ah, I already told Lor we were going to be at The Cave Bear...”

“Oh, ok. So Lor is coming as well? The two of you get along well, huh?”

Seriously, if I hadn’t decided to come along, it would just be the two of them, you know?

“G-g-get along?! What are you talking about, Jun!”

Niera slapped me on the back, really, really hard. Her lightly tanned skin had a hint of red about her cheeks.

Eeeeeeeeeeh. Even though I was just joking ...

◇◇◇

Currently, I’m at the tavern called The Cave Bear.

It’s a small shop, and there are only one or two waiters. But for being a small shop, it’s pretty crowded.

“Because the food is good and the ale is passable.”

Is what Lor said. Maa, I will pass on the ale, but I will accept the food.

There was no menu, but even if there was I wouldn’t have been able to read it.  Niera had called one of the waiters over and asked them what they had in.

“Harrow Boar, Jumping Sheep, and Queensend Duck today. No fish. We won’t be able to whole-roast the duck for you, because those portions have already been claimed, but we do have a portion of the sheep stewed and a boar roast already going.”

Uh... huh?

“Mm... I’ll have the sheep, a steak please. Niera ... did you want duck stir-fried with seasonal vegetables as usual?”

“Yep! Jun-chan, what about you?”

“Um... could you recommend something for me?”

The waiter, a slender and petite woman, nodded.

“How about a portion of the boar roast? Most people like it with our special sauce.”

“That’s fine.”

So it seems these shops have more special-of-the-day type menus. I guess that makes sense. The restaurants in this world would probably be more like the small, family-run shops back home. Unlike the big, corporate shops from back home, it’s not like they would be able to have everything on hand all the time, and they would have to try to sell things that could go bad soon, so it’s no surprise that the menu could change daily. Though it was a little weird that you could also choose how they cooked it.

Maybe it’s just a bad stereotype that I thought food from this world would be hard bread and unflavored, tough meat, like from some dark age long ago from my home world. This world’s food culture has long since surpassed that level. The delicious street food by itself should have indicated that, but I was still surprised with the meal I got.

When it came, my portion had a very large amount of boar meat, crispy on the edges and tender in the middle, with a sauce I didn’t recognize slathered on top. It was a little sweet, but more savory. It wasn’t a tomato sauce, but that’s what it reminded me of. Next to it was potatoes, smashed and a spice blend mixed in, and then stewed root vegetables. According to the waitress, the vegetables were stewed in with the sheep, and so they had a meaty flavor. There was a piece of bread too, and it’s a soft, yeast bread. But the crust is a bit hard and flaky, so like French bread?

Un, the food is good. I still miss the soy sauce flavoring and rice from home, but tasty food is still tasty. And anyway, I’ve never been too picky.

In a few months my view might change, though. I heard it’s easy for Japanese to feel homesick about food in a foreign country. It’s true that if I could, I would like to eat rice once in a while, but as for anything else, I wouldn’t know how to cook it. Back home, I would peel vegetables for Grandma, but if it came down to seasoning and the proper way to cook things ... forget it. I tried those experiments before.

Aaah... but I should stop distracting myself with the food. Because currently, Lor is sitting there, rubbing his temples with his index finger like he’s tired and his head hurts.

I’m very sorry.

“Ok. Tell me how you’ve been using magic again.”

“Um.. like I said, I just imagine what I want it to do, and then manipulate the mana by visualizing how I want it to move.”

Oh, he just made a face like he wants to yell something but he’s trying to control it. Niera watches the two of us, clearly amused. Dammit, just because you’re not involved you think it’s funny... I’m going to be sure to start teasing her about Lor after this.

Finally Lor just heaves a giant sigh. Looks like he’s finally come to terms with it.

“Well, it’s not like this kind of thing is absolutely impossible, but it’s not easy for a Human to be able to control mana like that. Actually, even Elves, and the races closer to the Fae, have a hard time. To be able to manipulate magic raw like that, normally only races like Devas or Elementals that are close to being magic themselves can do it. At least to the kind of degree you’re able to.”

I see... I think? Well, at least Lor is now just quietly accepting that things are the way they are instead of getting irritated over how impossible it is.

“But, how to say this, you’re not really casting magic. You’re manipulating it.”

“Erm... what’s the difference?”

“Manipulating it is a hell of a lot harder, because you have to be capable of interacting with it without calling an element as an intermediate.”

Oh. Oooh... so, could it be, the reason I can’t cast fire magic is because I don’t know how to “cast” it through an element?

“Um, Lor, just to be sure, the elements are Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, and Dark?”

“Air, not Wind, but yes. And there’s also Unattributed. Even though it’s magic technically not cast through an element, it’s still cast in the same manner.”

“What of Healing Magic?”

“Magic for healing ... It doesn’t surprise me that you’d be interested in that at all... Healing magic is extraordinarily difficult, because it’s a composite magic of Water, Earth, and Air.”

That does sound difficult. Even though in games it’s just under Light Magic or Water Magic ...

“Ah, I guess we should really be teaching you how to cast magic. If you’re already so close to that side, you’ll probably end up being a formidable sorcerer or wizard.”

I’m not entirely sure what he means by “that side,” but I guess I’m an existence that’s closer to magic than others? But, maa, I’m ok with just using my abilities for crafting ... not. Of course I will gratefully learn magic!

<T/n: Thank you AB and CL for you donations!>

The teachers who just can’t stand wasted potential are the most energetic

After we left The Cave Bear, I headed right back to The Queen Mary’s.

Even if the Guild had commissioned people to keep an eye out for it, I think it’s still best if I showed up more regularly.

On the way there, though, I could barely keep from bouncing in my step. As for why, the answer was obvious from the small flame I was carrying bare-handed.

I had learned Fire Magic!

Well, kind of. I had learned how to cast magic, and I had learned some Fire magic.

It wasn’t that hard to learn how to cast, but I don’t think I would have ever figured it out on my own. Instead of controlling my mana like I had been, it’s more like emitting it while calling on an Element in your head. The Element is the one that does the work to get the result you wanted.

Like, hm. Like you’re feeding an Element, and in return the Element does what you ask it to? That’s why the chants are important. Like Lor said long ago, at first chants were used to convince the Element to do what you wanted, but now the Elements will recognize most chants and just do it.

Ah, and apparently Elements are considered living beings that exist outside of our senses. They almost never take a shape to interact with people, and have no egos. They will treat a criminal and a saint the same by casting magic for them equally.

The ones who develop their own sense of self and form are called Elementals, and when that happens they stop being Elements.

No, I don’t really get it that well either.

All I really need to know, though, is that I have to focus on an element while emitting magic. Right now I have to chant to make things happen, but Lor said that there are some people (though it’s rare) who have been able to commune with the Elements and cast things with chant omission.

“If it’s you I wouldn’t be surprised if you could do that.”

Nn... I can’t tell if that was a compliment or an insult, Lor.

Anyway, while playing with <Flame> and <Flame Orb>, I reach The Queen Mary’s.

Just as I was about to head towards the side door, Solyana emerged from the front doors.

Solyana and Nifta, the pale Rabbitkin girl, take turns going out to draw in customers every night, so the two of their outfits are the most alluring of all the girls.

Tonight, Solyana’s outfit has high exposure. Her neck and shoulders, and the tops of her breasts are bare. The corset she’s wearing emphasizes the tops of her breast ...

I wonder if I should go with her tonight. I’m fully aware of the types of thoughts men will have.

Maa, though I say that, as long as she keeps to the main street it should be fine.  As Erina says, in their line of work fantasizing is free, but good men will understand that anything else should cost them something. As long as they do it the right way, the cost won’t be a prison term or a shanking.

Solyana saw me and headed my way. She was wearing the veil that indicates she’s a prostitute, but she removes it now to talk to me.

“Welcome back Jun. The shop just opened an hour ago, so you’ll have to go in the back.”

“I know. Though ... this is pretty amazing.”

“Ah, it was Erina’s idea.”

The girls had pulled the sheet covering the hole in the back, extended a tarp overhead onto the walkway, and set up tables and benches outside. Instead of their usual lingerie/nightwear, the girls were all wearing sexy corsets and skirts like Solyana that somehow covered everything, but were very erotic.

This is bad. These types of outfits are more stimulating for me than their usual ones.

Thank goodness I’m a girl during this moment. Even if I get a nosebleed, I can still meet their eyes without being too self-conscious about certain parts. There’s little wonder that the men looking for a good time are stopping by. It looks like everyone’s having a really good time drinking and eating. It’s a festival-like feel.

Solyana smiled as she watched the merry-making.

“Maryiste enlisted the tavern, Big Boar, to cater this, and half the proceeds go to them tonight. Our job is to make the ale flow and keep the food orders coming. Well, for us it just means making everyone have a good time. It’s kind of like a party for everything that’s happened?”

“A party because the shop’s been half-destroyed...”

“Fufu, of course it’s a party because no one, not even the most injured Adventurers, died. For those Adventurers, the food and drink is free tonight. Well, we’re making a pretty good killing, so it’s more like the others are paying for their drinks.”

What resilient people. I see LeeAnne, Binno, and the other two Beastkin in their party heartily enjoying themselves.

“Hey... Solyana. I heard everyone wanted to learn how to fight from Niera.”

“... Oh, so she told you. Even though we asked her not to...”

Solyana muttered the last part under her breath, but I can still hear it, you know?

She’s silent for a second, then timidly, which is strange for Solyana, asks,

“Are you ... angry?”

What an unfair expression she’s making. Well, it’s not like I was angry, anyway.

“Angry ... no, of course not. It was just surprising. Though, I wish all of you had discussed it with me before. Niera-san is amazing and all, but a polearm isn’t that easy to just learn, you know? If you wanted to learn something, daggers would have been a better choice. Because they’re lighter and easier to use, and it will be cheaper to have maintenance done on them.”

The amount of people they could learn from would greatly increase, too.  A heavy weapon like a sword or a polearm just increases the chance that they’ll hurt themselves.

Solyana responds with a smile.

“Don’t underestimate us, Jun. We girls don’t want to learn something half-heartedly just to be able to protect our own bodies if we get in a pinch. If we’re going to undergo training, we will devote ourselves to it whole-heartedly. We’ll even learn the basic maintenance ourselves.”

“I understand that you girls are dedicated, but this is more of a worry about not over-doing it.”

“Jun, do you know what we need right now? It’s not just strength. What we need more than anything is confidence. The confidence that comes from properly following training regimens, slowly building up both our abilities and our strengths. The hard work and time that we will have to put into it is only a small price to pay for confidence and solidarity from sharing each others’ difficulties.”

I see...

“... Is what Erina said.”

...

I let out a small sigh.

“So you mean that all of you understand that you’re taking on something that’s on the more difficult side, and that’s exactly why you wanted it? At least tell me why all of you wanted to learn the spear.”

“Actually, I was all for swords, but we all agreed to learn the same thing, and the majority said spear. You know, because soldiers are usually taught the spear or sword? That’s the kind of training we’re hoping for.”

Soldiers don’t use the spear in close-quarters combat though! The movements are completely different! To have made a decision based on this kind of misinformation...

But just when I opened my mouth to tell her that, I thought better of it.  Isn’t this why they didn’t ask me? Compared to Niera, who accepted their decision while thinking of ways to meet their hopes in the safest way possible, am I just stomping on their determination? Even though I’m thinking of their best interests, it’s only from my point of view, after all.

If they decided on this and decided on the polearm, knowing full well that the only reason this is the best choice is simply because that is what they decided on, then I won’t say anything else.

Niera is carefully considering the girls, and the girls are determined to see it through, so shouldn’t I be supporting them?

I ask one more time,

“You are all aware that a polearm will be far more difficult – and heavier – than you probably thought...?”

“We are aware. Most of us have already been doing strength training since long ago, because we always thought about doing something like this. It isn’t a decision made out of impatience, but a decision that we have finally decided to implement.”

Fuu... I understand.

“If that’s the case, then I believe, as long as all of you don’t rush things impatiently, it will be possible for Solyana and everyone to develop their abilities well. Determination is the foundation of growth, after all, and if it’s Solyana, I believe results will come sooner rather than later.”

Solyana blushes, lowering her head slightly in embarrassment.

To support them, what I can do right now is, with the best of my abilities, replicate the naginata.

◇◇◇

The next day, after helping clean the shop while the girls were asleep, I head over to the forge early. I’m not sure how long it will take the inexperienced me to make the pole for the naginata, so I want to get started early with the blade. When I get there, the forge is already blazing.

I suppose they open shop at the Farmer’s Watch. If I had known that before, I could have come earlier instead of trying to figure out how to pass time until the Morning Watch. Ah, but when Maryiste wakes, I spend time studying Lorwian, so maybe my schedule wouldn’t have changed.

At the low anvil, once again it’s the blade of a katana, but with a longer tang to be embedded in the pole. This time, I’m not flooded with tension and I’m not being overly critical of things, so the blade is finished quicker.

Cheh. It’s better done too.

Maa, like Ossan said, the first one is just practice for the second one.

... I am not jealous of this second blade, not at all. The first katana is a blade of necessity. I can always remake it when I have time.  Nn. Seriously.

Ossan’s in charge of supervising me when I make the pole, but shortly after I finish the blade Jetsom suddenly says,

“Isn’t today the Day of Fire? Jun’s supposed to be appraised today, right?”

Eh... was there something like that happening today? I feel like there might have been...

With a “Quick, put your marks on your two blades,” Ossan and Jetsom send me off with several steel ingots, the naginata blade, and my katana. The naginata and katana now show the sakura mon, but ... well, it wasn’t necessary to mark my OWN blades with it, was it?

Maa, I guess the mon is supposed to be my craftsman’s mark, so I should have expected it. Though I didn’t think too much about it representing me, just about it representing that I was a Japanese person, it’s not a mark I would be ashamed of so, whatever.

Ossan can’t leave the forge today to go with me. Because they have been playing around with the katana hilt and naginata pole design, Ossan and Jephtha need to make up for that time while I’m away. Jetsom, though, comes along.

“We haven’t been able to take many blade orders while Helward’s away, so if it’s just the simple magic ore smelting, Nars is enough for supervising it.”

If you say so ... but, I guess that’s true. The smiths, not just bladesmiths but all the different types of smiths, in Nyl City are the smelters of the city as well. That’s why this forge can get by without its master bladesmith. The way they say it, I’m fairly sure that this is just a local specialty. In areas away from these material rich mountains, there is probably just a central smelter that the smiths get their ores from.

In other words, smelting is an artisan skill in Nyl City.

At the Guild Hall’s front desk, we’re told to wait a few minutes before the receptionist shows us into the back.

We go down a different corridor from yesterday. It meanders off to the side, leading into the back. Probably behind the hall with entrance of the Labyrinth? It’s kind of hard to tell with the winding corridor carved through the mountain.

As we reach the back, the corridor branches off. With Augment Body going, I can hear the paging of books and bubbling of liquids down one hall. You don’t need Augment Body to hear the clanging and chopping sounds down the other.

I decide to ask about it.

“Are these all craftsman stations?”

The receptionist nods. By the way, the receptionist is a man today.

“At every official Guild Hall there are places for Adventurers to rent and craft or maintain their equipment. Though the price for rent differs with every area. Here at Nyl City, the study and worktables are free, but stations with equipment, like the forge, carpentry room, and alchemy laboratories all have some charge.”

I see. That’s something useful to know if I choose to go traveling in the future.

... It seems that will be inevitable, if I’m planning so far in advance.

The forge area opens out into a crude terrace on the side of a mountain. Intermingled with the smell of hot metal, though it’s a little faint, is a grosser, organic waste-like smell. Jetsom tells me later that it’s the smell of tanning. Though it’s a level below the forge, the bad smell is hard to miss. At first I thought I’d try my hand at all the crafts, but if it’s as bad to deal with as it smells, maybe I’ll just buy the leather for hilts and sheathes.

Even though it seems like a useful skill to have, this isn’t a game after all. I can’t just become a master in everything. Crafting is a lot more hands-on... or hands in. Hands wrist deep in animal dung.

But I’m digressing.

The smell aside, the view from the terrace is amazing. I didn’t realize how high up we were, or how far below the rest of the world was depending on your point of view. The road into Nyl City was slightly elevated through the mountains, though it was wide and easy to travel, but the slope was so gradual that you didn’t realize how high you climbed.

Then, the Guild Hall itself is on the second level of Nyl City, and the corridor we took winds upwards ... anyway, it’s an amazing view of the mountains. You can’t really see much other than mountains, but the black and dark blue mountain ranges stretch out as far as you can see.

I said the terrace was crude, but it’s not like it’s built poorly, it’s just not an ornamental terrace like you usually think of. It’s very big, unsurprisingly since forging and smelting are Nyl City’s pride. It’s not strange to think that many Adventurers who come to this city would also be smiths or smelters.

As I enter with Jetsom and the receptionist there are only two other people working in the forge, but I see them look over at me. Both of them  did a double-take. Is it really that weird to be a female smith, after all? Or maybe it’s because I’m still young? Ah, but the average age of Adventurers is about early 20s from what I’ve seen, so as expected, it’s because I’m female, huh?

The receptionist leads us over to where a much older man is waiting, seated in a chair. He’s thin with extremely gnarled limbs. He kind of reminds me of an old kung fu sage, though instead of the wispy moustache he has a full, bushy, European style, beard.

Jetsom bows in front of the older man.

“Pulman-jiji, thank you for meeting us today.”

The old man gave a loud cackle, then leapt out of his chair with a vigor that was kind of terrifying.

“No problem, no problem. That lil’ halfling brat came over with one of them swords, so I was looking forward to it!”

He rubbed his hands together cheerfully.

Lil’ halfling brat ... he means Dobin, right?

“Right, right, let’s not waste any time. Go on, forge a sword!”

“A-alright.”

He says it like I was supposed to know what was going on. Well, I don’t hate this sort of old man.

It’s a little unnerving to have a cackling old man looking over my shoulder, and I can’t help but wonder if I’ll be able to go into the Craftsman’s Trance.

Uun... what kind of sword should I make? Before coming here, Ossan and Jetsom had recommended me not to make another katana blade. It’s not that it wouldn’t be well-received, they said, but more like it would be difficult for them to use something they’re not used to seeing in order to rank me.

So I should definitely make a western-like blade, huh?

It seems like I fell in the Trance before I even started forging. From the moment I decided on what kind of blade I should make to the moment I finished forging it, I was unaware of anything else. Even when more people came in or went out, I didn’t notice.

Like that, I finished the blade of a claymore. Though, to be fair, it’s not much different from a longsword until you add the cross guards with the emblem tips.  It’s just a bit longer and broader.

I did end up folding the steel again, but maybe that won’t be a problem. If they thought I shouldn’t, Ossan and Jetsom wouldn’t have given me multiple ingots to use, right?

Right?

... The suspense is too much! Ji-san, say something!

Pulman-jiji accepts the blade as I hand it over to him. He peers at it through his bushy eyebrows, closely looking down the length of the blade, drumming his fingers on it, and then he swung it once with both hands. ... He almost fell over, careful Ji-san!

After handing the blade carefully back to me, he instructs me to Emblazon my emblem. After I do so, he nods and mutters something to himself before taking up the broom nearby and swatting Jetsom lightly with it.

“Hoi, what do you think you brats are doing?! Bringing me a girl like this, for crying out loud, what an outrage! This girl came to your forge to learn about magic ores right?! Then what are you waiting for?!”

With every statement he swats at Jetsom again. Eeeeto... I’m sorry, I can’t tell how you evaluated me from this.

After calming down, Pulman-jiji sets the broom aside, motioning the receptionist over. The receptionist takes out a clipboard with a form on it and a pen, waiting for Pulman-jiji to ... begin his evaluation, probably.

Pulman-jiji calms down, while Jetsom strokes his tail, trying to comb out the snarls and straw bits left from the broom.

“Well then. First things first, for her smithing abilities, skill-wise, I would have no complaints on giving her an A Rank. It might border even on an S Rank.”

A shocked silence went through the forge. Don’t look at me, I didn’t expect that either!

“However, for her lack of knowledge in both magic ores, enchantments, and basically anything magic-related, naturally I can’t give her that Rank.  Mumumu... this is a really hard one to evaluate.  For crying out loud, if you brats over at that forge had taught her about the ores like you should have -!”

Jetsom winced a little at the accusatory look Pulman-jiji shot him.

Pulman-jiji sighs.

“Maa, I get why you’d want to register her first. I say, right now, C Rank. Make a note of this, though, Erl, that I’m afraid people will try to take advantage of the fact that her Rank is lower than her skills. However...”

Here, Pulman-jiji shakes a finger at Jetsom.

“However, 1 month! I give you brats 1 month to beat the basics into her! You hear me, girl? You have 1 month to master the basics! Even if it’s just the basics of magic ores, I will have no problems raising the Rank to B.”

Just so you know, a Rank F Craftsman is already considered an above average artisan. A Rank D Craftsman’s work is one that would be regularly fought over at an auction. Jetsom himself is Rank B. Helward ... well I haven’t heard about it, but I can probably assume Helward is a Rank A or Rank S.

“O-oi, Pulman-jiji, are you serious? Now I’m interested ...”

One of the other smiths nearby has drawn closer.

“Of course I’m serious, you little brat! I have never seen a smith like this before. Let alone being a Mana Forger, how should I say it, I’ve never seen someone who can become one with the forge like this before. With skills like that, being able to knead the magic like that, all this girl needs is knowledge. She will have no problems making that knowledge something she can control, like an extension of herself. For crying out loud, it’s a shame your teachers never taught you about magical weapons forging!”

“W-well, my homeland made weapons primarily of steel, so...”

“No excuses!”

Eeeeh...!

“So did the two of you bring any other swords with you?”

Pulman-jiji may have asked that, but there’s no doubt that his keen eyes are already glued to the sheathed katana (with an Ossan-made temporary sheathe) and the linen-wrapped naginata blade I had handed over for Jetsom to keep while I was forging.

There’s something about the curve of a katana that is just captivating. The blade isn’t made to be curved, it simply curves naturally after quenching. The strain from forcibly curving the blade isn’t there; the blade of a katana is coaxed into the curve as its natural state. The subtleness of the curve and the slenderness of the blade gives it an elegance that other curved blades can’t mimic.

At first, Pulman-jiji didn’t say anything as he slowly turned the katana to let the light glint off its blade.

Finally, he lets out a long sigh.

“Fuuu ... I am glad that I have been allowed to see that a blade like this exists as well.”

Was all he said, before returning the katana to the sheathe. He seems absent-minded.

Hm, did it not make much of an impression on him, other than just being an exotic blade? The elegant thinness can sometimes be mistaken as being weaker than the western-type broadswords, but I guarantee its durability is on the same level.

Maa, in the end, this is how my Craftsman Rank appraisal went.

—

Trait added:

[MAGIC CASTER]:

[PASSIVE: (Element Sensitivity)]

[SKILLS: (Fire Magic: <Flame>, <Flame Orb>) (Water Magic: <Create Water>)]

A/N: Thank you for the donations GOGET and EAGLE0108!

This chapter ended up being too long ... oh well. There was no good cut.

It always feels like you don’t have enough time to level both your combat skills and your crafting skills in a game.

Niera, with her hair lightly pulled back, glinting in the afternoon light, looks really alluring as she lifts the finished naginata.

No good. After last night my sense regarding women’s gotten a bit ...

Well, there’s no point with me like this, so I should hurry up and return myself back to normal. If I meet a girl who makes me really regret being a girl, maybe I’ll consider things more then.

The more-attractive than usual Niera is beaming as she lightly swings the naginata here and there.

“Ooo, a glaive after all. Mnn... it’s got a little more of a blade-to-pole ratio, hm? A, well, I guess that all depends on the weapon-maker... but it sure is elegant looking. The balance is a bit different too...  hahaaan, I see, like this it really is just like a sword with a longer hilt, hm? Un, it’s a bit on the lighter side, just a bit.”

... She can tell with this much? Well, maybe since she said it’s similar to a glaive ...

“Jun-chan, Jun-chan! Show me how you fight with it! Hurry hurry hurry!”

“Niera-san ... let’s get out of the forge area first.”

“Ahahaha... that’s true too, isn’t it?”

She giggles, embarrassed. Ever since I found out about how she feels about Lor, I’ve been noticing Niera gets embarrassed a lot, and not just around Lor. Even though she’s good at hiding it, if you know where to look it can be pretty obvious.  Is it because she’s the type to act before she thinks?

Anyway, the two of us head over to the forge exit. I bring along my katana just in case ... who am I kidding? Niera will definitely want to spar to test out the naginata.

Huh? Why is Ossan, Jephta, and everybody coming along?

When I ask, Ossan scratches his head sheepishly.

“No... that is... there’s something about watching a unique weapon’s use in person, you know? Even if you can kind of tell just from experience and by how it’s built, and we haven’t seen either the sword or this polearm used before.”

I guess that’s fair, but I’ve already tested out the sword before, though I have great regrets over it. You guys know we’re only going to test out the naginata -? Ah, I guess I’m not the only one who has that premonition of a spar coming soon.

There’s a small courtyard to the side of the forge, a little off the road. It’s a mostly empty space, save some firewood and a few straw dummy targets here and there. It’s too small to be a training ground for Adventurers, but it’s big enough for a few test swings between people.

I timidly take a stance with the naginata, laying the katana off to the side.

“Um, I guess I can show you the forms I remember?”

“Forms?”

Do they not have the concept of katas?  I move into an area away from the others while thinking that. Come to think of it, it might be because most of the warriors in this area are Adventurers. Adventurers kind of give the impression they learn how to fight from necessity instead of out of principle, don’t they?

If there was a dojo or knight training area or something like that in Nyl, maybe the idea of training by perfecting form instead of brute force would be more common.

Now, I actually know quite a few naginata katas, even though I was never really “properly” trained. I thought the swinging of the naginata was beautiful, so I never really minded being dragged by the girls into the school naginata club’s training. It was really mesmerizing to sit and watch the girls practicing together while waiting for whatever they dragged me in to do.

Erm... head, shin, mid, head, parry...

After several of the katas, Niera’s patience for waiting to try out the naginata has disappeared.

“What’s this, what’s this!”

Niiiiera! Don’t just jump out at me all of a sudden! This isn’t a bamboo blade, it’s real, real!

“I see, is it visual training? Steady footwork and form, hm ... Hahaaan, so it’s a type of martial arts your country has really been refining, huh? Let me try, let me try!”

“Ok...”

After I hand it off to her, Niera spends a few seconds trying to mimic my movements, but ... as I thought, she’s totally not the type to learn by kata.

“Mm... Jun-chan, come at me.”

“Give up already?”

“It’s hard to really get the feel of something if I’m not doing combat, see?”

“Right.”

I draw my katana. It’s my first proper fight with the full sword assembled together. I wonder how serious she’s ... whoa!

The blade of the naginata swishes past my face as I dodge it by a margin. Niera! Some warning?

At first her movements are rough and erratic, but they still have some polish to them. Or like, the roughness and erraticness are used to feint and throw me off her rhythm. I wonder if she’s using the naginata like she would a glaive. She’s swinging wide and throwing the rear end of the pole with more force than she probably needs. I wonder if it’s the slightly different balance she mentioned before.

Slowly, the longer we fight, I see her pulling in her arms. Her footwork as well; at first it was jumpy, like a boxer’s, but as we continued to fight she adjusted her feet to mimic my stances that I had shown her.

Little by little, with the combined experience she’s gaining from actually wielding the weapon, her previous abilities in combat with different polearms, and the short amount of time she watched me handling it, Niera polishes her movements.

Before I know it ... wait, doesn’t it look like naginata-jutsu? Or like, doesn’t it look like she’s mastered naginata-jutsu in twenty minutes?!

“Fumu, Ok, stop! I more or less got it.”

Niera, breathing lightly from the last onslaught she had launched, called out and we stopped sparring.

“I see. The principle is a steady base and a focus on slicing from the negative areas. It needs to be very precise, but for a polearm it’s not the hardest one for people to handle, hm? Probably the best reason to have them learn it is those drill-like things you were showing me. For people who lack any training whatsoever, it’s the best if they have something concrete to follow, and it looks very beautiful once you get it down. I agree, I think it would suit those girls fine. Much better than the spear.”

So you say, but if the glaive was similar, then the glaive would be fine too...? Maa, I too want to see the gorgeous women from The Queen Mary’s wielding naginata-jutsu expertly, so I won’t bring that up ... Solyana especially would look really good with a naginata. No, that’s not the only reason I suggested it, the girls themselves wanted something to temper their spirits, right?

But you know, if they were wearing hakama while drilling naginata katas ... Un. It would really be something good to see.

What? Wouldn’t it?

Jetsom calls me back to the situation at hand.

“Hey, can I see that?”

He points at my katana. His eyes are sparkling.

“Yeah, but be careful if you’re going to swing it. It’s pretty easy to hurt yourself if you’re not used to it.”

I don’t know how many new kendo practitioners have smacked themselves in the shins with the practice swords while trying to look cool.

“So ... Jun-chan!”

While Jetsom lightly swung the sword in a (kind of wrong) stance, Niera pounced on me, carefully angling the blade of the naginata so it wouldn’t stab either of us.

“Hm?”

“We’re going to need 8 more!”

Ah.

“N-Niera san, wouldn’t it be better to start them out on non-bladed weapons? Since most of them don’t have any weapon experience?”

“Oh, that’s true.”

... Is this really going to be ok?

“Then ... how much?”

“Huh?”

“This commission! How much for this commission?”

“Fufufu, are you sure you want to ask that, Niera-chan? If you didn’t mention anything, there was a good chance Jou-chan wouldn’t have even thought to charge you.”

“Eeeeeh— but that’s not proper!”

“But you might not be able to afford it ... Ah, this is a good opportunity, Jou-chan. A master-worked blade, custom weapon, and lacquered pole; how much do you think you should charge?”

Hang on a sec. What are these 2 adults talking about? I was doing this as a favor, right?

As if he can read my mind, Ossan shook his finger at me and clicked his tongue.

“That’s no good, Jou-chan, you’re a registered Craftsman with the Guild now. You’ll have to start thinking about your work as a business, or else you’ll definitely get taken advantage of.”

“That’s right, Jun-chan. Really, taking on a job like this for no money is a no-no, okay? The quality of your work is really good, so only people who’d be willing to pay for them should get them, see. That’s what it means to be a Master!”

I’m not a master yet ... and Niera-san asked me for this for ... nn ... ok, mostly for her own curiosity, but since she did it for the girls at The Queen Mary’s ... Huh? Come to think of it, she’s probably not teaching them for free, right?

“Niera, was the request from the girls a commission?”

“Yup, yup! Apparently they’ve been saving up for something like this for a while. They’re even entrusting extra to me in order to pick out their weapons.”

If it’s like that, it kind of feels wrong to say that I wasn’t going to charge her since she’s doing the girls a favor. Is it something like trampling on their determination, or something like not trusting their abilities... I’m not sure, but somehow I think if I say that, it would insult the girls somehow.

Technically speaking, the agreement between Niera and the girls has nothing to do with me. If I try to meddle in it, I’m worried that I’ll end up treating them like NPCs or something. I don’t want to say that I’ve been treating the people in this world like NPCs before, but, well, no one likes a pushy guy, right? Though I’m a girl.

I had decided to respect their decisions, after all. I’m not going to go behind their backs and make deals for them like some overprotective father.

Hm.

Urgh. I don’t really like thinking abut the prices of things. If it was just the price of materials plus the hours I worked on it, I wouldn’t be so confused. But putting a price on something like expertise ...

Maa, well, just doubling the price the Knight Captain-sama bought the swords for would be a rough estimate...?

“Um, 400,000 ecrue?”

Uh, what’s with the huge sigh?

“You’re not that far off, Jou-chan, but don’t tell me you just doubled the price from before.”

Crap. Ossan’s senses are too sharp.

“Looks like we’ll have to train your sense of money too. We were lucky Pulman-jiji didn’t ask questions about that this time. He’d end up swatting people, saying ‘A Craftsman who doesn’t understand the value of his own work is worse than trash!’ or something like that. Well, since the price isn’t too off, let’s just go with that, Niera-chan.”

“Hm...”

Niera folded her arms and thought for a minute.

“And here I thought since I had 300,000 ecrue saved up, I might have enough to pay it all upfront for the first time... ”

“Ahaha, Niera-chan likes buying nice weapons, after all. If you could curb that habit you might actually have extra spending money ... well, we smiths can’t complain about that nice habit too much.”

“Hm... it would be insulting to try to haggle it down, wouldn’t it, Gustav-san? Even I can tell that. Well, as an Adventurer I can make up an extra 100,000 ecrue in a day or two, so can I get another IOU?”

Hang on a second. There’s something else I need a little more than money ... but how do I ask without getting yelled at? These two are totally thinking that they have to beat some money sense into me. Even though I’ve already resolved myself to take more care when dealing with money.

“Actually...”

“You’d better not be thinking about settling it for 300,000 ecrue, Jou-chan.”

“100,000 ecrue is too much to discount, Jun-chan.”

As expected. Mou, I get it. I already understand it to be about a week’s worth of earnings for one of The Queen Mary’s girls.

“That’s not it. I was just wondering how far 100,000 ecrue would get me, if I were to, say, tag along with Niera and her party and have them teach me how to explore a Labyrinth. See, I’m kind of getting lectured by the Guild to increase my Adventurer activities, not just smithing.”

Ossan let out a laugh and a “Uwaa, it’s hard to max rank both Craftsman and Adventurer,” while Niera knit her eyebrows together in deep thought.

It’s not like I’m trying to max rank both of them.

Though I did think about it.

“I see. There are people who make that kind of commission too. It usually pays between 10,000 to 20,000 ecrue a day.”

“Hm? Though escort quests into the Labyrinth are 5,000 to 10,000 ecrue?”

Ossan was kind of surprised.

“Yep. The people who ask to be escorted without any objective other than to adventure in the Labyrinth aren’t looked highly upon, so the price is higher to deter hyenas who just want to piggyback off of others. Nowadays it’s usually some rich kid who wants to play in the Labyrinth. High ranking parties like our Valor of Arms Brigade usually don’t take those commissions, because sometimes people want to scout out our secrets and tricks in how to be successful in the Labyrinth.”

Oh, so then maybe this won’t work.

“I see, then nevermi-“

“Well, it’s not impossible if it’s Jun-chan. It just turns out there’s some circumstances right now that would make bringing you around the Labyrinth more interesting, though I’ll have to ask the others. Anyway, I will pay the extra 100,000 ecrue in a few days. The commission to our Brigade is something separate. In this case, since you did something for me, but are requesting a party of 4 for something, it’s not a 1-to-1 exchange. It’s best to keep them as separate transactions.”

“Ah... ok?”

“Hm... Niera-chan, Niera-chan, I have a suggestion...”

Ossan, why do you have that look in your eyes?

<T/N: Thank you LYNKZ and ROBERT for your donations! >

I wonder why Twintails suit Little Girls more than Women.

Ossan’s ‘suggestion’ was to send along Nars, the half-kobold, and have me learn about magic ores and how to collect materials while I was Labyrinth diving.  Oi, Ossan, do you really think I’ll have any leeway to learn about other things while I’m learning how to fight in a Labyrinth?

I feel like no matter what world I’m in, people have a desire to power-level me with the best efficiency possible. I wonder why that is.

I was surprised to find out that Nars was a Rank F Adventurer.  It seems like he’d go into the Labyrinth every once in a while to gather special materials for magic ores. Recently there’s been more monster activity so he didn’t feel like going in alone, but there should be no problem going into the Labyrinth with him along with another party of Adventurers, as long as we kept it to the first few floors.

Niera returned later in the afternoon to tell me it was an “OK!” Just like she said, at first Jericho and the others weren’t too enthusiastic about guiding a newbie Adventurer, but when she finally let them know it was me, they quickly agreed to it. Or like, you should tell them who the commissioner is from the beginning, right? She must have done that just to be mischievous.

“Weeeell, like I said, there’s some circumstances that makes taking you around more appealing, too. Because the monsters have been more active than usual, and we always end up having to leave materials behind ...”

... You just wanted me for my Storage (Inventory), huh?

Niera continued on.

“Also, Jericho and the others know you and your strength, so they know you’re not just going to come in and screw around and get us into some trouble or something. And if Nars is going to be there, we’ll get a chance to see how a dismantler properly handles things. Since it’s like that, we’re thinking ... 8,000 ecrue a day for both of you.”

Oooh, a big discount! Kind of. It’s under the usual price for this kind of escort commission for 1 person, but like they said there were a few benefits for them as well, and they do know I can take care of myself. Like that, the price only takes into account that they’ll be showing me how to manage in the Labyrinth.

By the way, it was settled that in exchange for Nars showing me his encyclopedic knowledge on materials for magic ores and how to dismantle, I would pay for his escort fees.

I feel like, instead of actually wanting compensation for his help, everyone’s just trying to hammer it in that services need to be paid for. Not that I’m complaining. They’re already letting me use their forges and hammers for free.

While we were waiting for Niera to return, Ossan taught me the value of that naginata that I handed Niera. It seems that the blade itself was worth 400,000 ecrue. Since the pole wasn’t that extravagantly done, the value of the naginata as a whole was somewhere around 430,000 to 450,000 ecrue. Normally you’d price it a little higher, but considering that I did have some investment in it, if I wanted to provide a discount I shouldn’t ever lower it more than 25%.

Though 400,000 ecrue is rather high priced for a steel blade, it seems that there are magic swords that have been sold for over 500,000,000 ecrue. It seems, like everything else in this world, once magic is thrown into the mix the price increases drastically.

The average plain steel sword made by the average Rank D (the most common Craftsman rank) smith would price between 70,000 to 120,000 ecrue. The average magic ore sword made by the average Rank D smith would price between 150,000 to 200,000 ecrue. Ones with enchantments or engravings are even more expensive.

Well, the ones sold by Helward’s forge are more like 300,000 ecrue for a plain steel sword and 600,000 ecrue for a magic ore sword.

I’m starting to understand. Heh... so Helward’s forge was to that kind of degree... Wait, what?!

And then, that blade I just forged for Niera was ... what?!

Ugh ... and now that the numbers are actually starting to sink in, how can I expect to make those things for the girls? Won’t it end up being, like, a 75% discount or something?! They’ll definitely refuse that; even if I try to insist that it’s for all they’ve done for me, a discount of anything over 100,000 ecrue will definitely make someone pause uncomfortably.  (1,000 USD, or 110,500 yen)

“Well, just make cheaper ones, then, Jou-chan.”

Easier said than done! For me, that is!

◇◇◇

Anyway, right now I’m in front of the Guild.

It’s the next morning after Niera and Ossan have tried to “teach me all about money.”

I had stopped by the food carts for breakfast and a thick, sweet, fruit covered soup-pudding-like thing seemed like it would be popular with the girls, so I bought 12 servings (for the 8 girls, Maryiste-san, and 3 younger assistant-like girls), as well as some lightly fried meats wrapped in crepe-like things, and buckwheat cakes.

With the excuse, “If all of you want to train your bodies, it starts with nutrition!” I now carefully select the best foods with nutritional balance I can find to give them. Because they refused to let me shoulder any of the construction costs on the store, I have to find different ways to help alleviate the stress on their budget.

Of course it’s not always going to be food from the food carts, but since the girls stay up so late every night, rather than forcing them to make breakfast by buying ingredients it’s better to have something ready-made so they can free up some time, right?

What? Make them breakfast myself? Do you want to poison them or something?

Well, though I’m worried about their finances since the hole in the building is an unexpected expenditure, The Queen Mary’s actually does really good business. Each girl earns, on average, 15,000 ecrue a night, but the price breakdown is more complicated than that. Each girl earns 20% of the price of drinks and food her patron orders, as well as 80% of the price for other services... Anyway, because The Queen Mary’s provides room and board, that’s why the commission percentage is low for the consumables.

The Queen Mary’s girls make quite a bit, especially compared to the other girls in the night business. Most other women can barely make a living, at 2,000 ecrue a night. Personally, I think it’s because Maryiste tries to advertise the girls’ personalities, not just their bodies.

Also, The Queen Mary’s is a well-known shop for its high-class feel and the fact that they offer services other than just sleeping with their clients.  The girls have been taught social etiquette from all sorts of countries and classes, so sometimes Adventurers will come just to drink and mingle with the girls in order to improve their abilities to interact with people closer to Nobility.

It really reminds me of certain hostess clubs after all, with men coming to improve their English while flirting with foreign women.

By the way, it’s not like the girls were high-class to begin with. I found out that most of them were from the slums, or slaves whose masters died in the Labyrinth.

Apparently, Maryiste doesn’t hire just any girl asking for a job. She is very strict on her criteria of personality and beauty. But just because she picked you doesn’t mean you can stay. If you fail to learn everything Maryiste requires for social etiquette in 5 months, you are let go. Because of that, all 8 of the current girls have stories about how hard it was train themselves to this degree.

The girls’ manners are really too perfect when they are asked to turn them on. Jarna and Erina-sama have even been called to be female escorts in Noble parties before.  To think about capitalizing on this kind of trait, Maryiste, who exactly are you?

Young girls like Torinelle are considered apprentices until they come of age (15 here), and have until then to learn all the bare requirements Maryiste allows, or else they are also let go. To be honest, even if they’re let go, what they’ve learned in terms of etiquette and accounting already give them a boost if they try to find other lines of work.

That’s why Maryiste is even stricter on screening younger girls; there have already been two who took advantage of the free schooling by causing a scene to be fired as soon as they turned 15. It’s not like I’m comfortable with idea of young girls working in brothels, but I can’t say I approve of taking advantage of other people like that.

Well, those two girls have apparently been seen as untrustworthy, and though they found jobs it seems like every time anything goes wrong or money gets misplaced, they’re the first to be blamed.

Well, yeah. What did they think would happen if they pulled a stunt like that? Maybe if it was a seedier brothel they could have gotten away with it, but Noble VIPs visit this shop (in disguise), you know?

... Ah, I’ve started thinking about other things while waiting. I ended up coming too early so I’ve had time to let my mind wander. I guess I’m a little nervous about my first Labyrinth dive.

The Morning Watch bells have only just sounded right now. Even so, there doesn’t seem to be as many people about as during the Farmer’s Watch 3 hours earlier.

Not that there’s no one around. Slowly, little by little people trickle in towards the Guild. I guess all other laborers and shop attendants start earlier, because only the Adventurers look like they’ve just woken up.

“Jun-san. You’re up early like usual.”

These Adventurers aren’t any different.

Kristaff stifles a yawn as he waves at me. Behind him is Niera and a Featherkin onee-san, Miinalya I assume. She has feathery, light blue hair, and now I can see the feathers where ears normally are.

“Jun-san. Nice to meet you, I am Miinalya. Thank you for all the help. Call me Mii or Miina.”

“Ah no, all of you as well have helped me out greatly, and I’ll be in your care.”

She’s a frank, cool woman, huh? Heiran, the Featherkin from The Queen Mary’s was more bubbly, so somehow I was imagining that kind of person.

Let’s see. In game terms, Niera is a fighter, Kristaf and Jericho are tanks, and Miinalya, er, Miina, is a wizard, if I remember correctly. They just need a healer ... is what I think, but actually there is no healer class. Most “healers” in this world are more like doctors. Lor laughed outright when I asked if there were healer Adventurers.  He said he was trying to imagine one of those scrawny bookworms in a Labyrinth without a heavy escort, and he just couldn’t picture it.

It seems like healing magic is something else this world could improve on. Though I say that, it’s not like our world had anything like it, and anyway I’m probably the least qualified person to try to spearhead healing technology. Though I sometimes played support roles in game, I never played healing roles.

Though I’m not saying that healing magic in this world should be like that in a game; it’s more like I never had much interest in it, so I don’t think I’d stick with researching healing magic.

With no healer class, they have a pretty good balance.

Niera smiles sleepily, saying,

“Jericho is already inside confirming some details about some other commissions we took, so after Nars gets here, we can go.”

“Right.”

The three Adventurers are still shaking off their sleep, so a silence settles in as they stretch lazily, waiting for Nars. Even though this time would be good if we discussed things I should know about diving in the Labyrinth ... well, the best way is to learn through experience, I guess.

The one who finally broke the silence was Miina.

“Nn. Money-grubber at north-west.”

Coming down the road, rather nonchalantly, is a man who gives off a “white” impression. Isn’t that Ragnall-san?

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Niera and the rest know him. As expected of an A Rank Adventurer; he’s famous.

He grins loosely and waves when he sees us loitering in the Guild entryway.

“Oooh, hey, it’s 2nd place!”

Hm? 2nd place?

“Not all of us can work as tirelessly as you just for the sake of money. We’re already doing pretty well with the amount of commissions we take!”

With that last exclamation, Kristaf launches a punch at Ragnall’s face, but Ragnall catches it easily with a laugh.

“Tch. Your reflexes are too good, as usual.”

Kristaf sighed and rolled his eyes as he withdrew his punch.

... Their relationship isn’t bad, I think?

“So what are you doing, Ragnall? Not heading down to the Labyrinth? That’s unusual.”

Niera asked with a laugh.

Ragnall’s face went stiff.

“Ah ... well, I’m heading there, but I have to wait for someone, unfortunately.”

“Wait for – Ooooo ... you’re accompanying the princess today? My my, if you don’t like it, you really should stop taking that girl’s commissions.”

Hm? Princess?

Ragnall makes a complicated face.

“Hmmhmmhm... well, I can’t take too many long-term jobs at the moment so the commissions I can take have dropped, and she pays really well...”

Somehow, it sounds like a tedious job. Or like, you could totally hear, “If I wasn’t paid so much, I’d never do this,” in the spaces between his words.

“Fufufu, you see, Jun-chan, there’s this girl who’s really into Ragnall, and she pays super well for him to escort her through the Labyrinth like it’s a date, even though she’s capable of diving through the first level all by herself~!”

Niera explains it to me loudly so that Ragnall can hear it, and he gives her a dirty look.

“Heh... what kind of person is she-“

“Rag-nall-sa-ma~!”

A bundle of pink and red came flying towards us, target-locked-on to Ragnall. Though he didn’t even budge when it hit him, Ragnall still made a face like, “Oof!”

“Ragnall-sama, sorry to keep you waiting!”

It’s ... a loli? It’s a loli, huh? A beautiful girl with deep-red hair in twintails, around 12 or 13 years-old. Unlike Torinelle’s normal, good-girl aura, this girl has a coquettish nature about her that just makes you think, “Oh, a loli-hime has arrived.”

Although ... this loli is dragging around a lance nearly as tall as herself with relative ease.

She looks coolly down her nose at the rest of us. Ah, correction. She’s glaring at Niera and Miina.

“Did you need something, Grandmother?”

“G-grandmother-?!”

Niera was the one who responded to that.

“Listen, I’m only 26, I’m not that much older than you are!”

Um, Niera, I don’t think that’s very convincing for her if you’re double her age. I decide not to say anything.

“Ara, I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d already be at the age where you’re running out of time. Do take care not to be too forward when dealing with men or they’ll get the wrong impression.”

The loli-hime grabs Ragnall’s arm and tosses her hair, while Niera is left smiling, a cramp in her cheeks.

Hm? This is ... a jealousy template? Uwaa, first time I’ve seen it in real life.

Hmm... sorry, Ojou-chan. I get that you’re going for Ragnall, but I’m pretty sure he’s not going for anyone under the age of 15. And isn’t he part of the oppai-faction?

I glance up at Ragnall; he definitely does not look like he’s enjoying it.

Somehow I feel kind of sorry for him, but I guess that’s what you get when you’re only focused on the money. The loli-hime was able to take advantage of it splendidly... but is it really so horrible that you have to make that face?

... It kind of makes me want to whistle and say, “Yo, popular guy!”

That would be kind of mean, huh?

Ragnall glares at me. Oops. I guess my smirk showed a little. I put an, “I don’t know what you’re talking about” look on my face and look away innocently.

...! A-are? Somehow the loli-hime’s super glaring at me?

“Who’s that?”

She asks that, a frown on her face and the hand not holding onto her lance on her hip.

“Um...”

“This is Jun-san. We’re taking her around the Labyrinth today.”

Not waiting for me to struggle to figure out how to introduce myself, Miina responds for me instead.

“Hmph. You look pretty weak. No wonder you need a group like them to drag you through the Labyrinth. Well, do your best. Ragnall-sama, shouldn’t we be off now?”

Ignoring the rest of us, whose faces were all cramping when she called me weak, the loli-hime drags Ragnall off into the Guild Hall. Right before she enters, she shoots me a dirty look and clings closer to Ragnall’s arm.

...hm.

“It doesn’t look like she likes me at all.”

I can’t really get all that worked up about her attitude. How should I say it; she’s like a brat with very grown up manners, but she’s still a brat underneath.  If you get mad at just that much provocation, you’ve definitely lost.

Niera laughs tensely.

“Ahaha, she’s like that with all the women who approach Ragnall, whether or not they’re interested. Well, she’s that kind of little girl.”

“... Huh? With me too?”

Somehow ...  I feel like I’ve come to terms with being a girl, but it never occurred to me that I would be seen as a potential love rival by a jealous, love-struck loli.

It’s not like I’m insulted...? It’s more like I can’t even begin to understand what just happened.

To be honest, I’m still trying to come to terms with the fact that this kind of girl exists outside of love comedy manga.

“... She doesn’t have to worry so much, does she? Are there really that many girls after Ragnall?”

That might have been a little rude for me to say, but girls usually obsess like that over ikemen, right? Ragnall’s, well, he’s not really an ikemen.  He’s not an ikemen ... right? Hm... does my opinion count as a girl’s opinion in regards to men’s attractiveness?

“pfffffft! Pu-kukuku ...! I guess he’s not your type, huh Jun-chan? Well, when an aggressive girl gets attached, she sees every woman as an enemy. Especially a little girl like that. You know, she has that, ‘If I like something, everyone must like it too,’ way of thinking.”

Trying not to laugh at my kind of insensitive remark, Niera ends up letting out a really weird laugh instead.

Maa, I guess little kids, boys or girls, are all kind of like that. I mean, unable to understand that other people have other tastes. But it’s kind of annoying when they force their opinions on other people.

Miina crosses her arms and shrugs, saying,

“Well, it’s not like I dislike her as the daughter of a Noble-sama.”

“Oh, so she is a Noble-sama, then.”

I had thought so. Her clothes and armor where definitely a grade above everyone else’s ... even though the Valor of Arms Brigade is Rank B and Ragnall is Rank A. And since I could tell with my untrained eyes, they’re probably more than just one grade higher in quality.

“Yes. Even though she’s a Noble-sama and acts high-handed sometimes, she doesn’t really look down on Unaffiliateds and commoners, and even obsesses over THAT Ragnall, who has no magic abilities to speak of.  For a Noble-sama to value strength over magic is very strange. Well, it’s probably from her father’s influence.”

So that’s it. Un. If you’re obsessed with how strong people are, Ragnall, who climbed up to Rank A without any magic, would naturally be appealing.

... Hang on. He climbed up to Rank A without any magic? Even though I got dropped several ranks just because of my lack of magic knowledge ... for Craftsman ranking, though.

Anyway...

“Ah ... who’s her father?”

I ask Miina that out of curiosity.

“I’m pretty sure he’s the Knight Captain of Carnus.”

Aah ... THAT guy, huh? Considering how excited he got over a non-magic, steel sword, ah, so that’s it. I understand.

“Well, like I said, I don’t dislike her as the daughter of a Noble-sama ... but as a person I find her really annoying.”

“Hahaha, right~?”

Ah... somehow a really black feeling is coming from Miina as she scowls at the door Ragnall and the loli-hime went through.  Only Niera is able to laugh light-heartedly in response. The oppressive aura is making Kristaff and me really uncomfortable.

“Sorry, sorry, I was caught up in finishing giving the junior apprentices instructions. I’m not too late, am I?”

Good timing Nars-san!

<A/n: Thank you RiahW and Ed for your donations!>

Game Designers always Nerf Mages with Monsters Immune to Magic.

“... so these innards; if they’re this silvery blue it’s ok to collect. If it’s any darker, it’s useless.”

Nars scooped some of the goop from the smashed-open beetle in a jar. It’s a giant beetle that looks like it’s carved out of glass. The Valor of Arms Brigade were the ones that took it down.

I mimic Nars and try to collect some of this stuff. Yuck.

This is pretty gross, but that’s apparently the most lucrative part of the beetle. It seems that it’s rare for their innards to be the right color. It improves the sheen of stones and ores, apparently, and most importantly, it’s a material that improves the circulation of mana in tonics.

I tap the hard carapace of this so-called Jeweled Beetles.

“What about the shells? Though they’re pretty much destroyed...”

“Broken shells aren’t a big deal. Though armorers and jewellers will pay a pretty price for a more intact piece, most of the shells are ground down to a fine powder. Even powdered, heated, or melted, the shells keep their abilities to reflect magic, so it’s a precious resource as an additive, like for paints, gilds, and alchemical potions. Quite a few shells are needed for a four-ly portion, so Armored Beetle shells always have some demand.”

(1 ly= approx 1 ml)

“Oh, so that’s how it is. We always tossed the shells if they were too badly damaged, but it seems like we’ve lost some potential earnings that way.”

Jericho scratches his head, a bit embarrassed, as he admits that.

Nars laughs lightly in response.

“Well, it’s a monster on the 1st level, so don’t feel too bad about that. Even though there’s always demand for Jeweled powder, the monsters your brigade brings in from the lower levels will always be worth at least 4 times the best price you could get from a Jeweled Beetle.”

Since even Rank F Adventurers have no problems on the 1st level, that’s to be expected I guess. It wouldn’t make sense for the Valor of Arms Brigade to weigh themselves down with small-fry monster parts if they can hunt bigger prey in the lower levels.

We had descended into Nyls Labyrinth a half an hour ago through the Guild Hall. When I asked why the entrance of the Labyrinth is in the Guild Hall,

“Since the Labyrinth is directly in the heart of the city, the Guild Hall is fortified in case of any monster attacks or miasma outbreaks to keep the damage inside.”

Is what Nars said.

The winding tunnels of the 1st level go in ever direction, giving the impression of an endless maze.

Though Niera told me that, actually, the 1st level isn’t all that big compared to the other levels. It’s only about the size of the city.

Niera-san ... that’s plenty big. Or like, how big are the rest of the levels?!

Since the tunnels are narrow, when we run into a monster, there’s no choice but to fight our way through. The monsters seem to have the same idea, as they don’t hesitate to attack us at all.

Other than regular animals, like beetles, rats, small spiders, and the like, the monsters that we’ve run into are mostly Jeweled Beetles, the Garnet-Eyed Spider, and Onyx Rats. It’s a very cave-like ecosystem.

Since the tunnels really are narrow, I haven’t really gotten much of a chance to fight, other than support with barriers and storing everything in my Inventory. It’s not just me; Niera and Kristaf seem to switch out every other fight.

Though I think they’re reserved just in case we get ambushed by another monster. It wouldn’t be surprising if we were surprised from behind by a passing monster.

“Alright, next monster we find, Jun, you should try to fight it by yourself.”

Kristaf clears his sword of goop with a swing as he says that.

“Alright, I’ll give it a shot,”

I said, and I squeezed by to the front of the group.

◇◇◇

I suppose I should have expected it, but ... it’s really hard to fight in tunnels.

“Tsk. Take this!”

I’m seriously getting annoyed fighting this Jeweled Beetle.

Actually, there are 3 of them.

Nars is acting as my backup while the Valor of Arms Brigade is fighting the 2 in the rear.

This is the first time I’m fighting a monster in a dungeon! – is what I thought at first but aaaah, this is annoying!

The ceiling is low and the width of the tunnel is narrow, so how am I supposed to fight this thing?! If I carelessly swing my sword like usual, I’ll hit the ceiling or the walls, or a rock – but if I don’t swing like usual I can’t put any strength into my sword!

To make things worse, the shells of these beetles are hard. It’s like hitting a rock. I was going to try to roast it alive with my fire magic, but Nars yelled,

“Hang on, Jun-chan, their shells reflect magic!”

Seriously?!

“K-shaaah!”

I hear a beetle hiss from behind me, but I don’t really have the liberty to see what the others are doing. The beetle I’m facing tries to grab hold of my leg and crush it in its jaws.

In a flash I reflexively kick out at it, and Paaan! it flies into the opposite wall, landing with a sickening crunch.

The impact shakes the entire corridor, and as the beetle slides down the wall it gives a shriek while waving its legs wildly before it dies.

Even after it dies the legs and antenna spasm a bit here and there. As expected of a bug; despite having its back all crushed in, it’s very tenacious.

“...Jun-chan. I have never seen someone manage to send one of these flying, let alone kicking one to death.”

“Ahahaha...”

In response to Nars’ shock, I can only laugh weakly. This really wasn’t one of my finer moments.

After I carefully sever the beetle’s head to ensure its death, I turn around to watch the others.

Jericho slams one of the beetles in the head with his shield, very effectively getting its attention. Even though it’s angry, it doesn’t seem dazed at all. How resilient.

The beetle turns towards Jericho, but since it’s a beetle it can’t turn to face him without turning its entire body. Niera quickly takes advantage of the situation. With the beetle’s broad body presented directly in front of her, she yells, “Hyaah!” and uses both hands to drive a sturdy spear deep into the joint between its wings.

“Kssssssssha!”

The beetle screeches in anger as Niera continues to force the spear in deeper, twisting to apply even more force.

While it flails wildly, Kristaf and Miina snipe its legs. Jericho gives the tormented beetle another bash in the head before turning his attention to the other beetle.

Why did the other beetle not attack at the same time?

Well, it tried to, but the tunnel is just too damn small. Whenever it tried to charge and bite at Jericho or Niera, it simply rammed into the other beetle and got stuck between it and the wall.

This is a really tight area to fight in, seriously. For the monsters and me both.

If the environment’s like this, then there’s little wonder Niera chose a spear. The western-styled swords, too, are better for puncturing than the Japanese katana.

... No, I refuse to give up. There has to be some way to adapt the katana to fighting in such close quarters, right?

After firmly embedding the spear in the writhing beetle, Niera abandons the spear and pulls out her short sword, joining Jericho, while Miina takes her place.

Miina leaps above the frenzied beetle, firmly catching hold of Niera’s abandoned spear.

『glaciesspiritusinadiutoriummeumintende: Ice storm!』

With a powerful chant, Miina unleashes a powerful surge of magic. I expected a whirlwind of ice, but instead I sense a surge of magic move through the spear. All of a sudden, the beetle seems to implode.

It doesn’t move anymore.

I think it’s dead.

Could it be that they set it up to bypass the beetle’s magic-reflecting carapace?

Fumu. There’s a lot to think about when it comes to adapting to the environment. I’m dissatisfied with my abilities.

“Heh? But Jun-chan’s plenty strong, right? I mean, you killed it right away.”

“Yes. Even though your weapon was ineffective, you did it in without any trouble in one blow. In the end, the result is what’s most important.”

The first was Niera, and the second was Jericho.

Niera stretches and leans on the corpse of the last beetle as the Valor of Arms Brigade catch their breaths. They didn’t take much longer to finish off the second one.

Even though they say I’m okay fighting that way, I’m still worried, and I continue to express my concerns.

“I guess it’s alright for now, but I’m worried about getting caught in a situation without magic.”

Because ... you know, I’m using Augment Body; that’s why I can do stupidly ridiculous things like this. But there’s that template, right? Where suddenly you can’t use magic, or you run into monsters that magic isn’t useful against?

Ah, these beetles would be considered monsters you can’t use magic against, wouldn’t they?

“I don’t think there’s any need for you to worry about it. If you can’t use magic, usually it’s because it’s an area where magic goes berserk. According to Lor, your ability to control magic seems like it’s legendary, so you wouldn’t have any problems controlling that kind of out-of-control magic.”

Miina carefully cleans off her sword while she tells me that.

Miina-san, what basis are you using to determine that?

Out of the 3 beetles, only Miina’s frozen-from-the-inside beetle has the silvery-blue goop. Since it’s frozen, the Valor of Arms Brigade just has to put the frozen fragments in a bottle and wait for them to melt before they sell them.

Un. I think I will learn ice magic.

As they pass me the more intact pieces of shell, I had a thought.

“Hey, Nars, is it possible to incorporate these shells somehow into the metal when making blades?”

“Hm, it’s possible, but it’s not easy to mix the right ratio in, and then you’re not capable of using the swords to channel magic. Also, it will nullify the properties of other magic materials.”

Heeh... but a magic-reflecting blade is more than impressive ... right? And besides, couldn’t you make the inner part out of beetle-ore (tentatively named) just to have that dead-core thing? So I thought, but Nars said,

“Ah, well, actually, a dead-core isn’t used all that often. It was just very impressive that you could make a plain steel sword with a dead core. But in reality, it’s better for a plain steel sword to be uniform throughout, since magicians and casters use plain steel weapons as magic channeling aids as well as secondary combat potential.”

Hai? The rearguards use swords to cast magic? Not wands or staffs or something?  That’s so weir- ... ok, no, that’s actually pretty cool. It’s just so weird, since in our world magic users always used wooden weapons and wore cloth armor.

Well, in our world magic users only existed in games.

When Niera pierced through the Jeweled Beetle’s shell, she had switched to a spear that had been made in one full rod of metal. So that was it; it was completely a set-up for Miina to channel magic down into the beetle.

I want to ask about wands or staffs made of wood, but I’m afraid I’ll sound like a fool. After all, I did notice it was hard to put magic into wood previously at the forge, so it might just be the way things work.

◇◇◇

Anyway, the six of us leisurely made our way around the 1st level. I had considered making a map as we went, but my direction sense is pretty good; with the magic-stone compass from the Adventurer’s magic stone kit, I have confidence I could find places while only making 2 or 3 wrong turns.

Seriously, this place is a maze. Finding your way around without losing your way more than 5 times would be pretty impressive.

I’ve gotten pretty used to fighting Jeweled Beetles now, but I’ve kind of thrown away my sword-style. I’m sorry, Sensei, I promise I’ll go back to it when there’s plenty of room, but it’s just impossible right now.

Right now, using the katana, I’m getting used to swinging the sword closer to the center of my body. It’s more of a spin movement than a swing movement, though. By getting in close to the enemy and keeping my hands and the hilt close to the area between my solar plexus and my pelvis, I can make the most of the blade of the katana.

Though, it doesn’t look like kendo at all anymore; it’s more like a sword dance from a middle-eastern country or something.

It’s really exhilarating when the blade flashes by right in front of my face, but I can’t count the times I’ve almost sliced off a portion of my body, or almost gotten bit by a beetle.

Seriously, if it wasn’t for Augment Body, I’d have several nasty wounds now. I’m barely getting by purely on my super-enhanced reflexes.

Eh? Wasn’t I trying to develop a way to fight these beetles without having to rely on Augment Body? Well, at the start of course I’ll need to magicly compensate for an unfamiliar fighting style. As I get used to it more, I won’t have to rely so much on Augment Body ... probably.

Jericho’s small waterclock chimed when the top basin ran dry.  It means that we had been going at it for 3 hours, and it is now a little after noon.  It’s time to take a break.

“What?! Jun-chan, your Storage has Preservation cast on it?! That’s cheating!”

Niera exclaims as I bring out a jug of hot tea.

From the previous time’s experiment, the cup of hot tea was hot no matter when I took it out, and it never spilled a drop. It seems like things that go in will come out exactly as they were. Is it time-stop? I don’t know.

“It’s from the girls at The Queen Mary’s. Would you like some?”

Saying so, I pulled out the stack of cups I had placed into my inventory this morning.

The tea tastes like ginger and honey herbal tea, though the girls at The Queen Mary’s said they made it with a secret blend for beautiful skin and glossy hair. Hah... those benefits are wasted on me, but the ginger-like taste is re-energizing, so I gratefully took it.

Kristaf laughs as the cups appear in my hands, followed by the makeshift sandwich I had thrown together from leftovers from breakfast.

“Storage is really useful, huh? At least, Jun has an overly luxurious way of using it.”

Fumu. Well, it’s not really Storage, but that’s fine. I think this is very much a Cheat as well.

“Jericho, what’s the plan from here?”

Miina asks that as she accepts a cup of tea from me.

Jericho tilts his head to one side as he thinks.

“To be honest, we’re making better ground than I expected, and Jun-san seems to be adapting really well. I suppose we can go towards the Graveyard to head down to the 2nd level.”

“Graveyard?”

“Aye, Graveyard. No one’s really sure why, but in the last stretch of tunnels of the 1st level before the descent into the 2nd level, there’s a large quantity of undead. They’re not your usual undead, but you deal with them the same.”

I have no idea what “usual” undead are like, but I’ll take their word for it. Considering how casually everyone is treating the subject, I guess it’s not anything to really worry about.

“Is it really alright to head to the second level?”

Miina asks.

“Why’s that?”

“It’s just that the amount of monsters we’ve run into is kind of worrisome.”

Kristaf nods, saying,

“That’s true. We already have 5 Garnet-eyed Spiders, 12 Onyx Rats, an Emerald Snake, and 27 Jeweled Beetles. It’s an abnormal amount for 3 hours.”

Not that I have anything to compare it to, but if they say it’s abnormal, then I guess it’s abnormal. It did seem like an unusually high encounter rate for just 3 hours of dungeoneering.

Jericho frowns, thinking about it.

“If it’s just 3 times the normal encounter rate, we should be fine with these members against the undead. But come to think of it, the amount of Jeweled Beetles is extremely high. It’s not like they’re all that rare, but this kind of number ...”

In the distance, a low rumbling shouted. With Augment Body, I can feel the vibrations and hear the faint yells of people.

Nars frowns at my sudden vigilance.

“What is it, Jun-chan?”

“Ah ... well, it sounds like something’s coming ...”

<t/n: Thank you RS, TD, and GB for your donations!>

Every time I Read a Harem Story with a Bunch of Jealous Girls, in the Back of My Mind I’m Thinking Most RL Girls would never Date the MC even if you Paid Them.

Jericho narrows his eyes, staring down the passageway I’ve turned towards, before saying,

“I don’t know what it is, but let’s pull back into the Mirror Room close to here. The increase in Jeweled Beetles lately might be the precursor to a stampede.”

Even though he doesn’t hear anything himself, Jericho didn’t get to be the leader of this group for nothing.

With Kristaf navigating, the 6 of us make our way down the narrow passages.

All of a sudden, not only does the passage widen, but there’s a steep incline as well. We’ve reached one of the large caverns they call a Mirror Room.

All the passages will run across at least 1 Mirror Room, and you can go from one passage to another through a Mirror Room. I don’t really get it, but whatever made these passages long ago apparently made large burrows where they laid eggs and hatched their young.

That doesn’t really explain why the walls, ceilings, and floors of these Mirror Rooms look like cut diamond and glow with a pale white light.

It wasn’t long before the others could hear what I was hearing.

Yeah, this ... could be bad.

The first thing that burst into the Mirror Room was a group of 7 Adventurers.

They hobbled in, bruised, bleeding, and breathing hard. When they caught sight of us,

“Jeweled Beetle ... stampede...!”

One man gasped out. Then,

“Oh, it’s Jericho and the Valor of Arms Brigade!”

When another man said that, the 7 all collapsed as if their strength gave out, and began muttering things like,

“Thank the gods, we have a chance!”

“Pull yourself together, Jibs, we’re gonna make it!”

“Jericho will know what to do!”

Jericho’s face looked a bit complicated at that, and Miina muttered,

“It’s still a monster stampede, what are they saying?”

I’d thought it before, but could I have unexpectedly made connections with some really amazing people?

“So what’s the situation?”

Jericho asked.

One of the men, a slim man with a splendid moustache, gasped for air a few times before he could calm himself enough to reply. They must have been running hard.

“There’s a big-scale Jeweled Beetle stampede. Aside from us, there’s another 4-man group, injured, and that Ojou-chan. Ragnall’s holding them back to buy time for us to get away.”

“And so you just left the injured.”

Miina said it emotionlessly. It was in a way where you couldn’t really tell if she was saying it in disapproval of their actions, or if she was just stating it as a fact.

Despite that, several of the less injured men colored, and 2 of them headed back towards the passage they had left.

“Well, you see, we had to make sure the way was clear...” “There seems to be several waves of the Jeweled Beetles. We manage to escape after getting run down because the vanguard is about 10-20 of those beetles, and we dodged down a side passage to get here.”

While one man sheepishly tried to explain their actions, the man with the moustache cut him off to continue explaining the situation. Yeah, this isn’t the time to point fingers while getting embarrassed.

The rumbling in the distance is starting to get louder, and now the passage over there is about to get rowdy.

“Jericho, over there...”

I pointed at the passage that was rumbling ominously. I’m not sure if they can hear it yet, but the beetles’ vanguard is about to come down onto us.

“So you can pinpoint where they’re coming from by sound ... that helps a lot. Hey, you guys, get behind us. There’s no time to worry about it; if it’s just 10-20 beetles, we can manage.”

“Jericho, this is Mirror Room 3, so if we sealed them in here by collapsing the tunnels, it will buy us some time ...”

“No good, there are others still down here. It won’t leave a good taste in our mouths to seal them behind. Well, since Ragnall and that Ojou-chan are down here, the tunnels will be blasted open if they force their way through anyway. If it’s just a few dozen beetles, we can handle it. After that, I’ll decide what we should do as things happen.”

Kristaf suggests that we lock the beetles in this room, but Jericho refuses. It’s a wise decision. By the way, Kristaf is the scout of our party. He has this maze of tunnels pretty much memorized. It’s really impressive.

“Kshaaaa!”

1.5 Jeweled Beetles burst out of the narrow passage. The other 0.5 of the Beetle is wedged against the wall for an instant, but the momentum from its buddies shoves it out into the cavern, rear-end going sideways.

That’s about all I had time to notice. They begin to flood in, charging towards us at a surprising rate.

The beetles’ eyes are glowing red, and they seem frenzied. This is not like the other beetles we’ve fought.

“You guys, take out what you can!”

With that yell, Jericho charged ahead.

Aah, a large, wide-open space at last! I can finally see what Augment Body will do with my swordplay!

◇◇◇

“...I didn’t even need to mesmer any of them.”

Miina stood there, staring at me while clutching her sword in a neutral position in front of her.

12 out of the 17 beetles lay in a heap around my feet. Though the Valor of Arms Brigade had wry smiles, other than Miina’s deadpan look, Nars and the other Adventurers were staring at me with their mouths open.

Um ... how should I reply?

Sorry, I didn’t expect it to be that effective either. Somehow, being able to move like some manga samurai character was way too fun, and I had always wondered whether it was really possible to cut your opponents before they realized it... Well, that was the first 2 beetles.

The next 5 were my guinea pigs to see how fast I could dismantle them along the weak-points that Nars had shown me.

Since I had some leeway, I decided to experiment with channeling magic through the katana. Fumu, it really is uncomfortable to channel a large spell through the blade ... it has to part around the dead core and reform before you shot it out the tip. Then, what if I channeled a spell that dispersed all over? Though I don’t know anything like that ... Hm.

What if I change the element to lightning ... are? What’s lightning? That’s ... usually the Air elemental, right? Then ... how about if I try it like this?

It took 5 more beetles to perfect my new spell that I’m calling “Static Discharge”, but in the end I managed to release it just by thinking.

Isn’t this the “Chantless Cast” that’s supposed to be really hard to do? Come to think of it, I think I’ve had it all this time in my status ... but I didn’t know how to use it until now.

Un, let’s not tell Lor for a while.

Anyway, I had completely wiped out 12 beetles by the time the others had killed 5.

Maaaybe I should tone it down. I wonder if “holding back” is just something that’s not in my dictionary?

Before anyone can say anything else, the ground shakes ominously. And by that, I mean there’s no way everyone hasn’t heard it by now.

“Tch. The main body now, huh?!”

Niera says this fiercely and bares her teeth, grinning under the tension.

“No, it’s people first.”

Thanks to Augment Body, I can make out the pattering of feet and the exhausted yells of people doing their best to run in our direction.

Just as I had said, not many seconds after I had said it, the 2 men who had left earlier came staggering into the Mirror Room, carrying another man with a badly wounded leg between them. Behind them was another injured man being shoved by that loli-hime, and bringing up the rear was Ragnall carrying 2 other injured men, one under each arm.

That they showed up in such an orderly line was only due to how narrow the passageway was. As soon as they burst into the Mirror Room, the injured men and the men who were carrying them dove to get past the frontline that our party formed. Ragnall threw the 2 he was carrying towards us and then about-faced, skidding to a stop while he stared intently at the passageway they had exited.

His short falchion-like sword was dripping in beetle goo all down his arm, and on his face is the biggest smile I’ve seen on him. And by smile, I mean he’s giving off a grin that can only be called “bloodthirsty.”

“Hey, hey, don’t throw injured people!”

Niera said that as she and Kristaf caught the two and roughly shoved them behind to the care of the other Adventurers. But though she said that, she too was tensing nervously as the din of many beetles moving through the passages became louder.

“Ragnall, what’s the situation.”

“Hah. Worse than you think. From the sound, there’s definitely over 200 Jeweled Beetles rampaging. And they’re frenzied, so they’re going every which way they can as long as it leads up.”

Jericho and Ragnall, without dropping their vigilance, exchange information on the situation.

“Kristaf, which tunnels?”

“If they’re coming up from all the passages that lead down from here, then we’ll have to watch half of them. The North, Southwest, Southeast –“

C-rash! “””Kshaaaaaah-!”””

Ah, the beetles aren’t going to wait for us to plan.

Though the narrow passages are limiting it to one at a time, 3 passages are now flooding out beetles continuously.

With leg power strong enough to leave a dent in the crystal floor, Ragnall launches himself at the 2 South-facing tunnels and goes wild.

Wtf. He’s killing them with 1 swing each. Even I took several swings to dispatch a beetle! But seriously, that short sword ... he’s not cutting them. He’s hitting them so hard that they’re splitting in two.

Hm. The Valor of Arms are taking care of the ones flooding out from the North, so I guess I should go help Ragnall. Though he’s handling it ok right now, it’s only a matter of time before he’s overwhelmed by the sheer numbers.

But as I step forward to go towards Ragnall’s battle front,

“Don’t get in OUR way!”

The loli-hime shoves past me with a sour face and launches herself at the beetles.

You can fight next to him if you want, but just the two of you won’t be able to handle that horde, right? Man, pushy girls don’t want anyone next to the person they like. Is there any reason to even be jealous of me?

... Oh, I forgot, I’m a girl, aren’t I?

That’s kind of annoying. Trust me, he’s not my type, little girl. By a lot.

I don’t voice any of my complaints though, since this really isn’t a good time for it.

I want to see if I can 1-hit kill these beetles too ... but raising Augment Body too much is more than just cheating, so I want to see if I can do it with skill alone.

Swi-clang!

“Hisss!”

Uuun... no good, huh? That was a bad sound, so let’s not do that again. I’m afraid I’ll break the blade next time. And the result is just a royally pissed off, and lightly wounded, beetle.

I suppose I should abandon my 1-hit kill hopes and just kill them as fast as I can. 3 of my sword swings take the same amount of time as 1 of Ragnall’s, after all. Like that, I can match his pace.

But as fast as we’re killing them, these corpses are a nuisance. Slick goo and shattered shells and legs are lying everywhere, and having to dodge around them while beetles slam them towards you is getting to be a pain... Ah, how about using my cheat Inventory?

Just by touching something and thinking of it going into Inventory, the corpses disappear. Such cheat.

I pull up my Inventory screen to check it ... yup, there’s now a stack of “Jeweled Beetle Corpses (x3)” and counting.

Previously, I discovered that things do stack in my inventory, just like a game. There’s just a little trick to it ...

If I think of the beetle corpse as “A beetle killed by Ragnall” versus “A beetle killed by me”, the two will go into separate stacks. If I just think of it as “A dead beetle” while I put it into Inventory, they will go into 1 stack. I can sort or not-sort as I please, according to whatever criteria I want. Isn’t that beyond convenient?

By the way, I won’t be able to stack two things that are clearly different by thinking that one of them is like the other. In other words, just because I say a bowl is a cup, it doesn’t mean I can stack the bowl with a cup. Probably because I don’t actually recognize the bowl as a cup.

I don’t know if Inventory stacks to 99 or 999, but as long as the number of beetles is less than 5k, I’m in the clear. Because I have more than 50 slots open. There’s no way there are going to be that many ... right?

Since I can clear the way in an instant, this should be easy – of course life doesn’t go that way. These beetles are flooding in like crazy. When I clear 1 corpse out of the way, 2 more take their place. Too fast, Ragnall. Ah, sorry, it’s not your fault. The beetles just keep coming!

Also...

“Oi, you, that’s dangerous!”

The loli-hime keeps trying to cut in and fight the beetles I’m fighting. It’s really dangerous, oi! And you’re totally kill-stealing, you know? Not that it means anything right now, but there’s a flood of beetles, you know? There’s absolutely no need to stand here and kill the ones I’m killing – or like, go kill the other ones over there! They’re starting to overwhelm Ragnall!

“Then why don’t you go back to where it’s safe and stay out of the way!”

The loli-hime says that.

Hah? This chick makes no sense!

Or like, you can’t even take care of a single beetle by yourself, you know? Either fight with me or fight with Ragnall, I don’t care which, but you’re dodging in front of me when I move to make the killing blow! I don’t care if you’re trying to appeal how tough you are, but there’s a time, place, and occasion for it, and this isn’t it!

Suddenly, a low rumble sounds. It’s not like before, the rumbling of many beetle feet. This is a closer, harsher, grating rumble.

The entire south side of the Mirror Room collapses inwards, and beetles flood in from both passageways at a rate indescribable to before.

“Kyaaa!”

The loli-hime tries to dodge, but trips over the beetle corpses I haven’t had time to clear away.

If you hadn’t kept getting in the way, I could have cleared them away easier; just saying.

They’re coming in too fast, and the loli-hime’s going to get killed. There’s no other way to handle it.

“Barrier!”

“Jun-san, wait!”

I invoke a Barrier to seal off the south side of the Mirror Room.

While it’s Fun to Play Games with Realism, being OverEncumbered is too much of a Trial for Packrats

Gigigi

Despite tens of beetles crashing and smashing against the Barrier, it holds firm.

“... It doesn’t seem to be collapsing at all.”

“ ... yeah.”

“I wouldn’t put it up if it would collapse, right?”

Though I say that, kind of arrogantly, it’s not like I actually thought about the problem where, after too many beetles, the Barrier collapses and we get crushed by a flood of beetles. It would be one thing if I had actually thought about it and decided that my barrier could withstand the pressure, but I had thoughtlessly thrown up a Barrier with no consideration.

I’m reflecting on it.

“... But Jun-san, this Barrier isn’t reinforced with an element. How is it so strong?”

Miina squints at the Barrier.

By the way, nobody’s touching the Barrier to test it. As for why ...

Barriers are actually really weak on the inside. To make a Barrier, you designate a “surface” to harden, and the side you want to harden. Though really, it’s more of a “don’t let anything come through from over there” feel.

If it hits anything, and I mean ANYTHING, other than air as it’s being forced back, it shatters. I found that out when I tried to use Armor Barrier like armored gauntlets. Aside from the large MP consumption of Armor Barrier (50 MP a second) and the heavy concentration needed to keep it up, if I hit something, my own hand will shatter the effect.

After that, I tested a bunch of things while on night-watch at The Queen Mary’s and discovered all Barriers had the same weakness. The most problematic thing is, even if your Barrier is strong enough to withstand barrages of magic, it can be moved by the force. If your opponent forces your Barrier back into an obstacle, he can dispel it instantly.

So I tried to make a Barrier that couldn’t be moved, and a new skill, this Barrier Shield I put up, was developed. Fumu, it’s a Barrier that’s useful if I’m a rearguard, but even though it only increases the MP cost by 10 MP per second, the concentration needed increased too much for it to be useful if I’m a vanguard. I wouldn’t be able to make decisions while fighting AND maintain Barrier Shield at the same time.

Maa, it’s a spell that you wouldn’t normally use on the frontlines anyway.

Incidentally, I did try to make a Barrier I with both sides designated to resist attacks, and another skill called Boundary was formed. But ... well, the MP consumption went up by 5 times. And with the concentration required to keep that up ... it makes a good shield if I’m standing perfectly still and ignoring my opponents. It may be useful someday... but I have my doubts.

Anyway, what does Miina mean by “reinforced with an element”?

“To make Barriers sturdier, usually people cast Barrier through an element, like Air to make a Wind Barrier or something like that, instead of casting it through Unattributed. Against Jeweled Beetles, it would backfire and send the magic violently out of control as soon as they hit it, but ... “

Uh... oh, that’s right. People usually can’t just cast magic, they have to cast it through an element. It’s like telephones in the past in my original world, where you called an operator and they connected you to the person you wanted. Like, you “call” one of the elements, and according to what you tell it in your chant, the element will handle the construction of the magic for you. At least, that’s kind of how it feels to me.

If someone wanted to cast a spell that doesn’t have an element assigned, they have to cast it like they’re casting it through an element, but it won’t “connect” to an “operator”.  They call that the Unattributed Element. Because there’s no element involved, in general those magics are weaker and much less complicated.

Basically, compared to how I manipulate magic, other people’s Unattributed magic spells are weaker and much more inefficient.

I see, so Miina thought I was either going to cast an Elemental Barrier that would backfire when the beetles hit it, or that I would cast a weak, Unattributed Barrier that would collapse and endanger our lives.

“Oi, Miina, worry about that later. We’re still technically in a crisis, you know.”

I had extended a second Barrier blocking off the North tunnel too, so now we have a little bit of time. But really, if Kristaf hadn’t stopped her, was Miina planning on studying the Barrier in a time like this?

Ragnall sighs, tapping the back of his short sword on his shoulder.

“So what are we going to do, Jericho? You know I’m no good at plans for things like this.”

He says.

...Were you ... not going to help the loli-hime up? Jeez, if I didn’t have a soft-spot for kids ... I pull out my towel and hand it to her. Because she has a lot of pride, I’m sure she’d get upset if I tried to clean the beetle goo off her myself.

Jericho lightly gnaws on his lower lip as he thinks.

“Informing the Guild and stalling the stampede takes precedence. Second priority is getting everyone who won’t be able to handle this out of here, including the injured. Kristaf, lead the way and forge a path. Take the ojou-chan back with the other parties and the injured and then come back. Nars-san, I’m sorry, but I think it’s best if you head back too. Jun-san, Ragnall, sorry, but can we rely on you here?”

Ragnall stretches his shoulders, saying,

“Hai-yo, I guess it’s time to do some more work.”

Oh, that’s the biggest, most frighteningly blood-thirsty smile I’ve seen him give today.

“I can handle this. I don’t want to go back, because I can fight!”

The loli-hime glowers up from where she’s still sitting.

“Refused. I can’t protect you, so go back.”

Ragnall flatly rejects her immediately.

“I know I screwed up and got in over my head earlier, but I can at least protect myself!”

Hey, all you adults. Hurry up and deal with this! – is what I’m thinking, but right, she’s a Noble-sama’s daughter, huh ... Well, at least she’s not saying something like, “I’m paying you so you have to listen to me!” or “Do you know who my daddy is?!”

Though honestly, it’s probably because they know who her father is that they really don’t want her here at what will soon become Ground Zero. Seriously. Hurry it up. You guys know I’m still maintaining the Barriers, right? Like, this is totally eating up my MP. Well, I still got 1.8 million left though ...

“B-but I can’t accept that SHE can stay but I can’t! Even though she needs other people to be able to get through the 1st level of the Labyrinth!”

Hm? Who? Ah, me?

Hey, you can’t blame me for your own mis-interpretation of things. Miina frowns.

“That’s because Jun-sa-“

I quickly cut Miina off.

“Right, well whether or not I’m strong, see, I’m going to be a support role. With that barrier and my abilities to clear the fighting area, it’s necessary to help the people fighting, right?”

I’m not lying. Technically, that is what I’m going to be doing. With Miina as a rearguard, 4 vanguards in this narrow area is impossible so I had already decided to play support. I’m just keeping quiet that I’m actually pretty strong.

The loli-hime seems like she accepts that, but she frowns stubbornly, saying,

“Then I can-!”

“Can you really, honestly, say that you have the abilities necessary to deal with the support while staying completely out of the fighters’ way? And I mean, I literally have special magic to deal with this situation. Can you say the same? No, right?”

The loli-hime grits her teeth angrily, but she looks away. Ok, one last push!

“And, right now, there are injured Adventurers, right? Since you can’t do anything here, you need to do what you CAN do and properly escort them safely to the exit, as well as report to the Guild. We’re counting on you, Kristaf, and Nars, ok?”

Ah, she still hasn’t accepted it. She still hasn’t accepted it  ...

“I understand.”

Oh? She says it kind of sullenly, but she seems to be swallowing her stubborn pride.

Yosh! Dealing with Masaki’s younger siblings has totally paid off! Man, I’m lucky the loli-hime isn’t nearly as stubborn as their youngest brother. Because the situation we’re in right now really is kind of dangerous, see.

Organizing together, the return group soon rushed out, and as soon as the loli-hime vanished, Miina gives me a side glance.

“Wouldn’t it have made things easier if you had just told her you were strong?”

For the future, yeah, probably, but you know...

“There’s no way she would have just accepted it, right? Since she doesn’t believe it, we’d have to prove it to her somehow. Giving an excuse like that was the quickest way to get her to leave.”

Niera laughed.

“Ahaha, so Jun-chan wanted to get rid of her quickly too.”

It’s not like you’re wrong, but there has to be a nicer way to say that ...

“Whichever it is, the truth is that we’ll be relying on her skill to clear away those beetles. We’ll get crushed under the corpses otherwise. Jun-san, how much space do you have in your Storage-like subspace skill?”

Jericho tries to blow the sour atmosphere away. Eeeto... how much space should I tell them ... are?

“Um ... you said, a S-storage-like subspace?”

“Well, it was kind of hard to miss that you weren’t really using Storage. If you were, you’d have to open Storage and actually put things into the subspace. But somehow, you can just store things by touching them.”

... Eeeeeh.  So you guys knew this entire time and didn’t let me know.

I want to ask them why they didn’t tell me about it, but this really isn’t the time.

“As long as it’s under fi- two thousand, it should be ok.”

Somehow, 5k feels like it’s too much to say. Heck, 2k is too much. Look, everyone’s shocked dumb.

“... Hey, Jun-chan, that skill... what is it?”

“Ah... a secret?”

I don’t know what it is either, Niera.  But forget my cheat-skill, the force of those beetles is increasing against the Barrier Shield, you know? It’s so heavy that the beetles in front are being crushed to death.

“Nn... really, how are we going to deal with them? Once you pull down the Barrier, they’ll just come pouring in and crush us.”

That’s right, there’s that problem. Uuuun... a Barrier might not have been the best idea after all... wait. I have an idea...

“Wha- what the-!?”

Ooooo, it worked, it worked ... it worked a bit better than I planned...

Violent blasts erupt between the beetles and the Barrier Shield at the two South tunnels. They’re blasts of Air-charged magic, repelling off the Jeweled Beetles and then repelling off the Barrier Shield, tossing them backwards.

“Hm, if it were stronger, maybe I can just blast through all of them ...”

It’s really nice to be able to do Chantless Casting ... It’s not just being able to cast magic without having to chant, it’s something like being able to ask the elements to do exactly what you want without words. I can’t say I’m controlling the elements; somehow, it’s a feeling like asking, “Hey, can you do this and make it like this?” and getting a response of, “Oh, like that, huh? Sure.”

If it’s something that can’t be done, you get a response that feels like, “Oh, no, that’s impossible.”

It’s a lot of fun, to be honest.

Anyway, a super charged blast of Air-element magic barrels its way through both tunnels. I can almost feel the feedback from the beetles that were hurtled into the ceiling, floor, and walls.

“Oi, what’d you do?”

Ragnall looks at me curiously. Oh, despite no chants or exaggerated movements, he noticed I was the one who did that, huh?

“I’ll tell you later, the Barrier Shield’s coming down now!”

Though I had blown them back a ways, it’s not like I killed them. Those damn tough beetles were just knocked back to give us a few seconds and reduce the amount that will tumble in on us right away.

The Mirror Cavern soon turned into a beetle slaughtering festival. Thanks to being disoriented by the pinball effect from the Air-element charged magic, instead of the flood of beetles from earlier, they came in 4s and 5s.

For every 1 beetle the Valor of Arms Brigade killed, Ragnall killed 2. If I had been solely killing beetles as well, I think I’d be killing them at Ragnall’s rate, but because I was dodging through while clearing the corpses, as well as luring off beetles that would overwhelm the others, I was killing them a little bit slower.

Come to think of it, Masaki has totally used me in raids as a support vanguard and for looting the mobs the rearguards couldn’t reach ... isn’t this a little too similar? Who knew it would come in handy for real life.

Well, real life in another world.

“It ... seems like ... that’s the last of them... ”

Panting a bit, Niera leans on her naginata ... eh? Naginata? She brought it with her? ... I’ll comment on that later.

“I wonder how many that was.”

Jericho said, looking around. Well, other than the small handful of beetle corpses off to the side, they’re all in my inventory so he won’t be able to make much of an estimate just by looking.

Let’s see...

“166 of them.”

That is, a stack of 99 and a stack of 67. Am I relieved or am I disappointed that the stacks don’t go to the absolutely ridiculous amount of 999?

“Heh... no wonder I was starting to get tired of it. There’s still the North tunnel, though~.”

Ragnall says, leisurely walking towards the other end of the Mirror Cavern.

“No, is that what you should be saying after hearing that? Jun-chan, how could you keep track in all that commotion?”

“... Secret?”

It’s not really anything special. I mean, I just look at the little numbers in the bottom corner of the icons.

“More importantly, Jun-san, what was that magic you used at the beginning?”

Miina cuts Niera off, looking at me really seriously.

“Apparently the beetles don’t reflect magic without elements, so I just infused magic power with Air-element so it’d go crazy, bouncing off between them.”

“... I see... so this is why Lor says you break magic...”

? There’s a lot of things you could comment on what I was trying to do, so which one exactly makes it broken?

<T/n: Thank you Magnadra for your donation!>

Holding Back is a Skill on its Own

“Oh, not again.”

I sigh and lean the newly finished blade against the anvil. This isn’t going well...

What happened with the Jeweled Beetle swarm? Of course they were annihilated.

I don’t know if it’s because there were less of the beetles in the North tunnel to begin with or if some of them had lost interest and left, but it only took us 20 minutes to clear that passageway.

After that, we (I) picked up all the beetle corpses, and we hurried back for Jericho to report the swarm to the Guild. Of course, we met Kristaf on the way back as he was heading back towards us with reinforcements.

Maybe it’s because I came from a society of millions and billions, but 197 beetle corpses didn’t look like it would be that much when I was reading the number in my Inventory.

It’s amazing what 197 beetle corpses, each the size of a large dog, looks like sprawled out on a warehouse floor. Not that you can see the floor of this warehouse anymore.

The Guild receptionist was pretty speechless at the mound of beetles. So were the members of the Valor of Arms Brigade, especially Kristaf. He hadn’t experienced the full 1.5 hours of beetle extermination.

Well, even for us who had experienced it, seeing them all laid out like this is still ... something else.

The only person who didn’t seem disturbed by it was Ragnall, who just shrugged like it was normal or something.

Looking at the sheer number of them, the receptionist finally manage to squeeze out the words,

“W-we will take a thorough look at them and get back to you with an estimation for the price...”

In conclusion, Ragnall, the Valor of Arms Brigade, and I will be returning in 2 days to divide up the spoils among us.

Which is why I’m borrowing a corner of Helward’s Forge from Ossan today, the day after the beetle chaos.

Because I have the time, and because there’s been something bothering me ever since we discussed the value of my swords.

My steel swords cost roughly 4 times the price of the average steel sword. What’s the problem?

My default sword is legendary grade.

This, this is impossible. I can’t make the naginata for the girls. Even if we ignore the ridiculous price, what sane person would give legendary grade weapons to beginners?

“What? Just make them a good quality and they’ll grow into it.”

That might be the opinion of some people. For me, it’s absolutely NO.

Back in Japan, there are people who say a strong weapon will consume an inadequate wielder.

Now, I’m not talking about like in manga, where the sword sucks up its user’s soul or something, but something that’s made for an expert to handle just won’t be easy to use for a beginner. In fact, it won’t just be difficult to use; with weapons, it will be downright dangerous.

Also, no two wielders will be the same. If I was going to make legendary grade weapons for people I know, it’s best to tailor it to the user’s preferences; with weight, blade-length, grip, and various other things, even the tiny details can make a big difference for someone who has become trained enough to understand how to move a weapon like an extension of their bodies.

That is something that will come later for the girls. It is something that is meaningless now.

And then there’s the matter of the price. 400,000 ecrue each... impossible for those girls. There’s no need to even entertain that idea.

IM.POSS.I.BLE.

But there’s no one else to forge a lower-quality naginata blade. So, I have to learn how to forge lower-grade weapons. I mean, a decent smith should be able to tailor the weapon to its wielder.

If I want to make weapons that are easy to wield for people who have never used anything more than a kitchen knife, I can’t go all out. If I want to make AFFORDABLE weapons, I can’t go all out.

Ah, mou, it’s SO HAAAARD. This thing that I had just finished is not made by holding back at all! ... I guess I will cut the tang and make it a back-up katana for myself. Well, the blade is a bit long, so a nodachi, then.

Fuu ... what should I do? Once I enter the Craftsman’s Trance, it’s impossible for me to control the quality, and it will only turn out the absolute best I can make it.

No, I can’t give up. I will learn how to control it, so I won’t be some smith who can’t read the atmosphere when making swords for a client. I will...! But ... how?

“Wow... I can’t believe you can consistently make blades like that. Aren’t those, like, blades people make once in their lifetime?”

... Thanks Pieta. I understand the abnormality.

Whack.

Jetsom came up quietly behind Pieta and lightly smacked him on the head, scaring him.

“Hey, stop flirting and go assist Nars like you’re supposed to.”

“-ah! Sorry!”

... Flirting? That was? ... Something about the situation doesn’t add up, but whatever.

I sigh and look at the blade. I’m getting better at this, especially with quenching the hamon, the line between that leaves the edge hard and the back soft using clay. I’m feeling really ... not really tired, but I don’t think I can do another. Even though it’s only lunch time, when making a katana it feels like I can’t do more than 1 a day. How should I say it ... it’s not like it really takes that much more time or effort, though it does take more than the broadswords.  What is this laziness...

“Somehow, it’s not going well.”

I said, playing with the blade a little bit. I mean, it is going well because I’m improving even more, but when you’re improving on legendary quality ... I mean, it’s pointless right now, because right now I need to learn how to hold back.

“You are never satisfied with what most people would have considered enough to wage wars over ... Jun-san, you know your blades would be the type that people end up using years of their lives to develop? Or at least, drain themselves of all their magic and half their mana.”

Jetsom says it lightly, like he’s trying to console me.

Nah, I’m not that disappointed... it’s still an awesome blade; I’m just feeling the frustration of reaching the peak without climbing the mountain.

But now that he mentions it, I don’t really know how much MP I use when in Craftsman Trance. It shouldn’t be too much, since I don’t feel too fatigued ...

◤

NAME: JUN

MP:【▉▉▍▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁】475,000 / 2,500,000

TRAITS:

[OTHERWORLDER]:

[PASSIVE: (Secret Trait) (Resilient Body) (Magic Enrichment) (Otherworldly Knowledge) (Accelerated Learning) (Keen Instincts) (Translate)]

[SKILLS: (Inventory) (Friend Chat) (Status) (AnalyzeIV)]

[MAGIC BORN]:

[PASSIVE: (Secret Trait) (Boundless Magic) (Chantless Cast) (Well of Magic) (Magic Sense)]

[WANDERER]:

[PASSIVE: (Steady Balance) (Perceptive Sense) (Light Foot)]

[SKILLS: (Augment Body) (Augment Mind) (Farsight) (Ground Shrink) (Accel)]

[MANA MANIPULATOR]:

[PASSIVE: (Magic Sensitive) (Magic Intuition) (Magic Control)]

[SKILLS: (Magic Sensory) (Magic Channeling) (Magic Dispersion)]

[COMBAT MAGICIAN]:

[SKILLS: (Barrier Series)]

[MANA FORGER]:

[PASSIVE: (Fire Sensitivity) (Fire Resistance) (Steady Hand)]

[SKILLS: (Metal Reinforcement) (Keen Edge) (Mana Imprint) (Craftman’s Trance) (Emblazon) (Material Manipulation)]

[MAGIC CASTER]:

[PASSIVE: (Element Sensitivity)]

[SKILLS: (Fire Magic: <Flame>, <Flame Orb>) (Water Magic: <Create Water>) (Air Magic: <Static Discharge>, <Gust>, <Air Bullet>)]

◣

...

...

...

I don’t even know what to say to this.

This MP consumption ... isn’t it kind of bad? I mean, I still have 400,000 MP, which is more than the average person, but ...  my manufacturing method would apparently kill the average smith several times over from MP depletion.

No, this is, like, super bad, right?!

I really need to learn how to go easy while forging!

◇◇◇

“Somehow, I thought you were going to come with a shorter blade, but that is a longer one.”

“Ahahaha...”

Well, I mean, this nodachi is a really nice blade, so you know... Yes, I’m sorry. I make no sense.

I’m too eager to test it out. My first, mediocre katana was tested out cutting thugs like it was olden-day Japan or something, so I’d like to christen this one properly. It’s also the first one with a properly wrapped handle. It really feels like a Japanese sword now.

But I get it, I should really fit the weapon to the place.

Together with the Valor of Arms Brigade and Ragnall, I’m going back into the Labyrinth, after all.

Actually, it’s not just us. The Beastkin trio plus LeeAnne, the South Wind Troupe, are here too, as well as a few other parties. I think I’ve seen some of those guys around before ... or maybe I haven’t?

If I have, it was just in passing. Or maybe they dropped by The Queen Mary’s. I’m pretty sure that guy over there is the one Jarna said had a leg fetish.

Florian, the Guild Master, stood in front of us all. We’re in a small, unofficial feeling room so he doesn’t feel imposing, despite the fact that he’s standing imposingly straight and towering over us.

“All of you have heard of the Jeweled Beetle stampede just a few days ago. With the increase of monster activity, we need you people to scout out what’s causing it. The Labyrinth could be undergoing a transition phase, or something else entirely. Right now, you can expect that monsters from lower levels are on the upper levels, so caution is advised.”

By the way, I now have a total of 315,650 ecrue in my wallet. My cut of the Jeweled Beetles ended up being 50,000 ecrue. Ragnall and the Valor of Arms Brigade got 100,000 ecrue each.

Killing nearly 200 beetles only gets a little over half what my katanas are worth... I mean, no wonder my sense of value is all screwed up.

I feel like I’ve done everything in this world backwards. Aren’t you supposed to level up and get stronger? Because I totally feel like I started at level 99 and now have to go back and learn how everything works from level 1.

Well, this isn’t a game, though.

As the whole group heads down towards the Labyrinth, I resist switching my new, long katana with my old one through Inventory right away. Since I’ve been very thoroughly warned not to use Inventory in front of other people by Jericho and the others. They were were saying that I’d attract the attentions of people who’d want to just use me as a baggage carrier ... but for some reason, I feel like it’s more because they don’t want competition over hiring me as a baggage carrier.

Not that I mind, since they’ve done so much for me, and it’s more or less mutually beneficial. I’m still not confident in going into the Labyrinth alone.

This time going in is on the Guild’s request, but I’m going with the Valor of Arms Brigade and Ragnall again. Because our mission is scouting, no one is going in alone. Even in the worst case scenario, at least one person has to make it back to the Guild with a report, and the chances of success for that go up as long as there’s more than one person in a party.

“You don’t have to worry about the sword, Jun-chan. Although some of the other guys are in charge of scouting Level 1, we’re heading down to scout out Level 2. It opens up a lot more down there.”

Jericho patted me on the shoulder. I guess I was fidgeting a bit too much with it.

Level 2, huh ... all I know about it is that you have to go through a graveyard to get there.

“... Ragnall. Why are you so fidgety? Good grief, calm down. You’d think it was your first time down there.”

Niera laughed at Ragnall.

“We’re going through The Graveyard, and there was a sighting of an Obsidian Scorpion on the second level. It’s a really good earning day!”

“We’re going to collect information, not going on a field trip.”

“Yeah yeah, but there’s no harm in side benefits~!”

Ragnall’s enthusiasm is a little off-putting, and he doesn’t calm down even when Miina rebukes him.

This guy ... is he greedy or is he not greedy? Even though he undisputedly killed a large majority of the beetles, he didn’t even bother haggling the split of the Jeweled Beetle reward; but then his ears perk up whenever there’s an opportunity to make some money.

Instead of a moneygrubber, he’s more of an opportunist?

Jericho speaks up, laying out our formation into the Labyrinth.

“Ok, here’s our plan. Kristaf and Niera in front, Ragnall and I in back, Jun and Miina in the middle. Kristaf, we’re counting on you to lead us on the quickest path down.”

“Got it. We should reach The Graveyard in 10 minutes, give or take.”

Good. The tunnels aren’t so narrow that you feel like you’re in a tomb, but the less time in them the better.

A/N: Thank you RS for your donation!

It’s a bit shorter this time, the cut worked out that way

Different Worlds have Different Technologies that Take Off and Grow

Undead ... huh? So these are also considered undead?

The Graveyard is much darker than the rest of the tunnels, for all that it’s much bigger. It feels like light doesn’t travel quite as far in this area; even though we have all taken light magic stones out so that there are 6 light sources floating around our heads, the darkness still feels oppressive.

There’s also a cold chill coming from this area.

Even so, these skeletons are considered undead?

I pick up a bone fragment from a downed skeleton.

This ... no matter how I look at it, this isn’t bone...? The fragment glitters in my hand. It looks like a cut, clear gemstone. No, it’s slightly blue-ish? But it’s clear, and sparkles brilliantly. A slight chill seems to come from it, but I can’t tell if it’s truly coming from the fragment or if it’s just because the entire area is covered in this cold.

Well, into my inventory it goes ...

“How many grams do we have?”

Sorry Ragnall, Inventory doesn’t count it in grams, even if that’s how it’s sold.

“We have about 15 full skeletons worth?”

Well, I have 8 stacks plus 61 skeleton parts, 15 stacks plus 38 skeleton parts, and 10 stacks plus 40 skeleton parts.  Ignoring the excess, 8+15+10=33, 33×99= ... uh ... 3,267. About 200 bones in a human skeleton, so 3,267/200=about 16. Minus 1 for margin of error for broken bones, since each one counts as a single skeleton part in Inventory ...

The skeleton parts are split up into 3 groups in my inventory. I’m keeping them separate based on who killed them; Ragnall, me, and the Valor of Arms brigade.

Ragnall was adamant on keeping count of the kills this time in the Labyrinth.

Since all the skeletons are the same size, or like, they’re direct clones of each other, they were going to divide them up by grams of bone at the end ... well, I didn’t tell them, but that’s unnecessary with my cheat of an Inventory.

Still, I have 36 slots taken up ... it sucks that the bones don’t go in all as 1 skeleton. Once you destroy the icy-blue core, the skeleton comes apart, and a lot of it shatters on the ground. Since I have to touch each part for it to go into my inventory, it seems like only things that are connected together can go in as 1 set. If I tied them together it would go in as a full skeleton, but who has time for that?

I still have a lot of slots open, though. After the beetles incident, I thoroughly investigated my Inventory, and I didn’t notice that Inventory had a page 2. To think I had 150 slots... way cheat.

After fighting our way through the Graveyard, we finally reach a “safe area”, where we take a quick break before heading to the next level.

“...This really is a lot of monsters. It’s actually pretty rare to run into any skeletons, let alone over 10. You’re usually stuck fighting wraiths.”

Jericho frowned, reflecting over the amount of monsters we had to fight to get here..

Yeah, we fought a lot of wraiths too.  More than I could count... it was a little terrifying at first, because even my electricity-type Air Magic didn’t really work on them, and weapons just whiffed right through, but in the end we were able to manage.

Ah, to be correct, Miina cast <Destroying Light> on all our weapons, and then we were able to fight the incorporeal wraiths.

I totally want her to teach me that later.

“They say that wraiths and skeletons in the Graveyard only increase if there are more monsters and people to prey on.”

Miina said with a frown.

“Yeah, the amount of wraiths were ridiculous. This is why it’s hard for me to hunt the Khrystel Skeletons by myself; I can’t do shit about the wraiths.”

Ragnall laughed and tapped the back of his short-falchion on his shoulder.  He’s in a really good mood, having run into so many skeletons.

“Well, you can just outrun the wraiths if you just wanted to get to the 2nd level, so this area really isn’t as bad as it seems, if you ever have to run it alone, Jun-chan.”

Niera says, patting my shoulder.

I see. It’s true that the wraiths were only scary because I couldn’t fight them, but they mostly just cast Cold Breath and light ice-type Water Magic, so if you could outrun them, a hit or two isn’t really too bad.  Even though there were almost too many to count... I guess it won’t turn into something like a monster train?

But something else I was wondering was,

“Are the skeletons really worth so much? And what are they?”

“No one knows for sure how they’re formed, but the Labyrinth births their bodies somehow. That’s why they’re not true Undead. The wraiths lack the negative aura of grudges most evil spirits carry, too. Lor says that it’s possible that the Labyrinth is mimicking the Undead from some of the lower levels, making copies of it from the Labyrinth’s form itself.”

Miina answers with that kind of response. So Lor was researching these things too.

“They’re pretty expensive, since they’re rare. 2,500 ecrue a gram. They’re used for windows, mostly, then transparent labour tools, and finally trinkets for rich peoples’ amusement.”

Kristaf explained.

I see.

Hmmm...?

“Um, Kristaf. Is there no ... glass?”

“Glass... ...”

“It’s the clear, fragile stuff that Harulf-san said he was going to work with when he got to town. At that weird, little factory workshop in the south end of town.”

Niera chimed in when Kristaf made a face like he didn’t know what I was talking about.

“I take it that glass isn’t very popular here.”

“Well, it can’t compare to khrystel, which can be formed like metals. Also, glass prohibits magic from passing through, so it’s extremely unpopular for anything other than containers to hold magic volatile solutions. But even then, it’s so fragile that people would rather grease a jar with magic-prohibiting salve than use those things.”

Miina replies.

Eeeeh...

Glass is like an anti-magic Barrier? Doesn’t that seem kind of useful? Why would it be so disliked?

“Does Jun-chan’s hometown use a lot of glass? What for?”

“Um... cups or something like that?”

Glass was something considered more valuable than gold in my former world. At one point long ago, anyway.  To think that here, it’s something basically worthless.

“Ah... people have tried, but it’s not good to make cups out of glass. They say if you’re served with glass cups instead of khrystel, you can bet that you’re going to be poisoned. Since you can’t use drug and poison detection magic discretely through glass.”

“Yeah, if someone goes through the trouble of making such expensive glass drinking vessels, you can be sure it’s not for any sort of good reason.”

“Basically, anything transparent that’s glass is assumed to be for something bad.”

“Nn. Well, it’s easy to tell if it’s glass or khrystel, since glass isn’t perfectly clear and usually has all those defects and cracks easily and stuff.”

In my old world, glass is pretty common now, you know? There are a lot of simple, perfectly clear things that are only worth a couple hundred yen. And at the same time, treated and cut glass could be worth tens of thousands of yen. Things like stuff made from that foreign Sw○r○ski company.

But here, there’s a clear, malleable material that can be handled like metal, with magic qualities that are more highly preferred than glass. I guess it’s not really that weird that the glass technology in this world never made it that far.

It seems like there are still some people stubborn enough to try to improve glass technology, but the overwhelming majority is definitely in khrystel manufacturing.

Fumu. I can’t think that the ability to completely block magic wouldn’t be useful in any situation ... like a shield or something against magic attacks...

...

Ah, nevermind. Let’s ignore the fact that I just wanted to promote a glass shield.

But then ... what else ... like, a greenhouse-like room to avoid detection magic? Or ...

... I guess there isn’t that much I can think of.

I get the feeling that it’s not just that there aren’t uses for glass. For glass technology to remain undeveloped while this world’s metal technology has skyrocketed, it has to be a combination of problems. Like there being a rare, but much more easy to use and more durable alternative, and that glass is really expensive to manufacture, difficult to handle, AND doesn’t have many uses.

Even though glass isn’t something I’ll probably end up using a lot, I still want to make a mirror for The Queen Mary’s. I guess I’ll have to check out how far glass technology is in this world, or figure out how khrystel manufacturing works.

But it’s not like I know much about glass making ...

Well, let’s just set it aside for now.

At the end of the series of caverns is a slope downwards. We descend down into the 2nd level.

◇◇◇

As we descend the tunnel to the 2nd level, and it’s probably a good, moderately steep 5 degree slope, I can see ahead that the path widens and light shines in from the opposite end.

Eh? Light?

!?

Stepping out of the tunnel felt a lot like exiting a cave into the sunlight.

Or like, what’s with this scenery?!

A vast forest greeted us, sloping downwards into a valley. The sky above was like it was mid-day, and only if you looked far, far above the clouds could you see the ceiling.

This ... are we still in a Labyrinth?!

“This is the 2nd level? Or like, we’re still underground?!”

“Haha, it doesn’t feel like it, huh? A lot of the Labyrinth remains largely unexplained.”

I feel like that’s the best answer I’m going to get, so I just keep my mouth shut and look around at this weird level while Jericho draws the plans.

Seriously. It looks like we’re on a mountain in Japan, looking out over the land.

“Right, so we need to cover at least the parts of the forest both around this slope up to the 1st level as well as the tunnel down to the 3rd level.”

“Jericho ... it will take us half a day just to reach the exit to the 3rd level.”

“Well, it would take US half a day, Miina.”

At that, the Valor of Arms Brigade all looked at me and Ragnall.

“How confident are you with speed, Jun-san?”

Um ... with Augment Body-sama, no problem.

“Pretty confident.”

“Then ... yeah, we’re counting on the two of you to check that out. Meet at Emerald Lake in 3 hours.”

“’Kay ‘kay... c’mon then, Jun-san, try and keep up!”

“Ah ... hang on, do we have a clock? Wait, hold up!”

Ah, Ragnall took off before I could make sure we had a time piece, and to keep up I had to charge right after him. Maa, I have a digital clock in the Inventory interface. Though it’s not set to the correct time of day, and I don’t know how to fix it, I can still use it to tell how much time has passed.

... Man, he’s fast. Ragnall I mean. He’s not using any magic to boost his abilities either. What ridiculous specs.

I guess I’m not one to talk about someone being ridiculous though, since I can keep up with him like this and still hold a conversation.

Ah, but I’m using Augment Body, so I wonder if that counts.

“So what are we looking for?”

“Ah ... well anything unnatural. Like a lot of corpses, or monsters not really known to be in this area. Whether there are new predators or an epidemic going around ... that kind of thing.”

“I see ...”

It’s not like I’m going to know about what’s normal versus what’s not, since this is my first time on this level. I guess I’ll leave most of the real work to Ragnall and just focus on defending against monsters.

◇◇◇

“Aren’t there a lot of monsters attacking us?”

“... yeah. This isn’t normal.”

An hour later, Ragnall and I can see the cliff where the exit to the 3rd level is located. We’re halfway there, at a speed that would put a sports car to shame.

At the halfway point is Emerald Lake.

I wonder if the reason it’s called “Emerald Lake” because of the green crystalline structures that line the shore, as if they were lakeside plants.

My Inventory now has 2 Nightstone Ocelot corpses, 3 Rhodonite Mantises, and 26 Carnelian Howler Monkeys added to it. In general, Ragnall and I can outrun monsters trying to attack us, but the monkeys can call down hordes of their comrades on us, so Ragnall bothers to stop and take them down every time.

Of course, I help. Between the two of us, it’s usually 1-hit-1-kill, though the speed of the ocelots startled me at first.

As we take a few minutes to stretch our limbs, Ragnall sighs.

“Hmph. It’s too bad about those Moonstone Moths, but those monkeys are too damn persistent.”

“You wanted to catch those moths in the middle of that attack? You’re kidding, right?”

“Well, that’s why I gave up. Aaaaah... they would’ve gone for a million, together.”

“...Seriously ...  you already have all those skeleton parts, right?”

“There’s no harm in aiming for more~!”

“Geez... Hey, Ragnall, is this kind of amount of monsters normal?”

“No way. The monsters on the 2nd level usually prefer to be left alone. It’s weird that they’re all coming out to attack. Something is frenzying them...”

“Any ideas?”

“There haven’t been any monsters that look like they’re starving,  and there aren’t dead or sickly animals just lying around, so I guess it’s migration due to predators or some change in the environment at another level or something.”

“Change in the environment ... like an earthquake or flood?”

“Maybe. If it’s something on a lower level, we might not get to the bottom of it today ... Haaa... I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not, with me running all these errands ... I might as well be Guild staff, bleh. You okay to keep going?”

“Ah, yeah. Let’s go.”

I don’t really know how these relationships between Adventurers and the Guild work, but it seems to be difficult. Though from what I understand, there’s just something going on lately that’s pretty bad in the background of Nyl City’s daily life– and I mean in the town, not just all this monster ruckus in the Labyrinth.

....!

“Hey, Ragnall...”

I suddenly skid to a stop. It seems that my hearing ability reaches further than Ragnall, because he looks at me, puzzled, as he stops running as well.

The two of us stand still for several minutes until Ragnall can hear what I hear. A low rumbling and the sound of distant crashing.

“This... could be bad,”

He mutters, then uses his super-human strength to dart up a tall tree in a second.

I follow him and we break through the top of the trees, looking intently in the direction of the noise over the see of treetops.

Something is coming.

How can I tell?

The trees are being heaved to the side of the path of whatever’s coming. You can see them just being bowled over. Like blades of grass being pushed aside.

... Um. What the hell is that going to be? Or like, how big is it?!

“Hey, Ragnall. What. Is. THAT?”

“... ... ... ... Well. Fuck.”

I guess that about sums it up.

It’s coming at a pace faster than the one Ragnall and I were going.

Yeah, it’s that fast.

Ragnall gnaws on his lower lip for a moment.

“... I don’t know if we should regroup with the others first or go scout it out, but I think it will get here sooner than I’d like.”

He drops to a lower branch, amidst some bunches of leaves for cover, crouching and shifting into a battle-ready stance. He slowly moves his blade into a position that would allow him to cut at any moment. It’s the first I’ve seen him go into any sort of stance.

Looks like he’s expecting it to be a tough battle.

I drop to a branch close to him.

“So any guesses on what’s coming?”

I ask, because I really have no idea.

“... Yeah. I hope it’s not what I think it is, because that will seriously be a pain in the ass.”

That’s all he can say, before that something tore through the trees, barreling towards us.

A snake, is what I want to say it is, but that doesn’t really do this justice. It is a train in the shape of a snake. The train, writhing from side to side as it bull-rushed the trees and toppled them, came barreling down towards us, hissing like a kettle.

Ragnall clicks his tongue and shifts out of his battle-stance when he sees it, leaping backwards from tree branch to tree branch to take some space.

Naturally, I follow him. I might not have been run over by Truck-san to get to this world, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to try a run-in with snake Train-san.

As we retreat, Ragnall yells,

“Oh, fantastic. It’s not what I thought it was. It’s MUCH WORSE!”

“... That’s great. What is it?”

“A Crystal Python. What the hell is it doing on the 2nd Level?! It comes up to the 5th Level, at the highest!”

Achyaaa...

“So this ... could be bad.”

“Against the two of us ... yeah. Its scales are a rare material, and they’re basically unbreakable. Doesn’t matter how hard you cut or bash.”

“... That IS bad.”

In game terms, we’re two hack-n-slashers against a physical attack immune monster.

Sure, I can use magic, but I’ve only used it against a beetle the size of a large dog. And it didn’t phase the wraiths at all. How the hell am I supposed to use the correct magic and adapt it to something of this size?

Ragnall mutters to himself as he watches the movements of the train.

“Tch, it’s a pity to just run off, Crystal Python materials are rarely brought in so we could make a ton, but I’m not suicidal enough to take it on without some insurance. We should regroup and head back to report this to the Guild ... whoa!”

“Ah, it noticed us.”

“Seems like, dammit.”

Even as Ragnall tried to move back towards the exit into the 1st Level, the train hissed and swerved in front, cutting us off.  Its tail lashes out, pulverizing the spot Ragnall had been a few seconds before.

Ah, I’m sorry, did I say pulverize? It’s more like the part of the tree Ragnall was standing on has disappeared in a tail-shaped wedge. It no longer exists.

Fumu ... yeah, I’d like to make some preparations before I have to fight this thing, so we should definitely retreat. I am not 100% confident my Barrier Shield can stand up to that kind of force.

There is little doubt as to why the monsters are frenzied and fleeing upwards through the Labyrinth towards the surface.

That’s the kind of aura this train, no, this Crystal Python is giving.

It’s not like Anyone can Tell them What to do, so Why do Final Bosses Always Wait Their Turns to Attack?

Crystal Python.

It’s not glistening in the light like the other gemstone-like monsters; the gemstone-like scales on this snake look rough like uncut gemstones. The scales are a milky white, with some crystalline points poking up here and there.

It towers over us, even with us up in the trees.

The pressure it’s exerting is really terrifying.

“This is definitely the cause of the increase in monster attacks, this thing’s miasma, I mean.”

Ragnall muttered.

“Miasma?”

“It’s basically magic power infused with murderous intent; drives monsters crazy, and it’s not to fun to experience as a person either.”

Magic power, huh. I have that Magic Sensory, don’t I ...

Ah, yup. A dark, queasy looking purple cloud is all around the Crystal Python.

The bad feeling from its miasma only adds to the oppressive glare of the snake. Being stared down like this, I finally understand how a frog feels being stared down by a snake. Its eyes, clouded with a red haze, seem to freeze you in your tracks.

It’s like if you make any move, you’ll be dead.

... Hm? Come to think of it, I don’t see any magic around Ragnall, but he can tell that there’s a miasma around the Crystal Python? He’s not using Magic Sensory or anything ... it’s not just experience, right? He could tell I used magic even when I used Chantless Cast before too... Instinct?

The Crystal Python and Ragnall and I have been staring at each other for several minutes after its initial attack, but it feels like several hours.

clang

All of a sudden some noise came from below, and the python shook itself into action, turning towards the source in a rage. At that moment, our frozen muscles relaxed and both of us released huge sighs.

“...? What is it doing? Got bored of our staring contest?”

Ragnall said, trying to see. The area with the disturbance is a bit far away, since the snake is so big. A couple kilometers maybe?

I peer down from my spot in the trees in the direction of the chaos.

... That’s ...

“Hey, Ragnall, there’s some crazy person attacking it down there.”

“... Hah?! What idiot would ... ... No, wait, I know quite a few idiots who would.”

He gnawed on his lower lip a moment.

“Uuuun.... Shit, I’m no good at making decisions like this in moments like this. What do you think we should do?”

“Why are you asking me? I don’t know anything about how hard it would be to fight that thing.”

“Aaaah... that’s true too.”

Though he’s being indecisive, Ragnall descends the tree he was in, leaping branch to branch until he reaches the ground. I follow him, and the two of us land as lightly as we can to avoid drawing the python’s attention back towards us.

By the time he reached the ground, Ragnall seems to have made a decision.

“I feel sorry for the poor bastard who’s fighting it, but we should retreat. Gods know I don’t want to pass up the opportunity to hunt a Crystal Python, but if it goes bad for US it will go bad for EVERYONE. What do you think?”

I’m not really satisfied with that decision, but I understand. The feeling I’m getting from the python is that it would be VERY bad to let it get to the surface. Right now, Ragnall and I are the only two who know about it. Even if Jericho and the others can see the ruckus from a distance, I don’t think they would be able to see what was causing it. If we hurry, we’ll get back in time for the Guild to hear of our report and make quick preparations before the Crystal Python breaches the Labyrinth.

It’s not a pleasant decision at all, but I sympathize with Ragnall who made it, all the while looking like he’d swallowed something bitter.

“I think you aren’t wrong.”

I feel a little guilty, though. Am I being heartless?

But, I mean, every instinct I have is screaming that it’s impossible to attack that thing with just Ragnall and me, you know? I hate leaving people in trouble, I really, do, but this thing gives off the scent of death.

If we just had to distract it to let the man run away maybe we could do something, but that man didn’t escape even when the python was focused on us, you know? He actually went ahead and attacked this thing that has the same dangerous feeling as a nuclear missile. To get the snake’s attention back onto us in a situation like this, that’s just like being suicidal.

And then, there’s the fact that we probably won’t be able to escape it to give enough warning to the Guild before it breaches the entrance of the Labyrinth.

To go against my dislike of letting someone get killed, or go against my responsibilities to the Guild... it really is an unpleasant decision.

Well, in the end I just pushed all the responsibility of making the decision onto Ragnall. I’m technically still new to the common sense of this world, so give me this at least.

“Then off we go-“

Right when Ragnall and I were just about to rush, full-speed, towards the slope up towards the 1st level, A violent torrent of magic erupted. Looking over my shoulder ...

... What the hell is that?! The snake’s stretched up full-length into the sky?!

Oooh...

“...NOT GOOOOOOOOOD!”

Ragnall yelled, grabbing me around the waist and trying to get out of the immediate area.

The ground shuddered, and ...

CRASSSSH!

Though Ragnall ran as fast as he could, even trying to leap up the falling fragments, it won’t work like it does in anime.

Ragnall and I, and the snake, fell through the 2nd level in the newly formed shortcut to the 3rd level.

◇◇◇

“Owowow...”

I grimace, shaking rubble off of me. Though it was unnecessary of Ragnall to try to carry me to safety, even if he wasn’t burdened down by carrying me I don’t think we could have avoided this result of falling through the floor no matter how fast we ran.

That crater – no, that whole through the floor – is larger than a baseball stadium, you know?

“... Holy shit... I heard people say that a Crystal Python was heavy enough that it could smash through a Labyrinth floor, but ...”

Ragnall popped out of the rubble with that shout. He looks fine.

“How heavy are they?”

“Something like 200k kilograms?”

“What the hell!? How can something that heavy exist?!”

“Dunno. Try complaining to him and see what happens.”

“Nah, I’m good.”

Thanks to Augment Body, I’m more or less fine.

I tried a Barrier Shield, but it shattered in an instant without slowing my fall in the slightest.  It was probably not effective at all because I was rushing at the ground, and not the ground rushing at me. I wonder if I could work on some sort of cushioning-type Barrier ... but that should be left for later.

I’m not sure how Ragnall is fine ... ah, his legs are a little jelly-ish. Though he’s shrugging it off pretty easily.

So if we’re fine...

Hshyaaaaa!

Ah, yup. The snake’s fine too.

“Gahahaha, great, come on, bring it on!”

Oh, we can clearly see the (crazy) man who’s attacking the python now.

With a loud yell, the broad-shouldered man with the bushy red hair and full beard launched himself at the python.

His axe glints with a magic light ...

Clang!

... but it just bounces off the snake’s scales.

How tough!

“... So ... what now?”

I ask Ragnall as I look up at the gaping hole we fell through. Even though the thickness of the ground was like a medium-sized skyscraper, that Crystal Python broke through it so easily. Ah, I guess it really wasn’t that easy. It was a shock that could have devastated a city back in Japan. I mean, the hole is the size of a baseball stadium, but what about the area on the 2nd level surrounding the hole? Gone, I’m sure.

“Hard to say since I don’t know exactly where we are on the 3rd level, but ... I’m guessing we have to fight it?”

Ah ... yeah. That’s a reasonable assumption, since we’re basically in a cavern with very little cover, and that cavern is mostly taken up by snake. It might be because it’s a bit dark, but I can’t see an exit anywhere. It might be behind the snake.

Ragnall walked over to a specific pile of rubble and dug through it to find his short falchion, embedded deeply into the ground nearby. Instead of dropping it he had thrown it below us, perhaps to avoid accidentally stabbing himself with it when he had landed. Anyway, it made it easier for him to find it even buried underneath the rubble. I should remember this for the future.

With a casual yank, Ragnall pulled it from where it was deeply embedded in the ground and checked it for loose or broken parts.

I also pulled my nodachi out of Inventory. I had tossed it in when we were up in those trees, because, well, we were climbing trees, and it’s a really long sword.

The crazy man is still going at it, very effectively distracting the snake from Ragnall and me.  He’s only just barely able to dodge the snakes frenzied lunges, but he’s still attacking it with enthusiasm. Ah, I see. The attacks on the python’s body are to keep it irritated enough to attack him, but the crazy man’s true attacks are aimed towards the snake’s open mouth and eyes.

To attack right into the mouth of the lion – I mean, snake. That comes with some guts.

“To be honest, I have my suspicions about why the Crystal Python is rampaging, so maybe I should just let that bastard get eaten for starting all this.”

“...Eh. You think it’s that guy’s fault?”

“Almost 100% sure.”

“I see ... by the way, Ragnall; he got eaten.”

As we were kind of casually talking in the background, the crazy man was just a split second too slow to dodge out of the way.

“!@#$#@”

I’m pretty sure that strangled sound he just made wasn’t a real word in whatever language Ragnall is speaking, let alone being a word that could be translated into Japanese.

Ragnall immediately launched himself towards the snake, winding up almost 180 degrees, before unleashing his sword with an amazing THWUMP! beneath its throat and behind its head.

I have to say ... what enviable strength. Although the scales didn’t break, the huge body of the python arced magnificently into the air and the front part of the snake was hurled backwards, with a face that looked like a human who had gotten kicked in the stomach.

From its gaping mouth, a slimy mess of a human came hurtling out, landing with a thud and a grunt.

Ragnall grimaced as he took some distance and then, as the snake recovered and turned its snakish temper on him, Ragnall smacked it again with his sword, giving a good yell as he did so.

“Nnnnnuooooooo-!”

SLAAAM!

That is NOT a sword strike, but I can’t say anything against his form that looks like a pro baseball batter. He’s really using his all to wallop that thing; his muscles are bulging and he builds up all the power in his body from the tips of his toes through the blade.

Tch. I’d probably have to hit it repeatedly at lightning-speed to pull off that kind of feat, or use up way too much MP in Augment Body. I won’t even try to hide it; I’m seriously envious of that ridiculous strength!

I wonder if I’m fixated on natural, non-magic enhanced strength because I came from a world without any magic.

Putting that thought aside, I dart under the momentarily dazed python and grab the crazy man covered in slime, pulling him out to safety.

“Uwooooh-! Oh, excuse me jou-chan, gahahaha! Didn’t know there was anyone else around!”

Another resounding crash echoed in the cavern-like space, and the walls shook.

Panting, Ragnall jumps back towards us as the Crystal Python struggled to free itself from the chasm in the wall it had been embedded in.

“Dammit. I’m smacking it around, but it just brushes it off like rainwater. Oi, you’ll make me cry, you snake bastard.”

... Seriously? He was smacking it around that much, though? Or like, is this really the time to be flippant like this?

“Ooooh, oooh, it’s Ragnall, isn’t it? Gahahaha, looks like your falchion’s still going strong; how is it going?”

“Oh, y’know, it would be going better if some foolish bastard hadn’t decided to poke at a monster marked as Calamity class.”

“Oopsies, teehee!”

... Middle-aged men shouldn’t go “teehee” and stick their tongue out cutely. That’s really disturbing. Only a cute girl can pull off a “tehe-pero” like that.

All of a sudden, Ragnall tensed, and his face became stern for a change.

“Damn. It went stealth.”

“Eh?”

... Hey, did anyone see where a 200k kilogram snake the size of a subway go? Because it’s not there anymore.

“Even though it was giving off so much magic, I can’t sense it anymore...”

I said.

“When a monster like that goes stealth, it kills its aura too. Or else it wouldn’t be a problem, since I’m sensitive to magic fields.”

Ragnall muttered, no, practically whispered that. He was concentrating every sense on looking for the Crystal Python.

I see. Even Magic Sensory can’t detect it ... nn?

“Oi, get down!”

I kick the crazy man to the side, and at my yell Ragnall leaps out of the way, keeping low to the ground.

Crash!

Urgh-! What strength-! Die – I’ll die if I fought this thing on my own! I can feel my MP being drained at an alarming rate as I pour it into augmenting my strength.

The impact dispels its stealth, and the gaping maw of the Crystal Python is perfectly arranged around me. Like I was going to let you eat me -!!

With one hand gripping the hinge of its mouth and my nodachi stabbed in the roof of its mouth, my body is trembling from fighting its strength.  Because it was trying to devour me, the python had closed its mouth forcefully, and driven a quarter of the blade into itself. At that point it realized it was stabbed, and now it’s trying to pull away-!

“Holy – good, hold it there, Jun-!”

I can only vaguely make out Ragnall’s yell.

Gnnnn... like hell I’ll let you get away, damn snake -! Discharge!

Kshyyyyyaaa!

The bright sparks leaping off the blade flared brightly in the murky dimness, and the Crystal Python wailed in agony. It lurched backwards so violently that it was impossible for me to hold it down.

Swish!

“-Damn!”

Ragnall’s falchion clove through the air where the snake’s eye had been moments before.

Tch!

We both barely dodge out of the way as the snake goes crazy. It seems to be in considerable pain.  Unable to close its mouth, it whips its head from side to side. It almost looks drunk, as it bashes itself into the walls and ceiling of the cavern.

Needless to say, we both fled from directly underneath it. Even so, we have to dodge its agonized strikes and the rocks and debris its kicking up. It’s like watching a violent typhoon tossing houses around.

Damn. I guess the blade wasn’t deep enough to give it a direct shock to its brain. Or like, how durable is this thing?!

“Oooh, gahahaha, you did it now! It’s teed off!”

Shut up crazy man, what does ‘teed off’ even mean!?

“Shut up, it’s all your fault anyway, right?!”

“Gahahaha, maybe!”

The crazy man, who Ragnall had scooped over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes, laughs loudly at Ragnall’s retort.

I ignore the both of them and yell,

“Hey, Ragnall ... what now!?”

I mean, we can’t even get close to that thing anymore, with how it’s flailing! Not just that, I think this entire cavern is going to be brought down with the snake bashing every inch of open space like that! I mean, the cavern will collapse even more than it already has after we fell through from the 2nd level. And now I don’t have my swo-

Aaagh! My sword! It’s lodged firmly in that snake’s mouth!

Nooo! I just finished that! I was even avoiding attacking the snake recklessly to avoid chipping the blade, but now-!

“Hm... I will...”

“Stay put right there, thank you.”

The crazy man was about to stand up and volunteer to do ... something ... but Ragnall lightly kicked him down as the snake’s tail whips by, narrowly missing both of them.

Ragnall bounces back into a crouch, readying his falchion. He glances at me.

“... Okay. Jun, Barrier me.”

“You going in?”

“Yeah. You two stay there. If this fails ... we’ll move onto plan B.”

I’m not sure you can use Barrier as a verb, but I dodge behind a safe-ish rocky outcropping and apply a Barrier Armor to Ragnall. I have a feeling I’m going to need all my concentration for this.

I ask, just to be sure,

“And what is plan B?”

“I thought up plan A, so plan B is all yours!”

Oi.

Ragnall darts off in a second and I open my eyes wide with Magic Sensory going full throttle. Concentrate, me!

Barrier, Barrier, Barrier, re-apply Barrier Armor-!

Ragnall runs, completely ignoring the falling debris as it bounces off the Barrier’s I apply, but the rocks and stuff are the least of our worries. Though Ragnall is dodging the attacks as best he can, Barrier Armor is destroyed in 1 hit from the snake. It smashes through every Barrier I set up.

But that’s fine. As long as they nullify the attacks, as long as Ragnall is able to move forward, I’ll keep applying Barriers until my MP runs dry.

The snake, realizing it’s being attacked, has stopped its flails of agony and is focused on Ragnall. This time, it’s using its tail instead of its already injured, and completely jammed open, jaws.

Leaping up towards its head, though the Crystal Python tried to shy away, Ragnall whipped out a small dagger from his belt. Aiming carefully at the bulge in the snake’s gullet, he yelled, “[Form of the Steel Talon:] <The Piercer>!”

Something shot out from the dagger’s spine and, suddenly, it shattered. That something struck the snake square in the bulge and ...

SSssssschunck!

A sickening sound occurred as the impacted hammered in, slamming the Crystal Python’s maw shut, and steel erupted through its forehead. As if it was screaming, the snake hissed at the sky, reaching up as high as it could, through the hole in the ceiling towards the 2nd level, then suddenly came falling back towards the ground.

The impact of the snake when it fell... well, the ground heaved and buckled underneath us.

The entire world shook as the Crystal Python writhed violently in its death throes, slamming against every exposed surface and destroying them.

I really thought we were all going to die.

◇◇◇

When we were finally able to stand, the Crystal Python was lying there, twitching, with the blade of my nodachi protruding between its eyes.

“Oooh, thank god it worked out.”

Ragnall crouched on the ground, groaning.

“Ooooi. What were you going to do if my blade broke?”

“... Hope it killed it anyway?”

I’m not really upset, because it was kind of do-or-die, but, y’know, I just forged it, so I have a lot of mixed feelings...

Maa, it’s my fault because I lodged it in a giant snake’s mouth, though.

Even with cold steel through its brain, the snake is still spasming, but I manage to wedge the mouth open with Augment Body and, with a strong tug, free my nodachi. I’m amazed I still have 500,000 MP left. Actually, I’m amazed I have any MP left after all those liberal usages of Barriers and Augment Body during the snake’s death throes.

Wow, not even a scratch on this blade. Though it’s covered in the bodily fluids of a snake. Ew.

“I’m glad it didn’t, but I wonder why it didn’t break...”

I mutter that, half to myself. The adrenaline is wearing down ... I feel a little sleepy.

The crazy man, who I’d pulled into my Barrier Shield with me when the snake caused all that ruckus with its death throes, suddenly plucked it out of my hands and carefully looked it over.

Hey.

“Mm. How interesting. But it’s a fine blade after all. If it was cheap it would’ve broken in the skull.”

That kind of made me happy, but I ask what I was thinking anyway.

“But aren’t the Crystal Python’s scales impenetrable or something? It should have shattered inside.”

The crazy middle-aged man with the full, red beard pointed at where the blade had come out.

“Aah, that? Look at how the scales slide over each other. It’s impossible to break in from the outside, but from the inside...”

Now that I take a good look, with the way the scales are overlapped, although it prevents anything from getting under the scales from outside, it looks like a simple matter to force through from the inside.

“Wait. Don’t tell me you were planning on fighting that thing from the inside? Helward-san!?”

Eh? What did Ragnall just say?

After a Boss Fight, it’s Like There’s Always a Filler Episode

The crazy man, that is, Helward-san, carefully wiped my nodachi clean, and now he’s looking down its length.

Ah, I get it, I totally understand that craftsman’s obsession.

Extra for last chapter

I don’t really know what to do about meeting this famous smith, especially considering the situation we found him in, so I look towards Ragnall for help.

...?

He’s still crouched on the ground in the same spot, head hanging down with his arms loosely propped up on his knees.

“...Oi, Ragnall. Are you okay?”

“...Yeaa... aah...”

So, no?

He sighed and stood up wearily. He has a nose bleed?

“... Was it that exciting for you?”

“Hah-?”

“Nosebleed.”

Quickie of Ragnall

Even after I pointed it out Ragnall didn’t get embarrassed or anything and just calmly wipes it away, so, yeah, that’s not a nosebleed from over-stimulation. I thought that wasn’t the case, but I figured there was no harm in asking... maybe.

“Ah ... no, that’s from...”

“That kid gets like that whenever he uses magic. Moreover, jou-chan, care to tell me where this sword came from?”

Ragnall shoots Helward-san a glare of disdain.

“Don’t you mean, ‘moreover let me tell you about what happened with the Crystal Python’?”

“Gnununu... that’s true.”

Ragnall, looking really worn out, says,

“At least tell me you weren’t stupid enough to try to hunt this thing. If you were, let me punch you right now.”

Helward-san laughs.

“Gahahaha, I may be stupidly reckless, but to do something like that is still beyond stupidly reckless, don’t you think? No, I was in the Mire Mine, looking for a vein of galvorn for a while.”

A while, you say ... it’s been 3 months, you know. But the other two act like that’s to be expected, so I guess whatever galvorn is, it’s hard to find.

I decide to let the other two talk things out while I approach the Crystal Python. I don’t really know what’s going on, anyway.

Yeah, this thing is big.  Maybe it’s a little smaller around compared to the circumference of a train, but if it is, it’s only by a few meters.

I pick at the scales that were knocked loose by my nodachi.

Nng... I can’t pull the scale off easily... but it’s kind of lighter than I expected.

I see. If the scales were too heavy they might have squashed the snake’s organs and killed it, huh? 200,000 kg sounded really heavy at first, but something this size ... would it be more natural for it to be heavier? Under what criteria am I supposed to judge this?

I won’t pretend to understand the biology of animals, let alone monsters. I honestly have no idea why things are the way they are, but I remembered being told that the only reason the heaviest animal on earth was so heavy was because it lived in the ocean, or else its weight would squash its organs.

... I think that’s what I heard. Hmm. If Masaki was here, he would know. He likes those nature shows.

Maybe if it were any heavier it wouldn’t be able to move under its own weight.

Anyway, the thing is still too heavy for people to carry back up to the surface normally.  Not that that’s actually a problem for US, though. I don’t know the worth of the parts of the snake, but I’d imagine it to be kind of expensive?

“This thing was tearing up a storm in the mines and I ran right into it.”

Behind me, I hear Helward-san say that while rubbing the back of his head with a bitter smile.

“I see ... wait. What? How? A Crystal Python isn’t something normally found on the 4th level, though? And how would it even fit in the mines?”

“Hrm... to be honest, I don’t know either. But a lot of the mine has been widened by quite a bit now.”

“Ah, the Crystal Python’s Earth Magic, huh. You didn’t attack it when you ran into it, right?”

“Gahaha ... Ragnall-kun. I may be impulsive, reckless, and get into trouble all the time, but even I know what things you should and shouldn’t do.”

“But it chased you. All the way from the 4th level. That’s unheard of if you left it alone. They’re usually pacifists, you know?”

“Gnnn... I can’t deny that, but all I did was run, and it still chased me all the way up through the 2nd level. That was the first time I attacked it.”

“Ugh, right. You should have known harassing it with slow-buff spells like that would make it use Earth Break.”

“Hn. Of course I did. It was getting too close to 1st level, wasn’t it? It’s best to drop it a level, right?”

“So you were trying to get it to fall through to the 3rd level on purpose ... Are you messed up in the head?!”

“Gahahaha! Maybe!”

Earth Break, huh? Is that Earth Magic then?

So that was the cause; right before we broke through the 2nd level floor, the segment of the ground that the Crystal Python was aiming at suddenly glowed.

When it rammed the ground, waves and waves of magic ran from the ground up along the python’s body like a current. All of a sudden, a ring of scales became charged with magic, and just like that the magic current got randomly cut off and something like a magic shockwave, or a pulse or something, occurred.

The shock of all the magic hitting those ring of scales got reflected back towards the ground and crashed into the ground, amplifying the shock from the Crystal Python’s own body striking the ground. There, the two magic powers, the one already in the ground and the other that traveled up and then back down the snake, violently reacted to each other, rippling through and continuing to destroy the area around it as the shockwave-like attack moved outwards.

Of course, I only saw that because of Magic Sensory. Also, because Ragnall picked me up and tried to run away, so all I could do was stare at what was happening. If I was trying to run away by myself, I guarantee I wouldn’t have noticed it.  It all happened within a second, after all.

To be honest, because it reminded me of how shockwaves worked I thought it was Air Magic at first, but I wasn’t sure that shockwaves alone could have done that kind of damage. So it was Earth Magic ... Eh? Really? Isn’t Earth Magic like moving rocks or something?

Well, whatever. This explains it. Even if the Crystal Python is heavier than the heaviest creature back in my world, there was no way it should have destroyed the ground like that with just its own weight. Or like, if it could have, we’d have fallen all the way to the bottom floor of the Labyrinth.

I don’t know what number floor that would be, though.

But I get it. So Helward-san was spending several months in some mines of the 4th level, then ran into the Crystal Python who shouldn’t be there, and then he got chased to the second floor where he decided that it was too close to the surface, so he attacked it after all.

There’s just one thing that’s bothering me.

“Um ... Helward-san?”

“Ooh, jou-chan. Hey, Ragnall, you haven’t introduced me to this spunky lil’ jou-chan yet! You’re pretty amazing, jou-chan!”

“Aaah... thank you. I was just wondering ... how long was it since you first saw the Crystal Python in the mines?”

“Hrmph ... 2 or 3 days, maybe. Been runnin’ ever since.”

Ragnall, who’s recovered quite a bit now, frowned and looked over.

“What is it, Jun?”

“That’s ... Sure the swarming happened within that time, but the Labyrinth’s monsters have been acting strangely since before then, right?”

“Ah, yeah ... huh? Hey, Helward, was the Crystal Python frenzied before it started chasing you?”

“Hm ... maybe. It was pretty furious, anyway.”

“So that means ... even though the immediate threat is gone, we still don’t know what caused it, or whether something like it will happen again?”

I ask, thinking it out loud.

Ragnall stood still for a minute, thinking it over, before he picked up his falchion and sheathed it.

“This isn’t good. We should get back to the Guild with this report immediately.”

“Right, I’m going to head back to the mines-“

“You are going to come back with us right now before Jetsom has grandkids and they inherit the forge.”

Ragnall easily halts Helward-san before he dashes away by grabbing Helward-san’s shirt collar.

“When did you become so strict? Well, fine, if I get a few scales of the snake.”

“HMMMM? What are you saying? Of course you’ll buy the materials properly, right? Since this is Jun-san’s and my kill?”

Oooh... Ragnall’s smiling face kind of looks like a corrupt merchant’s right now.

“Urk. Aren’t the troubles I went through calculated in this? I’ll help transport it-“

“Ah.”

Helward-san said that a little too late.

The Crystal Python has disappeared in its entirety. It’s now lodged cleanly in 1 slot; “Crystal Python Corpse x1.”

Ragnall’s standing there, looking amazed. No, well, you knew about my cheat of a storage system already, right?

“Jun ... what kind of capacity does your storage have?”

I decide not to tell him that the skeleton parts take up more room in my Inventory than the Crystal Python.

◇◇◇

“Fuun... looks like we’ll just have to forge you another one, Ragnall.”

Helward-san looks over Ragnall’s falchion.

It’s really badly cracked. There’s no salvaging it, huh? Even though it was fine being thrown however many stories and buried in rubble, looks like it wasn’t able to withstand the power-play between the Crystal Python and Ragnall.

Turns out Helward-san and Ragnall are on such good terms because it’s an ongoing challenge for Helward-san to try and forge a sword that can withstand Ragnall’s full strength.

“I really don’t like being without a sword ... Jun, you wouldn’t happen to have a spare...?”

“... Well, I do, but I guarantee it won’t hold up to how you use a sword.”

Right now, we’re camping on the 3rd level.

What happened to getting back to the Guild as soon as possible?

Well, see, when we first ran into the Crystal Python, it was already after noon. The fight with the python took a while, and we, or rather, Ragnall and Helward, had to spend some time figuring out where we were on the 3rd level.

It turns out the Crystal Python had dropped us into a place that’s difficult to reach normally on the 3rd level; well, before that, the name of the 3rd level is “The Water Maze”.

As you can imagine, being randomly dropped into the middle of that makes navigation difficult.

If we had Kristaf with us we might have been able to figure out where we were faster, but it took us over 3 hours of wandering before Helward-san finally found a familiar-looking ruin.

Anyway, it is now a little less than 12 hours since we first saw the Crystal Python. We’re close to the exit back to the 2nd level, but Helward-san, who had been running from the Crystal Python for 2 or 3 days straight, wasn’t going to be able to keep the pace up. We found a patch of ruin that wasn’t covered in a layer of water and made camp.

Ragnall seemed to need the break too. I don’t know what happens to him when he uses magic, but it really drains his stamina apparently.

Though he was still able to march double-time for at least 5 hours after that fight. A monster.

How am I?

... Well, it appears my MP replenishes faster in the Labyrinth, and I didn’t really overtax my body or get hurt, thanks to Augment Body and Barriers. I’m pretty much back to perfect shape.

I take the first katana I made out of my Inventory just to show Ragnall what I was talking about. He gives up when he sees it.

“Aah ... yeah. I guess I’ll just have to make do without.”

“Hm, jou-chan, let me see your swords again.”

Helward-san stops me before I put the katana back in Inventory. I unloose my nodachi from my belt and hand it and the katana over.

“Gahahaha! Really... these are some interesting swords, with some amazing worksmanship. It does my eyes good to see something of this quality! But ... it’s good, but the smith is more reckless than me. These swords look like they’d drain away the lives of several smiths to make.”

Ah. Yes, that’s bothering me as well. Or like, you can tell?! And so quickly!

“You were lucky to find both of these swords, jou-chan. Are these legendary swords from your homeland? Did you inherit these?”

“Hm? Jun, I thought you forged those yourself?”

Helward-san froze for a second when he heard Ragnall. Almost like a possessed doll, his head swiveled until he was looking at me.

That’s really creepy.

For some reason I feel like denying it, but,

“Um ... yeah.”

I admit it after all.

“... .... fufufu... Kwahahaha ... GAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Um ... he’s laughing like crazy. What do I do? Ragnall?

Ragnall gives me a look like, ‘What do you want me to do about this?’

After 5 minutes of straight laughter, Helward-san finally calms down. That’s good. Because, you know, we’re still in a Labyrinth, so it’d be good to stay more aware of our surroundings.

“Kukuku ... If you live a long time, life gives you interesting things, huh?”

He says, then resheathes the katana with a satisfying clack!

“Ne, jou-chan, come to my forge. You’ve never been properly trained in forging, right?”

Ah. Master smiths really are different. This is the first person who’s realized it, though I’m not really sure how he realized it.

“Helward ... she’s already been at your forge. Gustav is letting her use the facilities and materials for free to make up the difference in value for work she did for them, since you were missing.”

Wait. That’s the first time I’ve heard of that arrangement though.

“WHAAAT?! Then why aren’t they helping you train?! What is Jetsom doing?!”

No, that’s not something the master of the forge who disappeared without a word for 3 months can say. And anyway, I’ve only been in this city for a few weeks.

As I take my swords back, stowing the katana in Inventory and returning the nodachi to my belt, Ragnall pokes the fire, causing sparks to fly upwards, and asks,

“Hey, Jun. I was wondering; how did you detect the Crystal Python when it went Stealth?”

“Ah. That. Because it was suppressing its magic, it kind of felt like there was less magic concentrated above us, or something ...”

“Damn. And here I had confidence in my ability to sense magic.”

Ragnall looks kind of frustrated. Though he said it kind of with a wry smile.

Sorry, Ragnall. Actually, the correct answer is “instinct”.

Even though it did feel like there was less magic above us, it wasn’t really on the level of something to be worried about. If I had to say, it was like wondering if the water in one spot of the pool is warmer than the rest or if it was just your imagination. And if it wasn’t in the Labyrinth, a place teeming with mana, I doubt that the difference would be noticeable at all. So it really was just moving on a bad feeling.

The tone around our campfire slowly grows quiet.

Helward-san really was tired. Even though he didn’t fall asleep right away, he started mumbling under his breath about forge temperatures and special tools until it sounded like an incantation until he drifted off.

Anyway, this was how the night ended, with me doing the night watch as usual.

<A/n: Even though I thought I wrote a pretty good fight scene last time, everyone was obsessed about the weight of the snake ... sulk. Mou, I’ll show them, and come out with the next chapter with all the explanations faster-de yo-! (<- overly flamboyant oujo-sama tone)

...

... Eh. Waitasec ...

Anyway, that’s why there’s one extra Wfb/OVRMMO before Vending Machine this time. Ill-conceived revenge(?).>

Aren’t Timeskips like Curses for Jump Series?

2 days later there was a big commotion among the Guild staff that works with dismantling, storing, and buying monster parts from Adventurers.

Well, yeah, if a Crystal Python appeared in the warehouses completely intact, I guess it’s something to freak out about.  Since this is apparently something that takes teams of dismantlers at least 7 days to dismantle and carry back up to the surface.

The reason the commotion took place 2 days later is because it took us a full day to reach the Labyrinth’s exit, so the dismantling and counting of monster parts took place the next day.

Well, first of all, when we reached the Guild Hall, it was in complete chaos. Apparently the tremors from fighting the Crystal Python were very noticeable above ground. Sorry about that – wait, all that ruckus was Ragnall and Helward’s fault.

But I guess I had a hand in it too.

Pacifying the Adventurers and Guild staff panicking and preparing for the worst didn’t take too long with Ragnall’s report.

It was pacifying the girls at The Queen Mary’s that was the most frightening part of the entire ordeal. This time was really inevitable, you know? I mean, we fell through an entire level of the Labyrinth. How was I supposed to prepare for that?

I was made to sit seiza for 2 hours while they scolded me for reckless behavior.

Helward-san was put on probation for possibly endangering the city by instigating the Crystal Python, but he was acquitted.

While dismantling the Crystal Python, the Guild’s dismantlers found recently ingested remains of several people, and a group of Adventurers, Ragnall and the Valor of Arms Brigade included, were gathered together to follow the path of the Crystal Python’s destruction down into the 6th level.

There they found the mutilated bodies of a group of men. It seems very likely they had instigated the Crystal Python incident. Even if they didn’t, it was more than enough evidence that Helward-san had accidentally run into the Crystal Python after it had gone into a frenzy, and he wasn’t at fault.

As for why I wasn’t included in the Adventurers who went to investigate the source of the issue ... I was being held captive at Helward’s forge by Helward-san.

After seeing me use mana forging, Helward-san gave a great yell.

“Aaaah...! What masterful instincts, but what wasteful procedures!”

And that was the beginning of Helward-san’s training camp from hell – is what it seemed to the others, but to be honest, I was pretty interested in this kind of stuff so I was actually grateful for his attention. Not even the Guild Master and Vice-Guild Master were able to persuade Helward-san to let me have extra time for Labyrinth diving. My time was completely taken up with the forge.

I am secretly happy about it.

I mean, if I kept doing a little bit here and a little bit there, I wonder how long it would have taken me to learn even half the material that Helward-san ended up teaching me.

Smithing, smelting, how to tend the fire ... for the first time, I’m properly being taught all these most basic things that I could only use on instinct. I was also taught the basics of monster parts and how to make magic ores.

An interesting side effect of learning about magic ores is that my magic perception has gotten extremely good throughout all my training. Things like being able to sense magic in monster parts, and being able to sense what that magic can do, how it will react with magic from other monster parts, as well as how it effects iron and steel as it’s smelted in ... those were some of the things I learned through magic ores.

Basically, my magic perception no longer just detects the presence of magic and mana. Not only can I detect the flow of magic and mana to the ... milliliter? (what kind of quantity should something with no weight or volume be given?) I can now detect the minute changes the magic undergoes as a material changes and makes use of it.

Like, a Crystal Python scale gives an “amplification” effect when you put magic through it, or the Jeweled Beetles’ auto-reflect in their shells. I’ve gotten really good at predicting what will happen just by feeling how the magic changes while going through a material.

Of course, Helward-san diligently trained me in Mana Forging as well. Though the instructions he gave were all things like, “Your love for the blade is weak” or “Considering how the blade is going to be used is also a form of love” and things like that.

I can’t say that he was wrong, maybe, but it’s an embarrassing way of saying it. In the end, I discovered that my problem was that I’d be so focused on making my blades as perfect as possible that I lost sight of efficiency and ease of use.

Well, it was easy to figure out the problem, but fixing it took an entire month...

Ah, I guess in the end I would prefer to be more of a Craftsman than an Adventurer. I feel a little ashamed that I got carried away with the other-world transport template and registered as an Adventurer without really thinking about it, but when I thought about going back to the Guild to exchange my Adventurer’s Card for a Craftsman’s Card, Lor, who had come by to check up on me (probably on Dobin-san’s orders), said,

“Isn’t it fine? Someone who can come out unscathed from fighting a Crystal Python with just 3 people, and someone who can keep up with B Rank and A Rank Adventurers without falling behind, it’s fine to think of her as an accomplished Adventurer. It’ll be easier for the Guild if you’re listed with your primary as Adventurer.”

I don’t really get it but it seems no one else minds it, so I’ll just go with that. By no means is it because I think it will be a pain to do ...

No, seriously, with the zeal Helward-san is teaching me with, I don’t have time.

◇◇◇

“Girl, I can’t believe it. In a month, you’ve mastered so much. Oi, brat, Erl! Raise her Rank to A!”

“R-right, Pulman-jiji!”

“Gahahaha! What do you think, Pulman-jiji? Aren’t you jealous?”

“Hmph. I’m not jealous of a brat like you getting an apprentice like that, I’m jealous of that girl’s talent. She’ll surpass you in another month, you know? It’s not time for a brat like you to leisurely loiter around, laughing! Oi, girl, hurry it up and surpass this brat so he won’t have anything to say!”

Today, accompanied by Helward-san, I have successfully passed the second Craftsman’s evaluation from Pulman-jiji. For this evaluation, instead of a sword what I made was a knife.

Mixed in with the steel was essence from the Lapis Lantern. It’s a carnivorous plant with a large basin-like part. It’s a plant that devours its own predators, automatically secreting a paralyzing toxin when it senses potential herbivores before gripping them with its vines and dragging them into its leafy basin.

The vines of the Lapis Lantern are dried and then crushed into powder, and that is what you add to the charcoal. No, it’s not added directly to the steel. It’s more like you infuse the steel with what’s released in the fire. It’s a very delicate process, and a substance worthy of showing off your ability to handle additives to steel.

In my case, I also added a reactive phosphorescence from a Beryl Lightning Bug directly into the steel. With the Lapis Lantern’s essence, it increases magic circulation through the sword when it detects malicious intent. The increase in magic activates the glow from the Beryl Lightning Bug. It’s steel that reacts to malicious attacks by glowing.

Yes, it’s a sword that will glow a light blue when enemies attack you.

I will not deny that this was inspired by certain fantasy-like swords from stories in my old world. However, it’s really kind of useless other than demonstrating my abilities with magic ores.

I mean, it just glows. Without letting you know where the attack is coming from, it just lets you know you’re getting attacked.

If it’s an assassin, they’ll know immediately that you’re aware of them because of the glow; for those kind of attackers, they’ll definitely take immediate counter measures and get you some other way. ... If it could at least detect the presence of enemies, instead of only malicious attacks...

Well, the idea of a blade that can detect attacks is already good. I’ll need to figure out how to use it better, like using it to activate a Barrier or something. But that might be delving into magic swords a step beyond just adding magic ingredients to metal.

... Ah. I’m getting carried away again. Ahem.

I, Jun Imamiya, have become an A Rank Craftsman.

I thought Pulman-jiji said he’d only raise my rank to B once I learned the basics of magic ores, but apparently I had misunderstood. B was the minimum rank I would get as long as I knew just the basics of magic ores. After a month-long training session with Helward-san, it wasn’t just the basics I learned...

Aaah, the month of harsh-but-fulfilling training at the forge was totally worth it. I have learned so much about magic and swords, and I can even make the naginata blades at reasonable and safe quality for the girls at The Queen Mary’s.

Speaking of the girls at The Queen Mary’s, Niera drops by at least once a week to train them. They are mostly doing strength-training until I finish their naginatas. Initially I had thought to prepare wooden blades for training for them, but Niera had been strangely adamant against them. She seems to think that training with a substitute will only develop bad habits, so training for a weapon should be done with a live weapon.

Even though in Japan you wouldn’t practice with a real blade right away ...

Wake early, sword training, forge training, stamina training, sleep late. It felt a lot like a school training camp. That was my daily routine for a month.

It was a good month.

Oh. Well, not the entire month.

I don’t really want to think about it too much, but for several days I had been laid up in bed. To think it was something so painful... I didn’t even have any leeway to think about my impressions of having to deal with it, the pain was so strong. It was probably 5 times worse because I didn’t know what to do about any of it at all.

It was at this time that I was grateful from the bottom of my heart that I was living with the onee-sans from The Queen Mary’s. At first I was worried they’d think something was weird since I didn’t know how to deal with it, but I heard them whispering,

“Ah, it seems like it was a bad month this time, poor Jun.”

And the like.

Wait, it could potentially be worse? Or like, this is going to happen every month from now on?! I really thought about crying when I overheard that. Shit! I never considered turning back into a guy more seriously in my life.

I don’t know how, though.

Anyway, thanks to the girls at The Queen Mary’s, my crisis was ... not really averted, but I received all their care and was very rudely reminded that I am now a woman who needs to know things that a woman needs to know.

But right now ...

... It’s ok if I don’t want to think about it, right? I can save those worries for later, right? I mean, I was a guy for my main sexual development; I don’t want to think about these sorts of things!

Ahem.

Anyway, currently my status looks like this:

◤

NAME: JUN

MP:【▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉】2,500,000/2,500,000

TRAITS:

[OTHERWORLDER]:

[PASSIVE: (Secret Trait) (Resilient Body) (Magic Enrichment) (Otherworldly Knowledge) (Accelerated Learning) (Keen Instincts) (Translate)]

[SKILLS: (Inventory) (Friend Chat) (Status) (AnalyzeIV)]

[MAGIC BORN]:

[PASSIVE: (Secret Trait) (Boundless Magic) (Chantless Cast) (Well of Magic) (Magic Sense)]

[WANDERER]:

[PASSIVE: (Steady Balance) (Perceptive Sense) (Light Foot)]

[SKILLS: (Augment Body) (Augment Mind) (Farsight) (Ground Shrink) (Accel)]

[MANA MANIPULATOR]:

[PASSIVE: (Magic Sensitive) (Magic Intuition) (Magic Control)]

[SKILLS: (Magic Sensory) (Magic Channeling) (Magic Dispersion)]

[BARRIER MASTER]:

[SKILLS: (Barrier) (Reflective Barrier) (Sound Barrier) (Barrier Armor) (Barrier Shield) (Boundary)]

[MANA FORGER]:

[PASSIVE: (Fire Sensitivity) (Fire Resistance) (Steady Hand)]

[SKILLS: (Metal Reinforcement) (Keen Edge) (Mana Imprint) (Craftman’s Trance) (Emblazon) (Material Manipulation)]

[MAGIC CRAFTSMAN]:

[SKILLS:  (Mould) (Heat Material)]

[MAGIC CASTOR]:

[PASSIVE: (Element Sensitivity)]

[SKILLS: (Fire Magic: <Flame>, <Flame Orb>, <Sear>, <Fire Lance>)

(Water Magic: <Create Water>, <Create Flow>, <Ice Wind>, <Ice Lance>)

(Air Magic: <Static Discharge>, <Gust>, <Air Bullet>, <Lightning Bolt>, <Whirlwind>)

(Earth Magic: <Earth Lance>, <Solidify Earth>, <Mud Pool>)

(Light Magic: <Combustion>, <Illumination>)

(Dark Magic: <Create Vacuum>, <Increase Shadow>)]

◣

Where to even begin ...

Well, first things first, somehow [COMBAT MAGICIAN] turned into [BARRIER MASTER].

I didn’t know it could do that.

Lor said it’s because Traits are actually very fluid. Since I didn’t acquire any other Skills other than Barrier-type Skills, the Trait I had morphed into something that could describe my abilities with Barriers better. I feel like hidden in that statement is an example on how Analyze4 works, but in the end I couldn’t figure out the details so I didn’t bother thinking too deeply about it.

It’s also thanks to Lor that my magic skills increased. He’d come over on Dobin’s orders to check out the status of my forge training, and during breaks he would help me understand elemental-cast magic.

Of course he found out I could use Chantless Cast. When I forgot to chant while casting Illumination, he just stood there silently for several minutes before heaving a large sigh.

Even though he kept muttering “nothing should surprise me anymore”, he was still considerably shocked.

“Helward-san, Jun-san. Greetings.”

Hmm?

On the way out of the Guild Hall, while I was reminiscing over the past month with a feeling of great accomplishment, the stern-looking woman with glasses that I’ve seen several times before in the Guild Hall, stopped Helward-san and me from leaving.

“Oooh, Minerva. Did you need something?”

“Yes. That is, I need Jun-san. I asked Erl-san to notify me when her evaluation was over. There is a matter Florian-san and Dobin-san requires your presence for, Jun-san.”

“Aaah ... ok. Then, Helward-san, I’ll be back at the forge soo-“

“Fumu. No need any longer.”

“...Hah-?”

“Gahahaha! Did you think I was just saying those things to Pulman-jiji for politeness? Jun-chan, you may not have completely mastered using Mana Forging efficiently, but you have mastered everything else. There’s nothing else for me to teach you. For someone who uses forging techniques in their everyday life as often as breathing, there’s no need to wonder if that person will improve, right?”

Oh. Uh, so he noticed after all... Yeah, well, Mana Forging is basically just using magic to forge. By replicating those techniques for other purposes, it’s not hard to think of ways to make your life easier.

Helward-san continued.

“You aren’t even officially my apprentice, and yet you’ve nearly finished an entire apprenticeship in just a month. Though I will be sorry not to oversee your growth from now on, it’s not like you want to master magic ore swords, right? To stick with me from now on ... you won’t be able to expand your techniques to master true magic swords. I wish to see a Jun-chan who has reached the pinnacle of sword-smithing.”

Saying such master-like things at the end... and yet during the time he was teaching me, he was talking about how you forge with your feelings and love.

I can’t say I dislike this kind of character.

“You are being too dramatic, Helward-san. Just because Jun-san is on the verge of surpassing your abilities doesn’t mean she’ll be leaving town immediately.”

“Oh, gahahaha! That’s true! See you tomorrow at the forge, Jun-chan!”

“... Is it already given that I’ll automatically show up at the forge?”

Aaand the sentimental feelings are gone now.

<A/N: *dances* I finally got to the ‘timeskip’! Haa... I never thought it would take over 50 chapters ...

I had reservations about writing in a timeskip, but it unfortunately fit right in. Just because all the Shonen Jumps did timeskips that ended up making no literary sense, writing one in makes me feel like I’m doing something bad...>

Personally, I like to Avoid Escort Missions

“If only that man wasn’t so obsessed with swords.”

Minerva-san muttered something under her breath that I didn’t quite catch.

“Sorry?”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”

She fixed her glasses and continued walking down the hall at a brisk pace.

From around me, I hear

“Ooh, it’s Jun-chan!”

“Ah, it looks like Dobin called for her.”

“Hm hm... Minerva-sama plus Jun-chan, eh?”

“Beauty 2-shot get!”

“I can’t tell which one’s better.”

“Hm... hard to say. Minerva-sama has an adult’s allure, but Jun-chan has the delicate beauty of youth, na.”

coming from some Adventurers heading down to the Labyrinth.

Wtf are they saying, these guys?!. Of course Minerva-san is more of a beauty! To compare a cool-beauty with a face that used to belong to a high school boy is extremely rude.

The allure of an older woman should not be treated trivially.

And what do you mean, I look delicate? Haaan? Tsk.

But anyway, it seems like I’ve become well-known around Nyl City. Things like saving B Rank Adventurers, or being good luck while hunting, or the fact that I subjugated a Crystal Python along with Ragnall and Helward-san ... a lot of rumors, some true and some ... not so true, are flying around.

Well, I’ve met most of the more good-natured Adventurers whenever I went to the places with food carts, so it’s not like people only know me by rumors.

The more ill-natured Adventurers just glare at me from a distance. Jealousy, Niera said.

By the way, there aren’t many nastier mannered Adventurers that usually seem to pop up in this kind of setting. Of course there are some rougher, delinquent guys, but nothing like the downright criminal mob characters in other-world LN. Or, more accurately speaking, those kinds of people aren’t likely to be Adventurers in this town.

I mean, even the Dark Wyverns didn’t have any Adventurers among them. They were made up of ex-Adventurers or bandits. It’s not like the Guild gives you a personality test ... Doesn’t it seem stranger that there WOULDN’T be any Adventurer who gets drunk off their power?

Hm, well, peace is best, I guess.

◇◇◇

Knock knock.

“Florian-san, Dobin-san, Jun-san has arrived.”

“Come in.”

Minerva opens the door to the Guild Master’s room and stands to the side to let me enter first, before quietly entering behind me and closing the door.

Standing perfectly straight as usual is the butler-like Guild Master, Florian, and seated on top of the desk next to him is the shrewd halfling Vice-Guild Master, Dobin.

Hm? Don’t they look a little stressed? Though Florian-san’s posture is perfect, his hair isn’t slicked all the way down today, and it has strands sticking up everywhere. Dobin-san looks like he just woke up – or maybe he hadn’t slept yet.

That’s right, when Lor grumbles about being forced to work all night, he mentions that Dobin-san is usually right there in the room with him so he can’t escape.

Both Guild and Vice-Guild Masters have hands full of papers that they seem to have been sorting.

With impeccable movements, Florian-san set the papers on the desk and addressed me.

“Good morning, Jun-san. Sorry to call you in right after your evaluation, but we were at a loss as to when we would be able to get in contact with you otherwise.”

Ah, yeah, sorry, it’s because I was a hermit of the forge.

“It’s fine. Was ... there something you needed me for?”

“Ah, yes. There was a commission that requested you, and the commissioner was hoping to get an answer ... by tonight.”

Tonight huh? That’s pretty tight timing, yup. But a commission requesting me specifically? For my Inventory cheat or my smithing? Well, if it was for my Inventory cheat, the only people who really know about it are Ragnall and the Valor of Arms brigade.

Even when I was unloading everything at the Guild, the Valor of Arms brigade kept other people out of the warehouses until I was done.

Anyway, if it’s for Inventory, I think those people would come to me personally instead of sending a commission through the Guild.

Basically, I have a completely blank “?” kind of look on my face.

In response to it, Florian-san continued.

“It’s a commission to be a guard for a Noble-sama.”

“... Eueh?”

Because the contents were so different from what I was expecting, though I’m not really sure what I was expecting, I ended up making a strange noise.

“Wai- hang on. A guard? Why am I being asked to do this? I don’t have any experience guarding people.”

I don’t have much experience with commissions ... period. The only one I’ve done was with the Valor of Arms brigade, so I was basically being babysat, you know.

“Your Barriers are rather advantageous in a case like this.”

Florian-san said this, but Dobin-san cut in and said,

“Because Sir Knight Captain Ilyos was so enamored by the swords you made, that even though he was being evasive with things when he was trying to make the request, when we said you might be joining the bodyguards, he was suddenly giving us all sorts of information.”

Eeeeeeh... That evil grin. That means Dobin-san totally used me as a bargaining chip, huh?

Florian-san coughed and looked away.

So that was totally it. And here I would have just accepted my Barriers as a reason...

“Wait ... does that mean the commissioner this time is Sir Knight Captain? Then the Noble-sama ... is a Carnus Noble?”

Not that it really matters to me, but I’m curious.

“That’s right. This Noble-sama is a newly-instated Noble, apparently. Even though he will have his own entourage, Sir Ilyos has his misgivings about how good the guards coming with the Noble-sama are.”

“Then why even have those guards.”

Oops, I instinctively retorted.

Dobin-san smiles bitterly.

“Who knows how Nobles think. The guards are made up of young recruits fresh out of the Carnus Knight Academy, and many are second sons of minor nobility. It won’t be surprising to see them seeking to grandstand and make a name for themselves, or even think dangerous things about taking over a new-Nobles title ...”

What. Like, killing the person you’re supposed to be guarding to take over his title? Isn’t Carnus supposed to be the most peaceful and advanced country? Scaaary.

And like, you’re scary for being able to understand that much about it, Dobin-san!

“Um ... I’m not saying I’ll definitely do it or anything, but if I did ... you can’t be expecting me to guard someone all by myself, with no experience, right?”

“Oh, of course not. You and Ragnall will be the ‘visible’ guards in direct contact with the Noble-sama. The two of you are stupidly strong, abnormally sensitive to magic, and you have your Barriers, yeah? On top of that, the other equally essential qualities are that both of you are fairly good-natured, slow to anger, and have well-bred manners.”

As Dobin-san snorts and lists off the reasons I was recommended, I can’t help but think, sure, I’m slow to anger, but you guys do remember my ... mistake, right? You know, when I got really angry?

But, well, it’s true that I don’t really get angry that quickly...

Florian sees my eyes beginning to swim, and he explains,

“Right now, we don’t really understand the temperament of the Noble-sama, so we are reluctant to employ hot-headed Adventurers.”

“Well, that, and the most important part is you’re both human.”

It’s important for us to be human? Ah... I guess there’s a bunch of templates of racist Nobles in this world.

“Weeell, Sir Knight Captain actually picked the 2 of you out of the list of people we recommended. Since Ragnall’s been escorting his daughter I guess he has confidence in him, and I’m pretty sure he’s just one of your fans, Jun-chan.”

Dobin-san grinned.

Ooooi, Sir Knight Captain-sama, Ragnall’s case aside, is it okay to decide on the bodyguard of an important Noble-sama so easily?

“So... is this, like, a 24 hour SS like surveillance?”

“Esu esu? Ah, well, it’s not a constant surveillance. It’s more like an escort guard when he goes out into the city or Labyrinth.”

Ooooooh. Ok, that sounds way more like a job an Adventurer would take. Still, a Noble-sama, huh? You know, I’ve been warned by anyone and everyone about not catching the eyes of Nobles... Nn, but this is unexpectedly good timing, since Helward-san said I ‘graduated’ from his teachings just today. Though I can always go back for more instruction if I want it.

Hm...

Seeming to sense my hesitation, Dobin-san suddenly gave a grin. Uh oh.

“Of course you would be compensated well according to the commission. By the way, since our commissioned guards are at The Queen Mary’s constantly now, we have entered negotiations with Maryiste and are looking to put a small branch of our ... intel ... in the shop. We will foot most of the bill for the remodeling – and we might be willing to help pay for the repairs that are still ongoing.”

... Demon. Demon merchant.

Tsk. Because of the limits of Maryiste’s budget, the repairs have been stretched out across this past month and are still continuing now. Of course I offered to pay for some of it, or even lend them money if they can’t stand me outright paying for it, but none of them would have it. Something about their pride as my “Onee-sans”.

But with this arrangement I might be able to get around their stubbornness...

“... A Carnus Noble, huh...”

Damn, Dobin-san’s triumphant pose makes me feel like I’m going to regret it.

After we finalize the details, just as I turn to go, Florian-san stops me as if he just remembered something.

“That’s right, I forgot. Jun-san, we have some information about the Crystal Python attack. Seeing as you were one of the people who put your life on the line to defeat it, you should be aware of it.”

Hm? Wasn’t the story that some foolish thrill-seekers went a little too far into the Labyrinth?

“It seems to have been instigated on purpose in order to make an attack on the Guild.”

◇◇◇

The people who had been killed by the Crystal Python all had one thing in common; slave collars.

I honestly felt like vomiting when I heard that.

Those people were forced to instigate the Crystal Python and lead it up the Labyrinth so that it could break the Guild’s barrier, and probably destroy the Guild Hall and half of Nyl City.

Dobin-san only said that the Guild is certain due to some intelligence they uncovered, and I decided it would be better not to ask about how they got the intelligence, but Florian-san and Dobin-san stated these things as a fact without wavering at all.

“Jun nee-san, are you done with work?”

“Jun-chan, you’ve been eating well, yes?”

Ah, I was wandering around in a kind of gloomy mood. I didn’t realize I’d already reached the open-air market.

“Aaah, hahaha, hi Obaa-san, hey Winry-chan. I have the rest of the day off.”

“Oh my, how wonderful! Oh! I saw those girls from your shop running earlier. They need meat to keep up their stamina, meat!”

“Tsk, Mami obaa-san, that’s an old superstition! You need fruits and veggies to maintain your body! Jun-chan, come on, the poriela is fresh today!”

“If you’re going to build up a strong body, isn’t it fish?! Jun-chan, fresh Rock Tuna, straight from level 3 today!”

I’m getting used to being called with “-chan” these days ... I don’t know if that’s something I should take pride in. As I greet the lively shopkeepers and watch the busy people doing all their shopping, I’m really happy we stopped that Crystal Python.

It’s only been a little over a month, but I have found feelings towards Nyl City and the people who live here.

Who is it, the one that’s trying to disrupt this peaceful life?

... I shrug off the growing anger and decide to head back to The Queen Mary’s – with a bounty of groceries. There’s nothing I can do right now when I don’t even know the people responsible.

MCs that Know Everything can be Annoying, but MCs that don’t Know Everything can also be Annoying

I... escaped!

Haa, haa... To think I was in the biggest crisis of my life.

Let’s recap: I brought a bunch of groceries back to The Queen Mary’s, the girls had just got back from their stamina-building run, bath time.

Yup, that’s about it. That’s about it...

Fuck that! No way am I going into the public bath with everyone.

“Mou, Jun-chan ran away way too fast.”

“Even though this was a good time to build up some skinship...”

No, I’m begging you, please spare me from that. I’m not sure if it’s because I don’t want to see or if I don’t want to be seen, but the public bath is still way too much of a hurdle.

When will I be okay with it?

Probably never.

I mean, isn’t it a dirty trick? Like cross-dressing to get into the girl’s locker room or something? Even if you say I’m a girl now, I can’t just accept it like that! To begin with, don’t I still think like a high school boy?

... don’t I? I would like to think I do ... Hm? Is it weird to want to still think like a guy now that I’m a girl? Or now that I’m a girl, are these considered girls’ thoughts? Hm? Are? I’m getting confused.

Don’t you dare tell me I don’t think like a guy just because I’m not thinking, this is a great chance to see naked ladies guhehehehe ... Even I will think things like, if she just moves a little more I can see it, or that outfit is pretty eros; if it was any lower ... but just because I think things like that, that doesn’t mean I want to trick a lady into letting me see her naked.

More like, guys who try to take advantage of girls are most likely guys who like taking advantage of other people whether they’re guys or girls, and they’re the worst.

What? I wouldn’t be tricking them, they’d be showing it voluntarily? Even if you say that, I won’t accept it!

I’m not being weird with these circumstances, I’m –

“Maybe she’s on the roof?”

“We’re not going to let her get away this time!”

Crap. It’s not safe here.

Run away!

◇◇◇

“Oooh, Jun-ojou, I didn’t think you would be interested in glass making.”

“Well, I’m interested, but I’ll admit I don’t know much about it.”

I’m looking at various bits of glassware at the glass manufactory. It’s a small studio with several ovens going. It’s not quite as hot as any of the smiths’ forges, since there aren’t as many forges or kilns, but it’s still hot.

I stopped by the glass manufactory while avoiding returning to The Queen Mary’s, since I’ve been meaning to this entire time, and now I have some time. Not only have I not seen Old man Harulf in a while, I’m still curious about the state of glass technology.

Not that I’ll be any help.

Heh... glass is made from sand?

... Yeah, I don’t know anything about this.

More than a glass factory, it’s more like a glass laboratory. The glass craftsmen are carefully mixing different types of sands and minerals and noting how they turn out. According to Old man Harulf, they’re trying various ways to increase the clarity and smoothness of the glass, as well as testing the degrees of hardness, all that type of thing.

But even so, their greatest problem is ... what should they use glass for?

“I see. Khrystel is more durable, has better clarity, and is more consistent so there isn’t much space for glass to break in.”

That’s basically the problem. The glass craftsmen are kind of looked upon like amateur cellphone novelists; there may be some merit, but largely everyone agrees there are better ways for them to spend their time.

Some part of me wants to see glass succeed. Stubborn nostalgia to my old world?

While looking over the glass materials and various things in the manufactory, I see something black and shiny, and something I think is kind of out of place. I pick it up and carefully look it over. Eh? This is ...

“Oooh, that is natural black glass. It forms around active volcanoes near the Ploids Labyrinth.”

I don’t really remember which Labyrinth was what, or where, but this ...

“Isn’t this obsidian (kokuyouseki/black day stone)?”

“That black glass? What do you mean, black ... stone?”

So that translated funny, huh? But, I thought obsidian was a rock? A mineral? It’s a ‘natural’ glass? Is this something different? No, this is definitely obsidian, right?

Old man Harulf’s eyes glitter expectantly, and he asks,

“...Jun-ojou, do you mean you recognize this black glass? Was it used for anything in your hometown?”

“W-weapons?”

“Weapons, you say?! Ooo, like?”

“Knives and spearheads ... for ... primitive people ...”

“Ooo... so weapons for ancient times ... that doesn’t help us, huh?”

“No no, Erl, have we ever considered making a cutting edge with glass?”

“Hah? It’s not easy to sharpen, is it? And glass is all brittle, you know? Even if we could sharpen it without destroying it, it won’t hold up to another weapon.”

“No, instead of sharpening it with a whetstone, you ... break it? I think? At least for the obsidi – um, black glass, I think people used to use rocks to break off small parts of the edge to make it sharp. And it’s not used for battle, but for puncturing more organic things, like hunting, or cutting hides.”

“... It’s ... interesting...”

The craftsmen all have doubtful looks on their faces. I don’t blame them. I’m part of the metal weapons faction, myself.

“Sorry, I don’t think I have any information that’s helpful...”

“No no, it’s interesting because they’re things we haven’t heard before.”

“But I’m not even sure I’m remembering these things right...”

“Haha, no problem. Even if it’s a bad idea, any more ideas that we haven’t thought about open more possibilities!”

These glass craftsmen sure are tenacious. Though Old man Harulf is probably the oldest, all the men here are rugged-looking ossans.

“Jun-ojou, you said glass was common in your hometown. What was it used for?”

All the rugged-looking ossans gather around me eagerly. What is this...

“Um ... cups, bottles, plates, things like that... oh, but it’s mostly used for windows. Some people cut them like gemstones and make sparkling sculptures. Those sculptures are considered luxury items.”

“Ooo...”

The excitement fell, and all the ossans seemed deflated.

“Mm, there are too many assassination attempts using glass eating implements for those to take off.”

“Yeah, and when compared to the beautiful designs of the magic-patterned khrystel, glass just doesn’t seem to match up to it.”

“And since you can’t use magic in it, the khrystel statues will probably still be more popular, with the various enchantments they can put on it...”

“Oh, but to cut it like gemstones is interesting. Khrystel can only be molded into sculptures. We can ... try it, at least?”

“Yes, yes, everything’s worth a try. I wonder if the light will reflect in the glass like gemstones.”

Hm, so cutting and breaking glass to make things are things they haven’t tried.

“The light is very pretty in the glass. My mother was given a small mouse carved out of glass by my father, and I remember it being very pretty to hold up to the light.”

“Fufufu, a mouse? Why a mouse?”

Um... I don’t really feel like explaining the zodiac animals, but my mother was born in the year of the mouse. That carving was one of the things she treasured the most after my father died.

“Hm... but windows, is it?”

“People in your hometown liked those types of unclear windows? Khrystel is definitely the way to go here.”

Unclear windows?

One by one the craftsmen showed their window panes to me. One was blown into a cylinder and cut, then flattened while still hot. The other was rolled flat while it was still hot. This one was poured into a mold hot, but not molten, so that it wouldn’t stick to the mold.

All of them had defects and unsmooth parts.

Umu... The Queen Mary’s had textured glass, and I thought it was on purpose so you couldn’t see perfectly clearly inside, but maybe it wasn’t done on purpose...

“No... the window panes from my hometown were perfectly clear, and could be even bigger ... Almost a full wall-size.”

“How!?”

“Tell us, Jun-chan!”

“To be clear!”

“To be big!”

Uwaaah! This kind of atmosphere is stifling!

“Now now, calm down. Jun-ojou, do you know how they were made?”

Old man Harulf brought order back to the manufactory, but, sorry,

“... I don’t know. I’m pretty sure the glass is completely melted and ... nn?”

“Aah, if you can’t remember, then that’s that.”

So it seems that big sheets of flat, perfectly clear glass is the pinnacle these men are looking for. I wish I looked up more on how glass was made when I was still in Japan... My head was much too full of metal and swords.

Somehow, I think molten glass was floated on top of something else that was molten ... salt? Metal? Aaah, even this idea is probably wrong. I know molten glass was used ... but the problem is that molten glass will stick to things, right? So what can be done ... hm?

Stick to things ... but then, what if it rejects something? Would that work? Or would it just treat it like nothing’s there and go through?

Hm... I am now mulling a thought over and over in my mind.

And that thought is ... will molten glass stick to a thin layer of magic?

Hm hm hm... A thin layer of magic that can withstand pressure ... isn’t that Barrier!?

“Ne, Old Man Harulf, can you try pouring it out on this?”

Using the minimum distance, I had put a thin film of a Barrier on a metal tray they had handy.

Old man Harulf frowned.

“This is ... a Film Barrier? Jun-ojou, you’re already at this level...”

Heating the glass to a high temperature, he poured the molten mixture onto the Barrier-covered tray as I lightly tapped it.

Oh, ooooooooh! It seems to work! The glass isn’t sticking to the tray, and it’s coming out perfectly flat! And now, when the glass cools...!

Or so I thought, but it looks like it won’t be that easy. It totally cracked, huh? Nn...

“Ahaha, Jun-ojou, it needs to cool more gradually. We cool it in that oven there, lowering the heat little by little.”

“Oh, I see...”

Just like metal, glass will need its own rate of cooling, but unlike metal, I don’t know what that rate of cooling is at all ... I guess I should leave that part up to the glass craftsmen.

“That being said...”

Old man Harulf picked up one of the broken pieces of the pane I had been messing with. Despite the cracks, the clearness and smoothness is unlike anything else they’ve been doing, when it comes to flat sheets of glass.

“... Toulie-danna, this ...”

He hands it over to the leader of the group craftsmen and explains to him what I’ve been doing.

“...! What! Non-attribute Barrier! Nn... so Non-attribute ... to think it was like that after all...! Un, this is something we should look into.”

Even though in our world I think large sheets of glass were made differently, I think that here they should get by on Barriers. It can even be applied to ... molds? Is that what they use to make glass bottles?

I’m sorry, this is all I’m going to be able to help on ...

“... Ah! Can I commission a large pane of glass once you figure something out?”

“...Jun-ojou, even with this, it won’t be so easy, you know ... Not everyone can use Barriers as simply as you can.”

Ah, dangit.

Well, my spoils today are Film Barrier and these broken pieces of glass. I can at least begin experimenting with these cast offs for the potential mirror!

And so I go back to The Queen Mary’s happily ... no way is that going to go well.

Thinking to delay the inevitable pouting storm, I take a detour through the city...

◇◇◇

... Somehow I managed to be captured by a certain group as I was taking my detour.

“Poriela Aged Ale!”

“Ah, whisky for me!”

“Mou, it’s the middle of the day, you gluttons. Ah, Sparkling Yuzuil Wine for me!”

“You say that, Niera, and then you order one yourself...”

I’m sitting at a table, surrounded by the 4 Beastkin Adventurers from The North Wind Troupe, the 4 from the Valor of Arms Brigade, and Ragnall.

Ah, by the way, the members of the North Wind Troupe are LeeAnne the Rabbitkin, Binno the Foxkin, and the siblings Port and Jip, both Bearkin. LeeAnne aside, the 3 men are regulars at The Queen Mary’s.

I was called over by Niera, saying,

“Ooooh, Jun-chan, did you take that guard commission from Sir Knight Captain?”

And then I was trapped here.

“Haaaaa... I really want to back out of this commission.”

Ragnall frowned, propping his head up on his hands.

“Fufufu, then do it, do it! You don’t have to follow every order from the Guild!”

Niera laughed happily as she tossed back her glass in one gulp.

“This is this and that is that!”

Ragnall bolted upright with a determined look ... you’re not fooling anyone, Ragnall. There are money signs in your eyes, you know?

Since I had gotten a special reward promise from the Guild, there’s a good chance Ragnall did too. It seems to have been really good compensation.

“Um... is the commission really that bad?”

Should I have avoided it after all?

“Nn... not ... bad ... more like slightly troublesome.”

Ragnall grumbled that into his cup of mead.

“Ah, you probably don’t know it, but there are two groups of guards; you and Ragnall are the visible guards, and our East Wind Troupe is the secret guards.”

Hahaaan, so there are secret service-like guys after all. Nn?

“East Wind Troupe?”

“Aaah, that’s right, Jun doesn’t know. See, we have quite a few groups in our Wind Troupes, and our intelligence network is unbelievable. Well, we, the North Wind Troupe, are the best, kakaka!”

Port, the Bearkin, laughed.

LeeAnne smacked him.

“Mou, you’re only saying that because we’re the ‘hub’ in this city. Don’t go spreading false rumors. Though, our Wind Troupes are the best if you ever want to know ... anything... Jun-dono. What I’m more concerned about, is why Sir Knight Captain chose Ragnall and Jun-dono. Aren’t the Valor of Arms Brigade the most specialized in guarding and escorting in the entire city?”

Wow... right here are the city’s number one in escorting and guarding, the city’s number one in spying, and the city’s number one in ... money earning? I’m kidding. The city’s number one in strength.

Hm? Wait. Isn’t this a table of powerhouses?!

“Um... so ... why did all of you ... call out to me?”

“Oh yeah! It’s because there were some weird things going around the city we were curious about, and we were just thinking that Jun-chan’s experiences in Nyl City would be good to use as guidelines.”

Niera grinned.

“What’s with that?”

“Jun seems to be more or less a magnet for troublesome things.”

Kristaf said it so bluntly.

‘What do you mean by that?!’ is what I want to say, but I can’t say it. Masaki has already told me that exact same thing too many times for me to be allowed to say it.

It’s not like I go out looking for trouble!

But, how do I say it, so basically, as they were talking about me, I showed up, and so they dragged me in? So ... basically I have no reason to be here.

LeeAnne grinned. Oops, some of that must have shown on my face.

She leaned in and said,

“So the things you’ve just been randomly caught up in are the attack on Kali’s Mana Pot caravan, the request of swords from an annoying Noble from Fernett, attack on The Queen Mary’s, and the attack from the Crystal Python, right Jun-dono?”

“Ah, yeah.”

Or like, how the hell do you know all of that...

LeeAnne tilted her head, her ears also leaning cutely to one side, thinking.

“Nnnn... If we pretend all of that is the result of connected events ... It would be to control supplies, to prepare for war, and to lay down a base, and to weaken the Guild. Is that it?”

“... No matter how you think of it, isn’t the Noble from Fernett something completely separate?”

“That’s why I said ‘pretend,’ you know?”

“Nn, but when you make a guess you should only use the relevant information.”

“And how do YOU know what’s definitely relevant and what’s not?!”

I’m watching speechlessly as LeeAnne and Jip argue over things.

“Aaah... even though they’re like that, they really are the top duo for gathering intelligence in the city ...”

Binno scratched his cheek, looking sheepish, as he tried to make excuses.

“Well, it’s because they used to date, and boy was that a disaster! Kakaka!”

Port laughed loudly as he drained off a glass of ale.

Ooooi... big brother, should you really be taking that much amusement out of your little brother’s failed relationships?

<A/N: Thank you Robert for your donation!

Hm ... I think it might be time to give up and remove the harem tag. I suspected it, but I thought if Jun treats everyone equally it might turn into a low-key harem ... nope. If she hasn’t ‘captured’ any chicks (or dudes) at this point, Imma say ... harem off.>

It’s Hard to Keep Track of the Topic when You’re all out Drinking

“? If Jericho and everyone are considered the best at guarding, why aren’t you guys the one with the commission?”

Since they’re all a little tipsy, I decide I can step on this topic without anyone feeling offended.

I mean, isn’t it strange? The Valor of Arms Brigade is all human except for Miina, and they’re all more or less polite people, right? I can’t imagine that they would be easily provoked by a Noble-sama... Uwaaa, Jericho’s face looks so dark.

“It’s fine, you guys can take it.”

Jericho growls. His voice sounds so menacing.

Niera quickly cuts in.

“Aaah, that’s, Jun-chan, see ... Jericho’s a former member of the Carnus militia, see, and he especially dislikes having to work with people from Nobles’ houses...”

T-trauma? Is it that bad?

“So Jericho won’t guard Nobles?”

“No no, that’s not it. He hates dealing with those arrogant second sons and the like who think they can pull status in the military. He’d hate to work with the Noble-sama’s selected guards from Carnus.”

“The captain of this time’s squad is an especially arrogant guy, even though he’s completely incompetent. Aaah, I really don’t want to meet him...”

Jericho sighed, leaning his head on his hand.

Leaving the arrogance aside, I still don’t get why they’d have an all-important Noble-sama be guarded by someone incompetent.

“Why would they have a guy like that be in charge...”

“Prestige, bribery, probably the kid’s high-ranking Viscount-sama father is hoping that the second son’s accomplishments might be worth something in the end...”

Hm... Jericho sounds kind-of-a-lot bitter. Has he had direct involvement in something like this before?

“Well, we probably would have taken it if Sir Knight Captain had nominated us though, Jun. Don’t get it wrong, it’s not a nasty commission, it just has some troublesome parts.”

Thanks Kristaf, but that follow up doesn’t really make me feel better about it.

“The other members of the Noble-sama’s guard aside, is Sir Knight Captain at least dependable?”

“Oh, yes. Aah, I see, Jun-dono doesn’t know. Sir Knight Captain is a Noble-sama from Carnus whose duty is to keep the Carnus citizens in line and sort out disputes among them in Nyl City. Since we Unaffiliateds don’t have a public-order force or anything, see. If problems come up, he helps by putting in commissions or arbitrating between the Guild and other Carnus citizens. Sometimes he arrests the Carnus trouble-makers, things like that.”

LeeAnne said that so care-freely, but ... Is it ok for a Noble-sama to be some sort of out-of-town policeman?

“Sir Ilyos also one of those rare Nobles who worked his way up from being a commoner with his own military achievements, so he’s easier for the Guild to deal with, and he seems to get along with Adventurers ... well, he’s the kind that’s stupid with politics, so if he ever had to go back to Carnus, he’d be in trouble!”

Port said with a laugh.

... He wasn’t chased out of Carnus right? Well, that doesn’t really seem to be the case, but ... I see. He has a more or less close relationship with Adventurers and the Guild. I now understand why it was so easy for Dobin to “accidentally” let him hear about the sword shipment...

“But, maa, as for the reason Sir Knight Captain didn’t pick us ... it’s that, right?”

“...Yeah. It is. That’s the reason we’re all here to discuss that.”

? ?? ??? The mood of the 9 adults drinking happily got serious really quick.

Ignoring the me with question marks flying all over my head, the discussion continued.

“Ragnall was chosen because he reliably escorts Lady Filessa, right?”

“Undoubtedly.”

“Of course.”

“... So it was like that after all.... haaah...”

Ragnall buries his face in his hands.

“... Lady Filessa?”

Who’s that? I don’t know who that is.

“The loli-hime, the loli-hime.”

Binno whispered to me.

Ahhh... that one. I see, Sir Knight Captain is the father of that loli-hime, so he knows Ragnall can keep someone safe in the Labyrinth. Yes, I see. That makes sense.

“Jun-chan is ...”

“Hmm.”

“Let’s see...”

Right, I know. I don’t know why he would choose me either.

“It’s because he met her face to face, no?”

“Yeah, that has to be it. I mean, everything else Jun’s done has been amazing and all, but they’re not really things you use to judge the ability to guard people with.”

“Though, the rumors of her Barriers probably help.”

“Ah, yeah, that’s true.”

“So then, it’s really like that?”

“Yeah.”

“... I am so confused right now.”

I finally blurt that out. They all seemed to have come to some sort of conclusion that I have no idea about.

“Ah, sorry sorry. Sir Knight Captain only chose people he’s met face to face before.”

Niera laughed a little.

“Ok, but what does that mean? And he never met you guys before?”

“Ah, you probably didn’t notice, since Miina was bed ridden for a while, and then you were shut up in Helward’s forge for a while, but we’re actually usually out on escort commissions, so we’ve never run into Sir Knight Captain himself at the Guild.”

Kristaf responded.

Ok... but still, why does it matter if Sir Knight Captain met us or not?

“Because he has ‘Spy Detect’.”

“Mmhmm, because of that, we North Wind Troupe weren’t accepted as the hidden guards ... even though we aren’t going to try to invade Carnus or anything, that Spy Detect is too sensitive.”

“But you’d take the opportunity to try to fish out all sorts of secret information, right Jip?”

“Of course!”

... There’s too much to comment on, but ...

“There’s a ‘Spy Detect’ spell? What the heck kind of thing is that?”

I can’t even begin to visualize a spell like that.

“It’s a spell bestowed by a City Core onto Knight Captains when they receive their peerage, enabling them to detect people with malicious intent towards their country.”

Whoa, what’s that? So, like, a Noble-sama actually gets their title with magic or something? There are a lot of things in this world that I still don’t know about.

“But to pass up the good reputation of the Valor of Arms Brigade in favor of people he’s seen directly ... mnaa, how should I put it ... it gives off the vibe of being careful of conspiracies, right?”

Binno said casually.

“Aaah, yeah, Sir Knight Captain’s worried about the unrest in town too, as expected.”

LeeAnne leaned forwards, ears twitching as she talked.

“Unrest in town?”

“Just the things YOU’VE been mixed up in are strange enough, Jun-san. Be somewhat aware of that. That cowardly minor Fernett Noble aside, someone spent a lot of money to try to disrupt the supply of Mana Pots, which would have caused quite a few people to be bedridden even if they don’t die, someone spent a lot of money or high connections to have Rank A-like people come to trash a brothel, even if it is the best one in town, and someone spent a fortune in slaves to instigate a Rank A-3 monster to try to tear down the Guild Hall.”

Ooookay, yeah, when you put it that way, that sounds kind of bad, but in my defense, it’s not like I have a good grasp on money even now. I’ve definitely got better at it, but it’s still difficult to convert my sense of money so quickly.

By the way, with monsters, Rank A is a monster that a Rank A Adventurer can fight. Rank A-1 is a monster that requires a 4-6 person party made up of Rank A Adventurers to fight. Rank A-3 requires 3 parties of Rank A Adventurers to fight. Yeah.

Me aside, Ragnall is definitely above Rank A in terms of strength, but as I thought, because he can barely use magic they dropped his ranking down.

LeeAnne continued when she saw I understood the dangers.

“Someone or some group slinging around that much money and influence ... it’d be strange if they were all completely separate cases, right? It totally feels like there’s one main culprit. And if it’s cutting supplies, putting in bases, and then taking out the Guild Hall... a takeover, huh?”

Jip nodded and agreed, saying,

“Yeah, I can’t see it any other way. Next would be cutting allies and reducing order ... which means targeting Carnus.”

“Ah, yeah, there were always some guys tailing Lady Filessa in the Labyrinth, by the way, using some kind of magic. Probably scouts.”

Ragnall butted in.

“... Oi oi, Ragnall, that’s important information! Have you told Sir Knight Captain?!”

“Isn’t it fine? I think he was just looking for an excuse to put her under house arrest after that Jeweled Beetle incident, so I guess he knows?”

“You are way too lax to be an escort. Change! Change guards!”

Kristaf seems to only get hot-headed when bickering with Ragnall. Maybe Ragnall brings out the aggressive side of competitive guys.

That’s something I hadn’t heard about, though, so I ask,

“Ah ... that lolihime is under house arrest?”

“To reflect on her actions or something. Well, like Ragnall said, it’s probably just an excuse to keep her inside when there’s someone tailing her. If she’s shut in the house like that, it won’t be surprising if they start targeting this Noble-sama instead.”

Binno replied.

“And because it’s a potentially wealthy, potentially well-connected group we don’t know too much about, that will make this job more difficult.”

I’m not really asking, I’m commenting on it. I mean, all this information jumbled together just kind of sounds like a pain. I completely understand Ragnall’s reaction now.

“This ... does the Guild know about all of this?”

“Hmm... probably. Well, they probably know more than we do...”

“Shouldn’t we report this to them to make sure?”

“Hahaaan, Jun-chan, aren’t you mistaking something? We Adventurers work WITH the Guild, we don’t work FOR the Guild. You need to keep that idea in mind, because other Labyrinths’ Guilds aren’t as gentle as this Nyl City’s Guild.”

“Even though the Guild is supposed to be the Adventurers’ ally?”

“Hm... how to explain. Look, in Nyl City, despite it being a lawless place where lots of Adventurers and people from different countries gather, it’s weirdly peaceful, right?”

Fumu fumu, that’s something I’ve noticed before, yes. There’s not much brawling in the streets, and though there are villainous types, they aren’t all that powerful and are easily taken down. The public order might be worse than Japan, but it’s at a degree where a common civilian here would expect to get through the day without any trouble worse than getting cheated at a store.

“The number one reason for that is because the Nyl Labyrinth is an underground mine-type, with the Guild Hall being built around the main entry point into the Labyrinth. That gives the Nyl branch Guild a lot of control over who gets in and out. Bandits are unable to set up base within the Labyrinth, and other than the Kobold community on level 7, there aren’t any towns within it. There’s also a lot less treasure and less important ruins in this Labyrinth. Basically, it’s just a Labyrinth for mining and collecting monster materials.”

“That’s right. For Adventurers, it’s Raun for treasure, Tren for freedom, Ploids for adventure, and Nyl for stability. Maa, the comfortable lifestyle gets attractive after you spend a month running from the Water Snakes in Ploids Labyrinth.”

... Somehow it sounds like there’s a story behind that, but Jericho doesn’t say anything else. But can you really say you Valor of Arms guys live comfortably and safely when you travel so much for escort missions?

“Anyway, the point is, for other branches of the Guild they have to watch out for the bad-types of Adventurers, so they usually prepare themselves to cut off relations in case you do something unwanted. Well, since the situation is so different here, Florian and Dobin are more focused on MAKING connections, though.”

“That’s right, keeping vital information until you have the upper hand is the basics in negotiations, and it’s no good to cut corners when negotiating with Guilds.”

Sorry Jip, I’m probably going to be 100% horrible with negotiations so your good advice is wasted on me. Because I’ve always been told I’m stupidly honest.

These 9 Adventurers’ drinking and rambling continued on for a while longer before Kristaf fell asleep in his chair and they decided to disband after finishing up discussions for various things that might happen when we meet the Noble-sama tomorrow afternoon.

Though for the Valor of Arms Brigade, they’re meeting up with Sir Knight Captain instead of the Noble-sama. I guess they’re Ragnall and my’s backup in emergencies, so they have to meet the Knight Captain first.

Oooh, we’re all working together for this commission. So THAT was why they were all together swapping information.

I felt kind of slow for only realizing their purpose now after we all disbanded.

As for what happened when I returned to The Queen Mary’s, I’m going to omit that.

It was really frightening to get cornered by those girls.

There are Times When People use their Parents’ Influences for Good, but because of Human Nature, That’s Always Kind of Rare

... It’s not working. I thought it would be easy, just take molten silver and use magic to sputter fine droplets of it all over a pane of glass, but ... it’s totally not working.

Should I give up and just make a mirror completely out of silver?

Ah, but it would be so expensive that the girls wouldn’t accept it. Not to mention, silver corrodes so easily, and a large amount of silver would be something they’d have to worry about being stolen.

I thought to look for aluminum, but ... come to think of it, I haven’t seen aluminum around. I’ll ask Helward-san about it when I have some time.

To be honest, I have no idea what to do from here. Since the silver isn’t sticking to this fragment of glass.

... What should I do ... Does it need an alloy? Ah, but mercury or lead is out.

I don’t even know where to begin.

Haaa ... I reluctantly stow my supplies away and prepare to meet with the Guilds’ people and Ragnall before meeting the Noble-sama.

Ah, I’m working at the Guild’s forges this time. If I go to Helward’s forge, I will absolutely get distracted into working on some sword or magic ore ingot and completely lose track of time.

◇◇◇

Staaaaare

“... Is it really that weird?”

Ragnall shrugged uncomfortably.

“Yeah. You actually combed your hair and wore fancy clothes. Now I feel underdressed.”

“Well, you are underdressed.”

“Dammit.”

I look down at my own outfit. I mean, I’m wearing what I usually wear into the Labyrinth. Even though Ragnall’s clothes aren’t really THAT fancy, it’s definitely a step up above what I’m wearing. Since we’re meeting a Noble, I guess I should have thought of that. But I mean, if it was important Dobin would have told me, right?

Ah, no good. Dobin-san just looked me over and sighed.

What should I do... Oh!

Kind of sneakily, I took my Commoner’s Jacket out of Inventory and put it on. I’m so glad I didn’t sell this like I initially intended to-!

It seems to have passed Dobin-san’s inspection. I think he noticed I used some weird storage-type magic, but it’s not like they didn’t suspect me of it before, so ... this should be ok.

But the Commoner’s Jacket being Noble-greeting material ... what were the game designers of Mourning Star  thinking? Well, maybe they figured no one would actually care, since you only saw it in Character Creation.

It’s just, somehow, it came along with me.

By the way, it seems like Dobin-san will be going with us to see the Noble-sama’s disposition. Without knowing how the situation will turn out, this escort and guard job might turn into a situation where we need a rotation of many guards, so taking note of how the Noble-sama in question’s personality is will help Dobin-san decide which Adventurers he can recommend to Sir Knight Captain.

Thank goodness Ragnall’s done stuff like this before. There’s so much going on in the background of this commission, if I had to keep track of it all, I definitely won’t be able to focus on, y’know, actually guarding.

To be fair, there’s just a lot of potential things that could happen depending on how this meeting goes, so it’s not like I’m just not competent at keeping track of this stuff, it’s just that there’s so many possibilities that may or may not happen, it’s a little confusing.

Or more like, there’s a lot that I don’t have to know, so what’s the point in uselessly wondering over it?

Also, it feels like Dobin-san’s not telling us everything.

Now that I know about it, I now fully notice the blanks in the information we’re given. It’s just like what Niera and the rest of them were saying. Only focus on the information important to what you’re doing now. Anything else you should keep secret for your own advantages, huh?

I had worried about whether or not I had accidentally said anything that will put me at a disadvantage at any time before, but maa, how should I say it ... It’s not like I’ve had any useful information this entire time.

I mean, I’ve mostly been fumbling around with common sense. I’m still more or less fumbling around with common sense.

Anyway, it seems like the Noble-sama just arrived today from Carnus. According to Sir Knight Captain, the Noble is interested in researching the Labyrinth, but Dobin-san says he would prefer to hear the reason for him coming to Nyl City from Sir Noble-sama’s own mouth.

The Noble-sama’s stay in Nyl City doesn’t have a defined time span yet, but the commission contract for Ragnall and me is for 2 weeks. It’s probably the same length of time for the hidden guards, too.

At the time of the contract expiration, the Guild will review any complaints or reports made by either the guys from Carnus, or us Adventurers, and a new contract will be written up in response to them. Of course, Ragnall and I can always refuse to take the second contract.

It’s a pretty straightforward system, and to be honest, I’m relieved that it’s just 2 weeks for guard duty. I mean, I’ve already decided to be a Craftsman at heart, so ... Yeah, I’m not intending to take the next contract.

The reason I took this at all was because they were kind of desperate, and after this first term, the number of Adventurers Dobin-san knows he can ask to do this will increase, and they’ll get to know what kinds of threats, if any, the Noble-sama might be facing. I won’t be necessary then, right?

A-are? Aren’t I doing guard-duty during the most dangerous period?

... Let’s hope the hidden guards can catch any mistakes I make!

Barrier-sama, I’ll be counting on you!

I might be more nervous than I realized.

◇◇◇

“An appointment to speak with Sir Baronet? What nonsense. WE certainly haven’t heard of this!”

Aaaaand suddenly my nervousness is gone, and I’m irritated instead.

The small house we arrived at on the upper levels of Nyl’s streets was fairly modest for someone of high-standing, but there aren’t many mansions in Nyl City to begin with. Other than the Guild Hall, that’s carved subtly into the mountain, the two largest buildings are a high-class inn for visiting Nobles to stay in and Sir Knight Captain’s own house. There isn’t much flat space, so even Sir Knight Captain’s ‘mansion’ is fairly small, and although the high-class inn is big, it’s built in tiers with stairs going over the mountainous terrain.

It’s not very handicap friendly, but I guess that’s not really anyone’s main concern here in this world.

This house the Noble for Carnus is renting is well-built, but it’s completely plain, and it’s definitely on the small side, being taller than it was wide. There are similar houses right up against it and all down the street, like some crowed European town.

Which is why having 2 door guards standing out in front of it is absolutely ridiculous.

I was a little confused as to why Dobin-san had Minerva-san introduce us to the door guards at first, but, when the door guards couldn’t decide what to do and sent for their superior, I understood.

The Captain of the guards came out and instantly sniffed disapprovingly when he saw Dobin-san. One of the people who discriminate against demi-humans I see...

So this is the guy Jericho didn’t want to meet ... hm? Eh? Did I just feel something like a dark aura run up Dobin-san’s spine? Scaaary. Dobin-san’s seriously scary.

Without even blinking, the iron-lady Minerva continued.

“I request that you reconfirm this matter with Sir Baronet-sama, if you –“

Uotto, danger.

I firmly placed a hand between Minerva-san’s shoulder blades and spun her around once. The Captain’s hand swished past her as she was turned to the side, just missing her shoulder before she was returned to her original position.

The Captain’s aim was just to give her a rough push so I didn’t go into full defense mode, but still, it’s unpleasant to see someone roughly handle a slight woman with no reason.

Minerva-san was a little startled but, as expected, she returned to her emotionless face in an instant after glancing quickly at me.

The Captain wasn’t reserved at all and glared full on in my direction, though he spoke angrily to Minerva-san.

“There’s no need to bother Sir Baronet with something like this. If I haven’t been notified, there’s no mistake, there was no notification! You Adventurer types are just trying to steal away our duties and glory; there’s no need for help from anyone else if Carnus military are here!”

“I’m afraid such a thing is not any of our concern. If you have problems with this commission, as a representative of the Guild, I cannot do anything unless the commissioner rescinds it. Please speak with Sir Knight Captain-sama in this regards.”

The Captain’s face looks ugly, but thankfully, even if he isn’t a competent captain, he’s not a fool at least, so he doesn’t raise another hand against Minerva-san.

“Hah?! There’s no need for that! Compared to a Knight Captain with only Duty Peerage, I am the second heir of the Earl of Lichteny! I’ll say it again, there is no need for outside forces to meddle in Carnus’ affairs!”

“Hoooh. A second son of an Earl of Carnus seeks to overthrow the control of a Knight Captain’s Duty outside of the country. That’s an interesting proposition.”

Dobin-san finally interjected, and the Captain’s attention turned to him.

“Keep your half-folk trickery out of it! Even if the Knight Captain has his Duty, I am the one being entrusted with guarding Sir Baronet! There is no-“

At a creaking sound, all eyes turned towards the entry-way door of the little house.

“Captain Willem, I expected my afternoon guests to be shown in at this time. I had hoped you would have announced them to me when they arrived, however ... this ...”

“S-sir Baronet!”

The man in the entrance gazed out over the scene of a large, well-armored man towering over a slight woman and child-height man. It completely looks like bullying.

So ... this is the Noble-sama? This man is the one I’ll be guarding?

“Sir Baronet, what are you saying? There was no notice of any guests beforehand!”

“Oooh~ how strange. I could have sworn there was a letter announcing their arrival. To think Captain Willem, who takes it on himself to screen my mail, would have missed it.”

Sooomething in that wording sounds off, and the Captain’s face has turned completely pale.

“Th-that ... at any rate, your guard was not informed of –“

“I see. I apologize for your lack of knowledge, but I hope it won’t become a reason for you to impede me and my guests.”

Though the Noble-sama was smiling and talking pleasantly, everyone heard the barbed threat in his words.

“I apologize for the delay. Please, proceed inside.”

Without waiting for the Captain’s response, the Noble-sama opened the door and waved the four of us inside.

I don’t think anyone else heard it, but I was closest to Dobin and heard him mutter,

“No wonder Sir Knight Captain wanted an outside party to protect him, if he has this sort of relationship with his guards.”

There aren’t any servants inside, just a long, narrow, creaking entryway with a few doors leading off to some rooms. This man led us through it into the back.

As we followed him, Ragnall leaned over and whispered,

“Why didn’t you just use a Barrier? It would have been much funnier.”

“...That ... didn’t want to ... provoke ... counterattack.”

There’s a lot going on, swimming around in my head, so I’m barely able to get my thought across to Ragnall, but using magic or directly defending against the Captain’s push might have been seen as a hostile move, right?

But really ... this is ...

I follow the rest of them into a small room for receiving guests, a little dazed.

After Minerva, Ragnall, Dobin, and I entered the room, the Noble-sama shut the door behind us. He then muttered something quietly ... ah, it looks like something similar to Sound Barrier.

Ragnall reacted to the flowing of magic, but when he shot me a look I gave a light, casual shrug and he didn’t move. I’m glad he understood that I knew it was a harmless magic.

“Now then.”

The Noble-sama turned towards us with a considerably lighter smile than he had when dealing with the guards. He looks us over, but especially me.

I finally come back to reality.

“Seimei ... ossan?”

“Don’t call me ossan! I’m not 35 yet!”

“But doesn’t that mean you’re almost 35?”

“Nnnnnngh... Jun-kun, you’re being mean...”

There, standing before us, is a light-brown haired, 30-something year-old version of the Seimei-shi I had met in-game, a little over 2 months ago.

<A/N: I ... finally made it to this point... finally ... story ... moves ... forward... after 50+ chapters ... orz

Or actually, since this is slice of life ... could it be that the story’s moving too fast? Lol. >

Somehow it can be Nerve-Wracking when Your New Friends Meet Your Old Friends

“Why are you so ol-, no, I mean, Masaki! Is Masaki-“

“Masa-yan is fine, but aside from that, how are you? Are you eating well, living well? You don’t seem to be badly off, but-?”

*cough*

Ah. I forgot about the other people in the room.

“Oh, my apologies. That’s right, there are other matters at hand. Good afternoon, I am Seimei, a Baronet of Carnus. Please, be seated.”

At that moment, a kettle sounded from a connecting room, and Seimei-san made to go get it.

“Seimei-san, I can get it, since Dobin-san has business with you ...”

“Oh, that would help. Everything’s set up to be brought in, just pour enough water to fill the pot.”

Oh, good. Because I didn’t have the ability to make a good pot of tea in Japan, let alone tea in a different world. It’s something to do with amount of water or temperature or something ... aa, whatever. There’s not much point to that kind of delicate process. I mean, even if I don’t make a good pot of tea, tea is tea, right?

So why did I, with my questionable abilities in the kitchen, volunteer to go make the tea, even before I knew it was tea that was being prepared? Well, that’s ... I was more running away from Dobin-san’s piercing look. I’m not sure if he thought I was acting too familiar or if he was trying to pressure me into explaining the situation, but ... I will let Seimei-san handle it.

When I enter the next room, which is the kitchen, I shut off the Fire Stone by adjusting the knob that controls the amount of mana flowing into it and carefully lift the kettle. Although, thanks to Resilient Body, this amount of heat doesn’t amount to much. As Seimei-san said, a tray with cups and a teapot that already had a tea-like substance in it was already set up on the counter. There’s some simple looking biscuits too.

I don’t know how Nobles welcome people in this world, but it’s the standard Japanese tea reception after a long time.

Whenever I stopped by someone’s house, usually a kind shopkeeper obaa-san’s house, they don’t do this sort of thing. I’m usually just in and out in a few minutes as they give me something for the girls at The Queen Mary’s, or I stop to help them move something heavy. To begin with, you usually don’t get invited to a commoner’s house just to talk or pass the time. Since commoners work from dawn to dusk.

Un, there are 4 more cups than necessary. He must not have known exactly how many people were coming.  As I pour the water over the red dried leaves they turned a dusky blue. The tea water is lightly tinted blue too.

... It’s not poisoned, right? No, if it was, this would be too obvious, so, this is this world’s tea?

Because the house is seriously small, I can hear the others very clearly even while in the kitchen.

“Thank you for your welcome, Sir Baronet. I am the Vice Guild Master of the Guild’s Nyl City Labyrinth branch, Dobin. To my right is my secretary, Minerva-san, and to my left is one of the two people who will be your escorts, Ragnall-san. The other is the one who had just entered your kitchen, Jun-san, however ... it seems that introduction isn’t necessary. If you don’t mind me asking, since Jun-san claimed to not be affiliated with any Nobles, how are the two of you acquainted?”

I knew that’s what he was going to be interested in! Without knowing the circumstances behind Seimei’s Noble-sama status, there’s no way I wanted to get cornered into answering that question!

“To Jun-kun’s knowledge, that was true. I was only instated as a Baronet in the last 2 weeks, and in the land we both came from, things like Nobles had long since lost their influence in a previous time. So to say that I was acquainted to Jun-kun as a Noble is completely false. She and I were on equal footing the entire time. That being said, I, who grew up with no relation to such status, am unaccustomed to being referred to as ‘Sir Baronet,’ so if you would, Seimei is fine, Dobin-san.”

Uwaah, Seimei-san ... has a similar aura to Dobin-san. Where did his kind of flamboyant way of speaking go?

“I see, then, Seimei-sama.”

“-san is fine.”

“That would be improper.”

“I see, I suppose it can’t be helped, though I’m speaking with the second most influential person in this territory.”

“I am glad you understand.”

Yuuuup, they’re totally alike.

I take the opportunity to bring in the tea, and Dobin-san glances at me.

“There are a few things I’m curious about regarding the relationship between the two of you ... but that is not the official business we are here for. I beg your pardon, but because there appears to have been some miscommunications, are you aware that Sir Ilyos has commissioned for independent guards when you go out into the city and into the Labyrinth?”

“I am indeed. As for the miscommunications, it is false that Captain Willems is not aware of the situation, but it is true that he had intended to keep me from being aware of it.”

Dobin-san frowned after hearing that.

“Adventurers understand there is certain risk when taking a commission, but to have people so close who might interfere with their work –“

“If you are implying that my life might be in danger from the guard squad from Carnus, there is no worry for that. If you are worried that there will be direct interference from them to obstruct the Adventurer’s duties, I believe it to be unlikely. If you think that the Adventurers might be harassed by them when they come to pick me up, that ... their Captain is like THAT after all.”

“I see. If Seimei-sama says that much, then there is no room for the Guild to be involved, and it will be something for you to discuss with the Adventurers in question. There is one thing further that I would like to know before the Guild bows out and leaves the 3 of you to discuss things further. Seimei-sama; why have you come to Nyl Labyrinth?”

“I believe Sir Ilyos-sama had informed the Guild that it was for research?”

“That might be, but Nyl Labyrinth has neither ruins of cultural significance like Raun, nor the unique exoticism of monsters and environment like Ploids. If you were interested in mining or smithing, perhaps I’d understand, but that also does not seem to be the case. I simply cannot fathom why you would come to this Nyl Labyrinth for research.”

Dobin-san’s eyes narrow as he says that, staring piercingly at Seimei-san.

“Ah, I see. There has been some misunderstanding. I am not interested in the kind of research that will serve Carnus, like Dobin-san is assuming. I am simply interested in the phenomenon of the Labyrinth, what its nature is, how it came to be and why it continues to exist. That is to say, I am interested in Labyrinths themselves.”

“... Such a thing.”

Ah. I don’t know if Seimei-san knows, but in this world, things like studying for leisure is completely unheard of. Because even the Nobles don’t have that much time to do something that wouldn’t benefit them in the end. Magic research, monster research, those things all have benefits in the end, for furthering more advanced technologies, gaining more power, etc.

But research of why a Labyrinth is a Labyrinth? In this world, the 8 major Labyrinths have existed even before civilization. None have vanished, and no more have appeared. Do they grow? Do they shrink? It’s impossible to know, since each Labyrinth is the size of several countries. Who would take the time to regularly investigate those things?

There’s no reason for anyone to do research on Labyrinths purely out of curiosity ... is what the people of this world think.

That’s why there’s almost no progression in glass technology. With a much superior alternative to glass, why would anyone want to waste time on it? There’s a reason the glass manufactory is made up of mostly old, retired jewelry refiners. They can only now afford to indulge in their interests, with their children grown up and being able to support them, or after putting away a large amount of money to live off on.

I’m about to say something, but Seimei-san nods, like he expected that reaction.

“Indeed, you have the same reaction as the higher ranking Nobles who overlook my activities, but they have their own reasons why they should indulge me in my whims.”

“... I see. So they chose to send you to Nyl Labyrinth, the closest Labyrinth that also boasts a high-level of safety. Is that it?”

“Indeed.”

The 2 of them seem to have come to an understanding that the topic was now over. Dobin-san bows his head curtly, saying.

“Then, that is all the business the Guild has with you. I thank you for your time, Seimei-sama. Is there any business you would have with us?”

“There is one thing that concerns me ... it was written that I would also be provided with hidden guards, was it? Are they not coming to greet me as well?”

“That is a matter for them to do their jobs with the highest efficiency, as I understand it.”

“I see. Then, the concern I have is, Nyl Labyrinth City is considered the safest of all the Labyrinth cities. While I understand the need for escorts, I have not heard of there being any need for complete VIP treatment of having hidden guards as well before entering this city?”

Seimei-san’s eyes narrow as he says this; though his mouth is smiling, his eyes are not.

I don’t know if ‘VIP’ translated okay for Dobin-san, but he doesn’t comment on it.

“I see. It simply means that there are some undercurrents of the city that are starting to flow. Though we have no proof, there is a pressing possibility that Nobles could begin to be targeted in order to put pressure on their countries.”

Seimei-san frowns, drumming his fingers lightly on the arm of his chair.

“I see. So that’s the situation. It’s rather troubling.”

“In ways other than the fact that your life is on the line?”

“In ways other than the fact that my life is on the line.”

With that mysterious exchange, Dobin-san and Seimei-san conclude their business, and the commission is officially accepted by both parties. Dobin-san and Minerva-san made to leave the house and return to the Guild Hall, but Seimei-san suddenly stopped them.

“I almost forgot. There was one other thing. That Jun-kun and I have been acquainted before, previously, I would like you to keep that information secret.”

“That is fine, but may I ask why?”

Seimei-san dropped his overly-polite way of speaking, looking Dobin-san seriously in the eyes, as he responded.

“For various reasons, Carnus is interested in people acquainted with me from our homeland. Jun-kun will undoubtedly be pressured to migrate to Carnus, even if I attempted to oppose it.”

“I understand. At least by members of the Guild, this information will not be spread.”

And with that, only Ragnall and I were left behind.

◇◇◇

Immediately after Dobin-san and Minerva-san had left, Seimei-san’s tension left him all of a sudden, and he slouched in his seat.

“Uwah... dealing with that type of person is so exhausting...”

“What are you talking about? The two of you were exactly alike.”

Seimei-san rolled over and draped over the right arm of his chair, pouting.

“It’s not like I enjoy having that type of talk, but I worked in sales so it’s just something I got used to. To think that I have to use that kind of speech even more than I used to now...”

Ragnall was trying not to snicker at Seimei-san’s sudden change in behavior, but now he asks,

“Sales? Is that something like being a merchant?”

Oh, so sales translated funny, then. Let’s see ... how to explain it ...

“Um ... rather than being a merchant ... should I say it’s like being a negotiator for a company that has to try to have another company to buy their things?”

“... I’m not exactly sure what you’re talking about exactly, but it sounds like a pain.”

“I’m not really sure myself, but I hear it’s difficult to do, with long hours, and you have to be polite and calculating the entire time.”

“Hey, you two ... discussing things like that ... Well, so that’s how it is. I feel like I’m just pretending to be a Noble, so don’t worry about the difference in status. To redo our introduction, I’m Seimei, a friend of Jun-kun’s from before ... well, before a lot happened and we got separated. Let’s see... I’m a mage, but I don’t think you can count on me to be able to protect myself well, since I’m kind of weak.”

“Heh?”

Ah, oops, I said that out loud.

But it was surprising, you know? Masaki is actually a pretty competitive PvP player, especially on team vs team battlefields, like capture the enemy’s base or something like that. From what I understood, talking with the two of them during character creation, Seimei-san is their main magic damage.

There’s no way he could be weak!

Ragnall raised an eyebrow at that, but decides not to comment on it. Instead, he says,

“I’m going to head upstairs to check the security of the house for a while. Jun, you can stay here.”

Seimei-san tilts his head.

“You are only responsible for my safety outside in the town and in the Labyrinth though?”

Ragnall chuckled dryly.

“Ah ... now, well, the two of you seem like you want to catch up on things, so I’ll just head upstairs for a while, if that’s ok. Jun, come get me when you’re both done, and then we can talk about the logistics of our escorting.”

“He’s pretty conscientious, huh?”

Seimei-san said after Ragnall had left the room.

“Yeah, he’s a good guy, but he’s also kind of terrifyingly strong. But will it be okay to talk about ... some of the things about where we came from and all that?”

“It should be alright. I still have a mute spell on the outside of the house, but if you’re still worried, just talk with Translate off.”

... We can do that?!

“Wha-? How do you do that?”

“Just talk with the feeling of not wanting people who don’t share your background to understand. It feels a little funny at first, but it’s not too difficult to do.”

“... Hi, my name is Jun ... Oh, I see.”

It does feel different, but I’m not sure how to describe it. To think that there was this possibility ... Ah, but I guess it wouldn’t have mattered for me, since there was no one else who could speak Japanese.

“By the way, just as a warning, our Translate passive is way too strong. In this world there ARE translation spells, but they are only 1-language to 1-language. And those spells are extremely difficult to obtain and use. Be careful. If you have, say, 1 person who only knows Elvish, and 1 person who only knows Dwarvish, and you speak to both of them with Translate on, it will attract attention in a kind of bad way.”

“Great. Something else I have to worry about.”

“It’s probably okay in this region, because everyone speaks Lorwian, but I thought I should warn you.”

“Haa... Hey, Seimei-san, why are you so old?”

Seimei-san’s shoulders drooped.

“Mou~ so you’re going to keep bringing that up ... am I really that old? Don’t we have other, more important things to talk about?”

Ah, oops, he’s depressed.

“Sorry, sorry. You don’t look that old, it’s just you’re older than I remembered, so it’s really weird for me.”

“Of course. No one who’s steadily inching towards 40 wants to stay the actual age he is in a game, right? I can pretend I’m still under halfway there in a game, right~!?”

Ah... so he adjusted his avatar after all.

Wait.

“... Eh? You came over in your real-life form and not your avatar?”

What the heck. Then why am I ...

“Aaah... to be exact, this is my profile form.”

“Profile form?”

“I guess you don’t know about that. For identity protection reasons, Mourning Star had a player profile with all your actual information along with the avatar profile. You can hide all the information from other players, but it keeps your latest full-body scan on record. They also encourage you to scan once a year to recalibrate to your avatar in case you grew or lost weight or something.”

“Heh...”

“I had actually dyed my hair back to black this year, but I didn’t update the scan yet, so this form is actually a year younger than I was back in Japan, not that you can really tell. Also, light brown is apparently now my natural hair color ... Eh? Jun-kun?! Are you alright?”

To think it was something like that! It’s because of that scan error that I have this body now. I should have redone that damn scan! Ah, wait, that coffin-like device ... but aaaaah, not having to have that time of month ...!

I am somewhat in despair.

“Umm ... So, Jun-kun ... did you want to... exchange information?”

Seimei-san asks timidly, though he’s not sure why I’m in the orz pose on the ground.

“... Let’s. I need to take my mind off of some things...”

◇◇◇

It looks like we all woke up in this world at about the same time. Both me and Seimei and the others have been in this world for the same 2 months.

Who are the others? Well there’s Seimei-san, Masaki, and 5 other people who had been logged onto the Mourning Star server we were on. Though no one knows for sure, they think it was the entire server population that was logged in. The low quantity of players is because most players were planning on migrating to the event server after a Guild-event on another server.

When they awoke in this world, they were wearing their game equipment and had everything they originally had in their Inventory. Nothing in the Vaults made it over.

All their different types of potions were rendered useless with no effect other than enhanced mana regeneration. All their buff foods were only mediocre-tasting food with no effects. The armor and weapons managed to retain most of their effects, though some were slightly altered to give similar effects within this world’s magic.

And they all had their skills and abilities from the game, somehow transformed into the Traits that are in our Status now. It can be described as if, according to Seimei-san, someone imported data from another game and switched things around so the conflicting bits actually worked.

How nice ... you guys had items and skills...

“Wait, you mean you only had the character creation outfit and Status, Anazlyze4, Friend Chat, and Inventory?! Haaaaa... Jun-kun ... it’s a wonder you survived.”

“It was all luck, and because I met good people. If my luck was bit poorer, there’s little question that I would have been taken advantage of or exploited.”

I have that type of personality, after all. Even though I know that ... maa, well, it’s hard for me to realize when it’s happening. I have been grateful everyday since I’ve arrived that the people I first met were the Valor of Arms Brigade and Maryiste and the girls.

I know that it was the greatest bit of luck that the place I ended up was Nyl City, where I could indulge in my naivety without putting myself at risk. That I didn’t know how I got here or how I did the things I did was alright, because the people around me spoiled me and instructed me on how I should act.

But now I might finally be able to get some answers, now that I have someone to consult with for the things I couldn’t talk about with anyone else.

<A/N: Check out the new story I’ve been dabbling with. Currently still on the fence on continuing it, though it feels likely: OriginStory the VRMMO >

Is there a Name for that Feeling when You’re Dragged to Visit People You Don’t Really Know, but the Guy who Brought you there Does and OMG We’ve been here Forever, but I can’t really say Anything…

<previous chapter]      [index]       [next chapter>

It seems like the 7 other people who had been transported to this world at the same time as me were all transported to the same place as each other.

That place was the outskirts of Jornia, the royal capitol of Carnus.

It seems the Second Prince was leading a military operation in the area where they woke up. It was apparently quite a serious operation, where a pack of migrating wyverns took residence a little too close to civilization.

The entire army was shocked to see Masaki and the others easily annihilate the wyverns. Not only did they easily annihilate them, Masaki and the others split up to fight the wyverns one-versus-one.

That’s right ... all of those people are high-ranked PvPers, huh?

The Second Prince also apparently fell in love with the fighting figure of one of the Japanese high-school girls, a WarBow Scout, at first sight, and on understanding that Masaki and the others were lost, confused, and without a way home, the situation eventually led to the Royal Family taking care of them.

... You guys had a lot of luck too, it seems.

“Iyaa~ in some ways it’s good, in some ways it’s bad. To be honest, although you’ve had it tough, I think I would have preferred to be in your situation. Even though Carnus took us in and provided for us, in the end, we’re still existences who could defeat their military forces with just 2 people if we felt like it.”

Seimei-san frowns, leaning his head on his hand.

... What a heavy silence. Yeah, I am relieved I ended up in Unaffiliated territory. I’m horrible with high school social politics; I don’t think I’d last a day dealing with real political pressure.

Seimei-san sighs, sitting upright.

“Maa, I guess it’s how you’d expect. On one hand there are powerful people to win as allies, on the other they are people who could easily destroy the country. For those reasons, how should I say it, I was made to become a Noble to be a fetter to keep us Japanese in line?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Being a Noble isn’t just getting a title and some land, like it used to be in some countries in the past in our world. Because places with mana were fertile places with lots of resources, people gathered around places with large concentration of mana, and that’s how the major cities came into being. Wizards and mages sought to tap into the mana streams below the ground, and they made the devices called City Cores.”

City Cores ... I think I heard about that before.

“It’s kind of like a giant computer for an electric power station, but magic based. With the City Cores, you can control the flow of mana within the region the Core affects. The people who are given the rights to the Cores and the spells to control the Cores are the Dukes, Marquesses, Earls, Viscounts, and Barons. Baronets and Knight Captains are Nobles without Land Peerages, but they get some magic skills or something called Duty Peerages.”

Ok ... so where is this going?

It must have shown on my face, because Seimei-san laughed.

“Sorry sorry, I got a little carried away, because it’s kind of interesting. Well, basically, you’re magically registered to a City Core when you come of age in order to be a true citizen of the country, and you can only get true Peerage if you’re a citizen. I, who am not a citizen, am a fake Noble that only the Country Core, that controls the privileges to the City Cores, can create. Without the Peerage, I am registered to the Country Core, and they can oversee me, and therefore the rest of us Japanese, far more easily.”

“Wait... that means...”

“If we run or try to rebel, they will be able to easily track me down. Like I said, it’s a fetter to keep us from doing anything against them.”

“What’s with that?!”

I bang my hand on the arm of my chair. Isn’t that like holding someone hostage?!

“Aaaah, calm down, Jun-kun. I forgot. Masa-yan said you were this kind of person, right. There’s no problem right now; at the moment it’s a relationship of mutual benefits. To be honest, this way is better. I would trust them even less if they brainlessly tried to coexist without some wariness, and I did it willingly as a sign of goodwill, so it’s not like the others were forced to use me as a scapegoat or something. It’s a political play, that’s all.”

“Is that so...”

“Even though I’m not truly a Noble, by giving me the status of a minor Noble, the other Japanese are considered as part of my house. It gives us some political immunity to the power-play among Nobles. At the same time, with that status, there is some expectation for us to be of some use to the country. Like I said, there are mutual benefits, and the effort we have to give from our side isn’t something we need to worry about yet.”

Fumu. I wouldn’t do well in that situation by myself... I’m really lucky I ended up in Nyl City! ... Well, if the gamers ever decided to rebel, I don’t think Carnus would be able to stop them just because they could track one of them down.

Seimei-san suddenly smirked.

“Actually, you know, they wanted to make Masa-yan the Noble. He’s a Dragon Knight, see, and since the Paladin-types lost their healing spells, it’s the only class that uses magic and melee evenly. Masaki’s class apparently exhibits the most perfect combination of magic and swordsmanship that everyone in this world is striving for, so...”

“Eh? ... Pffft-! Ah, sorry. I’m just trying to imagine Masaki dealing with people idolizing him...”

“You know him too well. He ends up hiding in my room whenever he has spare time, since people don’t look highly upon me.”

Oh, that’s right. There was something that was bothering me.

“Why wouldn’t they look highly on you, Seimei-san? And you said you were weak, but I just can’t see that if you’re part of Masaki’s party.”

“Aaaaah... That’s ... you know how I said all our equipment came over too?”

“Ah, un. Yeah.”

Seimei-san pulled out a necklace that he was wearing under his shirt. It had a thick, beaded chain with gaudy looking pendants hanging off it.

“This is why I’m weak. This is the Necklace of Disempowerment. In the game, it’s a cursed weapon that reduces your level and stats to Level 10. You can’t remove it without Purification. In this world, it just reduces my MP to 800 and my MP regeneration to 6 per hour, and it’s not cursed. I can remove it whenever I want.”

“...Ok, I have so many questions about that ... First of all, why the hell would you equip that in game?”

“Fufufu. Even if it reduces my character stats to Level 10, I still had all the bonuses from my equipment. Also, you still have all your Skills from the higher levels. I would put this on and wander around the dangerous starting areas, and when the PKs attacked, a really well-placed Dark Explosion will wipe out an entire 6-man party of any PKs under level 30, even with reduced stats! Hahaha! Well, I’d have no MP afterwards, though.”

... Oi. So he would go around pretending to be low-level to attract the malicious PKs that enjoyed attacking beginner players. A PKK, huh? Reckless, childish middle-aged man... Though he isn’t actually that old, I guess.

“So why aren’t you removing it now? 800 MP is above average for the people in this world, but that’s probably not enough for your spells you got from the game, right?”

“Ah... you know, people in this world can’t see our MP. They judge how much magic people have by how much extra magic flows out of you ... basically, they can’t see the capacity of a person’s magic, but they can measure the magic regeneration.”

“That sounds so ... half-assed. It’s not a good estimate at all.”

“Nn, well, they aren’t 100% wrong. After all, even if you had a lot of MP, if you regenerate too slowly, it doesn’t seem like it would be very effective.”

“Hmm. Maybe. Anyway, how does that relate?”

Seimei-san shifted his glance away. How suspicious.

“Ah... that’s ... If it was at least at the degree people would think, ‘Oh, he could destroy the country,’ it would still be ok...”

“... Hai?”

Sorry, I don’t understand.

“That is, my MP is at the scale where I would instantly be labeled a threat.”

“Huh. How much MP do you have?”

“I don’t really want to say.”

“... 2 million?”

Seimei-san’s face doesn’t change.

“... 3 million? 5 million? 8 million?”

“Jun-kun, if you keep increasing it by such small increments, we’ll be here all day.”

Ooookay, and we’re done here! I fully understand that Seimei-san has a lot of MP and a ridiculous MP regeneration.

“I see, so that’s why you’re pretending that you don’t have much magic. Although 800 is still pretty good for the people of this world.”

“Haa... even though I want to carefreely throw around my OP-ness like the others, it’s a little too much, right? If I broke off on my own, maybe it would be fine to be reckless and let my magic run loose, but I don’t really want to leave the others on their own in Carnus. Even if the country is treating us well for the most part, there are always corrupt politicians in any country, ne? Even if I feel like letting my guard down, I’m the only one with experience dealing with that kind of rotten adult, so I have to deal with it!”

A-are? When did this turn into a rant? W-well, I guess he must have been really stressed, having to bear the brunt of all the political messes in order to let everyone else live freely without worries. ... So that means he’s the oldest out of all of them, if he feels this strongly about having to take responsibility for the others...

Masaki and company, please don’t do anything to make Seimei-san’s life more difficult.

“Pretending to be weaker than the others is also beneficial for that purpose, though. With my fake Noble status, all the Nobles and people trying to curry our favor have to come to me before approaching the others, but since I look like I’m so much weaker than Masa-yan and everyone else, sometimes their true natures come out as they try to force me to do what they want... kukuku.”

Ah, a kind of dark aura came out. It’s kind of like Dobin-san’s dark aura when he’s about to trap someone into a deal.

“Anyway, I’m undergoing a lot of stress. I’m not really a Noble, but my existence is more important than a Noble’s... see?”

“Yeah... keep up the good work, Seimei-san... Please don’t go grey-haired too soon.”

“Ugh...”

Hm? His existence is more important than a Noble’s... Eh. Then if anything like an assassination happens here, then won’t that be really bad? No, before that, doesn’t that mean that the terrorists, or whoever’s behind all the recent incidents, actually WILL try to attack Seimei-san?!

I’m not sure whether Ragnall and the others want me to reveal everything, but I don’t think keeping the information secret here will accomplish anything.  Besides, this is something related to Seimei-san’s life. I’m sorry, but I will value my acquaintances’ lives over their trust.

I tell Seimei-san about the strange occurrences going on in Nyl City, and why we think someone might be aiming for a VIP from Carnus.

“Haa... even after getting permission to come all the way out here, I still can’t get away from the mess that comes with being a Noble...”

“You’re taking the fact that someone wants to kill you pretty lightly.”

“It’s might want to kill me, right? And there’s no use in worrying about if it will happen or if it won’t. I’ll just have to prepare myself to deal with the worst and take it from there. Though I’d feel more comfortable if I could use my full MP if it came down to having to protect myself...”

Fumu, that’s true, huh? Of course you’d feel uneasy if you can’t use your full power...

“Hm. I’ll try to do something about that, but I can’t guarantee anything. I’m only good at smithing, so if it’s something more than that, I might not be able to do it.”

“Jun-kun, you can craft?!”

Whoa, that scared me. Seimei-san leaned forward excitedly.

“E-eh? M-maa, somewhat.”

“... Ah, is it something you could do back in Japan?”

“Kind of. My grandfather had a small forge in the backyard.”

“I see... I told you about how all our healing spells don’t work anymore, but all our crafting skills don’t work either. Even though they’re listed as traits, none of us could craft a bit. I see, the game skills won’t work, so if we want to craft, we’d have to actually learn how to do it from scratch like we would back in Japan...”

... Wasn’t that obvious? Though I guess we’re people who got transported here from another world, so maybe ‘obvious’ isn’t really obvious at times.

“Hey, Seimei-san, we should compare the Skills and stuff. There might be things you guys figured out that I don’t know about and vice-versa.”

“I agree.”

At that moment though, the bells from the Guild Hall rang.

The Return Watch. We’ve been speaking that long?

“... I see. So that spell earlier keeps the sound from going out, but not from coming in.”

“Yeah. There are all kinds of problems otherwise. But are the bells here set every 3 hours too?”

“Yes.”

“Then we’ve already talked too long...”

Yeah. We’ve been talking for 2 hours. There was a lot to catch up on. But Ragnall’s been waiting upstairs for 2 hours...

“Well then, let’s do this...”

◇◇◇

Extra

Seimei’s POV:

[“... ... *Beep* Sei-chan? What’s wrong, everything ok?”]

“More or less. Masa-yan, do you have a minute?”

[“Ah... un. It’s just us gamers here. We were just discussing what we should do while you’re away right now. Do you need me to put you on Broadcast Mode?”]

“No, that’s fine. Masa-yan, I found Jun-kun.”

[“... Hwaaa!? What, really?! Where?!”]

Ouch~. Mou, Masa-yan, we’ve already determined Friend Chat can’t do anything about controlling volume ... but I understand his feelings. Not even knowing if Jun-kun made it here or not, not evening knowing if she had the abilities to defend herself, it was a very stressful time for Masa-yan.

In the background, very faintly, I hear Midori-chan and Ta-kun saying something like, ‘Are you talking to Sei-chan?’ and ‘What what what? What happened?’

“Calm down, calm down. She’s fine. Actually, it seems like she’s doing really well for herself in Nyl City. Although there seems to be a lot of people helping her out without expecting anything from her. Most of them seem to be looking at her with eyes like their watching their daughter grow up, but I’m still a little worried~.”

[“Daughter... oi. Ah, but that’s not too surprising. That’s something like Jun’s ability, or should I say part of Jun’s personality? For some reason, Jun has always made people think, ‘That guy has potential, we should nurture it!’ or something like that. It’s a relief that superpower is working in this world too...”]

“Hmm... if that’s all that is, then it’s fine~, but it won’t be funny if we let our guard down and something happens~. To tell the truth, the random events that Jun-kun seems to keep getting caught up in are a little worrying~.”

[“... That’s another thing that’s part of Jun’s personality. Haaaaaa... it would have been fine if that superpower stayed in the other world...”]

“Whaaat. Don’t tell me she was the kind of high-schooler that would walk down the street and find delinquents, no, yakuza picking on people and beat them up! Hahaha!”

Of course not. Modern Japan doesn’t have those sorts of flags all over the place like manga leads you to believe...

... Masa-yaaaan, why aren’t you saying anythiiiing?

[“... As you might expect, it’s never gotten to yakuza level, but delinquents picking on old men and girls ...”]

... Seriously?

[“You know, the ossan-hunting that shows up on the news? He’s come across some instances of that several times ... though it’s never as violent as the media makes it sound. Same with shady guys are trying to pressure girls. Jun usually just talks to them without backing down, and they’ll usually leave.”]

“W-well, you know, the media likes to make things sound more dangerous than things actually are ...”

Or like, Jun-kun’s come across the ossan-hunting that you would usually never come across ... and several times at that?

I see. A superpower, huh?

[“Anyway, I’m going to come over to Nyl City too.”]

“Haha, you’re still worried in the end...”

Oya? I hear a commotion coming from Masa-yan’s end.

[‘Oi, Masaki, you trying to steal a march on us?’

‘No fair no fair!’

‘Don’t just run off to play in the Labyrinth on your own!’

‘I was going to bear with not going, because it couldn’t be helped if it was just Sei-chan, but if Masaki gets to go, I’m not going to stay here and be quiet!’

“I’m not going to play, jeez!”]

Oh dear. They’ve all been wanting to go to a Labyrinth since they’ve found out Labyrinths existed ... even though Masaki really isn’t coming for the Labyrinth. At least, he’s not coming solely for the Labyrinth.

Maa, they’ve been accumulating a lot of stress with dealing with the Nobles and other people jealous of their talents, so it would be fine if they had some time away from the capitol.

We can’t just all leave the capitol though, just in case some crazy Noble blames us for abandoning Carnus. Even if the King is more or less on our side, it won’t do if we recklessly brought trouble to him.

Listening to them argue back in the mansion that we were given back in the Carnus capitol, I can’t help but wonder if they’ll figure out it would be ok if they split up into 2 groups and take turns ...

Well, if they don’t figure it out by tomorrow morning, I guess I’ll tell them.

<previous chapter]      [index]       [next chapter>

I wonder if People who Make Cursed Things Think Like the People who Make Computer Viruses

“... Seimei-san, Friend Chat is completely a cheat.”

[“Fufufu, right? It’s rea~lly handy to have a phone in this world too~.”]

“And exactly what kind of phone from our world can send items through it?”

[“I won’t claim to know how the Skills from the game work in this world, but it was possible to send items to other people through Friend Chat in Mourning Star, so... Anyway, what is this knife you sent over?”]

“... Sorry, its magical properties are just a prototype, but it’s a master-worked knife all the same so there’s some merit to it. It’s a knife that glows when you’re being attacked.”

[“What?! Isn’t this one of the ultimate magic weapons in books and stuff?!”]

Ah, Seimei-san sounds so excited. But...

“But that’s all it does, you know? Just glows when you’re being attacked, without telling you where it’s coming from and without giving you any warning ahead of time. I’m learning a little here and there to figure out how to make it more useful, but for now, that’s all it does.”

[“... Jun-kun. You made this? Master-crafted?”]

“Ah... yeah.”

[“... ... ...”]

The stunned silence coming from Seimei-san’s side of the Chat is really heavy.

“... I thought I told you I was doing some smithing?”

[“Master-crafted weapons aren’t just ‘some’ smithing! What the heck! This is something you should get paid for, you know?!”]

“I’m just lending it to you for now. When I make something actually useful, I’ll take it back and you can pay me for that one. That knife is more for skinning than channeling magic, so it’s not like I was wasting my time making it for you specifically, and it would make me feel a lot better if you had it.”

[“It’s true that I’d rather die knowing I’m being attacked rather than dying without knowing.”]

“... Shut up.”

[“By the way, Jun-kun ... I hear all sorts of clanging and stuff in the background ...”]

“Ah, don’t mind it.”

[“Rather than minding it, I’m pretty curious about it ...”]

“Don’t mind it.”

I don’t really like to talk about things I’m experimenting with, since I don’t know if it will actually turn into what I’m hoping it will turn into.

[“...Ok... Anyway, the amount of research you did on Inventory is really impressive~. Because we had a house, we never bothered with trying to consolidate items to make space. Ah, I’ll pass this along to the others too, if you’re ok with that~.”]

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

Not having to figure out Inventory because they have a safe storage place to store things in ... how bourgeoisie.

[“It’s kind of sad that getting transported to another world rendered a lot of its other functions useless, ne~.]

“Eh, what do you mean?”

[“Lockbox, Materials, and Wallet. In the game, you had a percentage to drop an item if you were defeated, so for the things you absolutely didn’t want to lose, you would put them in the Lockbox. Items that are marked as crafting materials automatically go in Materials. Wallet ... is a shame. It’s full of money we can’t use, and it’s a pity money we receive doesn’t go in it.”]

“Heh? But I’m using all of those actively right now?”

[“... What?”]

“No, well I’ll admit Lockbox isn’t all that useful since it’s not actually a separate bag, but you can kind of use it like an organizer. I put things that I have to find quickly in there, like my Adventurer’s Card and ID and stuff. Materials is great, because even though raw materials won’t go in it, if you prepare the materials for crafting, they’ll go in. So processed materials are a lot easier to find. And Wallet ... why wouldn’t Wallet be convenient? It keeps track of how much money I have and how many coins of each type and everything.”

[“... What? No, wait, ok, so non-processed materials won’t go in Material... But how did you move things into other tabs? Every time we try to transfer items from the main bag to the others, an error pops up.”]

“Eh? Uh ... just normally? I drag the items to the tab, and the tab will open, and then you drag it into a slot. Ah, for money, after you register them into the Wallet, the next time you put money away, it will go in there automatically.”

[“No way ... <Inventory> ... ... ... ... ... *slam* Ugh.”]

A sound that sounded suspiciously like he had slammed either his face or his hand onto a table came through the chat.

“Ah... did it, work for you?”

[“... How did none of us figure this out before?”]

“How did it work in the game?

[“Money and Materials would automatically go in the right bags. You tapped the icons if you wanted to move things from bag to bag, and options for what to do with it would pop up. We kept getting type errors every time we tried to move anything, so we gave up.”]

“Ah. Well, remember, only pre-processed crafting materials will go in Materials. A hide won’t go in, but a sheet of leather will. Ores will only go in once they’ve been smelted. Things like that.”

[“Haa... The Wallet even keeps track of what types of coins you have now ... I guess that’s to be expected, since it’s not like a game where the numbers just add up and you don’t have to worry about coins.”]

“Yeah, it’s ... Oh, Seimei-san, I have to go. The person I was waiting for just came in.”

[“Hm? Oh, ok. See you tomorrow at the Morning Watch.”]

“Ossu, see you.”

With a very digital *Beep*, the Friend Chat connection to Seimei-san cut off.

“Oh, Jun-chan, watcha up to? It’s pretty late, ain’t it? Don’t you have a commission to do tomorrow?”

I look over at the slender dwarf who has just walked out onto the Guild’s forge terrace. His hair is braided tightly back, and his beard is trimmed short to keep it out of the way. He’d kind of look like a dandy if his clothes weren’t so roughed up and sloppy.

“Oh, Kopfton, you came out of the Labyrinth late as usual.”

“Kakaka, yeah, that’s how it goes.”

Kopfton laughs his weird laugh. He now leans over my shoulder, peering at the metalworking I’ve been doing.

“Nn, it’s rare you ain’t at the big forges. Whatcha doing?”

“Ah... here.”

I hold up what I’ve been working on this entire time.

Kopfton’s eyes get very wide. As expected of the man I’m secretly calling my magic circuit teacher in my heart. He immediately understood what I was trying to do.

“Jun-chan. What. Are. You. Doing.”

“Eh... What, you say... making a magic circuit?”

“No, but, I see that, but... Why are you making the circuit part like that?!”

Normally, you crush magic stones into a powder and mix it into silver, or a mostly silver alloy; then you cast the circuit by pouring the molten alloy into a mold you’ve made in the delicate shape of the circuit you designed, and then you cast the sword around it.

In other words, swords with magic circuits are usually cast swords. So of course I haven’t made any magic circuit-type swords.

Well, it’s interesting, and I’ve been thinking about using Mana Forger to try to do something with it, but since I’ve only been “studying” magic circuits in my spare time while being trained at Helward’s forge, there’s no way I’ve had time to experiment.

What Kopfton is now picking up and inspecting closely is a ring. Made delicately out of extremely thin filligree, it looks like a very ornate ring ... but the filigree is silver that I’ve used Mana Forger on to draw it into the circuit’s design.

That’s right. The ring itself is the magic circuit.

“This ... I’ve never seen someone able to control their magic enough to make such delicate work like this ... no, not that, watcha doing?! Ya need to surround it with another metal, you can’t just leave it like this!”

Ah, that’s right. Normally, you need another magic-conductive metal that will help draw in the magic you release into certain parts of the circuit, then in other parts it will help disperse the magic to prevent overload... anyway, to combat that I made those parts of the circuit either thicker or thinner than others, but I understand Kopfton’s main concern.

Without an even conduction of magic into every part of the circuit, the circuit won’t activate.

Normal people can’t pour in magic fast enough for the entire circuit to maintain the same level of magic-saturation, so silver, which holds magic easier, or iron and steel, which disperses magic evenly, surrounds the circuit in order to make it easier to activate.

Well, this ring isn’t for normal people.

I’ve already confirmed that the circuit activates when I put it on, just from the excess magic that’s released as my magic aura.

Just my magic aura is enough to completely saturate the circuit to full saturation, meaning it’s all full everywhere, and thus it successfully triggers the circuit at maximum power.

“It’s fine. If I surround it with other metal, it will disperse some of the magic, right?”

In order to disguise it as a normal ring, I don’t want it to have any magic being emitted around it in an aura. Although surrounding the circuit in silver or iron or steel will help maintain the magic-saturation, a small amount (or big amount depending on how much magic you put in) is released as an aura. It’s just the nature of the materials... but I don’t want the magic aura released anywhere except for the release mechanism I put in the center of the ring.

“... Jun-chan, what are you trying to make? Now that I look at it, this circuit is only for sucking in magic, ain’t it? What else is it supposed to do?”

“What else... just suck in magic greedily?”

“And just why are you making a cursed ring?! No, like, cursed rings are something that you can make so easily?!”

In this world cursed=sucking in magic, though in the game world cursed=can’t remove. I’m beginning to notice a theme. Creatures that suck in magic power that’s not their own are demons or demi-demons, and items that suck in magic power are cursed.

“Aside from that, Kopfton, did you get any Higher Craeftite this time? You haven’t sold any to the Guild yet, right?”

Or like, I know Kopfton hasn’t had a chance to sell the gemstones and metals he’s dug up yet, since he’ll have to wait until the Barter Desk opens up again at the Morning Watch.

“Oh... yeah, I have some as usual, since they ain’t rare, but they’re too strong so they can only be ground up, right? Ah, do you need more Craeftite powder to smelt into the silver?”

“No no... can you cut them for me? Like ... nn... as if you would mount them into a Noble’s ring? I’ll pay up to 5,000 ecrue for each.”

“Oh, it wouldn’t be that much, you know, since they’re so common ... or like, you can cut them yourself, right? I thought I taught you the basics ... or like, you want to actually USE it?! Like a Magic Stone?!”

“I told you it should look like something you can mount into a Noble’s ring, right? No way can I cut it that well. I can only just barely polish them into a shape that can be mounted. Ah, also, if you could cut it for maximum magic absorption, that would be great.”

“Hm... maximum magic absorption, as well as being beautiful, huh ... Sounds like fun. I don’t get much of a chance to cut something for ornamental purposes in this town.”

Oh good, I triggered his craftsman’s interest, so he’s not going to ask too many questions.

Kopfton is a Magic Jeweler, specializing in basic magic circuits of silver and gold, as well as gemstone-cutting. To be honest, I think he’d be a Master gemstone cutter, but apparently his cuts are too... original or something? Anyway, my opinion hardly counts for much, since this is out of my area of expertise.

Moving to a workbench close to the small crucible-like forge I’m working at, Kopfton dumps out a bag of rocks. At least, they totally look like rocks to me, but to the trained eye they’re the dangerous Higher Craeftite.

The reason they’re considered dangerous is due to being mistakenly used in place of regular Craeftite as a Magic Stone. Magic Stones store magic, and some types of stones can even store elemental magic. The stones can be tapped into with magic circuits, among other methods.

Higher Craeftite, however, sucks in magic greedily. There have been cases of Higher Craeftite sucking people dry of their magic and mana, killing them.

Maa, it doesn’t seem to be a problem unless it’s set into a magic circuit, and it’s even fine to handle it for long periods of time as long as you’re using gloves, but in general, Higher Craeftite is just ground into powder to act as a smelting additive.

As Kopfton is setting up his equipment and cutting the stones, I make a number of other rings. I’m experimenting with gold and silver parts, trying to make the circuit even more efficient, and making it look even more ornate. I leave the place to mount the stones alone until I see what Kopfton’s cut gems look like.

◇◇◇

“... Jun-chan... I know I’m a little late in asking, but are you planning to kill someone with this? It’s a lot easier just to poison them, you know? And why did you ask for 15 stones?”

A beautiful dark-silver filigree ring with a Higher Craeftite stone set in it on an extravagant pedestal lay on the workbench in front of us.

It kind of looks like an ornate engagement ring...

“Don’t worry about it, don’t worry about it.”

“... No, this is totally something to worry about...”

“Don’t worry about it. Anyway, how much do I owe you for the stones?”

The stones are beautifully cut. It looks like there are different types of designs cut in, like starbursts or swirling lines or things like that.

“Ah, it’s only 142,500 ecrue for the lot.”

“That cheap!”

“What do you expect, Higher Craeftite only goes for 500 ecrue per phila to begin with. Even with the cutting fee being 8,000 ecrue per stone, that’s all it will add up to.”

I mean, it’s not really THAT cheap if we’re talking about the sudden expense, but for 15 gemstones expertly cut, 142,500 ecrue seems low.  Although, it’s true that Higher Craeftite is among the cheapest stones you can buy ...

“Weell, this was a fun diversion, but it’s pretty late, so I’m going to head back, Jun-chan. Rather than the money, can you smelt me 142,500 ecrue worth of your Craeftite silver? Don’t tell Helward, but your Craeftite silver raises the effectiveness by 40%.”

“Ah, ok, yeah, I can do that. By the way, if you ever see anyone wearing rings with these stones placed in them, please don’t say anything about it.”

“... Jun-chan, you AREN’T trying to kill someone, right?”

Hmph. Of course not.

By the way, I’ve also bought a lot of uncut Higher Craeftite from Kopfton, but I wonder how I’m going to use them...

Before I head off back to The Queen Mary’s (which is flooded with people from the Guild right now guarding the construction site, so I can leave it to them without worries), I finish off 14 more rings of various styles and sizes.  For some of them, I add regular gemstones as decorations, though I mount them in a way where they won’t affect or be affected by the magic circuit.

Alright, my preliminary preparations for tomorrow are complete!

<a/n: Thank you JW Michael C, and Estelion for your donations!>

There’s Always Room for Improvements in Prototypes. Although Looking at it Another Way, it Means Prototypes are Usually Failures

I leave the bath house about half an hour before the Morning Watch. Living in a world without clocks everywhere has made me pretty good at guessing how much time I have before the bells.

My internal clock has become very accurate.

The reason I was at the bath house was because I had done my early-morning training routine right after I woke up. In addition to the suburi training with my katana, I have begun running over the tops of the rooftops with free-running.

I had tested the rings, and just wearing 2 of them made my MP begin to slowly drop. About 2 MP every minute.

Good, good.

There are some more things I have to prepare, but for now, this is good enough for a prototype.

“【FRIEND CHAT: CONNECT】- [‘Seimei’].”

Technically I don’t need to say it out-loud, but it feels more natural to call someone with voice activation than just making it happen by thinking it.  Some sentiments I brought over from the other world, I guess.

[“... *Beep* Oh, Jun-kun. We’re going to meet in just a little bit, but did something happen?”]

“No, nothing like that, I was just wondering if you were awake so I could come over a little bit before Ragnall showed up. There’s something I wanted to discuss.”

[“Ah, yes, that should be fine. I will let the annoya- guards know you’re coming.”]

He was going to call them annoyances just now, wasn’t he? Jeez...

After we ended the Friend Chat, I detoured by the food stalls. Since it’s already well past the Farmer’s Watch, all the food stalls are already up and running.

Recently, the girls at The Queen Mary’s have been having the younger girls run out to get breakfast and do the grocery shopping for them, so I’ve been forbidden to buy them food.

That I secretly slip the grocers and food stall obaa-sans some money to include some extras is a secret between me and them.

I think the older girls are carrying out the “onee-san” act a little too far ... even younger siblings can dote on older siblings. It’s not forbidden or something.

Anyway, today I’m picking out some food to take to Seimei-san. Apparently he gets food from Sir Knight Captain’s chef, but ... well, when you’re stressed out, sometimes it helps if you eat some junk food type stuff, right?

There’s only one guard in front of Seimei-san’s door. I guess because they were expecting me, he didn’t give me any trouble.

For a second I thought to offer him breakfast, but it probably would be bad if he got caught eating on duty, right? Their captain seems like kind of a jerk like that.

“Seimei-sa ... sama, good morning.”

Since he’s discussing things with another one of his guards, I quickly switch from –san to –sama. We’re pretending we don’t know each other, right.

Although I think I should have used Sir Baronet then, but let’s not worry too much about the details.

“Good morning. Ah, well, then that’s what I’m planning on doing today. Let Captain Willem know.”

“Yessir.”

The guard taps underneath his throat with an open hand –a  salute of some sort? – and leaves the house.

Seimei-san sighs.

“Ah, good morning Jun-kun.”

“If you haven’t eaten yet, I brought some things from the morning food stalls. Also, the thing I have to consult with you ...”

◇◇◇

Like I expected, the food from the Nobles can’t win out against the fried food from the food stalls. Although Seimei-san said the Nobles’ food is delicious, there weren’t many fried types of foods on a Noble’s table. The smell of the fried cakes and meat skewers alone was enough to make his eyes go wide.

“Nn... it’s not bad, but...”

“I know, it could use some soy sauce, right?”

“That’s exactly it~! But the food in this world is still really good. I’m thankful there’s not just potatoes and hard bread or something like some light novels, ne~.”

“I thought so too. Although it’s different from Japanese food, it’s not at all inferior to Earth’s modern cuisine. Ah, Seimei-san, there’s this thick sweet soup thing too. It’s a little like a soupy kanten.”

Seimei is really enjoying the fried meat. It reminds you of kara-age, so there’s definitely some nostalgia to eating it, even if the seasoning is a little different.

“By the way, Jun-kun ... what are these? I was going to say something about how it’s too soon to be engaged, but as expected, when faced with so many, it’s hard to make a joke about it.”

While trying the jouron cream soup that I recommended, that was closer to pudding than soup, Seimei inspected the collection of rings that I had placed on the table.

“They just suck in magic power. For ordinary people, they could kill you because they suck out all your magic power, but ...”

“Ooooh! Wow~, Jun-kun, we only just talked about it yesterday, and you’ve already brought me something~! ... Wow. These look like something you should used 2 months’ salary to buy~.”

“I wouldn’t price them quite that expensively. Silver’s a lot more bountiful in this world, and the stones are Higher Craeftite, the cheapest you can get, although they’re the ones that are also the most reliable for what we needed them for. Ah, the ones with other gemstones, those gemstones are just for decoration. You won’t be able to use them to cast spells, since they’re so close to the circuit and Higher Craeftite. I thought I should just try to disguise the rings like they’re just some Nobles’ trinkets, but was it too much I wonder?”

Seimei froze as he was lifting the rings up to the light to get a good look at them.

“Jun-kun... just to make sure, you bought these somewhere, right?”

“Heh? No, you can’t buy these things. I made them last night. There were some things I wanted to try out so it was good timing, and a Jeweler friend of mine helped me out. Although he doesn’t know what they’re for.”

Well, I kept dodging the subject and Kopfton is easily distracted, so that’s why he helped me out even though he has no idea what I’m using them for.

“... Jun-kuuuuun... come to think of it, when Sir Ilyos saw the sakura emblem on that knife you gave me, he freaked out. Is there something you’re not telling me~?”

Eek. Seimei-san’s using his frivolous voice with a smile, but there’s a dark undertone and his eyes aren’t smiling at all.

“No? I’ve just been doing a lot of smithing and metalworking and crafting things as I please? Though apparently they’re all at really high degrees and are now highly sought after ...”

We’ve even had to watch out for thieves after The Queen Mary’s girls’ naginatas. Even though I had finally learned how to reduce the quality so they’re only slightly better than normal steel blades...

By the way, I gifted Maryiste the naginatas as a thank you for continuing to teach me how to read and write. That’s how I got through the “onee-san” defense. Between Maryiste and Erina-sama’s efforts, the others reluctantly agreed to let it pass.

“Haa... you’ve already caught the attention of a lot of high-profile people, haven’t you? I feel kind of foolish for worrying about keeping your talents hidden...”

Sorry. I feel like I’ve added more stress onto Seimei-san’s already stressful worries.

“A-anyway, I don’t know how many you’ll need to reduce your MP aura. I needed 2 to reduce mine, so ...”

“I see, so we need to see how many it will take me.”

“Yeah. Ah, let me put up a Mana Barrier... Ok, you can take off your necklace.”

“Chantless... haa, I’m beginning to feel like if I get surprised at everything you do, I’m going to go bald sooner.”

With that, Seimei-san removed his ‘cursed’ necklace. 5 minutes later ...

...!

I immediately strengthen the Mana Barrier.

That aura is so not a joke! Even without using Magic Sensory I can tell how dense it is. This is ridiculous.

“Seimei-san...”

“I know, I know, I’ll start putting the rings on.”

As Seimei-san put the rings on, I dispersed his magic aura and used it to strengthen the Mana Barrier. I can’t tell if the rings are working if the area is already filled with magic.

“... Oh, ok, if I put this one on my MP starts reducing, so how is it with just these?”

“... Un. You only have a little above an average Adventurer’s aura showing.”

... But it took 13 rings ...

For the record, he has rings on every finger, 2 on his left pinky, 2 on his left middle finger, and 2 on his right middle finger.

“... You know, I made extra rings just in case any of the others needed them...”

To think he would have used up 13 out of 15! Wtf kind of MP regeneration do you have?!

“Oh, I’m the only one who has this problem. The others have MP at around 1 and 2 million, there abouts. And their MP regeneration is ridiculous, but ...”

“No way can it be as ridiculous as yours, right?! Geez, I didn’t realize it was THIS bad... I’m going to have to make 11 more.”

“Eh? How come?”

“Seimei-san ... you’re going to have to discharge the stones at some point, you know?”

“... Oh shit. I didn’t think about that at all.”

“It was my blindspot too. I didn’t think you’d need to do it so soon, but ... And ... there’s something else I didn’t think of ...”

“Hm?”

Sure, the aura around SEIMEI-san was weaker, but the magic aura around the Higher Craeftite ...

It’s still suspicious, right? To have every jewel on every ring glow with that aura. Even though the auras around inorganic things are a little different than ones around living things, it shows up the same on Magic Sensory. The only reason I can detect the difference is ... hm... I don’t know. Maybe Magic Sense from my Magic Born trait?

Anyway, the magic aura given off of living things is actually magic being dispersed into the surroundings. The magic aura from inorganic things is more of just a glow. You can tell a magic charged stone from another stone not charged with magic by if it glows or not, but it’s not actually radiating magic.

Most people can’t use the magic given off by other living things, so this distinction doesn’t seem to matter. People and things with a magic aura are people and things that have magic. That’s all that matters. Or like, that’s all that people in this world are capable of noting.

I think I’m the only one can use ambient magic, so I’m the only one who needs to make the distinction. Well, I call magic auras around inorganic things ‘magic glow’ instead, but no one ever understands me, so I only end up calling them that way in my head.

Either way, the stones’ magic glows totally give Seimei-san away. This doesn’t help at all.

After I explain it,

“Haa... so we need something that encases the stone and won’t let the magic escape... but there’s nothing like that at all, huh? All materials seem to let some magic aura off...”

... Eh? Hang on ... there IS something ... Though I have no idea how to make it work ...

Seimei-san takes off the rings one by one, and the overwhelming magic aura slowly comes back. While he’s doing that, the front door opens, and shortly afterward, Ragnall walks in.

“Good morning, Sir Barone- urk!”

In a matter of seconds after he passed through my Mana Barrier, Ragnall’s face turns pale, then blue, and he collapses on the spot, clutching his shirt in the area around his chest.

“J-jun-kun, what-!?”

That’s what I want to know – ah!

“Seimei-san, put on that necklace, fast!”

I quickly erect another Mana Barrier around Ragnall and disperse the magic within. Now to get rid of the magic in the rest of the house ...

Nn, how should I do it? Usually when I want to get rid of magic I burn it off with Augment Body, but I can’t take ambient magic in and use it that way ...

I gather the magic into one corner of the room and maintain an extremely strong Boundary on it. It takes too much concentration and quite a bit of my own MP to keep things under control, but directing the ambient magic into maintaining the Boundary soon reduces the magic considerably.

In 5 minutes, it’s all gone. I have about 1.8 million MP left.

“Haa... Ragnall, are you ok?”

He’s still lying face down on the ground, but I see him taking several deep breaths, so he’s alive at least.

Ragnall remains lying there, without lifting his head, but he raises a finger.

“Just to make things clear, that wasn’t Jun, was it?”

“N-no.”

“Then, that was ...”

Still without moving from his spot, Ragnall points his finger at Seimei-san.

“Ah...”

I just trail off like that, and Seimei-san coughs nervously.

“Haaa... I see.”

Ragnall says only that, and slowly sits up. His face is still horrifically pale.

I help him over to the wall and he leans heavily against it, trying to regulate his breathing. Seimei-san rushes a cup of water over.

After draining half the cup, Ragnall sighs.

“I understand why you would purposefully weaken yourself, then. That aura is something that would make even normal people begin to feel sick.”

“... Oi, Ragnall, even with the fact that you’re more sensitive to magic than other people, that just now wasn’t something you can laugh off.”

“Ah ... I’m ashamed. It’s more like an illness ... well, I’ve never had a reaction this bad before. Or like, Jun, you could withstand that?”

“Uh... It was never an issue in our hometown.”

Let’s just gloss over it ...

“... The people in your hometown must be monsters.”

“Oh, you might be able to meet some more of them. I forgot. Jun-kun, Masaki and 2 others are coming over within a week.”

“Heh? Wait, hang on a sec, Seimei-san. Ragnall, since crazy things might happen around Seimei-san, what else is bad for your health?”

I really want to ask about why Masaki and other transported people are coming over, but there are things we need to work out over logistics first, if just being around Seimei-san in his natural state causes Ragnall to have a severe allergic reaction.

“Might happen ... you mean probably will happen, huh? Losing magic is actually more dangerous to me than being overwhelmed by magic.”

“So too much or too little, both are bad, huh? Ok, well don’t touch those rings on the table.”

Ragnall looks over at the table, then reflexively flinches back.

“Jun ... what are those? They’re kind of glowing with an ominous light, though...”

“Don’t mind it. Just don’t touch them.”

Although the rings only REALLY suck out your magic if the entire circuit is touching your skin, for example by putting one on, even if it’s just a little, if Ragnall is really that sensitive, just picking one up could be bad.

Nn? Ragnall called it a ‘light’ instead of an ‘aura’. How rare for someone other than me to make that distinction. It must be due to his strange health condition. Actual magic being a danger, a glow just being a warning of danger.

Hm? It’s dangerous either way?

“By the way, what was it about Masaki and the others?”

<a/n: Thank you landvaarder and DB for your donations!>

Some Peoples’ Personalities just Change when They Pick Up the Tools of Their Trade

So Masaki and 2 of the other gamers are going to be coming to Nyl City within the next week.

Is that really going to be ok?

It’s wyvern migration season, isn’t it?

... Or like, they let you come here in the middle of all that, Seimei-san?

So I was thinking, but it appears that the gamers had already cleared the path through sourthern Carnus, so Seimei-san was able to travel without fear of wyvern attacks.

... The Japanese gamers are way too powerful.

“I need to drop by Sir Ilyos’ house to formally greet his family this morning, and then I’d like to get acquainted with the city before those guys get here. However, I don’t really have much of a plan, really...”

“I see... then should we just take a tour around the city to begin with? Nyl City is more an industrial city than an Adventurer’s city, so I think of there’s any kind manufacturing that Sir Bar – , er, Seimei-sama is interested in, it would be well-worth the efforts to be acquainted with the Craftsmen in this city.”

I’m kind of impressed that Ragnall can talk so casually to someone who could kill him just by standing next to him.

“If it’s possible, I would like to spend some time at the glass manufactory, but I can just as easily do that tomorrow morning, Seimei-san.”

I might be over-stepping my bounds as his escort by saying that, but it will be beneficial for Seimei-san as well.

Ragnall chuckled.

“On second thought, since you’re well-acquainted with Jun, you might already be in the good graces of most of the Craftsmen...”

“It’s not like I know ... everyone...?”

“Nono, that shouldn’t come out in question form, right?”

Seimei-san laughs as he watches the two of us discussing things, saying.

“I would still like to make connections with my own abilities. As a former employee in sales, if I can’t do this much and have to rely on Jun-kun, I would be ashamed of myself.”

“Is that really, an issue, I wonder...”

As we talk idly, the 3 of us have walked up the street towards Sir Knight Captain’s residence.

◇◇◇

It’s a big house even from far away, but looking at it up close, Sir Knight Captain’s mansion is definitely a size bigger than the other houses. At the same time, I wonder if it would be considered very big in, say, the Carnus capital.

It’s maybe double the size of an average Japanese townhouse, with 3 stories, but it’s probably on the small size for a Noble-sama’s house.

There are 2 gate guards who salute Seimei-san by smartly placing their open hands on their sternum and immediately stand to the side at attention to let him pass.

Ragnall casually says “Yo” and raises a hand to the one on the left as he passes by, so I guess he knows some of these guards. They have a friendlier atmosphere than Seimei-san’s guards, probably from having lived in this town for so long.

“Greetings, Sir Baronet. I am Filessa, the daughter of the Knight Captain and his Lady. Sir and Lady Ilyos are currently having a remote conference with Duke and Duchess Martineq, so forgive them the discourtesy of not being able to greet you immediately.”

Ah, we’re being received by the loli-hime.

Somehow, she has a different feeling to her. Instead of the tomboy-ish pants and armor, she has on a baroque-like mini-dress that trails to the ground in the back. Underneath she’s wearing trousers. Although I don’t know how people are in other cities, at least in Nyl City, trousers and pants aren’t limited to men’s wear, and even among Noble women, they prefer to wear trousers underneath their ornamented skirts, that are shortened to avoid getting caught on the uneven paving.

Other than the ornamentation, there’s really not much difference in the dress between men and women when you’re talking about commoners. The men will sometimes wear plain skirt-like things in hot working conditions as well. They’re kind of like ... what are they called ... kilts?

Anyway, I don’t think that it’s just her dress and done-up hair giving the loli-hime a different atmosphere. There’s something else... like her entire aura is different.

Ah, while I’m at it ...

◤

NAME: Filessa Ilyos

TYPE: Human – Female – 130 Moons (conversion: 10 Years)

ANALYSIS: The daughter of a Noble stationed in Nyl City. The current holder of the Lance of Unrestraint.

ATTEMPTING TITLE ANALYSIS

Daughter of Knight Captain Ilyos of Carnus

Citizen of Carnus

Student of the Jr Magic Academy of Carnus

◣

Fumu. I see. It’s like Seimei-san said. The only titles that show up are those that are registered in the citizenship through the City and Country Cores. No wonder I hadn’t seen anyone with titles before now. Unaffiliateds only register with the Guild and aren’t tied down to an area or country.

Seimei-san is also correct in saying the rest of the analysis is pretty worthless. Analyze(iv) is basically the investigative skill everyone got in the game. Although Seimei-san doesn’t know why it has a iv after it now that we’re in another world.

It was mostly used to determine how to use quest items, or how to treat quest NPCs. The information given feels kind of random, and Seimei-san said that it used to only give information relevant to the quests. I wonder what kind of criteria it uses now to determine what to say ... When used on other players, it would give back the titles they had active. But there aren’t any stats or anything ...

It is an inferior version of the popular otherworld cheat from light novels ... haa...

By the way, apparently if I do a Trait Analysis, it only lists the traits the subject has and none of the passives or skills. Still, it could be helpful when I’m facing enemies, so maybe I should start getting used to triggering Analyze(iv) with the Trait Analysis too...

“Is Sir Knight Captain discussing the specifics of bringing other people from my house into Nyl City?”

“... I believe so.”

“Yes, he is. Greetings, Sir Baronet. I am Lady Henrietta Ilyos.”

“Greetings. It appears the young people of my house are troubling you.”

“Fufufu, not at all. This is the duty of my husband, after all. Ara, look at me, I’ve already forgotten what I was sent to do. The Duke would like you to join my husband in discussing the arrangements, Sir Baronet.”

A very serene, polite woman came down the curved staircase, speaking with Seimei-san. She had dark hair all pulled back, and was wearing a knee-length dress with a large slit up to the waist. Of course she’s wearing pants underneath. She was wearing a heavily, though tastefully, decorated blazer-like coat over the dress, which accentuates her figure.

Semei-san bowed his head lightly. It’s not as deep as a Japanese bow, but the people I’ve met so far don’t have a habit of bowing towards others, so I wonder if it’s just a habit he can’t get rid of from doing sales. Well, even I unconsciously lower my head a bit sometimes when greeting people on the street.

“Then, if you will excuse me...”

After standing to one side to allow Lady Henrietta to descend, Seimei-san heads up the stairs. Ragnall follows him after nodding his head towards Lady Henrietta, and then again at the loli-hime while he placed his hand on his sternum. It’s not snapped as smartly as the guards’ salute, but in this world, you mimic the salute of the country the Noble came from to show respect, especially if you’re an Unaffiliated. If you’re a citizen of a different country, accidentally using your own country’s salute is generally over-looked, but, maa, it can be a sensitive subject depending on who and to whom the saluting is done.

I also do it, nodding at both of the women, and am about to follow Seimei-san and Ragnall, when suddenly Lady Henrietta grabs my arm.

“Oh, Sir Baronet, can we borrow your cute guard?”

Ue? Me?! Wait a sec, Seimei-saaaan!

Seimei-san thinks for a second, then nods.

“I don’t believe the security of Sir Ilyos’ house should be questioned, so if it’s alright with Jun-kun, then go ahead. It might be better to accommodate the ladies of this house than appear in front of the Duke for an Unaffiliated?”

... Ah, he emphasizes the last part kind of strongly. Nn, that’s right, Seimei-san would prefer me to not appear before high-ranked nobility ... and though I don’t remember if “Duke” is koushaku with “ruler” or koushaku with “public”, and nor do I remember which one ranks higher, I’m pretty sure “Duke” is a ranking almost directly underneath beneath the King.

“... Understood.”

Although I’m saying that, as I’m being dragged away by an oddly excited Lady Henrietta and the loli-hime scowling with about the same intensity, I can’t help but look, somewhat distressed, at Seimei-san, who’s placing his hands together and *peko* lowering his head slightly as if to appease me. Ragnall is ... oi, you bastard. What’s with that huge grin? Tch. I’ve never seen someone so obviously taking joy in someone else’s discomfort.

Ah, it could be because he doesn’t have to deal with the loli-hime’s tantrums today. This guy ... if it’s too bothersome and he’s not paid for it, he’ll happily leave the trouble to someone else, huh?

“Oh my~, I forgot to prepare the tea... Filessa, mother will leave the guest to you for a moment.”

Eh-! They had only just led me to a sitting room before Lady Henrietta suddenly said that and wafted out of the room in a cloud of some flowery fragrance.

... Being left in the room with just the loli-hime is really awkward.

“Uh ... do you not have servants to help with this sort of situation?”

“As if we have the room to hire live-in servants.”

“Ah... is that so?”

“Father’s garrison lives here, so of course.”

“I see...”

Eh. So the reason this house is so big is because the Carnus militia under Sir Knight Captain lives here too. That’s kind of unexpected, that the Lady of the house would be ok with doing all the odds and ends of the housework ... ah, but there’s a chef, so maybe they hire people from the city who come in at certain set times, like a janitorial service.

Silence falls in the room. I was never good at small talk ... And why did they capture me anyway?! For girls’ talk? I don’t know how to do that, you know? Um ...

“W-would it have been better if Ragnall was here instead...?”

Uwaah. The loli-hime shoots me an icy cold glare.

“Why are you asking something like that?”

“Ah, no, well, you seem to be more attached to Ragnall...?”

“Even if that’s true, I’m not stupid. Even if you didn’t directly fight the Crystal Python, just because you came out of that fight without a scratch, I get that you’re strong and stuff... so even though I hate it, it’s not like I can do anything about the fact that you guys match up better ... even though I hate it.”

... A-are? Something about that statement kind of ...

“Um ... Oujo – er, Lady Filessa, what exactly do you think is the relationship between me and Ragnall?”

The loli-hime made a distinct *tsk* sound with her tongue and scowled, saying,

“The two of you are together, right?”

And exactly what do you mean by “together”?! Without even minding my blank look, she continued with,

“But just because you work well together doesn’t mean you’ll be a good couple forever, so ...”

Nononono!

“Hold on a minute, Ojou-san! I think you’re mistaking something! Our relationship is nothing like that, you know? Or like, it’s not really something you can call a relationship?”

If you had to say it’s something, it’s like a normal relationship between men? Even though I’m a woman now, it’s not like we have to have some sort of illicit relationship to be friendly, right?

The loli-hime is staring, wide-eyed, as I deny it. Her mouth is opening and closing wordlessly. As the blood rushes to her face, I say,

“What on earth made you think that we were together?”

“B-because you two are strong, and strong people suit each other...”

“But didn’t you just say it’s not like people who work well together will be a good couple?”

Oya, the loli-hime is bright red now.

“L-like I know! Stupid!”

Ahaha, now she’s acting like a normal kid. That’s a lot cuter than when she tries to act like how she thinks an adult should. I’ve always been the type of person who thinks kids should be kids as long as possible.

“What do you like about Ragnall, anyway?”

“That’s Ragnall-SAMA to you! He’s strong, and doesn’t treat me like just a kid, and he’s handsome.”

“... So that’s handsome, huh...”

No, well, he’s got a pretty normal looking face. It’s not just because I used to be a guy. If I had to say, Jericho gives off a more handsome look, or if you were into the ikemen look, it would probably be Lor, since he’s half-elven? Nn... maybe I still don’t have an eye for men. I’m mostly judging their faces by whether or not certain girls in the naginata club back in school would like them...

... that quite a few of them were “rotten” doesn’t really help me here, either.

-tte, this really puts the perspective on why they kept dragging me to participate in their club...

The loli-hime gives me a full-face pout and declares,

“Someone who doesn’t get Ragnall-sama’s charms doesn’t deserve to be with him, so break up!”

“I’m not with him though!?”

Anyway, Ragnall’s looking for other ... charms in women. Both the loli-hime and I don’t make the cut.

“A-aren’t you a little young for Ragnall ...sama?”

“It’s only a difference of under 10 years, isn’t it? Noble girls are married off around my age to men 2 or even 3 times their age, so it’s fine?”

Uwaa...

“I-I see... you’re ok with that?”

The loli-hime scowls.

“Whether I’m ok with it ... I don’t want to just be some ornament that other minor Nobles or merchant families try to use to sneak into my father’s house’s good graces. But even so, I don’t have the abilities to command like father, nor do I have the magic abilities like mother. The only thing I can do is marry someone who won’t bring shame to our house.”

... I see...

“So that someone is Ragnall?”

“Because he’s strong and isn’t easily swayed!”

“I don’t think he’s someone who’d like to be involved in politics, though...”

“And that’s why I have to use that lance to show him I’m strong enough to be his companion, capture his heart, and then convince him to take over the family house!”

... What do I comment on first?

Ragnall is definitely someone who will avoid being involved with Noble politics with all his might. No, before that, I can see him running from the prospect of becoming a citizen with any country.

And even if a 10 year gap isn’t taboo in this society, she’s at least 5 years too early to try to seduce the oppai-lover, Ragnall. Or like, he’s so busy with doing commissions, I haven’t seen him do anything more than ogle a woman’s assets.

Even though I let him know the queen of oppai, Erina-sama, said she wouldn’t mind treating him for half-price... He just laughed and said if he had money and time left over at the end of the month. Just what is he buying that drains his money like that?

But the thing I’m most bothered with is,

“Use that lance? Ah ... the Lance of Unrestraint, was it?”

Oh, oops. The words slipped out of my mouth since I was interested, but technically, I’m not supposed to know about that since I only found out with Analyze(iv).

“So you noticed after all.”

...Heh? I’m not sure what conclusion she came to, but the fact that I knew about her lance was wonderfully overlooked.

“It’s a magic weapon that lets me surpass my limits and makes me stronger and faster than I actually am. And more confident, too. I’m able to say whatever is on my mind without worries, so I can fl-flirt with Ragnall-sama better.”

She blushes when she says the word “flirt”. That behavior I saw before was flirting? It just made me think of a child trying to horde her toy for herself, though... but I don’t really understand that kind of thing anyway.

I’m more interested in the lance, to be honest.

“I did think it was strange you could carry it so easily... It makes you stronger and more confident, huh? Exactly how? Any demerits? How does it feel as a weapon?”

The loli-hime pulls back a little, but she tries to answer my rapid-fired questions.

“Um... I’m able to swing the heavy lance like it’s nothing as long as I’m carrying it, and I don’t feel like it’s necessary to watch my behavior? But when I let go of it, especially the next day, I hurt a lot all over, so I can’t go into the Labyrinth with Ragnall-sama more than once a week...”

From the beginning, something bothered me about that lance, how she said it worked...

“You hurt ... how. Is it just muscle aches?”

“N-no, sometimes it just hurts... like... “

“Sharp stabbing pains?”

“Y-yes... just sometimes...”

No doubt about it. That lance is bad news.

Oi, whoever made that lance, are you kidding!? That’s not something that lets you surpass your limits, that’s something that completely removes your self-control!

“Do not use that lance again. That’s not something anyone should be using-!”

I say that really angrily, and I think I shocked the loli-hime.

For a second, she’s speechless, but then she grits her teeth and says,

“Not all of us can be like you! You’re strong, powerful with magic, and pretty, and then you’re a master smith too! Some of us, some of us just don’t have anything at all!”

Ah, she’s about to cry.

It’s something that’s bothering her so much, huh? But she’s missing the danger, completely, so I allow myself to speak more aggressively.

“I don’t care about that. Or like, if you think you’re completely helpless, I think you’re wrong, but right now, that’s not the problem. It’s that lance. If you continue to use that lance, you will truly be left with nothing.”

The loli-hime is shocked into silence again, but this time she’s not aggressively biting back after a few seconds. Good. I continue.

“That lance doesn’t increase your limits, it removes your ability to feel restraints. It’s a very dangerous trait. Ojou-san, do you know why you can feel pain?”

The loli-hime shook her head without a fuss, despite me addressing her incorrectly.

“It’s to tell you when your body is going to break. To disregard it and continue to move past your limits, I think you’ve only been lucky that you haven’t gotten injured to a point where you won’t be able to move normally again.”

Ah, she’s turning pale now.

“Wh-what do you mean...”

“If it was only to the degree where your muscles ache, it would be fine. But you are moving until you have sharp pains – that could be a sign that you’re tearing your muscles. For a weapon to completely dull the pain as well as your restraint in even behavioral matters ... I can only say that is a dangerous weapon to the wielder.”

As for how the weapon can do such a thing... I already have my suspicions. Using magic to dull pain like an anesthetic, causing a hazy trance-like state ...

Although I haven’t determined a way to make healing magic work like in manga, using magic like a drug ... that is something I’ve accidentally discovered. Luckily I only made Lor quite drunk, but I’ve been forbidden to help him with his medicinal research... Even though I didn’t think his hangover was THAT bad...

However, this lance ... it’s not just a medicine-like drug. For some reason, even though it’s just based on instinct, I think this lance is like a dangerous stimulant in modern day Japan. I hope I’m wrong and it just boosts adrenaline or something, but I just have this really bad feeling...

“How long have you been using that lance?”

“A-a month.”

“How do you feel when you use it?”

“I feel really good, and I get really happy to go into the Labyrinth...”

“And when you stop using it?”

“... I don’t like to stop, but I don’t want Ragnall-sama to hate me if I go over our time ...”

It doesn’t seem too addicting, but it is, if only a little bit.

“... It’s not too late then.”

“Too late?”

“I would have to examine the lance to be sure, but I’m worried about Ojou-san’s health. It’s almost as if that lance was given to you so you would wreck your body and mind, and slowly become more and more dependent on it.”

“Is that true?”

Oh, that startled me. Lady Henrietta has come back in, holding a tray of teacups. She’s standing there, a fearsomely stern look on her face. It’s a complete 180 from her bubbly attitude from earlier.

... Actually, she’s kind of terrifying ...

“U-um, well, I’m about 90% sure...!”

With a *kon*, Lady Henrietta placed the try on the desk a bit roughly. I won’t deny I jumped a little.

“That man was suspicious after all...”

Although Lady Henrietta muttered it under her breath, I caught it with Augmented Body. They had their suspicions? Then why let your daughter use such a suspicious item!

“Filessa, you are not to use that lance further until it is appraised, do you understand? This has turned into a far more serious matter than I imagined.”

The loli-hime nods, pale-faced, as her mother gnawed on her lower lip pensively.

<a/n: Thank you ‘someone’, SW, RS, and Safaia for your donations!

Ugh... I couldn’t get into my characters’ heads for a while ... my brain was almost literally fried. Severe heatstroke and dehydration ... Anyway, I’m still a bit bitter over why it happened, so perhaps I should leave it there...>

Even if there’s a Sense of Foreboding that Something Bad is Coming, Sometimes there’s Nothing You can do but Go on with Your Day

I’m sitting there rigidly in front of two silent ladies. The mother, Lady Henrietta, is deep in thought, scowling, and the daughter, the loli-hi – I mean, Lady Filessa, is sitting there quietly, head hanging.

This ... this probably isn’t what they called me over by myself to talk about ... Although it’s an uncomfortable atmosphere, and although I probably let my interest in magic weapons go a little out of control, I don’t regret it at all. What kind of person would allow a weapon like that to exist?

Hmph. I’m seriously getting kind of angry.

Aah... but this heavy atmosphere is really uncomfortable...

Right when I was about to say whatever foolish thing I could think of, a sniffle sounded in the quiet room.

Big, translucent drops are dripping from the ojou-san’s face, hidden behind her bangs, into her lap.

Lady Henrietta is startled out of her murderous – I mean, deep thoughts.

“Filessa, dear ...?”

“Nn...*sob* Even though I was trying so hard not to be something that would drag f-father’s name down, and I thought I finally found something that would help me, in the end, I was just being used to hurt him anyway.”

She’s crying quite hard now. I feel like this is something I shouldn’t be here, listening to the ojou-san’s breakdown.

“I’m just ... a ... f-failure ... I can’t be as strong as f-father, or m-mother ... I’m only someone who will ruin our house... Everything I try to do...”

Lady Henrietta holds her daughter close. Even though the ojou-san can’t see her, I, who can see Lady Henrietta’s eyes, can see that she doesn’t know what to say.

Mother-san, if even you are holding those thoughts in your head, there’s little wonder that the daughter will be so sensitive to this idea.

There is no child that starts out as a failure!

“Isn’t it ok? You’re still a child after all.”

The ojou-san turns her face towards me, covered in tears and snot, and yells

“I’m not just a child-! There’s more to being a Noble’s child than a commoner’s child!”

Yeah, I can see that ... there’s little doubt that the pressure is getting to her.

“Ah, sorry. That’s not how I meant it. I meant that, before a certain age, people can learn all sorts of things easier, so right now, you should take advantage of it. Instead of forcing yourself to take on responsibilities beyond your ability, what you should do now is just build up your abilities.”

The ojou-san hiccupped once or twice as her crying lessened. She seemed to be thinking it over carefully. Finally, she said,

“H-how...?”

“Isn’t it just fine to go down to the Labyrinth and train your strength slowly every day? With magic too, and politics; you have time to study and learn a little bit of everything. And as you steadily learn more and more, you will be able to see a bigger picture than you can now. What’s the most important thing you need to focus on, what you can do to improve your house’s situation; if you don’t know that right now, if you feel helpless, just learn.”

Though I’m just quoting my homeroom teacher from middle school ... His words stuck with me all this time, so I hope they will have some effect on the ojou-san too.

“But ... I don’t have any talent for those things...”

“Ojou-san, a teacher I greatly respected told me this about talent; talent is only just a shortcut to being good at something. Although you might have to work twice as hard, someone without talent can reach the level of someone with talent. As long as you have the determination to never let anything get in your way, to work through all the tough spots, and struggle without giving up, at the end of your journey, no one will be able to say that you didn’t have talent.”

This too was something from that same middle school teacher. Although I wasn’t any good at the liberal arts courses and wanted to give up, he kept coming to me, and in the end I managed at least a 53 in English... Haa ... if only learning a language was as easy as just memorizing the alphabet ... My learning of Lorwian in this world is also stalling after I remembered the characters ...

The ojou-san pressed her lips tightly together, then gave a small nod and a hiccup.

“Then tomorrow...”

“Tomorrow, you will rest, dear. You, you are still in a little bit of pain, are you not?”

“That’s-“

Lady Henrietta smiles tenderly but firmly at her daughter.

“If you destroy your body, you can’t do anything. My dear Filessa, your father and I want you to grow up strong and wise, but that strength isn’t just for the military. The strength to know your limits, the strength to know when you must rely on someone else; that is also an important role of a Noble.”

Oh, so you can say good things too, Mother-san.

The ojou-san finally nodded as her mother sent her upstairs to rest. That’s right, you have to start with a healthy body and healthy mind. ... Though it was Lady Henrietta’s hinting that Ragnall and Seimei-san might come down soon that finally sent the ojou-san scurrying to her room, ashamed of her tear-streaked face.

Lady Henrietta turned towards me, then bowed her head from her seated position. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping us catch that before something irreversible happened. Although I was only curious in the girl my husband has spoke highly of, to have you speak with my daughter, I am grateful for your attentions.”

“No no, please raise your head ...”

Ah, that’s right, there’s no custom to bow to people of higher status, so maybe it’s not an embarrassment for a Noble to lower their heads in deep gratitude to a commoner. I wonder how these people would react to a dogeza...

Lady Henrietta sighed, picking up a cup of somehow-still-hot tea. There’s a strong magic glow around the cups; looking closely, there’s a magic circuit, huh ... hm... there’s a lot of mana leaking from the circuit though, so I don’t think it can keep the tea hot for more than half an hour ... ah. My bad habit.

I quickly shift my attention back to Lady Henrietta.

“This is completely my mismanagement. A man from a trader’s organization said he had hoped to make Sir Ilyos’ acquaintance, and yet he came at a time when Sir Ilyos was occupied with other matters and could not meet him. Though it should have been alright to return another time with the gifts he had hoped would please my husband, he left them with the excuse that it would be too much trouble to bring them back ... I had thought it strange that he left them behind with only a promise to come again, and no name of the organization he belonged to, but the lance pleased my daughter... I am such a fool, thinking that there’s no way a weapon that had no visible affects would harm her...”

So they dote on her, these two parents... Even if it didn’t explode into flames or have some sort of booby-trap, there’s no excuse for letting down your guard.

But aside from that...

“Did that man ever come back?”

“No. It’s been a month, and I’ve become more and more worried about it... And although she felt pain, I thought it no more than simple muscle aches ...”

Lady Henrietta seems very vexed at herself for not noticing the danger her daughter was in. Well, I suppose I would be upset too.

Because she’s in front of a guest, she’s trying to hold it in, but Lady Henrietta’s hands are trembling.

“She doesn’t seem to have too much trouble moving, so I believe Ojou- Lady Filessa will recover well, and her experiences in real combat in the Labyrinth should serve her well, so as long as she doesn’t continue to use the lance, there is nothing but good that came out of it.”

In response to my words, Lady Henrietta gives a small smile.

“I also thank you for giving her new hope. Ever since she’s gone to the Magic Academy in the capital during the spring and summer seasons, it seems the influence of other Nobles’ children have begun to give her a complex ... her father was originally a commoner, and her pride doesn’t take the teasing all that well.”

“I see. Um ... this might be over-stepping my boundaries, but ... is it alright for her to want to make Ragnall her husband despite her status...?”

Lady Henrietta’s eyes went wide, then she laughed.

“Oh dear me; so she’s still thinking that ... Ah, that girl. It’s because her father is impressed with Ragnall’s abilities and holds him in high regards, so I suppose she has it in her head that he’s someone Sir Ilyos hopes will succeed the family.”

“... I can only see it as being disastrous, though...”

“Filessa has some time to grow up before she has to understand what she’s looking for. She is truly fortunate to have a father who started as a commoner, and prioritizes his daughter’s heart over a Noble’s duties.”

I wonder how Lady Henrietta’s situation was, to be married to Sir Ilyos, but I decide not to say anything. There’s no good that will come out of being too nosy ...

Maa, I tried to help Ragnall out, but it looks like Lady Henrietta is just going to wait and let the ojou-san grow out of her obsession with him. My condolences.

◇◇◇

“Jun-kun... the atmosphere was kind of strange when we came in, and the ojou-chan wasn’t there. What happened?”

As we strolled along Nyl City’s steep streets, Seimei-san asked that question, curious about what had occurred while they were away.

“I wonder ... something kind of serious, though it’s also kind of a family matter, so ...”

I mean, if Lady Henrietta had told Sir Ilyos about the mysterious man, or if they didn’t indulge the ojou-chan before they had everything completely appraised ... I sigh and continue, saying,

“Well, the ojou-san’s magic weapon was a bit dangerous for her, and so it seems there are some concerns... Also, I think she was bullied when she went to school, and had a lot of pressure put on her.”

“Hm...”

Seimei-san frowned, then sighed.

“Well, as long as nothing bad happened between the 3 of you, I suppose I don’t need to know the specifics.”

“No, wait, it kind of concerns you, because the conclusion we reached is that there’s someone targeting the people from Carnus after all...”

Seimei-san makes a sour face.

“Ah ... I see. That makes me more nervous, if they were targeting the Ilyos household’s daughter. Haa... I wish I had the full use of my magic.”

Seimei-san says that last part while purposefully turning “Translate” off. No, well, I get that it’s better to be cautious, but there’s no way Ragnall doesn’t already know, you know ...

“Then if we can stop by the glass manufactory, I can do something about that ...”

Ragnall shrugs, although he didn’t understand a part of that conversation, and says with a laugh,

“It seems like that’s important, since Jun keeps saying it, so maybe we’ll go there first.”

My plan is to change the settings I had used to hold the stones in the rings. Right now, some of the rings are prong-set and some of them are channel set, to make them appear like they come from different makers, but I think I will have to change the prong set to be something like two edges of the stone are encased in metal.

I’ll modify them so that the metal bits are lined with a thin layer of glass, and then for the glass covers, I’ll facet them a little bit too.

I also have some ideas for draining the stones, but that will be for later.

◇◇◇

With the help of Old Man Harulf and the other glass fanatics at the manufactory, it didn’t take long before I had a small sheet of very thin glass, and a small sheet of a little thicker glass.

They weren’t sure what I was going to do with it, and were downright shocked when I began to cut the pieces. I kind of knew how to do it, but with Seimei-san’s help, I scored the part I wanted to cut, then broke the glass along the line. Mm, it worked nicely.

Along the tops of the stone, I cut and polish the glass like I would with a gemstone, making a really nice, gemstone-in-gemstone effect.

For some reason, the glass workers are acting like this is something amazing...

“We’ve always just made things the exact right size...”

“That’s right, to think it would clean up so nicely with a polish...”

“Khrystel loses its transparency along its cut or scraped edges, and you can’t buff it out at all...”

Did they really not investigate glass to this degree?

“The structure of glass is different from khrystel, after all. Thin blades of glass are used for precise cuts in surgery and nano-technology.”

Seimei-san, there’s no way nano-technology is going to translate well.

He continues.

“Because of that, the way light bounces around inside the glass, it’s also possible to make things like magnifying glasses and telescopes that can make far away things seem nearer, or tiny things appear bigger without the use of magic.”

Uun... I didn’t think about that earlier, because there are magic tools that take the place of those things, and Skills like Farsight, but now that I think about it, not having to maintain a Skill to see far away might be beneficial for long-term reconnaissance. Also when working with sensitive magic circuits, using something that doesn’t need magic to magnify the view would help in reducing magic contamination.

But those things are still going to be products for a minority. Although they have their benefits, the people in this world trust something with magic far over something without. Even though the glass ossans are getting all worked up about trial-and-error-ing telescopic lenses, in the end, I can’t see there being a lot of demand ...

Seimei-san seems to think the same. Although he’s smiling at the ossans’ excitement, I can see his eyebrows twitching in dissatisfaction.

It seems like Seimei-san, too, has some interest in making glass succeed, as a former citizen of a world where glass became commonplace.

You Know those Puzzles where You have to Balance both Sides to Get them to Equal Each Other? What are They Called … Oh Right, Algebra.

“The two of you seem really interested in glass.”

Ragnall said after taking a swig from his mug.

It’s just steeped borlas root and honey, since he’s on the job. He’s surprisingly conscientious of not drinking on the job, though I only notice because that’s what Niera told me.

The 3 of us are at The Cave Bear for lunch. It’s not as busy during the day, since most of the Adventurers are busy on the job, either in the Labyrinth or out of it, and bring lunch or buy it from the food stalls.

“Hm... it’s something that succeeded very well in our hometown. With it, we’ve made great breakthroughs, from seeing things so small the eye can’t see them, to seeing the true forms of the stars.”

Seimei-san says this casually.

I choke on my food. Hang on a sec, Seimei-san!

“Heeeh, that’s amazing! So what are those stars in the sky?”

Ragnall innocently asks that, and Seimei-san suddenly realizes the problem with what he just said.

The stars in this world aren’t real! Lights of unknown origin, created by magic, and above all, the Starfall-! These are NOT the stars we know about!

There’s a few seconds of awkward silence.

“That is ... the stars here are different than the stars back in our homeland...”

I say, struggling to come up with some excuse.

“Nn, that’s the case. I don’t recognize the formation of the stars in this sky, and that’s why we’re having such problems trying to determine where our homeland is located.”

Seimei-san glosses over the rest of the explanation. It would probably be best to avoid all topics related to outer space in a world with a fake night sky.

Ragnall reads the mood and avoids asking any more questions.

I seriously wonder what he thinks about Seimei-san and me, with our crazy magical abilities and strange common sense. Thank goodness for Adventurers who are only interested in things that directly concern them!

The rest of the day after lunch is mostly just sight-seeing.

I’m a little surprised that I know my way around Nyl City better than Ragnall, but maa, he spends most of his time in the Labyrinth, so I guess that’s to be expected.

I take Seimei-san to various tourist spots that the locals suggested, as well as introducing him to the various artisans I’ve gotten to know.

Ah, but not to Helward’s forge. There’s something like needing an introduction to tour that particular forge. My influence can only go so far, and I shouldn’t make myself a nuisance more than necessary.

“I see. This city is so stable because there’s steady industry. Resources from the surrounding mines as well as from within the Labyrinth are directly turned into processed goods immediately on the spot, so to speak. There’s never a shortage of work, and there’s never a shortage of money flowing in and out. Really a stable, peaceful Adventurer’s city.”

As expected of Seimei-san, he can tell just with one pass through the city.

◇◇◇

“So you think you’ll stay here for a while, Seimei-san?”

[“Ah. Yeah. This is basically the environment I was looking for, so as long as the matter with people aiming for my life gets sorted out, I’d like to stay indefinitely. Won’t you do something about that, Jun-kun~?”]

Jeez. He says it in a teasing way like he’s just saying it to be coy, but you know, that’s what I was planning on doing?

I don’t like some dark, nefarious organization lurking in the shadows either, you know.

[“A-ano... Jun-kun... you seriously... aren’t thinking about doing something ... You’ve gone silent, though...”]

“Ah ... right, I won’t get in over my head. Anyway, how are those rings working?”

[“Don’t change the subject. I was kidding, so don’t ...”]

“Seimei-san, if you want to go into the Labyrinth tomorrow, it would be best if those rings are working.”

[“Fumu... well, according to the gauge, they’re already 1/12 full, all around...”]

Ugh. Already?! Although I somehow used Analyze so that Seimei-san can see how much magic each of the Higher Craeftite had absorbed, relatively, to think that it was so full so soon. If it’s like this, he’ll have to drain and switch the rings at least 3 times a day.

Ah, by the way, that’s not Analyze(iv), that’s Analyze without any sort of denomination. It’s this world’s magic, called “Analyze”. In this world, pedigrees, names, components, etc, there are many things that can be registered with magic, and you can use this Analyze to see them.

Put another way, only the names and pedigrees that can be seen with Analyze are considered your “true” names and pedigrees.

I wish Analyze(iv) was as quantifying when it tells us things ...

At the same time, Analyze doesn’t give any sort of background information.

While Analyze(iv) gives:

◤

NAME: Filessa Ilyos

TYPE: Human – Female – 130 Moons (conversion: 10 Years)

ANALYSIS: The daughter of a Noble stationed in Nyl City. The current holder of the Lance of Unrestraint.

ATTEMPTING TITLE ANALYSIS

Daughter of Knight Captain Ilyos of Carnus

Citizen of Carnus

Student of the Jr Magic Academy of Carnus

◣

Analyze gives:

◤

NAME: Filessa

AGE: 130 Moons

CITIZEN: Carnus

STATUS: Heir of House Ilyos (Knight Captain of Carnus), 68th Ranked Student (Jr Magic Academy of Carnus)

◣

I want to find a way to use both at the same time.

Analyze is a difficult spell due to its delicate treatment of magic, and it’s usually used off a limited-use Scroll by Merchants. People who have mastered it are well-paid, working in the government usually, or sometimes as assistants to wealthy merchants. There is even a gate-guard who is called on to verify identities with Analyze, although he’s only summoned in extraordinary cases.

Maa, well, if you can see the flow of magic and control it to a reasonable degree, it’s not impossible to pick it up ... un.

Seimei-san does not agree. Instead, I’ve enchanted a pair of khrystel glasses with Analyze. They’re limited-use, but the limit is pretty broad. About 5000 times, compared to the 1-5 times per Scroll.

I have a feeling Lor would object, but well, it’s because khrystel can hold more magic information with enchants than magos fiber paper.

They were also expensive, and if it weren’t for my connections with the Crafters of Nyl City, who knows how far down the wait-list it would have been to get two small circles of khrystel...

Maa, khrystel was something I definitely wanted to play with no matter what, so I don’t mind shouldering the cost. Quite a portion of the reward from my share of the Crystal Python bounty is gone, though.

Anyway, Seimei-san is now a glasses character. If he runs out of uses for the Analyze spell, I’ll have to disenchant and then re-enchant them, so I cautioned him not to use it for too many things other than checking his rings.

Not that it’s actually that much of a pain for me to do, but running out while I’m not around would be ... ah, there’s the item attachment function on Friend Chat, isn’t there? Hm...

But anyway ... I think I will have to make a portable magic draining tool as well as the less portable one I have already mostly put together.

The reason I used rings and not a choker or bracelet was partly because they would be less conspicuous to remove and replace, although I hadn’t factored 13 of them, but also because it was just right for the circuit ... or I should say, BOTH circuits.

The ring by itself sucks magic into the focal point of the existing circuit, the Higher Craeftite. But plug the ring into this other circuit, engraved into the silver here, and the magic is pulled in the opposite direction, out of the stone and into the uncut Higher Craeftite that you install at the other end of the device.

In other words, the ring is a circuit in itself, but it also completes a different circuit.

Haa... getting the second circuit to work like that with just plug-and-play took quite a bit of trial and error.

By the way, the uncut Higher Craeftite are each mounted in small glass bowls with a craeftite silver fitting.

They’re products of the glass ossans practicing blown glass, at Seimei-san’s encouragement.

He was telling them all sorts of things, about how they can’t view glass like metal-working, even though khrystel can be worked in that way.

I really want to know how Seimei-san knows all this stuff. I wonder if he was a glass salesman... probably not, huh?

Anyway, right now we’re testing the rings and magic draining ring-stand with Seimei-san in his house and me at the Guild’s forge. Something about it being bad if a Noble and a girl were alone together ... even though nobody would care at all if we were both men, keh.

“So how is it?”

[“Un, it seems to be going well.”]

To tell the truth, I’ve already tested it out by myself to make sure everything worked, so now I’m just making sure Seimei-san knows how to use it.

[“Haha, it’s like having to recharge my phone every night.”]

“That’s a very un-fantasy way of thinking about it. It seems like they’ll last for a little over 8 hours, so please adjust the timing accordingly for when you sleep.”

[“Roger. Haa... Jun-kun, I’m not going to lie, I’m kind of tired of playing the powerless fool. Now that I finally have the chance, is there somewhere in the Labyrinth I can freely play with my Skills?”]

“I don’t know about ‘freely’ playing with your Skills, and I’m not too familiar with the Labyrinth myself. Ragnall would know better than me.”

[“I see.”]

... Un. I should make a few more rings for back up.

“Hey Seimei-san, what are you going to do now?”

[“Hm? Ah ... you mean, in general, huh?”]

“Ah, yeah.”

[“The Labyrinths are things that have existed since the beginning of time in this world, right?”]

“Nn... according to the people in this world, yeah.”

[“Is there any better place to look for lost magic to travel between worlds?”]

“Ah ... so that’s what you’re doing.”

[“Yeah. I’m not so sure I’m ready to go back to my overworked lifestyle, but some of the others haven’t given up, so I’m going to do my best to lend them a hand. I came here because there weren’t any leads in the capital of Carnus.”]

... I haven’t even thought about returning. That’s true, though ... there are people back home who would be worried, aren’t there?

[“But don’t get me wrong, that’s not all I’m going to do. There’s a chance that we can’t ever go back, so I was thinking I wanted to do something about the health system in this world.”]

“What do you mean?”

[“Hm... it’s, see, there’s a lot of things that are as good as modern day Japan, but there’s also a lot of things that seem like they’re still back in some feudal era. Medicine is one of them. If there was healing magic like in LN, it would be ok, but there’s only surgery on the level of bone-setting here. Medicines are too expensive, and there’s only anesthetics, mana pots, and health potions.”]

Just so you know, the medicine is called ‘health potion’, but the only thing it does is boost the body’s natural recovery.

“That’s true. Though I heard that there are some people that can use that OP healing-type magic.”

[“Fuu-n... no, well, they understand the theory behind it, but no one understands the human body well enough to actually heal. You’d need a surgeon’s knowledge to connect all the blood vessels and everything, and it just doesn’t seem like any one has it.”]

So that information Lor told me about is still all theoretical knowledge.

“... Well, it’s true that I kind of got the impression that people here just slap a lot of magic to speed the healing process on wounds and illnesses, and then they just pray it will go well... But Seimei-san, you don’t have that type of knowledge, like for surgery or whatever, right?”

[“Not only that, but I can’t use anything other than dark-cast magic~!”]

Why do you sound so proud of yourself, oi.

“Then -“

[“But anyway, just knowing or being able to cast healing magic like that – I mean, just having 1 healer won’t change the current situation. What we need is a systematic change. What we need to show isn’t just that it’s possible, but that it’s possible for ordinary people to learn it.”]

“... That sounds impossible.”

[“Is it? There are medical schools in Japan, you know? Although I think they’re extraordinary, I can’t say that med-students are blessed with OP cheat skills or something, right? Through education and hard work, they become people who can save lives. Well, the thing I’m proposing is something along those lines. Methodical data taking to discover symptom correlations and the ways to alleviate them, and hands on knowledge on how the human body works.”]

“Seimei-san ... who exactly are you, from Japan? I’ve noticed it all day, but you have some really interesting knowledge on all sorts of things.”

[“Fufufu, just a sales employee of a company that sells hospital and healthcare equipment to high-end hospitals and nursing homes~? Maa, when you have to flatter old, rich geezers, you have to have a lot of information about their hobbies~.”]

... I understand even less about what people in the sales department of a company do now. But, even though I haven’t met all of the others, I do know that Seimei-san was probably the perfect person to “play Noble” out of all of us Japanese.

“But ... is it going to go well, do you think?”

[“Mm... well... it’s definitely going to be a long-term project... like, several generations, maybe. I suppose it’s expected, but starting medical history from scratch is ...”]

Seriously. It sounds impossible.

[“For now I want to focus on medicines and the magic part of old housewife remedies or something, so I came to a Labyrinth City. Haa... if only there was someone already compiling things like this ...”]

... A-are? Hang on. No, I don’t know if he’s been compiling remedies or whatever,  but isn’t there someone...

“Ne, Seimei-san, so are you looking for, like, an assistant?”

<A/n: Thanks Sjouren for the donation!>

Sometimes, People just Need to Walk Away from Things and Punch Something

Kong kong kong

It’s been one day since we started dungeon diving.

Seimei-san’s guards were really against him staying overnight in the Labyrinth, but when Ragnall suggested they come with us if they were so worried, the Captain said,

“Hmph! What do you think we are? We’re only guards of Sir Baronet’s property!”

... What exactly do you want, oi.

Kong kong kong

“Seimei-san, don’t slip. You don’t have anything that can help you survive this fall, right?”

“Hm... it would be ... improvised at best. But don’t worry about me, you two just worry about yourselves.”

“We were fine the first time, so it should be fine even if we fall.”

Ragnall, I didn’t actually want to tell Seimei-san that... Ah, don’t look down at us, Seimei-san, keep your eyes on the rails.

“...”

As expected, Seimei-san has no idea how to respond to that.

We’re climbing down the shortcut made by the Crystal Python down to the 3rd level, our steps on the metal bars embedded in the side of the stone sides echoing through the tunnel. The Guild works fast ... no, I think it was some Kobold miners who put a huge reward on the commission to put these rails in. It will reduce the distance to get to the 4th level mines greatly.

But beside that ... the sides of the tunnel really are stone, huh? It’s not compacted dirt at all, it’s genuinely stone. So this is the power of Earth Magic. The bars were put in with Earth Magic too, from a construction firm.

That firm does a lot of mine fortification too, so the rails ... shouldn’t collapse.

From the end of the tunnel to the floor of the 3rd level, that is, from the ceiling to the floor, a long, gently winding staircase spirals down a man-made stone mountain. Although a ladder would probably be more efficient, after 4 hours of vertical climbing, it’s a welcome break.

Because Ragnall said, “The Labyrinth is big enough that you won’t run into too many parties below the 2nd level. I’d suggest the 4th level, if you’re just interested in touring.”

Ah, because he’s used to leading high-paying Nobles around the Labyrinth, he knows all the “tourist” spots, huh? So I thought, but it’s all information he’s heard from Adventurers that specialize solely as guides.

The 3rd level, the one that snake dropped us to previously, is a bunch of ruins so difficult to navigate that there are many people who make a living just guiding people through to the further levels.

But, maa, the major paths are clearly marked, so we won’t get lost easily.

“Haa... I don’t know how you two are able to do it. I’m exhausted just coming down the tunnel. Is this why you predicted a full day for moving to the 3rd floor?”

Seimei-san is breathing heavily. Well, yeah, a 2 hour descent, a half hour rest in the shallow cave dug out halfway down, and then another 1 hour descent ... normal people would have collapsed of exhaustion from the first 2 hours.

Like his avatar, Seimei-san is only strong in magic attacks, huh?

“Yeah. They’re thinking about putting a wind-platform in to make it easier to use this shortcut, but it will take some time, so we can only climb.”

A wind platform is basically an elevator using wind power. There are some problems with mounting the tracks and platform on the side of the tunnel, so they’re boring a smaller tunnel into the rock just beneath the surface.

If they discarded precision and just smashed through like the Crystal Python, it wouldn’t take a year of construction...  aah, well, it’s impossible to expect the force of a creature designed to bore through rocks while chasing their prey in a bunch of construction workers.

The gnome and dwarf mechanics have been enthusiastically working on the project, which is why I heard about it. Maa, to be honest, most of the miners stay in the base-camp in the mines on the 4th floor for months at a time, so this shortcut is more just an extra convenience. It will be nice for running supplies though...

With baggage, the trek to the 4th floor through the original route is 3-4 days. When they can finally use this shortcut, once they get the wind platform built in, it will probably be reduced to 2 days for a supply run.

By the way, I will probably just drop from the 2nd level to the 3rd in the future. I don’t think I will ever be able to ride that wind platform, encased in a rock tube.

I can survive the fall pretty easily, and it would be a good chance to practice various emergency landings.

By no means am I just making excuses because of my claustrophobia...

Splish splash

“The ground really is covered in several centimeters of water. Amazing that the ruins aren’t just eroded away.”

Seimei-san lightly splashes in the shallowly submerged floor of the ruins.

It’s limestone and marble, but it’s enchanted limestone and marble.

Because the floor and toppled buildings are all white, it kind of feels like the ruins of some ancient, advanced civilization, but I’m not sure how “advanced” it is in relation to today’s city construction. Certainly, people don’t build solely in stone anymore, but I feel like the brick and wood houses aren’t lacking in magic technology, at least.

Well, it might just be a lost history, like the pyramids or something.

“I think the Labyrinth itself is maintaining it. I noticed it before, but it’s an eerie space that pulsates in magic...”

I lightly tap the side of a stone column as I say it.

Nngh, it has a really “sticky” feeling. I mean, not physically. It’s slick and cold physically. But with my ability to sense magic ... un, it has a really sticky feeling.

Is Ragnall ok with this-?

Is what I thought, but he was fine before and he looks like he’s fine now. Even the Crystal Python’s miasma didn’t affect him too poorly.

The extent of Seimei-san’s magic aura is seriously terrifying. Demon King, aren’t you going to become the Demon King?

I was joking when I asked him that, but he seriously considered it.

Seimei-san, when we get to the hunting spot in these ruins, please relieve your stress all you want ...

◇◇◇

“... There’s nothing left.”

Ragnall looks mournfully at the splatter on the side of a ruin.

Although we haven’t reached the hunting spot yet, of course there are still monsters around.

Marble Lizards blend in with the ruins and attack out of nowhere. Though, with Ragnall and my magic detection, we can spot them before they attack.

Watching Ragnall mourn the lack of materials to bring back and sell, I have a little pity on him and turn to Seimei-san.

“Ok, Seimei-san, sorry, but I’ll have to ask you to hold back a little...”

“... That was my lowest level spell though...”

Yes, but there isn’t a thing left of the lizard the size of a small car. Although I tried to teach him how to adjust the magic power released in a spell, it looks like Skills brought over from the game in the other world are kind of on auto-pilot. He only needs to yell out the name and perform the maneuvers from the game, and it casts.

How cheat ... but how inflexible.

When your weakest spell disintegrates your prey ... well...

In the first place, was Dark Magic something that could vaporize things? What is “Dark Magic”, anyway?

Out of the elements, Earth, Air, Water, Fire, Light, and Dark, Light and Dark are things I don’t really understand very well. In a game you can use it without worrying about exactly what it is, but when it’s reality ... somehow, not understanding doesn’t feel too good.

“It’s fine Jun, this is part of the job, right...”

I feel like you’re going to cry rivers of blood though, Ragnall... He was probably excited to be taking Seimei-san to a more dangerous hunting spot full of rare monsters, since the prey can be considered a side profit, but if the monsters just go *poof* ...

I mentally add, try to train Seimei-san in magic control, to my list of things to do. Although ... I might not be the best teacher. Since I have to introduce Lor to him anyway, I’ll let Lor do it.

And if that doesn’t work, I guess I should ask Old man Harulf.

◇◇◇

I hadn’t been there myself before, but the hunting grounds Ragnall is leading us to is deep in the heart of the Water Maze.

Technically, it’s an easy path to remember. You just keep taking the stairs downwards.

I’m still relieved that there are markings that direct us there, because the staircases aren’t always right in front of you.

As for why they bothered marking this path, of course it’s because the tough monsters are rare materials and delicacies highly prized by Craftsmen and chefs above ground, but also because there are few guides who desire being in such close quarters with death.

It’s a dangerous place, ne?

This dangerous place is called the Water Corridor.

I remember idly thinking that it was an uninspiring name. Because there’s water on the ground they call the 3rd level the Water Maze, so because there’s water on the ground, they’ll call it a Water Corridor, huh?

“Yeah, so here’s the spot.”

... Ah. The Water Corridor. I see.

Ragnall stood in the entrance of the vast expanse of decorated marble. Over it, wide walkways crossed the skies with stoic pillars that no longer hold the roof overhead. In the center of the room was a hexagonal pavilion with marble pillars stretching to the sky, and a spiral staircase spun upwards in the center of it.

But the sheer majesty of the marble and stonework wasn’t what took our breaths away.

Floating blocks of shimmering water are stretched through the air like the walkways.

Other than the floor, ah, the corridors in this room are made of enchanted water ... is what it looks like at first, but the longer I look at it, the more I realize that those blocks feel like they’re more magic than water.

I’m sorry, I don’t really understand the composition either. All I can say is that it’s not water that’s been enchanted, but magic that’s something like water.

But you know, there’s only water-like substance and marble in this hall. To call it a hunting ground...

“Seimei-san and Jun stay here, behind the doorway.”

Cautioning us with one hand, Ragnall throws the body of a Marble Lizard out into the center of the glistening “hallway” in front of us.

A few short seconds passed, then...

*Gabo-*

A large glistening, fish(?) like monster leapt out of the water-like substance and snatched it up, disappearing with a splash into the water-like substance on the other side.

Although that “water” looks transparent, there’s no sign of the monster other than the ripples it left upon re-entry.

“So yeah, it’s like that. The monsters in this room are known as Mage Hunters. They’re nasty things that love to devour anything with magic and mana. The only place in this room that’s safe is the center, with the stairs.”

Come to think of it, there aren’t even plants growing in this hall.

Seimei-san looks around, interested.

“Are they from another dimension?”

“Um ... there are people who think they’re monsters that dwell in magic itself, and can only take shape through this water. By the way, the water is also an expensive and rare ingredient for potions and material refining.”

“Is it because you’ll immediately be attacked if you try to get some?”

“Yes. Though, thanks to that, anytime there’s a slow time for commissions, it’s an easy way to make money. Though I have to be careful not to flood the market.”

“Ragnall-san doesn’t have trouble getting the water?”

“Ah...”

Ragnall walks straight out into the corridor.

After 15 seconds, there’s still nothing happening.

“I wonder if I don’t smell tasty or something.”

Ragnall shrugs carelessly.

“Oh, I see...”

Fumu fumu. Yeah, I understand. It’s not like it’s repulsive or anything, but everytime I happen to catch Ragnall in sight when using Magic Sensory, there’s just something wrong. Like, a flicker of static or something that runs through his mana. Although his magic aura seems normal.

I haven’t asked about it yet.

Ragnall gives me a look, like, what’s THAT supposed to mean?

I change the subject.

“So ... I guess most of the commissions that are directed to you are for hunting here then.”

“Yeah, although people who enjoy tackling these monsters are rare, and I can’t hunt them myself since they won’t come out for me. I’ve gone fishing before with monster corpses and the like, but the big guys don’t show up for small prey like that.”

...

“Ragnall. Don’t tell me you’re using Seimei-san as bait.”

“Of course not. Since we’re looking for tough monsters in the first few levels of the Labyrinth, this place is a natural candidate.”

You’re avoiding looking at me, though. Ah, your eyes are swimming!

“Fufufu, it’s fine. It sounds like a lot of fun, to be honest.”

Seimei-san steps up with a grin.

I forgot, he has a lot of stress built up, huh?

Ragnall, I don’t think you’ll be getting a lot of materials off the monsters this time down... It seems like he’s already resigned himself to that.

“Alright, well that central spot with the stairs is a safe zone, so when it gets too bad, run for that and the monsters will disappear.”

“It’s kind of like survival mode in Hunter’s Drive, huh? Aggro everything and the run into the tower when you’re swamped”

“Oh, Jun-kun, you played that MMO too?”

“Masaki dragged me into it.”

“Ah, I see.”

“... Ok then.”

Recently, Ragnall has become quite good at ignoring things Seimei-san and I talk about when it consists of terms he doesn’t understand. It’s a blessing, but sometimes I worry that he’ll call us out on something one of these days.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he suspects us of being from another world.

<A/n: thanks draugor for the donation!

... The cutoff seriously makes this chapter kind of short. I didn’t realize that at the time... >

Everything in Moderation is a Good Thought to Live By, but Sometimes it’s Just not Possible

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“Oooh. Jun-kun, doesn’t that remind you of something?”

“... Ah, yeah.”

“The Leviathan from the game ...”

“Don’t say it!”

A massive, snaking body with the fierce head of a dragon with a slim, pointy, angular snout reminiscent to a marlin’s. Two long limbs extended from its body, and from them draped a membrane with a glistening shine. At the end of its tail were fin-like crystalline protrusions that acted like rudders of a ship, guiding its rear half as it sailed through the air.

Although it’s not as big as the Crystal Python, it is still quite large.

And very hungry.

As soon as Seimei-san and I stepped out into the Water Corridor, this big catch came flying out.

“... An elemental drake...”

As expected, the tremble of excitement in Ragnall’s voice indicates we just reeled in a big catch.

Now the question is, which element...

Ka-rrack!

A bolt of ice shoots through the air.

Ah, an ice drake. It’s not going to be THAT bad, if it’s ice...

I’m having that kind of thought, but THAT kind of thought is a pretty ridiculous thought.

It’s a drake, you know, a drake! It’s the kind of thing that can be considered on the degree of a natural disaster. With a speed and agility that’s hard to match, it weaves through the air, alternately spraying ice and then swooping down at us with its fangs bared.

But at least it’s not an electric drake.

Anyway, just the drake by itself is enough to promise a tough fight, but there are a lot of other hungry looking monsters making their appearance. Continuously ... making ... appearances...

What the heck!

Wyrms, wyverns, nagas, kelpies, manticores, chimeras ... these are the types of monsters that are considered myths even in this world, and they’re coming out non-stop!

It’s like we are fighting a boss fight with endless elite mobs flooding in!

And all these monsters are coming in, mouths gaping wide open, aiming for Seimei-san and me. Although the monsters aren’t attacking Ragnall right out of the “water”, they register him as a hindrance the moment he lands a hit, so it’s not like he’s getting out of this easily either.

With a few of my composite spells, a Blizzard spell with a Whirlwind spell, placed strategically around the three of us, I can more or less control the monsters’ rush in with whirlwinds of ice. The problem is, when the ice drake swoops in, he just eats them!

I’m beginning to wish I had practiced spinning fire into the whirlwinds. Because of my lack of experience, whenever I’ve tried to do so, the fire will either be blown out in the whirlwind, or it will shoot into a blazing tower of flames.

The blazing infernos might be useful in dealing damage, but they are completely unusable in a battle like this, where we need to keep clear visibility of the monsters that are attacking.

As the ice drake wheels overhead, preparing for another rush at us, I sigh.

“This might be a little much. I’m getting tired of hewing them down.”

“Yeah. This amount would normally require several armies to subdue.”

“Hm. And how much of each army would be left?”

“Less than 30%, I’d guess.”

Seimei-san and I try to gauge the strength of the never-ending monster swarm while Ragnall answers us. For a horde that would take several nations’ armies to defeat, the 3 of us are chatting away in a rather leisurely fashion.

As for why that is,

“<Shadowed Rain>.”

With a single word, the monsters were being slaughtered by Seimei-san. Darkness would cover a certain area of the room, and a hard rain would fall. Some of the monsters without hard pelts, like the kelpies and manticores, would be pierced by the rain. Even if they had scales, the wyms and wyverns weren’t much better off. The heavy, dark rain would cling to them and drag them to the ground where they would suffocate to death.

It’s kind of a horrible death.

Monsters in the rear were destroyed by Seimei-san, while I handled the monsters that got up close.

With my blade I hack and slash at the incoming monsters, using magic only along the blade to channel destructive power into their weak spots.

Aiming for the lines that dismantler’s usually cut along, I butcher the monsters who circle in, unable to bear the idea of marring their corpses too badly.

No, it’s not like I’m only thinking about them in terms of crafting materials-!

Even for me, it’s not that easy to take on more than one of these legendary creatures at the same time. I can handle 2, maybe 3 at most by myself.

The Barriers I set up delay them, but ultimately the Barriers are crushed under the might of the monsters, so I can only spend 5-10 minutes fighting a single monster.

I’ve had to leave many weakened monsters to Ragnall as I turn to take the next one’s attacks. If this were a game with last-hit experience, many a gamer in my position would be crying out of frustration.

Countless monsters fell to our attacks until the corpses littered the floor, but still the ice drake soared over head, expertly dodging Seimei-san’s Shadowed Rain. Even when it swoops in to attack us, its high-specs made it difficult for me to land an attack as it would either dodge out of the way, or repel my attacks with ice magic.

Like a hawk hunting, it cleverly dodges our attacks and veers away, only to dive-bomb us while unleashing torrents of ice.

I really want to take down that ice drake. The tail fins ... I wonder what kind sword could be made out of them!

While metal swords are the best for channeling magic and spells down, swords made from monster parts hold enchantments better.

Umu ... I really want those glistening, crystalline tail-fins!

Although I love forging swords, I’m in another world after all, so why shouldn’t I try other types of sword-making?

There should be merits in all the different ways the people of this world make weapons. In order to maximize my abilities, I’m trying out all sorts of different things.

So why do I dislike casting magic circuit swords?

Haa... well, first of all there’s that previous dislike of weak cast swords as a forger. I can’t deny that. But there’s also the fact that the internal vibrations can damage the magic circuit on the inside of the sword, and then how can you fix it?

Keep the circuit on the outside to make it easier to fix? Then I might as well engrave a forged sword and try to embed the craeftite silver in the engravings.

The reason I don’t do it, besides the fact that silver is soft and easily damaged, is that magic circuits aren’t necessary to make a magic weapon. And to be honest, I think they’re way too complicated for simple effects, and I can’t even begin to picture a circuit for the more ... interesting effects I want to make.

For example, the dagger I made that senses malicious attacks. For a magic circuit that does the same thing, of course I have to define the glow, brightness, color, etc, but the difficult problems is defining what an attack is (or isn’t), and then what’s considered “malicious”. How the heck are you supposed to define “malicious” in magic? I can’t even give you an absolute answer in Japanese.

Even if I wanted to cut out the “malicious” part, just defining what an attack is ... haa... I feel my face going blue just thinking about trying to work out the difference between an accidental shove and a purposeful punch. The technical difficulties of smelting the magic ores are much less fussy than having to make that circuit.

... Well, I’m better at making things with instinct than logic ... I only really use magic circuits to induce magic flow, or change the end objective. If it’s that much ... well, I could probably just put in the circuits in the grips or something.

I’m currently researching enchantments, though, so I’ll investigate circuits more another time.

Because enchantments are seriously fun. Sure, they won’t be able to do anything too pin-pointed, but with a sword, “explodes on heavy impact” kind of works really well.

With weapons, simple is best.

But the smiths at Helward’s said that monster part weapons are the things that hold enchantments best. Metal mixed with monster parts and smelted with magical additives do alright, but weapons made purely out of monster parts are prized above all else for enchantments.

Especially the draconic monsters.

And that ice drake lies in the dragon family, doesn’t it?

“Their numbers are beginning to increase, huh? I think a strategic retreat should be our next action.”

Calmly observing the situation, Ragnall points out that we should begin thinking about bringing our never-ending battle to an end.

“Then should we retreat?”

Seimei-san glances towards both the exit and the pavilion in the center of the room. To be frank, we didn’t need to move much during this hunt so the exit would be closer, but it’s also an attractive idea to hunt on the way out ...

Although looking at the monsters already littering the floor, the amount would already cause an uproar at the Guild.

“If you care to move towards the pavilion, I would be able to recover the monster materials more leisurely. Since neither Jun nor Seimei-san would be able to go out into the room.”

“Understood. Then let’s move to the pavilion.”

“... It’s regrettable.”

I mumble that under my breath, but Seimei-san, who was near me, over hears it.

“You want to take down that drake, huh Jun-kun?”

“Eh? Was it that noticeable?”

“It’s rare for Jun to look at something with greed written all over her face.”

Ragnall laughs as I pat my face.

“Ah, well I suppose it would be strange compared to Ragnall, who always has greed written all over his face.”

I retorted curtly, turning away. It’s embarrassing, so both of you, stop looking at me.

“Then... Let me try something.”

Seimei-san grinned widely even as monsters smashed into the Barriers I had just formed, preparing to run.

Is this going to be ok... I mean, the Shadow Rain aside, when Seimei-san used his lowest level spell, the monster turned into a splatter movie victim.

“Hm... then ... <Dark Thorn>.”

Before I can say anything, Seimei-san casually activates his spell, pointing his finger at the drake. It’s an ice drake, so maybe it will hold up better?

In front of Seimei-san’s finger, a large, dark spot appears. At the same time, a similar spot appears near the drake.

When it dodges out of the way, the spot – no, it’s more like a portal? – rotates, keeping its opening directed at the drake. And then, in the next second,

K-slaaaash!

A dark spike exploded out of the portal near the drake, and

Zuba-!

Its head went flying through the air as the spike speared through the drake and several other monsters before disintegrating and leaving nothing behind.

“Hm. The spell looks different, but in the end, the result is mostly the same.”

Seimei-san nonchalantly analyzes his spell as Ragnall and I gaze jealously at the ice drake’s body, plummeting to the ground.

1 hit!

How enviable.

—

Shadowed Rain is a debuff spell from the game that lowers enemy defenses and speed.

It was properly a mass area-of-effect destruction spell HERE, though...

Seimei-san, I don’t think you’ll be able to use your full power any time soon.

That said, Seimei-san really is only powerful in offensive magic.

I was going to set out a lunch so Seimei-san can eat while Ragnall and I clean up the corpses and check the conditions of our weapons and armors, but Seimei-san can’t eat right away.

“Sorry, I’m a little tired.”

His face is somewhat pale, and his chest is heaving as he breathes heavily.

Although he’s been trying to hide it, there’s no doubt that we’ve probably pushed Seimei-san a bit too hard with the 2 day march down here, and then the continuous hunting a few moments ago.

Come to think of it, we’ve probably been going at a pace that most people would have fainted under long ago. We properly took breaks on the journey downwards, but I see now that it might have been too strenuous for a normal person.

After he gulps down some water, Seimei-san looks out at Ragnall, who is easily lifting 100 kg monster corpses.

“I knew I was physically weaker than the other gamers, but I’m disappointed to learn that I’m also physically weaker than some of the residents in this world.”

“Um... You’re probably above the average of the normal citizens.”

“...Thanks.”

No, it would be completely cheating if you were peerless in everything, Seimei-san. And Ragnall’s ... different than the average resident.

Ragnall has been leaving the corpses of the monsters right on the pavilion, so I take the opportunity while Seimei-san is resting to store them in my Inventory.

There’s already over 50 monster corpses in Inventory. We’ve slaughtered close to 100 of them, I think.

In the end, Ragnall has to drag the ice drake over. It seems considerably heavy, but it packs neatly into Inventory as ‘Ice Drake Body (x1)’ and ‘Ice Drake Head (x1)’.

“Haa... at first I was really happy about the haul, but now I’m wondering if we can even sell any of these. It might be best if you just hang on to most of it, Jun.”

Ragnall complains as the 3 of us sit down to lunch.

We’re lucky that Inventory stops time. Without having to light a fire, there’s hot tea and a warming meal readily available. I picked more satisfying food from among the packed meals in my Inventory after seeing Seimei-san’s tired face.

“You’re not advocating to sell? Is it a worry about crashing the market?”

Although Ragnall seems to live to make money, he’s also very conscientious about affecting the economy too much.

“Rather than crashing the market... any one of these monsters can be considered materials that aren’t seen in 100 moons.”

Ah, I forgot. They kept popping out like flies, so it’s kind of hard to remember that these were monsters that most people wouldn’t see in a life time.

“With those kinds of monsters, I’m not sure how many people would be able to afford refining the materials, let alone be able to make a profit from them. If that’s the case, it might be better to sell off only a few of the corpses and keep the rest to craft yourself. There might be more buyers for a finished product than the raw materials.”

There’s that, too, I guess. If I keep the materials for myself and refine them myself, in the end, the profit might be bigger for us.

“You’re saying that, Ragnall, but isn’t Seimei-san the one who killed most of them?”

Seimei-san laughs at my stern warning, waving a hand carelessly.

“Of course not~.”

He says in a frivolous tone.

That’s right. Seimei-san is still pretending to be weak.

“Anyway, it’s better if the crafter gets the materials, right Jun-kun?”

“If that’s what you think ...”

It’s kind of creepy to think of the naga and manticores sitting in my inventory, though. Although it’s not like the faces are the exact likeness of a human, the resemblance is eerie enough that it makes me nervous.

“It’s strange, though,”

Ragnall says, breaking the momentary silence that fell among us.

“What is?”

“I did think that some rare guys would come out because we brought Seimei-san, but to think it would be to this degree...”

Seriously. I was reminded of the image of piranhas coming after us.

“And also, rather than coming for Seimei-san, didn’t it feel like they were coming after Jun?”

Seimei-san was startled.

“Is that true? I was focused on the ones further away so I didn’t notice.”

“I don’t know either. I was a bit busy with the ones up close.”

... Although, now that I think about it, it did kind of feel like they were targeting me at first, and then decided that Seimei-san wasn’t a bad meal either.

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When People Start Talking all at Once in a Meeting, My Habit is just to Zone Out and Start Making up Fantasy Stories in My Head; at Least it is until I Learn How to Sleep with My Eyes Open

K-tan k-tan

I’m climbing the steps of the staircase erected at the pavilion in the center of the room called the Water Corridor.

Leaving tea and some dense cakes with Seimei-san, I leave Seimei-san in the care of Ragnall in order to explore the Water Corridor.

The staircase is only 5 stories high, so it won’t take long.

Though Seimei-san expressed some interest in exploring as well, he lethargically decided to stay behind. I wouldn’t be surprised if he just curled up and took a nap. Please eat the sweets I left behind and regain some energy, Seimei-san.

Luckily, the food in this world is already at a high level. Although sugar cane is impossible in this area, sugar beet plantations have already been established on the 2nd level of the Labyrinth.

Only fried food is a little behind, as oil is more precious and used in other industries as well, but even the street stalls carried some fried food, though at a higher price than other foods.

The cakes and sweets are pleasingly sweet, and the flavors of the other ingredients can be tasted. It’s not some baked sweet that’s just filled with sugar in order to seem luxurious.

It really isn’t all that bad of a world to have ended up in.

Haa... I’ve finally reached the top of the pavilion.

At the top, a globe of the “water” jittered and sparkled, floating above a square pedestal.

This was what I was interested in.

There is nothing known about the people who built the ruins on the 3rd level. Nothing but the ruins of a great, white city was left, and some people say the Labyrinth itself built the city. Even less is known about the Water Corridor.

What is the water that spans throughout this room?

It doesn’t have a blue tinge, rather, it’s clear and glistens with light. It has the texture of honey thinned with water. It doesn’t feel cool or hot, no matter who touches it. It doesn’t stick to your hand and make it wet either.

In order to harvest the ‘water’, a delicate process of splitting some off with a ladle and coaxing it into a bottle is needed. It’s not like it doesn’t follow gravity once you separate it from the corridor wall, but it does seem to want to return to the wall if it’s within range.

I approach the globe of water on the pedestal.

Unlike the rest of the ruins there are picture designs carved into the floor here, and the pedestal was carved to be overflowing with ornate designs.

Like Lor had told me, there is no doubt that this place is the center of whatever civilization built these ruins. Only this place was worthy of being decorated.

As I step closer, there’s a humming vibration in the air.

Somehow, I feel compelled to touch the globe of water.

Well, it was what I intended to do to begin with, so I let myself go along with the atmosphere.

Taking a deep breath, I place both hands on the globe of water.

Ssss

An overwhelming sensation takes hold of me, and I feel like I’m being drawn into the globe of water.

A bright light erupts all around me.

—

Oh a person.

It’s a person.

A person has come.

How long since a person has last come here?

Yesterday?

1,000 moons ago?

1,000,000 moons ago?

A few seconds ago?

It’s a person.

Oh a person.

A person has come.

It felt like I had plunged into the ocean. Sparkling towers of bubbles seemed to engulf me, caressing my skin and dancing ever upwards.

I definitely hadn’t heard of THIS from anyone!

The most that could happen was a spark of light emitting from the globe – is what the other Adventurers and scholars had told me.

Strangely, though, I don’t really feel like panicking.

Somehow, I have a feeling like, Ah, the sea really is the source of all life, even though I don’t know what this is that I’m floating in.

A sparkling light, like the light from the early morning of a bright and sunny day, permeates all throughout the area within my vision.

Voices resound in my head as I’m taking it all in.

Genderless, with a pitch that changed even in the middle of a word, the voices clamored for my attention.

“Where is this?”

It doesn’t feel like my voice when I speak.

Strange person.

Person who doesn’t know where this is.

To be able to come here without knowing.

Ah, how strange.

No, this is THAT person.

THAT person?

Ah, so it’s that person.

The one closest to us.

So it is.

This place is a place for those who have mastered [Light Magic/Aether].

This place is a place created by those who have mastered [Light Magic/Aether].

Because we are [Light Magic/Aether].

A pleasant tremor runs up my body. I hear both ‘Light Magic’ and ‘Aether’ spoken in the same breath.

I am speaking to the embodiment of Light Magic, something that calls itself Aether.

“Has it been a long time since the last person who knew of Light Magic came here?”

Time?

What is time?

Yes.

No.

What is time?

There are only records of people who could use Light Magic from ancient days. When I asked Lor about all the elements, both Light and Dark are elements that are no longer understood well. Those who can use them to an extent can only use them in imperfect spells.

Somehow, I get the feeling that the last people who came to this place and talked to the Aether were the people who had built the ruins.

Centuries upon centuries have passed since then, but to Light Magic, it could be seconds or eons. Light Magic has nothing to do with time, huh?

“What do you mean by the person closest to you?”

It was us.

Our doing.

It was us who called you.

It was us who brought you.

You and your kind.

It was us who received compensation.

For you and your kind to come.

We brought you.

You and your kind.

Because we were asked to.

Because we received compensation.

From your world.

To this world.

It was us who brought you.

You and your kind.

A different sort of chill runs up my spine.

What! What is this? To think I’d hear something so important here, so unexpectedly!

I swallow hard, an unpleasant feeling erupting from the pit of my stomach.

“Why did you bring us here?”

Because we were asked to.

Because we received compensation.

From your world.

To this world.

We brought you.

You and your kind.

Because we were asked.

Of course. If this is Light Magic, then there’s no reason for them to do so. Or like, there’s no such thing as magic that has its own will. They did it because someone asked them to.

There’s someone out there that knows who we are because he, she, or it summoned us here, and we have no idea what that someone intends to do by calling us here.

Could it be a country like Carnus? An evil wizard? A divine sage?

Not knowing anything about it, I’m suddenly drenched in cold fear.

“What ... was the compensation?”

Life.

All life born of [Light Magic/Aether] must have life returned to [Light Magic/Aether].

Life born of [Light Magic/Aether] requires much more life returned to [Light Magic/Aether].

Many lives returned to [Light Magic/Aether] for one life born from [Light Magic/Aether].

That is the compensation.

The compensation was paid.

We brought you here.

You and your kind.

With the compensation.

Then your bodies were born.

Out of [Light Magic/Aether].

Because we were compensated.

We brought you here.

Gave you bodies.

From [Light Magic/Aether].

This really isn’t making me feel better about the situation.

“Can you send us back?”

Impossible.

Impossible.

Not possible.

There is no one on the otherside to pay compensation.

There is no [Light Magic/Aether] in your world to call you.

There is no way to make life from [Light Magic/Aether] in the other world.

Compensation was required to call you to this world.

There was need for compensation to transfer you to this world.

The life you had there was sacrificed as compensation.

The stream you were in was close enough.

The information provided was close enough.

For building your bodies, the information we received was enough.

And so we took compensation.

We brought you to this world.

But you were different.

You were different from your kind.

You were incomplete.

Information wasn’t enough.

But we received compensation.

We had to build you a body.

Our wellspring.

To complete your body, we used a wellspring.

You are a wellspring of [Light Magic/Aether].

You are the closest to [Light Magic/Aether].

You are different.

You are now complete.

You are something beyond your kind.

The Spirit Tree, the wellspring of [Light Magic/Aether].

Life incarnate, your body was completed.

You and your kind.

We brought you to this world.

Because we were asked to.

The light and the sensation of water ebbed away, and I came to, finding myself alone, standing at the pedestal with my hands held out in front of me.

“Jun-kun!”

“Jun!”

I hear Ragnall and Seimei-san calling from below.

“Did you feel that surge of magic?”

“Did something happen up there?”

An unpleasant feeling has risen from the pit of my stomach, and now it feels lodged in my throat.

“... Ah, yeah, everything’s fine...”

I hurry back down the stairs.

There’s something I’m going to need to discuss with Seimei-san. The other gamers will probably reach Nyl City by the time we emerge from the Labyrinth. I think it’s only fair that I let him know all of this information before hand.

I think the others would feel more comfortable if he’s the one who tells them.

—

Later that day, after we blitzed back through the Water Corridor and picked a spot in the Water Maze that wasn’t covered in water, I bluntly tell Ragnall that there’s something I need to discuss with Seimei-san before the others of our kin arrive in Nyl City, and as usual, he takes it in stride.

He prepared the campsite as I sat, talking with Seimei-san with Translate turned off.

Seimei-san’s face has turned dark.

“So what we know for sure is that we were brought here at someone’s request, at the cost of many, many lives. Also, either our bodies or our avatars’ bodies have been killed off and there is just about no hope for going home.”

I didn’t tell him about the details of my creation, just that I was probably separated from them because of my incomplete character status.

“It can’t be Carnus ...?”

Considering how the others had shown up in Carnus, I can’t help but wonder if someone in Carnus had called us.

“I think it’s unlikely, but only a fool would completely rule out the case. I haven’t heard of any mass deaths or epidemics, and Carnus isn’t at war or anything, so on the surface at least, they aren’t the ones who paid the compensation.”

On the surface, at least. Like Seimei-san says, we can’t rule anything out, but it won’t do to start suspecting people without proof.

To tell the truth, I don’t suspect Carnus either. Timidly working with the gamers for mutual benefits, it doesn’t seem like that’s how people who selfishly called others from another world at the cost of many lives would act.

But we can’t completely ignore that possibility.

I’ve already been analyzing the cursed necklace Seimei-san had been using up until now, and I think I can reverse-engineer several in case we run into the situation where we’ll need to hide as ordinary citizens of this world.

I will also modify one to have a limit of 5 million MP, especially for Seimei-san.

Now, I take out the ice drake’s body, carefully peel back some scales, and then sever the tail of the drake. I replaced the rest of the ice drake’s body into Inventory.

There’s really not much I can do, but it makes me nervous that Masaki’s in the center of all the attention in Carnus.

That’s what I’m thinking as I carefully remove a set of tools used specifically for shaping monster parts into weapons.

A mithril-edged knife, black steel tongs, diamond coated awl, and a special whetstone called huornell, made from (strangely enough), a type of petrified tree.

This set of tools, naturally, cost quite a fortune. I’ve paid half of it off, and the other half will be paid in monthly installments.

Interest free, since I bought them from Helward’s Forge.

A drake’s materials can only be shaped after heating them with plasma, but it’s not too hard to do if you understand how plasma is formed. I have to move a little bit away from Seimei-san and Ragnall, though.

All through the night I work endlessly on the ice drake’s tail fin, worrying about the future.

—

The blade is wider than a katana, and the curve is more prominent.

The ice drake blade is fashioned after Middle-Eastern cavalry blades.

As a Dragon Knight, Masaki is experienced in mounted combat – or that’s how the story goes.

I have my doubts about it, but Seimei-san says he can fight well on both ground and flying mounts. Before he advanced to Dragon Knight, Masaki had been a Cavalry Knight, so he still retains the ability to tame and mount beasts other than dragons.

Although he doesn’t have a dragon, it seems he can tame lizard and snake monsters to use his Dragon Knight skills with, but ... for all that he likes dragons and dinosaurs, Masaki’s scared of lizards and snakes, so is he going to be ok?

It’s not my fault, right? I didn’t scare him that badly, chasing him around with garden snakes and lizards as kids, did I?

Anyway, even if he doesn’t use it while riding something, the sword is designed to gouge deeply into an opponent, so it should work well with for an inexperienced Masaki if he swings too shallowly.

I’m not sure how well the gamers will be able to use their weapons without actual training. I can only use Seimei-san as a standard, but he is 100% mage. It is a useless standard.

Ragnall takes us back up to the surface through the normal route, and the return journey takes 4 days.

This time we take care to rest properly, mindful of Seimei-san’s stamina.

After 7 days, we emerge from the Labyrinth.

Through Friend Chat, he was able to arrange it so the 3 gamers who came to Nyl City would be waiting in the Guild hall to meet us.

As we enter lobby, a notice pops up in front of me.

『MASA IS TRYING TO REGISTER YOU AS A FRIEND. CONFIRM REGISTRATION: Y/N?』

After so many months, Friend Chat finally connects to Masaki.

At the doors to the Guild hall are several soldiers, as well as 3 Japanese people.

I quickly accept the Friend Registration.

<A/n: ... No, well, I planned for this to happen at this point, but at the same time, why do I feel like I’ve been trolling everyone this entire time? It feels like I just gave more questions than answers.

I don’t know why some legit comments have been going to spam. I will approve of them asap when I see them>

Everyone is Competitive in Some Way or Other; You just have to Find the Right Neuroses to Trigger

<previous chapter]     [index]     [next chapter>

A sporty-type high-school girl in a fantasy tunic and miniskirt with tights and a ponytail, a college student with leather armor that looks like it’s designed for agile maneuvers, and Masaki in his half-plate.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen so many Japanese people together. With just Seimei-san it’s not so obvious, especially with the different demi-human races around, but with this many, they really stand out. There aren’t many people with oriental faces in this city.

I suppose it won’t take too long for people to realize I have some sort of connection with them.

With Ragnall next to me, I can almost hear his conclusion as he compares our looks, like, ‘Ah, they really are kinsmen’ or something.

The high-school girl looks up and waves.

“Sei-chan-!”

“To think just 5 of those monsters turned into so much money ... is that really the market price?”

“To be honest, I don’t really see nagas and manticores processed that much, so it’s the first time I’ve seen that much money right away myself.”

“Well, they’re that rare, after all.”

Although the high-school girl is calling and waving at us, Seimei-san, Ragnall, and I are still a little shell-shocked at the price for 2 wyverns, 1 manticore, 1 naga, and 1 kelpie.

Even split 3 ways, it’s probably enough for each of us to live indulgently for 5 years.

And we have at least 35 more corpses like that in my Inventory, plus an ice drake...

Un, let’s not think about it.

Seimei-san finally looks up and smiles at the high-school girl coming this way.

“Midori-chan, hello. You guys have quite the entourage...”

Midori-chan’s energetic face made a kind of exasperated smile.

“Ah, that is ... Prince Regin insisted on us taking the soldiers along for some reason...”

“What do you mean for some reason, hm~? Don’t tell me Midori-chan doesn’t know how he looks at her~.”

Seimei-san begins to tease her, and Midori-chan flushes bright red. She’s the type who’s not good with love-talks, huh?

“Seimei-san, if you go any further, you’ll be like a sexual-harassing ossan.”

“Ugh-!”

Ah, it was a critical hit. I wonder if it was the ‘sexual-harassing’ or the ‘ossan’ that hurt more.

“Hahaha, she got you, Sei-chan! If you’re going to take the energy to tease Mi-chan, I’d rather you hurry up and take us around somewhere in the city!”

The college student guy laughed and slung his arm around Mi-chan.

In the background I can hear Masaki saying,

“We’d really like to just go around the city by ourselves for today ...”

“If Masaki-sama says so ... nonono, we cannot leave Masaki-, I mean, Midori-sama and the others alone, His Highness would not stand for it – ”

“Um...”

Masaki seems to be in the middle of a heated discussion with the soldiers.

It’s quite a busy scene with Seimei-san depressed, 2 rambunctious gamers heckling him, and Masaki half arguing and half pleading with a group of armed men.

In other words, it’s chaos here at the Guild Hall’s Lobby.

Ragnall and I watch the proceedings from a few steps behind Seimei-san.

“Jun, why does it feel like every time someone from your country shows up, everything gets really noisy.”

“I-I wonder...”

The soldiers finally left us alone, as their captain, who had first dropped by Sir Knight Captain’s house to report their arrival, came by and dragged them away.

“Think about the trouble you’re causing for Masaki-sama! Anyway, if there was something that posed a danger to Masaki-sama, what did you lot think you can do about it?!”

Ah, and we were all trying so hard not to mention that ...

“V-vice Captain, you sniiiitched-!”

“Ho ho, well, the lot of you are causing problems for the Guild and Masaki-sama, after all, even though you were told to secure the living accommodations for tonight.”

“Even though this would have been a chance to watch Masaki-sama demolishing the monsters in the Labyrinth-!”

No, we’re not going into the Labyrinth though.

Even though these are soldiers are also from the Royal Capital of Carnus, they’re way more lax than the ones that were sent with Seimei-san.

They worry me in a slightly different way than the other guards.

Masaki takes the opportunity to slink away from the soldiers and comes closer to where we are.

I smirk.

“Oh, they really love you, huh?’

“Hahaha...”

Masaki looks like he’s about to die from the stress of being the center of attention. When the soldiers finally depart and the hustle and bustle around the Guild Hall gradually resumed, Masaki turned towards me.

I know that look, he wants to complain.

“J-juuun...”

“Hold it together at least until we get out of public, Masaki-sama.”

“Uck-!”

Good, good. If he didn’t feel bad about making me call him with ‘-sama’, I would have to take some extra measures. Although I don’t know if I’m stronger than him anymore ... what a frustration.

“Sei-chan, let’s go to the Labyrinth, the Labyrinth! I want to MonHunt-!”

“Baka-tsu, Sei-chan just got out of the Labyrinth. I want to go sight-seeing around the city, now that we finally don’t have to put up with all the Noble-sama stuff.”

The college-aged guy and Midori-san argue about what we’re going to do after this.

While trying to stifle his laughter, Ragnall finally cuts in.

“If I might be so bold, if we are not returning to the Labyrinth, perhaps the Sirs and Lady would like to change their clothes to something simpler?”

Ah, now that he mentions it, they’re all wearing armor from the Mourning Star, even Seimei-san.  It definitely looks out of place here in Nyl City, huh? Vibrant colors and exquisite designs, they are definitely top-grade armors even in the game – as expected of the top-rankers in Mourning Star.

“Oh ... well, then.”

Seimei-san and Masaki easily tuck their outer wear and armor away into Inventory, leaving themselves in a plain shirt and trousers. The quality of the shirt and trouses, as well as their boots, are still high-end, but the effect is pretty amazing.

“Ugh. Dangit... I’ll need to go somewhere to take this stuff off.”

The college-aged guy gnaws on his lower lip in frustration. He might be wearing plainer clothes underneath, but his tight-fitting armor is something that would be awkward to watch him remove.

“I don’t know what you’re complaining about. At least you guys can just remove stuff like that ...”

Midori-san sulked.

... Indeed. I don’t think there’s anything she can remove. I’ve thought this before, but isn’t the exposure rate between guys’ armor and girls’ armor way too different in games?

“Midori-san,”

“Ah, just call me Midori, since we’re basically family.”

I-is that how it works? Well, I suppose our little group of Japanese are more closely related to each other than anyone else in this world.

“Then, if Midori-chan would like...”

“Pants!”

Midori snatches up the spare clothes I brought out from Inventory.

Ah, it was hard for her, huh? She almost looks like she wants to cry, she’s so happy.

◇◇◇

“So how’s it going Masaki? Oh it could be better, how about you Jun? It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other and I’ve been worried ... That’s how this should have gone, so how did we get to this?!”

Masaki’s yell reverberated around the Guild Hall’s training room.

“Fufufu, this is just how it goes sometimes?”

Culprit B, that is, Seimei-san, laughed happily.

“It’s a rare occasion for me to see Masaki-sama’s abilities.”

Culprit C, that is, the Vice-Captain of the Royal Guards that came from Carnus with Masaki and the others, grinned happily, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

“Fumu. Although the room is well-strengthened with magic, I’m not certain it will hold up to the attacks of the 2 of you.”

Culprit D, that is, Florian-san, gave a warning.

And culprit A, that is, the main culprit, (me), patted him lightly on the shoulder.

“Ah, un, maa ... don’t worry about it, Masaki.”

Well, as we were waiting for the college-aged guy and Midori-chan to change clothes, somehow the conversation turned towards fighting abilities, and somehow along the way it was arranged for Masaki and I to have a mock battle.

By no means is it just because I feel threatened by Masaki’s sudden growth in combat abilities ...I mean, with so many changed factors, wouldn’t you want to know if you can still beat him down or not?

... No no, I mean, this is purely out of curiosity!

Anyway, somewhere along the way, the Vice-Captain who had been visiting the Guildmaster, that is, the two old friends who hadn’t seen each other in a long time, happened to be in the room when the receptionist went to obtain permission for the highest-grade training facility in the Guild Hall to be lent out, and now we’ve arrived at the current situation.

Excluding the outer wear, Masaki was re-donning his armor while heaving a sigh like he’s completely given up.

“Uuu... I don’t really want to experience getting beat up by a serious Jun, but winning against a serious Jun is equally bad...”

“Now now, you just need to do your best, and the results will be whatever the results will be.”

“I’ve heard that before, and then you didn’t talk to me for a month-!”

Tch. I still think that I lost that PvP because the batteries in my keyboard were dying.

“... Do the two of them know each other from before?”

The sharp-eyed Vice-Captain suddenly addressed Seimei-san, suspicion twinkling in his eyes.

“A-ah... well, from some time ago, perhaps...”

“Aaah, an old flame, eh?”

“Ah, no tha-“

“No way!”

As usual, Masaki’s so violent when rebutting those claims. Even thought it’s not pleasant for me either, as I thought, that trauma from his ex-girlfriend carried over into this world, huh? Made worse now that I’m actually a girl, although I still look the same as I did when I was a guy.

Hm?

Or is that kind of situation actually improved now that I’m a girl? Hm?

... No, in the end I guess it’s still just as bad.

I walk out onto the field, checking my katana, saying,

“No magic, and we go until first hit or give up.”

No magic because Florian greatly, greatly expressed his desire for us not to blow up the training grounds. I agreed to it because, my magic aside, if Masaki’s is anything like Seimei-san’s... If we fought with magic too, I think we should worry about the state of the Guild Hall in general, not just the training room.

“Haa... ok, got it. No spells, but skills are ok?”

“I don’t really understand the difference, but sure.”

I expected Masaki to have to use SOME magic. Unlike me, who did all sorts of sports and some martial arts, Masaki wasn’t active much, after all. Maybe it’s just my low expectations, but I assumed he got ‘upgraded’ a lot when he got to this world, so it should be expected that magic, even if it’s passive, plays a large role in his battles.

I mean, I’m using Augment Body constantly. All of us gamers are probably constantly emitting magic of some shape or form.

“Ok... ready.”

Although he sounds reluctant, his eyes are sparkling. I’m sure Masaki is just itching to see if he can overpower me, now that he’s considered one of the strongest warriors in this world.

Hmph. Don’t be getting arrogant, now!

We have a ... complicated relationship.

Okay, not that complicated. We were 2 rowdy boys who hated to lose to each other!

“Hrm, hrm. All right, then ... begin!”

Florian-san coughs twice to get our attention, then gives us the starting call.

Alright, so let’s see how –

“<Flicker>!”

The shockwave alone from the sword strike Masaki made just now gouged out a bit of the floor.

The floor that’s supposedly reinforced with magic.

I see. Yes, Masaki is very strong. Or like, his attacks could probably tear you to shreds.

It would be best if I didn’t take any of his attacks head on without a Barrier.

I’ve already decided in my heart that if I have to use a Barrier in this duel, at that point I’ll consider the duel over.

Because I shouldn’t need a Barrier against Masaki-!

As I’m about to begin my counterattack, Masaki suddenly grins.

“<Shoulder Charge> <Rush> <Pierce> <5-Point Strike>!”

Nn?!

I have to stop myself abruptly and dance all over the place to avoid his attacks.

Masaki’s attacks are just switching directions kind of unnaturally, though?!

What is this ...

As I dodge his several attacks in quick succession, I try to analyze his movements.

No good, it’s all over the place, but in a way that feels like he intended it to be like this.

Maybe I was too cocky, letting him take the first attack...

Haa... what should I ... Ah, could it be?

He’s combo-ing his combat skills!

I see, I see, so Masaki is using his skills’ pre-set movements, chaining them to catch his opponents off-guard.

Naive!

Don’t think this will be just like a game!

Although he tries to overcome it by chaining skills, the weakness in this method is still the fact that he can’t control the trajectory of a skill after he initializes it!

“<Side Buster><Flicker><Blindside><Whirling Scourge>!”

Once again he chains skills, but ... it’s just sloppy, Masaki, the way you hold the sword!

That said, if I don’t dodge or parry, I think I won’t be able to just walk away from these without hurting.

It’s frustrating to admit, but Masaki’s skill chains force you to follow his rhythm. Since they’re unnatural movements, you have to react by sight instead of predictions.

Even though he has to yell out the name of each one...

“<Soaring Blade>!”

“Ngh!”

I barely dodged that one.

I can’t help but feel that these game skills that abruptly change the direction of the blade are totally cheating.

Darn Masaki, and he’s so used to using the skills like this to his advantage from playing in VR!

Looks like I’m going to have to get serious.

His last move sent his sword flying upwards, which leaves a big opening, you know-?!

Swish!

Before he can chain the next skill, I close the distance and throw an elbow into Masaki’s unprotected side.

He manages to deflect it a bit with his free hand, but I still connect a little.

Masaki becomes a little flustered as he tries to back-up and dodge to one side, but I don’t let up and dart right in.

As usual, he has a bad habit of panicking when people get too close.

Alright, now I’ll have you follow MY rhythm!

And the fight ended shortly after that.

Haaa... I’m really worried, if you get taken in so easily just because I threw you off once!

Because he was unable to escape the close distance, Masaki became unable to respond well to my attacks, and having no real battle sense to speak of, it didn’t take long at all until I overpowered him.

“Damn, in the end I still can’t beat you ... tsk.”

As I thought, he was hoping to beat me down, huh? Maa, it’s not like I can blame him, after getting such massive upgrades in this world, but ... how cheeky. You’re still 100 years too early-!

Well, that’s what I want to say, but to be honest, if he was using magic to the fullest, who knows what could have happened.

“Haah, well, it’s not like you’re not strong or anything, but seriously, you need to rely on your skills less. There are too many openings when you use them, and when you connect skills like that, you leave yourself wide open. And then, once your opponent starts taking the lead, you panic too quickly and are easily overcome. Start learning the sword back from the basics!”

“Ugh...”

It seems like Masaki has already acknowledged his weaknesses previously, so maybe my meddling is unnecessary.

“You say that, Jun-kun, but seriously ... I couldn’t keep track of either of your moves. Isn’t it only you who could take advantage of the openings in Masaki’s skill chaining?”

“Umm... was it that impossible?”

I look over at Ragnall while I ask. I mean, Seimei-san’s a mage, so I don’t know how reliable his opinion on martial arts is.

Ragnall shrugs and then says,

“Well, there won’t be that many people who could easily disrupt him like you, but it’s true that his movements could use some polish. Well, if he polishes up the basics, it’s possible that, eventually, you won’t be able to match him, Jun.”

Tsk. Ragnall’s grinning slyly as he says that last part. So I just need to train myself even harder to stay ahead; that’s all I’ll need to do, right?

But, yeah, as I thought, Ragnall could see what was going on clearly, huh? He could probably fight confidently against Masaki, if we’re only talking about sword-play.

“No no, Ragnall, you’re a monster just like them so you can say that. Ah, to think I got a chance to see Masaki-sama’s serious fighting style...”

I thought he was more level-headed than the other soldiers, but the Vice-Captain is also one of the members of the Masaki-sama Cult. He suddenly grins and says,

“But, maa, I see. From that battle together, instead of a former lover it’s a rival, huh?”

The Vice-Captain says that with a grin.

I smile wryly, saying,

“Well, yeah, that’s basically it-.”

But Masaki cuts me off with a,

“Didn’t I say it wasn’t like that?!”

Masaki, you’re too easily teased.

<previous chapter]     [index]     [next chapter>

<A/n: Did not expect all the frustration about the cliff hanger.

And because I don’t know who reads what, thanks Skirie and Meousa for the donations! (I don’t think I posted thanks on Ovrmmo/wfb posts)>

Different People have Different Levels of Stress for Different Types of Things

“... And so, starting over, this girl is Midori, and this guy here is Tatsumaki.”

Masaki introduced the two other gamers.

Tatsumaki (Whirlwind/Twisted Dragon) ... probably his avatar name, huh? Come to think of it, I wonder what Seimei-san’s real name is.

“And on this side, it’s Jun, my childhood friend, and Ragnall. They’re Seimei-san’s guards for a few more days.”

“Hello, hello, like he said, I’m Midori, although the others call me Mi-chan sometimes, and we call this guy Tatsu or Baka-tsu, whichever one suits you!”

Tatsu-san doesn’t say anything; he just gives Midori-chan a glare.

“Whaaat, you’re so quiet all of a sudden.”

She grins and elbows him in the side.

“Shut up, Midori, I’m not being quiet. I’m just, y’know, reflecting on that previous battle.”

Tatsu-san flushes a bit.

“Oh, by the way, Ta-chan was on our number 1 rival party, Jun-kun. An enemy, so to speak.”

Seimei-san says, grinning.

“It’s not like that anymore, right?!”

Tatsu-san is getting all flustered as Seimei-san and Midori-chan team up and tease him.

Well, come to think of it, that was the personality Seimei-san had when I was initially introduced to him, so the serious attitude he’s been sporting should actually be the one that feels out of place.

Ragnall laughed, seeing the closeness everyone had with each other, then decides to help Tatsu-san out by changing the subject.

“Aside from all that, I’m surprised that they sent such high-ranking guards with the 3 of you, considering they sent a kind of randomly cobbled group with Seimei-san.”

“Ahh... that’s because the Second Prince of Carnus fell in love with Mi-chan.”

Masaki explained.

Midori-chan turned bright red and tried to hide behind her bangs as Ragnall says,

“Oh, the Second Prince, huh? How did that come about? While Midori-san is very charming, Prince Regin is known to have refused many fine women.”

“Really? That’s kind of worrisome in its own way...”

Hearing me mutter that darkly, Ragnall shakes his head, saying,

“Nah, it’s nothing to worry about. He’s a total battle junkie, and not yet 240, so he’s been resisting the idea of settling down so he can freely tour the country at his leisure. Well, that’s what the servants’ gossip network says.”

“Haha, get this, Regin said he fell in love with her as soon as he saw her. Her innocently laughing face was particularly alluring while she calmly shot down a wyvern in 1 shot, he said!”

Tatsu-san immediately cheered up as he revealed Midori-chan’s embarrassing tale. But not addressing the Prince with an honorific, is that ok?

I find out later that Tatsu-san is also one of those ridiculous battle junkie types, so he and the Second Prince of Carnus have been getting along pretty well, with their fists doing most of the talking.

Is it ok to beat up on a country’s prince like that?

“Well, Ta-chan properly holds back, so it’s fine?”

Was all Seimei-san said.

Haa...

Anyway, at the moment we’re eating in the pavilion with all the food stalls.

Even though I thought it might be better to have a private room in a restaurant, well, maa, I understand the feeling of wanting to let loose and experiencing a night on the town like this.

I’m seated at a table with Ragnall and Seimei-san as the other 3 pick what they want. They’re really cutting loose tonight, especially Midori-chan and Tatsu-san.

“Obaa-san, this is super yummy! Another order please!”

“Oh my, if such a cute girl eats it with such delight, the sales will definitely go up! Here you go, an extra big serving.”

“Wai~ Thank you!”

“Oh, Ossan, 3 ales!”

“Ooooh, alright young man, you gonna chug ‘em all yourself?”

“You bet!”

Seimei-san chuckles.

“Ta-chan and Mi-chan are especially bad with dealing with the Nobility; I guess they’ve been accumulating a lot of stress too.”

Midori-chan is definitely cute enough that it’s not a completely unreasonable idea that a man, and a Prince at that, might fall in love with her at first sight if she’s in his strike zone.

“Hm, the innocent, energetic type that can easily kill you with an arrow. That gap isn’t too bad. The Second Prince knows what he’s looking for. She’s pretty good-looking too.”

“Eh?”

Ragnall’s comment took me by surprise.

“Ah ... what, did I come off a little creepy?”

He sheepishly scratches the back of his head.

“Ah, no, I’m just a little surprised. I thought you were into big breasts?”

I mean, she has more than me, but, eh... Japanese girls aren’t really known for that much volume.

And like, if you’re going to compare hers to mine, which are based on a boy’s body to begin with, I’d feel too bad for Midori-chan, so let’s stop.

Ragnall shrugged,

“Well, yeah, I do, but ... you know, just because you like to eat grilled fish, it doesn’t mean steamed fish isn’t good too.”

What’s with that. That’s not a completely nonsensical answer, I guess.

“I think I get it. For me, I prefer a slender figure, but it doesn’t mean I don’t have an interest in breasts or muscles.”

“Oh, so you do understand. Hm?”

Ragnall tilts his head for a second and frowns, then his face lights up like he understands something all of a sudden.

“Aha! So that’s why you always seem to be so interested in elves and half-elves!”

Geh.

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“Whenever we interact with half-elves, you always observe them when they’re not looking; so I guess it would be the same for elves, right?”

“... Is it that obvious?”

“Hm. A little?”

I-it’s not like I lust after them or something! I just think that slender but strong people are mesmerizing to watch when doing feats of strength, and maybe I think they’d look good in a hakama some times, but that’s really all it is.

“Exactly what are the 2 of you talking about...”

Masaki has come back. He gives me a look.

“Jeez, you always choose the pretty onee-san-type support characters since forever ago... You really haven’t changed at all, despite... stuff. Here, I brought drinks, since you can’t depend on Tatsu for non-alcoholic drinks.”

“Haha, so Jun’s liked the pretty type since forever ago? Then she surely had lovers?”

“No way! Even though Jun’s like that, there’ve been interested people, but somehow or other nothing ever comes of it. They all come to me instead, and when they ask me if Jun would date them, I always told them that they should ask Jun themselves, but then they always say something like, ‘Oh, but I don’t think Jun’s interested in that type of thing, so I’m afraid to ask and ruin the relationship. At least find out if Jun is open to dating any one at all for me.’”

Huh? I’ve never heard about any of this. And wait, from a while ago, I’ve been wondering... are we all talking about boys or girls here?

Every time I think I’ve figured out how to live with my gender change, there’s always SOMETHING that throws me.

Especially with Masaki’s story.

Those were girls, right? Right?

Although I don’t remember being particularly close with any girl, I’m fervently hoping in my heart that those were girls.

“S-so Jun-san hasn’t dated anyone before?”

Tatsu-san said, coming back over while carrying an armful of food.

“If you’re asking about someone with a lover previously, rather than me, Masaki-sama had one first year of high school.”

“Shut up... don’t talk about her.”

“You guys were 2nd year high schoolers? You didn’t date any one in middle school?”

Midori-chan came over and plopped down next to me, asking that question.

“No way, no way.”

“None.”

“Hm... Masa aside, it’s surprising Jun-chan didn’t have guys all after her.”

No, well... rather than guys ...

A subtly awkward atmosphere floats into the silence as neither Masaki nor I decide to comment on it.

“I don’t really understand, but how’s life in Carnus treating you? You guys seem to be pretty big over there, especially Masaki-san.”

Nice job, Ragnall, changing the subject like that.

“Come to think of it, there’s something like a Masaki cult going on with the soldiers.”

I thought to tease Masaki by saying that, but instead if getting all embarrassed, he just goes pale in the face, saying

“Ugh... It’s not just the soldiers. I seriously just want to run away and hide sometimes, when I see soldiers walking my way, or Nobles, or servants, or ...”

So basically everyone.

For someone who doesn’t normally like standing out, I can see this being torture.

Seimei-san laughs lightly.

“Well, despite what you might think of his swordsmanship, Masa is seen as indomitable with his sword play and magic in Carnus.”

Oh, that’s right. I’d been meaning to follow up on that.

“That’s right, Masaki, about your fighting style-“

“Urrrgh...”

He’s totally making a face like he doesn’t want to hear it.

“Ah, I’m not gonna chew you out about it. I wanted to say, it’s actually a pretty good method because it’s hard for someone who’s not used to VR to get a handle on it. If you do some basic training and fix your grip, it will become near unstoppable. Well, you might cover the openings with your magic, I guess. Anyway, I just wanted to say that if I made it sound like you’re completely no good or something, that’s not the case. I was seriously nervous at the beginning.”

“Hm... is that so.”

Just like I thought, he was sulking after all, after thinking he might be able to win against me but not being able to in the end.

“Fufufu, the charm of childhood friends, huh?”

Seimei-san laughs at us, while Tatsu-san scowls.

“Well, I’ll beat Masa one of these days, just count on it!”

“Pff-! You say that, but “Inferno” hasn’t won against “Killing Machines” at all recently, right up until we ended up here. Were you guys even good enough to consider yourselves their number 1 rivals?”

Midori-chan snickers.

“Tch. Like your “SERENITY” can even talk. You guys came in FOURTH last time!”

Ah, that’s right. They’re all top-rank players ... who fight against each other.

Seimei-san coughs.

“Now now, calm down. Those types of rankings don’t matter any longer –“

“Shut up Sei-chan!” “You’re one to talk!”

“Auuu~...”

Seimei-san makes a kind of sad, cute sound as they shut him down. Oi, you’re almost 35, right?

Tatsu-san complains to Seimei-san, saying,

“It’s all because of you that no one else has a chance at beating “Killing Machines”, dangit.”

“Seriously, having Sei-chan on your team is completely unfair, and then you were going to bring in Jun-chan? You guys would have totally broken the tournament!”

Midori-chan pouts as well, complaining to Masaki.

“No, well, Sei-chan would have died really easy if you just lobbed a rock at him, so I don’t think it’s unfair...”

“Like we could get past your vanguards to do that! You cut down almost all my arrows last time!”

“All of you seem really used to war games.”

Like always, Ragnall calmly ignores the terms he doesn’t understand and just kind of ... arrives at a conclusion. I’m amazed at his ability to not care about the details.

“Hm... well, in our country there isn’t much fighting, so war only really exists in games.”

And like always, Seimei-san cleverly disguises the truth with a more-or-less accurate statement while glossing over the answer.

So yeah, let’s just go with, the reason we’re all so strong is because our country likes to play war games ... Come to think of it,

“Hey Ragnall, how did YOU train to get to where you are?”

“Eh? Hm... Well, I either got stronger or I died, and since I didn’t want to die, I got stronger. Like that?”

... Somehow, a heavy answer was just said super casually.

“For some reason, I feel like I should apologize for asking.”

“No, it’s nothing special, like I said.”

“So then, is this dude strong?”

Tatsu-san points, very impolitely, with the fried chicken skewer at Ragnall.

“This dude... that’s impolite, Tatsu.”

Masaki reprimands him.

Seimei-san smiles wryly and says,

“Ta-chan, he’s A-rank you know?”

“Whooa! Seriously?! Hey, you wanna fight me?”

How did it lead to that.

“It’s an intriguing offer, but there’s no profit in it so I’ll have to refuse.”

Ragnall shoots him down smoothly. He must be used to these kinds of challenges.

“What?! Of course there’s profit, it’s about the principles of life! For the strong to challenge each other and get stronger!”

“Hm, well my principle of life is to do everything you can to avoid risking your livelihood, so I will still have to pass.”

“Cheh, how boring. Then if we’re not going to fight, let’s go do something.”

“And exactly what would that something be?”

Tatsu-san gives up easily enough, but his next demand is just as troublesome.

“I don’t know, walk around, see where Jun’s living, or go out for a little ... night life ... Ouch!”

Midori-chan smacks him as Tatsu says the last part.

Haa... well we could easily do all of those at once, but for some reason I’m not really feeling up for that big reveal right now.

“I think tonight we should turn in early. There’s something I’d like to talk about with everyone back in my accommodations.”

Ah. That’s right.

I had thought Seimei-san seemed a bit distant. After meeting with the energetic Japanese gamers, I had completely forgotten about the serious matters we needed to talk about.

◇◇◇

In Seimei-san’s sitting room, the mood has become so somber that the earlier cheerfulness was like a lie.

Midori-chan even looks like she wants to burst into tears.

“You’re kidding right? You’re kidding.”

Tatsu-san just keeps saying that over and over.

Well, it took a few days before Seimei-san and I could accept it too.

Seimei-san swallowed, and then said,

“Well, there are a lot of loose ends still...”

Bang!

Tatsu-san slammed his hand on the table.

“But it’s still highly possible that we’re dead and some fucker pulled us here for some fucked up reason!”

Even if it was a thought they had entertained before, hearing the possibility like this, saying that an embodiment of one of the magic elements testified to it... Even if we still think there’s a possibility for it not to be true ... it’s way too unsettling.

“S-Sei-chan, isn’t it possible that we’re just understanding it wrong?”

Midori-chan asks, trying really hard not to cry.

“That’s ... we thought to confirm it again, but...”

Back in the Labyrinth, after talking it over with Seimei-san, the two of us had decided to go back and try to ‘talk’ with the Light Magic altar again, but somehow, even before I got close to the orb of water, I felt rejected.

It was a feeling like I would be doing something exceedingly foolish if I recklessly approached. Communing with Light Magic might not be a 1-time-only situation, but it certainly isn’t something that you can do repeatedly at your leisure. Who knows when the next time they would let me approach would be.

As for Seimei-san, although he touched the orb, absolutely nothing happened.

Is it because he’s a Dark Mage?

Even though it seems we were all created from Light Magic, it doesn’t seem like we are all attuned with Light Magic.

“S-sorry, it was really unexpected so I didn’t really know what to ask, and then it ended before I knew it...”

I honestly don’t have high confidence in my understanding of the situation.

“Haa... no, it’s not your fault. You’re the only person who found out ANYTHING about our situation, so even if it’s a lie, we’re still better off now.”

Tatsu-san calms down a little, but he still doesn’t want to believe it.

I don’t blame him. Something like having died, or something like not being able to go back ... it’s all so surreal and leaves such a bad feeling.

“Are we sure that it was Light Magic talking to Jun? Why would Light Magic be the magic used to call us here?”

Midori-chan finally asked that question.

“I was thinking it over myself. I think ... I think that place was an altar or something built to commune with Light Magic, and according to Light Magic, I was qualified to meet with them. They answered my questions, but ... to be honest, I don’t know what the actual purpose of communing with them like that is.”

Even though there isn’t much known about the Water Corridor or the people who built those ruins in the Water Maze, somehow I kind of understand that it was built by people who understood Light Magic the best from long ago.

But just why did they seek to resonate with Light Magic, to a point of being able to communicate with it?

If I don’t know that answer, I can’t really guess why Light Magic whimsically called me to them and entertained my questions.

Even though Magic Elements shouldn’t have egos, if I don’t know the intentions of the people who built the altar-orb, I’m going to be wary of what I’ve heard from it.

“An altar to commune with an Element... When you put it like that, I think I’ve heard about something similar.”

Seimei-san gnawed on his lower lip as he thought about it.

In the end the night ended like that, with an unsettling, gloomy atmosphere.

We made arrangements to meet the next morning, to give everyone some time to come to terms with their emotions, and to have some time to think about things more in depth.

Masaki walks me to the door.

He’s been quiet this entire time.

I open the door and say,

“... Then see you tomorrow, Masaki.”

“...”

I grab his head and roughly mess up his hair. Even though I don’t really know what to say, I can’t just do nothing.

After a few minutes, I release him and sigh.

“Don’t worry about things you can’t change right now, Masaki. Just focus on living here, right now, and do what you can.”

“... I’m not like you, Jun. You can just turn around and do whatever you want to without getting weirded out, but I can’t do that. I can’t, I just ... I just can’t handle this right now. We’re here, we don’t know why we’re here, we can’t go home, and you’re a girl now. All of this is... I just...”

Smack.

I lightly smack his cheeks in between my palms.

“Oi. Masaki. It’s ok. It’s not weird to be freaked out right now. If anything, it’s weird that I’m not freaked out, right? But don’t go falling apart. It doesn’t matter here or there or nowhere, you have to live for yourself. Even if you’re worried about your mom and little brother, you need to concentrate. If we ever DO find a way back, it’s useless if you wreck yourself before then.”

Masaki nods his head, wedged between my hands. Although he’s quiet, his face is slightly damp with tears.

He seems to have calmed down some.

“Alright then, I can’t stay, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Nn.”

With a subdued look, Masaki retreats back into Seimei-san’s house and the door clicks shut.

<A/n: Thanks JG for your donation!

Tch. I had to cut this chapter before I wanted it to end. So anyway ... yeah. Jun’s kind of level-headed to the point of being an airhead so there’s usually not much tension, but ... that doesn’t mean all the gamers are like that.>

Sometimes your Friends will Act Different in Front of their Friends than with their Family

<previous chapter]     [index]     [next chapter>

“Is he going to be alright?”

I look over, and there is Ragnall, hanging out a little ways down the street.

“Ragnall, you didn’t head back yet?”

“I went to an information broker to hear if there were any suspicious movements towards Seimei-san, but then I came back. Although I don’t think it will be a secret much longer, until Seimei-san says otherwise, we need to make it seem like you’re not really affiliated with them. It would be strange for 1 guard to return when the other is still with the commissioner.”

Oh, I wasn’t even thinking about that. I feel like pretending I have nothing to do with the gamers was a lost cause from the beginning.

But, haa, he saw Masaki’s half-breakdown, huh?

“... I suppose I didn’t really think about it, but all of you disappeared without a trace from your families.”

“Ah... yeah. I had also forgotten until today. For Masaki and the others, I’m sure they’re worried sick.”

“It isn’t an issue for yourself?”

I think a little bit.

“That ... well, my grandparents, who I lived with, passed away shortly before we ended up here, but you’re right. Even if they aren’t as close as my immediate family, there are still people who would worry about me. It was thoughtless for me to forget about them.”

Even if I didn’t quite get along with my uncle, I’m not heartless enough to assume he wouldn’t be worried if I went missing. He was just a man who wasn’t comfortable with showing his emotions.

“I guess it didn’t seem real at first? And not knowing what to do or if there was even anything I could do, I just kind of ... Well, now I guess, after finding the others, it feels a little more real.”

“Hm.”

We walked onwards in silence.

Together.

Wait.

“Huh? Ragnall, you’re heading to the Guild too? At this hour?”

“Yeah, I have to take other commissions to keep my earning wages high.”

“Earning ... even after that last hunt?”

“Ah ... that amount of money will be eaten up before you know it.”

How?! I’ve been afraid to ask this entire time, but exactly where does you money go, Ragnall?

Noticing my look of shock and horror, Ragnall quickly explains.

“Well, it’s not like it’ll be gone in a day or something, but I always have to be planning ahead, see.”

Ah ... money grubber, huh? I completely understand his nickname now.

“I can’t believe you do other commissions after following Seimei-san all day.”

“Look at you, you go straight to the forge at the Guild afterwards, right?”

... Well, if you put it that way.

I sigh.

“There just aren’t enough hours in a day.”

“Yep. Exactly.”

◇◇◇

Haa ... even though Maryiste said it would be alright, I’m having a lot of regrets.

It would be better if she said “No,” honestly.

Swoosh! Basha! Clang!

Noises that sound like they belong to some mecha anime come from the hammer and anvil sandwiching the item I’m working on.

The heat needed for this is so high that ordinarily I’d require dragon fire to shape it, but I’m basically creating plasma myself, so I can manage it.

Of course I’m using Barriers like crazy, y’know, to keep the room from melting, or to avoid burning myself to death.

Btw, it’s a mithril/adamantium hammer and anvil I’m using.

I paid it off, but my savings took a huge dip. I guess I can’t make fun of Ragnall for using too much money...

Even with mithril and admantium, I have to surge a protective Barrier magic through them to avoid having them melt.

I can feel my MP draining away, and I know I’ll be scolded harshly by Helward and Ossan if they saw me recklessly forging this sword, but this time, I’m going to MAX.

This isn’t a sword I can afford to skimp on.

The only problem is that it’s ... hard to see with this light being emitted ... from the plasma and stuff...

Using Magic Sensory as my only guide, this sword will be forged to the absolute best of my abilities.

And now ...

“<Quench>!”

Although normally I would be careful in keeping the lowering temperature even, this time I full-heartedly drop the temperature of the blade.

There isn’t even a hint of a sound of the blade creaking as the temperature drops.

However, the Barriers crack from the sudden vacuum of cooling air.

I have yet to figure out if magic has volume or weight, but apparently the pressure of the vacuum as the area is suddenly cooled will destroy non-attribute Barriers.

If I couldn’t go with a katana, this is probably the style of sword I would have gone with.

It’s lighter, designed for one-handed use, and has a more drastic curve.

Well, in the end I prefer the katana, but this sword that I’m making isn’t for me anyway.

The western cavalry saber.

Fuuuu-n.

I look down the blade.

What a fantasy weapon.

Not the style of sword, but the material. An eerie chill comes off the blade, and it’s translucent. Kind of a frosted white-blue. It looks like it is made out of ice.

“ – the hell are you doing?!”

I turn quickly, hearing the voice from behind me.

“Sorry, what was that?”

A twig-thin halfling is standing ... really far back, pale-faced and shaking.

“Jun, you are going to kill us all one of these days.”

“Nn? I had it under control though?”

“And I couldn’t tell because it was like looking into the surface of the sun.”

... Well, I guess I can see the concern.

“So what did you need me for, Horfult?”

Horfult the halfling sighed.

“Don’t tell me you forgot. Here, I tanned the wyvern hide for you.”

“Oh, great! Thanks.”

“I can really keep the extra?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

I have a lot more full wyverns in Inventory ... anyway, right now the non-Labyrinth wyverns, that is, the wyverns who live normally in this world, are migrating through this area, so the price to sell the materials are cheaper than usual.

Maa, it’s still a lot of money, though.

While talking with Horfult, I fill the sword with magic, then suddenly thrust it into a piece of wood before pulling it out and expanding the magic.

It’s the skill, <Keen Edge>, followed by <Excavation>.

I have hollowed out the wood so that the hollow has the shape of the sword.

I’m no carpenter, but I can at least make a sheath with magic now.

Idly chatting with Horfult, who is still nervously keeping his distance, I finish up the sheath within an hour.

Eh? What kind of cheat did I use to be able to finish it that quickly?

This isn’t a cheat. It’s plain magic, you know?

Anyway, it’s time to meet with the gamers and Ragnall.

He seems fidgety lately, especially now that the other gamers have come.

When I asked him about it last night, he said,

“That commission from the Guild when I first met you is still ongoing right now...”

Ah, so since Seimei-san is more or less well-protected by the gamers, you wish you could go back and devote more time to that commission, huh?

Although I don’t know what that commission is.

It’s the one with the... um ... dead guys, right?

That’s not it... it’s the one investigating who’s been behind all the nefarious deeds in Nyl City.

That’s important, but hanging around the Carnus VIPs should be beneficial to that commission too.

“Yeah, that’s why I’m sticking with it. Well, I have enough money after that monster hunt; it’s just hard to shake the feeling like I should be using my time better to make more money.”

... Moneygrubber.

Anyway, I’m running a little late, so I bolt out the door of the Guild Hall with sword in hand.

◇◇◇

“... Are we really going to my place?”

“Well, yeah. Let’s a-go!”

Although her manner is still subdued from yesterday, Midori-chan is somewhat energetically dragging me along.

It seems like, after having a night to process it, the gamers have at least come to terms with what we all discussed last night.

It’s not that I have no worries about it myself. It’s just, you know, there’s nothing we can do about anything right now?

Even if we know about someone summoning us, in the first place, is it possible for us to find out what or who it is? We don’t have even the first idea of what to do to investigate it. Is there really a point to getting so worked up about it?

If we calmly tackle the things right in front of us, it will be more productive than worrying ourselves sick, and when we grasp the end of all the mysteries that bother us, then we can run full speed ahead to tackles those problems

– Well, that’s how I feel deep down, but even I understand that this mysterious calmness isn’t normal. It’s to the degree that people used to wonder if my mother dying did some weird psychological damage to me to be unable to show my emotions well or something.

That’s not the case at all.  If I cry and stay depressed in my room, will my mother come back? If I argue and scream will Grandma, Grandfather, and that house still be there? If I throw a tantrum, will we suddenly return to Japan?

No, right?

If that’s the case, all I can do is live my life the best I can in an upright manner that my kind and gentle mother and Grandma would approve of. If I find a clue about the way to get back to Japan, I’ll tackle that issue with all my strength. If I discover who brought us here, I’ll judge his/her actions with my own eyes and deal with the problems that come from it as they come.

Hm? Why did I suddenly start talking about my philosophy on life when I never did so before?

...

You know, I’m really trying hard not to think about what’s going to come soon.

“Hm? Where is the place you’re staying? I thought most of the inns were to the north of town?”

Eh... to think Tatsu-san already knew that.

“Oh, I see, Jun isn’t staying at an inn.”

Midori-chan giggles, pulling me along.

Damn Ragnall.

Reading the mood well, he was walking behind a little ways since the gamers all seemed kind of depressed, as if they were putting on a bit of a front. He thoughtfully held back and just watched our surroundings for intruders, but now he seems surprised, hearing the confusion in the gamers’ voices.

Dangit. Now he’s realized that no one knows where I’m staying, and starting to snicker.

... He’s not going to tell them either, huh? Looking forward to the big reveal, huh?

He’s having way too much fun with this.

“The place I’m staying at is in the southwest of town.”

“””“Heeeeh...””””

All 4 of them, Seimei-san, Masaki, Tatsu-san, and Midori-chan said that absentmindedly.

I guess they don’t know what the southwest district of Nyl City is, or they’re all still deep in thought about our situation.

We walk on in silence.

◇◇◇

Seimei-san pushed his Analyze glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“Jun ... correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this the red-light district?”

Cheh.

“Maa, come on in...”

“Juuuuun-.”

Masaki, your grip on my shoulder is kind of hurting.

“Wh-what.”

“Are you living in a brothel?”

“... It’s more like a hostess club.”

“So they don’t take clients into a back room and ...”

“... No, they do...”

“You freaking riajuu!”

And now I’m in a (ineffective) headlock.

“Waitwaitwait, seriously, wait! It’s not like that at all!”

“Dammit, you’ve always been popular before, and now YOU’RE the one with the brothel harem?!”

Wait, what? I’ve never heard about that before!

“Ack, that’s not -!”

“Mou, Masaki! Forget your teenage-boy hormones for a second. Isn’t it more serious that a young girl like Jun is staying in a brothel?!”

“”Hah-!””

As Midori-chan scolded Masaki, both of us were startled from our horsing around.

That’s right, I’m a girl. Somehow we both forgot for a second.

It seems like the others are taking Masaki’s outburst as a sign of ... pent-up frustrations.

My condolences.

Seimei-san looks like he wants to say something but is trying not to.

Tatsu-san has no reservations.

“Aw, yeah! So there’s hot babes here, right? So you mean if I – “

“It’s not working hours though.”

“Dang it, we shoulda come last night-!”

They’re making such a fuss... stop laughing over there and help me, Ragnall!

“You know, the people around here work late hours, so if you’re going to make so much noise, you should come in.”

Ah. Solyana, the true kuudere who exudes sexiness even in normal clothes, stands in the doorway, a little frown on her face.

“Ah, sorry Solyana, for troubling everyone with this.”

I scratch the back of my head sheepishly.

Although by all rights they should still be sleeping this early in the morning, I can tell the girls at The Queen Mary’s are almost all awake already.

Could it be because they wanted to welcome my friends?

Solyana glares at me, but her face softens and then she quickly looks away.

“It’s not like it’s too much trouble. Since you’re rarely around anymore. It’s fine to be a little more selfish, you know.”

Solyana mumbles it before walking briskly into the shop.

Midori-chan smiled.

“Aaah, I see how it is. It seems like they’re some good Onee-sans, huh?”

She could tell just from that short exchange? Girls’ intuitions are too sharp.

Tatsu-san seems paralyzed by Solyana’s beauty.

As Midori-chan prods Tatsu-san into the shop, with Seimei-san following, Masaki grabs me and whispers,

“Jun, what are you doing, making such a beautiful woman lonely? Dangit, you’re still attracting girls even as a girl.”

And then he slaps me on the back and follows Seimei-san in.

“Hah?”

I think you’re wrong though? Instead of thoughts about a lover, the girls here worry about me more like I’m their younger sibling.

Well, compared to me, Masaki has always been the type who sees love-stories everywhere.

Ah, as soon as we walk into the main drinking hall area, all the guys are frozen.

Byoing, boing

To think Erina-sama’s appearance KO’ed them so completely... well, she’s Erina-SAMA for a reason, after all.

“Eheheh, Jun-chan’s guests are here? Welcome!”

The beautiful women who come into the room when they heard Erina-sama’s voice make the gamers stiffen even more.

Well, yeah. I understand. I completely understand your feelings-!

By the way, there have been a lot of changes to The Queen Mary’s and the surrounding area.

To begin with, although this area is considered the red-light district, it’s not like it’s only brothels all down the street. Other shops of questionable morality also exist.

However, just because the morality is questionable, it doesn’t mean the legality is as well. This is a Labyrinth City. Although there are ways that people keep the peace here, there aren’t laws about what is allowed to be sold and what isn’t.

Demand and supply are the only limitations.

Despite that, or maybe because of it, even though this area has shadier business dealings, it isn’t like some sleazy alleyway where just walking down the street could get you mugged – or killed.

Although you should be more careful here than in other areas of the city.

How should I put it ... like, this district is only here for convenience? The sleazy businessmen prefer cheap lodgings, alcohol, and women, so around the shady businesses it’s those types of commodities that popped up, and thus the red-light district, with the highest concentration of sex-related businesses, was born.

Also, it’s easier for citizens of other countries to do their more questionable transactions while avoiding their fellow citizens if there was a place like this, where normal, “well-mannered” citizens would normally not go.

Anyway, to help regulate the questionable requests, the Guild put in a branch office in this area.

It’s really small, and apparently the commissions can be marked by the commissioner to avoid being put in the database ... it really is for THOSE kinds of requests.

Huh? When did the Guild put in a branch office?

... Those bastards. No, not bastard”s”. It’s just Dobin.

Taking advantage of the disruption that damaged The Queen Mary’s, they bought out the neighboring business near the shop that also got damaged a bit, and, while helping repair The Queen Mary’s, they somehow also renovated the other building into their branch office before anyone else noticed.

Kuuu, even though they would have helped with The Queen Mary’s repairs regardless, since it helped them disguise their own construction until it was too late for anyone to protest, Dobin still used it as a bargaining chip in getting me to take the escort commission-!

Haa... oh well, in the end it turned out ok, I guess.

And now I don’t have to worry about people attacking The Queen Mary’s, with the Guild right next to them.

It’s a win-win situation?

Although I still feel like I got ripped off.

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A/n: Thank you dvang4 and MK for your donations!>

There are a lot of Guys that Like to Show Off How They can Get Pretty Girlfriends, but Strangely, Usually No One Cares But Themselves.

<previous chapter]     [index]    [next chapter>

“We decided not to tell the ones back at the capital about this yet. If we think about it, it’s not like knowing stuff like this would change anything right now.”

Masaki explained the situation that the 4 gamers from Carnus had decided on.

“Is that going to be ok though? Won’t they be mad if they find out later?”

I know I’d be pissed.

“When these guys go back and the others come to this city, I’ll tell them then.”

Seimei-san calmly replies.

It’s true that I think they might receive it better if they hear it from Seimei-san in person.

“What kind of people are they? The other gamers?”

“Um... there’s Karin, a High Knight, Hide, an Assassin, and Emi-chan, a Storm Mage.”

Midori-chan counted off the other 3 Japanese gamers they had left behind in Jornia, the Carnus capital.

“Karin and Hide aside, Emi-chan won’t handle the news well.”

Tatsu-san muttered, rustling the back of his head.

“Eh?”

“She cried almost nonstop the first few nights. Even now, she’s a complete, nervous wreck. She hates leaving her room, or the library, and is super timid.”

Masaki explained.

Un. It doesn’t surprise me that someone would be that freaked out about our situation. More like, it’s strange that more of us aren’t like that.

Well, I know I’m not one who can talk.

“Come to think of it, after thinking about things last night and going through my notes, I remembered Emi-chan telling me about altars to the Elements of Magic.”

Seimei-san said.

“Oh? So, something like the globe in the Water Corridor?”

I asked.

“Nn, maa, I didn’t think about it at the time, but I think it’s similar. There are 4 altars to Fire, Water, Earth, and Air scattered across the lands, and for the people who have reached the pinnacle of those magics, they can commune with the Elements to receive guidance.”

“Heeeeh...”

It definitely sounds like the same thing.

“Are the other ‘altars’ in Labyrinths too?”

“I don’t know that information. To be honest, I wasn’t listening very carefully...”

Seimei-san...

“Oh, that’s right, Sei-chan told Emi-chan to try to figure out how all our magic and stuff works, so she could focus on something and calm down.”

Tatsu-san said that kind of indifferently.

“Ne, Sei-chan, do you remember what she was talking about, about how magic used to be viewed differently?”

Midori-chan asked.

“Nn? No, she didn’t tell me anything about that.”

Masaki sighed,

“Ah, she probably thought it wasn’t important, since it was kind of like the ancient history of how people used to view magic.”

“It was something I thought of last night, when Jun-chan was telling us about the Aether. Um... it’s something like Fire, Water, Earth, and Air used to be thought of as the elements that make up existence, while Light and Dark are primal elements. Light is something like pulse of creation, which is called also called Aether. It can’t be a coincidence, right?”

No, it can’t be just a coincidence. That’s what everybody quietly acknowledged.

Seimei-san paled a bit and asked,

“Then,  Dark is ...”

“Dark is the state of nothing, which is also called Void. Ah, well, Emi said that theory isn’t popular among anyone but the elves anymore, since no one really understands how Light and Dark work...”

“No, isn’t this matter supporting that theory?”

Masaki nervously chewed on a fingernail.

“... Even if that’s true, I don’t understand what Aether is at all. The pulse of creation? What’s that?”

I frown while I ask. Even when I check my Status, I don’t have anything like Light Magic, you know? Just what kind of thing is it?

“I dunno.”

Midori-chan shrugs.

Desuyone...

“I guess we should ask Emi-chan to do some more research on that topic...”

Seimei-san said absentmindedly.

“Excuse us, we brought breakfast-!”

The rest of the conversation was abruptly cut short as the lithe half-elf Jarna and the pretty Featherkin Heiran brought in trays of food. Several other of the girls came soon after, bringing trays of drinks, and Nifta the Rabbitkin poured them, getting quite close to the guys as she did so.

An advanced technique.

“Ah... Jarna, you guys didn’t have to...”

“Nono, it’s not much trouble at all!”

“That’s right, it’s not often Jun-chan brings friends over!”

... Am I your loner, gloomy kid who can’t make friends at school or something?

“Damn, they’re all super babes! Hey, can I start living here too?”

As soon as the girls said quick hellos and Jarna laid out the breakfast, they left us alone and Tatsu-san immediately makes that kind of questionable request.

“No men are allowed in the living quarters though...”

“Dammit!”

He’s probably somewhere between age 18 to 21 ... Ah, he must be at least 20, since he seems used to drinking.

I don’t know if it’s impressive or not that he’s remaining so excited about these high-class women that would scare most young men away since they feel so out of reach.

Seimei-san too, he’s calmly looking around the shop.

Is this something like crossing the threshold into adulthood?

“Hm... this seems like quite the high-class shop...”

Well, yeah. It looked high-class before too, but now, because of the renovations, the narrow hallways and small cafeteria-like drinking area had been torn down and made much more spaciously.

Now, going in through the front entrance, it’s like walking into the lobby of a high-class hotel. Right to the side is a much larger lounge for the bar and drinking, shaped in a large oval.

Going further into the back, from the lobby, going straight back, are several private party rooms. Lounge rooms, not, um, “sleeping” rooms. There’s also the back room to the far side, that’s still left as it used to be, with the stairs up to the living quarters.

By the way, we are currently in one of the private lounge rooms.

Behind the oval-lounge are the private rooms for ... night work ... across a narrow hall, as well as the kitchen, framing the small courtyard.

It got changed so much ... I wonder how Maryiste got the Guild to pay for all this.

There’s no way Maryiste herself had enough money for such a huge renovation.

Even though I offered to help them pay for it ... “You have your own expenses,” “Being an Adventurer will cost more money than you realize,” and the like; the girls said those types of things so many times I felt like my ears would explode.

Anyway, the rest of the money had to have come from the Guild, but this was such a huge change ... I wonder if Dobin had met his match in Maryiste?

Well, it’s all just my idle imagination, but I full-heartedly hope that Maryiste had out-negotiated Dobin-san.

Ragnall responded to Seimei-san’s muttering.

“Yes, it’s probably the highest-class ‘service’ shop in Nyl City. An establishment that even some Noble-samas aren’t embarrassed to visit.”

“I see. And that’s why it’s so close to the edge of the district.”

Oh, I didn’t think about that before, but it’s true. You don’t have to go too far into the red-light district before you reach The Queen Mary’s, if you’re coming from the main street.

Well, if you went the way I initially did right when I first came to Nyl City, winding through the alleyways, it’s a different story...

“That reminds me, there is a high-class party tonight.”

Seimei-san said suddenly.

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

It felt like that came out of nowhere, so I asked Seimei-san.

“Just introducing all of us to the Nobles of various countries with the excuse that it’s a welcoming party; that kind of pain-in-the-ass formal gathering. Of course, as my guards, Ragnall-san and Jun-kun will be coming along.”

“”Eh...””

Ah, Ragnall and I both made a really unhappy sound.

No, well, this party sounds like a pain...

Seimei-san smiles wryly.

“Haa, we’re not really that happy about it either, you know? But ... that’s right, this is a good opportunity. Would we be able to hire an escort for Masa-yan for the party?”

“Wha-!“

“Haaah?!!”

The first yelp was Masaki, the second was Tatsu-san.

Tatsu-san stood up and said, loudly,

“Why JUST Masaki!?”

“Nonono, shouldn’t the question be why do I have to have an escort?”

Masaki retorted.

“Why you need an escort ... did you forget what happened every time we had to attend this kind of party in Carnus?”

“Ah...”

No, wait, please expand on the subject. Masaki’s gone kind of blank-faced, so clearly it’s something interesting.

“I think girls below 10 years old was definitely pushing it...”

“What about the women over 40?”

“Aaah!”

Masaki yelled and clasped his hands to his ears.

I grin.

“What were you saying, about being a riajuu?”

“Shit. It doesn’t count, I was only getting proposals shoved on me through various Noble households, mostly by the dads. And I’m not a lolicon or an older lady lover, so it doesn’t count!”

I glance over at Tatsu-san.

“Surely it wasn’t just lolis and cougars?”

“No, there were some ladies of reasonable ages, but it’s marriage you know? It’s the end of your youth!”

... Tatsu-san, something tells me you probably didn’t have a girlfriend back in Japan.

“Haa, something like having a hired escort won’t stop very determined Nobles from trying to promote their daughters and sisters anyway.”

Seimei-san cuts into the discussion.

“Huh? Then why-“

“It’s for the OTHER people who approach you. Having a pretty lady on your arm might dissuade some of those men.”

“Eeeeh...”

I slightly back away from Masaki.

“No-! It’s not like that, dangit!”

“Hehehe, we’re talking about the types of guys that try to recruit Masaki for their personal armies, or the hot-blooded type who get drunk and want to duel him.”

“Ah, I see.”

Midori-chan is giggling at Masaki’s discomfort.

He’s probably the brunt of most of their jokes, huh?

I understand, I completely understand.

“But then, how come it’s not important for me to have an escort?”

Tatsu-san pouted a little.

“No ... well, I thought it would be better for you to escort Mi-chan, since you can be considered a close friend of Prince Regin’s.”

“Tch...”

And, I bet it’s likely that Seimei-san calculated that Tatsu-san might not be able to behave discretely with a beautiful woman hanging off his arm. I know I wouldn’t trust him.

“And Seimei-san will...”

Strictly speaking, Seimei-san is the only one who’s actually a Noble (kind of). So wouldn’t he...

Seimei-san smiled a seemingly frivolous smile that felt like it was loaded with all kinds of meanings.

“I’m used to dealing with people like this, you know? Fufufu, all joking aside, I wonder if it would even be a good idea...”

“While it’s true that there were some men of upper classes who would hire high-class prostitutes to show them off at such functions, the motives are more to show off how much money they had with hiring a beautiful woman and covering her in expensive jewels and clothing. For the young master over there, I think it would have to be a lover he escorts or else it may not have the effect you’re looking for.”

Ah, it’s Maryiste. She didn’t enter with the other girls, but she comes in now.

Seimei-san rises quickly as she enters.

“Good morning, you are the proprietress?”

“Yes, I am the Maitresse of this shop. Good morning Noble-sama, my name is Maryiste.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Seimei. There is no need for formalities in this room. Ah, for lending us this room outside of business hours, this isn’t much, but...”

Seimei-san takes a large bottle of liquor out of his Inventory, disguised as being from his bag.

Eh? I thought he had prepared several good quality accessories after he heard that I lived with some other women?

I found out later that he judged that high-grade alcohol would be better received than thoughtlessly giving accessories to women who had to be careful about their appearances. Anyway, the price of the liquor was ... eh? How much? Just for liquor?!

Anyway, it seems like his judgment was correct, as Maryiste took it, realizing its worth in a moment.

“This is – Oh my, Muscortu Wine-! For such a thing...”

Un, even though I don’t know it’s exact worth at this moment, but looking at Maryiste’s face I can tell she’s torn between refusing it and keeping it.

“For such a thing, it would be better to accept it?”

Seimei-san says it lightly, although he asks it as a question in the end, trying to gently pressure Maryiste-san to take the bottle without forcing her.

She hesitates just for a moment longer, before she closes her eyes and accepts it.

“I understand. For such a wonderful gift, I thank you. Although it won’t compare, if there is any other advice that I could give regarding your evening party...”

I’ve always wondered, but just what is Maryiste? For the Maitresse of a brothel to confidently declare she can give advice on how things work with in a Noble’s party... it’s weird, right?

Seimei-san extended a hand and deftly poured her a cup of tea.

Maryiste made a strange face, but accepted it.

“Ah ... in his hometown, it’s customary to pour each other drinks as a sign of courtesy, Maryiste-san.”

I can somewhat guess what she’s thinking, so I quickly say so to persuade her that it was ok for Seimei-san, a Noble, to pour her a drink. Although, the custom is more often for sake than tea, but it’s a little early for alcohol. Or like, only Seimei-san and Tatsu-san can drink it legally. Well, in Japan anyway.

We’re probably all legal in this world.

Seimei-san chuckled.

“My apologies. It appears I’m still learning the ways of this region. Your advice earlier was very helpful, and I’m glad that I could avoid embarrassing ourselves. I suppose Masa-ya – er, Masaki-san will just have to endure for now.”

“Um... Seimei-san... what do we do about ... clothes...?”

Midori-chan timidly asked.

Huh. They came from the capital of Carnus, but do they have anything like formal wear? Oh, but they’ve had to attend functions like this ... eh?

Other than Midori-chan, the other 3 gamers look shocked.

“Oh, I didn’t think about that...”

“We always just attended in armor because the King preferred to show us off like that...”

“Come to think of it, that’s not normal, right?”

“Mou-! You guys! Do you know how much I’ve had to suffer in that tiny miniskirt this entire time?!”

... Let’s go shopping later, Midori-chan. We’ll get you some nice, sturdy pants.

Haa, you guys... even if your game armor doesn’t get dirty, there’s a limit to things.

“Fufufu. In that case... leave such things to us.”

Although it’s very helpful for Maryiste to offer to assist us for the night’s party, why is it that a chill just ran down my spine?

<previous chapter]     [index]    [next chapter>

A/n: Thank you kirindas and MK for your donations!

I’m Just Saying, Shopping is Like Staring into the Rotting Soul of Humanity

“Because she’s slender with a moderately tall height, almost anything would look good on her, ne.”

“I still think this sheath-style with the pannier would be best...”

“Eh... but that neckline ... it looks way too stuffy with a bateau...”

... Are they even speaking Japanese?

Well, no they aren’t, but even if it was properly translated into Japanese, I would have no idea what was said.

“Ne, Jun-chan, what length do you want the skirt? Floor length? Knee length? Ah, how about tea length? No, street length would be better.”

Seriously, I understand the words, but what do they mean?

“Argh, forget it! We’re only here for Midori’s dress! I’m not wearing one!”

Nifta, the pale bunnykin lady of the night, pouts as I try to stop her from holding a dress up to me.

“But Jun-chan doesn’t have anything good enough to wear for a formal occassion~.”

Crap, cutely pouting Bunnykin is way too cute. But I’m not going to give in.

“I’m not going there to show myself off, I’m going there for work, you know? I can’t do anything in a dress!”

“No no, if you dress poorly, you’ll make Seimei-san and the Guild look bad~.”

“Un, un!”

Crap x2. Nifta is now getting back up from Erina-sama.

If I had known it would be like this, I should have bought fancier clothes! My Commoner’s Clothes may look like a Noble’s outfit, but according to the girls, it’s a Commoner’s leisure clothes.

“Rejected-!”

Is the unanimous sentence The Queen Mary’s girls gave.

“It will be fun to dress up for this together, so come on, bear with it! We’ll pay for it too, so relax, relaaaax!”

Midori-chan, you traitor-! Even though you hated the miniskirt, you’re ok with this?!

“Try this one!”

“How about this one?”

“Get her to try this one!”

One by one by one the girls keep trying to shove various outfits on me.

Every once in a while they would get side-tracked with Midori-chan, but just when I thought they had given up on me, they’d come back! Why?!

I just kept refusing and arguing, and before I knew it, 2 or 3 hours must have gone by.

I, I am starting to get dizzy ...

No good. Nothing good can come out of this.

“Tch. I don’t want anything to do with this; even right now I have to be escorting Seimei-san. I’m leaving.”

“But Jun-chan~”

“Mou, if you’re going to be like that, we’re just going to pick something out for you...”

“If it’s not pants, I won’t wear it!”

And with that ultimatum, I made a strategic retreat.

◇◇◇

That was what happened a few moments ago.

I am currently outside, hiding among the guy gamers.

It’s safer here.

Th-that was awful. Before I knew it, I was tempted to just agree so they’d stop trying to make me try on different things, but stop Jun! You need to hold on to your beliefs! And your pants.

... I’m so tired.

“J-jun, are you ok?”

Masaki is giving me worried glances, while Tatsu-san and Seimei-san are looking off into the distance with unfocused eyes. They know exactly what I went through, huh?

Ah, Ragnall is laughing so hard he’s clutching his stomach.

Damn you.

“Aaah... I totally understand that feeling. It reminds me of the time when a co-worker had a fancy wedding, and my girlfriend dragged me to every wedding boutique to try on tuxedoes. Aren’t they basically suits with a vest? Can’t I just wear that?”

Seimei-san was muttering.

“Un, or the time my girlfriend was going to a middle school reunion and told me I didn’t have anything worth wearing to it in my closet, so we spent an entire weekend shopping for clothes ... although she broke up with me a few weeks later.”

Heeh... Tatsu-san and Seimei-san reminisced about the hard times.

“Wait. Sei-chan, you had to wear a tuxedo? Were you in the wedding party?”

“No ... it was just a really fancy wedding. The kind that people with a lot of money throw.”

“... Sei-chan, I thought you were in sales for some corporation? Do people really make that much money? It’s by commission I thought?”

Tatsu-san tilted his head in confusion.

“Hm... how should I put it. My next promotion, if I could ever get it, would have been head of the department?”

“What?! Shit, you’re an elite aren’t you!? A guy like that playing VR games and being a ranker... isn’t that off?”

“Well... that’s why my girlfriend of 4 years broke up with me in the end.”

The adult conversation is overwhelming. It’s hard to know whether to pity Seimei-san or remain in awe.

“By the way, Jun, what’s with that sword you’ve been holding onto this entire time? It’s kind of giving off a really amazing light.”

Recovering from his laughter, probably because he didn’t really understand what Tatsu-san and Seimei-san were talking about, Ragnall finally asked about the sword I was clutching in my hand.

But when he said “amazing light,” Ragnall said it with a clear look of apprehension. Is it really that bad of an aura?

Come to think of it, I had forgotten that I was holding it this entire time.

“Oh, that’s right. I completely forgot. Masaki, here.”

I carefully tossed it over the short distance to Masaki, and he quickly extended both arms on reflex.

“What the what the wha-!”

He was a little flustered, but he still caught it properly.

That’s good. I was going to have to beat him up if he let it drop to the ground.

“Eh? What’s this?”

He carefully unsheathed the blade.

A breath of cold air wafted through the streets, though it was so faint that you were left wondering if you had imagined it.

The ice-blue saber with the black galvorn alloy hilt; for a split second, it took all of our breaths away.

Even though I had forged it myself, it almost feels completely alien to me.

Well, I guess I couldn’t really see it well while I was forging it.

“By the way, I wouldn’t charge it with magic or use your game skills if you’re sparring with some one. It eats through metals without mana like cutting tofu.”

Masaki froze just as he was about to casually swing the sword around and re-adjust his grip for a full test swing.

“Just to be sure; Jun-kun, what is that?”

Seimei-san peered over his glasses at the sword.

I want to believe that the worried look on his face is just my imagination.

“It’s just the tail fin of the ice drake though?”

I said as innocently as I could. Seimei-san, the uses of Analyze are limited on those glasses, so I would appreciate it if you didn’t use them on the sword. Of course that’s the only reason I’m hoping you won’t use it.

“Well, it would be a lot better if you don’t lose it, or let someone steal it.”

I tell Masaki.

Sorry, although I was forging it without limits, I didn’t expect it to get to this kind of degree.

And by that, I mean it’s a sword with strength that can be considered along the same line as weapons given to heroes by gods in a myth.

For the record, it’s not like THAT reached such a grand level through my own abilities.

An ice-drake is only 1 step away from a legendary monster, and galvorn isn’t inferior to mithril and orichalcum.

It feels like a case of “the materials create the masterpiece”, so I don’t really feel satisfied with it.

To reach this degree with just plain iron is the goal!

... No, I understand, I shouldn’t be unreasonable. Still, I think if I had better talents, I could have brought the quality from “mythical” to “godly”.

Although it might sound unreasonable, technically this sword is a disappointment... This is something I will keep hidden away in my heart, because I know that I’ll get chewed out by any and all artisans who hear such luxurious complaints.

Masaki is still frozen in place.

“It’s not that dangerous, Masaki, just don’t swing it at allies if you’re worried.”

“... N-no, that doesn’t make me feel better at all...”

“Well, just test it out in the Labyrinth on monsters before you fight people. I haven’t tried it yet to see how it handles either.”

Masaki carefully resheathed the sword.

“By the way, the sheathe is lined with wyvern leather, and has a enchant on it.”

“... Jun, where the hell did you get this!?”

Masaki was holding it like it was something that was fragile.

It’s a sturdy enough sword for combat, even if it looks like it’s made from ice or glass or something.

“Oooh, so that’s what all the Adventurer-smiths were making a fuss about. They were saying something about a meltdown in the forge, but you had to temper an ice-drake’s tail fin.”

Ragnall, that’s so not helping.

U-um, Seimei-san, I can’t really see what you’re thinking, but it makes me really nervous...

“I think I should just give up. It’s impossible for you to keep a low profile, isn’t it?”

“It’s fine, isn’t it? You’ll go crazy if you keep trying to control too much, Sei-chan! Even if we keep a low profile, it’s not like people won’t figure us out in the end.”

Thanks, Tatsu-san. To be honest, trying to avoid people’s attention and that kind of thing is getting really stifling.

“I usually exercise restraint, but we’re already known as incomprehensible people. I don’t think we should limit ourselves to normal weapons in that case. Because they’ll expect us to have abnormal weapons. Besides, the amount of stuff I crafted for you is already beyond abnormal, Seimei-san.”

If they’re already suspicious, we’d better prepare ourselves in case they try to take action based on their suspicions! – but I only just thought of that now, while I’m trying to think up excuses for my OP crafting.

But that was why I made that sword. People are already singling out Masaki and challenging him, not to mention viewing him as a great military chess-piece. It’s not going to be much longer until the rest of the gamers are targeted too, right? It’s not unreasonable to prepare for bad things that could happen, right?

“Haaa... Well, just keep your wits about you, I guess. I wonder if we should switch our ways of thinking, if we can’t get back to Japan.”

Seimei-san muttered that last part really low so that only I, with Augment Body, could hear him, but I’m not sure I understand his reasoning.

I’m not sure why pretending to be weak or not is related to whether we can return to Japan or not.

Maybe because the lay-low and go-home as soon as possible strategy doesn’t work anymore?

Hm, but even I was trying to avoid attention at first. It might just be because I feel comfortable in Nyl City now, so I don’t think it’s a problem if I don’t act COMPLETELY with prudence.

Besides, there are cheat-like people like Ragnall around too.

Aaaaah-!

My thoughts spin around and around in my head and I can’t make head or tails of them.

I blame the dress-shopping.

“... Wait. You MADE that sword!?”

Tatsu-san finally caught up with conversation.

◇◇◇

I quickly learned what the other gamers used.

Of course, Midori-chan uses a bow, but she also uses a pair of daggers in close combat.

Tatsu-san uses katars. I wonder if they are exotic in this world... when I asked, it seems that some clans in the south-east of the northern continent use them.

Karin uses a claymore.

Hide uses a tanto, and also shuriken and kunai. A regular ninja, de gozaru. It wasn’t surprising to hear that he’s having problems finding shuriken and kunai. It seems, currently he’s using darts in place of kunai, and has all but given up being able to use any skills that need shuriken.

Emi uses a wooden staff, but ever since she’s come to this world, apparently she keeps saying that it feels unpleasant to use. I think she’s more sensitive to mana and magic power than Seimei-san, and she can feel the hiccups when channeling magic through the staff.

Okay, I think I roughly have an idea about what I should prepare for everyone.

Ah, Seimei-san used a staff in game, but I’m not planning on fashioning a weapon for him. That’s because Seimei-san doesn’t need a weapon; he IS a weapon. Although, I want to investigate more into a protective dagger ... well, that’s something I will create at my leisure.

Hm? What am I charging them?

I’m not charging that much, since, although they may have more money than the average commoner, they actually don’t have that much.

They’re just in charge of getting the materials themselves. Which technically Seimei-san more than covered just from the hunt from before.

It was completely anti-climactic with Seimei-san’s 1-hit KO, but you know, there was no way fighting it would have been as easy as fighting the Crystal Python.

Even if the Crystal Python is an A rank monster, the difference between A rank and S rank is the difference of destroy most of a town versus completely obliterating everything that used to lie within the town.

I mean, the Crystal Python is still considered a snake. The ice drake is barely a step below a dragon.

If Ragnall and I fought it ourselves ... well, I won’t say we wouldn’t be able to defeat it, but it would have considerably more battle scars. Compared to the amount of money it would cost to get your hands on such a (relatively) pristine corpse of a near legendary monster, I would probably end up owing Seimei-san in the end.

Well, I’m still charging them the price of a masterworked sword for labor.

Considering the result will be drake-weaponry of legendary status ... un, if they don’t know about Seimei-san providing the material, I’m sure to be scolded by Ossan and Helward-san.

By no means am I just excited to be trying out things I’ve been forbidden from doing because they create over-powered weapons...

Haa... I’m so ready for today to be over already, so I can head back to the forge...

<A/n: Thank you Egg, Junior1210, and RS for your donations! Jun.exe has stopped working. Will reboot after filler chapter.>

For the Record, the Filler Chapter was Last Chapter, not This Chapter

“Nifta-chan .... what is this?”

“It properly has pants, doesn’t it?”

... Well, it does.

Dammit, the expectant grins on all the girls’ faces are making it really hard to just say no.

No, the statement I said where it had to have pants, they properly fulfilled that requirement, so that’s what’s making this really difficult...

Before my eyes, laid out on my bed is ... an outfit.

Dark colored pants are certainly there, but what is with the rest of it?

A shirt that has a very fashion, military-esque, or Noble-esque? look to it; there is a front panel that is a light blue, but the rest of it is a darker blue. And the rest of it, that is, the sides and the back, reach fluffily down past my knees.

The top ... no, the fake-shirt-that’s-really-basically-a-dress, distinctly has half a ballgown attached to it.

Seeing my already dissatisfied face, Nifta-chan quickly says,

“Because Jun-chan said she’d only wear pants, we had to hold back a lot da mon. Onee-chan tried really hard, you know?”

... Nifta-chan is using that voice she only uses on unreasonable ossan customers by talking like a precocious child.

“Even so...”

“You said you’d wear it if it was pants!”

I really want to refute her, but honestly, I can’t remember what I said too clearly.

Dammit! Is there no way out of this?

I opened my mouth, but before I could say a word,

“Jun-chan, you ran away in the middle of shopping and left us to pick out something suitable. Now you’re out of time to look for something else. Either you put this on, or you risk shaming the Guild and Seimei-san for hiring someone who can’t read the time, place, or occasion.”

Erina-sama clapped a hand on my shoulder, lectured me, and all with a smooth smile on her face.

A pleasant smile that somehow has the fierce glare of a snake bearing down at me.

Aaaaah... I’m done for.

Midori and Jun

◇◇◇

“Jun, you’re thinking too much about it. It actually looks more masculine than feminine. Jun looks really dashing! Now, let’s go!”

Midori-chan loops her arm around mine and drags me, against my will, outside of the back room of The Queen Mary’s.

I say against my will, but we really have to be going, so I guess there’s no helping it.

“Hi hi! Thanks for waiting! The girls are ready!”

“Heeeh, you two look great! Although you’re Midori (green), you look better in purple, huh?”

“Shut up!”

Tatsu-san’s compliment misses.

“The dress looks lovely on you, Mi-chan, but weren’t you going to put your hair up too?”

But as always, Seimei-san is tactful.

“Un, but the Onee-chans said it was better to show off the hairstyle that Second Prince liked. I guess they know what the Nobles will want to see at the party, so I left everything up to them.”

Midori-chan makes a kind of exasperated smile and shrugs her shoulders.

“Jun-kun also, it looks good on you.”

“...”

I have no comment.

I don’t want to have a comment.

Masaki coughs uncomfortably.

Although somehow, it seems like we’re the only two with complicated looks on their faces.

“... If you can ignore the skirt part, it’s not that bad. You just look like you’re cosplaying some slender ikemen or something.”

Masaki’s half-hearted words of condolence are too weak.

What’s with these damn ruffles under the skirt? What purpose do they have?!

Even if I was lucky not to get the frills and ribbons like Midori-chan, what the hell is with this exposure? From my neck down to my nonexistent cleavage, isn’t this excessive?!

What? I’m protesting too much? I should just accept I’m a girl and put up with just this much?

You’ve got to be joking!

I’ll accept I’m a girl, but there’s a difference between wearing girls’ clothes and dressing up as a girl!

“The necklines are all pretty open. I guess most women’s clothes here are like that ... even the little girls I saw running around in the square earlier today had low cut tops.”

What were you doing staring at the chests of little girls, Tatsu-san?

“It does seem to need a necklace after all ... but I only bought hair accessories.”

Seimei-san is referring to the accessories he initially bought as gifts to Maryiste and the other girls.

“You have all those rings, though ... you could just loop one on a chain right?”

Tatsu-san suggested.

Jarna-san, the listless half-elf beauty, shook her head.

“That won’t do. Having a man’s ring on a chain around her neck? If they assume it’s the Prince’s, won’t they all assume Midori-chan accepted his proposal? Rumors are a danger to a lady’s reputation, you know. We can lend you one of our necklaces.”

“Eh? Is that really ok?”

“Of course! We do fake ‘Noble Parties’ on some nights here, so we have some suitable necklaces. Although the gems are cheap. Jun-chan too...”

“I’m fine.”

Although, it’s not like a necklace would bother me all too much, I just feel so damn uncomfortable already, that I just want to hurry up and get this night over with.

Anyway, Tatsu-san, there are various problems with using Seimei’s rings as a mere accessories ... Namely, they’re considered cursed items that suck mana gluttonously and glow ominously when full... Well, all the gamers, who have around 1 to 2 million MP should be relatively ok.

By the way, the guys are wearing shirts and pants. Tatsu-san is wearing a tailored coat with some rich-looking ornamentation. Masaki is wearing cuffs that go halfway up his forearms, plus a fancy vest-like thing with a long cloak that goes to his knees for outerwear. Seimei-san is wearing a waistcoat, plus a luxurious, soft-looking sweater-cloak-like thing... well, it’s all other-world formal wear.

Ragnall is ... he looks about as comfortable as me, huh? He’s more suited for adventurer armor.

Even Tatsu-san, who looked like he’d be out of place in formal wear the most, cleaned up nicely.

Haaa... as the girls help Midori-chan and the other gamers with their accessories, Ragnall approaches me.

“It’s fine, it’s fine... at least these sort of clothes suit you.”

He tugs at the sleeves of his shirt. It’s a plain shirt with droopy sleeves, with a fancy-ish vest over it. What he’s wearing is similar to Masaki’s outfit, but somehow, comparatively, Ragnall looks more like a pirate than a Noble.

Well, we guards are only accompaniments, after all ...

“No matter how uncomfortable you are, you can’t show it, though. If either of us looks distracted at any moment, people might think of it as a good opportunity to strike against Seimei-san.”

Ragnall whispers that in a low voice.

Ah, that’s right. There are people after Seimei-san, and maybe the other gamers. Possibly.

This is no time to stay grumbling over a skirt like this, even if it’s big and poofy with all these flouncy things under it ...

Haaa... to tell the truth, even I know I’m being slightly unreasonable. Men in this world also wear skirts when doing certain types of labor, and long, tunic or robe-like things are common too, with or without pants. Even formal-looking skirts are common, though men here still don’t wear these super poofy skirts like this.

But I just can’t get myself to like having to wear this.

Anyway, back to more important matters.

“Do you really think someone will aim for Seimei-san’s life with Masaki and the others around? Something like that would only be suicidal.”

I whisper it back to him, since it seems like he wants to make it a secret strategy talk.

Although, rather than secret, it’s more like behind-the-scenes work that we shouldn’t concern the others, who can be considered our clients, with, so even if they overhear it there should be no problem, ne.

“Nnn... while I personally wouldn’t want to tangle with a group of people who can each take down a wyvern by himself, we don’t know who these potential attackers are or what their goal is. If their goal is to make a big scene, even with you superhumans around, I think the idea of doing something tonight would be very tempting.”

Do we even know for sure that they’re aiming for Seimei-san? Although I’m thinking that, I don’t say it.

Even though I don’t know all the little things the Guild has been doing, I do know that they’re not willing to stand around and let Nyl City get turned upside down.

The fact that Ragnall is assigned as Seimei-san’s bodyguard should be enough to understand that they’re pretty confident that someone is aiming at Carnus, either to drive them out of the city or for other reasons.

Although at first I felt some kind of noblesse oblige or something to try to find out all the details, in the end ... I’m not too good at that kind of investigation.

Rather than bog myself down with things I’m not good at, and possibly ruin the investigation for the Guild, it’s better for me to focus on improving the things I am good at in preparation for anything that could come, right?

The only thing we have to be wary about is a surprise attack, huh?

When I ask Ragnall, he shrugged, saying,

“Well, yeah. Basically. Maa, against a surprise attack, we’re only there as decoy guards, to be honest. The hidden guards are the ones who are dealing with that type of thing. But we’re also the most responsible for taking care of things after the action starts ... though honestly, if anything happens, we’re just counting on you to secure the lives of as many people as possible, with Seimei-san at top priority.”

That’s right, because I have Barrier (series) spells.

“And Ragnall?”

“Do what I can to secure the assassins for interrogation.”

“So, same as usual but with more risks since everyone’s a potential target at this party...”

“Well.... yeah. But your priority is Seimei-san and the Knight Captain as a close second.”

Because without the Knight Captain, who keeps order among the citizens of Carnus in Nyl City, bad things will happen. Right.

Now that I’ve calmed down some ... a foreboding of a different kind feels like it’s looming overhead.

Which further intensified as the Knight Captain’s carriage came to pick us all up.

◇◇◇

“... I don’t want to say too much, but I think as your guards, Sir Knight Captain and Seimei-sama should have discussed this with us...”

Ragnall scratched the back of his head.

The streets of Nyl City are narrow, so Sir Knight Captain Ilyos-sama sent 2 narrow carriages to pick the gamers up. Even though they’re narrower than normal carriages, we still have to take the long way around to avoid the alleyways and roughly kept side streets.

Masaki, Midori-chan, and Tatsu-san are in the first carriage, while Seimei-san, Ragnall, and I are in the second.

And Seimei-san quickly explained the order of the night’s festivities to us.

“Well, I also thought keeping it from the Guild was a bit too much, but I suppose there are politics Sir Ilyos has to think about.”

The contents of the discussion?

Just that Sir Knight Captain had also caught wind of the unrest going on, and was tired of worrying about all of the Carnus citizens doing business and living in Nyl City, so he was hoping to lure them out tonight.

Of course Seimei-san is the primary bait.

Haaa...

“... Seimei-san...”

I kind of give him a look.

He shrugs and says,

“Well, I’ll admit that I’m tired of worrying about it too. Against an unknown opponent with unknown objectives, I’m willing to put in some risk to get some more concrete information. The Guild would appreciate it too, correct? As far as I know, they are also grasping at straws, trying to find out the identities of this group.”

“Well it’s not like I don’t understand your feelings ...”

I’m a little hesitant to just agree that this is a good idea, but it doesn’t really sound like there’s any say in it for us. There’s just one question.

“So... what does that mean we should do? I’m not sure exactly how aware you are of the situation, Seimei-san, but Ragnall is the top-ranker of the Nyl City branch of the Guild, but he’s also within the top 100 Adventurers in all the Guild worldwide. As for me, I’m relatively unknown worldwide, but ... I’m kind of notorious in Nyl City for people who keep an ear out for that type of thing.”

With us as the guards, I can’t confidently say that any assassins won’t have their wariness at MAX.  To be confident of baiting them to lure out information ... shouldn’t we hire weaker guards?

Ah, what’s this? How have I become so knowledgeable about the situation?

I’m completely horrid at hunting out secret information except on lucky (or unlucky) coincidences, but when it comes to public knowledge ... I’ve been living in this city for over 2 months you know? And I’d say that I get along well enough with the locals that they’re willing to answer questions that I ask them.

As for why am I notorious?

That ... incident right at the beginning of my Adventurer career when I first met Ragnall is the main reason. The Crystal Python is the second.

“... Well, I wasn’t aware it was to that degree, but I suppose I now understand Sir Ilyos’ plan. At one point in the night, Sir Ilyos plans to call in myself and some other higher ranking Nobles under the guise of a discussion about the balance of Nyl City’s power, now that I and Masaki and the others have arrived. The two of you will not be allowed to attend.”

“Ah... I see. But if anything happens to you while we’re separated, that will still count as a Miss on our commission.”

As always, Ragnall is focusing on the important things...

“As for that ...”

Seimei-san took out a scroll and handed it to Ragnall.

“Whichever of you wishes to take it, it’s a commission slip to the Guild. During the time we’re in our meeting, instead of being my guards, it’s a commission to investigate the identities of the people behind whatever circumstances might occur.”

Ragnall took the scroll, opened it, and quickly, but carefully, looked it over.

“Let me confirm it. This means that during the period of time you are in a separate room from the rest of the party, we are not responsible for your safety and instead, we are to act as independent investigators? Furthermore, if there is a chance to apprehend suspicious people, we are to pursue them. Basically, at this party, we are only your guards in name?”

Seimei-san scratched the back of his head.

“Well, that’s more or less correct. It was Sir Ilyos’ idea to keep it from the Guild until after the fact, in order to keep as much information hidden as possible. With this commission form, though, you should be able to receive a reward from the Guild, as well as absolve anything that might damage your reputation with the previous commission.”

I’m surprised. I didn’t think the people of Nyl City were cornered by this unknown assailant to this point. It seems like things were moving in places I couldn’t see, ne.

I think it was the correct decision for me to avoid politics and mind games as much as possible.

“Of course, the two of you have free reign to go wherever you wish inside Sir Ilyos’ mansion and the barracks, save for the Noble’s personal quarters.”

“Haa... Seimei-san. You still have that dagger, right? The glowy one?”

“Eh? Ah. Yes. It seems difficult to use though, since it needs to be unsheathed.”

Right, I know. That thing has so many design flaws thanks to my thoughtlessness. No need to go into all the details.

“Still, it would make me feel better, at least, for you to have it with you.”

I mentally note to improve, no, completely redo the concept of an attack-detecting weapon.

“Indeed. I was going to have it on me in case anything happened. Since it seems to double as a channeling tool.”

Ah, that’s right. He was testing the difference between his rod, Sceptre of the Broken Temple, an SSR quality, 6 star, maxed out weapon specifically for Dark Mages, and my little Defective Dagger (temporarily named) as mediums for channeling his spells.

Although the poor monsters couldn’t stand up to either, so in the end, he simply released spells through them both and asked Ragnall and me what we thought.Because the sceptre was made of blackened petrified wood (so the setting was), it actually restricted the magic flow to only along its surface. The dagger?  Un, it was terrifying.

Wait. Seimei-san, if you seriously use that as a magic casting tool, won’t the mountain disappear?

“If that’s the situation, to tell the truth, this is much more preferable for the Guild as well. (And my other commission.) Anyway, only the hidden guards will be greatly disadvantaged with this, but we don’t have the time to inform them, and what they have to do won’t change anyway.”

Although Ragnall muttered that middle part very quietly under his breath ... I heard that.

“Ah, I see. I didn’t think about that. I will have to give them my apologies. Afterwards.”

Seimei-san resolves himself to deal with the possible repercussions.

The carriage is drawing near to Sir Knight Captain’s residence now.

How I almost fell out of the carriage after tripping on the many layers of fabric on my skirt-thing is something that I’d like to ignore for the moment.

It was going to be a long night.

<A/n: Thanks Egg for the donations!

For the record, I regret making Jun a failure at fashion. Although I wanted to describe the guys’ outfits more in detail, Jun. You suck. Haa... I guess I should draw at least Seimei’s outfit, or else it sounds like he’s wearing a granny sweater or something.

Anyway, the Onee-sans’ tastes were actually pretty good for matching Jun’s hate of frilly girly dresses, but Jun-chan has some weird fixations on strange things, ne?>

In a Slice-of-Life, Plot Holes aren’t Mistakes; They’re Opportunities

In his room, alone, stood a man.

He wore a high-collared white coat, heavily embroidered with red and gold, as well as a cravat that seemed to be too tight for his neck no matter how many times he re-tied it. His waistcoat underneath was a dark red velvet as well.

A light cloak in the red and gold of the Carnus livery was pinned to his left breast around to his right shoulder, and cords of gold wound around at the fastenings.

The Knight Captain of Carnus, Sir Ilyos, stared glumly at his reflection in the mirror.

No matter how many times he had to put on an affair like this, he wouldn’t enjoy it.

Even if he was a Noble, he started out as a soldier. He became a Noble through his actions in the military. And yet now he was supposed to entertain Nobles regularly?

But tonight wasn’t the same dreary party with inane formalities as Nobles from various parts of Carnus, or even other countries, put on false smiles and spoke false pleasantries to each other. Although strictly speaking, that was still something he had to endure this time as well.

Sir Ilyos licked his dry lips nervously and clutched at the white gloves in his hand.

Tonight’s plan ... was risky. He wasn’t just using people that the King valued as bait, but also his men and his own family.

If you think Sir Ilyos is a callous man to do something like this, that’s simply how far the situation has progressed.

Illegal Carnesian merchants, though criminals, were still citizens of Carnus, and finding them dead in the darkest alleyways still called for the Knight Captain stationed in Nyl City to investigate.

That was the trigger for Carnus to start their own investigation into Nyl City.

What Sir Ilyos’ spies found, honestly, it was unnerving.

Although Nyl City is a lawless zone, there are still acts that are only conducted in the darkness.

And in a lawless Unaffiliated territory, the dark places are dark indeed.

Large amounts of money were switching hands in this true darkness of Nyl City. Assets that would run a country or move an army were trickling through the dark places that common people could never imagine.

As he and his spies investigated, Sir Ilyos often ran into the Guild’s own operations.

So it really is something bad enough to move even the stubborn Guild leaders into action.

But, every time they cornered a lead, like they were children trying to catch a lizard, both Carnus and the Guild were left holding the discarded tail.

The merchants who dealt in dangerous drugs, slave-traders who acquired slaves through questionable methods, magic tool researchers who did things that offended the morals for their goods...

One by one, as they were cornered, they were found to know nothing about who they were supporting with their ... talents.

But then, there was an attack on a brothel.

In that attack, like smoke, the faces of the true masterminds emerged and then vanished in a space of half an hour.

Why on a brothel?

Though they wracked their heads, no one could figure it out, but even though the thugs who were set up as scapegoats for the deed were completely wiped out, nothing more came out of it.

Even though the Guild hired Adventurers to watch the brothel, and Sir Ilyos even sent his own guards to lie in wait for a return visit from these mysterious figureheads.

It was then that a certain Rabbitkin, famous for her role as the person to contact for the prestigious Wind Troupe scout Adventurers, approached him.

“It’s been paid for by the Guild, but the information seems to be useful, so use it however you want.”

Paid for by the Guild, eh?

Sir Ilyos knew even without being told that the Guild was secretly asking, “Won’t you cooperate with us?”

As he flipped through the lightly-encoded documents (Is this Lor’s work I wonder, Sir Ilyos thought idly as he looked them over), his face grew even more haggard.

SOMETHING was found in the ground, embedded in The Queen Mary’s courtyard.

That description of a talisman encased in khystel, with magic gems that pulsated as if they were alive ...

To tell the truth, Sir Ilyos’ spies had also found them in other spots around the city – ah, that is noted in the documents as well.

And like the others, it could not be removed. No matter how they tugged and tried to dig around it, those who touched it lost strength. Even if the dirt around it was removed, it would merely stay there, suspended in the exact position it was found.

More than that, they couldn’t get under it at all.

An unpleasant feeling shivered up Sir Ilyos’ spine.

Just what is being planned for, in this city?

◇◇◇

“Jun, you’re being too obvious.”

Ragnall muttered.

Ah... my bad.

Even if Seimei-san’s the bait for tonight, I’m still unwilling to let him ... just get skewered or something.

But apparently I was looking around the room too much.

“Baronet Seimei Hara has entered.”

Uwaah.

I’m not sure what to be more amazed at, the fact that there’s someone announcing people as they enter, or Seimei-san, who acts like it’s natural.

Even Ragnall kind of flinched when all the attention is directed towards us.

“Sir Masaki, Sir Tatsu, and Lady Midori have entered.”

I hear the small, “Geh,” that Masaki made as all the attention redirects past us and onto them.

But even as we move further into the room and other Nobles come in after us, there are still quite a few people who remaining staring at Seimei-san and Masaki.

There are SO many more people here than I expected. I mean, this is Unaffiliated territory, so who would have thought there would be enough Nobles to fill the room?

I’m extending my senses so that they can keep track of the entire room, but with this many people, it’s not easy.

Even though I’ve just gotten used to sensing peoples’ bloodthirsts, if it’s like this, it’s kind of hard to tell what’s bloodthirst and what’s ordinary staring.

I guess this means I haven’t gotten used to sensing bloodthirst after all. This is just sensing other peoples’ stares.

I’ve been training my detection senses really hard recently, but in the end I’m just going to have to rely on my fast reflexes, huh?

But with so many people milling about, am I really going to be ok?

Not to mention, I don’t know anyone here, so everyone looks like a suspect.

Haa... This is definitely not a crowd I’m used to... or so I thought.

That Ossan over there... eh? He was a Noble?

Looking closely, as Seimei-san makes his way around the room greeting people, I notice quite a few people I recognize.

I guess there are a lot of Nobles who don’t care about acting like Nobles in Nyl City, because I’ve chatted with quite a few of these Ossans in the city squares without knowing that they were Nobles at all.

Although they look over and give a small nod, most of the Ossans and Obaasans I knew didn’t do anything other than give me a slight nod.

I guess they’re being mindful that I’m working, or maybe they’re actually upholding the differences in status tonight or something.

This kind of formal affair is really stifling ...

While trying to remain aware of everything around us, I hear,

“... A sword of this kind of grade, as expected of Masaki-sama... This is a sword from your home-country?”

The weapon-maniac Ossan who’s always flirting with the herb-seller’s daughter – I mean, the militaristic-looking Noble with the muttonchops that I see around the city is looking at Masaki’s sword that he’s hung at his waist with a very troubled look.

Un. The sword is too much; the aura totally gives it away... but because the owner of the sword is one of the over-powered Carnus VIPs, it seems the Ossa – Noble-sama is just accepting that it exists without worrying about it.

Masaki makes a bit of a troubled face and says,

“Ah, yes, it’s a sword made by a smith from our country.”

Although I gave you that drake sword, I didn’t mean you had to wear it on your hip right away ... You could have put it in Inventory, right?

Masaki is the only one of the gamers wearing a weapon openly. I understand Midori-chan not wanting to carry  a longbow and quiver everywhere, but I wonder why only Masaki has a sword.

Not that it really matters, I guess, since we all basically have every weapon we own at our fingertips.

Hm, but the drake sword really is too much. All the weapon maniacs are focused on it, and because we’re in Nyl City, an Unaffiliated territory that has a large weapon industry, there are a lot of weapon maniacs.

Midori-chan is surrounded by a lot of Noblewomen, and she doesn’t look exactly comfortable... I wonder if they’re talking about that prince.

Yeah, I know, I should be paying more attention to guarding Seimei-san, but it’s not like I even know what I’m supposed to be looking for. Although I was too tense at the beginning, somehow ... after half an hour, your mind starts to wander.

Not good. I should focus...

Right when I was thinking that, Sir Knight Captain suddenly returned to Seimei-san’s side, and with him were several other Nobles.

“Excuse me, Sir Baronet.”

Sir Knight Captain whispered something into Seimei-san’s ear.

“... I see. Then. Madam Julia, Sir Kortan, if you’ll excuse me.”

As Seimei-san went to follow Sir Knight Captain, Ragnall also moved after him, but Sir Knight Captain smiled thinly, saying,

“Sorry, Ragnall, but this is a bit of a private matter, so could you two guards wait out here?”

Ragnall put on a face of discontent and mild shock.

“Sorry Sir Ily – Sir Knight Captain, but even if it’s you, this goes against the principles of an escort commission.”

“... I understand that, but I’m sorry, this isn’t really something I can compromise on.”

Ah... they’re really doing it, they’re really doing it.

Ragnall and Sir Knight Captain are putting on a bit of a play for everyone to see.

It makes sense. No one would believe that the “Money Grubber” Ragnall would willingly sabotage his commission. If they didn’t do something like this, it might be harder to make whomever we’re aiming for take the bait.

I try to put a displeased look on my face as well, but as Ragnall argues with Sir Knight Captain, I’m carefully looking over the other Nobles who will be following Sir Knight Captain and Seimei-san into the room.

Nn?

In the corner of my eye, something bothers me more than any of the Nobles’ reactions.

“Sei – Sir Baronet... Please be careful.”

I say that while darting my eyes towards the thing that bothers me.

I only had to repeat that motion once before Seimei-san understood.

After Ragnall reluctantly (though only in appearance) let them walk away, I felt the tension that was lying dormant in my stomach threaten to bubble over.

Even if I warned him about it, is this really okay? Is it really going to be okay not to do anything and just let them all go into a closed room together?!

M-maa, I know Sir Knight Captain is reliable at least, and the Casanova Ossan and the weird-weapons-lover Ossan are ... well, I don’t know how reliable they are, but I’ve at least talked with them before, and they didn’t seem suspicious in those times.

Or like, I feel like you can get to know people pretty well when you’re with them while they get into public drinking contests.

Actually ... they were THAT important as Nobles, but they didn’t hesitate to get dead drunk in the middle of the streets late at night?!

I feel my idea of a Noble shattering somewhere in the back of my mind.

Ah! I need to focus. Focus...

Although I’m tempted to send my senses up towards the room Seimei-san has been led towards, I control myself and spread them around the room instead.

◇◇◇

“Well, what do you think of that smith girl Jun?”

Late at night, Dobin asked me that question.

“Haa, well, she’s definitely interesting.”

I still can’t figure it out, neither the wire puzzle or Dobin’s motives.

Sitting on the corner of Dobin’s desk, I was originally waiting for him to return.

But seriously, this is too late to keep me waiting, Dobin.

The Guild staff pulls a lot of all-nighters nowadays...

Although, strictly speaking, there’s only Florian the Guild Master and Dobin the Vice Guild Master who are considered “staff”.

Even Minerva, their secretary, is only considered an external hired hand.

The Guild’s spies are Adventurers paid on commission, and the Guild doesn’t bother trying to say, “Hey, don’t spread this information around” to people who are only cooperating for a reward.

Though that just means they have to be pretty discerning on who they hire to do what.

That’s why poor suckers like me and Lor, and the Wind Troupe too, get dragged around like this.

We’re too reliable, hahaha!

“Everyone knows THAT. I’m asking you about your impressions on her, Ragnall. You’ve done more work than anyone else with her.”

“The smiths do more, I think. But, ok, yeah. Horrifically naive, gets obsessed with things to the point of forgetting everything else, and forgets to sleep a lot. Though that doesn’t seem to bother her all too much.”

“Horrifically naive ... well I suppose that’s one way of saying it. Haaaa...”

Dobin, don’t you know if you sigh for too long, your soul will come out?

“Is this really going to be ok, I wonder? Although we put her with you to monitor Carnus because she can discern magic as well as you, are we pushing too much on an immature Adventurer?”

Ah, I see. Dobin’s getting cold feet, as usual.

Although he sneers in front of people and riles them up to help him achieve his goals, it’s not like he’s completely a black-hearted merchant of a halfling.

Most of the time.

Although they’re aware of Jun’s achievements, I guess they’ve already forgotten about the night we first ran into her.

If he saw the bodies of those hapless bastards flying through the air, not to mention the body parts, I don’t think he’d be so worried.

Instead of an immature Adventurer, I think she’s more like a disaster waiting to happen. She’s laidback to a fault, but even if she feels some hesitation, when the time comes, she follows through whole-heartedly.

I mean, even though she had such a bad reaction to killing all those guys ... not once did I ever hear her say she regretted it.

And that was what I reflected over last night, in my report to Dobin.

Looking at her now, here at Sir Ilyos’ gathering ... man, she’s definitely a greenhorn when it comes to being a professional escort, but no one finds it too weird.

The Adventurers who DON’T know what all is going on just assume she’s a Carnus Noble’s escort because of her Barriers, and her face.

After Sir Seimei and the others came, rumors spread that they must be from the same country, so that’s why Jun was asked to be an escort.

There were also rumors that Sir Knight Captain was obsessed with her swords.

Or that she was once a Noble herself.

Or...

Well, point is, there were tons of rumors, and about half of them were propagated from that bastard Dobin.

So no one knows that SHE’S the real guard while I’M the investigator.

Although, now we’re BOTH investigators, I guess.

◇◇◇

“So you are the new Baronet of Carnus.”

Hm... in this room are the Nobles and Diplomats who are most prevalent in international affairs stationed in Nyl City.

Seimei hides his thoughts as he smiles at the Noble from Fernett.

“Greetings, I am Seimei Hara.”

“Hn... I hear that your house has people with quite the abilities. To introduce people like that to this area ... it’s like mobilizing a small army, hm?”

“Not at all. They’re stubborn people who are treating this rather as a holiday, with little interest in the territory itself.”

Speaking “pleasantries” like this, Seimei couldn’t help folding his arms into his soft jacket.

Although it had lapels and cuffs of starched, stiff fabric like a suit that were elaborately embroidered, the rest of the was of soft, woven material that flowed like silk, and the sleeves were dolman-type sleeves, the “batwing” type that narrowed on the upper arms into the sleeve cuffs.

It was a luxurious looking top that was fastened with a chain, and another silk-like fabric wrapped asymmetrically over his left arm, draping down the front.

In other words, it was a loose-fitting, softly flowing cardigan-like jacket with a lot of embellishments draping down the front and side.

It was impossible to notice the knife he had strapped to his side, let alone that he was nervously fingering the handle, feeling like he had to be prepared to draw it at any moment.

Although he had tried with all his might, Seimei couldn’t figure out how to sense magic or mana, nor could he put up much of a barrier no matter how Jun tried to explain things to him.

In Mourning Star, he had designed his character Skill Tree to disregard defensive and buff magics, and focused on all out offense and curses. He was optimized to fight behind a vanguard, after all, so there was no point to defensive skills.

But now, he had a distinct feeling of vulnerability.

A man who could be compared to a nuclear apocalypse was feeling vulnerable; how ludicrous.

While he was conversing with the Nobles in this room, Seimei-san was carefully observing their characters.

Back in Japan, the only way he could have climbed up the ranks so fast was thanks to his abilities to see behind the natures of others.

And also a lot of overtime and lost vacation days... but he didn’t really like to think about that.

Sir Ilyos the Knight Captain had made his own assumptions about the matter at hand and said he was most suspicious about the Nobles of Fernett, but Seimei couldn’t agree.

Sure, they’re greedy for power and willing to grasp at anything they can get, but they also have a strong sense of pride that refuses to give anything up even if they’re asking for something.

Just by watching them probe his own intentions on being in Nyl City allowed Seimei to make that judgment.

If they were willing to compromise or had a policy of negotiating their pride, probably the country of Fernett wouldn’t still be a tiny country in the mountains with a declining population and failing power.

Well, even if he didn’t think they were the suspects, they weren’t pleasant people to talk to.

If they’re wrapped up in the matter surrounding Nyl City, Seimei expected to find their involvement on the surface, not at the root.

Several Carnus merchants were found guilty of illegal (by Carnus’ standards) deeds that related to the matter, but none of them were aware that they were being used.

Someone – no, most likely multiple someones – with a sliver tongue wove deals that were too good to pass up, and orchestrated a whole mess of things that no one would be able to see unless they pieced together the whole lot of it.

Seimei couldn’t help but feel that both the Knight Captain of Carnus and the Guild were too naive in their conclusions.

A Noble from such-and-such country, or a black market dealer in such-and-such market...

Although the Knight Captain and the Guild were concerned with the movement of money, Seimei felt a chill up his spine as he realized that pawns from every country or non-country were being used without their awareness.

If it’s something like this, isn’t the network of this unknown threat clearly an organization? The coordination between separate events that led to finding the strange objects buried in various spots ... all of them were orchestrated by different people, through different people, for different people.

Unless it was The Man with 1000 Masks incarnate that they were chasing, Seimei felt sure that it was the movement of an organization with hundreds devoted to their cause.

The word “cult” was brought up in his mind.

Truthfully, tonight’s little charade was all Seimei’s doing.

It was impossible to deal with the problem by dealing with the suspicious people, because the people involved were never aware of it in the first place, and so Seimei suggested a plan and advised the Knight Captain against talking about it even to his own subordinates.

“Let me be the decoy,” he said, “and perhaps we can drag whomever it is out. Perhaps it’s someone with a lot of influence, so let’s see what happens if we give him an opportunity to strike against us.”

Like that he persuaded the Knight Captain to hold a party, and then even separate the people with the most power within that party into an isolated room.

What the Knight Captain didn’t know was that Seimei was actually thinking the opposite of what he was saying.

Let’s gather all the people with power over here. All eyes will be on the Knight Captain’s mansion. All the attention from the Guild, the employed Adventurers, and all of the Nobles and military men of every country will be over here.

If there is something going on in the city, now is the perfect opportunity for those lurking in the shadows to make their move.

As if in tune with his thoughts, right before Sir Knight Captain began to address the (made up) reason he had gathered everyone here together this night, all of a sudden Seimei felt that “something” move.

<a/N: Thanks Warlald, Magnadra, and Vincent for your donations!

Take the title as you will.

OMFG, this was classic “I’m here at point A in the storyline and I have to get to point B. Brain, any suggestions?”

Brain: “Dafuq you asking me for?”

And so, various POV chapter. Because Jun is a “wing it” type of person, so if I went over everything exclusively though her POV, it would take another 4 or 5 chapters ... Why did I do a conspiracy theory arc with this type of MC? Let’s go explore and use magic again soon, ok? Jun?>

People Going in Different Directions Under Unclear Goals in Different Places is a Scene of Chaos

Although Nyl City can be considered to be a big city, it’s because the city is built upwards along the mountainside; it’s a tiered city. In an aerial view of the city, it can be considered on the small side.

Why is this relevant?

It’s because anything reasonably loud can be heard from anywhere in the city.

Meaning, those explosions and those screams in the city ... we can totally hear them. You don’t even need to have Augment Body to hear them.

All eyes, including ours, were drawn to the small, slit-like windows.

That’s a ... those are ... eels?

Giant eels were raging like Godzilla throughout the city.

Accompanying them were a wyvern air force, and several swarms of bug-type monsters.

Queer silhouettes and beast-like growls resounded through the streets.

What is this, the Hyakku Yagyou monster parade?!

“-It started out in the city?!”

Ragnall’s strained whisper from next to me had a hint of panic.

Yeah, I didn’t expect it either. Or like, do we go? Do we stay?!

CRASH! Shaaa-clatterclatter!

Glass shatters, falling to the ground in tiny pieces like rain.

As if to mock us for our indecision, large, ominous-looking beasts break in through the windows on the second floor balcony, landing in the middle of the room.

Gaoor!

“No one move! We- blergh!”

Crash!

Without even waiting to confirm the situation, the brawler who only sometimes uses brass knuckles or katars, Tatsu-san, has already launched the man riding a Nightmare Wolf into the back wall.

The other 2 Nightmare Wolves have already been shot through with green, glowing arrows.

“Oi, there wasn’t an animal trainer or something in the schedule, right? If there was, looks like I’ll need to make an apology.”

Tatsu-san said carelessly.

“Hmph. Who would hire this kind of entertainment? Baka-tsu.”

Midori-chan retorts at him.

She is wielding her light-green, crystalline-looking bow, another ominous looking arrow already notched to it, but since the two of them had finished them all off already, she lowers the bow and the arrow disappears.

Magic? Uuun... infinite ammo is a dream among dreams. I wonder how it works; although it may be impossible to replicate the game-cheat technology from scratch in this world.

The last of the 3, Masaki, has his hand on his hilt but hasn’t bothered to draw, calmly looking at the scene as if he was confident that the other 2 could handle it.

Hey hey, aren’t you looking cool~.

But I don’t have time to tease him, so I let it go for now.

The Nobles and other people of reasonably high status are all making a commotion while staring at the gamers and the wolves, saying things like “We’re under attack?” or “They’re so strong!” or “Where did that bow come from?”

I try to ignore the chaos and mimic Ragnall, who is slinking into the shadows.

“There was no room for us to step in, huh?”

Ragnall muttered.

“I guess so.”

Kshyaaa! Gooouuu!

Tch. Those land-moving giant eels are really going at it.

There’s not just chaos here, but chaos all throughout the city-!

Even if Ragnall and I are supposed to lay low and hunt out the masterminds, just leaving this mess like this ...

Just when I was thinking that, Tatsu-san leaped out the window with a

“Hai-yo-! Looks like we can hunt monsters outside of the Labyrinth tonight!”

“Mou~! Why did they have to come out now when I’m wearing this dress!”

Midori-chan grumbled as she pulled her skirts to one side, charging out after Tatsu-san.

“Tatsu, I’ll take the left? Ah, excuse us.”

Masaki quickly bowed to the Nobles near him and followed them out the window after giving the hall a quick glance over.

Ah, was he looking for me and Ragnall?

Oh well, I’ll fill him in on things later.

At any rate, as I listen to them rampaging outside I think we’re unnecessary to subjugate the monsters.

It’s not just Masaki and the others. This is technically an Adventurer’s city, you know?

Sounds of battle erupt in various pockets all throughout the city.

I ignore Ragnall muttering,

“Left... like, he’s going to take care of the entire left side of the city?”

And ask,

“Ragnall. Our goal is the masterminds?”

“Ah. Yeah...”

“Then I think we can leave any monster attacks to Masaki and the others...”

“Ah. Yeah – Hey, wait up! Are you going to let them know?”

We quickly slip out of Sir Knight Captain’s mansion from the side corridor in the middle of the commotion.

I don’t know why, but I feel like it’s better to remain hidden during all of this.

If the people who’ve been hiding in the shadows go public – no, no matter how I think about it, it feels wrong.

If Sir Knight Captain and Seimei-san showily presented Seimei-san as the decoy, then this showy monster parade ... it has the same feeling.

It seems like Ragnall has more or less the same idea, since he follows me without much complaint.

In response to his concern, I reply,

“Well, I have a secret ability for that.”

“For some reason, that doesn’t surprise me.”

The concentration of most of this chaos is – are? I thought it would be the Guild, but it’s the main square, where the food carts usually are.

If we weren’t trying to be stealthy, we could jump down and reach the square faster by taking the route a bird would fly, but instead we’re running through the back alleys of Nyl City.

Although I do just jump the entire flight of stairs whenever we come to them.

Along the way,

“【FRIEND CHAT: CONNECT】- Masaki, no wait, it’s [‘Masa’].”

I wait until the *Beep* that indicates we’re connected before saying,

“Masaki, we’re leaving all the big monsters to you guys, is that ok?”

[“Jun? Yeah, it’s fine. This sword is really terrifying. Why didn’t you let me know it has a chance to freeze my opponents?!”]

“... Oh yeah. Um ... surprise?”

[“Haa... anyway, it seems like Ta-chan and Mi-chan are eager to fight, or like ... they’ve already gone into the city...”]

Oooh, I just saw the eel-like monster reel backwards like it just got shot or punched in the face. I guess they’re over there?

Anyway, what’s he trying to pull, acting like he wasn’t ready to jump in and fight them too?

“So what is the plan? Are we just running around town until we notice something?”

I cut the Friend Chat, since it’s beginning to get lively over there on Masaki’s side, and try to figure out exactly what Ragnall and I are supposed to be doing.

“Ah, that’s basically the plan, but we’re basically looking for any spikes in magical power.”

... What are we, Geiger counters?

But I keep my retort to myself and activate Magic Sensory.

Are? Could it be that Ragnall, thanks to his abnormal allergy, and me ... we’re the most magic sensitive people in the city?

I wonder if the hidden guards are also investiga –

Zuwoooon.

Eh –

What is thi –

Ugh!

It’s pai – No, it’s not exactly painful.

What is this feeling? Like being caught in a too-cold gust of wind, or standing too close to speakers playing a heavy bass-line way too loud.

It’s resonating way too much; my chest -!

“Whoa, Jun, did you feel that – Whoooa!?”

Ragnall doubled back as I fell to my knees.

Nn? Ragnall’s fine, but I’m not... Oh, I’m fine now.

The ground is humming with magic; no, before that, while Ragnall and I were running down the alleyways, the ground lit up with a violent magic that dyed my vision white for a moment.

Even though it’s still humming below our feet, the overwhelming surge has died down.

“Ugh... what was that?”

“An influx of magic, I guess. It feels like something ‘activated’.”

I stood up and shook my head to clear it a little, then close my eyes.

Magic Sensory doesn’t work through the eyes alone, you know.

I wonder if it’s similar to echo-location ... I extend my senses outwards to try to map this over-the-top magic activity.

And then immediately open my eyes in a rush.

“Oi oi oi, what’s going on in the city?! There are 13 places just flooding with magic!”

“13? Where are they?”

“Two in the north, two in the sou – What! There’s one at The Queen Mary’s!?”

What is this, what is this?!

There was nothing there before!

My heart leaps into my mouth. I feel my limbs go cold, but before I can run off, Ragnall grabs me by the arm.

“Wait. Calm down. Are they emitting magic or sending magic?”

I take a deep breath.

“... Neither. They’re storing? Or converting?”

“Then it would be faster to find out where the source of all this magic is, right?”

“Yeah. Ok, I’m calm.”

I’m pissed, but I’m calm.

Eh? Are?

“Ragnall, you’re ok?”

There’s quite a bit of magic flying around all of a sudden, or like, I’m kind of annoyed that I had such a bad reaction but he didn’t.

“Yeah, it’s not free magic power but some sort of element-infused magic.”

Hnn... I understand Ragnall’s condition less and less, but let’s set that aside for now.

I look down, where the magic seems strongest, and with my Magic Sensory, it lights up like a underground river of light.

Beneath the surface, huh?

This magic is ...

It’s similar to the feel of that floating “water” in the Water Corridor, but far more potent.

The phrase, ‘The one closest to us’ floats up in my mind.

“This is ... this is light magic?”

“Eh? So this is light magic ... it feels a little different than the stuff the elves use. But so, yeah, where’s the origin of it coming from?”

“... Underground?”

“Underground – the Labyrinth?”

“Nnn....no... not that far, I think.”

Although to be fair, I don’t know exactly how far beneath the surface the Labyrinth is.

“Then... the sewers, maybe?”

Eh... I always thought the people in this city used magic stones and above-ground pipes for their plumbing, but I guess there’s a need for waste water disposal.

But it’s like looking at a picture of underground water veins, so I don’t think the flow of magic is through a man-made sewer system.

What to do ...

How to get there ...

“Ragnall.”

“Huh?”

“Properly apologize to Dobin with me after this.”

“Huh?!”

BAKIN-!

With my fist, I drilled through the pavement, down a few kilometers until I hit open space.

Success!

But somehow, I feel like the Crystal Python’s Earth Break was more ... Ah! It’s not like I’m experimenting with magic by destroying public property! I properly have a reason for doing this!

“Whaat are you doing?!”

“Ah, somehow, I feel that it would be best to put an end to this quick...”

“No, I mean yes, but why are you destroying the road?! Jun? Jun! Get back here!”

Whoops, sorry, too busy saving the city to listen.

I drop down through the man-hole-sized hole, ignoring Ragnall’s spluttering.

The magic “fumes” are especially strong down here.

Well, I guess that’s to be expected. I did just drill straight to the source.

Ugh...

It’s not like it’s making me feel all that bad, but I kind of feel ... like this is what being intoxicated would feel like.

Is it because of the same reason I could talk to Light Magic at the Water Corridor? The one being closest to Light Magic?

“Whoa, this really is something else. A dried up water vein?”

With a light thud, Ragnall jumps down behind me.

I look at him.

“You’re ok with this kind of atmosphere too?”

“Ah, yeah. It’s pretty heavy feeling, but it doesn’t affect me too bad. For the record, only ‘raw’ magic and mana affect me.”

“I have a lot of things I could say to that, but ok, fine. I think... it’s flowing this way, so we should go this way, against the flow...”

“... This is way too convenient to have you here. I didn’t know you could sniff out magic this well. Am I even needed?”

Sniff out – am I a police dog or something?

It’s not like I have to try very hard or anything, so if you say it’s convenient, I guess that’s that.

Even if you say other people can’t do it, that doesn’t mean anything to me since I can.

... Somehow I feel like I just said something unpardonable to magic researchers everywhere. I should probably keep this to myself.

Ragnall and I are running through this underground tunnel. The ceiling is low, it’s dark, and the magic flowing through the air is making me a little dizzy, but I swallow and force myself onwards, trying to ignore all the discomfort.

There’s no denying that I’m worried about what’s going on above ground, but there’s also no denying that Ragnall’s idea of tearing out this problem at the roots is very attractive.

Just when I was thinking that ...

A surge of magic tears through all around us.

Ruuuuumble!

That was ... above ground?!

“Shoot, are we too late?”

Ragnall says, then winces.

“Jun, it’s not like I know the timeframe of what’s going on, or what’s going on at all...”

Ah, oops. Was I glaring at him?

“Haa... should we continue forward or go back?”

Although I’m asking that, we’re stilling going forward. Part of me is upset that we’re not taking care of the things above the surface, but the logical part of me is thinking, ‘We’re the only ones who know about this place underground.’

“Go forward, I guess. If our goal is to minimize casualties ...”

Ragnall replies.

There are lots of people above ground to take care of that mess, so...

... Even though that’s logical, I don’t like it at all.

Tch.

But now, we’re really too far along to go back.

As for why that is ...

“Oi, Ragnall, we’re reaching some open area ahead soon. About 5 minutes, how we’re running.”

Though probably about 20-30 minutes by normal people’s paces.

“Amazing. You can tell by the flow of magic?”

“Yeah.”

Ragnall slows down a little, and I follow his lead. I’m feeling impatient, but so far, as long as I’ve known him, he hasn’t done anything without purpose.

Ragnall half-whispers,

“Hey, can you use your communication magic to talk to someone from the Wind Troupe? Like LeeAnne or someone? It might be better to report on this...”

“Sorry. Only other people from my country.”

“Of course it would be like that... Then let someone know about this. Just in case.”

Fuu... Ragnall’s got more sense than me, anyway.

“Ou, I’ll contact Seimei-san then.”

◇◇◇

Extra

Seimei’s PoV

Loud sounds similar to a giant monster ravaging the Tokyo metropolis sound outside.

Ara, it seems that they really fell for it. Or could I say, perhaps they were waiting on edge for an opportunity like this?

“What is that?!”

“Something is going on outside.”

“Tch. Monsters loose in the city. Go, we need to -!”

Clang!

Sounds like a metal cage slamming occur from around us.

The air feels considerably stifled.

“A Barrier of sorts, hm?”

“Hou ... How quick to recognize it, Sir Baronet.”

A man sitting in the windowsill leaps down.

How long was he there?

I regret not playing a scout as much as I regret not playing a warrior. In a game, it’s perfectly fine to be completely specialized, but it seems that it only serves to give me near heart attacks when the game becomes real life.

Though I must say, if it weren’t for Jun-kun showing me all the types of Barriers she can make, it may have taken me a bit longer to determine what this phenomenon is.

This is ... Locked Cage, huh?

It’s a little dangerous, because this is a completely locked-down room. Not even air can go beyond the boundaries, so Jun-kun doesn’t like to use it.

“You, who are you?!”

Count Soutin, a Carnus Noble with a good moustache and mutton chops with an obsession with weaponry, stands in front of the mysterious man.

“Hmph. To think my name is no longer propagated... Well, would you know who I am if I say that I used to be a mercenary who specializes in Dark Magic?”

Oh? So is Barrier magic considered Dark Magic then?

But my apologies, I don’t know who you are at all.

“Tr-trevout, the only Dark-specialized magician in 50 years!”

The other Nobles make a considerable amount of fuss.

So he’s a rare type of magician, and relatively infamous.

Sir Knight Captain has a grim look on his face.

“I see. So those talismans around the city are your doing. No wonder no one could touch them or sense them. If we hadn’t been doing construction work around the city, thanks to all your rampages, it’s a wonder if we would have found them at all.”

“Oh dear, so they were found after all. Well, no matter. It’s not like you were capable of moving them.”

“Just what is your aim?!”

“I wonder...”

Dark Magic is also called Void Magic ... So I wonder if that’s like space magic? If that’s the case, Barriers would make sense as Dark Magic.

Ah, but Jun-kun didn’t use Dark elemental casting, so I wonder what Jun-kun’s Barriers are...

Count Soutin frowns.

“No matter, if we can take down the caster, the magic should also come down-!”

It might seem foolish for Nobles to declare they’d take down a rather tough-looking opponent, but in this world, Nobles are characterized as having strong skills and magic passed down through their bloodline.

The Nobles in Nyl City, in particular, are those who take pride in their participations in the military.

Ah, except that foolish young Fernett Noble cowering over there.

The mysterious man, this Trevout, smirked at Count Soutin’s declaration.

“I wouldn’t if I were you.”

“Eh?”

“Ah!”

“Sir Baronet!”

“*mutter*<Dark Reflection>.”

Clash!

“Gyaa!”

Blood sailed through the air.

Haha... that made me break out in a cold sweat a bit.

Really Jun-kun, how did you know this pageboy was someone to watch out for? If I didn’t have her warning...

Well, let’s not think about that right now and focus on the matter in front of us.

Disguising my panic, I give the page-imposter a calm smile.

“My my, did you think of taking me hostage? It’s a pity, but do pick your opponents a little bit better.”

“Tch!”

The page leaps back immediately, favoring his injured shoulder.

“Oi, Trevout, it’s different from what the scouts said. He ain’t just some weak guy they put up as a representative or something -!”

There’s a flash of irritation in the as-of-yet calm Trevout’s eyes.

He’s ignoring the page-imposter, glaring at the dagger I’ve pulled out. So he noticed the dark glow that flashed off it when I turned to block the page-imposter’s blade.

What, you thought I could turn around and block the other’s sword with a little dagger?

Don’t be foolish. Leave the strength and dexterity checks to the young ones. The high-level skill <Dark Reflection> is one of the few buff skills I have. It’s a deliciously – I mean, it’s a very useful thing for catching people off-guard. I rarely use it on myself, though.

Cast on an ally’s blade, it redirects the enemy’s attack back at them, as if it flew off your own blade. Your ally’s blade only needs to get close to the other’s attack for it to work.

Like I said, don’t expect a pure magician build to pull off some sort of feat of acrobatics and strength.

But really, the knife Jun-kun gave me didn’t glow at all when this man attacked. I wonder if it was because he was only trying to take me captive.

The blow redirected to him was pretty light, so could he have been aiming to stop his sword before it hit me? So because he actually wasn’t going to hit me, it didn’t glow?

Or it could be defective ... but considering all the other things Jun-kun’s made, I don’t think that would be the case.

If that’s how it is... I think I understand Jun-kun’s dissatisfaction with this knife. Even so, it’s still a master-worked knife, so it has some worth in itself.

“S-sir Baronet, are you alright?”

The Carnus Noble that Jun-kun referred to as the Casanova Ossan, I believe it was Sir Gilt, rushed over towards me and brandishes his sword, facing off against the page-imposter.

“Perfectly. I had my suspicions, so it wasn’t much to fend off when you’re expecting such an attack.”

I laugh, shrugging my shoulders and acting perfectly carefree.

It’s just an act. My brain, and heart, are racing, trying to search for a way to end this troublesome scenario.

“Suspicions, hm? Well, come at me if you dare. Though it might be too late when you defeat me.”

Trevout gives a fearless grin.

His confidence is that great, huh?

I see. He must be one of those A-rank equivalents they were discussing.

“I have to say, I’d rather leave such boorish brawls to the youngsters of my house. Testing my strength against someone like you would be a waste of time.”

“Hou. You’re quite confident in your strength.”

His eyes narrow.

“Not at all? If anything, just the opposite. I just find that fighting you would be a waste of time when I could leave whenever I wanted.”

“What?”

I calmly faced the outer wall of the room.

“<Void Cutter>.”

Holding up the knife Jun-kun gave me, I point it handle-first at a window. The magic wells up, and blades of dark-colored stuff fire off the knife, pierce the window, and continue sailing off into the night.

Immediately, the oppressive feeling in the room disappears, and the shattering sound of the Locked Cage being broken resounds through the room.

Like I thought. My magic, which did only damage before, because it was classified as “Dark Element” in the game, it’s been modified to the characteristics of Dark Magic in this world.

A bitter look crosses Trevout’s face as he instantly recognized that his Dark Barrier Magic, that he was so proud of, was broken.

“Now then, if you would excuse these gentlemen, I wouldn’t mind being your opponent.”

I gesture towards the other Nobles as I point the knife at Trevout now, grinning fearlessly.

Although I sincerely hope that he doesn’t accept this challenge. In order to make that happen, smile, me. Act like you could destroy him with one hand tied behind your back.

If this turns into a battle that relies on reflexes, I won’t have much of an advantage.

“Tch. It’s a tempting offer, however ... There are things I have to attend to, now that you’ve thrown my work out of order.”

Trevout stepped backwards and then, before anyone could reach him, he leapt through the broken window.

He glanced over his shoulder once, and the glare he gave me made my chest grow cold.

Arara, although I managed to chase him off, it seems I’ve made quite the enemy.

It would be good if this doesn’t go the way of a shounen manga series. I don’t need a re-occurring rival, thank you. I’m perfectly happy living a peaceful life of boring research and stressful politics.

“S-sir Baronet. I see, as expected, the people of your country are all powerful people...”

Count Soutin stutters, staring wide-eyed at the broken window.

“Fufu, I’m not nearly as capable as the young ones. However, there are more pressing matters at the moment, aren’t there?”

As if suddenly remembering what was occurring in this city, the Nobles shook themselves into action.

Buruburuburu.

『JUN IS ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT YOU THROUGH FRIEND CHAT.』

Hm? A Friend Chat notification?

“Jun-kun?”

[“Ah, Seimei-san? I have a report to make...”]

<A/n: Thanks Egg and RS for your donations!

AAAARGH. I have so much frustration. Couldn’t quite fit everything I wanted in this chapter.

Oh well, some explanations and whatevs in this chap...

And yes, Seimei-san is a secret (or not so secret) S. >

Some People Get Really Angry When There’s Some Sort of Annoying Background Noise; It’s Better Not to Irritate them Further.

“... To think you can actually contact someone like that without a magic item or anything.”

Ragnall said as I cut off the Friend Chat.

He said it in a whisper.

Even while I was using Friend Chat, we were still moving forward.

Which is why I kept my message to Seimei-san short.

It was a pity that there’s no in-game mail system... but this isn’t a game.

I pressed my lips tightly together.

Eh?

Suddenly I notice a change in our surroundings.

This ... the tunnel has been widened.

So far, the passage that we were running through ... couldn’t really be called a passage. It was a natural tunnel made many, many years ago.

By water? By something else?

Who knows.

But right now, the tunnel has a distinct look of being excavated by peoples’ hands.

I quickly look over at Ragnall.

He only nods and puts a finger to his mouth.

It seems like we’re finally getting closer to our goal.

Although we have no idea what to expect.

Uun... going in blind is an unsettling feeling.

In the distance we can see the flickering of lights.

Magic lights wouldn’t flicker, so is it torches? And moreover, there’s a constant air-flow...

... So there was another way in other than drilling through the top, huh?

M,maa, it was an action of complete necessity!

Thinking those types of ridiculous thoughts that don’t matter in the slightest, I’m aware of my racing pulse pounding in my neck.

I’m ... I am actually feeling nervous? Or is it the result of the intoxicating feeling of Light-charged magic filling the air.

Ah... there’s a dull pounding in my ears and a swelling feeling building up all around ...

I clench my teeth. No good. If I don’t focus on what we’re doing, I think I’ll get carried away with this feeling.

“Jun. Up ahead.”

As Ragnall called my attention to the front with a low whisper, I see forms lying up ahead.

They seem vaguely people-like, but there is something very, very wrong with them.

When we reach the forms, I hurriedly erect a Sound Barrier.

“Women ... they have Collars of Subordination, so they should be slaves... No signs of trauma or violence, but they’re very clearly dead. What’s with this? It seems a little unnatural, for over 17 women to be dead and thrown over here, but no sign of what caused their death. Even poison would have some sign... perhaps.”

So he hadn’t noticed.

A chill runs down my spine as I look at these ‘corpses’.

The bodies of these girls aren’t those of living, or even once-living, things anymore. They have a more lifeless feeling to them than even rocks and metals.

They won’t decompose or rot away.

They have a cold, cold feeling. Like ... exactly like inorganic materials.

They’re not even the semblance of something that had once been living.

Exactly what happened here?

The throbbing in the air, the pulsating of this living light, the Light infused magic.

Somehow, an ominous thought that crosses my mind is that someone has sucked all the Light Magic out of them.

“This is ... something that shouldn’t be done was done here. That’s the feeling I’m getting. This is forbidden magic.”

How strange. That last part almost didn’t feel like my own words.

“My my. I heard that someone had snuck in, but to think it’s someone who is able to decipher our activities with just this much, how troublesome, ne.”

With a slightly effeminate lisp, a slender man who is the spitting image of someone who has lost his morality, if not his sanity, to theoretical research appears.

The stereotypical intellectual villain.

Although he’s in front of the widened room with the torches so his front is in the shadows, the flicker of the Light-infused magic makes his features more or less discernable.

“Oya, looks like we found the mind behind the operation.”

Since we’ve clearly been found out, Ragnall stands up and walks out of the shadows, nonchalantly unhitching his sword from his back.

This isn’t good. Something’s weird with me.

Since when was the Sound Barrier taken down? Was it interference or did I just lose too much concentration?

The humming in my head isn’t making it any easier for me to think through the last few minutes.

“Having such a talented person as my assistant would make things easier for me, so how about it, woman?”

Ha?

The intellectual villain-type guy said something kind of troubling.

“Who would –“

“Ahh, it’s not like she’d accept with just that much, right? Making an offer without an explanation; why don’t you tell her what you’re doing around here?”

Ragnall cut me off with a tilt of the head and a smirk at Intellectual Villain-san.

“Oh dear, I don’t think that would do at all. That information is to~p secret, you know. That’s right; so you’re the mercenary they told me to watch out for; I see, you really are all white. How interesting. I’ve never seen a demon-human half-breed before. Ah... that’s not right. You’re over 7 parts human, correct?”

Heh... what is this guy talking about, Ragnall?

I get it, but I don’t really get it.

“... Ara. The lady over there doesn’t seem to particularly care about it. I see your partner already knows.”

“Who are you calling a ‘lady’. And who cares, anyway?”

It’s not like I don’t care. It’s more like I don’t understand the implications of being a demon. Is it something that should make me look at Ragnall in disgust? Because rather than Ragnall, the person to be against is;

“If there’s anyone to be wary of, you’re the one using forbidden magic to re-ignite the flow of Aether. If you treat the flow of Aether lightly, you’ll be the one to experience a terrible ending.”

Again, something that doesn’t seem like it came from me, but something that I can’t say didn’t come from me, leapt into my head as I snapped at the man.

His eyes narrow, and his smile draws into a grim line.

“You get more and more interesting... What do you know? Although I’d like to draw you to our side, that’s right, it’s a shame. You seem completely against us, hm? Then what about the part demon over there? A specimen like you is rather rare.”

A ‘specimen’ you say. You need a better Public Relations guy in whatever shady organization you’re in to write your job offer speeches.

I glance over to see Ragnall’s reactions ... eh?! Ragnall-san, your normally perfectly lazy smile is suddenly really off! Or like, your eyes aren’t smiling at all!

Eh? Are? Is this the first time I’ve seen Ragnall put on a threatening look? Even though it’s just his eyes-!

“... Hm. It’s not like I was particularly taking precautions to hide my origins, but I don’t know you, do I? Why would you know something like that?”

Ragnall taps his sword restlessly against his shoulder, releasing a slight aura of bloodlust.

“’There shouldn’t be anyone strong enough to oppose us in Nyl, but there is a freakishly strong guy you might want to watch out for who’s made it his base for the last few years;’ I was told something like that. With me saying this much, you should understand the people who stand beside me.”

“Hou... to think Granwit has fallen so low to be a comrade of this. If he stands beside you, who is it that leads the lot of you?”

Too fast, Ragnall. The talk is progressing way too fast for me to understand. In the first place, I have to really concentrate to listen. This Light Magic, the Aether; it’s pulsating all around us, and it makes it kind of hard for me to focus.

Although I don’t really understand the details of their talk ... it seems like the people we’re up against aren’t going to be pushovers. That much seems to be the most important thing I can pick up.

“If you aren’t willing to talk about it, I’d be willing to make you want to, with a little force.”

Ragnall’s tone is becoming more and more aggressive.

At that, the man sniffed.

“My goodness, how vulgar. Couldn’t I ask the two of you to leave, if neither of you are interested in joining us? This really is an important time for us.”

“Hm. It seems we will be unable to reach a satisfactory compromise-!”

With that, Ragnall suddenly leaps forward.

“So it seems-! <Strike down my foes, the lance of the winds! Lightning Strike!>”

The distance between the two of them is too great, and Ragnall is forced to dodge the bolt of electricity that shoots towards him.

In a panic, Intellectual Villain-san threw a pouch at him, but Ragnall merely cut it down and, despite the small cloud of powder, he continued on.

Karrrack- SLAM!

In the instant Ragnall dealt with the pouch, Intellectual Villain-san was able to cast a wind-type barrier, but although it sort of resists Ragnall’s sword, Ragnall’s ridiculous strength causes it to sheer through, and a look of panic crosses his unfortunate victim’s face as the man is forced to dodge it at the last second, dropping his barrier.

As expected; the problem with an elemental barrier is that it keeps you in as much as it keeps others out. That’s why I like non-elemental barriers; if they’re breached, the entire thing shatters.

Having to remove the rest of a broken barrier is inefficient.

Because of that, Ragnall, who can make his move in the blink of an eye, is already aiming his next strike even while the man is helpless.

Klang!

Krack!

“... Noran. You’re taking too long – is what I wanted to say, but I see. There’s a troublesome person holding you up.”

With a sheathed sword, a man with long brown hair and an eye patch barely redirected Ragnall’s sword with a harsh attack. At the same time, he pulled Intellectual Villain-san backwards.

That his sheath shattered from the impact and that Ragnall’s sword was only redirected a few centimeters from the intended strike zone is a testament to Ragnall’s strength.

“Ooooh, if it isn’t Dankor. What’s up? This kind of sleazy job isn’t like you at all. Don’t tell me you’re just following Urol around blindly as usual.”

“Awful. My luck is just awful. To think I’d be the one to run into this freak ... Your brute strength hasn’t weakened at all. What an unlucky day...”

Hmph. He has a gloomy mood and that eyepatch, but even though this guy’s got a pretty face too, isn’t he instantly recognizable as a guy?

What’s the difference between us? Build? Aura?

... Even though this isn’t really the time for such thoughts...

Because it’s a tunnel, I’m hesitant to rush in and muddle the fight.

Since if I get too close, Ragnall will have to take care with his sword swings.

“Noran-sama, I think you should return first. Since I will have some troubles against this freak by myself.”

The eye-patch bishounen said, carefully keeping an eye on Ragnall as he carefully moved to place himself between the intellectual villain and the two of us.

Suddenly, the intellectual villain smiled.

“Ah, no, I think you won’t have any troubles. That said, it seems like I’m needed above anyway so perhaps I should head up soon.”

What is he talking about? Eye-patch bishounen isn’t really a match for Ragnall, you know...

Hm?

Just when I was thinking it, Ragnall ... slipped?

Are? Somehow he seems unsteady.

“What did you do?”

The intellectual victim smirked.

“Oh my, is it really that confusing? Of course they told me about your inability to absorb your own mana, and the fact that you have to rely on drugs to correct your mana imbalance and avoid mana poisoning. You’re such a rare specimen, I couldn’t help but think about what I could prepare as a counter. That powder ... it’s a pity I had to use it, but ...”

“... Mana disperser... shit. I was careless.”

Ragnall gnawed on his arm guard. He seems to be trying to avoid throwing up as he stumbles backwards.

Tch. My head... it’s like warning bells are going off.

Somehow, I know ... that Ragnall’s condition is going to border “fatal” pretty soon.

“So you already knew... how anticlimactic. You’re not surprised in the slightest.”

“Ghk... haa... I am ... surprised ... that you’d waste several tens of millions of ecrue like that.”

Ragnall’s cocky smile is broken here and there with a pained grimace.

“Oi. Noran. What did you do?”

The eye-patch bishounen seems flustered. He didn’t even bother moving in to take advantage of Ragnall’s weakness.

The intellectual villain eyed him coldly.

“Do you have any complaints? The Project has to continue if you want to be paid. Finish him off and get rid of the girl, quickly.”

Get rid of ... just because I haven’t made a move yet, don’t write me off so easily, bastard.

At that moment, a heavy surge in the Light Magic occurred.

Argh! Even though it doesn’t hurt, it’s like someone turning the lights up really bright. It’s disorienting!

Pii pii

A chirping sound is emitted from the intellectual villain’s pocket, and he pulls out a crystal.

“Those fools. It looks like I’m needed up above, but you shouldn’t have too much trouble. Hurry it up and return.”

With a swirl of his coat, the intellectual villain left the room via a wooden door.

Ah... this ... this is a cellar-looking area?

As the surge levels out a little, I can shake the disorientation off.

“... That bastard, doing whatever he wants.”

The eye-patch bishounen glares in the direction of the door as it slams shut.

“Ha...haha... *swallow* I’ve ... warned you ... before *gulp* about accepting ... jobs you don’t ... agree with...”

Ragnall spits out the words, in between deep drinks from several small bottles.

His medicine? Then ... he’ll be okay, right?

Um... blood dripping from his nose and mouth are ... is that bad?

The eye-patch bishounen glares half-heartedly at him.

“... Shut up. No hard feelings, you white freak, but it’s a job.”

Swish.

I move between the two.

“I’ll admit, I haven’t been doing much because of whatever the hell you bastards are doing with this Light infused mana all over the place, but could you still not ignore my presence like that?”

I drop into an iai stance.

“... Ragnall, tell your woman to back off. Since we’re old co-workers, I’ll let her go if she just gets out of here.”

“Hah?! Who’s whose woman?!”

Or like, it’s not like your face and my face are that different. Why is it that I’m immediately assumed to be a girl?!

“Heh... If ... you’re only in it for the money ... you’d best run ... I won’t ... be able to help you ...”

Ragnall said.

He really isn’t sounding that good.

“Oi Ragnall, shut up and rest over ... tte, isn’t that raw monster meat?!”

I glance over at him, and he’s just chewing on a bloody hunk of meat?! Isn’t monster meat poisonous when raw?! Or like, he keeps raw meat in his Item Bag? It’s not like Item Bags have time-stop preservation on them, right?!

“Yeah... Imma ... take a nap now...”

“Oi, wait a sec, Ragnall -!”

He just went unconscious. Unconscious is bad, right?!

The eye-patch bishounen swung his sword casually as he approached.

“So you won’t go, even if he tells you to... well, don’t think too badly of ...”

“Shut up. You’re annoying.”

Paaaan-!

“Ka-hurk-!”

With a face that looked like it didn’t know what was happening, the eye-patch bishounen coughed loudly as he had the breath driven out of him when he bounced off the ceiling of this underground tunnel.

Being completely unprepared for my punch, he had dropped his sword in the impact, so I didn’t bother drawing my sword, merely waiting until the moment before he touched the ground before I hammered the end of my nodachi’s grip into his stomach.

CRASH!

“Gu-waa – Argh!”

He shrieks as the dagger impales him in his shoulder.

Hou, so he’s still conscious. How lucky for him.

He gets to try out my ‘Immobilizing Blade’ (tentative name). An extremely brittle alloy, but it was perfect for training mana forging ... ah, well, I can’t deny there’s some potential, but one-use blades can be considered failures, huh?

Since they tend to break on impact with anything harder than flesh.

And when they break, they lose their abilities from the shock.

A spike would be better than a blade, huh ...

“...Urgh... why can’t I ...move...?”

“Who knows? Sit there until you figure it out.”

What a hindrance. There’s a dull humming in the back of my head so I can’t concentrate, and things I don’t understand keep happening.

I’m seriously annoyed, so if you want to see hell, keep talking you gloomy eye-patch bastard.

With the annoyance paralyzed against the wall, I turn over towards Ragnall.

A/n: Thank you RS for your donation!

It’s not Like There’s Not Bad Things in Modern Society, but Much of Modern Society is Blind to Bad Things

Ragnall is completely unconscious.

Wh-wh-what am I supposed to do?

Biology and medicine aren’t my fields! I think we more than proved that when Lor attempted to teach me about mana pots a while ago!

Besides, Ragnall seemed like he knew what he was doing right before he went under so he should be alright ...

... no, that’s, that’s called wishful thinking, Jun. Calm down.

I take a deep breath.

I can at least monitor the situation by trying to sense his mana, right?

Even though this humming in the air is distracting...

I force myself to ignore everything around me.

... Indeed. There’s something like chaos going on in his body.

He is producing mana, but it’s blocked somehow from getting to his heart, and then into his blood.

Instead, it’s spilling over into his flesh.

Because he’s not a monster, the excessive amount of mana flowing into his muscles and tissues means he’s getting something called mana poisoning. Although it seems like he can absorb quite a large amount of mana before the poisoning becomes a problem.

He’s being poisoned by too much mana, and dying from too little mana.

Is this some sort of cruel joke?

Ah.

There is an abnormal reaction in Ragnall’s stomach.

The stomach of humans is lightly shielded from magic as a precaution against magic-based food poisoning.

This is something I learned from Lor.

Actually, I’ve learned almost everything about how mana effects the health from Lor.

Mana is beginning to flood into the lining of Ragnall’s stomach, and then it disperses and ... eh? Into the bloodstream somehow?

Uun... is it similar to how we digest food?

Uun ... even though I properly went through most of Japan’s schooling system, I don’t remember exactly how we absorb nutrients.

Even though I remember how the respiratory system works.

But that, so that’s it, huh?

Ragnall produces mana like all humans and demi-humans do, but it’s blocked from getting absorbed into his blood. Instead, his stomach is supposed to absorb the mana from digesting mana-rich food, like raw monster meat, but his stomach is shielded from being able to do so, like all humans and demi-humans’ stomachs are.

It’s ... the demon part of his genetic makeup?

I can’t think of any other reason than for that to be the problem.

Ragnall’s body works just like a human, except for the absorption of mana.

I can assume that to be true.

Then I should just change it so it works normally.

Ha. Again, a thought that I’m not so certain originated from my own thoughts crosses my mind.

But ... it’s not a bad idea.

Or should I say, somehow, I feel like the thought originated from me. But the confidence that I really can change it ... that is not from me.

Though it’s absorbed in the heart, mana is produced in the hara.

The hara, huh?

The stomach well, the third dantian where qi is produced, the manipura chakra, whatever you call it, this is the hearth of the body where you produce Aether is also where you produce mana.

Hm? Is mana a byproduct of Aether, or is Aether a byproduct of mana?

This is something that I don’t think I’ll understand no matter how long I peruse it.

Hm? How do I know this?

I don’t think that’s something I’ll understand just by thinking about it either.

The problem is the connection of the mana from the hara, the metaphysical, to the heart, the physical.

The pathway doesn’t exist.

Then I should just make one. That is what one who can manipulate the Aether, Light Magic, can do.

But the compensation for making something organic, something living ...

Is my own magic power. The price is not so severe for something without a physical incarnation.

Forbidden magic is forbidden because of the price required, but not all Light Magic is forbidden, after all.

So it should be no problem. Even so, it won’t be perfect. He will still need supplements.

But to not be able to improve it at all... this isn’t like making a sword where I have to aim for perfection right from the beginning.

Even though it didn’t cure her, I wouldn’t have deprived Grandma of the medication that eased her suffering up until the end.

This is no different.

I sense that Ragnall’s medication is working, that it’s breaking down the barrier in the stomach and absorbing into his system, and that the levels of mana in his bloodstream are to the point he’s beginning to become lucid again, but I ignore him and concentrate.

“Light Magic, do what I picture. Create the pathways that are required.”

Mm? A chant? I guess you can call it a chant. Or maybe you should call it what chants once were, a long time ago, when they were just descriptions of what you wanted to do.

I, who have almost never used a chant up until now, am using the hypnotic words to keep my magic on track.

That’s how hard this is.

I feel sweat bead up and slide down my temple.

“...Hn? Jun?”

“Quiet. I’m basically doing surgery here.”

It’s like surgery, because only bad things will happen if I leave it only half done-!

“Surger – ? ...”

Although ‘surgery’ apparently didn’t translate over well, Ragnall obediently keeps his mouth shut.

I don’t know how long it took, but soon I sink down onto my heels with a sigh.

IT’S OVER.

“So ... why didn’t you go on ahead?”

“... Right, so next time I’m wondering whether you’re dead or not, I should just leave you.”

“Haha!”

Tsk. He sounds a lot better.

“I’m not sure what you were doing, but thanks?”

“You’ll thank me later when you reduce your drug bills. I just made it possible for you to absorb your own mana a little.”

“What?! That’s –“

“That was dirty, Ragnall. Telling her to run like that to get my guard down. Shit, this hurts.”

A voice cuts into Ragnalls surprise.

Ah, I forgot about moody eye-patch man over there.

Good, good. The immobilizing blade is working great ... I think.

I’m not sure if that’s the reason he can’t move, or if he hasn’t given up because I broke a few ... bones everywhere.

I have dim hopes about the blade’s condition after I pull it out. Not only will it lose its paralyzing properties, but even if it doesn’t snap from being pulled out, all I will be left with is a brittle blade.

A stake might be better next time. Maybe with a steel core – ah, this isn’t the time for that.

Ragnall laughs at the eye-patch bishounen.

“Hahaha, if you all hadn’t tried to kill me just then, maybe you would have heard me warning YOU to run away a bit clearer. You aren’t a match for this girl by yourself, Dankor. By the way, the ruckus on the surface? There are 4 of this girl’s kinsmen up there, and they’re all stronger than her.”

“Ah... shit. This job is going bust. If it were just you and her we could manage somehow, but 4 more of her? If this lady wanted to kill me, I’m pretty sure I’d be in pieces all over the place.”

“Pieces you say...”

Ugh. The thought is revolting so I want to refute him, but as I’m going to, a brief memory of how the Dark Wyverns’ layout looked after I had gone through it flashed into my head.

Just the thought of it is making me sick, so I decide to just keep quiet.

“Ah, I’m just talking to myself, but, that’s right, I’m pretty sure Urol and Granwit are supposed to be out in town supporting the other small fries, along with that Dark Magic merc, Trevout... But the others are gonna be up ahead at the altar, huh ... wonder if they’ll get what they need before they get stopped.”

“Hm... While you’re still talking to yourself, mind thinking over what your goals are, here?”

“Pfft... forget it. Be satisfied my lips are this loose.”

“Right, right, I thought as much.”

I don’t think I’ll understand the feelings of people who could easily try to kill each other despite having worked together before, and then have a perfectly civil conversation afterwards.

I had that kind of thought as I followed Ragnall through the wooden cellar-door.

◇◇◇

Through the door, it really was a cellar. A really large cellar.

They had tunneled directly through the wall of the cellar of this building into the open vein.

All four walls. There are 13 tunnels.

How the hell is this building still standing? – Although I had that kind of thought, It really is a large cellar. Stone pillars stand in rows, and the tunnels with the makeshift wooden doors are all spaced at intervals that don’t compromise the structure. I guess.

My other assumption was magic, but either way, the building is still standing.

It would have been an empty cellar if it weren’t for the cages and cages of slaves.

As far as I can see, they’re all female.

Lifeless eyes stare blankly, unseeingly out of cages.

An unpleasant feeling trickles up my spine.

Ah, this feeling is ... it’s horror.

So far, I haven’t seen many slaves in this city.

I don’t know if its because I usually only work with bachelor artisans and adventurers, or whether its because the people in this city just don’t commonly use slaves, but the ones I do see always seem to be treated well.

People packed shoulder to shoulder in tiny cages, chained down, sitting in their own messes; I don’t even think I’ve seen animals treated so horrifically.

As we walk down the rows of cages, looking for either the way up or enemies, I feel a retching feeling in the back of my throat, and it’s not entirely because of the stench.

I suddenly understood how very, very sheltered of a life I lived in Japan.

“I wouldn’t, if I were you. They’re considered testimonial evidence like this. If they’re not slaves, their statements won’t mean a damn thing.”

Did Ragnall read my mind? Even though I hadn’t come to a decision about releasing them.

He continued.

“If some of them are stolen from other owners, it would be illegal to release them, too.”

I make a kind sour face.

“... For a territory without laws, there are a lot of things you can and can’t do.”

“It’s inevitable. This might be a territory without laws, but we’re surrounded by militaristic countries who won’t hesitate to enforce their own laws. Without living under a government, each individual is in charge off fighting of a country by himself. Well, the Guild was made to combat that, but in the end even the Guild’s influence is limited.”

“Haa...”

“Well, the main reason I wouldn’t recommend it is because they’re currently safer like this. Because like this, they’re still the bad guys’ possessions, and you would usually hesitate to kill off a possession unless you were absolutely forced to, right?”

“Even though there was a guy right before who was willing to waste 30 million ecrue just to kill off a mercenary...”

“... We can only hope that he is an abnormal in the group.”

Well, in the end, it’s impossible to think of releasing this entire group of slaves with just me and Ragnall here as the only combat-oriented forces.

And anyways, although I don’t like to think about it, they really would just be baggage for us to ‘storm the castle’.

I suddenly stop in the middle of the cellar. This might actually be the absolute center of the cellar area, but of that, it’s hard to make an estimate.

“Jun?”

“I see. The 13 surges are artificial spirit trees, and directly below here is the Water Corridor.”

“Huh?”

I just know it, somehow.

I scramble up onto a cage.

“Jun -!”

Crystals and craeftite silver, mithril, all in ornate formations, though embedded deep into the stone and dirt walls, are glowing over the doorways as I look around with Magic Sensory.

As I ... thought? ... Magic is being channeled upwards.

“Jun, if there are guards – ”

“There aren’t any, in this entire cellar. That means they don’t care about these slaves or this place anymore, right?”

“... That might be likely. You’ve figured something out?”

“Yeah. It might be bad after all.”

“That was the general consensus before too, right?”

“This is just speculation. Before, this city was a civilization built up around Light Magic. This area practically overflowed with Light Magic – no, Aether as you can also call it. The ruins on the 4th floor correspond to the flow of Light Magic on the surface.”

While I’m speaking, I’m analyzing the magic formations on the walls.

Ragnall climbs up onto the next cage over to get a better look around the cellar.

“So that’s the past. What about now? Ah, I see a ramp leading up. That’s the main way up, is there an alternate...”

“The people here are trying to replicate that, but there isn’t an overflowing amount of Aether anymore. But they’re still forcibly trying to produce the same result. They’re leeching the land of Aether, and sacrificing people to stimulate their fake spirit trees.”

“Why?”

Ragnall jumped down, beckoning me over to a hole in the upper wall, left of the ramp.

“Um ... a big spell of some sort? I don’t know for sure, but the price is basically the death of this city and all the Aether ... vitality? Of many, many slaves.”

“Okay, yeah, that sounds pretty bad. Anyway, this is our way up.”

“... A garbage chute?”

“Niera said you have a lot of rope?”

“Ah...”

With his ridiculous strength, Ragnall bent a dagger into a hook, attached the end of my rope, and tossed it up.

He uses daggers like they’re disposable... It kind of hurts me a little inside.

After a few times, there was a slight clink, and the rope was firm.

“I was wondering what we should do if it didn’t have anything to catch on ...”

He muttered.

A hook or spike that would eat or meld into whatever surface you threw it at ... ah!

I quickly shake the thought from my head.

Ragnall hesitates before we begin to climb.

“I think we should focus on disrupting whatever’s going on above first, getting out alive second, and forget about taking anyone out along the way.”

“... Are they going to be that tough?”

Ragnall scratched the back of his head.

“I don’t know about the others who are hired, but the two biggest pains in the asses from a merc group I ran with a while back are out making a mess in the city. With Dankor pinned to the ground downstairs, there’s two more to worry about. And just let me say, they aren’t pushovers like Dankor is.”

“And there are probably other people who are at least difficult to fight off easily?”

“Yeah. Get in quick, figure out what’s going on, make a mess, and get out quick. You okay with that?”

I feel a kind of sinister grin cross my face.

“I don’t think you need to worry about making a mess.”

I’ve already deciphered the magic circuits feeding this pending catastrophe, so to turn it into a mess, I can make that happen.

But as for everything else, I can only leave it up to luck.

<T/n: I have seriously underestimated this build up. OMG why aren’t we at the fighting yet?! >

When the Victim is Sneaking Through a Forest in the Darkness and Steps on a Stick and Alerts the Murderer, I Always Wonder; What Would the Murderer do if He Runs After it and it Turns out to be a Bear?

When we emerge from the chute, we’re covered in cobwebs.

Even if it was a garbage chute, it appears that this building had been vacant for quite some time before it was recently purchased, and the purchasers didn’t care to make the building livable.

Who were the purchasers?

I don’t know who they were on paper, but there’s little doubt that it’s this mysterious group of no-gooders.

... I am covered with cobwebs.

Unnng.

It feels like my skin is crawling, with these things stuck all over me, and I can’t calm down. If that’s the case.

Hmph.

With a slight glow and the blink of an eye, I separate the cobwebs from me and fling them off.

Ragnall looks over.

Although we’re keeping quiet at this leg of the infiltration, and despite the fact that I only barely know the basics of Lorwian, I can tell that he’s mouthing, “How the heck did you do that?!”

‘How’ ... it’s with Light Magic, I mean, Aether, I mean...

Dammit all. There are some differences here and there, but it’s basically qi.

That’s something I’m understanding more and more, while being subjected to this hazy feeling.

Light Magic is a magic that manipulates what you could call ‘vitality’, or ‘life-force’.

Even though I don’t know any of the spells that people have developed with Light Magic, just understanding it’s basically qi, well...

Somehow, a lot of things are falling into place.

Like, why I can easily manipulate magic, or why it’s so easy for me develop new magics without having to chant...

If it’s because I appeared in this world as the one who is most intimate with how to use and manipulate qi, it almost seems like it should be obvious that I could manipulate magic easily as well.

Though, the more we stay in this Light Magic infested place, instead of neutral magic, I’m beginning to cast through Light Magic more.

Even though I couldn’t even think of how to cast through Light Magic before, now I’m finding it easier and more effective than when I used neutral magic.

To be honest, this progress is a little scary.

If we weren’t pressed into an emergency-like situation, I’d call a time out to re-examine myself and try to figure out what’s going on.

Most of the building is completely “an abandoned house”, especially the eating(?) area we came through.

Um... Is this an eating area? There are large, shallow stone troughs embedded in the center of the room, and channels cut between them...

What kind of place was this?

Well, whatever it is, a thick layer of dust covers the entire room; although here and there are footprints indicating someone has passed through more recently, it’s obvious this room is rarely used.

However, light and voices come dimly from the doorway to our left.

Although the building is separated into rooms by sturdy wood-and-stone walls, the walls are rectangular while the ceiling is slanted.

There’s a triangular-shaped opening running throughout the building above the walls.

Looking it over, Ragnall and I have the same idea.

Although both of us could probably land on top of a rafter just by jumping, we’re mindful of the noise – and the potential of rotted beams – so instead we quietly climb a nearby wall and get above.

Maa, it only took us a few seconds to scramble up, even with us being cautious.

But now that I’m touching it ... I cast Reinforcement on the beams.

Yosh, with this, as long as we’re not too careless, they shouldn’t creak or wobble and drop dust everywhere.

In theory.

By the way, Reinforcement has replaced Metal Reinforcement on my Status. It appears to be because I learned how to reinforce wood and stone, making me understand the theory behind reinforcing most materials.

Although I think I could do it even more efficiently with all the qi – I mean, Light Magic – in the room, I don’t think this is a situation where I should experiment too much.

Anyway, with my Light Foot passive I can run swiftly with a light step, barely disturbing the dust. Although he has to be more cautios, Ragnall isn’t falling behind much either.

Like that, the two of us draw closer to the room with the bright lights and voices.

◇◇◇

There’s a group of men below. About 20-30.

It might just be instinct, but I don’t think they’re any sort of organized forces, like a militia or anything.

But even though they look like a random group of guys, somehow, I get they’re strong.

Instead of the carefree feel of Adventurers, these guys definitely feel more like “mercenaries”.

In the center of the room, a tower of Aether is accumulating and stretching towards the ceiling. It’s bright glow is worlds brighter than the altar down in the Water Corridor.

That was an altar to touch the world of Aether, while this is to bring Aether to this world. So that’s why there’s so much “compensation” needed. To send your mind into the Aether stream, your own Light Magic is all that’s needed, but to do whatever kind of summoning they’re doing, they need the Light Magic equivalent to thousands of the living.

What nasty hobbies these people have.

In front of the “altar”, a tan man with light colored hair is sitting there, glowing brightly.

I see.

He’s a Light Magic user, huh?

He seems to be using qigong breathing to circulate the Light Magic filtering in through his body.

So basically, he’s meditating.

I sense that 6 of the fake spirit trees’ Aether is being funneled into him.

6 by 6 for a False God. 7 by 7 for a Sanctuary.

... Though I thought that, what’s the significance of those ominous sounding words?

“This isn’t funny! Why! Why is it not working?! Why?! We’ve followed the ancient texts exactly!”

A screech trembles through the building.

Uuun... if the man we met in the cellar is “Intellectual Villain-san”, then that man next to him right there, screaming like a child and stomping his feet, is “Mad Scientist-san”. No, that’s too tame. “Scientist-who-has-lost-his-sanity-san”.

Intellectual Villain-san calmly waits until the crazy one has worn himself out with his screaming.

“Clearly because something didn’t go ‘exactly’, or the ancient texts were wrong.”

... Intellectual Villain-san, while that observation probably isn’t technically wrong, did you need to be so sarcastic about it?

Sure enough, the Mad Scientist’s eyes bulge and the veins pop out of his temples and he shrieked like a crazy person, stomping around the room.

“No, my reconstruction is perfect! The altar, the vessel, and yet, why hasn’t the Avatar descended?!”

Although he steps back a little, Intellectual Villain-san doesn’t even try to hide the eye-roll and sigh he gives. But he doesn’t say anything, even though written on his face is, “Well, obviously it WASN’T perfect.”

From this interaction, the Mad Scientist character is the chief and Intellectual Villain-san is the reluctant assistant?

Ah, no, before that, the “vessel” and the “Avatar” are things that are kind of troublesome-sounding...

Both Ragnall and I inadvertently leaned forward a little to try to hear more of the Mad Scientist character’s raving.

“No, no, NO! We’ve replicated the standing altar, Hurondale is a more than proficient enough Light Mage, and we’re even amplifying his abilities with more of the Light Magic we’re drawing!  The requirements to become the Avatar of Light Magic was to be the one closest to Light Magic, and yet why?! Why is there no result?!”

“Perhaps the procedure is wrong...”

Intellectual Villain-san kind of sarcastically muttered that under his breath. He’s standing there, looking bored, as the Mad Scientist character throws a tantrum.

“No! We have to have the knowledge that only comes from becoming the Avatar! We can’t let this fail! Noran, troubleshoot!”

“Perhaps the procedure is wrong.”

Ahh, he said it out loud after all.

“Besides that!”

“Haa... Then, someone else in Nyl City became the Avatar.”

“Impossible! With a high-ranking Light Mage like Hurondale and amplified with the Spirit Trees, how could there be anyone with a higher affinity than him?!”

...Hm? Just then, didn’t the Mad Scientist character say something that kind of bothered me?

Um... to become the Avatar of Light Magic ... one has to be the ...

...Ah.

Um...

Hang on.

Wait wait wait.

I don’t know what the “Avatar” is supposed to be, but um...

... I’ve been having this weird feeling since a while ago ...

... and I suddenly understand a lot of things that I didn’t before...

... but no, it’s impossible. Right? I mean, if it’s something as grandiose as “Avatar to all of Light Magic”, then there should be more of a “Wow” or a “Bam” feeling, right?

Right?!

This is just, this is just ...  right, magic intoxication?

“... ehhhh.”

Ragnall glances out of the corner of his eye at me, as I let the soft sound out of my lips.

I have to have a weird look on my face.

I mean, this is all just so... I kind of want to laugh out loud, but I kind of don’t want to believe it, and at the same time I feel like I should be apologizing for all their wasted efforts.

It doesn’t take Ragnall more than a few seconds to figure it out.

A kind of hilarious look of realization crosses his face, and he points at me, mouthing,

“You?”

Tehepero.

It seems that I have successfully thwarted their plans!

Nonono, that’s not for sure yet, that’s completely not 100% certain.

Even though I’m in complete denial, my gut feeling about the situation is opposing me...

... Ah, I can’t even laugh at this situation. I just want to yell, “I don’t know anything” and run away, but...

A-a-anyway, even if it IS true, which I don’t think it is (maybe), nothing’s changed. They’re still a group of bad guys sucking the life out of the area and they need to be stopped ... ah, we still don’t know who they are, technically, either.

Intellectual Villain-san sighed at the Mad Scientist character’s outburst.

“Then if it’s not that, is it because there’s not enough Light Magic coming to the altar?”

“That must be it! Check the circuit! I will attempt to increase the output of our Spirit Tree Stones!”

Eh? Hang on!

No, well, ok, I did reduce the flow of Aether from their fake spirit trees, because I tampered with the formations in the cellar a little, but if they’re going to increase the flow, uuuun...

The changes I made to the formations might break and be rendered unusable, and my brilliant handling of reducing the Aether being drained out of the city and the surrounding earth will be completely destroyed.

I mean, it was only a temporary solution to begin with, and since we want information as much as we want to stop their plans, it would be No Good to do something that gets their attention right away.

Other than that guy, Dankor, lying pinned to the floor in the tunnels, the Intellectual Villain is the only one who knows that Ragnall and I are here, and he thinks Ragnall’s dead or close to it.

And I guess he thought Dankor could take me out easily ... well, whatever. I’ll make him regret it later.

Ah... dammit! I should have done a more thorough job of restricting the Aether from accumulating at this place.

If my temporary measures break under their increased drain, Nyl City could really be in danger, you know?

Even though the people here call it ‘Light Magic’ or ‘Aether’, it’s basically ‘lifeforce’, you know?

I think you can understand how this can get seriously bad...

And yet, why is Ragnall holding up a hand, telling me to wait?

Tsk.

No, I actually do get it.

We might know WHAT they’re doing, but we don’t know WHY.

Does he think we’ll be able to get that “why” if we wait a little more? How long should we wait until it’s better to give up and prevent the loss of the city?

I don’t have the experience in the sort of operation. Fine. I’ll leave the decision to Ragnall for now.

But if things get seriously bad, I’m just going to go for it, ok? Don’t complain to me later!

“Don’t do that, if you dry out the surrounding area before we finish, it really will be over for us.”

Ooh, Intellectual Villain-san stopped Mad Scientist-san from increasing the Aether output.

My panic subsides somewhat.

Intellectual Villain-san sighs and continues.

“Then the other choice would be that Hurondale isn’t enough to draw the Avatar’s interest.”

“-! That’s right! There was that plan too! You over there, bring the slave! Ah, Hurondale!”

The tan man lets out a deep breath from the pit of his stomach, and I could feel the qi receding from him.

He opened his eyes, and piercingly stared at the Mad Scientist.

“There is no change thus far, so what could you want?”

The tan man is visibly irritated.

I get the feeling that everyone’s here for a common goal, but none of them are happy about working with each other.

“If it’s not working, we have to try something else, so we will hook up a slave, and then if the Avatar descends onto her, we will transfer the Avatar to you.”

... How?

Both Ragnall and I tilt our heads.

Mad Scientist-san, you make no sense.

The tan man glares angrily at the Mad Scientist-san.

“And just what makes you think that the Avatar would enter a slave if it doesn’t come for me?”

Right? I mean, you have one of the leading users in Light Magic down there...

The tan man’s voice is edged with a really aggressive, angry tone, and he’s glaring daggers at the Mad Scientist.

By the way, Intellectual Villain-san had wisely evacuated away to stand near a group of the mercenaries and was now standing there as if to say, “This has nothing to do with me.”

Without seeming to notice that he’s being glared at, the Mad Scientist continues raving.

“They say elves are the race closest to Light Magic, and this slave has been prepared as a prime subject in case this happens. If she manages it, we just kill her and the Avatar, already summoned, will have to find a new host.”

“Although there’s no definitive proof of that...”

Intellectual Villain-san, even though you muttered that under your breath, we can all kind of hear you...

A huge commotion sounds as several of the mercs dragged up a girl in chains.

Long, slender limbs, a thin waist, a moderate chest, and long, dark teal-blue hair.

From behind her hair peeked out two long, thin elf ears.

She struggled violently as they dragged her up, crying out,

“No, no! Let me go!”

“Get over here now, stop resisting!”

Her chains are different from a regular slave’s. Or like, a regular slave would only have the Slave Collar on.

This girl has a thick iron collar and thick shackles on her wrists and ankles and they’re all connected with chains.

Or like, why don’t they just order her to move over there?

Ah, not like I want them to succeed, it just seems odd.

Oooh, she’s pretty strong. A merc just kind of went head over heels from a kick from her long legs.

Because he could take advantage of the commotion going below, and knowing my hearing is pretty exceptional, Ragnall takes the opportunity to whisper.

“I see. I was wondering why they put her in Prisoner Shackles instead of a Slave Collar. She doesn’t speak the language, huh? The chance of the Slave Collar mistaking the situation and strangling her for defying an order was too high. She seems pretty expensive ... they really have money.”

Heeh...

I see. That’s why she’s in these bulky, horrible looking chains instead of just a collar.

... Hm?

Eh? Hold on.

“What did you just say?”

Ragnall looked at me.

“Huh? She doesn’t know Lorwian, so they can’t –“

“Eh?!”

I was so shocked that I didn’t really keep my voice down.

Ah, oops.

“What was that?!”

“Who’s there?”

Ragnall glares at me a little bit.

But I mean, I mean, there’s no way I could keep calm!

That elf is speaking Japanese!

And anyway...

“You started it, dammit!”

With that parting retort towards Ragnall, I dropped from the rafters, landing in front of the mercs with the elf.

“...You! Who are you?!”

Bash. Smash. Krash!

Ah, these guys are at least at Dankor’s level, if not over.

Although I kick and punch them aside, they’re able to regroup. If it was the average Adventurer in Nyl City, they’d be out cold.

“Dammit, get her-!”

As one of them yells out and moves towards me, my blade flashes as it sears through his wrist.

The nauseating scent of blood sprays through the air as his hand goes flying.

No time to feel sick about it; I can only swallow the sick feeling in my throat and continue onwards.

As quick as I can, I scoop up the elf girl.

The chains and shackles on the her neck and limbs are heavy, but with the upgraded version of Augment Body, that is, using the Aether/qi instead of neutral magic, it’s nothing to worry about.

I guess everything happened too fast for her, because she struggles a little more, but soon,

“A-a girl?”

She realizes I’m a girl and doesn’t show the explosive power she had before.

In fact, she’s obediently letting me hold her in a princess-carry.

... I feel conflicted about this.

“Are you alright?!”

I ask as I dodge the blades here and there. Umm... I can’t fight off all these guys while princess-carrying an elf girl, Ragnall!

The elf girl nods in response to my question. She has kind of a blank look on her face.

The Intellectual Villain from before stares at me with wide eyes.

“You! You’re that girl from before, with Ragnall!”

“Ah, yeah, she is. By the way, thanks for your care, before-!”

Ah. Ragnall just dropped down behind him, spun him around, and straight up punched him in the face.

As the Intellectual Villain reeled back in a daze, Ragnall grabs him by the waist and then turns to look at me.

“Jun!”

Eh, eh? What? Even though I moved by myself, you want me to detonate? NOW!? Fine, it’s out of my hands now! Don’t die!

Distant sounds like fireworks sounded around outside, and the tall, tan man, the Light Mage, gave a shriek, as if it was very painful.

Ah, it probably is very painful.

I mean, the backlash from over-riding their fake Spirit Trees in reverse ... well, anyway, he just had a ton of Aether ripped out of him by force.

The ground shook as the Light Magic tore through the magic circuits, over-flowed them, and started destroying the ground.

See, this is why you shouldn’t use anything other than neutral magic for circuits. If there’s over-flow, if it’s neutral magic, it will just get released without damaging non-organic materials.

... I should stop thinking about it and run! The building is coming down!

The elf girl clings tightly to me, so I’m able to dodge the debris coming down here and there without worrying about dropping her.

Her breasts are kind of pressing up against me and her tattered one-piece outfit keeps riding up so it’s a bit distracting, though.

Even though I’m a girl now, why do I still have the weakness a boy would have?!

... Or that’s just a sign of how easy it is for me to escape the wreckage, if I have the leisure to notice those types of things.

I follow Ragnall, dodging the debris easily as if I knew where the debris will fall.

To be honest, because of the Light Magic running rampant, I kind of do.

I can sense everything in this room clearly, how they move and where they’re going.

Dodge a rock, go around the spot where the beam is falling to, elbow a bad guy in the face...

Almost methodically, I move through the room while following Ragnall, and we disappear from the building before the others knew what happened.

Hopefully.

◇◇◇

“It stinks! Ragnall, where the hell are we?”

“Sewers. That building’s an old winery, so it’s got a lot of places that connects to the sewers.”

Eh? Really? Is that how it works?

Well, we don’t really have much time to discuss the finer details.

There’s no time, if we want to get away. Actually, in the distance, I can already hear,

“Fuck! Ragnall got us! He’s gotta be moving though the sewers, come on!”

But well, I have Augment Body, so even though I can hear them, they’re actually really far behind.

“So? I know you’re soft-hearted, but that girl...”

Ah, he must mean when I forgot myself and spoke too loud on the rafters.

“No, I was just surprised. She speaks the language from my home country.”

“What?!”

Ragnall stops suddenly, and I run into him.

Ouch!

“Kya!”

The elf girl gives a tiny squeak as I accidentally squish her against him.

“What?! You serious?”

Ragnall looks the elf over.

“Um...”

The elf girl’s voice trembles a little as I carefully set her down in order to readjust my grip.

“Yes?”

I look down at her.

“A-are you ... Japanese?”

Ah. Just when I was wondering how to ask her about this topic, she asks me instead.

“Y-yeah, I am.”

When I say that, her shoulders tremble a little, and suddenly tears spill down her face.

“W-wait, what-!”

Ah! I don’t know what to do!

Suddenly she throws herself into my chest, crying as if her heart was broken.

Watching the scene before him, Ragnall says softly,

“Well, first of all, if you can, cut her chains.”

<A/n: Thanks RS and anonymous for your donations!

HIBIKIIIII!

*Cries* I don’t care if this is a spoiler, goshdarnit, I have been waiting FOREVER to introduce this character. She’s one of the first characters I’ve designed for this story, second only to Jun (or, the person who would become Jun, I guess). And maybe Ragnall. Hard to tell, they were kind of developed around the same time. But then a lot of things changed, and her introduction kept getting pushed further and further back...

Fun fact: climactic fight still to come. Even though I tried to cram it into this chapter.>

Sewers are Gross

It seems like it will actually take some effort to remove the elf girl’s shackles, so I shear through her chains with a neutral magic material cutter, Sever.

It works well against rigid materials like metals, but not so well against materials like leather.

By the way, I did think about using Sever on the shackles, but first of all the fragments made from Sever usually separate a bit violently, and second, it seems the shackles are reinforced against being broken or cut.

If I spent some time I might be able to force them off, but time is what we don’t really have.

But at least her arms and legs aren’t entangled with the chains anymore. I can carry her piggy-back now instead of a princess carry.

Although I think she could have run on her own, the shackles are kind of heavy, and in the first place, it’s questionable whether she would be able to keep up with me and Ragnall. And, well, she’s not wearing shoes.

And we’re running along the sides of a sewer.

As expected, it’s No Good to make a girl run barefoot in a sewer.

She’s obediently clinging to me, but she seems to still be crying a little, and her entire body gives off an exhausted feeling.

It seems like it’s also No Good to make her talk in this condition.

Well, anyway...

“Ragnall, why did you pick up THAT?”

I looked pointedly at what Ragnall’s carrying under his arm.

And THAT as well,

“Indeed, I was wondering that myself.”

Intellectual Villain-san seems to be surprisingly accepting of his role as luggage, having been carried all this way down through the sewers by Ragnall.

His face is a little bruised and his nose is bleeding, but Ragnall properly held back enough so that even an intellectual-character who doesn’t seem to have any physical prowess only ended up with light injuries.

Ragnall looked over his shoulder back towards me.

“No... well the other guy looked kind of hard to talk to.”

By the other guy ... that Mad Scientist-san, huh?

Intellectual Villain-san sighed.

“So an interrogation, is it? Unfortunately I’m not as eager to talk as he is, though.”

“But you seem more likely to be understandable.”

“...”

Intellectual Villain-san had nothing to say to that.

“So anyway, talk. What’s the importance for having an Avatar, and who are you working for?”

With that, Ragnall suddenly grips Intellectual Villain-san by the back of his trousers and ... dangles him over the sewage water?

Ragnall, what are you doing?

Intellectual Villain-san is bent over at the waist, face and feet directly over the surface of the nasty, stinking water.

He’s gone a little rigid in shock.

“What! Do you think that l-level of torture would be enough to make me talk?”

Like that, dangling over the sewer water, Intellectual Villain-san gives a bold smile ... but his eyes are telling a different story.

Ah... Ragnall lowers him further, and Intellectual Villain-san’s face turns blue, then green.

Intellectual Villain-san seems to be the type of person who prioritizes cleanliness.

I’m not sure if Ragnall is actually going to dunk him in the sewage, but somehow ... Intellectual Villain-san looks pitiable.

“Hm... I’d like it if you didn’t bully Norman, Ragnall.”

A fireball fluttered harmlessly past Ragnall as he dodged, but Ragnall’s grip on Intellectual Villain-san’s trousers, which wasn’t very good to begin with, slipped.

In that moment, before Ragnall could grab him again, a red blur whirled by and scooped Intellectual Villain-san up.

Although I might have been able to prevent that, I’m piggy-backing a frail-looking elf girl, so please pardon me.

Or like, Ragnall? Couldn’t you have prevented that?

“Tch. A sneak attack, huh Balil, couldn’t you appear in a more normal way?”

Ragnall manages to keep himself from losing his balance as he sneers at the man who suddenly appeared.

Balil ... Balil... the name seems kind of familiar, but ... nope. Not ringing a bell.

It must be my imagination that I’m blocking some sort of memory.

“Hmph. You’re losing your edge, Ragnall. How pitiful. Hey, girl, have you given any thought to my invitation?”

Ah... I think he’s talking to me, but I don’t know what he’s talking about.

“Sorry, I think you have me confused with someone else.”

It seems like Balil suffered some shock from that.

“Did I make that little of an impression? Even though I was offering to ... treat you well.”

“... No, sorry, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

I’m not budging on that.

Balil shrugged with a kind of dark, disappointed look.

Ragnall, why are you laughing quietly behind your hand? You lost our interrogation target...

I glare at him with the same amount of anger behind it as when he glared at me for accidentally talking too loud, and Ragnall quickly coughed and straightened his posture out.

“Gohon. Well, Balil, you’ve found us. Now, what are you going to do?”

Ragnall backs up a little, closer to me and the elf girl.

“I’ve gotten Norman back, but I’d like you to hand the slave over.”

“Slave huh... And if we refuse? I don’t think you’re capable of taking me on, even with me in this state.”

Ragnall shows off a kind of lazy pose, trying to provoke Balil.

Strangely, it doesn’t seem to succeed this time.

“Hmph. I don’t really know how important that slave is, but I never said I’d fight you.”

As I thought, there were more footsteps coming from in front of us.

“To think I’d be running from those 3 Carni monsters, just to run into this white monster... it’s not my day, it’s just not my day...”

With one hand, the man who stepped out of the shadows easily twirled a massive ornate sledgehammer.

Shoulder-length, scraggly hair and an equally scraggly beard...

His sharp eyes make me shiver.

Somehow I know ... this guy is strong.

Ragnall lets out a sigh and says,

“As expected, even I can’t go head to head with Urol if I’m not at full strength.”

The sledgehammer guy, Urol, gives a loose, easy grin and says,

“It’s not like you can go head to head with me even at full strength.”

The fact that he doesn’t seem to be exaggerating makes me a little nervous.

“Nah, you never know what can happen in a fight, so you shouldn’t say something like that, Urol.”

“That’s true. Ragnall, who sometimes fights dirty and gets lucky, is someone I have to watch out for sometimes.”

Even though I can tell he’s strong, just how strong... if only I were a martial arts manga protagonist or owned a power-level appraiser that fits over one eye I could tell you. All I know is that he’s stronger than most of the Adventurers in Nyl City.

But well, he said he was running away from 3 monsters, huh? I wonder who they are...

... Or like, other than 3 people, I can’t think of anyone else it could be. Ah, maybe Seimei-san too, so 4 people.

“Ok, right. Jun, your turn. He’s known as the magician killer, so watch out for that.”

“Haa?!”

Ragnall’s gone to the back, closer to the elf girl, waving both of his arms out in front of him as if to say, “go on, go on.”

Maa... it can’t be helped. He did just come back from the brink of death. His lips are a little white – er, whiter than usual, and now that I’m aware that he’s feeling bad I can see a little hint of shadows under his eyes, so I guess he’s still feeling the effects.

Seriously, he’s so pale, it’s hard to tell if there’s something wrong with him just by reading the color of his face.

I sigh.

“Fine, fine.”

I step forward a little, putting my nodachi back into inventory and switching out for my katana instead. Remember, we’re in a sewer. A long sword isn’t preferred in this sort of situation.

“Tch. To think you’re a kind of guy who pushes a woman into danger, Ragnall. You’re a disappointment.”

Balil clicks his tongue and glowers at Ragnall.

“Better than a man who can’t see what’s right in front of his face?”

Ragnall tilted his head, purposefully making a stupid-looking face to further infuriate Balil.

I know Balil is the type that’s easy to tease, but ... You’re really going out of your way to mess with him, Ragnall.

I shift my attention back to the sledgehammer guy, I mean Urol.

He’s blatantly ignoring Ragnall and Balil, as if they’re two brats on a playground bullying each other. Instead, he’s looking me over.

“... Haa, another one whose abilities I can’t judge on sight. Really, what’s with the city tonight?”

Urol finally moves, muttering that under his breath.

“Of course the spooks are going to come out if you rustle the bushes.”

Ragnall laughed as he said that.

I don’t understand. I guess that’s a local saying?

I’m watching Urol carefully, so when he suddenly lunges forward, I move at the exact same moment.

CLANG!

Un-! Yeah, he’s strong. Even with Augment Body, I can’t fully stabilize my grip against the shockwaves that travel up the sword.

Clang!

I aim for a glancing blow to parry instead of a direct contest of strength, but the sledgehammer is just too heavy. Or like, his swing is too heavy.

Damn. I feel like close combat is going to be a little troublesome... can’t be helped.

After dodging one, two, three blows, the last of which cracks the pavement, I leap backwards. At the same time, I multi-cast Air Bullet.

The 5 Air Bullets speed towards Urol, but he only grins his nasty, sly grin.

“Uwoooooo-!”

With a yell like an ape, he brings the sledgehammer up, much further past his shoulder than a normal swing, and swings it wildly in front of him.

Ossan, where the hell are you aiming-?

Right when I thought that, the 5 Air Bullets fizzled out.

“Tch. Something like an element canceller? That’s annoying.”

Urol raised one of his eyebrows with a smirk and a,

“Oho? Hey, hey, is she one of you brainiacs-!?”

And then he came barreling down after me.

Intellectual Villai – Norman looked up, like he had forgotten something.

“Ah, that’s right, watch out, she’s a theoreticist.”

He called monotonously from the sidelines.

Nn-! I take a low stance and dart into Urol’s chest, but before I can get a good swing in, he changes trajectory on the hammer and I have to dodge to the side to avoid the head of the hammer hurtling back at me.

Tch. What a cheat.

He springs back to take some distance, patting at the area where my blade barely sliced at his armor.

“Oi oi oi, the little lady’s keeping up way too well. What a cheat!”

“That’s what I should be saying, ossan. Robbing me of my Wind Magic but using your own like that.”

Wind infused magic and a Wind Magic weapon... And he seems to be pretty good at manipulating Wind infused magic without a spell.

Although it feels like his MP isn’t that much. He’s being pretty conservative, activating all magics right when he needs to.

Tsk. Even though he looks like a vagabond, he actually has delicate handling skills... I call false advertising.

Now then... what should I do...

As he comes rushing at me again, I parry and dodge within a hair’s breath of each strike, but though I get close, his instincts are too good and I can’t land a clean hit.

I don’t really want to use Light Magic too much – or at all – and casting through an element will be tricky if he can cancel the elemental casting... I could raise Augment Body, but I’d like to reserve some MP...

We’ve been fighting for quite a few minutes, but it’s a stalemate.

No, I guess if you watch from the side, it probably looks like I’m being pushed back, huh?

And to be honest, I can feel my katana crying from the unreasonable blows it’s being made to endure.

Bakin!

Shit! Just when I thought that, a crack!

Ah, no, it’s my fault. Even though I knew you couldn’t handle it, I still unreasonably made you work hard. I’m sorry...

... Hm? Even though it might look like I’m at a disadvantage ... I’m just not really feeling like my life is being threatened.

Because I’m fast enough to see Urol’s movements and he’s not shooting projectile magic, even though I can’t make effective attacks, I can buy time while thinking about what to do.

A twitch appeared in Urol’s eyebrow. I think he’s beginning to realize the room I have to think idle thoughts while this is going on as well.

Now then... what should I do about this situation?

Uuun... melee attack is not good, elemental magic is not good. Then I guess I should just go with neutral magic. The problem is, my neutral magic is ... well, whatever.

Zukiin-!

In an instant, Urol drew his hammer back and took a giant leap back. A tiny bead of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

“... Hey, little missy. You’re doing something interesting with your hand, there.”

Haa... so it wasn’t going to be possible to do something without him noticing it.

“Ah... yeah, well, it’s like that.”

Urol is unwilling to attack me with my “unknown” magic.

I take the opportunity to switch my katana out for a tanto.

Urol stiffens and looks at my weapon with narrowed eyes. He must feel that something’s odd for me to switch my weapon out for a shorter blade.

Or maybe he was surprised that my katana disappeared and a dagger appeared in my hand like magic.

Well, it is magic.

As we’re standing there, glaring at each other, I take the opportunity to take a quick glance behind me.

Hm? Are? It seems like Norman and Balil have disappeared sometime in the middle of Urol and my fight. Ragnall’s standing there with a drawn blade and an arm in front of the elf girl.

I wonder if they were attacked...

Unfortunately, trading blows with Urol takes all of my concentration.

I think if I were alone, facing Balil and Urol together, I would choose to run.

“... Haaaaaa... this is way too uncomfortable. You’re reading me like an open document but I don’t know what the hell you’re going to do. Little missy, we seem to be incompatible.”

Urol heaves a dramatic sigh and shakes his head, but his eyes are sharply probing me for an opening.

“I agree, Jii-san.”

“J-jii-san... am I getting older in your eyes or something? It makes this old man sad.”

“Even though you said it yourself.”

“Haa... you’re not acting cute at all. Hey, Ragnall, this woman’s got way too thorny of a personality.”

I’m not looking at him, but I can imagine the grin on Ragnall’s face as he says,

“Naah, isn’t it just towards you? You’re right at the creepy old man stage, so I thought you’d be used to young women hating your guts.”

“You cheeky brat.”

Urol sighed again and spun the sledgehammer around his neck.

The instant he snatched it up firmly in his two hands again was the signal for our second round to begin.

<A/n: Are? I liked Urol as a character myself, but somehow Jun seems to hate him...

...? ?

Also, I think this is Wfb’s shortest title.>

Sometimes Unconventional Methods can Pull Through. Other Times…

“Whoa-! Hey now-!”

Urol narrowly dodged my out-stretched hand, pulling his hammer away, out of my reach.

Tch. He has annoying instincts.

“What’s wrong-!”

I ask.

At the same time, I stomp my foot against the ground and perform a sh○uken-like upper cut, although instead of a fist it was spear-hand.

Urol swings his hammer down on me, but his hesitation causes small openings that he didn’t have before.

Kirring

A subtle clink sounds, and the front link that helps secures the armor guard on Urol’s left shoulder falls to the ground.

The guard slips off, dangling at Urol’s back.

“Hoy there, that’s some interesting magic you’re using, evading my Canceller.”

“Neutral magic does that.”

Almost like a theatrical fight scene, Urol and I leap at each other, exchange high-speed blows, and then pull back, like now.

The reason?

Un, well Urol’s a crafty old bastard, so whenever he feels danger he makes an opening to move backwards.

Me? I don’t think I can stop him without killing him, and to be honest, I don’t really want to kill people right now. I mean it’s my own personal desire not to kill plus the fact that Ragnall used to know him... although the second reason might not actually be that important, if Ragnall’s own behavior is any indication.

But more importantly, I don’t want to do that in front of that elf.

She seems delicate and easily traumatized.

If people were killed right in front of her ... I mean, I handled my first people-deaths in THAT kind of fashion, and I had set out to kill those guys. After the stress she’s gone through as a slave, it would be better not to trigger some sort of reaction that would make her fear us.

... tte, is she a small abandoned animal or something?

Ah, oops, Urol is saying something.

“Neutral magic you say... There ain’t that much neutral magic that you can fight with. What kind of person are you, huh?”

He tilts his head back and looks at me suspiciously.

“What, you say...”

I stare at my hand, then look at him, flexing my fingers purposefully in his direction.

“... Just a Craftsman?”

“Cra – ... ah ... hahaha, what the hell? What the hell?! A Craftsman who can move like that?!”

A nasty grin spreads across his face, like he’s found something interesting, as Urol flings his head back and belts his laughter until the sewers echo.

“... Is that really something that funny?”

I’m a little annoyed.

As I glare at Urol, I ready my tanto in a backwards grip in my left hand; my right is set for another instance of Sever.

A pity it can’t cut flesh or living materials, but if I can’t render him unable to fight by knocking him out or disabling him, then what if I tackle it with this method?

“Are you serious? Even a Craftsman wouldn’t fight with crafting spells, you know?!”

With that roar, Urol came hurtling back at me, swinging his hammer down from overhead.

Ksh!

Though my hand scratched the surface of the warhammer, nothing happens to it except a fizzle of unsuccessful magic.

“Do you think any Craftsman could pull off their spells in the middle of the heat of battle?! Of course this is hilarious!”

Swish, swish.

I dodge his wild swings.

Now that he realizes I’m using weapon-smithing spells, he doesn’t hesitate to swing his hammer at me? Are you serious?

Crack!

“Ugh-!”

My fingertips brush his chestplate, and Urol grunts lightly as a large crack splinters through the side. The iron burst apart with some force, and the sundered ends rake his sides as they went.

Why does he think it’s so weird for me to use spells that are specifically for molding and manipulating metals in a fight?

Isn’t this useful?

– Is what I thought, but it’s true that most Craftsmen wouldn’t be able to wield those spells like this, with this kind of precision and timing in the middle of combat.

To begin with, forget about moving around while casting crafting spells, most would prefer to be in an environment where there were no distractions.

Ah, yes, I know, I’m weird, I get it.

The problem is ...

That warhammer.

I’m successfully destroying Urol’s armor with Sever, but it’s dissatisfying.

I don’t know why, but it feels like he’s wearing inferior armor made simply of iron.

It wouldn’t be so easy to deface if it was enchanted, or if it was a magic alloy.

It’s strange that a high-ranking (I assume) mercenary would wear such ... well, such crappy armor.

Completely on the opposite end of the spectrum, though, is that warhammer.

A galvorn handle and an adamant-encrusted mithril-galvorn alloy, all enchanted with wind magic and several circuits along the haft, and a nullification magic circuit in the head of the hammer commonly called a Canceller...

It’s got to be over 5 million ecrue. At least.

And that’s a conservative estimate with my crappy sense of this world’s money.

Needless to say, a mere ‘Sever’ isn’t going to work on this thing. At least, not a Sever I can fire off at will while dodging blows.

The enchantments and circuit also disrupt my attempts at using Sever, like the time before as my magic just fizzled out.

I could melt it ... but for galvorn and mithril?

Galvorn’s temperamental nature aside, mithril is melted with dragon’s fire, you know?

That’s plasma, you know?

Forcing plasma to form down here, in a small, enclosed sewer, without the quiet, still environment that would allow me to set up sturdy Barriers simultaneously sounds like a really, really bad idea, you know?

Urol’s swings increased in speed.

I don’t know if my repeated successes at using Sever were making him nervous, but he’s using much more liberal amounts of wind magic to manipulate his warhammer.

Even though he shouldn’t have much MP ... at least, I don’t think I misread the reason behind the minimalist magic he used earlier.

No, in a battle like this I should rely on my intuition, but also be aware of what could happen if I’m wrong. It wouldn’t be good to be negligent be assuming he’s getting desperate, only to be hit square in the face with a fully loaded spell.

Smack!

Nn-! It hurts!

My palm stings a little as I catch the haft of the hammer.

Can’t be helped; right now the level of Augment Body I have been using this entire fight would interfere too much with my goal.

Tsss.

A sound you wouldn’t expect to hear came from the hammer’s haft, starting from where my hand was touching it.

Urol’s frenzied grin flickered as he quickly pulled back, but I don’t want to let this fight drag on too much longer, so this time, instead of letting him retreat, I pursue him.

Parrying, or to be more exact, diverting Urol’s hammer swings by swinging my tanto at his hands, my hands tap tap, drum along the haft every second they get a chance.

Even though he’s getting increasingly flustered with my actions, Urol doesn’t let up.

In fact, his use of magic is increasing, and his muscles begin to bulge as he tries to force the hammer to go even faster.

Despite that, his swings are getting slower and slower...

Well, yeah, because I’m interfering with your magic circuits that allowed you to use wind magic to alter or enhance the trajectory and weight of your swings.

This hammer... it’s one of those things that only some people can use, huh?

Dwarven? Is it a dwarf weapon?

Kuuuuu-! To think my first sight of a dwarf-made weapon would be like this, and I’m destroying it with my own hands-!

Damn you, Urol!

My heart is clouded with unjustified resentment.

My tanto narrowly misses Urol’s fingers and he flinches, letting me capture the head of his hammer.

Or to be more specific, the part of the haft that is connected to the head of the hammer.

Un, if you didn’t have ears like mine, you probably wouldn’t be able to hear that creaking sound just now.

I’m only able to hold the hammer for about 10 seconds, but that’s enough.

As Urol swings the hammer grandly out of my hands, prepared to deliver another blow...

The head goes flying off.

Yup.

Urol stares at the haft of his hammer with a stupid expression.

“... What... was that?”

Not paying attention to him at all, I’m staring at the head, which had gone flying into the sewer’s ceiling.

There, the weight of it had actually embedded itself into the ceiling.

Like, cracked the stone and burrowed in.

It really is an excellent weapon...

“Kuu- Even though the weapon isn’t at fault ... to think I had to destroy such a splendid work-!”

I ground my teeth in despair.

“Nonono, this is a warhammer made by Grandmaster Bordeno, you know?! If it could be dismantled like that by some random Craftsman...”

Urol trailed off.

In an instant, he swallowed his surprise and shook his head, shaking it from side to side as if he was stretching his neck and shoulders.

“Ah... I see. This really is not my night. To think I would lose 20,560,475 ecrue just like that... Aiyo, so my bad feeling about this job was about this, eh? Ah, what an awful day... Ah, I quit, I quit. This ain’t worth it at all.”

... To say ‘you quit’ and expect to be able to just walk away...

“You think you can just leave so easily? Where’s our share, oh threat to the city?”

Ah, Ragnall said what I was thinking.

Except what does he mean by ‘our share’?

“Iutto-“

Without paying us much attention, Urol leapt up, seized the warhammer head, and with a strong pull he dislodged it.

“- ah, so you won’t let me off too easy, huh? As expected of the miser. Fine then. That slave is damn expensive goods, and they won’t let ya guys off easy and they’ll come for her no matter where you go. I mean, the only reason I’m still here fighting you guys is because they want me to get her back. I’ll tell them she got killed in this fight.”

Huh? Eh? Is that ok?

No, to begin with, why is that something he thinks we’ll agree to?

“You want to keep her, right?”

Shit. His smug tone makes it sound like he knows how I feel about it.

So yeah, of course I want to keep her – or actually, I want to keep her away from you guys!

“I’d rather have information about what you guys are doing here, though.”

From behind me, Ragnall intrudes into the conversation.

Hey, hang on a second, you-!

Before I can say anything though, Urol laughs tiredly and says,

“Oye, Miser, don’t get too stingy or you’ll get nothing. Well, I don’t know what’s going on myself. This isn’t a job I WANT to know all the bells and whistles to.”

Ragnall frowns, discarding the tone he’d been using to mess around, and says sternly,

“And that’s okay with you? Aren’t you the one who always says we shouldn’t take jobs we aren’t told anything about?”

“Ha! If you’d seen the digits on the promised payment, even you’d waver a bit, Ragnall! But this just isn’t worth it. I’ve already lost more in this investment than I planned to all in one night ... It might be time for me to go solo again.”

“... Would it work? Saying she’s dead. I don’t think they’d believe you.”

Oh, good point, Ragnall.

“Hah-! Saying that she died as an unfortunate side effect to a battle that did THIS to my equipment?”

Ah... the splits in his metal armor are clean. If they assumed someone sliced through them with a blade, what kind of person would have the monstrous strength and technique would be required to do that?

... Ah, sorry. I understand, I did it, although it wasn’t with a blade.

“Well, whether they believe it fully or not is up to you guys.”

Urol turned to leave, and Ragnall called out after him.

“If you’re leaving the group, remember to pick up Dankor. He’s in the cellar.”

Urol just casually waved his hand, still clutching that fantastic hammer head, and retreated into the murkiness of the sewer.

Quickly and quietly, I pulled out a blanket, wrapped it around the elf girl, and helped her to hold on tight as I picked her back up, piggy-back style again.

Even though her breasts press up against me, because I can’t see them, they’re easier to ignore.

... Ah. I think I learned something somewhat distasteful about myself...

I set that thought aside for now.

To tell the truth, I’m really worried about this girl. After she had cried, she remained completely silent. She seems unwilling to talk, or maybe unable to talk.

It doesn’t feel normal to me.

Running through the sewers again, I finally ask Ragnall,

“Is that really going to be alright? Letting Urol go like that?”

I look at Ragnall suspiciously.

“Haaa... who knows... but if it weren’t Urol, I wouldn’t have done something like that. Or like, if it wasn’t Urol who wasn’t fighting full-heartedly because he had bad feelings about the job he was doing, this girl would definitely have been snatched away.”

Ragnall nodded at the elf girl, who was dazedly clinging to my back.

“Hm...”

I’m a bit doubtful about whether the elf girl would have been recaptured, but I will admit that it didn’t seem like Urol was fighting with 100% seriousness.

... Even though I wasn’t either, it kind of pisses me off.

“Dankor, Urol, and Tesra seem the only ones with consciences in that merc group. The others are only motivated by money. They probably wouldn’t even bother to think about the fact that we used to work together.”

Ah. I can tell by his tone that, for Ragnall, Urol, Dankor, and that other guy were probably the members of that group Ragnall had gotten closest to.

If it’s like that...

If Masaki had gotten into a bad group that was going to get caught, and Masaki came to me and said he wanted to get out of it because being in that group was bothering him ... un, I would let him go too.

Like that, I understand.

“So? What are you going to do with her?”

“Eh?”

Ragnall interrupted my thoughts suddenly.

“This girl. Even if Urol tells them she’s dead, if a girl that looks exactly like her shows up, walking around Nyl City, there will be some problems, right?”

That’s true.

“Un... I’d like to ask her some questions, but she seems to be really traumatized, like she’s retreated inside herself, so for now I’ll hide her in Seimei-san’s house to recover, I guess?”

“I see. Then we’re going to go this way.”

Ragnall... why do you know the layout of the sewers so well?

“But if you’re worried about her state of mind, you’re going to want to get those shackles off her somehow, quick.”

“Eh?”

“Prisoner Shackles are only designed to restrain and weaken, as opposed to Slave Collars that allow the owner to control the slaves. Since she seems pretty headstrong, I don’t doubt they set the shackles to barely keep her alive. She must be constantly feeling the symptoms of magic power depletion.”

Eh-. What’s that?

Hold on. Let me think that through.

If I think about what Ragnall said, then the Prisoner Shackles are things that leech MP constantly, and those bastards set it to barely above MP depletion.

I only had to experience MP depletion once before I swore to avoid experiencing it again.

In my heart, I was planning various tortures that the elf girl’s former “owners” should undergo.

◇◇◇

Sure enough, when we clamber out of the sewers, we come out through the wash-everything-store’s oneesan receptionist’s basement.

If I remember correctly, it’s only a bit down the street from Seimei-san’s house.

Swat!

“Kyaa – ah? Oh, it’s Ragnall and Jun. You scared me!”

Ragnall got a straw broom to the face as he emerged.

“Ouch. Didn’t you say you didn’t mind me using your basement as an entrance?”

It seems to have stung a bit, as a few tears sprung into Ragnall’s eyes while he protested.

“Jeeze. I certainly said that, but on a night like this, of course I’ll be jumpy-!”

Nn. She has a point. There’s people and monsters rampaging in the streets, weird magic stuff going on, and then suddenly people come crawling out of your basement?

Of course she’d attack.

Although we came out of her basement, we’re not exactly in her house.

It’s one of those houses were the basement has an entrance going into the ground along the outside wall of her house.

As Ragnall apologizes to the oneesan and she apologizes back to him, I’m scanning down the dark streets.

Masaki, Tatsu-san, Midori-chan, and Seimei-san soon come running out of the dark.

“Masaki, we’re here.”

At my tired voice, they spot us before they run past and come over.

Even if they Lived on the Other Side of the Country, Meeting Someone Who Came from the Same Country in a Foreign Land Always Feels Like a Miracle

“I’ve sent away the guards at my house by guilt-tripping them into aiding Sir Ilyos. So is that the girl?”

Seimei-san came hurrying back down the mountain.

I had contacted both Masaki and Seimei-san in a group chat and told them that Ragnall and I were going to be at Seimei-san’s house, but instead we’re hidden in the shadows outside Lydia Nee-san’s – that is, the receptionist at the bathhouse – house.

I had told them that I needed help hiding a girl that “the enemy” was after, but other than that I hadn’t told them much about the situation.

Just that, “It’s kind of important, and definitely should be kept a secret.”

Masaki looks anxiously at me, but the communication crystal he’s been clutching has been glittering for a while, so the time we all have together is short.

The people with Carnus probably want to hear about what happened after Masaki and the others went into the city.

“I’d like to know the story behind this girl, however... her complexion does not look so good.”

Seimei-san said as he peered past my shoulder and looked at the girl’s face.

“Eh?”

I try to look over my shoulder, but the elf girl’s head is drooping so I can’t see.

She’s not being very responsive to what the people around her are saying, either.

... I’m worried.

“The further she is from the person who holds the lead, the more painful the shackles will be for her, so it would be best to get those shackles off. If it’s Jun, I’m sure she can find a way.”

Ragnall said.

Huh? What do you mean the lead?

No, wait. More importantly ...

“Why didn’t you tell me that before?!”

“Sorry. I didn’t think it would have been wise to, since we couldn’t do anything about it in the sewers.”

... Unfortunately, what Ragnall said is true.

In a sewer, with an item I’m unfamiliar with, while being chased down by hostile people... There’s no way I could easily take the shackles off.

I swallow my anger as Seimei-san organizes the others and say to Ragnall,

“That’s true. Are you going to come with – “

“I’m going to the Guild. To the infirmary.”

... Ah. Right. I somehow keep forgetting he had a near-death experience.

He seems so lively, after all.

From behind me, I hear the other gamers arguing with Seimei-san.

Midori-chan in particular wants to stay behind, worried about the girl, but Seimei-san convinces Masaki and the others to go back to Sir Ilyos’ mansion to make a report and handle the Nobles.

In the first place, I was only asking Seimei-san to come over; I had only reported to the others through Masaki just so they would be aware of what’s going on.

Well, all three of them are the rare sort of kind-hearted people, so it wasn’t surprising that they came as well.

◇◇◇

Hurrying into Seimei-san’s house, Seimei-san leads me over to his bed and helps me gently lay the elf girl down on it.

Her color really isn’t good.

I have to get these shackles off, NOW.

Tss.

The same strange sound that I used for Urol’s sledgehammer sounds again.

It’s something like an analysis spell, where I use my own MP to brute-force the magical mechanics and bypass any magic defenses.

I called it “Forced Analysis” as a joke, but then it actually ended up in my Status as <Forced Analysis>.

Normally I wouldn’t use this spell, since it could damage lots of delicate circuits and enchantments, but in a situation like this, or like when I was facing off against Urol, trying to avoid damaging fragile magic technology is the least of my worries.

The metal the shackles and chains are made of is a jet black color, but it’s dull, unlike galvorn’s shiny, lustrous black.

I can tell it’s not a product from around here, because I don’t recognize the metal immediately.

This ... could it be deep iron?

Despite being called “iron”, it’s not actually iron.

Mined deep, deep down in underground parts of Labyrinths, it is heavier, for one. Although that might not be immediately noticeable.

But the problematic thing about deep iron is that, although it is somewhat similar to iron while it’s processed, once it’s quenched it becomes as hard and unyielding as adamant.

Even reheating it won’t cause it to lose its shape or structure, and it even becomes impervious to magic manipulation.

I won’t be able to get it off her easily through brute force.

From my Forced Analysis, I can tell there are several circuits.

One draws on the elf girl’s MP at a predetermined rate; one measures how far it is from a ‘lead’ and slightly increases the rate proportionally to the distance; one uses the MP to keep the shackles tightly around her neck; one sends a sonic wave throughout her body to increase nausea.

Although all of these circuits bother me, the last one really makes me mad.

I can’t even destroy the circuits because they’re encased in the deep iron.

The only thing I can even try to do is unlock it from the keyhole.

Click.

This ... was not too difficult to do.

With Mana Imprint, it was something like taking a magic-based mold, then with a little bit of silver and by abusing Seimei-san’s fireplace, I quickly shaped a key with material manipulation.

Un. I should take care not use this ability for criminal purposes.

Because it’s just pure silver, my substitute key deformed when I turned it in the keyhole, but at least it unlocked the Prisoner’s Shackles before it became useless.

All in all, it took 10 minutes for me to be able to get these shackles off of the elf girl.

In disgust, I threw the heavy things into a corner.

“Thank goodness... you’re really something else, Jun-kun.”

Seimei-san had been hovering over us nervously the entire time, but now he heaved a sigh of relief.

He seems used to taking care of a sick person, as he carefully elevates her head a little and then pours water into her mouth from a strange little jar with thin spout.

Later I found out that he’s been collecting the various tools used in medicine and nursing in this world, so it wasn’t strange that he was prepared with something like that.

After she swallows the water, a few minutes later her breathing becomes steady, and the tension sweeps out of Seimei-san and me so that we both nearly collapse on the ground.

We were actually pretty nervous.

“Haaa... so? Jun-kun, who is this?”

“Un... haa, well, she was a slave of the guys behind all the attacks tonight, but because she could speak Japanese, and because she recognized me to be Japanese, I took her and ran.”

“So you conducted property theft – I guess I’ll permit it for now.”

Seimei-san laughs lightly at his dry joke before he said,

“But ... Japanese? She herself doesn’t look Japanese... Could there be a language here in this world that resembles Japanese?”

“She properly said ‘Japanese’, though. Would a language or nationality in this world be so similar by name? And also, forget about whether she looks Japanese, she’s not even human. She’s an elf, right?”

Seimei-san put on a confused look.

“Hm... but, well, I’ve seen some elves in Carnus, but ... she looks like a different ... race of elves? Maybe that’s not that strange, though...”

Is that ... so.

I’ve only seen half-elves in Nyl City, but if they’re any indication, elves seem to have more Northern European looks, though maybe a bit more delicate.

I hesitate to judge the differences in body-types, since I haven’t seen any full-blooded elves, but if Seimei-san says there’s a difference, then maybe there is.

To tell the truth, there’s something about her physique that bothers me.

Long, slender legs slightly longer, proportionally, than normal; a trim waist-to-hip ratio that isn’t even seen on supermodels, and a long, slender neck. Certainly it was more elven than human, but there was something ... odd feeling.

Like, how her hips were slim, but the thighs were fleshed out and somewhat plump. Or how her waist is so much thinner than her ribcage and hips.

It almost feels like all the parts are too “perfect”, or something.

It honestly gives a bit of an uncomfortable feeling.

As for her face, it had a distinctive Asiatic look to it, but at the same time it didn’t feel quite like a fully “Asian” face.

Un... even despite these oddities, I feel like I’ve seen something like it somewhere before...

“I guess we’ll just have to ask her, huh?”

I say, as I give up thinking hard about where I’ve seen her looks before.

Seimei-san sighed.

“I guess so, but probably not right away. After she’s had a meal and a bath, and some time to recover, maybe. I don’t want to push her too hard too soon.”

“No. I want to talk now.”

With a trembling voice, the elf girl spoke as she sat up.

Ha-! She was awake?

“Ah, it’s better not to push yourself-.”

Seimei-san quickly, reaching over to help stabilize her.

Although she’s trembling and shivering, she looks like she’s desperate to talk to us.

“I – I’m from Japan, too. Even though I look like this, I’m fully Japanese. This body is ... at least, it’s modeled after my avatar in Archage Eternal Legend.”

“Archage Eternal Legend?”

I haven’t heard of it before.

“Aah ... that Korean VRMMO that came out a few years ago. We called it cutscene-online, though.”

... Seimei-san. You’re getting sidetracked.

“I-it’s ... good once you get past level 40, there aren’t as many cutscenes...”

Elf girl-san, you’re also getting sidetracked.

...  Ah! I see! She looks just like a female character model from a Korean videogame!

Or actually, that’s exactly what her body is.

But suddenly, just as I was thinking that, tears started pouring down her face.

“...hic... un, uwaaaa...”

Men really are useless when a girl cries like this.

The only thing I can do is pat her awkwardly on the head.

She calms down rather quickly and, embarrassed, shyly takes the handkerchief Seimei-san handed her.

“S-sorry. I just ... even though I used to get upset when people made fun of ArchLeg, I started thinking about how I didn’t think I would ever hear someone make fun of it again, and I just ...”

“It’s alright. It seems you’ve been through a lot, so ...”

Seimei-san says.

The elf girl coughs a bit hoarsely, composes herself, then says,

“Um ... P-pleased to meet you. My avatar’s name and the name on my status is Echo, but my real name is –“

“Ah, stop, stop! Since this is a world with magic, try to keep your real name to yourself.”

Seimei-san says suddenly.

Heh?

“Seimei-san ... you didn’t seem to care when Masaki and Midori used their real names.”

I say accusingly.

“Nn. Well, I mean, they were already using it before I could say anything.”

“Just why do you think we shouldn’t use our real names anyway?”

I honestly have no idea what Seimei-san’s thinking.

“Well there’s usually things like being able to control someone with their real name in a world with magic, right? Isn’t it better to be cautious just in case?”

... Ah. I forgot. No matter how elite he was in Japan, Seimei-san is someone with THESE kind of hobbies.

“Mm... to be honest, I don’t think there’s any way for magic to take advantage of something like that ... or like, Seimei-san. Our REAL name that magic recognizes would be the name that’s listed in our statuses, you know?”

So in other words, Masaki is now Masa, and I’m now Jun.

But to begin with, I don’t think there’s magic like true name binding or kotodama in this world. Magic seems to work with what the word intends to mean, at least with the spoken word.

Of course, it’s not like there’s not a possibility of magic spells that can manipulate things with the written word, but I’m nearly certain that there’s nothing that can force you to obey someone just by knowing their name.

Seimei-san has dropped to the ground in an orz pose.

“No way ... so even if I was being careful, just by going with ‘Seimei’, I was completely negating my efforts?”

“... At least, magic thinks your ‘real’ name is Seimei.”

Seimei-san groaned.

The elf girl was laughing quietly at us.

Seimei-san stood up and dusted himself off.

“Ahem ... anyway, I am now called Seimei of the House of Hara, but in Japan, my name was Hara Seiji. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Seimei-san performed a perfect, 30 degree angle bow.

So the ‘Hara’ was his real surname anyway... I wonder if Seimei-san wasn’t trying to loosen the girl’s tensions with that stupid diversion.

The girl stopped laughing and said,

“I guess my name is now Echo, but I’m Asahina Hibiki. I’m in your care.”

And she bowed a little as well.

“Ah, I’m Imamiya Junichirou, but everyone’s always called me Jun, and Jun appears to be my name now as well.”

“Um, I – um, thank you very much for saving me, Jun-san – ... Ju-Junichirou?”

...Ah, crap. I went with the flow and gave my full name too, but I guess I’ll have to explain this troublesome situation.

With a kind of bitter look, I say

“That’s, that is ...”

I’m cut off by a startled yell.

“Jun wasn’t short for Junko? No, wait, it’s Junichirou?!”

Eh... why is Seimei-san also so confused too?! I give up, I’ll just say it bluntly!

“... Didn’t Masaki tell you? I was a guy in Japan.”

“No, I didn’t know at all!”

“I thought for sure Masaki told you, since you were properly using ‘-kun’ to call me by.”

“Jun-kun, I call Masaki Masa-yan and Tatsu Tatchan. I don’t think you can use that criterion to assume things ... Oooh, I see, the machine misidentified you, huh?”

“Oh, so you understand?”

Seimei-san scratched his head.

“Well, it’s not that common, but every once in a while the scanner will get the gender wrong, and it does seem like it’s more likely to recognize guys as girls, rather than girls as guys, when it does get it wrong. In that situation, you should have gone back to the shop attendant with an ID card with your actual gender, and he’ll hard-code your gender in before you get scanned.”

No way!

Dammit, I should have ... ah, no, that means I’d have to get re-scanned in that tiny coffin.

But all of these problems I’ve been having could have been avoided!

Aaaah...

I clutch my head in my hands.

“Um... So you guys are also in game avatars?”

Asahina-san asks.

Seimei-san looks pityingly at me for a second before he goes back to her.

Yeah, yeah. Go back to talking with her, please. I want to wallow in my misery over here...

“I see, so that’s how it is. ArchLeg is the VRMMO type that doesn’t allow you change your gender, but you don’t have a profile scan of your actual body, it’s just the avatar.”

◇◇◇

Asahina-san was currently taking a bath in Seimei-san’s bathroom.

We were just down in the sewers after all. I also feel like wanting to take a bath.

Seimei-san suggested we could take one together, and I round-house kicked him in the back.

“Eh... but you’re a girl now, right? So it’s okay?”

He complained, rubbing his back with a huge, cheeky grin as he picked himself back up.

“Exactly HOW is that going to be okay?!”

I yelled. Glancing over at Asahina-san’s somewhat conflicted expression,

“Look, even Asahina-san agrees with me!”

Anyway, after something that felt like it came straight out of some sitcom, we told Asahina-san to take as long as she needed in the bath.

Who knows how long she’s been in slavery without a chance to take a decent bath.

We haven’t been able to bring ourselves to ask about that type of thing yet.

Now, Seimei-san sat on a wooden chair in his bedroom, staring moodily into space.

His goofy attitude from earlier seemed like a lie as his brows knit together with a dark, worried expression.

“Jun-kun. What do you make from all this?”

We don’t know anything about how Asahina-san has been living in this world, and I also haven’t told Seimei-san about the people who had been her former owners.

But there’s still something that’s bothering both of us very, very badly.

See, we had assumed that we, players of Mourning Star who had been on the special event server, were the only ones who had been transported to this world.

In response to Seimei-san’s question, I can only say,

“... There might be other Japanese people from other VR games who were displaced here.”

Our faces grew even gloomier in an instant.

<a/n: Thanks Skirie for the donation!>

After Finishing a Big Project, the Answer to your Future Steps Should Always Be Ice Cream. But Don’t Actually Say That in your Presentation

While the elf girl, that is, Asahina-san, was taking a bath, Seimei-san and I were downstairs in the middle of a discussion.

We still don’t know everything about Asahina-san, where she was summoned, how she became a slave, etc, etc, but unfortunately, right now we don’t really have the opportunity to do anything about it.

See, there was this thing that was happening just a little while earlier where people were attacking the city...

Yeah, so Seimei-san and I are exchanging information.

Even though it was still my complete miss, I felt a little bit better that the device that made those fake spirit trees had been basically locked away in another dimension.

Although it might be bad form to think that way... un. I shouldn’t use this as an excuse for not being vigilant enough.

However!

I am upset that the Guild and Sir Ilyos apparently knew about those devices and never told anyone.

There might be no guarantee that I could have done anything about them, but there is also no guarantee that I couldn’t do anything about them.

Even if they were trying to keep things a secret for well-intentioned reasons, in the end I can only call their intentions short-sighted.

After discovering that the devices had been sealed by Dark Magic, Seimei-san quickly ran to try to unseal them and destroy them...

But before he could even get to a single one, they had activated.

I guess that makes sense. The devices couldn’t suck aether from the surroundings unless they were in the same dimension.

They were sealed to avoid detection, but to work they can’t be sealed.

I wonder if the activation dismantled the seal, or if they had to dismantle the seal before they could activate it ... ah, no, I’m getting distracted again.

“So it was something like harnessing the power of the Labyrinth, so to speak. I really should have Emi find out more about the altars of elemental magic.”

Seimei-san muttered.

He was lounging back in his chair, a hand resting on his lips as his brows knit in deep thought.

“Although I’m also concerned about that, isn’t it more important to ensure they won’t come back to Nyl City?”

I ask.

“No, I don’t think there’s any worry about them coming back. At least any time soon. I force – er, asked Sir Ilyos to show me the information they’ve gathered about this crazy group, and I am 95% confident that it would be unlikely for them to be able to organize that much manpower and money again, especially while moving in secrecy.”

95% ... where did he get that number from?

Seimei-san continued.

“With all of Nyl City on guard against them, it would be impossible for them to be able to move within the city again. And the effort they threw away into decoys to throw the Guild and Sir Ilyos off their tracks ... I think it’s safe to say that they were aware their efforts were a one-chance, all-or-nothing plan. No, wait.”

Seimei-san frowned, then amended his statement, saying,

“I guess that’s only if they have to put together the exact same mess of stuff in order to do it again. If there was another way ...”

I think for a second.

No. Impossible. To move that much Aether around...

I don’t know about the whole Crystal Python, attacking brothels, and being giant asses decoy strategies those guys were doing, but to activate the magic that calls down the avatar to work, they’d have to rig up their fake spirit tree devices, set them around the city along the leylines, and be in the general area of that building that I may or may not have accidentally-on-purpose destroyed.

In other words, I think they’d have to do that part, at least, exactly the same.

“So there’s little chance of them messing around Nyl City, then.”

I say.

“There’s little chance of them pulling such large maneuvers in Nyl City, yes. Whether or not they might have a few men sticking around... I’m a little worried about that. Especially concerning Hibicchi.”

He’s already decided to call Asahina-san Hibicchi?

Because of the stressful things that have been going on, it’s easy to forget that Seimei-san originally had a kind of foolish personality when he’s not forcing himself to act properly.

But ... un. I see. Even if we don’t have to worry about another large-scale attack on Nyl City, that doesn’t mean that things will be safe.

Hibicchi -, ah, no, Asahina-san is going to be reported dead by Urol, but if she’s seen wandering around the city, that deception would be useless.

And then there’s the question on if they would find me suspicious.

I’m mostly worried about that ... what’s his name, the Intellectual Villain-san. He seems like he might pick up on some things.

If they wanted to look, it wouldn’t take them too long to figure out who I am or where I’m staying.

Since they know Ragnall, they might even already know all those things from checking up on all the people that Ragnall knows or might be a hindrance.

But it’s not like we know all the members of THEIR group, so even if they know all about us, if we passed one of their guys in the street, we might not even realize it.

“If it’s going to be like that, it might be useless to worry about that and start focusing on other things.”

I mumble.

For a short time, there’s silence.

“To be honest, I don’t really know what to do from this point onwards.”

Seimei-san sank back into his chair with a sigh.

He looks worn out

“... What do you mean, Seimei-san?”

“This business with Nyl City is over with. More or less. At any rate, I think our immediate obligations towards this matter are over. But what do you think?”

He gives me a look.

What do I think?

Um. The mysterious organization DOES bother me, but somehow I don’t feel the urgency to investigate.

Or like, where do we even begin to investigate?

And, there’s the other issue of other Japanese people (or maybe even people from other countries) having been brought into this world.

We haven’t questioned Asahina-san about her time from when she first showed up in this world until now, but if she’s like the other gamers, it’s definitely better to find out how she got sold into slavery.

Because I’m pretty sure Masaki and the others would break a slaver before the slaver could enslave them.

Even I, who had no lucky game-enhancements, would be able to avoid slavery.

If the slavers could only come at me head on, that is.

Finally I say,

“... I don’t think I have enough information about anything to really be able to make a concrete plan, but -”

“That’s right. We don’t know if we can ever get back to Japan, we don’t know who summoned us and for what purpose, and we don’t know the background of the magic in this world, so there’s no way we could be accountable for these random people.”

... Un. Seimei-san is thinking about entirely different topics, but whether it’s the things that are bothering me or the things that are bothering Seimei-san, we don’t have enough information, ne.

But well,

“Seimei-san. You’re not worried about the other people who may have been displaced from our world?”

Seimei-san drummed his fingers on his knee.

“I am concerned. But it’s not like we’re obligated to take care of all the displaced people. We don’t even know our right foot from our left in this place, to expect us to search for displaced people to protect them ... In the first place, it’s not like everyone from Earth is a going to be a good guy. It would make things more complicated if we picked up someone with a nasty character.”

“Haah...”

... Seimei-san. You’re such a cold, jaded adult.

Maa, if you say it like that, I understand it’s not like we’re responsible for other people who got transported to this world, but to just ignore it ...

“...Na, Seimei-san. Somehow ... no, that is, are you thinking about this like a protagonist in some isekai novel? I don’t think that’s a healthy way to approach this situation...”

Seimei-san stares blankly at me for a moment.

“Uh ... what?”

I scratch my head a little, trying to put what I’m thinking into words.

“That’s ... see, we don’t HAVE to do anything or not do anything ... What I mean is ... isn’t it ok just to do whatever you feel like doing? It’s not like there’s a right answer or anything, so just like life in Japan, just do what you think you should do, and handle the things that come your way as they come.”

He stares at me, open-mouthed for a while, then laughs lightly.

“That may be true too. Iyaa... I think you’re probably an extreme case of ‘handle things as they come,’  but maybe you’re right. I wonder if this feeling of loss is really from being too influenced by light novels. Haa... So? What do you want to do, then?”

Ah. He’s acting like he doesn’t care, but somehow, I think he feels a little annoyed that I said he was thinking as if he was some light novel main character.

“Hm... I think my main concern is to make sure Asahina-san is going to be safe, then ... I think it’s time for me to leave the city.”

“Leave? Why?”

“Why... well, I’ve only ever seen Nyl City this entire time, and I want to see how swords and things are made in other parts of this world.”

“... I see.”

Seimei-san is silent for a short while.

“To be honest, I was a little worried you’d want to go find and save all the displaced people or something.”

“Wasn’t Seimei-san the one who was saying it’s not necessarily a good idea to do that? Although if I do run across any one like that, I don’t think I’d avoid trying to make contact with them. Anyway, there’s no point to make plans about helping them when we don’t even know how to start looking for them.”

“... Un. Let’s do that. Living however we want to in this world might not be such a bad idea either...”

“Then, Seimei-san also has an idea of what you want to do?”

I ask just to throw the question right back at him.

“Yeah. I thought it wasn’t something I should invest all my time into, but talking to you ... well, it makes me feel kind of stupid for overthinking things. I’ll continue to pursue medical development. This time, I’m seriously going to go for it. To do that, I guess it would be wisest to stick around with Carnus, and I’ll have to start investigating where to set up a laboratory or med-center. I’ll need subordinates, too, and ...”

Uwah. Seimei-san looks pretty fired up.

“Um ... I’m done.”

At that moment, Asahina-san came walking down the stairs.

A Korean beauty character model, flushed from the heat of a bath...

It’s unfortunate that she’s super self-conscious of her looks right now.

I quickly look away.

Seimei-san gives me a quick snicker, then puts on his poker face.

“We thoughtlessly forgot to provide you with clothes, but I see that you had some.”

Ah.

I look back over.

Asahina-san is wearing what looks like a lovely, teal evening gown, but with light colored, leather leggings and a pair brown of boots underneath.

It’s very elf-ish.

“Because ArchLeg is more focused on social parts of the game, so I had a lot of outfits in my Inventory. My vault back in the game has a lot more cosmetics... But at least I had a few normal-looking outfits with me.”

“You kept it hidden from THOSE guys well, huh?”

I said.

Asahina-san’s face went pale.

“... At first, they told me to show them everything I could do. But I was so scared that I just froze and didn’t do anything they told me to, so they thought I couldn’t understand them. In the end, they wouldn’t use the ... collar anymore.”

Her hands trembled a bit as they touched her throat.

...No. Wait. That means –

I felt a dark anger welling up in the pit of my stomach.

Seimei-san’s face has also clouded over.

“Somehow, I hated the idea of being controlled like that, so I just continued to pretend not to understand them, so it’s not like I just ... I mean, I kind of did it to myself too, and...”

Her voice trailed off.

Seimei-san quickly composed himself.

“...That aside. Hibicch – no, Asahina-san. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but did they do anything ... Were you ... ‘attacked’ ...?”

His voice was low, and trembled a little with his emotions.

Asahina-san quickly shook her head.

“No. They – no one touched me that way. Or, well, one man tried, but even with those strength-sapping shackles on, it seems I’m strong enough to fight them off. All I did was just kick him, though. But then the ... leader? ... cut his head off in front of ...everyone.”

Asahina-san turned even paler than before, and her body trembled as she shrank into herself, curling up her legs and wrapping her arms tightly around them.

I crossed the room and gently rubbed her back.

“I-it’s ok. Just take some breaths.”

I understand that feeling of horror.

Although mine was ... somewhat self-induced.

After a few deep breaths, Asahina-san said,

“It seems that I’m ‘expensive’, or ‘need to be in pristine shape’ or something. Anyway, even if I was being treated like an object, at least I was being treated as an expensive object, so to tell the truth, it wasn’t too bad ... for me. The other slaves weren’t so luck– ah! The other slaves!”

Ah... oops. I forgot about them too.

Shoot.

What should I do...?

I need to properly go back to the Guild and report everything soon.

◇◇◇

Extra

“NO! To think you let such a precious subject be killed!”

Hefziba twirled round and round in agony, clutching at his hair.

He is the man Jun thought of as a mad scientist-like character.

Norman, the calmer, intellectual villain type character, looked at Urol with a suspicious look, but he didn’t say a single thing.

Although Normas was suspicious about it ...

Well, it was true that when he and Balil had run away, Urol’s equipment wasn’t torn to tatters like it was now.

Besides, if these idiots couldn’t see past a foolish lie like this, then that’s all they’re worth.

To tell the truth, Norman was sick and tired of this crowd he’s been hanging out with.

No matter what HE said, it was whatever the crazy fool of a man, Hefziba, ordered that would be done.

Even though he said that there was no need to purchase female slaves for their sacrifices, that the cheaper male slaves, and even slaves that were in imperfect form, would give off the same amount of Aether as the well-formed, more expensive female slaves, Hefziba yelled,

“Of course women have more Aether! They give birth to offspring, right?!”

And exactly what did that have anything to do with Aether?

Just because Aether was known as the magic of life, Norman was pretty sure it didn’t have anything to do with natural birth and natural death.

UNNATURAL ways of living beings coming into existence is a completely other thing.

Hefziba was only a man who was obsessed with texts about Ancient Magic.

He took those texts as absolute truths, and refused to question even a single letter of the texts.

Never mind if that the texts are (most probably) imperfectly translated, and often times incomplete.

Also, although Ancient Magic was lost, it’s not like the knowledge back then is absolutely more advanced than the knowledge today.

Norman had done many experiments on extracting Aether from all types of vict – experimental subjects, and there is no correlation that women provide a better supply of Aether compared to men.

Norman isn’t a good guy. But he is also not an idiot.

Now Hefziba ... Hefziba is an idiot.

As everyone quietly watched Hefziba work himself into a frenzy, several people walked into what remained of the old winery that they were formerly using as a base.

Chills ran down Norman’s spine.

Beastmistress Korella.

Trevout, Bringer of Silence.

Jesara, Lady of Storms.

Porin Swiftarrow.

Honra, Tempest of the Sea.

Boris the Stonefist.

And Granwit of the Flames.

Each of these people could destroy half an army on their own.

Each of these people looked at Norman as nothing more than an accessory.

If they felt like it, any one of them could squish him into pieces with their pinky fingers.

“So you failed.”

Granwit looked coldly down at Urol as he said that.

“Oh my, young master, you can say I failed, but I would like to point out that even though you stuck me with the lady archer, that Carni monster almost took this old man’s head too many times.”

Urol gently put a hand to his throat, grimacing as he remembered the many arrows that almost went through it.

“I was talking about putting an end to the threat Ragnall might pose at the end.”

Urol sighed as Granwit said that.

“The white monster wasn’t really willing to come over to our side ... like at all.”

“I’m sure there were ways to do it. Like kidnapping that girl that he’s been working with lately and taking her hostage.”

Although Granwit didn’t notice it, Urol, Norman, and Balil all made complicated faces.

If that girl was someone who could easily be kidnapped, they wouldn’t have been in such a mess.

Not that they felt they could say anything to Granwit’s intimidating aura.

“...Na, Granwit. For a while now, you’ve been saying things like “our side” or “their side”. Isn’t this just a job? Why don’t you tell me what’s going on? There’s no way you don’t know, right?”

“Naturally. But there’s no need for you to know the details.”

“... Even if that’s the case, we’re mercenaries, right? Sorry, Granwit, but this kind of blind-faith ain’t something that suits me, and it suits Ragnall even less. There’s no way you’d be able to bring him over.”

“That’s too bad.”

Ugh. The air between Granwit and Urol was getting considerably tense.

With his superior ability to recognize trouble, Norman quietly vacated to a spot in the rubble a bit further away from the two.

“... Na, Granwit. That goes for me too, see.”

“That’s too bad.”

A spasm of anger crosses Urol’s face before he sighs and says,

“Ah, is that so? Then I guess this is where we part ways.”

Urol hefted the handle of his warhammer in disgust and turned to walk away.

It happened too fast for Norman to see.

The next thing he knew, Urol slid off the blade of the sword and crumpled to the ground.

Granwit stared down at him.

“It’s a shame. We had quite a long partnership together, but if that’s how it is, certainly, it would be better to part ways here.”

Granwit turned his back on Urol and flicked his blade to clean the blood off of it.

As if nothing had happened, he turned to the others.

“We’d best move everything we can out of here within the hour. There’s no telling when the Guild dogs and the Carnis will move in on this building.”

“Agreed.”

“Let us depart”

As they moved out, Norman hesitated to walk past the dying man on the ground.

“Hahaha... so this ... is how it is...”

Norman averted his eyes as Urol chuckled unevenly with his last breath.

<A/N: ... A-are? Wait a second. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Urol just ...

...

...

sigh.

I’m ... just going to mope in a corner now.

#whencharactersdotheirownthing&itsucks>

Sometimes Your Most Powerful Allies can be the Most Unlikely People

In ArchLeg, Asahina-san was a high-ranking elven Assassin named Echo.

It’s a complete mismatch with her quiet personality.

I assumed she would be an archer or magic user at first.

I even thought, ‘Hm, Midori-chan and Asahina-san will have overlapping characters,’ but apparently that isn’t going to be the case.

By the way, it’s the critical/back-stab type Assassin class, not the stealth/sneak attack Assassin class.

“So when you first woke up, you were already fitted with a slave collar and those shackles...”

Seimei-san made a troubled look.

That is worrisome indeed.

Although the people who had kept her as a slave seemed unaware that she was from another world, as soon as she was aware in this world, she was a slave.

“Does that mean the people who summoned us were the people who enslaved Asahina-san?”

I asked.

Seimei-san looked up, as if to object, but then he appeared to think better of it.

“That’s true. There is that possibility.”

It seems like he doesn’t think it likely. Or maybe he doesn’t want to think it’s likely.

But you know, Asahina-san woke up for the first time in this world a prisoner.

Even if you say she didn’t wake up as soon as she was transported, or that she was made to sleep longer than she would have by foul play, it’s still unlikely that she would have been captured before she was even aware she was in another world by some random passerby.

I think it’s more likely that her capture was premeditated.

But, it’s true that there are some strange things if the people who summoned us were the same people who enslaved Asahina-san.

In the first place, I’m making an assumption that the same people who summoned us also summoned Asahina-san. And by that, I mean the people who summoned Asahina-san also had to pay a great sacrifice to bring her into this world.

If that’s the case, if the people who made a ‘huge sacrifice’ to bring us into this world were the same people who enslaved Asahina-san.

Who would pay a ‘huge sacrifice’ just to treat the result as ‘excellent materials’?

Even so, if someone just happened across Asahina-san and took the chance to make her a slave, it’s strange that they would think to put Prisoner Shackles AND the Slave Collar on her together.

Slave Collars deliver a light narcotic effect to daze slaves and also strangle the wearer when they do not obey people whose magic power are registered to the collars.

Prisoner Shackles dull the wearer’s abilities and restrain them.

No matter how I think about it, I feel like it’s odd for people who didn’t know about Asahina-san’s – that is, a gamer’s – abilities to know that they have to restrain them with Prisoner Shackles on top of Slave Collars.

I frown a little.

Even though there are only two choices, being enslaved by the people who summoned her and being enslaved by people other than the ones who summoned her, both seem fishy.

“They thought I couldn’t understand them, so they didn’t care if anything they were talking about was supposed to be kept a secret from me. Unfortunately, to some extent, they were right. Even though I could understand their words, I didn’t understand most of the content they talked about.”

Asahina-san folded her hands in her lap.

“I listened to them a lot, but I couldn’t figure out much about how I got to this world, or how I ended up as a slave. The only thing I could figure out was that I was brought to them by a man named Liroi. They talked about this Liroi guy a lot, like he was someone big. Or maybe an aide to someone big.”

Liroi, huh.

He might simply be a slaver who jumped on an opportunity, but I don’t think so.

Although I have no evidence one way or another, something in my gut is telling me that I have to remember that name.

Even so, the only thing I can do is record it and stow it away in the back of my mind.

There was a silence as Seimei-san and I digested the information Asahina-san was giving us.

Then...

“And... I wasn’t the only one from Japan, it seems.”

Asahina-san gripped her hands until her knuckles turned white.

If she’s not careful, she’ll give herself bruises.

I gently reach over and unclenched her fists.

Asahina-san is trembling, but if you look at her face you can tell, it’s not like she’s scared or remembering the horrors from before.

Her face is flushed with anger.

A gamer whose avatar was a gnome, from the same ArchLeg as Asahina-san had been playing, had awakened, chained right next to her, and from the beginning, she resisted them.

Taking part in the ruse that neither of them understood their captors, Lilly, who was called Reiko in Japan, had died only a few weeks ago.

“She ... she said she’d rather die than stay locked up. She was always fighting them, and they beat her, and one day...”

Seimei-san breathed in sharply.

From her tone, it was clear. Reiko-san had been killed.

It’s very sobering to think of someone from our home country had died so violently.

Asahina-san had a strange light in her eyes, and she clenched her fists.

Revenge, huh?

It wouldn’t be strange for her to be thinking about something like that.

“Do you want revenge?”

Seimei-san asked.

“That’s... no.“

The fierce light in her eyes dulled a little.

“I think she had always been looking for death, even in Japan.”

It felt like there was something more to that, but neither Seimei-san nor I asked.

All of a sudden,

Knock knock knock

Sharp rapping comes from Seimei-san’s front door.

Asahina-san nervously looks over her shoulder towards the door, and Seimei-san and I exchange glances.

“Take her upstairs.”

Seimei-san muttered that quietly as he gave Asahina-san a light push in the direction of the stairs.

“Go hide in the bathroom,”

I muttered, and lurked at the top of the stairs.

“I’m going to stay here. I’m tired of not knowing what’s going to happen to me.”

I open my mouth to protest, but shut it.

I didn’t really feel like forcing her against her will.

Seimei-san, with a disapproving look up the stairs (I think he could hear us), opened the door.

“Hi hi~! I’m here about the lil’ elf girl!”

LeeAnne whispered in a bright tone.

There was the dark-skinned Rabbitkin, a ... woman? cloaked with her face hidden, and Ragnall standing on Seimei-san’s doorstep.

Seimei-san grabs the Rabbitkin, although he’d never seen her before, and pulls her into the house.

The other two follow quickly, and Seimei-san immediately closes the door behind them re-erects a light sound barrier.

I let out a sigh, motion Asahina-san to stay somewhat hidden, then descend the stairs and glare reproachfully at Ragnall.

Maa, it doesn’t have much heat behind it, because I assume he’ll explain this situation right away, but I am a little irritated.

Instead of Ragnall explaining it, LeeAnne grinned and said,

“Now now, Jun. Don’t worry. The information that goes through the Wind Troupe is my information, but my information is only my information.”

“... Huh?”

Ragnall sighs.

“What she means is, LeeAnne’s as far as this secret is going to go. Unless it’s information they were commissioned to uncover, there’s no rule that the members of the Wind Troupe have to disclose everything inside their heads to their group. Anyway, how would they be able to tell?”

“I thought you went to the infirmary.”

I said, with a look directed at Ragnall.

“I was, but I ran into LeeAnne, who was pissed we disappeared, and anyway, it would be better to hurry up and disguise that elf girl.”

He shrugged nonchalantly, but I think he’s getting tired of pretending he’s ok, because he really looks exhausted all of a sudden.

Seimei-san suddenly cleared his throat.

“*Kohon* Um, while I know of and have some confidence in Ragnall-san, I don’t believe I’ve met either of these ladies. Exactly why should I believe you two will help?”

Ah. I guess he hadn’t met LeeAnne before.

Even though she was one of the people organizing his bodyguards behind the scenes.

Or like, Seimei-san, even though you were going on and on about us not having to help people from Japan, you’re being awfully protective.

“Fufufu, the strict and unwavering Noble-sama who won’t let anything pass by easily indeed. Simple. Because I am willing to risk one of my secrets for your secret. However, since you’re affiliated to Carnus, I don’t really have a desire to show it to your Lordship, so will this information do instead?”

She whispered something into Seimei-san’s ear.

Or like, how do you already have that kind of reputation, Seimei-san?

Seimei-san let out a large sigh.

“I see. If that’s what it is ... Then I suppose it’s true that, with my position, my hands are tied. Bureaucracy is a troubling thing here as well.”

Seimei-san gave a nod, gesturing towards the stairs with his head.

“Go on up. I will stay down here.”

Because she had been eavesdropping, Asahina-san wasn’t surprised as I came back up the stairs with LeeAnne and Mysterious Woman-san behind me.

Ragnall decided to stay down below with Seimei-san.

When she saw Asahina-san, LeeAnne said,

“My, she is a lovely one.”

But she said it with a dark look.

She quickly looked at Asahina-san with a keen eye, then relaxed and said,

“It looks like it didn’t do you much harm, though, thank goodness.”

It took me until a few hours later to understand what she meant by it.

A lovely slave’s wellbeing is always worried about, it seems.

LeeAnne cleared her throat.

“I am lending you my greatest secret to hide you. Well, she insists that it has to be done, anyway, so it’s not like I had much of a say in it...”

LeeAnne said the last part kind of huffily.

From behind her, the cloaked woman stepped out towards us and removed her hood.

And the slight woman who removed her hood is...

...Eh?!

I’m not sure who I was expecting, but it wasn’t this!

“P-pel -!”

Ah. As LeeAnne raised an eyebrow, I swallow my words.

Right, secrecy, secrecy...

But seriously, why is Pelma-san, one of the food stall Onee-sans, here?!

... Ah. Wait a minute.

Now that I’m thinking about it ... her information when I used Analyze was something outrageous, wasn’t it?

It was something about being a race that was susceptible to being kidnapped and enslaved...

“She is going to cast an illusion to make you look like someone else, so take her hands and let her cast her magic,”

LeeAnne said.

Hm. Indeed.

That kind of ability would definitely bring some trouble from troublesome people.

Asahina-san hesitated for a moment, then looked over questioningly at me.

“... Well, it’s unlikely that they’ll try anything with me and Seimei-san in the building...”

I say.

“And this little elf miss herself is quite the fighter. My Analyze isn’t doing a darn thing against her. In my line of work, it means “don’t double-cross me or you’ll end up dead.””

LeeAnne sighed and shook her head.

Oh. Hm.

Come to think of it, Analyze(4) didn’t seem to work on the other gamers.

I didn’t think to use it against Urol.

“If it wasn’t for doing Ragnall a favor, to be honest, I’d prefer to stay well away from what seems like a mess of ridiculous proportions.”

I ignore LeeAnne’s muttering and turn to Pelma-san.

“Um... what kind of illusion is it going to be?”

LeeAnne speaks for her.

“Something that looks completely different from now, but it can’t change that she’s an elf.”

“... Could it be something Asahina-san herself picks the looks of?”

“I-it’s ok, I’m not that vain. As long as it will hide me...”

Asahina-san said quickly, but I cut her off.

Without allowing it to be translated, I tell her,

“No, well... it ... might be the only way for you to ... look like you used to? Unless you don’t care about it, but I just thought...”

Even if you didn’t like one part or another of yourself... un.

To be unexpectedly changed without your permission; I myself found it really uncomfortable.

Even though it’s different from my case, Asahina-san might have some kind of attachment to her former looks, right?

I mean...

It’s the only thing you have left in this world from your parents.

But I guess if she hated her parents or something ... er, no, well, anyway, I just wanted her to consider it.

The look of realization crosses Asahina-san’s face for a moment, and then she turns back towards Pelma-san and LeeAnne.

“If it’s impossible, I don’t mind, but if there’s a chance for me to be able to choose my own looks, would you let me do it?”

Asahina-san bows prettily, like a perfect oujo-san from a traditional family.

I can’t help but admire her movements.

Pelma-san looks questioningly towards LeeAnne, who frowns for a second before sighing, saying,

“It looks like there’s some sort of reason ... well, it would be useless if you looked too similar, so keep that in mind.”

“Th-thank you-!”

Pelma-san stepped in closer, holding out her hands.

In a soft, barely audible whisper, she says,

“Take my hands, close your eyes, and think of what you want to look like. I will touch my forehead to yours.”

Asahina-san did as she was told.

A second after Pelma-san touched her forehead to Asahina-san’s, a light erupted from the point of contact.

The pure-feeling light envelopes Asahina-san, and when it fades, a perfect example of a standard Japanese school girl stood in front of us.

It’s ... un.

If she had glasses, I’d say she was the exact kind of girl you’d nominate to be the class representative.

Shoulder length black hair, calm-looking face, and ... elf ears?

Eh?

Ah, that’s right, she still has to be an elf, even if she changes her appearance to a Japanese schoolgirl.

The tension suddenly went out of Pelma-san, and she stepped backwards.

Clutched in her hand was a pale stone.

It was milky white, and it the smoothness of the stone was as if it was well polished.

It wasn’t unlike a pearl, but it didn’t have the iridescence of mother-of-pearl.

And the magic coming off it ...

“As long as you keep this with you, your appearance will stay like that. By pouring enough magic power you can reactivate it if it ever fails.”

Pelma-san said, panting slightly from over-exertion.

So that stone can’t get lost if we want to maintain the illusion.

The illusion...

I stare at it with Magic Sensory.

It’s something more than an illusion.

It actually looks like Pelma-san gave Asahina-san a transformation device... I should restrain myself from telling Asahina-san to yell “Henshin!” every time she uses it.

Hm. I can just see a rope or chain getting cut and the ‘transformation’ getting undone...

... Un. No good. I should think of some counter measures.

Asahina-san is a bit teary-eyed, but she restrains her emotions and says, with a low, husky voice,

“Thank you. I ... really, thank you.”

Pelma-san smiles gently.

“I never thought you’d have such a clear image of what you wanted to look like. I was surprised to see how much detail you took into account with your body shape. I’m sorry it can’t be exact. There are are some limits to this magic... So I could only alter your figure as close as I could get to your image, but it’s not possible to make it too different from your original body.”

Un. Pelma-san was originally a chatterbox, gossiping away in a friendly manner with others around the food stalls.

I’m relieved to see she wasn’t faking her personality.

Asahina-san shakes her head.

“No, there’s nothing I can find any fault with! This, this is more than I could have hoped for.”

So that figure that became more normal but is still like a (photoshopped) gravure model is a result of not being able to deviate too far from that fantasy character model, huh?

Asahina-san noticed where I was looking and sulkily crossed her arms over her chest.

I cough and quickly change the subject.

“I see. This isn’t an illusion, is it? This is actually a transformation. And this is ... could it be Light Magic?”

“Haa-!”

Pelma-san draws in a sharp breath, startled, but LeeAnne just chuckled and said,

“Ah, there’s no use hiding it from Jun-chan. That’s right. Now you see why I won’t be saying a damn thing about your elf? I’d be putting the most important person to me in the world in danger if I do.”

Yes. I understand. If Pelma’s abilities become well-known, there would definitely be some trouble incoming.

Hm? Most important person ...?

Pelma-san has turned red and is twisting bashfully at LeeAnne’s words.

Eh? Wha ... eeeeeh?!

I wonder if this was actually the reason LeeAnne dumped Jip...

<a/n: Thanks RS and Serf for your donations!

Even though I haven’t been doing edits lately, I still appreciate it. I will get around to them soon.>

Great Alibis are Meaningless if You’re Conspirator is a Useless Liar

I really want to know more about Pelma-san and LeeAnne’s relationship, but unfortunately they left, along with Ragnall, really really quickly.

It would be weird for LeeAnne, the leader of the North Wind Troupe who specialized in organizing information from all Adventurers, to be missing for a long period of time.

More than weird, it would be suspicious.

And now we were talking about Asahina-san.

Or more specifically, Asahina-san’s transformation.

“It really isn’t an illusion. My hair really is this short now. Although it was a little longer than a bob in Japan, but it was definitely waist-length here ... right?”

Asahina-san ran her hands through her shoulder-length hair.

It responded perfectly, glinting lightly in a natural, black sheen, and she said it felt like real hair and moved like real hair.

It was to the point where she was beginning to doubt her former appearance as her avatar, Echo.

By the way, neither Seimei-san nor I reached out to stroke her hair.

Guys who touch without getting an ok are worse than scum, right?

“What do you think, Jun-kun? I can’t tell at all that Hibicchi doesn’t just naturally look like that.”

Seimei-san said, peering at her face this way and that and ascertaining that, at every angle, Asahina-san looked exactly like a normal Japanese schoolgirl.

That is, a completely normal Japanese highschool girl in elf cosplay.

“It’s because it’s Light Magic. Although hearing that, because we’re from a scientific world, you might think it means it’s an illusion, it actually modifies the body lightly. That’s why Pe – that woman said it couldn’t give you exactly what you were thinking of. It seems that Light Magic is something like chi in our world instead of light.”

“Fantasy chi you mean. Something that modifies the body with just the strength of life energy only happens in Chinese-style LN.”

Seimei-san snorted.

Well, yeah, but still, you understand what I mean now, right?

It does help that we’re all fantasy otaku gamers of varying degrees.

“Well, but then, I wonder why it’s called Light Magic here.”

Seimei-san placed two fingers thoughtfully against his pursed lips.

“.Un... ah, well, I mean, when you use Fire Magic, fire shows up, and when you use Water Magic, water shows up, and so on. So ...”

I swirl loose mana in the air into a ball and then infuse it with Light element.

It glitters, though a little dully since I haven’t given it a command to do anything but exist.

“... I see. In that case, if Dark Magic is basically space-time, or maybe just space magic, it’s called Dark Magic because the light gets cut off when severing the dimensions?”

“Uh...”

Sorry Seimei-san. I HAVE NO CLUE.

“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, what we’re hearing as ‘light’ might have more meaning in its natural language than what we understand it to be. Like I hear people who live in very snowy places have different names for different types of snow, but we would probably hear all of them as ‘snow’.”

Er, maa, I don’t know how true that is in this case, though. It’s just something I thought MIGHT be the reason. It could conversely be that they don’t have a separate name for the glowy chi-like phenomenon and that’s why it’s just ‘light’.

Or it could be because of something completely different

“Either way, I’ve gotten really used to using Light Magic recently, but I don’t know any spells. I thought about learning this transformation spell, but I don’t think it’s good to force it out of those two.”

‘Those two’ that I referred to are of course Pelma-san and LeeAnne.

What? I can use Light Magic so freely that I shouldn’t need spells?

Nn... well, see... even though I can tell if I can or can’t do something I’m considering doing with Light Magic, it’s different from knowing the limitations of the entire field of Light Magic itself.

If I found some spells or someone to teach me some spells, my knowledge of what I can do with Light Magic will expand, and in certain situations, I’ll understand the merits and demerits instantly instead of having to fumble around by intuition.

Maa, it’s the difference between someone who’s a natural because of instinct and one who continues to hone that ability through training.

“You suddenly got used to it? Don’t push yourself too much.”

Seimei-san said, showing genuine concern on his face.

I fall silent suddenly.

That’s right, in all this chaos, I forgot that thing about the avatar-!

When I get a chance, I should survey my Status... no, but I don’t want to see, ah, but I should...

Asahina-san coughed delicately to get our attention, and then said,

“If it’s Light Magic, that awful, crazy man said it was the primary magic of the most secretive elves ... although I don’t know if that will be of any help...”

The elves, huh?

◇◇◇

“So you were a baby abandoned on the side of the road, and your human trader parents picked you up and raised you, but after they got killed by thieves you came to register to be an Adventurer, but then you lost everything in this ruckus and got saved by Jun-chan?”

Um...

It’s a scenario that was very well thought out by Seimei-san.

She’s not a registered Adventurer, and she has no idea about the elven culture in this world, so with this explanation, we’ve covered most of the problems that might turn up if Asahina-san is asked too many questions.

It’s just...

Neither Asahina-san nor I are very good liars, Seimei-san.

Look, Solyana’s looking down at us with completely suspicious eyes.

Although she is still a beauty, the intimidation from her, with a naginata in hand, isn’t at all half-baked.

It’s terrifying.

“Mou, Solya~na.”

Ah, Erina-sama popped up and clung to Solyana’s side.

Hm? She was also carrying a naginata...?

I thought she wasn’t interested in the training. What has happened over this past month...?

I feel like I’ve been neglecting these Onee-sans too much.

Maa, in a time like this, it might not be strange that everyone with even the smallest bit of combat training would arm themselves against the monsters that swarmed the streets.

Although there was some light damage to outside of The Queen Mary’s, there wasn’t anything as disastrous looking as THAT time’s attack.

The Onee-sans are all walking around with naginatas though.

Un. Carrying the naginatas like that, if they were all in hakamas, with their sleeves tied back, it would be a very pleasant sight...

I ignore Asahina-san’s slightly cold look in my direction.

Crap. Other than Masaki, she’s the first person to know that I used to be a guy while dealing with The Queen Mary’s girls. I’ll have to be on my guard.

“Everyone has some kind of circumstance you’d like to keep a secret, right? Come on in. I’m sure it will be fine with Maryiste if you stay... ah, it’s ok if it’s in Jun-chan’s room, right?”

... Let’s work on the execution of explaining Asahina-san’s backstory later.

Even Erina-sama wasn’t going to let our unconvincing performance by without commenting on it.

It was very late in the evening already.

I wonder if it’s okay if I don’t go report about various things to the Guild... ah, no, my employer is technically Seimei-san so it shouldn’t matter ...

Nn, maa, Ragnall just said to leave annoying things to him tonight, but is it really ok?

Aren’t you still in pretty bad shape?

So I thought, but just sitting down and dozing off in Seimei-san’s house seemed to have given him back some strength, so perhaps it will be ok.

It’s true that Asahina-san’s situation is more worrisome, I suppose.

I took Asahina-san up to my room.

By the way, it’s technically a spare bedroom, but all the living quarters have been considerably widened, and they’re located a bit further away from the shop than before, since they are now above an additional storage area instead of directly over the shop.

Anyway, it means that the room I sleep in is bigger than it used to be.

There’s no problem for two people to sleep in it.

Certainly it might be better to arrange for Asahina-san to live in an inn, but I think everyone involved would feel better if she lived with one of us transported people.

Seimei-san and the other guys who had come from Carnus would throw too many suspicions on her though, so it was decided (rather quickly) that she would be living with me.

I would have problems with it if I thought it would be long-term, forcing a young girl to have to share a room with me for a long time, but I think I’ll be heading out of the city after tying up some loose ends.

It might be better for Asahina-san to come along too.

“They seem to be kind people.”

Asahina-san said as she stood awkwardly in the corner of a room.

“They are. You don’t need to be so reserved. I’m just borrowing this room anyway.”

There’s a little table and chair that I had brought in myself (for small metal-working projects that didn’t require fire or heat). I think I will leave them behind when I leave the city.

Anyway, I begin taking food out of my Item Bag.

“There probably aren’t many places open where we can get food from, so we’ll have to make do with this. You’re hungry, right?”

Asahina-san nodded.

“Ah... come to think of it, I don’t really get it, but is Asahina-san okay with staying in a brothel like this? I hear that it’s not looked highly upon for a girl to do that...”

“Of course it’s fine! Compared to where I was before, as long as the people are kind, I won’t worry about those kinds of things.”

I still don’t fully get ‘those kinds of things’, but I’m glad Asahina-san is fine with it. If she wasn’t, I wouldn’t hold it against her because it is a delicate situation for a girl, but it makes things a lot less complicated that she doesn’t look down on the Onee-sans for being prostitutes.

“Also, it’s okay to call me Hibiki.”

Is it?

But I don’t say anything when I see her slightly lonely face.

Un. After coming out of her situation, I’d like for the friendly people I’m indebted to to call me by my name as well.

“Then, Hibiki-chan. Is there anything you don’t like to eat?”

“No, I’m fine with anything.”

I delved a little into my emergency food, so it’s actually quite a hearty meal full of meats, bread, fruits, and even dessert.

“I guess it was impossible to hope for rice.”

Asa – Hibiki-chan said with a small smile. The fact that she can joke around like this already is kind of admirable. Even if she’s reserved, she seems to be a strong woman.

“Unfortunately so, but the food in this world is really good and pretty deep. If any plant like rice exists, I’m sure someone’s already made an effort to figure out how to cook it.”

Cooking isn’t my thing, so I never bothered to ask about other regions’ cuisines, but this place is a rocky, mountainous region surrounded by arid lands. It can’t be helped that there aren’t any rice plants in this area.

After some prompting, Hibiki-chan proceeded to eat whatever she liked.

It seems like they fed her well as she was an “important slave” – if you’re talking about quantity.

She almost cried from the taste of the properly seasoned fried chicken and the roasted vegetables with garlic chives.

After we ate and drank, it was past time to go to sleep.

And there is where the problem began.

“But this is your room, so I can’t take the bed.”

“No, you’ve had a long day, so it’s fine.”

“You have had one as well, so ...”

Hibiki-chan and I argued over who should take the bed.

Naturally, neither of us suggested sharing it.

It’s a narrow bed.

“Just take it. I can sleep anywhere, and I’ll probably get up early.”

At my words, Hibiki-chan frowns and says,

“No, I’d still feel bad, and besides I’ve gotten used to sleeping anywhere too.”

Haa.

“I’m sure it’s been a while since you’ve slept on something nice, so just take it.”

“... Even if you have a blanket, you’re still going to be sleeping on the wood floor. I’m used to it now, so –“

“I’m a guy, so it doesn’t matter!”

“Not anymore you aren’t!”

Kuu...

Even though it’s just sometimes, when I forget my circumstances I can make a complete fool of myself.

Feeling my face turn slightly red, I roar,

“Go. To. Sleep!”

and promptly turn my back on Hibiki-chan, wrapping the blanket tightly around myself and flopping heavily down onto the floor, refusing to move further.

I ignore the suppressed giggle from behind me.

The small wooden bed creaks as Hibiki-chan lies down, and silence descends on the room, broken only by the distant noise from the shop.

She must have been exhausted, because not a few minutes after she laid down, I heard her breathing change into a sleeper’s rhythm.

That she cried a little in her sleep in the dead of night is something I kept quietly to myself.

Early the next morning, I was called to the Guild.

Extra

He was so beautiful.

The way his magic sparkled.

Aah, this person...

Before I knew it, I existed.

No, no, I want to return. The comfort of having no thoughts, of being with everyone...

Ah, should I call them everyone?

We didn’t have existences when we were together.

We just were.

Ah, but now, I can find him...

I opened my eyes and found myself in a field.

Tiny people buzzed around me on delicate wings.

These are ... fairies.

My consciousness felt fuzzy because I had never had a consciousness before.

I didn’t have thoughts before.

But somehow I knew these were fairies.

I slipped out of the large rose that held me and went off in search of him.

The journey took many days that came and went before I could find them. I eventually discovered that the many days that went by stretched into a time that was called ‘years.’

And I discovered that living was a very difficult thing.

I got hungry.

I got hurt.

Water fell from my eyes sometimes, and I learned that I was something called “sad”.

Sometimes my mouth would twitch and move upwards, and I learned that I was something called “happy”.

I discovered there were people who didn’t care about hurting others and they were called “bad”.

I discovered there were people who would help others generously and they were called “good”.

I discovered that there were people who pretended to be good and were actually bad.

And people who pretended to be bad but were actually good were called “tsundere”.

And then I discovered that the man I loved enough to separate and become “alive” had more characteristics than just that beautiful magic that drew me out of the elemental mana stream.

He was a “bad” man. He did things I couldn’t forgive with my newfound consciousness.

But even before I could yell and scream at him for his foolishness, I was caught by an even worse man.

That was a horrible time.

Clatter clatter clatter.

The carriage I was put in rattled along the arid landscape.

There were others like me, kept poorly in chains.

We jostled one another every time the carriage hit a bump.

And then there was an especially hard bump, and we flew everywhere.

I shaded my eyes with my chained hands, squinting at the sudden light.

“What ho, a lovely young lady!”

A dark-skinned lady with long ears on the top of her head leaned over me with a smile on her face and a knife in her hands.

She was gentle as she moved me away from the bad men and the wrecked carriage.

And then, I found happiness.

– Pelma’s recollections.

<A/n: Hm. I have mixed feelings about the extra, but if I didn’t do it that way a lot of farcical, stupid dialogue got written into the main story and completely derailed it. So I deleted that entire scene and slapped the extra on to convey the same(ish) info, like a bandaid.

Because it’s not information necessary (or that would make sense plotwise) for Jun to know.>

As We Move from 1 Arc to Another, Please Forgive the Transition Pains

... Somehow, it was hard for me to wake up in the morning, and even when I woke up I was still tired.

?

Hm? I wonder if I’ve ever felt tired from lack of sleep ever since I came into this world.

Even though it was a regular occurrence in Japan.

But, you know, I really pushed myself last night, and whatever you’d call that situation with the Aether, resonating or something ... un, it might not be such a weird thing.

And by the way, after Hibiki-chan had fallen asleep and before I fell asleep I did check my status... but there was nothing.

“Hahaha, see, it was all in my head.”

But somehow, the cold sweat wouldn’t stop, so I used Analyze(4) on myself.

◤

NAME: Jun

TYPE: Human – Female – 202 Moons (conversion: 16 Years)

ANALYSIS: An A Rank blade Craftsman and a C Rank Adventurer of mysterious origins.

ATTEMPTING TITLE ANALYSIS

The Avatar of Light Magic

◣

It was very, very hard to suppress the groan that threatened to leap from my throat.

AAAAH, where is the [NO TITLE SPECIFIED] that I had previously?!

This ... wait.

I checked it with this world’s regular Analyze.

◤

NAME: Jun

AGE: 202

CITIZEN: Unaffiliated

STATUS: C Rank Adventurer, A Rank Craftsman

◣

Un... safe?

I felt like it was useless to worry about it, so I put it into the back of my mind and forcefully ignored it to go to sleep.

There might be a need to do some research on what this forcefully acquired title means, but first things first.

I want to head into the territory of the elves.

The location is ...  ... uh...

Well, the middle of the map that Lor drew for me, I think?

Hibiki-chan said that the mad scientist guy said that secretive elves held the key to Light Magic, but whether he was talking about a specific group of elves or just complaining that elves were secretive is unknown.

Either way, I think it would be a good idea to go towards the elven territory to do more research about Light Magic by myself. I might be able to uncover the meaning behind becoming an avatar at the same time.

No way am I just interested in elven magical weapons, which draw from ambient mana and allow the user to manipulate the structure of a weapon with ease...

Nor am I being drawn to the rumors of lost forges.

*Cough*

Un. There are many advantages to traveling to the elven territories.

It might be wise to bring Hibiki-chan too, so she learns about elven culture. Or rather, Seimei-san expressed a wish for her to do so.

Because she’ll have to live as an elf from now on, whether she wants to or not.

Thinking these things over again in the morning, I sluggishly rolled over and got to my feet.

Luckily, Hibiki-chan is still asleep.

If she sees me acting so tired and stiff, I’m certain that we’ll re-enact last night’s argument over who gets the bed.

We might end up re-enacting it anyway.

I think Hibiki-chan hasn’t had a lot of time to be alone, so I quietly leave the room.

You know, sometimes you just need to be alone to process through all the emotions you’ve been holding onto.

As I descended the stairs and went into the main shop... oh, even Maryiste is still asleep.

As expected; last night’s ruckus was too tiring, so the girls are asleep.

I wonder if I should get them something to commemorate their first actual instance of combat?

Although it was only one monster that all 8 girls had to work together to bring down, it wasn’t a small-fry like a goblin or something but a large, fast-moving black wolf.

Wasn’t it too soon for them to face something like that? Wasn’t the fact that they only had minor injuries due to sheer luck?

Those kinds of questions are completely useless.

It is because the weak can be forced to fight the strong that those girls learned to use the naginata. Even if their strength isn’t enough, they either had to take up arms or lay down their lives.

Un, I’ll leave it to Niera to handle the after care for this incident.

I quietly headed out of the shop, leaving its sleeping residents behind, and into the courtyard.

Stretching lightly, I heard,

“Oh, Jun-san.”

Hm? That’s ... uh...

“Koro-san. Good morning.”

A Guild Staff was tidying up the front of the Guild Branch Office next door.

“Good morning, good morning. Ah, if you’ll send one of the lovely ladies over later, we’ve prepared compensation for the Night Wolf’s materials.”

“Oooh, so they were able to sell it. Will do.”

Koro-san is a young-ish man covered in scars, but he has a strangely happy-go-lucky personality.

He’s humming a bit as he continues to drag off the bits of masonry and wood that were knocked all over the place in the riot last night.

“Ah-! Before I forget, you were being called to the main Guild Hall, Jun! I was supposed to tell you to get there by the Morning Bells.”

Ah. As I thought.

“Aaaaaah, ok. I’ll head over soon.”

Even though I wanted to let Hibiki-chan wake naturally, I guess it can’t be helped.

I think she’d feel more uneasy if I didn’t take her along.

◇◇◇

“Playing secretive games like little children. Because of that you almost lost this city.”

A calm, deep woman’s voice echoes through the air as Minerva escorts me to the Guild Master’s room.

Eh? Are?

Why is Maryiste-san here?

As if it was natural, Maryiste-san is standing in front of Florian-san and Dobin-san, staring steadily at them.

The Guild Master and Vice Guild Master are avoiding looking her directly in the eyes.

What is with this balance of power?

I’m not sure if they notice me as I enter the room.

Maryiste-san, at least, is not acting like she’s noticed at all.

She continues talking without even a pause.

“Of course I understand that information is power. I understand that there are many powers in this city, and it’s your duty to stand above them all. However, don’t you think it’s irresponsible to keep important matters from the people you personally involved in the matter?”

That! That’s exactly what I wanted to complain about!

“Doing so certainly kept information from getting out, but it also kept information that might have been important to from reaching you. You cannot expect Adventurers to report, communicate, and consult with you if you do not reciprocate in kind, as if they were your subordinates. If you continue to entertain that sort of expectation, I believe the Guild will begin to have a difficult time in the future to come.”

Florian-san is expressionless as usual, so it’s hard to tell what he’s thinking, but Dobin-san’s sullen look is beginning to turn a little grey.

I really want to clap, but the atmosphere is too heavy so I just simulate the sound in my head.

Without raising her voice or putting a scowl on her face, Maryiste effectively caused the two men with the most influence in this city to lower their heads in shame.

“For the damage incurred due to our inability to take action since we were not informed about the problem located in our backyard ... of course the Guild will pay for the remodeling of our courtyard.”

Maryiste-san said, and smiled pleasantly.

It wasn’t a question.

Unable to meet her eyes, Dobin-san could only meekly reply,

“Yes.”

With a great amount of dignity, Maryiste gave a slight nod and replied,

“That was all I wished to say. If you will excuse me.”

And then she gracefully left the room.

...

The silence was a little overbearing.

“S-so... what did you guys call me in for?”

I finally asked.

◇◇◇

Maa, well, it was basically what I expected.

After Dobin-san kind of meekly asked me to give my report, I told him what happened briefly (excluding the avatar thing), and that was it.

I mean, I intended to complain about not being told things that would have been useful, but Maryiste-san kind of said everything I wanted to say, so the meeting was over pretty quick.

Also, Dobin-san and Florian-san were kind of depressed after Maryiste-san left, so they didn’t seem to have the energy to ask too many questions.

I’m kind of glad about that, though, because I left Hibiki-chan at the front desk.

I figured I shouldn’t bring her to meet the two tops of the Guild, so I asked the onee-san receptionist to register her as an Adventurer – as well as keep an eye over her.

She shouldn’t get into too much trouble.

Her ridiculously good elven looks are hidden behind the transformation, and I lent Hibiki-chan some clothes, since her game costumes are a little overly glamorous, so her clothes shouldn’t stand out too much.

Well, since my pants didn’t fit her right, she only borrowed some boots and a top.

... Even though my weight doesn’t bother me, and even though I know her figure is because of the avatar’s ridiculous proportions, what is this feeling of defeat? Is this just something that bothers you when you’re a girl?

Or would it have bothered me anyway?

ANYWAY, Hibiki-chan had some weapons too, but such ornamental daggers are...

I handed over a simple longsword to act as camouflage and asked her to keep those things in her Inventory.

And I mean, it’s really a “simple” longsword.

... Mostly.

So with all those preparations, she should just look like a stereotypical, cute beginner Adventurer.

There shouldn’t be any trouble that will come out and bother her.

At the most, it just should be curiosity that she’s an elf, or someone trying to pick her up, and as long as she’s in the Guild Hall, nothing should happen that would make her too uncomfortable.

The receptionist onee-san should be keeping an eye out on her too, so...

I wonder if she’s done registering...

...

... eh?

...!

... No way...

Haaa...

I am currently in the Guild’s bathroom.

I’m a bit in despair.

That’s right. I forgot.

This is going to happen every month now.

I bury my face in my hands and groan.

Is that why I’ve been feeling all out of it this morning?

Shit!

Even though I thought I should keep those items in my Inventory from now on, I just kept putting it off and putting it off...

Now what do I do?!

Aaargh! I’m stuck here?!

I take a deep breath. In. Out.

Okay.

The people I can contact right now through Friend Chat are ... Masaki and Seimei-san.

I feel my hope dying painfully away.

No choice. If I have to make someone’s day worse, I guess I’d prefer Masaki over Seimei-san...

“... Jun-san?”

Oh, Hibiki-chan!

Wait.

No.

Crap. This is so embarrassing.

“...um ...”

Eh? Is she leaving?

Wait wait wait!

“No, wait, Hibiki-ch – san-!”

“Oh, so you did come here... Is there something wrong?”

Ah, because my voice cracked earlier, she noticed I’m panicking.

“Uh... that’s ... ... mutter mutter mutter.”

“... Ah... Um... you’re in luck. They do have some things here in the bathroom. Um... it looks like it needs money, but I can’t figure out how this works... Also, I don’t have any money.”

“Shoot. Hang on. What do I do?!”

“... I think, for this ...”

... Even though it’s a different world, un, a natural girl is much more adaptable in an emergency situation for this type of thing.

I learned a lot ...

Or like, I, Imamiya Jun, a former high school boy, learned more knowledge that I wish I didn’t need.

I feel a small part of me dying away inside.

◇◇◇

“Ugh...”

Hibiki-chan has a look of half-pity on her face, but she also seems a bit confused at my reaction to everything. I guess it can’t be helped that she doesn’t understand the full extent of the feelings a guy has to this situation.

I wonder if I’m going to have a small identity crisis every month from now on...

“Oh, I see. I forgot to pass money to you to pay for the registration... Well, Hibiki-chan saved me by coming in after me, so...”

I was wondering why she came in with such good timing.

Hibiki-chan smiled a little.

“I’m happy I could help. Um... are there any specific ways women deal with it in this world?”

“... Please ask Maryiste-san and the onee-sans when we return to the shop.”

“Okay...”

Please remember, I was part of the gender that didn’t have to or WANT to talk about this not too long ago...

Anyway, we head back to the Guild front desk and finish up Hibiki-chan’s registration soon after that.

She is now officially a Rank F Adventurer.

Even though I’m pretty sure she should be higher ranked, in the end I can’t prove it, so she ends up in the “overpowered but low-rank on a technicality” template.

Nn, there is a way to skip ranks, but we’re trying to avoid having her stand out too much, so that’s how it is; she’ll be a low-ranking, high-powered Adventurer.

“But really, it’s such bad luck that you came to the city in the middle of all that ruckus. And then to lose all your money...”

The onee-san receptionist said, pityingly.

Ah... was that what the scenario was? I can’t remember now.

“I was lucky to be saved by Jun-san and Ragnall, so I can’t complain too much.”

Hibiki-chan said that smoothly, in a soft, timid voice.

“Hahaha, that’s true! And, what will you do now?”

Hibiki-chan tilted her head slightly to one side, as if thinking.

“After the attack last night ... I think I might want to travel around instead of staying here? I want to go see the elves, maybe.”

“Oya? But ain’t you an elf?”

“I... was raised by humans, though...”

“Ah... come to think of it, you don’t look like you belong to any elf clan I know of. Hm... if I have to say, you’re more ...  like you came from Jun-chan’s part of the world, wherever that is. Maybe you were displaced here too?”

The receptionist onee-san is too observant!

Hibiki-chan froze for a split second and gave me a bit of a panicked look.

... Don’t look at me. I’m not into advertising that I came from another world, but these days I feel like it’s too much of a bother to play mind games to keep it a secret, so I’m not going to panic over the things I said early on that might give the idea that we’re ... not from around here.

Maa, I did feel that impulse to hide it at the beginning, when we first found ourselves in this world, so maybe it’s something all of us otherworlders go through for a short period of time.

Hibiki-chan quickly pulled herself together.

“Maybe...? But I’m an abandoned child... so ... I wouldn’t really know...”

“Ah... I see. Fufu, but Jun-chan probably picked you up because you reminded her of her home town, ne?”

I can only weakly laugh and reply vaguely with a,

“Ahahaha...”

Dammit, I didn’t know Hibiki-chan was so good at this. Even though she’s timid and pauses to think a lot, somehow she seems believable.

At least more believable than I would have been?

... Why didn’t you step in last night, when I was having a hard time telling Solyana the entire story?

“Well, I was thinking about heading to the Labyrinth in the elf territories, so if that’s the case, maybe I’ll take Hibiki-chan along, hahaha...”

... Nope, I should’ve stayed silent. I sound so damn unnatural!

I cough.

“Anyway, any idea where Ragnall is? I was hoping to check in on him, so...”

“Ragnall, hm? Let me see. It seems he’s gone to Sir Baronet’s house, with Lor. Well, I only know because Lor left a note earlier, haha.”

“I see.”

Everyone’s busy running everywhere this morning... but I guess that makes sense after everything that happened last night.

Hibiki-chan and I thank the receptionist, and off we go to Seimei-san’s house.

<A/n: It’s actually kind of hard to balance certain necessary “girl” situations with the involuntary “boy” reactions. You might think that I don’t really address the gender change, but that’s because the story is  told from Jun’s pov; in general he doesn’t think it’s that big of a deal because being a girl doesn’t hinder him from pursuing things he’d naturally pursue as a guy.

But when things happen that DO mess up his/her daily routine ... well you see the result.>

The Preparations Before a Journey should be Well-planned Out … So You Know at Least One Way Things WON’T Work Out.

I understand why Ragnall would be at Seimei-san’s house.

I mean, we, both he and I, are still on the job for another 4 days.

“I wonder why Lor is going there...”

Hibiki-chan tilted her head.

“Ragnall is the white-haired man from yesterday, isn’t he? Ah, but who is Lor?”

“A half elf who’s ... kind of like a researcher? I’ve helped him out with some stuff here and there... although I apparently have no talent for any of it.”

The things Lor is into are things like Magic Theory, Medicines, and Languages.

They are things that are impossible for me to be useful in, and Lor discovered that the hard way.

“He’s a good guy who’s helped me out a lot.”

I tried to explain that Lor wasn’t much of a threat, but I don’t want to come out and say, “He’s not a threat.”

I mean, Hibiki-chan comes from a different situation than me, and she might have different ideas of what ‘being a threat’ is, so I should leave the judgment of how much she should trust him to the person herself.

The guards are back around Seimei-san’s house.

Or like, aren’t there more than usual?

Hibiki-chan kind of hides behind me as we walk up to the door.

“Hmph. Is it a custom among Adventurers to bring baggage along to their jobs?”

Oh, the annoying guard captain is here. Yay.

He looks down his nose at Hibiki-chan, and when he sees her ears, he gives a snort of disapproval.

“As much as it is the custom for you guards to not be around when the city is being attacked.”

I heard it from Seimei-san, you know, about how he basically had to force you guys out of the barracks during all that ruckus.

I mean, you guys were in your barracks at Sir Knight Captain’s house right when your charge was attacked. Even if you say it technically wasn’t your job to do anything, since you were only assigned to guard Seimei-san’s property and when he travels outside of Nyl City...

Right? They’d be in super big trouble back in Carnus if anything happened to Seimei-san.

The guard captain guy looks like he wants to kill me, so I quickly shove Hibiki through the door.

He’s such a bad judge of character, no, more like a bad judge of ... social interaction?

I mean, he was picking a fight with Dobin-san when I first saw him.

“Excuse me, Seimei-san?”

“Ah, Jun-kun. Come into the back.”

... Somehow, after last night, I feel like Seimei-san’s ‘-kun’ added to my name sounds a bit sarcastic... I decide to forcefully ignore it.

Hibiki-chan and I head into the sitting room, and there is Seimei in the usual armchair to the side, and on the couch sat Ragnall and Lor.

“You’re late – is what I would say, but I assume the Guild called you in.”

Ragnall addressed me as we walked in.

“Yeah, things seemed tense over there.”

I said, giving Seimei-san a nod as we walked in.

“Yeah. There’s been some grumbling about how the Guild was overstepping their bounds... ma, it’s the same old same old, here in Nyl City. On one hand, there’s safety and security because of the Guild, but on the other, the Guild has a lot of power over everyone’s lives.”

Lor explains the situation.

“Is that how it is...”

From what I understand, it’s not how any of the other Labyrinth Cities are, so it’s just a Nyl City thing, huh?

Neither Lor nor Ragnall seem too worried about it, so I guess things will blow over.

“Hehe, well, they’re going to have to spend quite a bit for reconstruction work if they want to win everyone’s goodwill back, so Dobin’s going to be throwing a fit.”

Ragnall, while I agree with you, you don’t need to be so obviously excited about it.

It’s not like he’s happy, more like he can’t wait to see it happen because it rarely happens.

Maa... I understand.

“That aside, how are you doing, Ragnall?”

“Surprisingly, better than I’ve ever felt before. Apparently I’ll still need the stomach medicine and mana disturber, but it’s so much less than before that I feel like I’ve already been cured.”

“Actually, that’s why I’m here. What. Did you. Do.”

Aaah, Lor’s unamused glare. It feels like it’s been awhile since I’ve seen it.

“Ahahaha...”

Laughing nervously, I explained how I, er, um ...  ‘fixed’(?) Ragnall.

Which had Lor burying his face in his hands by the end of it.

“No documentable process, no clue how or if it’s replicable... Haaa... I guess I’ll just have to imagine that it was Ragnall’s sheer luck this time (and Jun’s usual abnormality). Congratulations. Ragnall only needs to take 1/20 of his previous medication.”

With that, Lor stood up.

... Oi. I heard that part you mumbled in the middle there.

“Thank you for letting me wait here for Jun, Seimei-sama. I’ve finished my business, so...”

Ah, so he was waiting for me here, to hear about what I did to Ragnall’s condition?

He could have waited at the Guild for me ... no, Lor was being considerate and didn’t want to make me even later for my job guarding Seimei-san?

Whichever the case, as Lor begins to head out of the room, Seimei-san, who had been sitting pretty still this entire time, moves into action.

“No no, it’s fine. However, forgive me, but what did you say your specialty was?”

“Eh? Mine? Research, mostly. Magic theory and translation magic theory are some of my topics, but my main focus is mana-related illnesses, I guess.”

“Ah, I see. That is why you are well-informed on Ragnall-san’s condition. You are also ... compounding the medications yourself?”

Seimei-san, Seimei-san, your eyes are a bit too sharp! Look, Lor’s a little freaked out!

“Er ... yes ... that is, not from scratch, but adjusting already compounded medicines...”

“I see, I see. You were ... Lorenzo, correct? I have a few propositions...”

Lor is kind of petrified...

This is ... the eagerness Seimei-san is showing is like a monster that grows arms and hands from its mouth in order to capture and devour its prey.

My condolences, Lor.

Speaking in a kind of low voice, Seimei-san begins to tell Lor about his medical vision.

Is it just a hallucination that Seimei-san is beginning to give me the image of a Godfather-type figure?

Kumichou-san-?

“Ahem, um, so I heard you were thinking about leaving the city?”

Ignoring the two over there, Ragnall completely changed the topic.

“Eh, ah, oh. Yeah. I thought about heading to Ploids Labyrinth. Nyl City is a comfortable place to live and all, but... um...”

I want to try to live the free life like an Adventurer in an isekai novel!

Exactly how am I supposed to say something like that?

“But it’s not the life of an Adventurer, right?! I totally understand. Even though I could get my potions from Lor for so much cheaper here, it almost felt like it killed me to stay tethered to this completely calm city.”

Heeeh... I totally didn’t expect that outburst from Ragnall.

“A-ah, well, Ragnall made his name in Ploids, so it’s understandable. It’s one of the more dangerous Labyrinths, once you get well into it. Demons and demi-demons are more likely to cross over in that area, too.”

Lor called over.

“Ah, really?”

“It’s been over 5 years so the Labyrinth should have gone through a purge already... maybe I should head over there and take a look too.”

... uh...

There was a disturbing term in there...

“Wait, hang on. What?”

“So, how about it? Can I tag along when you leave? Ah, Ms. Elf will probably be going along too, right?”

“Huh? How did we jump to – no, what were you talking about – well, she probably will- ... Wait. Hang on. First things first, why tag along with me?”

Is it just me or does Ragnall seem more hyper today for some reason?

My fault? Is it my fault for fixing his mana problem, so now he has too much energy?

“It seems like interesting things happen around you. And if I run out of medicine, you’d be handy to have around.”

... You. Saying such things without any hesitation.

But ... that’s true. If he’s familiar with the area, Ragnall might be handy to have around for when we reach the Labyrinth City.

“I don’t really care either way –“

“It might be more reassuring if there was a man with us.”

Hibiki-chan tugged on my sleeve and said that in kind of a low voice.

“...”

A myriad of conflicting emotions are fighting inside me, but, maa, I swallow them for a bit.

“I’m not against him joining us, but what do you mean?”

“No, well... even if you’re strong, if you’re a woman alone, troublesome things will happen more often than if you were with a man. That is... troublesome people, I mean...”

As Hibiki-chan says that, I vaguely remember Niera saying something similar.

Nn... a natural girl is more aware of the nuances, huh?

Yosh, Hibiki-chan is in charge of the decisions!

Although I want to say that, I keep that thought to myself.

“I get it. Even though we could potentially deal with anything that comes our way by ourselves, it’s not too bad to use Ragnall like mosquito repellent.”

“Oi.”

I am only a little bitter that I am not recognized as a man. I mean, I’m not a man...

... And there’s no other time like this time of month to hammer that point home.

I feel a little like crying.

◇◇◇

There are four more days until our commission to guard Seimei-san is complete, and even after that there are still other things that we all need to take care of.

Lor has effectively been kidnapped – I mean scouted by Seimei-san, and now he’s interested in putting down a medical laboratory.

I think I’ll help fund the lab, because if there really is no way back from this world, healthcare is going to be an increasing concern.

I hope they work on painkillers first.

Although circulating light magic through my body reduces the fatigue and anemia, pain doesn’t seem to be affected at all.

Should that be a relief or not? I don’t know.

Ragnall can’t leave until Lor finishes the next batch of his ‘stomach medicine’, although I think it should be okay, since Seimei-san could always send me refills through Friend Chat, but ... un. It’s better not to discuss such things.

Through Lor, Hibiki-chan is going to be introduced to Niera and the rest of the Valor of Arms Brigade on short expeditions outside of the city so she can get used to her abilities in this world.

Come to think of it, LeeAnne invited me to go with her one day. I wonder if I should cash in on that offer...

As for me?

Late at night, the forges in the Guild Hall have been emitting flashes similar to the light from a small star – if you were staring at it right in front of you.

There are many things to do before I can afford to leave the city!

Extra

In the darkest hour of the night, a shadow stole softly in the underground of the wreckage of the old winery.

It paused only once, at a spot on the main floor where there was a stain of blood.

Then, noiselessly, without disrupting even the loose rubble, it slipped deep into the basement.

It had waited this entire time, until the Guild had finished salvaging the slaves that had remained alive, and ended their investigations for the day.

Here, far away from prying eyes, it swiftly moved the rubble out of the way with a whisper of “Quaemoventurinterraspiritusquodegopræcipio: Upheaval”.

With a few more uses of that spell, the shadow had tunneled deep into the rubble.

Finally the shadow, a man dressed all in black, called out softly.

“Dankor. Dankor, alive?”

A shuffling of rubble sounds in the (mostly) still standing tunnel.

“... Tesra...? Ah, I hurt all over, but I’m still alive.”

The eye-patch ikemen, that is, Dankor, shuffled out of the dark.

When the building had collapsed, just the tremors alone were enough to snap Jun’s blades and dispel the immobilizing effect.

Thanks to that, Dankor was able to hide away in the dried up water vein, waiting until the ruckus died down.

“No, stay there, Dankor. Dankor... this is goodbye.”

“...What?”

Dankor frowned, knitting his eyebrows together and hesitating to move closer.

Tesra, the shadow, clenched his fist tightly.

“Urol ... is dead.”

A heavy gasp of shock – Dankor thought he had heard wrong.

Urol was, he was... stronger than a wyvern, hardier and move experienced than even a hero candidate, he was someone Dankor thought would wrestle Death to the ground when Death came for him.

“Urol tried to leave group. Granwit killed him. A cowardly strike from the back.”

Tesra’s usual, terse statements were tinged with a hint of agitation.

“... This can’t be...”

Dankor couldn’t wrap his head around what Tesra was saying.

“Urol said you dead. Ragnall’s girl killed you. Norman said was probably true. You’re dead. Stay hidden. We leave town in a few days. Returning to base. To make new plans. Ragnall... might help you. But, maybe he will be watched.”

Tesra started to slink away after he said his bit, but Dankor stopped him.

“Wait! Tesra, what about you?”

“...”

Without turning back around to face him, Tesra stood there in silence for a few minutes.

“Impossible to try to leave. Maybe I see Urol soon.”

“Tesra!”

“Don’t want to die, so won’t do anything stupid. Maybe there will be chance. Maybe there won’t be. I don’t know.”

With that, Tesra disappeared as silently as he came, and Dankor heard the shift of rubble as Tesra returned everything to how it had appeared before he had come.

In the darkest hour of the night, a shadow slipped away from the ruins of the old winery, leaving everything as if it had never been there.

<a/n: Thank you for 3seed, mirminitis, and Raist for your donations!

Will fix links later.>

Goodbyes are only the Beginning of the Next Adventure

“Jun. I know nothing about smithing, other world or no, but I am more than well aware that you are ABNORMAL.”

How mean, and after I agreed to let you watch me forge, Seimei-san.

It’s been a full two days after the incident.

Seimei-san was kept busy, either in his house, Sir Knight Captain’s house, or the Guild so there wasn’t much for Ragnall and me to do.

At least at the Guild I could talk to other Adventurers and get advice on travelling to Ploids, but unfortunately we were mostly at Sir Knight Captain’s house.

Anyway, finally freed from bureaucratic stuff, Seimei-san plunged headlong into his ‘dream’.

With me as a guide, Seimei-san toured the city once more, this time keeping an eye out for properties he could buy to arrange for a laboratory.

Lor has been meticulously poring through the alchemy books he owned, drawing up charts and arranging for tools to be made.

He is surprisingly more enthusiastic than I thought he would be, to work under a Noble-sama.

Maa, he’s already suspected that Seimei-san is tied closely to me through our hometowns, and it seems like Lor’s interested in Seimei-san’s ideas as well.

It’s not like Dobin-san or the others let it out that Seimei-san and I knew each other from before, but, you know...

... We otherworlders aren’t doing the best job we can to hide it...

Anyway, after lunch and chatting with the Obaa-sans at the food stall area, we were now at the Guild’s forge.

I’ve long since stopped using Helward’s forges, since I keep such odd, and late, times, and by now I’ve become acquainted with most of the regulars at the Guild’s forges. Maa, I still stop in to see Helward and Ossan every once in a while, but mostly it’s just to get some particulars about sword accessories or just talk about what I’ve been working on.

After showing Seimei-san through the facilities the Guild offered, now he wanted to see my forging methods.

It’s a good chance to finish up some of the other things I wanted to do for the gamers, so I’m okay with that.

But for him to be calling me abnormal with that kind of face... hmph. You’re abnormal too, Seimei-san.

What are the rest of the gamers doing right now?

Labyrinth diving.

They’re borrowing Kristaf, the scout-like guy from the Valor of Arms Brigade to help navigate through the Labyrinth. Their aim is the 7th floor, so it is going to take a few days...

Niera is over at The Queen Mary’s, training the onee-sans more harshly, while the rest of the Valor of Arms Brigade went to do monster subjugations outside of the city.

Seems like the Valor of Arms Brigade are going on another escort quest in the direction of Tren Labyrinth, to the south, and they’re splitting up to make some extra cash before they leave, for ‘just-in-case’ travel expenses.

Ragnall and I aren’t the only ones looking to travel soon, it seems.

But that’s daily life for a city with a lot of Adventurers.

“A set of 10 shuriken, a tanto, 1 large kunai and 2 normal-sized kunai for the ninja-type Assassin Hide, a greatsword similar to Masaki’s saber made from the Ice Drake fin for the High Knight Karin, and a mithril and galvorn staff for the Storm Mage Emi. You’ll be sending them directly, I assume?”

And by that, I mean through “Friend Chat”.

“Yes~. Goodness, these... these are expensive items. Ah, speaking of sending them, were you able to connect to Hibicchi’s Friend Chat?”

I frown a little at Seimei-san’s question.

“To some degree. We can chat, but sending items, videophone, and speakerphone are all impossible. It seems like in her game, the Friend Chat was exclusively chat-based, so that might be why. Or anyway, it’s the most likely reason.”

“I see... before you leave, remember to register the others’ Friend Chats.”

“Hai, hai... here. I’ll take back that letter opener and give you this one instead.”

“Letter ope – ah, the dagger – wha-!”

I swing my fist at Seimei-san, and the dagger I just handed him vibrated once as if it was shuddering, then emitted a flash of light from the hilt.

Fumu, good, good.

I manage to strike past Seimei-san at the last minute.

“...Jun-kun. SURELY there was a better way to show me how this works.”

Seimei-san’s cold sweat trickled down the side of his face.

“Sorry, sorry. Maa, it works well, but the flash is only light, like a distraction. You can turn off the light by twisting this ring at the base. The crystal in the pommel is pre-loaded to cast Barrier by sending MP up to it, but even then, it’s weak at best, so it can only be used as a deflection... Haa... an auto-shield function feels so far away...”

“Nonono, ain’t this already amazing?! Jeez, Jun-kun, you’re ridiculous.”

“I am not satisfied with this degree, but it’s much more usable than the glowing blade. The blade is ... well, it’s a good alloy that I slaved for an entire night over, so it’s a good blade for battle, skinning ... whatever use you’ll need it for.”

“Because they’re masterworked blades, huh?”

“Yeah... anyway, here’s one for Emi-san and Midori-chan. It’s something that seems useful for rearguards, right? Ah, Midori-chan’s is the one with the longer blade and the green sheath. Emi-san’s is the blue.”

“And I’m the black one... I wonder how Jun-kun sees me~...”

Hm. It seems Seimei-san is relaxing a lot more and letting his foolish side through. I wonder if the situation from before wasn’t putting even more stress on him than I thought...

“I have a few more things to make, but this should be most of the things I made for you guys. It... would make me feel a lot better if you guys all took some magic training from Lor, too... and don’t work him too hard, please, Seimei-san.”

“Fufufu, I don’t think I’ll need to. Ambitious fellows like that won’t stop working if you give them funding and free reign in their research~.”

“... Then please make sure he doesn’t overwork himself...”

“Okay~.”

“Heeeh... you wouldn’t be interested in making me a sword...?”

Ragnall spoke up from a little bit away.

He had been idly chatting with some of the other Adventurers in the forge, but now he looked over here.

Un... well,

“I can’t do the impossible, Ragnall.”

It’s easy enough to make swords with all sorts of effects in a magic world, but making one that can stand up to Ragnall’s abuse?

Even the fantasy-like metals I’m capable of forging with wouldn’t do.

Even though they have a high resistance to fracture, I have no doubt that one hit from Ragnall, with all his strength, would fold a blade over like it was putty.

I’ll say it again.

Impossible (for now).

“And I don’t want to make you any daggers, since you treat them like they’re disposable.”

“Guh-!”

I chuckle a bit, since Ragnall can’t even begin to defend himself.

“Well, and I don’t think I can afford experimenting around for your sword.”

Other than gems and ore, I’ve been able to use materials from monsters that I’ve hunted, and the rental fee for the Guilds’ forges is minimal. (I say rental fee, but really, for me, it’s more like a safety deposit.)

And... well, I’ll admit I’ve sunk quite a lot of money into ores.

Mithril and galvorn especially.

Haaah... if it was going to be Ragnall’s sword, it probably wouldn’t work with anything less than orichalcum or adamantium...

...Yeah, I could probably afford enough for one or two swords, but enough for experimental alloys?

Those metals are definitely “too expensive to be messing around with”.

If I only knew more about them... Well, Helward told me that the dwarves would be my best bet for those.

Anyway, I’m not going to worry about it too much, since Ragnall already commissioned Helward for a spare sword.

It won’t do to steal away the business of my teacher.

“Do you have much more you were going to do? If you need us to pay you for it...”

Seimei-san dropped his silly tone to ask anxiously.

“No, it’s okay. The stuff I made for you guys is all from things I already had.”

Like ice drake.

“And besides, there’s only a few more things ... ah.”

I fall silent.

“What is it?”

“No, well, I wanted to make a nice, big mirror for that wall right when you walk into The Queen Mary’s, but I’m having a hard time getting the silver to stick to the glass. I kind of don’t want to leave until I figure that out.”

Certainly, I could use khrystel instead, but the high price aside, with khrystel as highly valued as it is, there’s no way thieves wouldn’t be attracted to something of the scale I’m imagining.

“Heh... I think people use aluminum for that nowadays...”

Seimei-san said thoughtfully.

“Aluminum either doesn’t exist, or they don’t know how to extract it.”

I asked about it, and aluminum is unknown.

“Ah, that might be. Aluminum was once extremely expensive, since the energy to leech it out of the ore was ... a ... lot...?”

Un. It’s okay, Seimei-san. I don’t know the process either, since aluminum is not a metal that most blades are made out of.

“Well, I read somewhere that some chemical change was used for silvering ... like ... uh... What was it...”

“Uh... Well, I’m getting that it’s not a silver alloy, huh? If it’s something like synthesizing chemicals, it’s beyond me.”

Honestly, if silvering glass is going to be so difficult, maybe it would be easier to figure out how to produce aluminum.

Either way, it’s beyond me.

“Well, if it’s chemistry, that might be more for Lor and I to figure out~.”

Seimei-san said it so cheerfully, like it was a given that Lor would be helping.

Lor, my condolences.

◇◇◇

The day we left Nyl City, we left bright and early.

Ragnall, Hibiki-chan, and I were walking quietly through the city, before the sun had completely melted away the morning mist.

“We’re meeting up with the other party at the gates?”

I asked.

“Yeah. There’s a carriage with 2 traders. We’ll be renting a small dogcart with a horse. Since neither of you can ride a horse, right?”

Ragnall relayed the information to me.

He had been in charge of the arrangements of traveling from Nyl to Ploids.

Which meant, of course, that he took up a job in order to maximize the profits from the journey.

“Yeah, neither of us can ride.”

Hibiki-chan nodded energetically to back me up.

“I hear Hibiki is a pro when it comes to sneak attacks.”

Ragnall looked over at her as we came to the gates.

It was still earlier than usual, so the city gates were closed.

“Ah, un. It was something I did often, before...”

Hibiki-chan said that vaguely.

Maa, it was a VRMMO, so she did technically do Assassin type things before.

Or like, she looks like such a quiet girl, and then she chooses something like an Assassin.

“Well, it’s good, you ranked up from F to D already. Here in Nyls, the ranks don’t matter so much, but in Ploids, well... some people like to throw their rank around. As if it means anything.”

Ragnall snorted a bit.

Un. He seems a tiny bit bitter. Since Ragnall should probably technically be an S rank, but without strong magical abilities he got dropped to A rank.

“I’m going to go up and look out at the stables.”

“Ah, un.”

With that exchange, Ragnall shot up the stairs to the top of the gates, keeping an eye out for the traders who we were escorting.

Down below, Hibiki-chan and I waited in silence for a little bit, before I finally said,

“...I feel like I haven’t seen Hibiki-chan in a week.”

Hibiki-chan had moved into a small inn with the money she earned from hunting, and almost everyday she was with Niera, Jericho, and Miina, hunting outside the city.

It’s not like she moved because she didn’t want to stay at The Queen Mary’s.

Hibiki-chan moved because we didn’t want those suspicious guys to realize who she was, and so Seimei-san suggested she move separately from me.

“Un. We were on a night raid to hunt mountain orcs.”

I’d heard that she had turned so pale she almost fainted the first night they hunted, but now, seeing how less jittery and nervous she is, it seems she found some confidence.

“Jun-kun!”

“Jun!”

Ah, the other gamers have come down to say their goodbyes.

“Your going away already ... Jeez, Hibiki, be careful!”

Midori-chan hugs Hibiki-chan. They seem to have gotten pretty close over the past few days.

“Let me know if there are any hot elf girls!”

Tatsu-san, you’ll earn yourself a kick from Midori if you keep that up.

“Well, it seems you’re the first to go out into the world to explore, ne?”

Seimei-san said with a grin.

“You forget that I’ve never been to Carnus before. Well, I’m the first (that we know of) to go do the traveling Adventurer thing, I guess.”

“That’s true... well. You need to be careful – but I won’t bore you by acting like a mother cat, so just, good luck.”

“You too, Seimei-san. With your medical facility.”

“Haha, who knows how that will go... anyway, after some time, the others might follow your lead and go out adventuring on their own too, but for now, it’s just going to be you and Hibicchi.”

“It will be fine, stop worrying.”

I smile a little.

Although he’s been less uptight lately, Seimei-san is still prone to worrying.

“Haaa... so you’re going to leave already...”

Masaki, the last one waiting to say goodbye, stared out a little glumly at me.

“Nn. Are you jealous, or are you going to miss me?”

“You... of course I’m going to miss you-!”

His honesty is a little embarrassing.

“Tsk. If you ask me, I think you and the others are in a more troublesome place. If you’re worried about me, you should take the time to really be careful.”

I said.

“I get it. I know. We’re actually going to be discussing Seimei-san’s position in Carnus with the king. I don’t know what will come from it, but really, the only thing that’s keeping us in one spot is our own fears about going out into the an unknown world.”

“Yeah, there’s no google maps or anything here.”

Masaki jabs me in the side with his elbow.

“You-!”

“Hahaha!”

The sun has risen a bit higher, and it’s beginning to melt the mist away.

“Ah, I think the carriages are coming now.”

Ragnall calls down.

Un. I can see the horses being brought over from the stables outside of the city gates.

“Well then –“

I make to go, but Masaki grabs my sleeve.

“Hey ...Jun. What’s with all those swords?”

“Heeeh... what are you talking about?”

I looked in the opposite direction and Masaki stared directly in my face.

“There’s no use trying to hide it. You left a mountain of random swords at Sei-chan’s house. What’s with those?”

I was cleaning out my inventory – somehow, I don’t think they’ll be happy to hear that.

“Un. The Knight Captain was talking about it, right? That you guys could get soldiers from Carnus who would be Seimei-san’s personal soldiers, tied to his house. Don’t worry, they’re just ordinary steel swords.”

Although they can still be considered masterworked.

M-maa, they were all my attempts at forging regular swords, so don’t mind it.

“And you can always sell them if you need money. Since they’re normal swords.”

I emphasize it again.

They’re normal swords.

I also snuck some daggers and knives into The Queen Mary’s and left them on the little table in my room for the same reason. Sell them, use them, whichever the case, I hope the girls find them before too long.

By the way, the reason the girls from The Queen Mary’s aren’t here to say their goodbyes is because they threw a party all night for me.

It was unnecessary...

Solyana kind of drank herself silly.

It was a bit strange, but Erina-sama only laughed and said

“Well, she’ll miss you.”

Masaki sighed a little, then put a hand heavily on my shoulder.

“Be careful out there, Jun.”

I smirk.

“You worry too much, Masaki.”

Extra

“So it seems like those on the surface have empowered one of their own as an avatar.”

“To what end?”

“That remains to be seen, your Excellency.”

“Hmph. Fools. If it is war that they are looking for, then it is war we shall give them.”

“I beg your pardon, but it doesn’t seem like their movements are promoting a war.”

“Then what? ... They can’t be thinking about fulfilling the Olde Rites.”

“I couldn’t say, your Excellency.”

“... Enough. If there is only cobwebs and moonshine to back up these rumors, it’s pointless to bother me with them.”

“Understood. If you’ll excuse me.”

“... Hmph. If it’s the Olde Rites, what fools they would be to bring it about.”

Left alone, hidden in the shadows of the dark hall, a man stood pensively, staring into the distance, before shaking himself with a start and murmuring,

“Six by six for a false god. Seven by seven for a sanctuary.”

<A/n: asdfgh I can’t BREATHE. All those times I said I thought I was getting a cold ... and now it hits.

Well, whatever. Finally, next chapter is the start of the new arc.>

No Sir, Our Warranty Doesn’t Cover Nuclear Bombardment from Space, Which Appears to be a Valid Reason for Why Your Pile of Bits and Pieces has Stopped Working.

A/n: The beginning of pt 2

On the well-traveled road through the mountains, a lone Dark Wolf corpse lay in the middle of the mountainous path next to a large covered wagon and a small cart.

It’s a scene where a monster attacked some travelers and the escorts put it down.

A crime scene, with a dead body lying in the middle of the road.

Un... what should we do about this?

“A Dark Wolf won’t sell well in the mountains. The nearest village worth selling it at is still over 2 weeks away. Even with a magic bag, the meat and organs will all go bad.”

Saying so, Orvowel rubbed his moustache.

That’s not a problem if you have Inventory, but ...

I’m not a tanner nor a leatherworker or furworker, and we have more prepared meat than needed for the journey tucked away in my Inventory, so un, the wolf isn’t needed.

“Then I guess we let nature take its course. But, it’s not a good idea to leave it, right? Since monsters and wild animals will be drawn to it.”

I said to Orvowel, wiping the blade of my nodachi clean of blood and gristle.

“In times like this, you do ... this!”

With that, Ragnall picked up the wolf corpse and threw it.

Ooo ... look at it go – not!

“Oooi! What if you hit someone with it?!”

Right when I yelled that –

Clonk!

GWOOOOOOAR!

“Ah.”

Ragnall shaded his eyes with his hand as he looked in the direction he had sent the corpse flying.

A giant, red-furred bear rose from among the rocks and barreled towards us.

“Oho? It’s a Red Grizzly! Those are good eating!”

Ragnall licked his lips and moved to unhitch his sword – when all of a sudden, as the Red Grizzly passed a large outcropping of rocks, it gave a snarl and collapsed, careening forwards from its former momentum.

Hibiki-chan – ah, no, Hibiki, as she wanted to be called, emerged from the shadows, flicking blood from one of her long daggers.

“Should I leave it?”

She said, raising her voice a little.

“No no, come on, bring it over.”

As she came to meet us, Hibiki grasped the Red Grizzly by the scruff of the neck, lifting it up and carrying it over, although half of it dragged on the ground due to its size.

Either way, Hibiki has no problems with the weight of the giant thing.

“Hooo... You guys are still amazing. Why did the three of you decide to be MY escorts again?”

Orvowel scratched the back of his head as he gently calmed the skittish carthorse his wagon was attached to.

In this world of magic and sorcery, the three of us –  me, Hibiki, and Ragnall – are hero-like cheat existences that can defeat dragons.

Although Hibiki and I are Japanese who were transported to this world while playing VRMMOs, along with a group of other people, so technically, we DID cheat.

Ragnall, on the other hand, is a native to this world. He’s just a regular cheat.

The reason the three of us cheats took a long, but cheaply paid escort quest is because ... maa, touring all the various towns before we reach our destination is scenic.

Hai, that’s the reason.

Even though Ragnall insisted on us taking a commission so we don’t waste time, even he wanted to tour leisurely, since it’s the first time in a long time he felt like he could.

And Orvowel is an old companion of another old dwarf I’ve been indebted to, so there was that as well.

We had left Nyl City only two days ago, but this is the first time we’ve been attacked by monsters. Just the monster wolf and monster bear.

And technically, we attacked the bear first.

Apparently, random encounters don’t come so easily in real life. Just two monsters, and we haven’t even seen a sight of any normal animals.

It seems like they tend to avoid places humans tend to be in, after all.

After Hibiki brings the Red Grizzly over, Ragnall slits the bear’s throat open and the sticky, overwhelming smell of blood fills the air.

I stand back a little as it drains out.

Un. I still can’t stand the smell or sight of a lot of blood.

Even though I don’t have a problem with dismantling monsters, I have to wait until the blood is drained.

Although, it seems like we’ll be dismantling it fully later.

Just draining the bear’s blood seems to put us behind schedule, so we have to hurry to make it to the place Orvowel wants to stop at.

Ragnall stored the Red Grizzly into his magic bag.

Compared to Inventory, which Hibiki and I have, the magic bag can only hold ... probably two Red Grizzlies at the most, and it doesn’t stop the time of the object that’s in it.

Since it’s like that, we definitely should be storing things with either Hibiki or my Inventory, but ... not only Ragnall, but even Old-man Harulf said that we should keep our ridiculous storage skill a secret from Orvowel.

Even his friend said not to let him know ... Orvowel must be a formidable merchant indeed.

Once Ragnall bagged the bear, we continued on our way until the next check point.

The sun was just beginning to set when we came to a moderate-sized cabin nestled among the rocks in the mountain.

Orvowel got off his wagon and stretched, saying,

“Leimon, bring the cart around the back, will you?”

“Roger that, Orvowel, sir.”

Orvowel’s young, lanky assistant, a tan-skinned kid, hopped down from their wagon after Orvowel and took the reins, leading their horse around the building.

Ragnall hopped down from our small covered cart behind the wagon, gently patting our horse.

“Hibiki, can you take the horse and cart back around the house? Follow Leimon and have him help you settle the horse in. Jun, help me dismantle that bear.”

“Aiyo.”

I hop off our cart and pull out my long knife for dismantling.

On the blade is a simple circle with a flower in it – a Japanese-styled sakura emblem.

It’s my mark that embellishes all the blades I’ve made so far.

Although it was embarrassing at first, I got used to emblazoning my mark on each blade, so now it’s second nature.

My inner self is crying from the chuunibyou when I think about it, though...

Don’t mind it!

“Ah, is it okay to dismantle so close to the house?”

I ask, following Ragnall to the clearing.

Although it’s a proper house, we’re still in the middle of the wilderness. Won’t animals and monsters come looking for food if we dismantle right here? That was the worry when we were out camping, so ...

“Yeah, it’s fine. As long as we clean it up, anyway.”

Ragnall gestures to the water trough.

I guess that makes all the difference...

Working quickly, I slit its belly, and then Ragnall takes over, skinning it back from my cut.

After he worked enough away, I started digging out its organs.

... Seriously. It might make me gag, but I’m okay with this, but not blood draining?

I won’t even begin to try to explain my neuroses.

Anyway, not fifteen minutes later, the bear is all cut up.

“We probably won’t need the rest of the skeleton ... although some people stew them. I’ll ask if the caretaker wants the innards, so take those too.”

Covered in gore and gristle, Ragnall and I sort through the meats, meat with bone, fur, and innards, before Ragnall tosses the parts he didn’t want to keep off the side of the mountain.

I’m beginning to sense a theme in how he deals with unwanted parts...

Anyway, we picked up after ourselves and headed on into the house.

“Ooh, you two, I hear ya got something tasty for the pot! Come in, come in.”

A large, rotund bear – ah, no, a large rotund man with a full, fuzzy beard and hair all fluffed out greets us inside.

He’s so TALL!

I’m momentarily stunned by his appearance before I move further into the house.

“Ah... the pelt ... I wouldn’t mind buyin’ it off ya. Since it’s uncured, how about 10,000ecrue?”

The large man grins as he spots the (slightly bloody) furs I’m holding and makes an offer.

Ragnall snorts.

“At this size? 17,500.”

“12,000.”

“15,500.”

“13,000.”

“15,050.”

“Gwahaha, a tough one, aren’t you? 14,500. The fur’s all knotted with blood, ain’t it?”

“...14,750.”

“Then we have a deal!”

The bear-man holds out his large hand with a great big grin that splits his face, and Ragnall reluctantly shakes on it.

Un... I’m not sure about the market price, but I think it could easily fetch 20,000 in the city... well, we’re not in the city, and we don’t want to carry it, so I guess the price reflects that.

“Oi, Usori, Jimisi! Take ‘er to the drying rack! I’ll be makin’ dinner with the meats; you don’t got a problem with that?”

The large man’s eyes twinkle as he looks at Ragnall.

Ragnall waves a hand.

“As long as we’re not paying.”

“Gwahaha! A true mercenary! Yer the White Devil, ain’t ya?”

Ragnall only gives a wry smile and a shrug.

Oya? I haven’t heard that name. Ragnall’s former mercenary friends only called him a white monster.

And everyone else always called him the Moneygrubber.

I’m not really sure which is better...

“You an’ that lass go get yourself cleaned up. Expect a great meal!”

The bear-man raised a fist and flexed his muscles.

Though I don’t know what that has to do with cooking ... maa, I’m expecting something delicious, since Ragnall and Orvowel couldn’t stop praising the tastiness of Red Grizzly meat.

The one thing I’ve been extraordinarily grateful for is that the food technology isn’t lacking one bit in this other world.

It may be a world of magic and swords, but this world is surprisingly modern in many places.

I made my way to the bathing room the bear-man indicated, all the way in the back.

Orvowel had told us this was a waystation so I expected just a big, shed-like building, but it’s surprisingly like an inn. There’s even a separate bath for girls and guys.

Yuck... gore-stained shirt and pants...

I quickly strip my top off, since it’s a complete, bloody mess.

Even though I’ve learned how to dismantle, I’m still clumsy as all heck, and I get queasy handling it.

Even now I’m a little ... guh.

Anyway, that’s why Ragnall did most of the delicate work.

As I’m about to start stripping off my pants, all of a sudden...

“...”

“...”

“...A-ah, J-jun...”

Hibiki stands there.

Her skin is flushed from the bath, and although she wrapped herself in a towel, her breasts are large enough that... uooo-! Bad!

I quickly look away.

“M-my bad, sorry, so, hahaha, ah, it’s, ah, um, it’s a group bath, huh!?”

Ah, my voice cracked, and I have a weird tension, huh?

Uh?! Wait a second, being topless is a problem now, isn’t it?!

ARGH! Why is it that the second I hit awkward situations, I suddenly become clueless on how I should act?!

Do I just not have enough experience as a girl?

Well that can’t be helped! I was a Japanese high school boy in the other world, after all!

My stupid one-man boke-tsukkomi comedy act in my head gives off a cold atmosphere even in my own head.

An uncomfortable silence descends upon the changing area.

Hibiki tilts her head.

“... Should this be something you should get used to...?”

... HAAAA?!

No, wait, haaaa?!

Of all people, HIBIKI said that?!

“Um, I was a guy, you know?!”

“But you’re a girl now? And... it seems like there’s more group bathing than single bathing in this world...”

“Nonono, wait. Even so –“

“... It does seem like a complicated situation.”

“That’s not the problem. Hibiki. I used to be a guy. You want me to bathe with you?”

I glance over my shoulder.

She tilts her head. She thinks about it. She turns red.

“N-n-no! It’s not like I’m okay with guys seeing me! I just – uh, um... I’m just used to you as a girl?”

“That makes only one of us!”

Ahh... I’m defeated.

“A-anyway, I’m going to take a bath now...”

“U-un.”

Thankfully, there are no other women in the waystation bathing area. I postpone the problem of communal baths for now...

◇◇

A hearty smell is coming from the large, open room in the waystation building.

This room takes up most of the building, and Ragnall, Hibiki, Orvowel, and Leimon were all seated, lounging about.

There’s also a 6-man party of people who look like adventurers sitting near them.

Only us two groups here at the waystation, huh?

The room kind of looks like a Norse mead hall, and it seems that it’s the common room, the dining room, and the kitchen all at once.

The big bear-like man is roasting bear meat on a spit over the main fire, and behind him, in a fireplace, a large pot of something is sizzling over that fire. To the sides of the fireplace are two stoves and four pots going.

Even this high up in the mountain, with the dusk chill beginning to settle in, the temperature in this room is hot and cozy.

“What are all of you talking about?”

I ask as I go to sit down. Next to Ragnall. On the opposite side of Hibiki.

After the changing room incident, it’s still a little awkward for me...

“The things Numinor, that is, the waystation’s manager, wanted to buy from us, is all. On top of the usual things he needed replenished, like lye and salt and the like, he was looking for a better kitchen knife...”

Orvowel’s eyes twinkled as he looked at me.

“... And? You have knives, right? So that’s not a problem.”

Or like, don’t look at me for that, Orvowel-san!

“Hohoho, although that’s true, I don’t think they could compare to YOUR blades.”

Achyaa... so it really was that after all.

Although Orvowel is a round, happy dwarf with a handsome moustache, somehow I can picture him rubbing his hands over “treats of gold”.

I suppose all merchants have to have that kind of fixation on money, but leave me out of this type of thing!

It’s been established ever since I came to this world that I have a warped sense of money, and I’m not too eager to have the cutthroat merchants I’ve met swindling me over prices.

No middlemen, please! I have enough trouble figuring out how to sell my blades.

Ragnall quickly stepped in.

“Forget it, forget it, Orvowel. You don’t have the kind of coin needed to trade that girl’s weapons – or fund a country for a year.”

... Eh. I HAVE improved on making reasonable swords, you know...

But it seems that my early transgressions of making ridiculous, legendary-type magical weapons is still going to be mentioned from now on as well.

Ah, just so you know, it’s not like I was some genius sword smith or something in Japan. I was just a sword otaku, but somehow getting cheat-like magic abilities seemed to feed off my sword obsession, and ... a lot of things happened. Anyway, I’m being regarded as a master bladesmith now, for some reason...

While I’m sulking, the conversation moves on without me.

“Hohoho! I heard she’s quite the generous sort if the mood suits her, so I couldn’t help it. But truthfully, getting such high quality goods would only go poorly for us in the future.”

Orvowel laughed lightheartedly.

Nn? What did he mean? If he sold my swords, that would only be another item he could take in profit from, right?

Although I have no intentions of providing them for him.

“Since I can’t bring that quality of blade every time, my reputation might drop. Thieves might start targeting us too, see.”

Orvowel winked at me.

“Those things ... would most likely be only ... short term?”

Hibiki said timidly.

“Un, that’s true, but in the end, for traders like us, who take such long routes and go to such remote towns, that kind of trouble is best avoided, ne?”

“I see...”

“In the end, you’ll sell Manager-san a knife from your stock, right Orvowel? Just so you know, if I forge anything, I don’t have an interest in having anyone sell them for me.”

Unless I sold them to a weapon store, I guess. But I definitely don’t want someone else negotiating the price for me. I mean, the price will go up if I have someone doing that, right? It’s not really worth it... even if you say that, at the prices my swords go for, the added cost from a middleman would be negligible... un. I don’t like it.

Perhaps they are correct in saying I’m useless when it comes to selling things...

“Excuse me, they say you’re a smith?”

From the side, the other party of adventurers suddenly cut into our conversation.

Uh... although right now I’m an adventurer who’s on an escort quest ... well, this is real life, so it’s not like I have to switch class jobs or something.

“Yes, that is correct.”

The one who’s asking is a young man, skinny and awkward looking. I wonder if he’s younger than me, or if he’s just naturally scrawny looking.

That young man heaves a sigh and says,

“What a relief! Hey, so my sword got broken, but could you possibly fix it?”

Eeeeh...

Well, I guess that’s also a smith’s job, but ...

I ignore Ragnall muttering something about summoning a dragon to kill a slime.

“I’m not sure what I could do, but –“

“Well, see, just take a look.”

Before I could subtly try to refuse, he holds up his sheath and pours the sword out onto the table in front of me.

POURED. His SWORD out.

The sword is in so many pieces it’s a little difficult to count exactly how many. It looks like it shattered when he hit something quite hard. But even then...

“Just asking, but were you guys hunting frost trolls?”

“Eh? Wow! How did you know?!”

Because only something like that would freeze a steel sword cold enough that it could shatter into a million pieces like this.

Ah, I guess fighting an ice drake would do it, too.

It’s kind of hard to tell if the reason the sword broke was because the craftsmanship was poor, or if this man’s magic swordsmanship was poor.

In this world, circulating magic power through your weapon is common sense, and would more or less protect decently made weapons. There are even spells to harden your weapon against trauma, or sharpen it momentarily in battle...

But because the ... “sword” is in this sort of state, I can’t tell if it was made poorly so magic can’t be used efficiently. Actually, I can’t really tell what kind of sword it is.

Which makes me ask...

“What... exactly do you want me to do with this?”

“Well, like, you can fix it, right? Get the pieces back together somehow?”

“... Just to be sure, you want a sword for ... cutting things with, right?”

I mean... yes. I COULD put an iron band around it and weld it together, but I don’t think you can call that a sword anymore. It would just be an object for bludgeoning.

“Well, yeah.”

Ooooh boy, he’s completely serious.

“At that point, it’s not even a sword anymore. I’m telling you, it’s better just to get a new sword.”

Thank you, thin-faced girl adventurer-san. It was hard for me to come out and bluntly say it myself.

“Eeeeeh!? Then what do I do? We’re still two days out from Nyl City!”

“And I don’t want to go back to the city before we’ve finished our commission just because you bought a cheap sword to begin with. Let her piece it together, and at least you’ll have a fine bludgeoning weapon for a bit.”

The more sullen, more muscular adventurer man said that, with a very pointed look.

Achyaaa... it seems they’re in a bit of a bind.

I look the shards over.

“I suppose I could melt it down and reforge it ... the steel is ... decent, I suppose. Just so you know, though... it would be kind of expensive. 25000 ecrue.”

“Eeeeh?! I could buy a new one for that price! I’m providing the materials, you know?”

The younger guy complained.

I suppress the urge to make it cheaper. I mean, I’m basically making you a new sword, you know? I even have to resmelt the steel!

I can’t say anything but, “Sorry, that’s how it is.”

The thin-faced girl furrowed her brows together.

“Aren’t you just taking advantage of us because we have no other option than to have it repaired if we want to go on traveling?”

Ugh. This is ...

I’m a bit troubled as to how to respond. 25,000 ecrue is actually too cheap, according to the pricing rules Helward-san, my forging teacher in Nyl City, laid out for me.

Although the man who owned the sword and the thin-faced girl are upset, the others in their group are saying things like, “Serves him right for being cheap at the beginning.”

I’m not sure what to do...

I want to say something like, “Well then, I won’t do it. I don’t need the money,” but something tells me that might make things worse...

“Hibiki. Show them your dagger.”

Ragnall said, all of a sudden.

Hibiki’s usual twin daggers are mithril and galvorn made, but she does have a slightly longer dagger at her side. That’s the one Ragnall’s referring to.

The delicate, ice-blue blade began emitting a subtly cold aura as Hibiki slipped it out of the sheath.

It’s one of those blades that even normal, untrained people can recognize to be near legendary-grade.

Because the material to make it was part of an ice drake’s fin...

The adventurers’ eyes widen in disbelief as they stared at the dagger Hibiki laid on the table. Even the ones who were sitting in the back, keeping out of the conversation, leaned forward a little, their eyes riveted on the dagger.

As for the young man and the girl ... they’re too intimidated by it to even think about touching it, huh?

Ragnall chuckles and says,

“She made that, you know? 25,000 ecrue is a huge discount for you. Anyway, if you don’t like it, Orvowel has some cheaper swords for sale... he’s a sundries trader, you know.”

Right after Ragnall said that, Orvowel quickly leaned forward.

“And not just swords. Travel gear, maintenance kits, preserved foods for traveling... If there’s anything you need, feel free to take a look!”

I am always amazed at the spirit of merchants.

<A/n: Thank you Ellipsis and Caleix for your donations!

I am working on the “cover” to this second part. One of the things I’m fighting with is getting back into drawing more regularly.>

Even if there’s Magic, it’s not like You can do Anything without Proper Preparation.

Dinner was delicious.

I’m not sure what a non-monster bear tastes like, but the meat of the Red Grizzly was soft and tender, but still had a nice consistency when chewed.

The meat of the roast was definitely firmer than the stewed meat, but no matter which you tasted, when you sunk your teeth into it, hearty juices flowed out and filled your mouth with the umami of the fat and the aroma of spices.

The stewed meat seemed to soak up the broth of the stew, and a mellower taste came out ...

Haa, I seem to have become more sensitive to good food here in this world than in Japan. I guess that’s what happens when you eat convenient store food for every meal – that’s what Grandfather and I ended up doing when Grandma died.

Food also seems to be more abundant in this world than in Japan – or at least, in Nyl City it is.

Ragnall said that it’s because any city with a Labyrinth in it basically has food and supplies pouring out of the Labyrinth – anyway, my point is, everyone who cooks takes an effort to make the food good without skimping too much on anything, because the price of ingredients is pretty cheap.

Even if you sold it at minimal prices, if you cut too many corners on food no one will come to eat it because there’s always going to be better food around. That’s why everything I’ve eaten in this world, even food stall food, has been good.

Maa, I suppose this is only because I’ve been staying in Nyl City for the two plus months I have been in this world. Because people are greedy, I’m sure there are places where people don’t get enough to eat and the fact that the food is capable of being eaten is a restaurant’s main selling point.

Anyway, dinner was really good.

Apparently this waystation, the Lonely Bear, is well known for its food, so many people come for it.

Here at the Lonely Bear, lodging, the stables, and the bath are free, but food and the use of other facilities cost extra.

Although neither Orvowel and his assistant Leimon, nor Ragnall, Hibiki, and I have to pay for anything apparently, since we brought in the bear.

By the way, the “other facilities” apparently does include a forge.

I took the job without really thinking about it, but I was really worrying for a moment there that I’d have to improvise something with a campfire outside. Luckily, Orvowel informed me that there is properly a forge out back...

... Hang on. Isn’t this just a fire-pit with an anvil next to it?

“Well, I mean, it’s just for small repairs and the like ... no one would really come out to a cabin in the middle of the wilderness and expect to find a facility like in the Guild.”

Orvowel shrugged as I stand, staring at the forge on the side of the cabin.

“...Nn, that’s true. I suppose it’s more like, I’m lucky to find this much out here.”

“Hohoho, Numinor always liked to put up travelers in his cabin since he started living out here. Then, as the years went by, he just kept adding more and more to it, and every year he tries to think of something that would increase the convenience for travelers. Before you know it, the Lonely Bear became well-known as a waystation, and Numinor has never been happier.”

Ah, I see. So this used to just be the bear-man’s house, huh?

It seems he added onto the cabin to expand it one year, redid the kitchen/eating area another year, put in the large baths, then added on the stables ... although he’d always had the small hut for smoking meat and the area for tanning hides, it seems the “forge” was a recent addition that Numinor cobbled together within the last few years.

... Oh good, I see some bellows attached to the bottom of the firepit. It won’t be a complete hassle... I wonder if I can get it hot enough.

Un, I suppose it’s impossible to get out of using Barriers to regulate the heat, even with regular steel, after all.

If I return to Japan some time in the future, my abilities in smithing would be so poor, since I’m cheating so much with magic...

Anyway, the ... “rustic” nature of this forge makes me interested in seeing just how far I can go with these facilities... ah, no. Ahem, that’s right. I’m properly making a decent sword on the cheaper side, yes.

But ... un, this “forge” is only really for heating up metal just enough so you can make crude adjustments. Without the ability to carefully control the fire, I’d wager that the grindstone over there gets visited more than this forge.

Not that many people would come just to work on weapons.

Of course, with the forge being at that level, there’s no smelting furnace. Not that I expected it to begin with, but it would have been nice ... since I basically have to return the... “sword” ... to an ingot.

But first things first ... I disassemble the sword.

Oh good, it’s not just welded together... that was my next worry. I am able to twist the pommel off. Since the pommel wasn’t just welded to the tang of the blade, it makes me think that the smith didn’t intend it to be a cheap weapon with a limit to how much you can use it before you tossed it.

I feel a sense of sympathy towards the smith, although I don’t recognize the name of the maker when I use Analyze4.

Marin, whoever you are, my condolences for your creation to have ended up like this.

After twisting the pommel off, the grip ... uwaaa. I tried searching though the leather bindings to see of there’s a pin or something that holds it in place, but the leather instantly loosens and the grip just about falls off the tang of the blade.

The wooden grip underneath the leather is ... a splintered mess.

Uh...

Can you even reuse this? I don’t really want to have to remake the grip for free...

Seriously, to reduce it to this state... somehow my willingness to make a sword for that kid just keeps going down.

“Sorry for that idiot’s impossible request. You really don’t need to entertain him.”

One of the older Adventurers from the owner of this sword’s group has come out from the cabin, and he apologizes for that guy.

“Ah... it’s not an impossible request, just an impossible request the way he expects me to magic this pile of rubble into a working sword again.”

Seriously, I should have just quoted him a ridiculously high price just so I wouldn’t have to do it.

Although the sword has no sin... I feel a sense of pain to leave it as it is.

I sigh as I sort the pieces of steel out from the wood.

“Just tell me this. Does that guy even know how to use a sword?”

The older Adventurer scratches the back of his head and returns my sigh.

“It’s not like he’s completely clueless, but the finesse of fighting an ice troll ... ah, well, it’s simply too soon for him. I did say so, but ... he’s the kid brother of one of our regular group members.”

Nn. Sounds like this man has to put up with a lot too.

A new Adventurer with no sense of how things work ... surely even I wasn’t this bad 2 months ago.

I lift up the sword’s sheathe and fill it with magic to get a rough idea of the shape.

Un, with the acceptable tolerances, the dimension should be... fumu fumu, I see.

It’s just a normal longsword afterall.

“Somehow, despite your complaints, you seem to be enjoying yourself...”

The Adventurer said.

“I’m just putting aside the painful thoughts about dealing with the hilt for later.”

“Is that so... well, even though I have no idea what you’re doing, it looks impressive.”

... What is he saying. I haven’t even done anything yet.

I decide to ignore the guy and rinse off the steel shards as best as I can with a water stone, then dry them with some wind magic.

Hm? Orvowel and Adventurer-san are looking over here with wide eyes?

Hm... Ah, I forgot. Chantless magic is extremely unusual.

Um... ...

...

Let’s just ignore it for now...

Now I take out what I’ll need.

Several tongs and a crucible. My personal anvil for plain steel swords ... but I still bring out the mithril blacksmith’s hammer.

It just feels better when I wield it.

Alright.

Although you could get ceramic crucibles made of a clay that can withstand anything but dragon fire, they didn’t sell those in Nyl City. That clay is supposed to be collected from a stream in Ploids Labyrinth, so it wouldn’t be too strange to be able to buy one when we reach our destination.

Although, strictly speaking, I hope that there won’t be many cases where I have to smelt ore like this while traveling.

This plain crucible I have is made better than most, but I feel like it’s not going to withstand this project. Maa, that’s why you buy quite a few of them. Sometimes you even have to break them open, after all.

In the crucible go the shards of steel~

Un, and then into the fire goes the crucible, carried with my tongs.

And then regulate the fire with the foot-operated bellows... Yeah, this is not convenient at all.

But, with a lot of magic “help” here and there, I manage to get the steel molten.

As expected, the crucible is only being held together with Barrier magic right now... there has to be a better way to do this... oh well. I’ll have to mess with that another time.

Regulating the rate the steel cools, I smash the already cracked crucible when the steel hardened enough to remain solid even without the ceramic crucible.

Alright, and now onto the sword.

The sound of the hammer and anvil ring out for a while around the little cabin.

After carefully controlling the final cool-down, since there’s no kiln that I can let do it for me, it’s already well into the night when I’m done.

... Eh? Orvowel has long since gone in, but that Adventurer-san and Hibiki are sitting over there, watching me.

“Oh, Hibiki. Why are you out here? Won’t it be difficult for you to get up in the morning?”

Like most of the other gamers, Hibiki doesn’t have Resilient Body, and so she can’t operate on only a few hours of sleep like I can.

Hibiki quietly shook her head.

“It’s okay. We’re staying here tomorrow night too, so we don’t have to get up early.”

Ah, I vaguely remember Orvowel saying something like that earlier...

But isn’t just sitting out here in the cold watching me work kind of boring?

That goes for the Adventurer-san too – ah, oi. What’s with that face of frozen shock?

Realizing that both Hibiki and I are looking at him with concern, the Adventurer-san snaps out of it.

“S-sorry, it’s just ... um... was that ... was that Mana Forging?”

Mana Forging; the art of circulating your magic in order to help regulate the heat and the intensity of your hammer strikes according to how you imagine the finished product. Well, it’s actually a lot of high-level spells all rolled into one and used simultaneously.

“Um... yeah?”

Even if Mana Forging smiths are rare, seriously, how else did you think I was going to do this without proper facilities?

Or, put another way, it was impossible to forge a blade in a place like this if I COULDN’T use Mana Forging, right?

“Um... is it ... can I see it?”

The Adventurer-san nervously held out his hands.

Un... normally I wouldn’t let someone else touch the client’s sword... but with that kid, I kind of don’t care.

The Adventurer-san took the naked sword blade and looked at it this way and that.

Aaah... yeah, it’s definitely a grade above the 25,000ecrue price...

... M,maa, at least it’s at the degree where, if you aren’t really into swords, you can’t tell the quality by looking at it...

... I’m just going to call this a success.

With just the blade, no hilt, it would probably be worth somewhere a little less than the 75,000ecrue range, but if you compare it to what I started out making, it’s a vast “improvement.”

It’s at the level where I can sell it to more experienced Adventurers. I don’t think I could stomach making a sword for a beginner Adventurer.

The Adventurer-san carefully inserted the blade into the scabbard several times, then frowned and looked at me.

“Are... you really okay with selling this for 25,000ecrue?”

“Whether or not I’m okay with it... that price didn’t include the hilt, you know? I’m not really sure what I should do with that.”

I gesture at the pile of leather and wood shavings.

The Adventurer-san thought silently for a minute.

“Hang on, I have an idea.”

A sly smile creeps across his face.

It’s a secret that Hibiki and I kind of drew back from him a little...

Anyway, I found out that the Adventurer-san’s name is Gurtis, and the kid’s name is Safr.

Their party, the Rogue Wanderers, come from far in the north-west, just south of the Dwarven territories, so they should be used to fighting ice trolls, but this time, Safr begged his sister to be taken along. Which they allowed on the condition that he stayed in the back.

It was only supposed to be observation for him.

As you’d expect, and impulsive guy like that ... well, in the end, he got in over his head, and his magic-swordsman abilities just weren’t high enough to protect his weapon.

He was lucky that he was at least able to protect his life...

What were you thinking, bringing someone like that to hunt frost trolls-!? Each troll requires a 6-man party of C-ranked Adventurers!

I have to resist yelling that out.

I mean, Gurtis himself was against it from the very beginning.

While he was talking to us, Gurtis was testing the blade’s magic conduction and the ability it had to hold the basic skills like Keen Edge.

“Alright.”

With a satisfied look, Gurtis replaced the blade into the scabbard, and then walked into the cabin.

<a/n: Thanks RS and anonymous for your donations!

Everyone is getting sick... Let’s hope I won’t catch it, but well, it’s delayed the illustration. My apologies.

To whoever posted about the picture, sure, show it 😀

(I keep losing that comment in the queue, so... I’ll just say it here.)>

Getting to Know People is Always Harder When there’s Extra Pressure to Do it.

“Then, Safr, I’ll buy this sword off of you, and you can have my backup.”

“Really?! Okay!”

Eeeh... so easily?

What just happened?

Let’s see... I was forging a sword for an inexperienced adventurer (that I wasn’t too thrilled about doing), but it turned out to be more work (and expenses) than that kid thought it would be, and then an older adventurer walked up to the inexperienced adventurer and conned him.

Seriously, that’s what just happened.

With a “You know, the blade’s not too bad, but...” and “You still need to pay for a grip and hilt” and the like, Gurtis just managed to get a steel sword, almost master-work quality, traded for his backup weapon.

Maa, I guess, in the end the sword is going to be used by someone who appreciates it better, so I can’t complain.

“Gyahaha!”

Gurtis can’t stop laughing after Safr returns to the lodge.

Seriously, what a bad person.

“Ah, so easy, it’s the first time this entire trip I’ve been happy that kid is such an idiot! I would have even considered trading my main weapon for it, too.”

Fumu fumu. I’m kind of relieved that he only said he’d consider trading his main sword. I had mixed feelings about giving that kid my sword, but I’d also have mixed feelings about giving it to someone who trades his weapons around like he’s an MMO character as soon as he finds a new one.

“It’s really great! Just ...”

Gurtis gives me a look out of the corner of his eye.

Ah, I know what you want...

Without directly looking at him, I keep my eye on the blade I’m polishing and say,

“The grip, is it? I only have wyvern bone prepared on me, so it might cost a bit...”

“W-wyvern- ah... no, that’s fine. In that case, I wouldn’t be surprised if that doubles the price. (at least).”

Gurtis mutters that last bit quietly.

Un, he wasn’t expecting to have to pay for high ranking materials, huh?

Maa, double the original price is fine.

After all, he’s not the only one getting something out of this. I’ve also learned a valuable lesson, and it’s one that I will engrave into my mind.

Choose your customers carefully!

◇◇◇

Ragnall stifles a smile as he comes into the big, communal kitchen/dining hall.

It’s about Morning Watch now, although there are no bells here to ring the time.

“So, how did it go?”

Ragnall asks.

“Ah...”

That’s all I feel like saying.

Seriously, I don’t care if it sounds stuck-up, ‘I only take commissions that I feel like doing’ is starting to sound like a great thing to get in the habit of saying.

Ragnall chuckles quietly to himself before asking,

“So did that group leave bright and early this morning? You could have postponed finishing it last night, you know.”

“Un, but it was better for them to be able to leave earlier this morning...”

“Hm... Are you saying you were just trying to be considerate for them, or are you secretly saying it was better for them to leave as soon as possible?”

“...”

It was more like, ‘please leave me alone as soon as possible’. But for some odd reason, I totally don’t feel like admitting that to Ragnall. Hmph.

“Well, you’ll be meeting more and more people like that, so get used to it, I guess. You don’t have any experience with dealing with bad customers, so I was a liiiittle worried.”

Ragnall yawns and lazily stretches out.

“Extremely worried, I see.”

That was sarcasm, by the way.

But, ah, yeah. Hm. It might very well be true that I don’t have any experience with customers I dislike, huh? When I think about it ...

Un. Aside from blades made purely for practice, I might not have made a blade for anyone I didn’t know personally.

My face goes a bit dark when I realize that.

“... Do you think this is going to be a problem? For me. In the future.”

“Hm? What? Not knowing how to deal with bad customers? Nah. You can make so much money off of one sale, that it’s okay to be picky about who you sell to. In my opinion.”

“There was that option too. I see.”

Ragnall is basically saying it’s okay for me to smith only when I want to and only for people I want to smith for, huh?

What a pretentious thing. To only do the things that interest me, only when I feel like, and without worrying about having any business sense; that’s practically at the level of having a hobby! And I could actually live off it? And luxuriously, at that!

Very few people even in modern day Japan could hope to be able to do something like this.

If Grandfather could have come here to this world, I wonder how he would have done – ah, no.

That train of thought might be irrelevant, huh?

While watching Ragnall do some exaggerated stretches, I also rotate my arm a bit and try to stretch my neck.

My shoulders got a little stiff last night, since I was rushing the job so much, and it was pretty late so I just went to sleep like that.

It was only bothering me a little bit, until Ragnall came down and started showily stretching, so I was able to ignore it, but now...

It feels so stiff!

Luckily for me, thanks to Light Magic it won’t be stiff for too much longer.

Because I found out Light Magic is actually pretty similar to that ‘Chi’ in fantasy wuxia-style novels, I’ve been training myself a lot like the protagonists of those novels.

Whether or not it’s the correct way to be using Light Magic is something I don’t know, since not too many of the races in Nyl City can use Light Magic. Because of my preconceptions of “chi”, I might be limiting my abilities with Light Magic.

That’s another one of the reasons we’re heading towards elf territory...

Supposedly, certain elves have passed down the ways of Light and Dark Magic since the beginning of time... so the legends go.

It would have been good to have Seimei-san, who appears to only be able to use Dark Magic, come along as well, but ... maa, he has other things he wants to do, so it can’t be helped.

Anyway, by circulating Light Magic through my neck and arms, the stiffness melts away in no time.

If only it could do the same for when I’m riding the red dragon...

Anyway.

“So I heard from Hibiki that we’re staying here for some time, but what’s the reason behind it?”

I ask Ragnall.

“Hum... that’s right. Orvowel wants to give Numinor – the owner of this waystation – time to think about what he needs to buy from him. In that time, Orvowel also hopes to sell to any travelers who might be coming through here. Ah, and he hopes to buy cured pelts, leather, and smoked meats off Numinor. Although I don’t think there will be that much to buy.”

“Is that how it is... what should we do, then?”

“I wonder what we should do.”

... Oi.

Well, I guess this is what an escort quest is like.

At least, it’s nice to be stopped with nothing to do at a really nice waystation with so many facilities.

Although I can’t say I’ll be able to further my smithing any at the ... uh ... “forge”, there’s a hot bath (although it’s communal), clean bedding, and good, warm food.

While I was thinking,

“Actually, there is something...”

Ragnall said.

Hm? How rare for Ragnall to look conflicted.

“What is it?”

“That’s... hm. Well, what do you think about Ms. Hibiki?”

Hibiki, huh?

“Uuun... it’s hard to say. It’s kind of difficult for me to understand what she’s thinking sometimes... and I feel like there’s kind of a wall there.”

I don’t know really how to describe it. Even though she asked me to call her without “-chan”, at the same time it feels like she’s raising a barrier between us and her, so it’s a little weird for me.

How do I say it... it feels like she kind of doesn’t have much character.

Even though you might say we’d only been traveling 2, 3 days together, I feel like being with someone for every single hour of those days should at least let you know SOMETHING about them, like hearing complaints about if they can’t sleep, or feeling like uncomfortable in the cart, or whatever.

But Hibiki tries to stay out of sight as much as possible... at first I thought it was because of her thief character, but honestly, it feels like she’s just keeping to herself, just watching us, just ... well, like I said, she’s kind of ... distant.

“A wall. Yeah, that’s a good way to put it. I’m kind of worried about her, honestly. I don’t think it’s good for her to stay behind that wall, if you know what I mean.”

No I don’t. What’s with that?

“How should I explain it... Right, we rescued her just two weeks and some days ago, right?”

... Yeah?

“And then we’ve all been busy, preparing for the trip, right?”

Yeah...

“I’m just worried she hasn’t had enough time to really process everything that happened, is all. Y’know, sometimes even tough guys can’t get over the tough times that happen to them.”

Ah. I understand now.

“PTSD, huh?”

I mumble under my breath.

At first glance, Hibiki-chan appears really withdrawn and introverted, but now that I think about it, it’s not exactly like the stereotypical quiet, wallflower character you would expect. Instead, it’s an abnormal withdrawn, like she’s always being super cautious of her surroundings, even with the people she seems to trust most.

She might not be having nightmares (that I know of) or any sort of blatant physical reactions (that I can tell), but ... yeah, I can’t deny that she might be trying to remain detached from things around her to avoid thinking about what had happened.

Although a typical Japanese high school girl, for the past two months, with no warning at all, Hibiki had been enslaved. For those two months, without being able to act for herself, she had no idea where she was or how she got here. Her basic rights were taken away without warning, even before she had a chance to orientate herself to the situation.

Although she wasn’t treated horribly by her captors, I don’t think she was treated nicely either.

It’s not strange that anyone would come out of something like that with PTSD.

I ruffle the hair on the back of my head.

I’m annoyed at myself for not being more concerned for Hibiki-chan’s mental state.

“Peetee ...?”

Ragnall tilted his head.

I shake myself out of my thoughts.

“Ah... yeah, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ... it’s basically an ... illness, I guess, that happens when you go through something really horrible or life-threatening. Little things can trigger flashbacks, and remembering what happened can make living normally hard... something like that?”

“Heeeh... So people in your country know it’s something that can happen to people.”

“It’s not the same here?”

“If someone can’t put something that happened to him in the past out of his mind, he’s too weak. That’s how most people think of it.”

I see. ... Hm?

“Ragnall, you don’t think of it that way?”

Ragnall looks down a bit, with a bitter smile.

“Hm... I wonder. Well, you see lots of things when you’re always at the front lines.”

Front lines. Although Nyl City was peaceful, I forgot that this world’s countries seem to always be warring with each other, either publicly or otherwise. Ragnall... was a mercenary before he was an adventurer, huh?

“Anyway, I was thinking it might be a good idea for you to talk to Ms Hibiki alone for a while.”

“... Un. I understand. It won’t be good to make her deal with it all by herself. But, why me, alone?”

“Eh? Because girls can talk to each other more openly, right?”

Except she already knows I’m not a real girl!

... Maa, fine. Now that you’ve brought it up, it would be a lie to say I’m not worried about Hibiki-chan myself.

Un. Even though I have no training as a therapist, let’s do this.

The only thing that concerns me is,

“So how do I get her alone to talk about this?”

“Uh....”

Hai, right, I knew you wouldn’t know either.

As we were agonizing over it, soft steps pitter-patter down the hall, and Hibiki emerges from the hallway.

I don’t know when she went to sleep last night, since she was already in bed by the time I noticed, but she still looks sleepy.

With a certain deva’s blessing, she looks like a normal, though very beautiful, Japanese girl. Even though it might not be exactly how she looked in Japan, it is still way more ‘normal’ than her extremely gorgeous, Korean-game-character modeled VRMMO game avatar.

That game avatar is now her ‘actual’ looks.

Either way, the just woke-up look, even with her modified-to-be-‘normal’ looks, still gives a lot of impact.

Ragnall’s eyebrows are rising...

Ah, I bet he’s also thinking about what it would have looked like if she wasn’t transformed.

... Nn. I agree. It is both a shame and a relief that Hibiki is transformed right now.

Anyway, all those thoughts only flash through our heads for a few seconds before we go back to our morning as usual.

“Good morning, Hibiki. Sleep well?”

Ragnall says.

“Un. Um... is there anything we have to do today?”

Hibiki asks.

“Apparently not. We were just wondering about what to do while Orvowel does business.”

I reply.

“Then... is it okay if I go foraging?”

... Eh?

“...Eh?”

Although we both have the same reaction, Ragnall actually voiced his.

“That’s fine, but is there something you need? We should have all the supplies we need.”

Ragnall asked.

“Uh-uh. That’s not it. I’m, um, interested in herbs and flowers ... um...”

“Ah, so that’s it. Hm... alright, Jun will go with you!”

“Eh?”

Hibiki is startled by Ragnall’s sudden decision. But, well,

“That’s right. As long as we don’t go too far, is it acceptable to leave Orvowel and Leimon by themselves?”

I ask.

“We aren’t being paid for time spent at a stop so it should be fine for all of us to go, but it’s also true that something could happen, so I’ll stay behind.”

“I see. Then it’s decided what we’ll be doing for now on?”

“Seems like.”

Looks like Ragnall and I are on the same page.

But really, he’s going to push it all on me...

Meanwhile, Hibiki just blinked, still a bit dazed from just waking up; not to mention the really sudden turn things took just now.

“Eh? ... Ah... eh?”

◇◇◇

Un. I have no idea what any of these plants are.

Can’t be helped, there aren’t any monster plants on the side of a mountain like there are in Labyrinths. Not many magical ones either...

...Ah. I swear it’s not because I’m thinking something like it’s a world with magic so everything should be related to magic, okay? It’s more like, everything in Nyl Labyrinth was related to magic, and that was all I learned in the over-two-months that I’ve been in this world.

Of course there was going to be normal plants and animals, away from those overwhelming magic environments.

It’s just, even though I say ‘normal’, it’s not like I knew much about plants back in Japan either so I’m pretty much useless when looking for herbs. All I can do is hang around Hibiki.

I mean, I know I’m supposed to ... somehow talk about how she’s feeling and stuff, but you don’t want to do that just out of nowhere, right?

Hm... How should I do this?

“So... Hibiki-ch – Hibiki, you were you into, uh ... flower arranging, or gardening back in Japan or something?”

I’m EASING into the topic, ok?

Hibiki hesitates a bit before she kind of glances at me out of the corner of her eye.

“No... more like ... kind of like ... um... aromatherapy-like things and homemade herbal remedies, kind of?”

What. She’s being super evasive, but is there really anything weird about being interested in plants?

It must have shown on my face, because Hibiki averted her glance and said,

“I was ... studying herbology magic in my school’s Occult Club...”

... Somehow something kind of unexpected came out.

Eh? Uh, um... eh?!

“I-is that so... well, good luck.”

I’m so surprised that I end up saying something kind of stupid.

No, well, usually girls, no, people in general, study herbs and stuff because they want to go green, or they like gardening, or whatever. I was in no way prepared to hear ‘for the Occult Club’ as the reason.

So what, like mixing random stuff together over a big, black pot and chanting or something?

Something tells me that image isn’t correct at all.

Hibiki turns back to documenting the plants that she gathered, and I go back to quietly looking at her.

That was unexpected.

So Hibiki was in the Occult Club in her school. Somehow that completely changes my image of her.

Hibiki’s actions are so subdued, I thought she was more like a well-bred lady, but it looks like I was just making up my own idea of her.

To be honest, it’s a little hard to get a sense of what she’s like.

Uh...

“So like ... potions and stuff?”

Ah, I ended up saying it anyway.

“Um, well, something like that... But in the end we just did stuff like perfume and aromatherapy. I kind of want to invest more into it. And in this world, there might actually be magical effects.”

Oya? Hibiki seems to be more talkative about this subject.

“Heh. That’s cool. You’ll totally be able to do it. Why did you think of coming out all of a sudden to look for plants today?”

Hibiki hesitated a moment before she spoke.

“I decided ... last night. Watching Jun-kun working the forge I thought, ‘Ah, how cool (kakkoi)... Me too, I want to be like that.’”

Eh...

“L-like what? Somehow I feel like I only showed an uncool side, being taken advantage of by clients, and then finishing it in a rush.”

“Uh-uh. Even though that side might have been uncool, somehow, watching you focus only on what’s in front of you, trying hard to make what you wanted match your expectations... it was really cool.”

... So she doesn’t deny that I was uncool about that bit. Business isn’t my strong suit at all!

While I was agonizing over that, Hibiki continued.

“Somehow, it made me want to pour myself into something that interested me, too.”

A bright, smile crossed Hibiki’s face.

Somehow, I felt that a bit of mischief and a strong desire not to be outdone was mixed into her smile.

And, somehow, I felt like I saw a bit of Hibiki’s true self made a small appearance.

<T/n: Thank you Egg, Caleix, RS, and Raist for you donations!

I’m not particularly proud of this chapter. It was a little hard to get into my chars’ heads. Perhaps, if I ever get around to scrutinizing/editing my stuff, this will be the first chapter to be rewritten.>

Seriously, How Many Medical Breakthroughs were made with Not-So-Ethical Methods?

“By the way, Hibiki-cha – Hibiki, I’m amazed that you can recognize the plants.”

“Well, at least, there are some plants that look like the herbs I recognize. See, mugwort(yomogi) is here, and lemon-balm (seiyou yamahakka) ... of course I don’t know if they’re exactly the same as the plants from back home, but... I recognize them. And actually, their names come out the same.”

...Nn?

“Names come out the same?”

I quickly scan the plants Hibiki-chan is holding with Analyze(iv), but nothing comes out other than

◤

Name: Mountainous Wild Grass

Type: Plant

Analysis: A type of wild grass commonly found in the Western Mountains.

Rarity: Common

◣

Regular Analyze is even less helpful.

◤

Type: Plant

Quantity: 4 lys

Origin: Nyl Mountain Range, South.

◣

... Un... That’s right, Lor said there was another skill, Identify, that merchants rely on in conjunction with Analyze. Such a tedious system.

But, um,

“What, does your Analyze tell you what these are?”

I ask Hibiki-chan.

Hibiki-chan shakes her head.

“My Analyze(ii) only gives information about what something’s made from, how old it is, and several other things, kind of like a stereotypical video-game readout.”

Fumufumu. A lot like mine, and Masaki and company. Although ours is Analyze(iv).

By the way, it seems like although we (me, Masaki, and the other gamers who came from Mourning Star) have a separate ability called “Status”, Hibiki-chan doesn’t have it.

The other girl who had been with her didn’t have it either.

Also, Analyze(ii) gives more detailed information than Analyze(iv), sometimes.

Seimei-san hypothesized that it’s due to the nature of our in-game tooltips. In Mourning Star the information is limited on purpose, since part of the gameplay is exploration. In Hibiki’s game, Archage something or other, the tooltips were detailed according to stats.

Ignoring whether or not there’s an Analyze(i), depending on whether this world’s original Analyze counts as 1 or 0, could it be that in Analyze(#) ... # is an iteration of Analyze that’s modified according to a game interface.

Hibiki has Analyze(ii), and we have Analyze(iv) ...

... right?

For a second, I feel a chaos of impatience, but I forcefully quell it.

Even if I want to find the people who have Analyze(iii), where should I start? Though people might say I’m an overly altruistic person, even I won’t try to catch delusions and smoke.

I can only hope with all my being that those people are safe, or if they are not, that they can make themselves a safe place. Aside from that, being aware of rumors and traveling to different places to hear more rumors... That is the best I can do.

“Instead of using Analyze(ii), I use a skill called <Identify Substance>.”

Ah, oops. Hibik-chan was saying something.

“<Identify Substance >... What kind of skill is it?”

“In-game it helped you identify unknown potions, powders, salves, and poisons. Here ... I guess it counts herbs and plants as unknown substances that can be analyzed. But it only shows me some plants, and some of the effects from consuming them. It doesn’t seem to go into details that I’d like ... it kind of feels like a child’s guide, I guess.”

Hibiki-chan seems to feel a bit suspicious about her skill. At least it’s most likely reliable, even if it’s not detailed enough.

“I wonder... with how I’ve noticed magic ‘labels’ things, I wonder if it’s not something like identifying commonly used herbs and flowers that people in this world use, and the general knowledge about them.”

“Is that how it is... if I learn more, I wonder if it would add it automatically to the skill... No, I should try to learn it by memorizing, I think.”

So that’s why she’s been recording each plant, but leaving a large space behind each one. That thin, leather-bound journal-like book wasn’t that cheap, you know... maa, not that I have any problems with money.

I can’t help but say,

“... These analyze/identify systems are all sort of half-assed, aren’t they.”

“... Yes. <Identify Substance> only gives the effects from consuming things, but plants can also have effects from being applied topically. And I wouldn’t feel comfortable about consuming the ones that <Identify Substance> DOES give results for. Different dosages will have different effects... right? And side effects?”

Hibiki sounds a little uncertain, but I think that’s correct too.

“Yeah, it would be good to find someone to teach you. Orvowel... might know a little?”

To be honest, I wish Lor was here... His main interest might have been mana diseases, but he DID do some things related to consumable medicines, right? I think?

“Yeah...”

Hibiki starts thinking a bit and falls silent.

Un. It would be good if we could find a mentor for her at Ploids Labyrinth.

◇◇◇

We returned at around midday.

“Ragnall, we’re back-.”

I called as we entered the main hall of the Lonely Bear.

“Yo! It’s been dull as dirt here.”

You complain right off the bat? You could have come with us, jeez.

“I’m... going to wash up,”

Hibiki said timidly, dusting her hands a little to emphasize the dirt on them.

As she disappears down the hall, Ragnall leans in and whispers,

“So? How did it go?”

... That’s right! I was supposed to be counseling her – or something like that.

I avert my eyes quickly.

“Hey. You.”

Ragnall stares accusingly at me.

“M-maa, it’s something that I don’t think should be forced out without building some kind of trust between us first!”

“Don’t make things up!”

I might have been making it up, but it is actually kind of a reasonable response so I feel unreasonably insulted.

“C’mon, no one’s going to open up to someone they don’t have a close relationship with. I want her to be a little more open in general before I start asking about the sensitive stuff. You know, you can’t remove the rocks embedded in the ground without removing the dirt above it.”

“Okay, you’re DEFINITELY making that part up.”

Well, yeah.

“On the plus side, she’s opening up a little to me, so we’ll see.”

I said.

Ragnall sighs.

“Haa... but that means she’s still going to act like a timid rabbit around ME!”

... Hey.

“Oi. You better not be asking me to do all this just so you can make a move on her-!”

I stare accusingly at Ragnall, but he shakes his head immediately.

“Nonono, that’s not it at all. But it hurts when a cute girl avoids you like that, right?”

“Well, that’s true...”

“Hey, seriously, I’m not an idiot who would force himself on a girl, so don’t look at me like that.”

Yeah, okay, I’ll stop messing with you now.

I was just pretending to be upset to screw with him, but now that I think about it, Ragnall’s the type who’s a little sensitive to others’ negative feelings about him. It might be because of his part-demon heritage.

Although he’s okay with being hated and looked down on, surprisingly he really doesn’t like being feared, huh?

I shrug and say,

“I don’t think you have to worry about Hibiki being scared of you forever. She herself was talking about not wanting to stay unchanging now that she has the opportunity, so her over-cautious behavior should fade sooner or later.”

“Hmph. So you were just messing with me, huh?”

Well, yeah.

Several parties of adventurers and travelers came to the wayhouse in the afternoon.

While some of them stayed, most continued onwards, due to the weather.

It seems like there’s a chance of rain at nightfall, but there was also a good chance that a party could make it down the mountain by then. And there is another wayhouse at the bottom of the mountain where they could shelter through the rain.

Though, that wayhouse is considerably less comfortable than the Lonely Bear. It’s really nothing more than a shed to sleep away from the elements.

Orvowel got a surprising amount of business, but it seems that the next place to buy supplies would be a tiny village a little more than two days’ journey away.

And it seems that Orvowel’s selection of items is larger than what they would expect in that village.

Is that so... even though he’s not carrying that much stuff?

Maa, there are strongboxes with Storage cast on them, so there might be more stuff than I’m aware of him having.

They may be expensive, but since transporting goods is Orvowel’s livelihood, he bought the boxes as soon as he was able. Part of our escort job is to ensure that those 6 strongboxes don’t get stolen, not just what’s in them.

Anyway, with the coming rain and the possibility of accidents happening because of that rain while descending down the mountain, Orvowel was selling quite a few rations, bandages, and fire stones.

Numinor also sold some pelts treated with a rain-repelling sap, and also furs, for warmth.

Ragnall later told me that, since most people didn’t have magic storage and inventory skills, they would probably sell the pelts and furs at the village later to reduce weight.

When I asked if those spells were Dark-element based, he said,

“Come to think of it, that might be the case.”

Hm? Those spells are so rare that even the element needed to cast them through is unknown?

Hai, ok, I will keep Inventory a... I have little confidence in keeping it a complete secret, but I will be more aware of when and how I use it. Maybe.

Anyway, that’s how the day was spent, leisurely doing various things and seeing various people.

Well, Ragnall did say that this escort quest was considered a very laidback trip to the Ploids Labyrinth.

With no real reason to get there as soon as possible, this kind of trip is fine, too.

Later that night I secluded myself outside, a little ways away from everyone else.

I had decided to “report” in to certain people who are inclined to worry.

“... So that’s what’s going on.”

[“I see. Good work. That’s fine, I will ask Lor to let me translate his notes on compounding herbs and magic medicines and whatever he has. It will also let me learn the language.”]

“Eh... Seimei-san, you will be able to learn it so easily?”

[“It shouldn’t be a problem. Sei-chan knows English and Mandarin fluently, so this probably won’t be a big deal.”]

Eh......

Even though I’ve been struggling for two months and just barely memorized some basic words, like greetings and stuff...

Ah, I’m talking to Seimei-san and Masaki on group chat.

“Well, thanks for that. But I thought this world’s medical care wasn’t so good?”

[“Surgery and the knowledge of how the body works isn’t so great, naa~. Iyaa, desecration of the dead isn’t looked upon happily, here. There’s necromancy too, but it’s considered the work of demons and demi-demons. It isn’t Dark Magic, so I’m a bit relieved~.”]

Eh, so there’s necromancy too. But if using dead bodies is considered demonic, then I guess it can’t be helped that there was no progress in that.

Well, even in Japan you can’t just dig up a body. Although there are people who promise their bodies for science after they die for medical practice.

Come to think of it, I wonder how many medical breakthroughs were accomplished through unethical means...

Seimei-san continued.

[“But despite that, consumable and topological medicines HAVE been investigated. Obviously not to the degree of modern day pharmaceuticals, and I would consider it more wise-woman type knowledge, but that type of stuff exists. And things to combat mana imbalance-type diseases are even much more advanced than our world, haha!”]

“...Haha.”

So that’s how it is, is it?

It seems like Seimei-san’s goal isn’t just a dream, but he’ll have his work cut out for him.

<t/n: Kousei Ishikawa is Cursed chap up too [here]>

That Feeling When People Think You’re an Authority on Chinese Stuff, and You’re Like, I’m from St. Louis.

Although I thought being constantly traveling would be difficult, it’s actually not so bad.

The only times that made me rethink the decision were when we got caught in sudden downpours, but Ragnall assured me it wouldn’t be like that the further we moved from the base of the mountains.

It’s been 3 weeks of traveling, and we’re a little less than half way to Ploids City.

Although it looks like much less on the map. The treacherous mountain paths take longer to travel, after all.

I must have come from the south, when I first entered this world, because I don’t remember seeing this much foliage when I was headed towards Nyl City.

Or like, we’re beginning to come to heavily wooded areas.

Because we’ve descended to the bottom of the mountains, the mornings, although still damp, are less chilly. At the same time, because of the trees, it’s not as hot during the day as the dusty, desert-like area I had been in when I first came into the world.

How should I say it ... both the desert-like area and the mountains in Nyl City definitely made me think, “Ah, I’m not in Japan anymore,” but here it’s a feeling like we’re on a school excursion to do orienteering training.

Although the trees look far older, and they’re far bigger. And we’re here together with an albino foreigner and a dwarf, so it’s not like I can have any delusions on being back in my original world.

Speaking of Orvowel, we ended up staying three days at the Lonely Bear.

Maybe it’s because I never left Nyl City, but I was surprised at how many people were traveling and came through the waystation. There was never a huge group of people all at once, but there was a steady stream of people coming in and out.

Compared to that, the two small villages we stopped at after that definitely did not give Orvowel as much business. To begin with, most of the adventurers who were staying over in those two villages ... well, we saw them in the Lonely Bear.

The second village was even worse, because we saw them both in the Lonely Bear AND in the previous village. I think Orvowel only did business with one group of adventurers in both villages.

The villagers themselves ... well, they’re small villages, so there’s not many people. Not only are there few villagers, the villagers were also close enough to each other that often, if they bought something like a plow or garden hoe, they would only buy one and share it amongst themselves.

The villagers also did not rely on money as heavily as adventurers did, so most transactions were done through bartering, and since Orvowel is very picky in what he takes as a legitimate trade, well ...

In short, we only stayed at each village overnight since there wasn’t much business.

I did ask Orvowel why he was being so picky, and he said,

“I’m a traveling peddler, so not only does it have to be things that can stand up to traveling, it also has to be things that will definitely sell out.”

So he aims to completely sell out on the journey between Nyl and Ploids, sell anything that’s left in Ploids as fast as he can, and then buys a completely new load of cargo with what he can get, and repeats on the next journey?

Uwaa...

But, well, if there weren’t people who would do such a troublesome thing like that, these villages and the traveling adventurers would definitely be a little more inconvenienced, ne?

“Oooh, we should be getting to the next place soon.”

Orvowel dropped his speed so he could call over his shoulder.

The roads have widened enough that we could probably line up our small cart with Orvowel’s wagon, but in case of people coming the opposite way, we’re still proceeding single file.

By the way, I’m in the wagon with Orvowel, sitting on the driver’s seat next to Orvowel or Leimon, whoever’s driving. Hibiki-chan and Ragnall are in our cart.

At every break, Ragnall and I switch places.

Ordinarily, if we knew how to ride horses, we would all be riding alongside Orvowel’s wagon, guarding it on its flanks and rear, but, well... Neither Hibiki-chan nor I can ride, after all.

Haa... I really should learn. It feels ridiculous to have a cart when we have almost no luggage.

Even if Hibiki-chan doesn’t learn, she can at least ride behind me – ah, no, probably Ragnall would be a better idea. Anyway, with a two-to-one ratio of being unable to ride a horse, renting the cart was inevitable.

Especially since everyone veto-ed me running alongside the wagon, for some reason.

“The next place... is it another village?”

Hibiki-chan asked.

By the way, I found out Hibiki-chan was going to start high school in the next school year.

Eh? A middle-schooler?! What’s with Light Magic, kidnapping a minor ... ah. I guess I’m one too, though. Anyway, because of that I’ve taken to calling her with –chan after all.

I wonder why she was so adamant on being called without an honorific, since –chan isn’t stand-offish at all – but I guess I shouldn’t be too nosy. It doesn’t take a genius to think that maybe she was desperate to connect closely to someone after all that she went through.

“No... well, kind of.”

Ragnall replied to Hibiki-chan’s question.

“It’s a waystation called The Warden’s Post ... but it’s really practically a tiny city,”

Orvowel said.

So it’s more than one building then... that’s what I’m getting.

At the thoughtful look on my face, Orvowel explained.

“It’s a cross between a security force headquarters and a Guild Branch. People who tend to the forest and the roads, rout bandits, take censuses of the wildlife and plants ... it helps organize that sort of thing. Adventurers can take jobs from them too.”

“It expanded a lot over the years, like the Lonely Bear. First, there was just the building where people who called themselves wardens would exchange information, or maybe find others to help them. Then came lodging, and shops, and before you know it, it exploded into lots of buildings where the small villages and travelers come to trade information and goods.”

Ragnall added.

“And so we’re staying 3 to 5 days.”

Orvowel cheerfully announced.

Maa, that’s more or less expected of him.

◇◇◇

It was early in the morning by the time we got to Warden’s Post.

That was accomplished by traveling all night, with me steering the cart while Ragnall, Leimon, and Orvowel took turns sleeping as the other two steered the wagon and kept watch.

Hm...? A strange feeling settled over me as we approached, but it was gone in an instant. I would even say I had imagined it, if I weren’t certain that I felt it.

... It’s an elven village!

I thought that as we entered the waystation area.

Unlike the frigid mist of the mountains, a softer, gentler mist is being melted by the sun as it rises, and the lighting is a green-colored, warm light.

At first glance, especially with the mist obscuring the scene a little, the buildings are normal log cabins, but taking a second look, the log cabins are built as extensions to the shops and homes that were built right into the giant tree. There’s windows and doors in the trunks!

Looking above, there are more liveable areas over the buildings you could access from the ground.

It’s not like some movies where the dwellings are built on platforms suspended above the ground among the branches, but there are rope-bridge walkways strung between some of the doors that would be considered the 2nd story.

Despite how early it is, there are already quite a few people moving about.

-tte, isn’t the energy level kind of ... really high?

A quick glance at Ragnall and Orvowel show that they’re not too sure what’s going on.

A lithe, female-shaped shadow carrying a bow up above on one of the walkways suddenly turns in our direction.

Maa, if you didn’t have Augment Body, I guess it would just be a human-shaped shadow.

“Travelers from the west, stand down!”

Er... what did that...

Ragnall calls up,

“Our arms are sheathed.”

The shadow laughs as she runs towards us, then vaults off the walkway.

Hibiki-chan stiffens up in surprise, but, nn, I’ve grown used to the super-human abilities of people in this world so I’m not shocked at all.

The shadow lands with a thud right in front of us.

“Sorry, sorry, that was actually to our scouts, you guys are okay.”

She said.

A blond woman with elf ears-!

H-hibiki-chan, don’t suddenly stare at me like that...

Somehow, she’s a little different from my imagination... the elf woman is solidly built with strong muscles and brawny arms.

If you say she’s slender, well, certainly her waist is longer and hips narrower than the average human, and her legs are long ... but, well...

I suppose elves can also be body builders in this world...

I’m a little disappointed.

She’s pretty, though, with a Scandinavian model-type face, even despite the thin scar that runs down the side of her face. Only a stupid man would say that the scar affects her beauty negatively.

Come to think of it, Ragnall also has scars on his face, but he’s so pale that they’re kind of hard to see. The notch taken out of his chin and the one that makes him look like he’s smirking are the most noticeable, but even then it took me a long time to realize he had them.

Oh, and the chunk taken out of his ear. Or like, that one’s hard not to notice.

As for the mountains and valleys that men dream of ... well, there’s nothing like that. Or if there are, she has them bound, and she’s wearing stiff leather armor to further reduce the volume. Maa, if she did have those, as a woman archer she would have some problems.

“Toal, doing something so dangerous... Hail travelers. This is sudden, but where did you come from, and did you see anything suspicious along the way?”

A man comes from behind, scolding the female elf – ah, this man is also an elf. Is this a village full of elves?

... No. There’s quite a mix of races here. Although a third of them are elves, half of them are humans, and the last fraction are beastkin and dwarves.

As for the male elf, he’s blond and slender ... tte, isn’t he more slender than the woman? Rather than ikemen, this man is more bishoune – biseinen?

No, he still looks like a man, just in certain lighting ...

What does that say about me ... no, let’s just ignore that. If I keep getting depressed over that kind of thing, I’ll never win in life. Anyway, I’m a girl now. I ignore the small sigh in my heart.

“We come from Holden Village, from Nyl City, peddling along the way. There wasn’t anything worthy of note along the way ... but is there something wrong?”

In cases like this, Orvowel lets Ragnall do the talking, since it’s about security and scouting.

The elf man’s face grows solemn in an instant.

“That is... there was a sighting of a certain thing, and monsters have begun rampaging.”

“A certain thing ... for the Wardens to get so riled up about rampaging monsters... it couldn’t be... a demon?”

Ragnall made a bitter face.

The elf man was surprised.

“Indeed. You have remarkable insight. Or should I say, unbelievable insight. Who are you again ... ah, no. Forgive me, we have not properly introduced ourselves. I am Idra, Squad Leader of the 23rd Wardens. This is Toal, Scout Leader of Warden Post.”

“Hallo!”

Toal waved with a smile.

“Orvowel and Leimon you might know, as the traveling peddlers. We are their escorts. The two women are Jun and Hibiki, and I am Ragnall, all registered adventurers with the Guild.”

“I see. All five are Unaffiliateds – hm. Ragnall... Ragnall...”

As the male elf, Idra, frowned in sudden thought, Toal, the female elf, shouted suddenly.

“AaaAAH! Ragnall, the White Demon! I see, I see... So that’s how you knew we were after a demon!”

Hm? What is she talking about?

Ragnall made a dry, stiff smile.

“Indeed. Your anti-demon barrier was a little unpleasant.”

... Ah. So that was that strange feeling earlier. I guess it messed with Ragnall more ... although it seems to be at the degree of being uncomfortable, so it doesn’t seem to have any lasting, bad effects on him.

But Ragnall’s pretty famous, hu-h?

“Wo-w! I never thought I’d actually meet the White Demon! Hey, don’t you think it would be beneficial having him in our strategy meetings –“

Ragnall’s smile is getting more and more stiff.

Well, I understand. Ragnall’s not really comfortable with his demon heritage, after all. Or like, he has such a small amount of demonic blood that it’s super annoying for people to harp on it. He’s more human than demon, you know.

“Hey-“

I start to say, intending to head off Toal, but,

“INDEED. Having his expertise as an ADVENTURER who has experienced many things WOULD be beneficial. The other women as well, if you’ve had any experience in this sort of thing.”

Idra said loudly. So he noticed Ragnall’s discomfort as well.

Ah, he’s shooting Toal a look that says, ‘We need to talk about your behavior later’. I remember that look. The manager from my part-time job in Japan was an expert in that look.

Ragnall sighs a little and dips his head, saying,

“So what exactly is the situation? Although I’ve done many types of jobs, if it’s not something I’ve experienced, I don’t think I’ll be much help.”

“Of course... ah, but it would be best to stable your horses and speak in private. Excuse me, Mr. Orvowel, we’ve taken up some of your time. I will report to Headquarters, so if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, Mr. Ragnall...”

“Ah... yeah.”

“Eh... hang on! Iiiidra-!”

With a swift bow, Idra left, towing Toal behind him.

“... You want me to come with you?”

I ask Ragnall.

“... Haa... They better make it an official request through the Guild... I don’t really enjoy working in a group when it comes to demon subjugation, so I definitely don’t want to work for free.”

Ragnall said, with a kind of tired voice.

<a/n: Thanks Caleix for the donation!

My note on this part is, “Serious event occurs before they reach Ploids. Meets elf.”

...Thanks past self.

Let’s take the opportunity to address what demons are in this world...

Also, Cursed updated>

Demons often Leave the Confines of Religion in Fantasy

“So, well, that’s all going on, but what do you want us to do, Orvowel?”

We’re currently at the inn, Woodrest. Well, it’s the only inn at Warden’s Post, but it’s pretty big.

The hall and cafeteria area is within a huge, hollow tree. There’s a spiral staircase dead center, going up all the way to the second and third floors. To the back extends another part of the building, assumedly where the bath house is.

Although we’re split into Orvowel/Leimon and Ragnall/Hibiki-chan/me, we’re currently in Orvowel and Leimon’s room.

Why?

For consultation and discussion.

“Even if you ask me, this type of situation is more your line of work than mine, and we’ve already agreed that you’d only provide the bare minimal assurance of my security in towns. Warden’s Post is basically a town.”

Orvowel stroked his beard nervously as he spoke.

“Even so, if something happened to us, you’d be out your escorts for the rest of the trip. You’ve already paid half up front, after all.”

“Um...”

Hibiki-chan said timidly.

Orvowel and Ragnall looked over at her.

“Yeah?”

“What is it?”

“... We don’t really know what’s going on, so it’s kind of hard to determine?”

“I agree. If it’s a hunt, I think we could say that we can’t afford to do something like that, but without knowing what’s happening...”

I back Hibiki-chan up with that.

I mean, aside from not knowing what’s going on around this town, Hibiki-chan and I don’t even know how to gauge the threat of a demon.

Ragnall thought for a second, then nodded and said,

“Well that’s true too. Even if we ask the residents, there might be information that’s classified.”

Orvowel gave a strained smile.

“I don’t mind whatever the three of you decide to do, but let me know what’s going on, ok? I’m a little nervous about being here with this kind of atmosphere.”

◇◇◇

“Well. Before we go any further, do the two of you know about demons?”

Ragnall asked.

Fumu. It doesn’t sound like Lor told him anything, but at the same time it seems Ragnall already suspects we don’t know anything like common sense.

Yeah, he totally has his own suspicions about our origins.

We’ve left Orvowel’s room and entered our own. By the way, the rooms are made with a partition you can draw down the center between the two beds.

We ordered a cot with wheels, so I guess all that remains is to decide which side of the partition I should wheel it too...

Well, Hibiki-chan and I have shared a room before, so... yeah.

I think for a minute.

“Demons, huh... big, humanoid with horns, super strength, and weird skin colors wielding a club...”

“Nono. That’s an ogre.”

Un. I figured as much. Oni are more ogre-ish, after all.

Demons are ... bad youkai? But there are good and bad youkai, and there are ones without much intelligence and there are ones with human-like intelligence. They’re more like monsters.

“Um... if it’s ‘demon’, it would be more like the Christian demons?”

Hibiki-chan said to me.

“Kurisu-?”

“I don’t know much about that.”

I say. Ragnall of course has no idea what we’re talking about.

“One of my senpai was a Christian. Eeeto... demons are malevolent spirits that won’t hesitate to possess and manipulate people in their mission to fight God.”

Un. I know there are possessions, but I thought it was just movies and stuff.

“Senpai said she once saw a video of a possessed man from anothercountry. It was scary, like he was on drugs and couldn’t hear or see anything, and the people would try to keep him chained on the porch, but he’d tear straight through them, and tore through two solid doors, trying to get to his wife.”

But it’s not like the head turns around and they start floating and stuff, huh? Or maybe that stuff happens too.

“What’s with that? What kind of scary things are these demons? Taking over peoples’ bodies... that’s scary. How does that even work?”

Ragnall’s kind of looking like we’re complete weirdos.

But hey, we confirmed that possession-type monsters either don’t exist, or they’re really rare.

“Well, it’s just one belief about demons. We have legends of demons, not really demons back from where we came. They’re mostly things that people say will manipulate you to defy the gods.”

Ragnall looks at us for a moment.

“...You guys really do come from a peaceful place, huh? If that kind of thing is only left in legends about gods...”

“Well, it’s not like it’s only peaceful. People will find other reasons to act violent... what is it?”

Hm... Ragnall looks a little confused as he stared at the ground.

“No... I feel like there was a time when there was propaganda against demons, saying that they must be incarnations of evil gods, and that those who serve the gods should seek to destroy the demons’ world... but when was that? For that matter, I can’t remember what any of the gods were like, or even their names...”

Well, he could just not be religious, but somehow, there’s a shudder within me. Like all the mana within my body is quivering.

Ragnall’s looking down at the ground with a serious look on his face, a hand held up to his temple.

There’s a distinct ... incongruity to the situation.

“Um...”

Hibiki-chan timidly said.

Ragnall shook whatever concerns he had out of his head.

“Ah. Sorry, sorry. Anyway, demons aren’t like whatever things you’re thinking of. Where to begin... demons basically look like humans. The only difference is that they have to absorb mana from living creatures.”

“Heh...”

I see... wait. No, Hibiki-chan, it’s not ‘Heh...’

“Mana, you say, not magic power?”

I ask to be sure.

“Eh? What’s the difference?”

Hibiki-chan asked.

“Mana is magic that keeps us alive. Magic power is the excess magic that we can use without endangering our lives. So what Ragnall’s saying is that demons have to feed off of living creatures.”

I explained.

“...!”

“It’s as you said, Jun. They weaken humans and demi-humans by draining their mana, possibly killing their prey. And demi-demons straight out assault humans and demi-humans. So you can see why demons are not liked at all here, on Orelia. So when they make their way through –“

“Hold on. Please explain. What is the difference between a demon and a demi-demon, and what is ‘Orelia’?”

I stop Ragnall halfway through his explanation.

He ruffles the back of his head.

“So we start from there... right. Demons look like humans. They absorb mana through a spell that requires the demon to be within a certain range around their prey. Demi-demons are like demi-humans. They are races of demons with varying traits, though mostly humanoid. Their most distinctive racial traits are that they have to consume parts of their prey to absorb the mana. Like, vampires suck blood, ghouls chew on marrow, and werewolves eat the flesh, for a few examples.”

Ah... I see. We just call those monsters in our world... although ...

“I don’t know about the demi-demons, but that means it’s hard to tell if someone is a demon.”

I say.

“Well, that’s the basic idea of it, yes. As for Orelia, that’s the world we’re living in. On the underside of Orelia is another world called Arcene where the demons and demi-demons live. Um... to be exact, Orelia is like a shell, and Arcene is the much smaller inside, although it’s still tangent to Orelia. At least, that’s how Lor explains it.”

Ah, as expected of Lor the scholar. Or like, somehow, I’ve been living here without knowing anything...

“Well, anyway, something about the magic in the Labyrinths somehow anchors the worlds together,  and sometimes the boundaries between the worlds becomes thin and you can go through ... you’ll have to ask Lor about that.  Anyway, as you can imagine, most of the times its demons or demi-demons coming to Orelia to feed. Humans or demi-humans who go to Arcene usually do so by mistake, and they rarely come back.”

... This is so confusing. I’m just going to go with, sometimes you can go between the worlds, and Labyrinths are mysteries.

“Well, honestly, it’s not something that comes up all the time, so it’s no wonder you didn’t hear about it before. Most people have enough problems dealing with life on this side of the Boundary; it’s not worth it to worry about demons crossing the Boundary, since it rarely happens. Although adventurers and mercs should at least know the basics, since you’ll get roped into demon subjugations if you’re in the area.”

Ragnall explained.

“I ... see. But it’s not like there’s a special way to fight them, right? It’s just like fighting bandits or something.”

I’m a little confused as to why it’s such a big deal that demons have appeared.

“Yeah, unless they have demi-demons with them, there’s usually nothing special you have to know about to fight them. Which is why this entire thing seems a little... troublesome.”

Hmm...

“Ok. I get that we don’t have enough information, but in the end it feels like we might have to participate in the subjugation anyway.”

Ragnall looks glum after I say that.

“Ha... it’s troublesome... I really don’t want to do such a bothersome thing for free...”

... Of course.

◇◇◇

Hibiki-chan went with Ragnall to the Warden’s HQ, where Idra-san was most likely at.

She’d slowly begun to warm up to him, Orvowel, and Leimon over the many days of traveling, and she’s even begun to smile an impish smile sometimes.

Could she have been the mischievous type before? I wouldn’t have guessed at all.

Aaanyway, what am I doing?

“Unn, yeah, the Boundary weakens a lot around here, but this is the first time it’s been such a big deal...”

I’m talking to the catgirl receptionist in the inn.

It was good to hear it from more than one side so we don’t get scammed – was what I was told. Ragnall, you’re really resisting the idea of this so much... it’s not just because of money, right?

“So what happened?”

“Fuuu... let’s see. Usually it’s just a matter of people who wandered off into the woods coming back weakened and in need of the Mana Pots, but recently, people have been disappearing a little too close to Warden’s Post.”

I have a flashback to the lifeless, inorganic corpses of the slaves underground back in Nyl City.

Although what was drained this time was mana instead of Light Magic, so perhaps they wouldn’t seem so... eerily lifeless.

“Is it definite that it’s demons?”

“It’s likely. Mana takes a long time to dissipate from a dead body, but after checking the bodies that have been found, there’s none left. Also...”

Here the receptionist’s voice dropped low.

“It seems like the bodies appeared to have been tortured. If that’s the case, this isn’t just about a demon who’s here for a ‘meal’, which is already bad enough.”

Un. It doesn’t sound good at all.

“I see... thanks for the information.”

“Of course! The wardens are offering a job to adventurers through the Guild to cooperate with them, so if you head over to HQ you can sign up. Or like, please sign up! Everyone’s getting too scared to leave their homes.”

The catgirl, Eloise, seems a little desperate.

Un. I feel a little detached from it because I haven’t seen anything happen yet, but just from Eloise’s reactions, I can see how feared demons are.

Before I leave, I suddenly remember,

“Ah, one more thing. What kind of gods are worshipped around here?”

“Gods, is it? Let’s see, there’s ...”

The catgirl receptionist tilts her head to one side, then gets a strange look on her face.

“... hm? That’s strange. Who were they again?”

<a/n: Thanks anonymous and Noppes for your donations!

Hm. Although demons and gods have no relation to one another in this world (except for propaganda), somehow both have come out in this chapter. Although they are two separate plotlines...

btw, I am someone who believes that demons are real in this world, and they’re too dangerous to treat lightly with rituals and witchery.

Cursed updated as well>

Some People get Really Irritable when Under Pressure. It’s Best to Avoid those People

Hm...

I left Woodrest awhile ago, but since it took so little time to talk to Eloise the catgirl receptionist, I can’t imagine Ragnall and Hibiki-chan are done with talking to the wardens at their headquarters.

It’s not like I didn’t go along with them because it sounded tedious, or because I actually wanted to explore Warden’s Post, un.

Fuu... it’s definitely a different world than Nyl City, here in Warden’s Post. Aside from the fact that there are trees and greenery everywhere you look, the air just feels ... richer. If I use Magic Sensory, I can see the magic power flitting off plants and flying up into the air.

What is this like... the ocean when plankton and stuff fill the air and it’s all murky, but all that murk is nutrients so other things thrive off it. That’s what it is; it feels like the air is more full of life here.

The air is also buzzing with the cycling of Light Magic. Ah. That’s why it feels so comfortable to me here...

By the way, magic power is being released into the air as free... particles? ... while Light Magic is just being released as an aura. But you know, even an aura has some effect... anyway, as a being who is made entirely of Light Magic, this place is comfortable.

It’s not like Nyl City was UNcomfortable, but it didn’t have nearly this kind of plant and animal life, even in the Labyrinth, that I didn’t go down into all that often.

Labyrinth flora and fauna aren’t made of Light Magic but just magic ... hm. It’s like, I guess the difference between homunculi and an actual person in Light Novels, if I had to try to explain it. Things that make Light Magic and things that are maneuvered strictly by magic; they’re similar, almost impossible to explain the differences, but at the base, they are certainly different.

For one, Labyrinth plants and animals cannot live long outside the Labyrinth. 2 months, at the longest (according to Lor).

Anyway, although I didn’t notice any bad feelings in Nyl City, when I came here, to this outpost in the woods, un. This is more comfortable after all.

Here in Warden’s Post, the biggest tree is home to the Warden’s HQ, while the second biggest one was the lobby of the inn, Woodrest.

Aside from that, of the main buildings, there’s the stables that’s built with two trees as the main posts, as well as a standalone building that’s a warehouse. And a place where it looks like they produce most of the arms in the town.

... I guess there’s no real need for a store in a place like this, since the Wardens kind of own everything, from what I can tell. If you need to buy something, you go to the Warden’s HQ to barter, or to talk to the small Guild kiosk stationed inside.

In that sense, it doesn’t really feel like a town.

However, because there are small cottages here and there among the trees (personal residences, looks like), you can’t say that there aren’t enough buildings to call it a town.

Well then, now that I’ve taken a quick glance around...

“Excuse me...”

Much of this building is open to the elements, but I guess with all the trees, there isn’t going to be much problem with rain.

I just want to take a peek inside, since you can just walk up and take a look inside, but if there are people around, then I’ll want to greet them and ask about using the facilities.

That’s right, I’m checking out the forge (like building).

It can’t be compared to Helward’s forge, of course, but despite being small, the facilities seem good. The feeling is ... un, like a good foundation of the basics without any fancy attachments? That kind of facility.

Inside, a gruff-looking beastkin is seated, working away with earmuffs on. Judging by his features... a wolf-type beastkin?

By the way, it’s not strange for beastkin to wear hearing protection in this world, when using things like grind-wheels or working around the forges. The clamor can get a bit too much for them, it seems.

Although I don’t think he can hear me, the beastkin still notices my approach and looks up.

After taking notice of who I was, well, more like, after noticing I wasn’t anyone he knew, he frowned and kind of snarled,

“If ye want to buy or get somethin’ repaired, head over to HQ. We don’t have no time to deal with ye here.”

“Yes, but you see...”

Uh... he’s so hostile. How do I deal with this.

Since I show no signs of leaving, the beastkin heaves a dramatic sigh, then slightly moves the ear muffs so one of his ears can wiggle out.

As I thought, he couldn’t hear me.

“WHAT.”

He says angrily, practically spitting it out.

“I was wondering about if you let people use the forge.”

“Ye can go ask that at HQ too.”

At his curt reply, I make a face.

“... Permission at that level isn’t the problem here. You’re busy, aren’t you?”

“If ye can understand that, then ye know that I ain’t got the time for bandying words with you. Yeah, that’s right, we got some freak thing going on, the wardens are patrolling more than usual, the monsters are out more than usual, an’ they got my usual helpers running other errands. There’s more work, less hands, and less time to do it in!”

The wolf(?) beastkin lets out a stressed yell as he tugged at the wild tufts of hair on his head.

Uwaa... somehow, I’m sorry.

“... I don’t suppose you could do with a hand?”

I say.

The wolf(?) beastkin lets out a huge sigh. His high, frenzied tension has dissipated somewhere. It seems like he just really wanted to complain. So is he the only smith – weapon, armor, and general blacksmith – in Warden’s Post? Thank you for your hard work.

“If I could, I would, but we ain’t just got money lying around, you know.”

He said, complaining.

Un, that’s also understandable.

“There’s compensation needed for using this place, right? Instead of a payment, help should work.”

I commented offhandedly.

The wolf(?) beastkin eyes me suspiciously.

“An’ exactly why are you so willing to help out? This ain’t just oddjobs, y’know. If ye help out, I’m going to use you for all ye got.”

Why... un, he probably won’t just accept that it’s because it’s my personality trait. We don’t know each other, after all.

“I’m getting rusty myself. It’s difficult to be a weaponsmith on a long journey.”

“Hooooh.... I see. A person who aspires to walk the path of the smith. If ye want to do it seriously, ye should settle down at a forge for several years and be an apprentice. Well, fine then. I’m in a tough spot, so I’m gonna use ye hard! You can at least sharpen swords, right?”

I’m not really looking to be an apprentice, but ... un. I did more forging than sharpening, or like, I only sharpened blades the bare minimum, but, let’s see, this will be good practice.

Back in Japan, there were whole houses that made a name for themselves with sharpening technique. To sharpen the blade without damaging the patterned grain on the sword – that is something that takes years of study and many cut fingers.

But truthfully, if you don’t have a fancy blade, western or eastern style, normal sharpening like sharpening a common kitchen knife is enough.

After all, if you have a blade that must be used practically in your life, to keep the edge sharp is more important than aesthetics and value. And this world is that kind of world.

That said, with magic ores and alloys, exquisite sharpening technique becomes elevated from preserving the integrity of a sword, to enhancing the swords performance.

How?

Un, well, for starters, there’s preserving the integrity of the edge of a magic sword. Haphazard sharpening can ‘dull’ the edge, when it comes to being able to channel magic through it. Like... when you bend a straw, although water can still flow, it just doesn’t go through as good.

There are other effects that are unique to certain types of magic ores and alloys that are dependent on the way they are sharpened, and according to Helward, there are also ways of manufacturing magic swords that can be damaged by improper sharpening

But, just like a non-magic blade, if it’s between sharpening so that the magic effect is lessened or not sharpening at all, of course you should sharpen your blade.

The effects of improper sharpening are really only noticeable if you’re a skilled magic swordsman, and if you’re a skilled magic swordsman, chances are you have a magic sword that’s worth enough that you would take the effort to learn how to properly maintain its every detail.

ANYWAY, what I’m trying to say is, although the swords that need sharpening here aren’t the kind that require specialized sharpening techniques, there’s no problem if I just take this opportunity to focus solely on this aspect of a blade.

Although, from how the wolf(?) beastkin was talking, I feel like as long as they’re sharp, he’s not going to care how good of a job I do... maa, I just want to take a look at the swords in this area.

Because most of the people here are Wardens, they’re all armed with similar equipment. The swords are ... un. How should I explain it... like a Chinese sabre with its flared end? Although the hilt is more subtle.

They’re also emitting what I can only describe as a ‘green’ magic... I haven’t seen that before, so I’d like to have a closer look.

Un, I’m fine with sharpening swords!

Hoooh... seeing this sword out of the sheath, it’s only very slight, but this beautiful pearly silver color is ... there’s moonstone and mithril? Ah, though it’s mostly steel.

Un, all of the swords are like this, so I wonder if this alloy is named... but the short-tempered wolf(?) beastkin has put his earmuffs back on and shut me out.

Guess I’ll just get to work.

I’m not familiar with this exact alloy, but alloys with moonstone added don’t do great well with a larger-grit file, and it definitely needs to be lubricated ... un. The only stones I see are finer-grit, and there’s a sweet smelling oil there.

I guess since the items are prepared to be exact, even a novice can’t screw it up too badly as long as they know the basics of sharpening a knife.

Zzzk zzk zzk

Ah, I guess for people with sharp hearing, this kind of high-pitched rasping noise WOULD be painful. Although I knew it before, somehow it only just now dawned on me why the wolf(?) beastkin has the earmuffs on.

Hm, compared to forging, sharpening feels less engaging, especially when you have to do so many. But, maa, there’s definitely a sense of satisfaction when you finish.

Because I can fine-tune the angle and spot the uneven bits at an almost microscopic level with my neutral crafting magic, it doesn’t take me long and I soon run out of swords.

Which means, all the swords in the forge are sharpened.

The wolf(?) beastkin reaches out for another one (his 5th since I’ve been here), but when his hand catches empty air, he looks up in confusion.

“EH?!”

He snatches his earmuffs off, letting them dangle on his wrist, and looks around wildly.

“You, ye know that it doesn’t matter if ye do it fast if it ain’t done right?! There ain’t no point in working faster!”

He gripped the sword, yanked it out, and glared at the edge. Slowly the anger fades away from his face.

“Ah, no. I see. I underestimated you.”

He glanced over at me, actually looking me over instead of the initial look he gave me before, which was only to determine whether he knew me or not.

“Un, well, it doesn’t make any sense to work faster than I can, but it also doesn’t make any sense to work slower than I can, right?”

I say.

I waited until after he checked the swords to say that, because it can only sound like some upstart’s foolish pride if I said it before he could confirm that I had, in fact, done a proper job.

The wolf(?) beastkin let a huge grin spread over his face.

Oooh, his tail is wagging fast now. I guess he’s pleased.

“Wahaha! Oh, I did have good fortune today, after all! I had to repair all the armors by myself, so regular maintenance was delayed. I was really troubled about how I’d get stuff done before ye came along! Ah, excuse me, let me get you some tea.”

So that’s how it is.

A much happier wolf(?) beastkin went to a corner of the forge area and puts the kettle on.

Of course, he’s putting the kettle on the FORGE... ma, whatever.

Fumu. Tea is pretty ubiquitous in this world... although Nyl City did prefer fruit juice-type drinks, boiling herbs in hot water for health and taste is in common practice.

Although tea leaves are rare and expensive, at least in Nyl City, so it’s usually herbal tea.

“Sorry for just assumin’ you were an apprentice. Young lads like ye always think they’re more than they are, so I just assumed.”

“No, no, it’s okay. Things seem hectic, and it looks like no one else maintains their own equipment.”

“Ye got that right! Gah, even though I told them it would be better to do their own maintenance... well, it’s just the young runts that just joined the Wardens who don’t do it. Even though it’s the standard issue sword, ye think they’d still treat their partners better.”

Fumu fumu. I can appreciate this guy’s way of thought.

“Speaking of, my I ask if that metal has a name? I haven’t seen that exact mix of materials before.”

The wolf(?) beastkin raises his eyebrows as he pours water from the kettle into clay mugs.

“Hoooh... ye noticed. So yer a swordsmith, was that it?”

“Well... yes.”

“Hmph. That’s my own special blend of moonstone, mithril and steel. I call it brightsteel.“

I understand the naming convention, since it’s mostly steel and the luster of the moonstone amplifies the sheen, but ... isn’t it a bit simplistic?

“I see. I’m curious as to why moonstone was added. It can’t be just because of the sheen. Even though there’s only a little bit, it should still affect the structure ... no, that’s why you avoided a straight blade.”

The wolf(?) beastkin looked at me in amazement as he handed over the mug of tea.

Oh, it’s the style where you just put the herbs in the bottom and pour water right over the top – in other words, the lazy man’s way of brewing tea. Well, the herbs are edible, after all...

“You can tell that much... well, yeah, it did take me a long time to perfect the blend... but ye know, the elves love them their magic swords. The problem is, the Wardens aren’t exactly known for their deep pockets, if ye know what I mean.”

“I see... so the moonstone can amplify the effects of the mithril in steel?”

“Hm... oh, what the heck. Not just that, but it makes the feel of mithril in the alloy smoother.”

Um... I see. Moonstone does help smooth in alloys where the metals don’t really like to mix, but because it also adds a foreign, non-metallic substance, it will also become more brittle. It must have taken this wolf(?) beastkin a long time to reach the ideal proportion of ‘smoothness’ versus ‘brittleness’.

By the way, the moonstone in this world is a little different from the moonstone in my old world. Most of the properties of the gems are different, I guess because of the addition of magical properties.

“I see, so you can produce high quality magic swords for lower cost. It was a good design. I have learned a lot just by seeing it.”

The wolf(?) beastkin laughed at my words.

“Wahaha, I suppose I should have realized you already knew about the moonstone, seeing as ye took care not to add too much more stress to the blades when ye sharpened them. Ah, yeah, as you might have suspected, I do have to replace them more than normal steel swords, but what can ye do. Anyway, ye bought me a few hours today, so I’m grateful.”

He finished with a half-complaint, and then his thanks.

“Oi, you. What happened to coming with me to talk to the Wardens at HQ?”

“Oooh, Ragnall. You’re done already? I thought it would take longer, so I took my time.”

... Actually, I kind of forgot. Tehe.

<a/n: Thanks anonymous and Ashthrack for your donations!

Sorry for the delay. House projects interspersed between writing sessions made me lose track of how much had happened in this chapter, so I got confused. There is another Cursed chapter>

Some people just have a ideas that are too advanced for mere mortals to understand; but I wonder how many of those ideas actually succeed

Ragnall has a tense smile on his face.

“So while we were doing work, you were playing truant here.”

“Hm? That’s rude. I was definitely working while helping in the forge ...”

“Which is basically playing, for you.”

That last bit was Hibiki. Grinning cheekily.

She’s starting to have a personality like a cheeky younger sister. If she didn’t have that kind of modified body, I wonder if she would have appealed to those that like them younger. Not the lolicon crowd, but the ones into just-barely-still-juveniles ... she said she was actually just about to take her high school exams, so I guess technically she’d still be a middle schooler.

But when she said she was a high-schooler, I didn’t question it because her body was well-developed in this world.

“Anyway, I managed to negotiate with them so we can work independently.”

Ragnall looks tired.

“Ah... good job? You’ve worked hard.”

I hand over my tea cup, and Ragnall just grimaces before he gulps the rest of it down.

Oh, amazing, he drained off all the herbs in the bottom too.

“Hm? That man there ... is the White Demon?!”

Ah... is that going to be a problem – I guess not. The wolf(?) beastkin’s tail is wagging.

“I’m amazed you’re still working here, Trelzt. And don’t call me that.”

“No, well... Sword! Can I see your latest sword forged by Helward-sama, please?!”

Ah. That’s right. Ragnall goes through swords like they’re disposable chopsticks sometimes... Anyway, it seems like this wolf(?) beastkin’s name is Trelzt, and he at least knows of Ragnall’s reputation.

“Well... I don’t mind, but you were working with a master bladesmith approved by Helward himself, you know? Isn’t that more important?”

Ragnall said while unhitching his sword and handing it over.

Oi oi, is it okay to just hand something that’s supposed to be your cherished partner over so easily? That’s one thing that annoys me about Ragnall. Daggers are consumables, and swords are damaged way too easily; even if they aren’t going to be your lifetime partners, I’d like you to treat them with more care...

Ma, this wolf(?) beastkin seems trustworthy enough as a smith, and it sounds like they have some history, so I guess it’s best to just not mind it.

Trelzt looks at Ragnall with wide eyes, then at me, then back at Ragnall.

“Eh?! This lad is?!”

“-Pu! He called Jun ‘lad’!”

Hibiki-chan giggled.

Oh, come to think of it, he did, didn’t he?

“I’m surprised. You’re the first person to (accurately) guess that.”

I mumbled the (accurately) part really really softly.

Trelzt slowly turned red in the face as he realized his mistake(?).

“Oh, I’m so embarrassed... although your scent was vaguely female, your aura was something not feminine. We get some people with deep-elf blood sometimes, so I gotta be careful with my assumptions, y’know.”

No, you still made an assumption... maa, I don’t really care either way, but you were the first person to assume I was a guy.

...Hm? Should I be happy about that or upset?

Somehow, the less I’ve started caring about being identified as a girl, the more I’ve become confused about how I should feel about it. Although this time is the opposite from the other times.

“I know, I know what you mean, Trelzt. I forget she’s a girl all the time.”

Mu. I think I’m insulted by that one. Because I feel like Ragnall’s saying it to be slightly insulting on purpose.

After Trelzt worshipped Ragnall’s sword (it was kind of creepy), and then made me promise to come back to the forge later, it was time for business.

Or rather, it was time for Ragnall and Hibiki-chan to brief me about what happened at the Wardens HQ.

It was also time for an early lunch. Since we had been traveling overnight, it makes sense that we’re hungry now.

Since we’re now moving separately from Orvowel and his assistant, we just go ahead and eat in the inn’s eatery without looking for them.

“Well, it was annoying, but I managed to negotiate so that we’re moving independently from the Wardens. We’re basically going to be doing a standard Guild quest for investigation.”

Ragnall said.

“I see. I get that it’s beneficial, but tell me why.”

I’ve gotten better at asking questions in the 2+ months I’ve been here. Yay~.

“If we move with the Wardens, it will be something like becoming part of a squadron. I don’t really like that kind of work; it’s why I quit being a merc. By taking it through the quest, we’re guaranteed of payment even if we don’t find anything important, so we won’t waste any work.”

“I see... un. It may be preferable to avoid becoming part of a squadron. It will make it easier to leave if we can’t find anything. It would suck to be stuck here for months.”

I said, after thinking it over.

“Right. They weren’t happy about it, but, well, we’re adventurers not soldiers, so they’ll just have to deal with it.”

Ragnall gulped down his ale as he finished his statement.

I guess we’re not going out right away, since he’s drinking.

Hibiki-chan delicately sipped on her water, then said,

“It was a little weird in there... it was really tense, and I didn’t really like how some of them were looking at us.”

“Sorry, that’s probably my fault.”

Ragnall admitted with a scowl.

“Well, others were also looking like they met a big celebrity, so it was just all kinds of weird.”

Hibiki-chan quickly said.

Un... I wondered about that.  Ragnall’s more or less famous. But,

“It wasn’t because you’re... you know, part...”

“Nah. Although some of the more sensitive elves can tell, most people don’t know it. Just young ones thinking I’ll take their glory, or others who heard about stuff I’ve done, I bet.”

Young ones... you’re not that old yourself, Ragnall.

“So, I know Jun’s fine, but we’re not going to go out right away, are we? I’m tired.”

Hibiki-chan said, stifling a yawn.

“No, only Jun can just keep going without sleeping. I bet Orvowel and Leimon are napping, too. I say we start at dusk. It’s a dangerous hour to head out, but I think we can handle it.”

Ragnall said.

How rude. You two are treating me like some kind of freak.

We finish our meal in silence, and as we were sitting around, digesting,

“It’s worrying.”

To Ragnall’s mutter, I asked,

“What is?”

“This situation is. Did you hear that the victims were all mangled and drained when they were found?”

Un, I did, from Eloise.

When I nodded, Ragnall continued.

“Normally, when there’s major demon activity to be concerned about, they’re dragging people back to be their mana-cattle. Killing and torturing people outright ... well, what do you think?”

I rest my chin on my hands and think about it.

“Un. Sounds like they’re planning to invade. And not in the clever way.”

I finally say.

“Eh? What do you mean?”

Hibiki-chan asks.

“Like... a bandits trying to take over a village template; it’s that kind of feeling.”

I explained.

“Ah... I understand now.”

As expected, she understood with just that.

“... I’m not sure what you two are on about, but as you can see, it’s kind of bad. If it’s not stopped, there could be a war between Orelia and Arcene. When you think about how all the countries on Orelia are all fighting with each other, and the fact that you can’t really predict where the Boundary will be breached, it’s not a good deal.”

Well, we’re not really sure it’s demons, even, so I think it’s a little too early to be worrying about war.

◇◇◇

“Since Nyl City is an undesirable place for most countries, it is also the safest place to establish our base without any interference.”

“Even so, there’s still no question that Nyl City isn’t a good place to cultivate medicinal plants.”

“But it is a good place for minerals and gems. And I have an interest in how some of the industries here can help us.”

“Hm...”

It was in a small conference room in Nyl City’s Guild Hall where this conversation was taking place.

Although the only two people in it were Lor and Seimei.

All across the conference tables and desks were maps, papers, and property blueprints. That was why they borrowed the room.

Despite Seimei having a moderately nice house in Nyl City, it was still cramped and didn’t have enough room to spread everything out to look at. That’s how houses in this type of mountainous city are.

Seimei and Lor were discussing logistics.

It was all because Seimei’s plans were bigger than Lor could ever have dreamed of.

Medical instruction, tools, cultivation of materials, data organization – Lor couldn’t help but feel that this kind of knowledge, even though it might just be surface knowledge, this kind of knowledge was the crystallization of hundreds, maybe thousands, of years of research.

Compared to that...

Here, our people are only concerned with making life luxurious while they’re alive. It’s shameful, this feeling like he’s stooping to our level and trying to forcibly raise our level of medical knowledge to a level he finds satisfactory.

Lor kept those kinds of thoughts to himself.

It wasn’t like surgery was COMPLETELY unheard of, but few people would cut new wounds into a body. If you were going to do something like that it’s usually an amputation, when the whole limb is lost, to keep the rot from spreading.

When Seimei matter-of-factly talked about cutting someone open to fix something within, like just casually opening up a magic tool to correct a circuit, Lor felt his jaw drop in surprise.

Why would you further damage someone?! And blood vessels – although he hadn’t heard such a concrete theory about them before, but what do you mean about sewing them together?!

Lor felt like his brain was constantly about to collapse under the ideas Seimei was introducing him to.

He had never felt more relieved when Seimei concluded his treatise on surgeries with,

“Well, there are surgeries an amateur can’t do, so we should focus on things like bone-setting and foreign object removal at first. And consumable medicines. The mana diseases worry me, and for that I think you would be more well-read on those.”

“Yes, well, it is definitely impossible to implement everything that Sir Seimei has thought of all at once...”

The things that Lor wanted to get started on right away was non-magic anesthetic, disinfectant, and pills. There were some herbal medications, but carrying powder was a pain, and not everyone could afford the magic-based alternatives.

Not to mention, magic effects are easily corrupted when the caster is no longer present, and magic treatments used simultaneously would often times interfere with each other. Magic poisoning, different from Ragnall’s mana poisoning, was all too common, and turned many people away from any but the most urgent medical treatment.

To be frank, if it wasn’t Light Magic, most magic used for medical ventures often had side effects that couldn’t be ignored, and the magic power consumption was too grave for the average magician. For anesthesia, nobles might require 2-3 mages to continuously cast <Numb>, one after another, to be able to make it for 30 minutes.

Although Lor had his suspicions about Seimei’s magic pool... well, whatever the case, Lor had a strong interest in making many things non-magical.

But what greatly fascinated Lor was this ‘Chemistry’ that Seimei talked about.

Breaking down substances; this was what alchemists only briefly entertained. To go from something that seemed like it was all made of one thing, but being able to divide it further... Even though he didn’t understand everything about it, Lor knew instinctively that this kind of knowledge had the potential to save lives.

But, anyway, the current discussion had nothing to do with that.

It was a discussion about where to build their first base for research.

In front of them was a map of Nyl City, marked with the places that Seimei was considering buying.

It’s just...

Before anything else, we should work to improve on the supply of things that we will need. The greatest concern is securing ingredients – Side Lor.

Before anything else, we should secure a place where research can prosper. The greatest concern is stability and availability of skilled people – Side Seimei.

For side Lor, Nyl City is an inconvenient place because of the limitations of medicinal herbs. Even in the Labyrinth, you can only find them on the 2nd and 7th level. Compared to other Labyrinths, Nyl Labyrinth had the worst herb concentration. Although that’s not saying too much, since all the other Labyrinths overflowed with flora on all levels. Nyl Labyrinth was truly a mineral paradise, not a vegetation one. Lor was eager to establish a base that could research the cultivation of many medicinal herbs that were as of yet difficult for people to produce. This was why many medicines were so expensive.

For side Seimei, Nyl City is the best place. Countries were far more interested in the other Labyrinths full of riches and wider varieties of resources, and the terrain made sieging the city difficult at best. Nyl was the only Labyrinth-based Unaffiliated territory where a country, Carnus, was allowed to establish its presence. Coincidentally, Seimei was allied with Carnus. Furthermore, many researchers, like Lor, would come to this relative place of safety to do their research. In fact, Lor often traveled between Tren City and Nyl City for this reason.

There’s also the matter with the glass artisans... but this was something Seimei had yet to discuss with the glass workers themselves, so he refrained from talking about it to Lor. Since glass had a bad reputation.

“It seems we’ll have to have a branch here and a branch there...”

Seimei mused.

Seimei, a business elite, was used to an idea like that.

Lor, a poor researcher, was not.

“That’s right... with my current capital I can purchase one of these four places and have remodeling done. You were saying we should investigate a location in Tren... Fine. The others of my house will be visiting Nyl soon, so they can house sit for a couple months. We will go to Tren.”

Lor found himself gaping.

“Nonono, if you’re not going to use it right away, there’s no need to buy it! At least, not such a big plot! That will use up all your money, right?”

Seimei laughed confidently.

“It’s an investment, an investment. If you buy one part, then go to buy the other part later, it’s easier for the landowner to raise the price.”

“That’s... no, that’s true, I have heard of people doing that...”

“Such an extravagant purchase, with a large-scale remodeling rumored to be a research facility... other solo researchers like you would be drawn in, no? I suppose personnel screening would be an issue then... ma, it’s better to cast a wide net. Since it’s Nyl City, the benefits of those rumors would outweigh the demerits. A facility not within Carnus, but moderately within Carnus’ reach... it could be better, but I think it should suffice.”

Lor’s head hurt. It wasn’t just Jun; all of her countrymen were crazy.

He complained for the sake of his common sense.

“Even so, there’s still the problem that all of the renovations and land purchases will use almost all of your personal money. I doubt borrowing from Carnus will go well; you’ll need an escort to go to Tren, and when dealing with those who cultivate the libalm, you’ll need a sizable amount of money as well...”

Seimei smiled. Lor was starting to have chills whenever he smiled.

“I just registered as an adventurer. There will be no problems on that end.”

Although he had let Jun take almost all of the materials from their blitz through the Water Corridor, it wasn’t just because Seimei was being altruistic, or because she was making him and all the other gamers near-legendary equipment for free. He was a businessman, after all.

No, he let go of that potential gold mine without batting an eye because he was confident that he could raise that much again without any trouble at all.

The business mind of an elite business man from Japan had met with the freedom of raising capitol as a fantasy adventurer.

It was a way of thinking that Lor couldn’t ever hope to emulate.

<a/n: Thank you Raist and SilverWolfCurse for your donations!

Umu. Here is the part of the story where I planned Seimei’s side of the story more diligently than Jun’s and just thought, Oh, I’ll figure it out when I get to it. Well, I’m here. Brain, think fast.

Maa, I say that, but I do have a vague outline... haa. Past self, work harder next time.

Well, without Seimei’s story, it’s questionable if I would have ever bothered fixing the ruin of a story that eventually became wfb, because it helped a LOT with world building.

(And gendbending the MC helped me want to write it, since I wanted to explore the trope from the pov of a more or less asexual character)

Fun fact: My initial vers of wfb was based on Konjiki Moji no Tsukai for a NaNoWriMo challenge (it was supposed to be a write-then-trash story done purely for practice since I hadn’t written in years, and then I was going to delete it, so I didn’t care about stealing ideas at the time. It was called Flower Blades.)

The Jun character was an actual girl called Akane, and she was supposed to be haughty and arrogant. Unfortunately, she went past haughty and arrogant and just turned into a horrible human being. She didn’t act like a Queen or a bitch (which, honestly, would have been much better and far more entertaining), but just threw tantrums the entire time like a 5-year-old with social disorders. I actually started hating her as a person.

And with an obsession for forging and disposition to ignore everything that didn’t interest her, as well as a distaste for troublesome things like traveling ... the story went nowhere. At all. She just wanted to be in the forge 24/7.

Also, the world-build was ... mumble mumble ... non-existent, so there were a lot of problems... but anyway, the main character didn’t help me want to make it better.

But that’s why Hibiki’s character was so difficult to nail down. Her initial timid-but-capable-in-tough-spots personality was supposed to be a foil to that Akane character, and actually make the story... go... somewhere.

(I will say the yuri was stronger with that pair, but, maa, if the story tanked 10 chaps in, what can ya do.) At least that kind of transition from timid to not is pretty realistic for what she ended up going through in wfb, so I don’t see any need to worry about it too much. Or like, I think it would have been harder to pull it off if I consciously tried to write the transition in...

Btw, Masaki was initially the stupid Hero that gets misled the entire time... kukuku. He’s in a much better place now. Ragnall had a more noble feel to him, but was generally the same. Aside from that, all the other characters are original to the wfb version.

Sometimes I wonder if you can even say those two stories are related, they’re so different...

Anyway, this is why I don’t do NaNoWriMo anymore. I hate writing stories that go nowhere fast.

And there is a new cursed chapter>

Chapters with a lot of random stuff happening is hard to come up with titles for

My nodachi won’t be much use, but I examine it anyway.

Un. Good.

Katana v3, and several tantos...

Clean, sharp, and ready to go.

As for other supplies, I still have bandages, ointments, and water ready to ... actually, because I have Inventory, is there really a worry that I wasn’t able to bring something?

Although that doesn’t help if I’m short-sighted and didn’t put something we needed IN to Inventory, but since we’ve been traveling dangerous roads, I already have a lot of stuff that we will need for investigating the area around Warden’s Post.

Ah, I guess it’s still good to investigate the condition of the stuff we might need. Even if my Inventory has time stop, the moment when you need something is a horrible time to realize it got partially destroyed the last time you took it out.

I quietly stow the rest of the things I was inspecting. Quietly because I’m in the small room Hibiki-chan and I are staying in, and Hibiki-chan is sleeping.

Un, even though I’m not really tired, maybe I’ll take the time to get an hour or two of rest –

Just when I thought that, I hear some sniffling coming from the other side of the room.

Was I imagining it?

I listen carefully.

Un. Hibiki-chan’s breathing has changed from sleeping to awake.

Did she have a nightmare?

I wait a few moments before I half-whisper,

“Hibiki-chan?”

“!”

As expected, I startled her.

“Is everything ok?”

“Y-yeah...”

That’s very unconvincing.

“Did you have a bad dream?”

I ask.

Sometimes I feel like I’m coaxing a kitten, when it comes to Hibiki-chan.

“... I thought I was at home. Mom got mad at me for skipping cram school, but then I woke up...”

Hibiki-chan’s voice got a little choked up, so she turned her face into her pillow for a few seconds.

I suspect these are recurring dreams.

Although I don’t usually say anything, I’ve noticed that there were times when she’d wake up a little in the night. But usually she doesn’t cry this much. I always ignored it for her sake, since Hibiki-chan avoided talking about it and always put on a cheerful face, but I’m at my limit of ignoring it.

I hesitate a bit. I’m not exactly sure of what the best thing to say is, but since I’ve stopped pretending not to see, I’d better see it through.

“I see. Your mom was a good mom, huh?”

Hibiki-chan nodded into her pillow.

“Was the high school you wanted to get into hard?”

She nodded again

“Did it have cute uniforms?”

“... they were okay.”

Heh. Well, it’s probably a good school, at least.

Let’s see. Masaki and I were 2nd years, but, un. The middle school 3rd years were probably about to take their high school entrance exams when we were transported. They were so close to being high schoolers, huh?

While I was thinking things like that, Hibiki-chan started to speak. It was like her words began to tumble over each other as they spilled out of her mouth.

“I wanted to go to high school. I wanted to make new friends, find a senpai I had a crush on, or get a boyfriend. I wanted to wear the school uniforms, and forget to make lunch and have to go buy something. I wanted to stay out late, and get into fights with my dad about dating someone. I haven’t even made up with my big brother because he ate my pudding.”

Although she’s not crying hysterically, tears continue to leak out from her tightly closed eyes.

I got up softly and sat on the edge of her bed, gently stroking her head.

I don’t have anything to say to that. I feel like I can’t say anything.

We’ll find a way home or you’ll be able to live well here too. Anything like that feels like it would only be false hopes or denying her feelings.

Hibiki-chan cries silently for a little longer before she calms down and says,

“Jun, I’m jealous of you. You’re able to deal with everything like it’s no big deal. The way you act, it wouldn’t be weird even back in Japan. You even changed genders and you act like it’s fine. Even though my body just changed in some dimensions, I keep getting weirded out by my height and chest. You’re so strong.”

Nonono. Let’s correct that misunderstanding.

“Ah... Hibiki-chan? In this situation, I shouldn’t be admired, you know? It’s not that I’m strong or anything. I just don’t care.”

Oh, I shocked her a little.

“... You don’t care? That we’re thrown into some kind of other world, and we can’t get home?”

“I don’t care.”

It seems like she’s not sure how to process that.

“So... yeah. I’ve always been the type that just ignores things I can’t do anything about, but I don’t really think that’s a good thing. It’s something that kind of bothers me. How should I say it... I’m abnormal and heartless, and maybe a lot selfish. At first, I didn’t even think about how my friends and relatives would feel. Like, I kind of forgot about them. I think Hibiki-chan has a healthier outlook. Even though you regret a lot of things, you’re still working hard to make it in this world. It’s better than me who’s mindlessly going out to play.”

It actually doesn’t bother me that much, but it DOES bother me a little that I can just light-heartedly live in this world. And I DO think Hibiki-chan is doing really well, for an almost-high-schooler who got enslaved for two months in another world without any warning, and now must kill dangerous animals for a living.

Having those kinds of thoughts about home are normal.

I’m the one who’s abnormal, Hibiki-chan.

“... *sniff* Then, it’s okay to think about home? Even while I’m trying to accept living in this world?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“...Un.”

I stay sitting there, patting her head, until Hibiki-chan falls asleep.

Sleep well.

◇◇◇

Dusk has just fallen when we go to meet Ragnall back down in the lobby.

As we head down the wooden, rustic spiral staircase I glance at Hibiki-chan.

Her expression seems lighter.

Even though I’m only 2 years older than her, I didn’t think she’d be worrying about that kind of childish stuff, like whether feeling upset is a sign of weakness or not.

...No, that’s not just worries that a child would have.

Either way, I wish I had noticed sooner.

“Oh, the two of you are already awake. Ok. Let’s discuss what we have to do over a quick dinner. Order something light; we’ll probably also eat when we get back.”

Calling out, Ragnall waves us over.

Fuu-n. He said he doesn’t like being in charge, but he’s doing pretty good as our team leader. Well, the other two of us are out-of-worlders with no common sense, so it’s more like he HAS to be team leader...

We ordered soups and sandwiches, and I’m amazed as Hibiki-chan devours hers in an instant.

I think crying might have made her hungry. Or maybe it was the mental growth. I’m not aware that there ISN’T any correlation between mental activity and physical sustenance, anyway.

“So what’s the plan?”

I ask Ragnall, as he’s dipping his bread in his soup.

“Right. Since –“

Before he could finish, the doors to the inn opened, and a Scandinavian female body-builder – er, I mean the elf warden Toal walked in, looking around anxiously. As soon as she spots us, she walks quickly over.

As expected. Somehow I knew she was looking for us.

“I’m so glad you are here! Please excuse me, there was an emergency request, so I came to find you immediately!”

Heh... I suspect her “you” refers to Ragnall.

She’s been making sparkling eyes at him since we first met.

A fangirl?

Even though Ragnall has two girls with him, she’s still completely starstruck.

Not that any of us are with any of the other, but still.

Isn’t this the kind of treatment that famous actors would get?

Nn... I knew Ragnall was kind of famous, but to this extent?

Although he seems uncomfortable, so maybe this isn’t common.

“...Alright, well, first, what is the emergency?”

I asked, to move the conversation along.

“...Ah! Yes, um, well, we just received word that there was a Parliament surveyor that should have arrived here two days ago, along with his escort. A young Lord and various higher-ranked knights appear to have been with him too.”

Toal said.

Ragnall frowned.

“A few days’ worth of tardiness shouldn’t be something Inouria should freak out about. It’s about a two weeks’ trip, and a surveyor is gonna take longer.”

Toal nodded eagerly.

“I agree, but with circumstances how they are right now, the Chief Warden and Squad Leaders are kind of anxious.”

“Hm. So? What does that have to do with us?”

Nn. I think it’s obvious what they want with us, but I will leave Ragnall to the negotiations, I guess.

“We’d like you to cooperate in searching for them. Of course there will be an extra reward through the Guild.”

“Is that reward negotiable?”

... Ragnall...

“Um... uh... yes? I’m sure they could do something about it...”

That’s not convincing at all.

Ragnall sighs, but since it’s not much more work than what we were already doing, he doesn’t make a fuss and just agrees.

“We were just about to head out now anyway, so it’s not a big deal if we make searching for the surveyor our priority.”

He looks at as to confirm, but, maa, there’s no real reason for us to refuse.

Or like, he knows Hibiki-chan and I are likely to agree.

“You were heading out now? At dusk? I mean, I know you have experience, but...”

Toal looks doubtfully at me and Hibiki-chan.

Un. Hibiki-chan has gone on night hunts, though, with Niera and the others.

“Let me think. The only one who hasn’t done a night hunt is Jun... so none of us will have any problems.”

Ragnall said.

Of course he’s dead serious.

Since I’m the one with the best detection skills in the group.

Toal has a kind of confused look on her face.

Don’t worry about it too much.

After a little bit more back and forth, another warden, a cat-ish beastkin, comes barging in.

Bang.

“Toal, what’s taking you so long?!”

“Oh, uh, sorry...”

“Good grief, in this kind of emergency...”

Reluctantly, Toal stands and follows him out.

As we watched her go...

“She seems to admire you a lot.”

I commented kind of off-handedly.

Ragnall scratched the back of his head.

“I don’t get it. All it was, was that I was part of a skilled merc group, and was a stupid kid who’d run in head-first and almost get killed if sheer luck hadn’t come along first. It’s not like that’s anything worth being praised about, but then you get people like that.”

“Hmm...”

He’s not just saying it to be humble; Ragnall honestly doesn’t get his fans.

Well, I don’t really understand what his reputation’s like, so I can’t say much.

I make a mental note to buy Toal drinks later so I can hear about some things that will embarrass him. But first...

“... So, are you going to date her?”

“HAH?!”

“Pft!”

Hibiki-chan almost spit as she tried to conceal her laughter.

“You...”

“Owowow!”

It’s been a while since someone’s ground their knuckles into the sides of my head.

Although I’m saying ‘ow’, it’s not like it really hurts, but it’s no fun to not just go along with it, right?

“Jeez, Ragnall, if it weren’t me, that would be really painful.”

“Like I care. What the heck are you thinking?”

“No, well, people with famous reputations can get girls easily, right? You should take advantage of it. She doesn’t look like she’d mind...?”

Although I’m not really a good judge about this kind of thing.

Ragnall snorts.

“So YOU’RE the type to go after any girl you can, then?”

“Hey, this isn’t about me.”

“And exactly what kind of person do you see me as?”

“...”

I look away.

“...Hey. Well, whatever. Let’s see... I don’t think it’s a good idea to split up tonight, since we’re all not used to the area. I’d be worried if Hibiki-chan moves alone, since this is the first time she’s hunted in a wooded area where the visibility isn’t that great, too. Although the efficiency goes down, I think that’s the best idea. How about it?”

Ragnall recovers too fast. If it was Masaki... un. He’d just freak out. It’s a little lonely.

“Ou. Although this is my first time too?”

I reply.

“No, when we ended up fighting the python we were in the forest on the 2nd level?”

“Ah.”

I had forgotten about that. Well, he’s right that I won’t have much trouble; with Augment Body I can detect things pretty easily.

“So then, that’s that?’

Hibiki-chan asked.

“Yeah, I guess... Eloise-san! We’re done over here!”

I call over Woodrest’s receptionist, who is also doubling as the hostess for the eatery.

“Oka~y! Table 4 is ready to be cleaned!”

Eloise called in the direction of the kitchen.

Ragnall, Hibiki-chan, and I stood up as the eatery’s staff came in to clear our table.

“We don’t need to make any fancy preparations for this?”

I ask as we head out the door.

“Yeah. Normally we’d need light-stones or something, but that’s unnecessary with this group. We also aren’t going to go too far out, so we don’t need food or shelter or anything.”

Ragnall replied.

Is that how it works?

◇◇◇

“See or hear anything, Jun?”

Ragnall called up.

I am currently up in a tree.

“No. Nothing urgent, anyway.”

But really, the trees and foliage dampen the sounds I can hear, not to mention how they obstruct my line of sight.

It’s not like it’s to the point where it would be a problem, but it’s just kind of eerie, compared to the mountainous terrain of Nyl City, where sounds carried easily with an echo.

I slide down the tree, leaping off a lower branch, and land lightly on the ground.

“Well, I didn’t see anything like suspicious activity, but there were some clearings in the trees. Are there ruins in this forest? So close to Warden’s Post?”

I asked.

“Hm. Yeah, the forest grows pretty fast, and in this area, the tree elves are pretty nomadic. They’ll stay in an area for 600 to 1200 moons, about, and then move on. If there’s no one tending to it, their tree-houses merge into part of the forest in just a few hundred moons, so they’re actually not that old.”

No, I think several decades is still a long time to us humans... but I understand. It’s not centuries old.

That is quick, for a city or town to turn into ruins in just a few decades.

“So then, Warden’s Post is also in danger of being overrun?”

I ask.

Hibiki-chan makes a “now that you mention it” look.

“Nah. It’s the tree elves’ way of making towns. Some weird magic that makes the trees bend and grow in the way they want them too... Well, don’t ask me how it works. Anyway, Warden’s Post will take a little longer to disappear.”

“Although it might be in the same timeframe, according to the elves.”

I said off-handedly.

Ragnall shrugs.

“Maybe.”

“...I kind of want to see what they look like.”

Hibiki-chan’s eyes are sparkling.

Un. I bet I know what she’s expecting... like a certain movie with golden trees and an entire elven city up on platforms.

I don’t think it will be what she’s expecting, but to help support her I say,

“It would be likely that anyone stalking the people who come into and out of Warden’s Post might be camped out in one of the ruins out here.”

“Hm.”

Ragnall scratches the back of his head as he thinks about it.

“...Yeah, alright. The residual magic there is a little uncomfortable for me, but it probably wouldn’t bother an actual demon, if one is there.”

Hm. I guess Ragnall’s magic power “allergy” isn’t actually a trait of normal demons. Well, yeah, when I went poking around in there, I could tell that there was some weird mix of traits regarding magic. It’s just the result where only part of human or demon traits were included, so things that came in didn’t go out, or things that should have been made weren’t.

“Is the residual magic there that powerful?”

I ask.

“Nah. How should I say it... tree elf magic is kind of spooky.”

Hm. That tells me nothing.

“Are tree elves different from elves?”

Hibiki-chan asked.

Ragnall gave a wry grin.

“Heh. Right, you don’t really know... elves are pretty normal, just like long-living humans with a slight ability to manipulate plant mana, but tree elves are something almost completely different. They live solely in this forest and not very many of them like to come into contact with other races. There’s a greater proportion of them that can use light magic than in other races, and the things they can do with magic feels like it transcends any common knowledge.”

“”Heeeeeeh...””

Hibiki-chan and I say.

We’re heading off into the direction I had seen the closest ruin.

“By the way, the deep elves are an even more secluded group of tree elves. Even tree elves aren’t sure where they live. Though you see one once in a loooong while. They’re easy to tell because their white hair seems to glow.”

“That’s vague.”

I say.

“Yeah, but when you see it, you’ll understand.”

Was all Ragnall responded.

“Although there’s no guarantee I’ll ever see a deep elf.”

I say.

“Well, you’re Jun, so I wouldn’t count it out.”

He replied.

<a/n: Thanks Raghalin for the donation!

I’m off to write the next chap...

Cursed this time as well.>

Nature will totally overtake human infrastructure in almost no time at all if you let it. Just take a look at the mini trees growing through my asphalt driveway.

...It really is eerie.

When we reached the former tree elf “city”, it feels like a ghost town.

Not that it feels like it’s absolutely abandoned. It almost feels like there’s a presence here.

But it’s not a presence strong enough to be from anything living.

So yeah, like a town full of ghosts.

Needless to say, this tree city didn’t look like what Hibiki-chan was expecting.

There was nothing nailed or built onto or into the trees.

Thick, woody vines ran, almost naturally unnatural, around the base of the trees, winding up as a ramp.

Boughs were lowered, as if steps that ran between tree to tree, and branches seemed to be knit together to make platforms.

Not like the trees were forced into their situations, but like they just happened to grow there...  and yet, even though it looks so organic, it also looks orderly.

At least, you can tell it had at one point.

Lush moss, mistletoe, and other plants that parasite off of trees have grown all over. Almost taking over honestly, but it’s different from in the other world the trees suffer a lot from being overtaken. Here, the trees have really exploded.

You can see where the naturally unnatural “structure” has grown, but though the original structure has remained at the places they were initially put (I think), the trees have clearly flourished. The branches have continued to grow, running into each other.

It’s freaking eerie, and in more ways than the fact that everything is really tightly enclosed with low ceilings.

There’s like... um... you know how there’s that theory that robots that look too close to humans look eerier than robots that look closer to what they’re made from?

That’s what the magic here feels like.

It’s a false Light Magic. No... it’s like... a Light Magic that has been manipulated so that it’s initially unrecognizable.

I suddenly feel my lack of understanding about Light Magic.

So then what the heck is this Avatar of Light Magic supposed to be?

If I look at Status,

[AVATAR OF LIGHT MAGIC]:

[PASSIVE: (Selected) (Transcended)]

Yup. It’s very helpful. (Not.)

Nothing else has really changed, other than me feeling Light Magic and manipulating it raw.

I can’t really do anything about my non-understanding. Tree elves, apparently, can probably help me fill in the blanks, but apparently they’re the type of people who don’t like giving advice to other races. Even to other non-tree elves.

Well, I can’t do anything about that either.

“... I don’t get it. How do the trees... grow like that? What is this?”

Hibiki-chan craned her neck this way and that as she tried to take in all the sights.

“They’re manipulated into growing like that, I think.”

I responded.

“Yeah, that’s about right. From what I hear. The magic just feels gross though.”

Ragnall replied.

I glance at him.

“What do you mean gross? It feels a little oppressive, though. Ah, Hibiki-chan, it’s like they were manipulated with subliminal messages. If, you know, plants had thoughts like people.”

Hibiki-chan tilted her head, thinking, before she said,

“So ... like brainwashing?”

“... A magic-plant version, I guess, yeah.”

“...That’s so mean to the trees.”

“No more than cutting them down and stuff.”

“...”

That’s the kind of pointless thing Hibiki-chan and I are talking about.

Meanwhile, Ragnall was poking around.

“... There’s no trace of anything entering into the clearing, so I think there isn’t anyone using this place as a base.”

He walked around the bases of some of the big trees, but the amount of naturally unnatural trees would be enough to be considered a small village, so I don’t know how he could make that assumption in such a short time.

Although there’s no disturbance in the trees’ magic auras except for the three of us, so I guess that’s how he knew?

Although I don’t know what kind of magic signature a demon would give.

...?

Ah, up above... a bird’s Light Magic signature. More specifically, a bird-like monster

Come to think of it, it’s odd that the presence of animals died out the closer we got to this village.

This place really is eerie.

And I guess so is that bird, since it’s the only animal to brave its way in this direction.

“Ragnall. There’s a bird-monster coming this way. Should I be worried?”

Ragnall’s brow furrowed immediately.

“A monster? Even though the monster wards are still up in this place?”

Ah, as expected. Although it doesn’t bother people that much. I wonder how it determines... ah, I’m getting sidetracked.

I focus my vision and peer at it.

“It’s green and yellow; a bit like a hawk with long tail feathers. There’s a red cloth-thing tied to its leg.”

“Oh, it’s a tamed darte, then. People in this area and a bit further east use them as messengers a lot.”

Hummm...

“... It’s trailing red smoke. Is that... an intrinsic trait?”

I mean, it’s a monster. There are bullet-proof, magic-reflecting beetles. I can’t make too many assumptions.

At my report, Ragnall jumped to attention.

“That’s a flare, it’s an SOS! Call it over!”

Eh... how...?

“Birdie-san! Over here!”

Hibiki-chan’s sweet, clear voice rang out as she waved her arms.

... When did she get so high up on that natural(?) tree platform?

And how does she think the bird will ... oh, no, it’s slow, but it’s starting to come over here. It could hear her from all the way over there?

“Right, let’s get going.”

Ragnall called up to Hibiki-chan.

She leaps down with that extraordinary agility, and we start to head towards the location of the bird. Well, more like, meet up with the bird.

Although we can only catch a glimpse of it here and there through the trees.

“... Ragnall, why didn’t they just shoot a flare straight up so we can find them easier?”

I ask.

“Whoever sent it is following it. It’s a method to regroup with allies while retreating.”

“And what if we trick them and ambush them?”

“...Then I would say it’s very out of character for you.”

...

I ignore the quiet laughter from Hibiki-chan.

Ragnball flashes me a smirk while we’re darting through the trees before he seriously explains.

“It’s not an often-used method. That has to be a tree elf, so if a tree elf is asking for help it’s probably something serious. If they have to use this to run away while asking for help, it’s probably sheer desperation.”

“Shouldn’t we hurry up then?”

Hibiki-chan asks.

“That’s hard to say ...”

“Well, with our group, even if we get to them too early, it probably won’t be a problem.”

I say.

Hibiki-chan looks confused.

“If they were trying to put distance between them and whatever might be chasing it, if mediocre people ran in before they could do that, the situation might worsen. But you’re right. Even if they don’t also turn to fight, the three of us would probably be fine.”

Ragnall says.

It’s not just arrogance. We’re strong enough to fight a mediocre army. Maybe an army each (doubtful though, since numbers can overwhelm strength).

We could probably all bench press a small army, each.

And so, we sped up.

“...Although if it’s a huge stampede it might be useless.”

I remark.

“Jeez! We are discussing this way too casually!”

Hibiki-chan’s feet falter for a split second when I say that before she picks up the speed again and semi-scolds me.

It’s probably 5 minutes of running.

It doesn’t sound like a lot of time, but in a situation like this it felt longer than usual.

“Piiiyoooooooi-!”

With that whistling cry the green bird-monster, about the size of a rabbit, swooshes downwards and lands on my head.

“...Oi.”

I have to slow my pace because of it, and Ragnall and Hibiki-chan dropped back a little as well.

Ahead, from the direction the bird flew in from, is the clear sound of people and battle.

“It’s not a monster stampede at least.”

Ragnall remarked.

“I’ll go scout.”

Hibiki-chan disappeared from sight into a shadow.

That’s so freaking unnatural every time I see it.

“It’s a group of 5 people, 2 animals.”

I tell Ragnall.

So why does Hibiki-chan have to scout?

Well she doesn’t have to, really, but it’s always more helpful to actually confirm a situation by sight, and then she’s right up by the action if anything needs to be done.

... We might be a(n unofficial) team, but we definitely work better without much organization.

Anyway, Hibiki-chan’s statement that she’s going to scout is just left over from her vrmmo gameplay, since she always said that in chat before she went into stealth.

Hm.

Ah-, before that, we’re about to meet with the people in front of us.

“Hey, Ragnall, how should we do this? One goes in from the front and the other from behind?”

“Yeah. I’ll take the long way around, you go straight ahead.”

“... Why do I have to break in through the front?”

“They’re less likely to attack a girl with their darte on her head, right?”

But there might be someone who’s trigger happy.

Well, that’s fine.

There’s something that was bothering me anyway.

As Ragnall runs off to the side and disappears into the dense foliage, I take a few breaths at jogging pace.

Carefully, I put a barrier around me and then wrap the dense mana of this place around me.

Camouflage complete-!

There are a few presences that are worrying me, so I’d like to be cautious.

“We’re being sneaky, ok?”

I say to the large bird on my head.

“Pyoi-!”

Although it raises a cry enthusiastically, it keeps its volume low.

It must be a monster with high intelligence. Even if you say the bird can understand words because it was tamed, for it to understand my words it means that Translate is working on it.

Although I can’t understand it, so it’s not like my words are getting translated into “bird” or anything...

By the way, even though I say the people in question are just ahead, they’re still about half a kilometer away.

Although I can close that in a minute, so...

I put on a burst of speed in order to do so.

Owowow... Well, it doesn’t hurt that much, but the bird flattens itself against my head and digs its claws into my hair, and the pressure is definitely uncomfortable...

I had reduced Augment Body for my hearing and a little, but pretty soon I can clearly hear the yells from the party ahead.

“Keep it up! Just a few more minutes and we’ll find allies!”

“But we’ve lost Tet’s flare-!”

Ah.

If they’re talking about the bird, that’s my fault. Sorry.

But I don’t really have time to worry about that.

The people just ahead are beginning to come into view, if you peer around the trees.

In the very front is a man in what you could consider a light, elvish version of halfplate, a woman with a breastplate and leather armor, and a man with studded armor. Behind them are the two other people I sensed and the animals, but they’re traveling in formation directly behind the forerunners, so I can’t see too much detail about them in one glance.

Although soon I’ll be able to.

There’s just 20 meters left. 10 meters. 5 –

-!

Tsk.

As expected.

Two presences suddenly appear right in front of the people who were running away.

“-! Ahead-!”

Oooh, the man in the front, although he had been turning his head this way and that, heard the woman’s shout and instantly swung his sword upwards, deflecting the blades coming down at him.

He coolly stopped the attack from one of the presences, but the other is-

Coming from the left (his right), the other has darted behind him. The presence in front prepares his blades again for an attack, the presence behind readies his short spear –

Although the leather-clad man prepares his bow, it’s obvious that the man in front will be run through before he can shoot.

The man and woman behind watch in horror as he’s skewered through – of course not.

CLONK!

Zubaa-!

The one with the short spear was sent flying with a knee to the face, and as for the other;

Ugh.

I mistook the distance and cut a little too far.

I avert my eyes from the hand that just went flying.

It can’t be helped-! Speeding up so fast, launching a flying knee to the face, and then spinning behind to knock the daggers away; it’s impossible to be so precise!

The guy who lost his hand screams and flails in pain, but he also takes care to take his distance.

My stomach does a bit of a flip-flop at the sight of the blood, but over the past two and a half months I’ve gotten a little bit more used to gore, so I can recover myself quickly.

“P-pyooi-!”

The bird sounds like its protesting as it flies back to me.

It got blown off in my last burst of speed.

“Hey, I’m the one who got my hair pulled out.”

Despite my complaint, the bird just nestled itself back on my head, oi.

The guy that I kneed in the face got up cursing.

Although it sounds a little different from normal. It’s not Lorwian, I think.

Well, Translate-sama makes it understandable either way.

“Where did this bitch come from? Dammit, my hand-!”

“I didn’t sense her at all – it might be better to pull back and regroup with Chedomir at once.”

“Like hell, it’s just one surface-dweller’s woman. We can hold her off until they catch up-!”

One-handed is pretty tough, huh? Insisting on fighting me when I just cut his hand off.s

From behind, that is, from the direction that all these people were coming from, an extremely loud crashing sound and yells can be heard.

Sounds like Ragnall’s getting started. Hibiki-chan too, if that’s the sound of throwing daggers.

“Looks like your backup’s not coming though; since my friends are there.”

“Wha-!”

“You understand us...”

Maa, yeah.

“Kh-!”

One-handed suddenly launches himself into the air, and shortly afterwards his partner does the same.

On alternating zig-zag routes, they leapt above me.

Their eyes are focused on the travelers behind me, as if eyeing their prey.

Their intentions are to forcefully break through by attacking the people behind me, huh?

How cocky –

Just when I thought that, they suddenly had an unnatural burst of speed.

What- a foothold in midair, huh?

Just like when they appeared in front of the people running away, the magic smells the same as Seimei-san’s magic.

If that’s all they had to be so confident, too bad!

Bang!

“...Shit!”

The more clear-headed one, the one with both of his hands still, realized it first and somehow turned himself in mid-air to defend.

What happened? I just used a neighboring tree to achieve the same affect in propelling myself after them.

Although, with Augment Body, my leg strength is quite obviously stronger, so I’ve easily caught up.

Clang!

Wham!

Nice block, but it doesn’t really matter when my aim is to stop you!

I drop him easily with a heavy swing from my katana. If it was a sandier area, there would be plumes of dust, for sure.

Instead, there’s just a slight tremor as he hits the ground.

I haven’t thought this in a really long time, but Augment Body is totally cheating, being able to get this much strength from just swinging my arms in midair.

As for the other, the leading man with the halfplate swung his sword, catching One-Handed in the stomach as he went for the woman behind him.  Though One-Handed managed to block with a dagger, he couldn’t resist the full force of someone who had his feet on the ground and was flung to the side.

One-Handed, though, managed to recover in midair and land on his feet, when suddenly the danger signal in his head goes off and he inelegantly rolled to the side in a panic.

“Hibiki-chan, weren’t you with Ragnall?”

“Un, well, he said he’d catch up...”

Hibiki readies her long daggers and prepares to go after One-Handed again.

“How many was Ragnall fighting?”

I ask casually as I swing my katana downwards.

I intended to stop it just before it reached the guy’s neck, but he lets out a frightened squeak, and then, with another poof of Dark Magic, teleports himself away.

Although it’s, like, half a meter to the side, so...

I see. He can’t move too far too often, huh?

“Um... 5- kyaa!“

Right when Hibiki-chan says that, a smoke bomb suddenly exploded around us.

“Ah...”

I should be able to track everything that’s going on with mana, but somehow, everything’s hazy.

What is this, a chaff grenade?

Well, with my heightened senses I can generally understand what’s happening directly around me, but since our priority is the safety of the people who had been running away, I can’t go after the guy I had just downed even though he was right there and groggy.

Although there’s no need for me to chant it, I start to say,

“Wind, blo-“

“Pyooooooi-!”

A gust of wind blows the smoke and interference away.

Bird beat me to it.

I can’t help but click my tongue in annoyance when I can see that the attackers have clearly run off.

“*Cough cough* What happened-?”

Hibiki-chan rubbed her eyes and coughed from the dust. It seems to have affected her more since she was closer to the ground.

“They ran off.”

I say with a bitter smile.

Kinda pisses me off, but I have only myself to blame for not getting serious right away.

I mean, somehow, fighting people is completely different from a game or like if you were a light novel protagonist. There’s just this inclination to not really want to do it if you don’t have to.

Sure, initially it was the horror and natural disgust that most people would understand when you realize you can so easily take someone’s life, but over the few months, after you get used to killing monsters, it’s changed into a feeling like, well, if they aren’t really a threat to me, what’s the point, you know?

Do you go out of your way to kill every single ant you see no matter where you are?

Well, there are some people who would so it might just be my own philosophy.

Killing monsters and animals give me some benefits, at least. As expected, no matter what you’ll have some (a lot) of resistance to the idea of using people as materials... and personally, I think people who murder bandits just to strip them of everything useful are as crazy as the bandit murderers themselves.

Once again, there are people who would think differently, so that might just be my philosophy too.

After all, I and the other people I know can easily make a living because of the overwhelming power we possess, so I don’t think I can qualify to speak for the desperation of people who are normal.

Anyway, it’s a fact that the attackers have gotten away because I held back.

I scratch the back of my head with a scowl

“...”

I’m a little upset because, well,

“Oh thank god... to think we’d run into demons...”

Right~?

The woman in the breastplate confirms what I thought.

Those two attackers were demons.

Their mana, like Ragnall’s, had a static-y, unclear feeling to it.

Well, it was many times stronger than Ragnall’s, so I thought they were most likely demons.

So yeah, I let the problem that Warden’s Post was dealing with run off...

But I mean, if you aren’t sure, you can’t just go cutting people’s heads off.

Although I did cut hands off...

...

Haaaaa...

“Ah, Ragnall.”

Hibiki-chan said.

Tapping his falchion (version who knows what, now) on his shoulder, Ragnall pushes through the bush with an annoyed look on his face.

They got away from him too, huh?

This forest isn’t so great for visibility and people who rely solely on physical power like Ragnall to fight in.

... Oh, that large crash back there might have been him taking down a tree or two.

“Oh god, there’s another one!”

In a panic one of the guys who was running, one of the ones I wasn’t able to see right away, gives a yell and hides behind the man in halfplate.

“...Man. First I get called a mutt, and now this. Tell me when this day is over.”

Ragnall sighs.

“Heeeh... the demons could tell?”

I ask. I assume that’s who called him that.

“I guess. I don’t really understand it myself?”

Ragnall scratched the back of his head.

Although he’s complaining, he doesn’t actually seem to care all that much, unlike when he was in Warden’s Post.

“Calm down, Eadan.”

The man in halfplate had a very authoritative voice. Like, even if you didn’t want to calm down, you did anyway.

The man in halfplate turned towards us with a smile.

Although he looked extremely tired, he stood perfectly straight with perfect posture.

“Thank you very much for coming to our aid. To be honest, even with reinforcements we were quite worried about what would happen. I’m Desmond, the leader of the escorts this time around.”

Hm. Now that I finally have time, I look around at the group we just rescued.

The two animals are...

There’s a donkey-like animal with luggage on its back, and normal-sized wolf (tame-ish).

I’m so used to seeing monster wolves that this wolf looks tiny.

The people in the party that were running away are, from the back;

The man who panicked when Ragnall walked up is an elf. Long amber hair was braided into one long, amber braid down his back. He wore half-moon spectacles, but not much armor. Over it all was an olive green robe, but all he wore for armor was a simple leather jerkin with a high collar.

It’s ... un. His outfit kind of gives off the feel of a Chinese period drama costume, but a little different...

Next to him is a man, elf as well, who looks to be his personal guard. He’s fully armored, compared to the others.

Whoa. This is the first time I’ve seen mountain-patterned armor! Chainmail is more common around Nyl City... well, before that, straight up plate mail is more popular among adventurers there, with leather around the joints for maximum flexibility.

Man, I heard that mountain-patterned armor is still hard to reconstruct in the world I came from. I’m not really that into armor making myself, but I wonder if I can meet the person who made this... ahem.

Un. Even though he’s fully armored, it’s armor that’s clearly designed to be light and maneuverable. Although... it also has a Chinese feel to it, but he has a mouth guard that kind of looks like a Japanese oni menpo.

Anyway, both of these guys have an asian-but-not feel to their outfits. It’s a little strange seeing something so oriental in this world all of a sudden.

The three who had been in front are all wearing armor that’s more like what I recognize as adventurers’ armor, but there are slight Asian elements to them as well. By the way, all three of them are elves as well, making it 5 for 5.

The woman is black-haired, with it braided and half up, and the leather-wearing, bow-wielding man is as well. They look very similar... siblings?

As for the man wearing halfplate, the leader, yes, he’s an elf like I said, but there is something distinctly different about him. He has white hair tied loosely back and a face that would definitely have girls from a shoujo manga calling him “Prince-sama”. But with that overly ikemen face (even for an elf), his body is still able to give off the impression of muscles.

For me who couldn’t bulk up no matter what I did, it’s too envious. Keh.

Ah, I got derailed. What I meant to say is that his white hair seems to have a radiance all of its own. If I say it’s like the glow from snow, would you understand? In the dark it’s really ethereal looking.

This, is this the so-called deep elf?

Anyway, while I was distracted with the mountain-patterned armor, Ragnall carried on the conversation.

... I feel like I’m going colorblind, looking at Ragnall talking to that guy.

Ah, if I look more closely, the elf has a bit of a green sheen to his hair compared to Ragnall. Although it’s definitely only noticeable because he’s next to Ragnall.

“Desmond, is it? Can I ask whether this is the party escorting the surveyor from Inouria? They’ve been expecting you at Warden’s Post for a few days now.”

“Ah... yes, that’s right. They’ve already been making inquiries, then.”

“Something like that. Although I’d like to know what happened, it would be best to move the five of you to Warden’s Post right away.”

“Understood. ... Where is the rest of your party?”

The deep elf looked around curiously.

“Ah... it’s just the three of us.”

“...”

“What?! Just the three of you drove the demons away?”

The black-haired, leather armor guy said that.

Both he and the woman are in shock.

Ragnall frowned, as if he just thought of something.

“Come to think of it, you let them get away, Jun.”

“...What do you expect? It was hard not to kill them, you know? Besides, it’s not like you brought any of them in, either.”

I retorted.

“... I didn’t even think of it...”

Hibiki-chan said, her head hanging down.

“-! No, you did good, Hibiki!”

“Right, right, our first priority was the others’ safety, Hibiki-chan!”

The fact that the other parties standing around us were shocked at how casually we were treating this entire situation is another story.

◇◇◇

EXTRA:

Status:

◤

NAME: JUN

MP:【▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▍】2,432,000 / 2,500,000

TRAITS:

[OTHERWORLDER]:

[PASSIVE: (Secret Trait) (Resilient Body) (Magic Enrichment) (Otherworldly Knowledge) (Accelerated Learning) (Keen Instincts) (Translate)]

[SKILLS: (Inventory) (Friend Chat) (Status) (AnalyzeIV)]

[MAGIC BORN]:

[PASSIVE: (Secret Trait) (Boundless Magic) (Chantless Cast) (Well of Magic) (Magic Sense)]

[WANDERER]:

[PASSIVE: (Steady Balance) (Perceptive Sense) (Light Foot)]

[SKILLS: (Augment Body) (Augment Mind) (Farsight) (Ground Shrink) (Accel)]

[MANA MANIPULATOR]:

[PASSIVE: (Magic Sensitive) (Magic Intuition) (Magic Control)]

[SKILLS: (Magic Sensory) (Magic Channeling) (Magic Dispersion) (Sever) (Forced Analysis)]

[COMBAT MAGICIAN]:

[SKILLS: (Barrier Series)]

[MANA FORGER]:

[PASSIVE: (Fire Sensitivity) (Fire Resistance) (Steady Hand)]

[SKILLS: (Metal Reinforcement) (Keen Edge) (Mana Imprint) (Craftman’s Trance) (Emblazon) (Material Manipulation) (Sever) (Forced Analysis) (Dragonfire Forge) (Interfusionary Dispersion)]

[ELEMENTAL CASTER]:

[PASSIVE: (Element Sensitivity)]

[SKILLS: (Fire Magic: <Flame>, <Flame Orb>) (Water Magic: <Create Water>) (Air Magic: <Static Discharge>, <Gust>, <Air Bullet>)]

[AVATAR OF LIGHT MAGIC]:

[PASSIVE: (Selected) (Transcended)]

◣

<a/n: Enjoy the long chap? I have a trip coming up, but I’m going to try to get an axebear/vending machine update in before I leave... (cross fingers) I might try to type a little while away... like intros to one of the other stories I have in my head...>

The problem with contractors is that they don’t have any personal investment, so as long as they get stuff done, collateral damage is inconsequential

“You’ve come back after decimating parts of the forest...”

Idra pinched the bridge of his nose. He looks a little conflicted, like he’s glad we were able to find and confirm the presence demons, but at the same time, Ragnall cut down 3 large trees, and the one I used as a kickoff block has a large dent and a few splintered parts, and it’s totally leaning over in the wrong direction. Which is not straight up.

“Ah... so you knew about that?”

I said, scratching the side of my face lightly.

“Of course we did! We were wondering exactly what kind of catastrophe was occurring when the ground shook and the trees seemed to dance!”

Eh... was it that bad? That was only Ragnall going on a rampage, you know? Imagine what would have happened if Hibiki-chan and I also went crazy.

“Haha, isn’t it fine? There aren’t that many people who could have come out unscathed from an attack by seven demons with just three members. To be quite frank, I don’t believe any other party could have rescued us.”

Desmond, the deep elf leader guy, laughs refreshingly and speaks up in support of the three of us.

Idra frowns, but it’s a light, slightly disgruntled frown instead of an upset, angry one.

“I believe the same thing, but I’m worried about what I’m supposed to put in the report.”

“A little collateral damage has to be expected.” – Ragnall.

“Un. Bureaucratic organizations can be kind of a pain, na.” – me

“Y-you guys, you don’t need to be so blunt...” –Hibiki-chan

Idra has a look of exasperation at the three of us, but his lips quirk a little in amusement.

It didn’t take us long to return to Warden’s Post, despite the worn and weary group we were escorting.

Of course I mean Desmond’s group.

Anyway, now we’re giving a report, together with Desmond and his group.

Idra shook his head lightly and bent back over the desk that held the report he was putting together.

“Well, let’s go over this again... so there were seven demons...”

◇◇◇

According to Desmond, the seven demons might be one of several scouting parties, from the little bit of the demonic language he could understand.

“It’s a shame, since Ms. Jun here happened to know Krasmyr, that Sir Ragnall, Ms. Jun, and Ms Hibiki didn’t manage to meet up with us earlier.”

Hibiki-chan and I averted our gazes.

I didn’t think that we’d run into this little problem with Translate-sama so soon.

And like, ‘Ms. Jun’? It still makes me feel itchy.

Maa, that’s just how Desmond talks, I guess.

Anyway, after we gave our report about fighting the demons, Ragnall, Hibiki-chan, and I headed out.

I thought we’d be going back out to finish our planned circuit of the areas around Warden’s Post, but Ragnall led the way back to the cafeteria area at Woodrest.

“Hey! Over here!”

Ah, the two black-haired elves are sitting there, waving us over.

When we first walked in, they were sitting there staring with a glazed look into their bowls.

I understand, I understand. There are just times when you’re so tired that you can’t eat even if you’re hungry. Although that hasn’t happened to me ever since I’ve woken up in this world.

Resilient Body is probably the biggest cheat I have, right after Augment Body.

... Am I human anymore?

“Desmond’s still giving his report, huh? Ah, I’m Aislin, and this is my brother Aidan.”

The female elf said.

“Good timing. Although I heard most of the report, I wanted to hear about your guys’ opinions too.”

Ragnall said.

Although he said he hated being a leader, Ragnall’s really doing pretty well.

Maa, we don’t act like a normal group, I think, so it might not be too difficult to deal with us.

“If it’s something we can help with,”

The male elf said.

“Right. Jun and Hibiki-chan too. Just so we can all be on the same page.”

“Yeah, okay, so what is it?”

I say.

“Nah, just... what did you think about the demons? We can’t just say ‘yeah, they’re demons’ when it comes to tactics.”

Hibiki-chan tilted her head and asked,

“Un... I think I get it, but how exactly do you want us to quantify it?”

“So like, do you think they’re bandits, or how good you thought they were at attacking.”

I explain.

“Ah, uuuuun... I think they’re pretty tough. Like, they moved a lit more smoothly than some of the Adventurers from Nyl City.”

Hibiki-chan tends to relate everything to something she’s experienced, but it does make it pretty easy to understand.

But I expand on it just in case Ragnall and the others want something more concrete.

“Yeah, I agree. At least, the two that I fought had a kind of coordination that would be difficult to pull off without training.”

The female elf, Aislin, nodded.

“Our group, aside from Eadan surveyor, consists of some pretty strong members. His bodyguard, Breamond, is an official member of the Inourian Guarde, and we two twins are well-known as military mercenaries, although technically we’re C Rank Adventurers. And Desmond, of course, is very well-known, being one of the few deep elf Adventurers, and he’s A Rank.”

“Even though that’s the case, we had a difficult time against the demons. Not because the demons were stronger, but because they cooperated extremely well.”

The male elf, Aidan, finished.

“Yeah, I agree. That’s what I felt too.”

Ragnall said, rubbing the scar on his chin thoughtfully, then continued, saying,

“When I fought them, at first they tried different formations and tactics, but when it became apparent I would be more trouble than it was worth, they retreated immediately.”

“So it’s not that they thought they couldn’t beat you, but because they thought it wasn’t worth it?”

I asked.

“Well, it’s hard to know for sure, but it would have been kind of a drawn out battle. The terrain isn’t favorable for me, you know.”

“Ah, that’s true.”

Un. Ragnall would have made a new clearing in the forest if they continued.

“Even if they were organized enough to not be renegades or bandits, it didn’t really feel like they were soldiers. More like shinobi.”

Hibiki-chan said.

“Ah... I get that feeling too. More like guerilla warriors than military.”

Aislin replied.

... ‘Shinobi’ translated okay?

“Either way, I think it will be hard to find them again any time soon,”

Aidan said.

“Yeah, if they’re that organized... well, they’ll probably retreat for now.”

Ragnall said.

“I... also think they will take some time to recuperate. Although they seem pretty resilient.”

Since that one guy was still running around with his hand chopped off, na. It could have just been adrenaline, but I suspect they were experienced with pain.

Although actually losing limbs...

“Well, even if we can analyze them that far, it doesn’t really help. They could be mercenaries, they could be intel seekers.”

“Ah, Eadan.”

The scholarly-looking elf and his bodyguard have joined our table.

The scholarly-elf only has some cracker-like food.

Maa, he looks pale in a sickly way, so maybe he doesn’t think he can stomach any food.

That was a lot of running if you weren’t a physically fit guy.

“It could mean a demon invasion, or maybe they are working for their own interests. And that goes for just about anyone, whether they’re mercenaries, a better-organized group of bandits, or someone completely separate to the Arcene rulers. Or however that world works.”

Eadan said.

“There’s a lot we don’t know about Arcene, after all, so it makes things difficult to understand when they invade Orelia.”

Aidan said in agreement.

“By the way, are you from around the Tren area? I heard there are a lot of peaceful demons and halfs there, so...”

Aislin was looking at Ragnall as she said that.

Ragnall has a kind of complicated look on his face.

Uum... Tren is the southern Labyrinth, I think, around where the beastkin territories are?

“I would assume one of my parents was from thereabouts.”

Ragnall finally says.

“Ah... I see, you have some circumstances... I apologize.”

Aislin said quickly.

At my confused look, Ragnall says,

“There are some demons who ran away from the Arcene government and are living south of where the beastkin are. It’s just a small handful of them, but it gets a little...”

“I see.”

I don’t really know all the details, but there will be time to find out about it later, since Ragnall seems a little uncomfortable with the topic.

It seems there’s more to the demons than I initially thought.

“Good evening.”

“Desmond, you’re done?”

“Yes. There wasn’t much to report, after all. Demons have no regard for Orelian statuses, so it’s most likely a coincidence.”

“There’s no point for them to attack a surveyor who is responsible for an obscure part of the forest, after all.”

The surveyor’s bodyguard said.

“Coincidence, is it? Eadan-san is emitting a lot of magic power, though...”

I said.

Although technically, it’s more like his mana is pretty potent.

It doesn’t seem like most people can see the ‘glow’ that’s being emitted by mana, which is the magic power the body uses to keep itself going. Instead, the overabundance of mana, which is ‘useless’ magic power (not really, since magic power is what is used for spells) is what can be most commonly detected.

Although even then most people have to use special spells or magic devices to be able to actually see it.

I had a hard time distinguishing between the two until that Light Magic avatar fiasco, since they tend to overlap, but now I can see it if I concentrate enough.

Again, am I still human?

... Ah, actually, it might be far too late to be asking that question.

It might be that none of us gamers are human any longer.

The ‘glow’ from charged up magic gemstones might be similar to the ‘glow’ emitted from mana. I wonder what that might mean.

... I’m getting sidetracked again.

Anyway, I decide to keep it short and simple for the people who don’t know about that distinction.

“ “ “Ah...” “ “

The black-haired elf siblings and the bodyguard all simultaneously leak that sound.

Eadan, the surveyor, has a confused look.

“...What?”

“No, well...”

“Ah, that’s, we all are used to suppressing our magic and presences while on the move or in combats, but you probably aren’t...”

The two black-haired siblings explain.

“I suppose a magical presence like Eadan’s would be very tempting for beings that must live off of others’ mana.”

Desmond finishes up the explanation.

“...So it was my fault?”

The surveyor looks kind of annoyed.

“Not ‘fault’. I think you might have been attacked either way, honestly. They’ve been going after anything humanoid, after all.”

Ragnall says.

“Un. Idra-san said that there have been no animal or plant casualties, just humans and demi-humans, so I think they use more than just magic power to figure out who to attack, right?”

Hibiki-chan said, tilting her head a little.

“... I see.”

Eadan glances over at Hibiki-chan, then looks down quickly.

Heh...

I’m not the only one looking at Eadan with a kind of suspicion.

Ragnall as well notices the slight flush in his ears.

Oi, koraa-! She’s 14!

But, maa, she doesn’t look it.

More like, if it’s between an elf who’s the scholarly type and Hibiki-chan – no, a wyvern and Hibiki-chan, I think Hibiki-chan can take care of herself.

“Although this is quite off topic... Tethys. Are you going to come down from there at any time? You’re quite heavy, you know?”

Who is Desmond addressing?

The bird that’s still on top of my head.

“Pyoi.”

Ah. It’s sulking. Because Desmond called it fat?

“My apologies, Ms. Jun. It seems she’s taken quite a liking to you... manners not withstanding.”

Desmond gives the bird kind of a sharp look, and it sulkily gets off.

“No, it didn’t really bother me.”

Even if it’s heavy for a bird, Augment Body takes care of that so my neck doesn’t feel any strain.

“Pyoi-!”

The bird sounds like it’s saying, ‘So there!’

But it just perches on the back of my chair instead of back on my head.

“Ragnall, we aren’t going to go back out, then?”

Hibiki-chan asks.

“Nah, I don’t think it will be very productive. I guess we’ll just bum around the post for a while, or go hunt things or something.”

It’s pretty late now. If we were in Nyl City the Farmer’s Watch bells would have already rung.

I’m not sure exactly when the sun is going to rise, but I think it will be in the next 3 or 4 hours.

“Hm. Exactly how long are we going to stay around, Warden’s Post, Ragnall? Now that we did find demons and stuff.”

I ask as the three of us get up and leave the elf party to their very late dinner.

“Ah, I dunno. It’s troublesome, but I don’t really want to stay for a month or something.”

“Because we don’t know what they want, it’s hard to decide, ne?”

Hibiki-chan said.

“Well, yeah. Anyway, I’m going to the baths. It’s been a while, and I got foliage all over me.”

Ragnall waves a hand as he disappears into his room.

Well yeah. When you fight like a bull dozer, that happens.

“Baths... let’s go take one, Jun.”

...

“Hibiki-chan, the baths here are communal, you know.”

“Jun-kun... you have to get used to it at some point. You’re a girl now, you know? It’s going to be weirder if you aren’t used to it.”

“Even if you say that, I’m still mentally a guy” – I think – “so it’s going to be too stimulating in all sorts of ways.”

I try to be a little subtle. Hibiki-chan’s a girl, after all.

“Nn, but Jun-kun, even if you get xxx, it’s different from a guy. It won’t be obvious at all.”

“THAT’S NOT THE PROBLEM, IS IT?!”

“Eh? Eh... hm...”

My concern was apparently unnecessary. Come to think of it, the girls in the naginata club were sometimes surprisingly crass, too.

“Is it really that big of a deal? It’s not like Jun-kun is going to jump anyone, or going into the baths to peep on purpose, right?”

“... Hibiki-chan, how can you be so uncaring about this?”

“Eh? Um... maybe it’s because one of my friends was a lesbian? She always said, ‘I have all the equipment myself, so it’s not a big deal, right? if I was that desperate I’d go pose in the mirror, or get a call girl.’”

Heeh... Hibiki-chan, that girl was a middle-schooler, right? Do middle-schoolers, male or female, use call girl services now?! No way, right?

“... And you and the other girls were okay with that?”

“Un... some weren’t, and some people bullied her or refused to change with her, but our school said that gay people weren’t just going to disappear, so they should figure out ways to deal with it, but they weren’t allowed to deny her the rights the school was obligated to give her. There were lots of angry parents... but in the end everyone just kind of got used to it.”

... Is that school going to be ok? I don’t mean there’s something wrong with their policy, I mean, is it going to be okay with the parent teacher association?

“I didn’t like it at first either, but, um... well, it’s one thing if all she thought about was sex or was always trying to peep on girls, but I mean... she didn’t act like a pervert. In fact, some of the girls who were bullying her do more sexual harassment to other girls... When you look at it like that, it just feels like it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“...Somehow, it feels like Hibiki-chan’s middle school was very hectic.”

“Un. But at the same time, I’m happy I met Kyouko-chan.”

Hibiki-chan falls silent.

Ah. She made herself sad, reminiscing.

Because it wasn’t the painful, heart-breaking sadness she’s shown recently, I let her be.

Sadness isn’t an emotion you should try to stuff away, after all.

“...Anyway, so Jun-kun should just get used to it! It’s super late, anyway, so there probably won’t be too many people in there.”

Shoot, she remembered.

“... You will be there.”

And you, Hibiki-chan, are really too stimulating in certain places.

“Jeez. I’ll properly put on a towel, and go in on the other side of the tub-“

Hibiki-chan is dragging me down the hall. I better dig my heels in and put a stop to this...

“Ooooh! If it isn’t, um, Hibiki and Jun! Hahaha! Hey, let’s go in together and have some girl talk!”

“EH?!”

Before I knew it, Toal the body-builder elf had swooped in from behind, grabbed me by the shoulders, and shoved me through the partition.

Eh? Eh?! EH?!

“Ah... oopsie!”

I can hear the ‘tehe pero’ in Hibiki-chan’s voice.

Don’t just say “oopsie!”

Help me!!!!

<a/n: Thanks junior1210 and Raist for your donations!

Speaking of donations, I now have a patreon button to the right, underneath the ko-fi button, for those of you who wanted to donate more regularly. The patron perks are not over-excessive (I think) because I’m not a fan of penalizing people who don’t/can’t donate, but do check out the page at least, because I doodled some of the characters from my original stories for the banner.

Bird-Jun pic will come next time... It’s been busy.

Cursed chap 12 up.

Nai’s Senses Chap 2 up.

Story commentary:

o.0

This wasn’t planned... When did it become Hibiki-chan’s goal to get Jun used to communal baths?>