Author: Yume Neiji

🎄🎄🎄 Merry Christmas Everyone! Happy holidays!!! 🎄🎄🎄

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The room, which was about eight tatami mats, had changed to about twice the size. The ceiling is even higher, and there are three beds placed against the walls. In the center of the room, there is even a stylish table that I didn’t remember buying, and a stuffed toy that vaguely resembled me was lying on the floor.

“The room got bigger, right? But…. How can that be?”

When I looked at Erna, she was dripping in cold sweat and was silent. I suspect that she is the culprit. I have to ask how she expanded the room.

“It should have been much smaller before. Just what on earth did you do?”

“………..I used magic.”

Erna murmurs. She’s like a child being scolded by an adult. I hugged her tightly and out of joy, I slapped her back hard.

“As expected from a Superior Elf! I never imagined you could do something like this!”

“Eh?”

“Well, you see, I thought this place is a little small for five people. How did you do it? Please tell me!”

Erna probably thought I would be mad, but that was a big misunderstanding. I had always wondered what could I do to make this house bigger. I’m even out of a solution for that, so lately, I was looking to buy a mansion in Mana. Surprisingly, through such happy miscalculation, I got to know that Erna found a way to do it.

When Erna realized that I am not angry, her face gradually began to relax. 

“R-Right! I finally found a way to make the room bigger!”

“That’s amazing Erna! So, can you make the living room bigger!?”

“Of course! Leave it to me!”

With a big smile on her face, she returns to the living room and raises her wand to concoct her magic. As a superior elf, Erna’s magic power is in an order of magnitude higher in quantity, quality and speed than before.

As the air vibrated, the dense magic power converged on the wand. Due to the cancellation peculiar to magic, there is also no stagnation in sight. It’s the same speed as existing magic…… No, it’s faster than that. Then the spell was casted.

“Virgo!”

When the magic released from the wand spreads to the room, the walls, ceiling and floor begin to move with a creaking sound. I could see that the walls are gradually receded into the distance and as dust fell off, the ceiling also doubled in size. The floor, which was previously covered with wooden floors, had been restored to its luster as if it was made of new wood, and new flooring was added to accommodate the expanded room.

When it’s done, Erna stabs her wand to the floor.

“How is it? What can you say about the power of Archmage Erna?”

“Ah-, this is amazing! Did you do it with magic?”

“That’s right. I can’t do this with existing magic. Virgo is a magic that is only for building and remodeling, but as long as the materials are available, it will build all kinds of things as I want.”

Once again, I am reminded that magic is a wonderful power. I didn’t know that a small room could become so big.

“Speaking of which, I didn’t see the stagnation of magic that occurs when you use magic spells, has that changed since you became a superior elf?”

“That’s right. Since I became the current race, my magical powers increased, they are no longer controlled by the general principle. I can use existing magic, but from now on, I’ll be able to use original magic as my mainstay.”

Does it mean that she can now perform powerful magic quickly?

That’s a good new then. She may need to be careful not to use it too casually though. The current Erna is like a battleship crammed with weapons. It is possible that she can make Mana disappear from the map by mistake.

“Thank you. With this, I think we can now spend our day here comfortably.”

When I patted Erna’s head, she blushed and looked embarrassed. People have to be praised from time to time or they’ll feel depressed. Suddenly, I noticed something was wrong so I stopped the hand that was patting her.

 ……Wait. The fact that the three of them had a larger bedroom means that both Freya and Liz knew about her magic. Why did Erna keep quiet about such magic in the first place? Why did she decide to remodel the room?

When I went inside their bedroom again, I could see why. I had overlooked it. That stupid big canopy bed.

“Erna, what’s with that bed?”

“Ah-, Uhm, t-that’s…”

 Erna’s eyes begins to wander around again. That suspicious behavior was caused by the bed. No doubt about it. I sighed and patted her on the head.

“It’s fine to buy an expensive bed, but you have to take good care of it well. Understood?”

“Eh? …Aren’t you angry?”

“Why should I be angry? You need a bed, right? Besides, you had to put up with a lot of things. I don’t think you should be punished for splurging once in a while.”

“Shinichi…”

Erna is teary-eyed. When I traveled around the world and during the war, she supported me all the time. There should be a reward. In fact, this is not much.

“Rival also bought clothes.”

Liz, who is supposed to be sleeping in bed, murmured. I reacted with a jerk of my head.

“Did you buy clothes too?”

“Uhm, that…”

“How many clothes did you buy?”

“……t-ten pieces.”

When I asked her about the details, she said that she bought ten clothes for a silver coin each. Converted to Japanese yen, it is about 100,000 yen. It’s a clear waste of money.

 I then grinned at Erna.

“Good. I won’t let you buy clothes for six months.”

“Eh-? I-, It’s a lie right?! I can’t buy clothes for half a year!?”

“It’s not a lie. It should be enough since you just bought ten clothes. Besides, I heard that in the kingdom of Logas, you only need to buy clothes once a year.”

“That’s true. But are you saying that it’s okay for me, who is so beautiful, to always wear the same clothes!?”

“Conversely, because you are so beautiful, you will always look good even if you wear the same clothes. Besides, for someone who has more than forty clothes, that’s not a good protest either.”

Erna holds her head and exclaims, “Nooo!”

Uh-!, so noisy. This will probably be a bit of a pain. By the way, the black outfit I bought for Liz costs about 300,000 yen each, but I decided to keep it a secret from Erna.

“Okay, it’s time to go to work for the night. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“……yes.”

Teary-eyed, Erna nodded slightly. I feel bad for her but it can’t be helped as it’s her own fault. Money is not infinite after all. The basic idea on saving money is to use it for what is necessary and to avoid spending it on things that are not necessary. That’s what it means to make a fortune.

I left the four of them in the hideout and then I went to the Temple of Teleportation to get out to the ground.

◇◇◇

In the middle of the night, with a view of the starry sky, I had come close to Mana City with the skeletons in tow.

“Everybody stop.”

When I gave the command, the skeletons carrying the luggage stops in their tracks. All of them wore gray cloth on their bodies and masks on their faces. We are about to enter the city and it’s not good for them to be seen in the form of a magical beast.

I lightly knocked on the closed gate of the city, then the other side knocked back twice. After a while, the large door on the outer wall begins to open.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

A saw a few soldiers. All of them are acquaintances, they are personally ordered by the Lord. We quickly entered the city, and the outer doors were immediately closed by the soldiers guarding the gate.

Basically, Mana forbids people to come in and out at night. This is imposed as a countermeasure against magical beasts, but it is also to keep out bandits and suspicious individuals.

“Sorry for troubling you at night like this.”

“No, there’s no problem about it. This is also our job you see. By the way, I didn’t know that Tanaka-san would be with us today.”

“I came because I thought I should check it out.”

When I and the soldier I’m talking to looked back, we saw about twenty skeletons silently following us. Normally, I let them go to the city alone, but today, as I said, I am accompanying them to see how things are going. As we walked towards the center of the city, I saw a building under construction. Right now, only the pillars have been built but I can see that it’s going to be a big store.

“Are the other two doing well?”

“Yes. If there are no problems, I think it will be completed in a month.”

I feel satisfied with the words of the soldier. There are three buildings currently under construction, all of which will be essential stores in Mana.

“……What’s that?”

In the dim night of the city, a small light was lit up. Moreover, a large number of people are crowded there, and even though it is late at night, I can hear people talking. I turned to the soldier and he immediately gave an explanation.

“It’s a food stall that opened recently. It is open from noon to early morning so it’s popular as the tavern.”

“A tavern huh. It smells good…”

I was tempted to head towards the unique and familiar smell, but I strengthened my self-control and decided to go to my destination. We walk through the city at night and then we arrived at a certain house. Two soldiers were guarding the entrance, and when they saw us, they saluted.

“Thank you very much for coming. I’m sure the Lord will be pleased.”

“I see. Let’s go inside then.”

When the soldier opened the door, the aroma that had filled the air suddenly gushed out from inside. Just by smelling it, I knew that the plan is going smoothly. When I went inside, I can see the Lord wearing an apron yelling as he commands.

“That’s wrong! Turn off the heat before putting the miso in! Hey!, that’s overcooked! Are you trying to have your customers eat dry food!? What the hell is this! The ingredients wrapped in the skin are coming out! Start over!”

 In the large kitchen, three men were busily moving. One is making miso soup and the other is grilling meat. The last one is making dumplings. In order to become chefs, they are receiving guidance from the Lord of Mana―Kanzaki. When Kanzaki saw me, he rushed towards me and got down on one knee.

“I didn’t know you were coming. I’m sorry for the delay in greeting you.”

“I came here on my own accord, you don’t have to worry about it. Rather than that, have you made progress?”

“Yes. From my point of view, it’s not quite there yet though. But overall, it’s at a level that can get by in this world.”

“If you say so, then it should be fine. I’ve brought you some new materials, take it.”

“Thank you very much.”

Kanzaki smiles and checks inside the package that the skeleton has unloaded. The wooden box is filled with vegetables from the miniature garden. There’s also a lot of wheat, barley and meat in it so it should last for a while. Kanzaki grabs a potato and nods repeatedly at its size and quality.

“As expected, everything that Tanaka-san produces is extraordinary. This ingredients are top-class.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that. I guess you’re starting to grow it in Mana as well, right?”

“Yes. We have already started cultivating Hasai and Jagaimu. The growth rate is not as fast as Tanaka-san said but it is sprouting steadily.”

That’s what I expected. In fact, I was wondering if the vegetables grown in the miniature garden were different from the usual ones. I thought that some kind of influence from the dungeon is causing a change in the plant’s genes. Of course, I also tinkered on it. But as I recall that the vegetables in the miniature garden were abnormal from the beginning, I came to a conclusion that they spawn naturally.

From what I’ve heard from Kanzaki’s report, it seems that vegetables once grown in the dungeon will grow regardless of location or climate. However, the growth rate will be the same as that of normal plants, and fertilizer and water are indispensable.

“If the vegetables are harvested in Mana, it will spur the plan.”

“Not only that, there will also be a food revolution in this kingdom. The center of that will definitely be Mana.”

I and Kanzaki starts smiling. Plans to turn Mana into a food city have already begun. The goal is 5~10 years, but that day may come sooner than expected.

“““Master, the food is ready.”””

 The three cooks report to Kanzaki in unison. Three kinds of dishes were placed on the table and white steam with an appetizing aroma rose from it. Kanzaki grabs his chopsticks and tastes each dish. Perhaps due to nervousness, the three cooks swallowed their saliva as they await the verdict.

“……This has a passing score.”

The three of them looked relieved at his words. Why is Kanzaki so knowledgeable about cooking? It has to do with his parents’ house. The Kanzaki family is a famous family that runs a long-established restaurant in Kyoto. Yasuhiko Kanzaki was born as the second son of such family. He has been called a child prodigy since he was little. Regardless of genre such as Japanese, Chinese, and Western food, it is said that he absorbed a wide range of knowledge and skills. I had also eaten his home-cooked meals several times in the previous life. The taste? Of course I was convinced that he definitely had first-class skill. He was truly a culinary genius.

But why did such a man work under me? The reason is simple. That is because Kanzaki himself got tired of cooking. He didn’t have any enthusiasm about it to begin with, it’s just that he had no choice but to learn it because it was a family job.

 It’s a shame from my point of view, but Kanzaki easily abandoned his career as a chef. Since a man with such skills was reincarnated here, there was no reason not to use him.

“Tanaka-san, please try it too.”

 At Kanzaki’s recommendation, I also grab a chopstick and then I tasted the food. The Japanese food is not bad but something is missing. The Chinese food is delicious but it also lacks something. There was nothing missing in the Western food, but I felt that the technology was lacking.

“I feel like I’m missing something in the Japanese and Chinese food.”

“Exactly. With just the materials we have now, we can’t make up for it though.”

“Is it something that doesn’t exist here?”

“Yes. The Japanese food lacks soup stock. As for the Chinese food, it lacks spiciness. We need spices such as chili peppers.”

Hmmm, when it comes to soup stock, we need bonito flakes and kelp. I remember buying chili peppers when I went to the Republic of Naji so I think I can provide that right away.

“Got it. I’ll get you something that can be used as soup stock soon.”

“Yes please.”

Seafood is needed to make the soup stock. This kingdom does not face the sea though. After reincarnating into this world, I decided to go to the sea for the first time.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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5^th floor of Mohed Great Labyrinth

 I took Liz to dive in the dungeon and came down here from the first floor.

“Thirty-fourth”

Liz, dressed in black with a cloth wrapped around her neck and covering her mouth, is facing a magical beast with a knife in her hand. She suddenly disappears, and the head of her enemy, a large cat, rolls to the floor. When I saw that, I thought she was an assassin.

“Weak. I’m bored.”

Liz emerges and then she pulls down the cloth around her mouth to breathe in the fresh air. She’s only been training for about three days but she’s growing unusually fast. I guess this only means that she is originally talented.

“Don’t let your guard down, you’re still a beginner you see. To start with, you have to reach the 10th floor and improve your skills.”

“Understood. But, what’s the point of this outfit?”

Liz looked puzzled at her black attire. What does she mean by that? Is she saying that she doesn’t understand the merits of the custom-made item that is made by a local tailor in the city?

Speaking of ninjas, they are dressed in black. It is a sublime costume that only the chosen ones are allowed to wear. Oops, Liz is a female so she is a kunoichi. Does that mean that red would have been better?

“Would it have been better if it was red?”

“It’s not about the color.”

 She looks exasperated as she stared at me.

 If color isn’t the problem, then what’s the problem?

 Liz is now a perfect ninja no matter how I look at it.

“Well, forget about that. That’s all you need to wear.”

“……I get it.”

I nod in response to her obedient reply. 

It would have been more perfect if there was a sword, but there doesn’t seem to be anything similar in this world. I can only give up on that part. It’s very disappointing though. 

After she resumed slaying magical beasts, we eventually moved on to the lower levels. That said, I am just watching. All the fighting is left to Liz. It’s her training after all.

When we came to the sixth floor, we found a treasure chest in the passageway. Liz approaches it and tries to open the lid.

 I hurriedly stopped her, “It’s a mimic!”

“Mimic?”

“It’s a magical beast disguised as a treasure chest. If you let your guard down and open the lid, it will eat you.”

Mimics are magical beasts that live in dungeons. Like shellfish, it forms an outer shell that resembles a treasure chest and feeds on humans who open the lid. It is said that beginners are deceived by this mimic and lose their lives every year.

“Ignore it?”

“No, this guy’s outer shell is golden. Let’s take a look.”

I pulled out a knife and then I thrust the blade into the back of the treasure chest. At this time, it is necessary to hold the lid with your hand. This is because ordinary people can be seriously injured if they are bitten. I am an exception of course. The treasure chest rattles and moves, but I hold it down as I twists the knife lightly. Suddenly, it became quiet and stopped moving.

“With that, this guy is dead. Let’s take a look inside.”

When I opened the chest, I found a row of sharp fangs from the edges. There is a hole in the center of it, and it is clear that meat is swallowed through there.

“It’s disgusting.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t look good. This guy has a good liver though.”

When I tore open the mouth part with a knife, the slimy internal organs inside are revealed. I then thrust my hand in it and then I pulled out something the size of a round baseball. This is the liver, experienced adventurers seemed to like to eat it. There are even stories that some stores are buying it at a high price. Its taste is similar to beef liver and it is sometimes eaten as a liver sashimi.

By the way, in Japan, eating raw liver is prohibited. This is because there is a possibility of food poisoning. This is a different world though so there is no such problem. However, it is an act that should be avoided in Japan. I then put the treasure chest and liver in the bangle. I’ll use it as a side dish for today’s dinner.

“Water”

Liz releases an aqua ball into the air. I thanked her as I washed my hands in the aqua ball.

“Alright. Let’s continue the training.”

“Yeah. Next”

She is expressionless as she quickly starts walking away. She said she wanted to be an adventurer so fighting magical beasts didn’t seem to be a problem to her. It can be seen that she has the aptitude. In that case, the first condition is clear.

After that, Liz was able to kill the magical beast without hesitation and we finally reached the tenth floor.

“Ninjutsu skill is really breaking the rule huh.”

“Oniichan has stealth too.”

“That’s true but I generally don’t hide and fight.”

“Why?”

“It’s a man’s pride.”

When I said that, Liz replied, “Oniichan is an idiot.”

That was really rude. Since I am a man, I should fight with dignity. Even if I had to ask for the help of my friends, I wouldn’t just hide and fight. This is my policy.

“Don’t mind mine. You just have to find your own way of fighting.”

“Hn.”

She gave such small reply and starts to move ahead. I immediately stopped her.

“Where are you going? You’re objective is the 10^th floor. Today’s training is over.”

“I was thinking of going to the cafeteria in the 15^th floor.”

“Ah-, is that what you’re trying to do? In that case, it’s fine. I am getting hungry too.”

“Hn.”

We started training in the morning and it was already past noon. It’s time to eat. Diet builds the body after all. In order to build good muscle, you have to eat well. This is the truth of the universe. I’m sure Liz also knows that.

After we found the Temple of Teleportation in the 10^th floor, we decided to transfer to the 15^th floor. It’s not too far from the temple to the cafeteria so we just followed the usual path to the cafeteria.

“There are no enemies here.”

“That’s right. My familiars are patrolling around the fifteenth floor you see. By exterminating the magical beasts, the safety of this floor is ensured.”

“How many familiars do you have?”

“You mean to ask their overall number, not just the ones on this floor, am I right?”

“Yeah”

“About 400,000.”

Liz’s eyes widened in astonishment. I guess she didn’t expect it to be that many. If she knew that it was 700,000 until recently, I would like to see how she reacts. Well, I’m not going to say that though. I don’t like to brag too much.

When I opened the door of the cafeteria, I was greeted by a soft and appetizing scent. Inside the restaurant, several adventurers were eating and talking about their adventures today with mugs in hand.

Liz and I take a suitable seat, a waiter quickly arrives to take our order.

“There don’t seem to be many people today.”

“Katakata”

The waiter clattered his jaw slightly and replied, “It seems that many adventurers are taking a vacation today.” That means that there will probably guests coming at night. The homeless cafeteria also serves alcohol so it is also popular as a tavern. Recently, single dishes such as hamburgers have been selling like crazy.

“Salmon TKG set meal”

“Teriyaki hamburger steak set meal”

After we both placed an order, I took out a water bottle from the bangle. The cafeteria also offer free water but it’s just the usual water that could be bought in the city. I poured the water from the water bottle into a glass and offers it to Liz. Yes, it is saint water.

“Water?”

“If you want to be a full-fledged adventurer, drink it.”

“Understood.”

She gulped down the water. This will reflect her experience today in her body. It’s almost a foul training method but it has made Erna, Pero, and Freya stronger. Yeah, it is all thanks to Saint Water-sama.

“Delicious”

“It’s a special water. Don’t tell anyone else, okay?”

“Yeah.”

 Liz nods, and shortly after, lines of texts appeared in my field of vision.

【Do you want to evolve Liz Schmidt?】 【YES/NO】 【Evolution destination option】  ・Human → High Human  ・Human → Neohuman

I was surprised that evolution had already come. It’s only been three days since she started training. I thought it would happen eventually, but it came so early that we can’t even eat calmly.

“You’ve got the option to evolve. Do you want to evolve?”

“??”

“It’s evolution. People in this world know that, right?”

“Ah!”

Liz seemed to finally understand as she clapped her fist on the palm of her hand. I told her the directions she could evolve to and she chooses High Human. I told her that she should pick neo-human as it is a safer option but she doesn’t listen to me, saying that high human would suit her better. 

It’s not good to have the evolution in the cafeteria so we decided to return to the hideout first.

“Alright. Let’s start the evolution.”

“Yeah.”

Once we returned home, I clicked on the yes button and she starts to evolve in the living room. Her body began to glow dimly as she walked to their room and lied on her bed. Since I already know what kind of race the High Human is, I find it a little boring. A four-arm man is a more interesting evolution.

I took out some sake and decided to have a drink.

◇◇◇

“Hey, it looks like she has been sleeping all the time. What’s wrong with her?”

Erna asks as she peeks inside the bedroom. It’s already been six hours since Liz started evolving. I think it’s about time to end, but Erna, who doesn’t know the situation, looks worried.

“She’s evolving. She’s going to be high-human.”

“Is she going to be a high-human? That’s surprising. I thought you would choose a weirder evolution.”

“If you say that, doesn’t it seem like we’ve evolved in a strange way?”

“……That’s true.”

Apparently convinced, Erna sits down beside me. She lifted the liver sashimi I had been using as a snack to my sake, picked one up with a fork and brought it to her mouth.

“Ah!”

“This Erna-sama won’t allow you to eat delicious food alone.”

Damn, did my attempt to kill time by drinking until Liz finished evolving became her enemy as well? Pero and Freya, who were watching us, pinched a liver and brought it to their mouths.

“Even you too!”

“Only Father is sneaky.”

“This is pretty good.”

In the end, the snack for my sake were all eaten by the three of them. It looks like I’ll have to go hunting Mimic again.

“Noisy”

The door opened and a blue-haired ghost slithers out. Kidding, it’s Liz. Apparently, her evolution is over. Her pale blue hair stretched down to her feet, and Liz’s eyes peered through the gaps.

“Erna, cut her hair.”

“Yes.”

After she cut Liz’s hair with a knife, her figure was finally exposed. She used to have a well-shaped face, but after evolving, she had transformed into a beautiful girl. But what I am more concerned about is the black mass that floats around her. It is about the size of a basketball ball and it floats as if it is alive.

“What’s that?”

“I don’t know.”

I tried to touch that black thing. However, as if I’m grasping the clouds, my hand just cut into the air.  I want to know what the meaning of this black mass is.

【Analysis: Liz Schmidt: The third daughter of the Schmidt family. Has extreme aversion to troublesome things. She thinks that if she marries Shinichi Tanaka, she will be able to spend the rest of her life lazing around. Considers Erna as rival. Rarity: A, Overall Ability: B】

【Status】  Name: Liz Schmidt  Race: Dark Human  Age: 15 years old  Magic Attribute: Water | Darkness  Magic: Aqua Ball, Aqua Arrow, Aqua Wall, Aqua Cure, Shadow  Skills: Shinobi’s Vessel, Telepathy ▹Advanced: Swordsmanship, Taijutsu A, Taijutsu B ▹Intermediate: Ninjutsu, Body Strengthening, Eyesight Enhancement, Physical Enhancement, Danger Detection  Evolution: Conditions are not met  <Evolution Condition: Sword King Technique(Beginner), Ninjutsu (Special), Fist King Technique (Beginner)>

Skills that I had never seen before were added. What kind of skill is telepathy?

“From what I can see, I don’t see any skills that have anything to do with that black thing. Maybe it’s a racial characteristics.”

“I don’t know.”

 As she said this, Liz is gently touching the black ball. With that, I can add that it can be touched by Liz. It’s still a mystery.

 Line of text then appears in my field of vision.

【Evolution has been changed by the skill, Shinobi’s Vessel】

As expected, it seems that Shinobi’s vessel, like the King’s vessel, has changed her evolution destination. I had a vague feeling that way. This world is not so simple that she could honestly be turned to high-human.

“Dark Human…”

Liz is in a daze when she sees her status.

Is she disappointed by the unexpected evolution?

I thought but,

“Oh-, nevermind.”

She readily accepted it.

She must have gotten tired of thinking about it. I feel like I’m gradually understanding Liz’s thoughts. I then gave her food and water. She began to gobble the food, probably because she was hungry. It’s a lively meal.

All the while, that black orb hovers around her. I’m still curious about it. I can’t help but pay attention to it.

“Can you move it?”

“Hn.”

With the chopsticks in her hand, Liz pointed in a direction and the black orb float there lightly. In other words, it can be manipulated. When she moved her chopsticks again, the orb changed shape and became long and thin. Swimming through the air like a snake, it wrapped itself around my arm.

“I can feel it…”

The black thing is soft and it felt weird to the touch, like touching a memory foam pillow. I have the urge to hold it forever. I decided to call this mysterious thing as “dark cloud”.

“Maybe you can ride this?”

“I didn’t think about that.”

Liz turns the dark cloud into a cushion shape and lowers it until it almost touched the floor. After she sat on top of it, the dark cloud began to float and move around.

“This feels good.”

 Liz begins to sleep on the dark cloud. I stopped her.

“Don’t sleep in a place like that. Sleep in the bed.”

“Stingy”

“I’m not stingy.”

Liz got down the floor and reluctantly went back to the room. Then Erna hurriedly tries to close the door of their bedroom.

“You don’t have to close it in such a hurry.”

“Eh? Ah-, Y-Yes. That’s right.”

When I stared at her, Erna’s eyes start to wander around. I feel like she’s hiding something.

“Let me come in for a moment.”

“N-No! That’s not good. Don’t go inside the girls’ room!”

I pulled Erna, who was desperately clinging to me to stop me, and opened the door to the bedroom. I haven’t been in the bathroom or storage room lately because I don’t have any use for it. I have to check how the bedroom that I rented to the three of them has changed. It is the duty of the landlord after all.

“What is this!?”

I looked inside the room and exclaimed.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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21st floor of the Mohed Great Dungeon

“Wau!”

I narrowly avoided the fist that was thrown at me. Then, this time, I was targeted from behind with a sword. Activating my acceleration skill for a moment, I dodged his sword and then I sliced off the opponent’s arm with my claws.

“Naive!”

Hearing that voice, I looked up and that’s when I noticed that a thread bomb has exploded. When the white threads covered my body, they clung to me stickily and inhibited my movement. I thought it was over. But that was just a decoy and I was attacked from behind.

“Kyaun!”

The bottom of the opponent’s palm hit me directly and the impact made my body shook and even stirred my internal organs. In addition to that, I was further swept off my feet and I spun around in the air. I then slammed hard into the ground.

“I-, I give up…”

I surrendered. The four children who were my opponents lined up in a row and bowed to me. Father, who was watching the match, stood up and handed a cure mushroom to me.

“Very good. To be able to fight on an equal footing against my four clones, you’ve grown quite a lot.”

“But Father is still way stronger. I’m not able to get a solid hit at all.”

“Don’t be humble. If you fight seriously, you should be able to fight me more fiercely.”

I think that is just my father’s misunderstanding. Indeed, by acquiring the acceleration skill, I have become much stronger. However, father has become even stronger. My blows have no effect on him, he regenerates quickly even if I cut him. He could divide his body, can fly, has many followers and he breathes powerful breath. The more I slice, the more I can’t cut him. Even I, his son, knows that he’s abnormal!

“Mmm-, are you thinking something rude?”

“N-No. I just thought that Father is amazing.”

“Don’t praise me too much. I’ll get carried away easily you see.”

While saying that, my father looks a little happy though. I recently learned that father is a shy person. That’s why he tries to hide it as soon as I praise him. Erna-oneesan said that it is a good thing, but as a child, I don’t really understand it well.

“Haa~, as expected of Pero-sama! Freya is just watching but Freya gets so excited!”

Freya-san hugs me and buries her face in my chest. I still don’t know what she’s really thinking but I infer that she likes me.

“Uhm, Freya-san, isn’t it about time?”

“Ah!? I apologize! Pero-sama’s fluffiness is so wonderful that I got carried away!”

She had a slovenly appearance. Just thinking about how much my fluffiness captivates her makes me feel terrified.

“Alright, that’s it for today’s training. You can now spend your time as you like.”

I feel a little disappointed hearing my father’s words. Training is fun, it’s always full of new discoveries. My goal is to protect my father one day. That is why I want to become even more stronger. As I was thinking about this, my father smiled at me and put his hand on my shoulder.

“I don’t know what you’re struggling with, but, it’s important to take a break you know.”

“Understood.”

A leather bag was then handed to me. It’s clinking so I can tell right away that it is money.

“It’s your money. I’m saving it for you so that’s just a part of it. Don’t use it too much.”

“Yes!”

I felt that the money given to me is very heavy. I think it’s because it is filled with my father’s feelings for me. I almost cried so I ran out of the place.

“Eh-, Pero-sama! Wait for me!”

Freya-san chased after me. Apparently, she wants to go to the city with me. The two of us ran through the jungle until we reached the fourth miniature garden. When I touched the stone tablet in the Temple of Teleportation, the destination was displayed in my field of vision.

“Yeah! Yeah!, it’s a date with Pero-sama. I’m really excited.”

“I don’t think it’s a date though…”

I couldn’t help but smile wryly as I looked at Freya-san who was breathing heavily because of excitement. She’s a person who really doesn’t change. But it does feels nice. Then my vision was distorted, the scenery also changed in an instant.  A pleasant breeze and a familiar landscape greeted me. No matter how many times I come to the ground, I will never get tired of it.

“I feel like in the mood to paint landscapes.”

“Pero-sama really like painting huh.”

“Yes. I think it’s great to be able to keep what I’ve seen.”

Freya-san smiled sweetly at me. It’s good if it’s always like this, but as soon as I let my guard down, she’ll immediately scream, “Fluffy!”, so I have to be on guard. I don’t hate being petted, but Freya-san is a person who can stroke me all day long if left alone. That’s why I have to be clear that she can’t do it when I don’t want to.

But, is petting someone really that good?

I really doubt it.

When we went inside the city, I met a soldier I knew.

“Oh-, if it isn’t our sacred beast. Are you two shopping together today?”

“Yes. I think it’s about time to buy a weapon.”

“Now that Pero-sama mentioned it, the gauntlet you are equipped before is gone.”

“Well, it’s broken because I’ve grown a bit. Now I planned to buy something a little bigger.”

The soldier waved his hand and said, “As long as Pero-sama is here, our kingdom is safe.” What he expects is me as a sacred beast. He probably thinks that I will eventually become the guardian beast of the kingdom. Of course, I don’t deny that. It’s an undeniable fact that I am a sacred beast and I also want to protect a lot of people. However, when asked if it is more important than my father, I would definitely answer no.

“Pero-sama, there’s a food stall over there! Are you hungry?”

“You just want to eat, don’t you Freya-san? It certainly smells good though.”

There is a stall in the direction Freya-san pointed. A savory smell wafts through the air and many customers are lined up waiting for their food. I was intrigued so I decided to line up with Freya-san.

“It’s a skewer. It’s very dark in color but it looks delicious.”

When it’s her turn, Freya-san frolics like a child. Skewers are being grilled at the stall. The meat is swirled on a rectangular metal box, and when it is moderately cooked, the skewer is dipped in a jar. The jar is filled with thick brown liquid. After the skewers are soaked in the liquid for a minute, they are grilled on the box again. When I peeked inside the box, I saw that the red heated charcoal was making a sizzling sound because of the falling fat and juice. Thinking that it was a rare dish in Mana, I looked up at the cook. He wore a mask and a gray cloth over his head.

“Uh-…… Suketarou-san?”

“Katakata”

He shakes his head as if to say I’m mistaken. But no matter how I look at it, it’s Suketarou-san. The best proof is the golden body that can be seen through the gap on the gray cloth. With a familiar movement, he offered us a skewer and with a flip, he told us, “Please keep it a secret from master.” Perhaps it was a hush money, he also gave us one more skewer.

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t see you.”

“Katakata”

 Suketarou-san then waved us off.

“I thought I hadn’t seen Suketarou-san lately. I guess he was working at a place like that.”

“Well, we have more free time after the war ended so I guess he started doing business as a hobby.”

Suketarou is like a general who leads the group. However, there must have been nothing left to do because the tasks were mostly done by his subordinates. The result is that he ended up doing his own food stall. Suketarou’s ability to act cannot be underestimated.

 I put the skewer in my mouth. The sweet and salty taste was delicious.

“Is this teriyaki sauce?”

“It seems to be, maybe it’s the yakitori that Tanaka-dono was talking about.”

My father once said, “When you drink sake, yakitori is the most suitable dish.”

I think it was me, Freya-san, and Suketarou-san who were present at time. I’m sure that after that, he learned how to make it from my father and put it into practice. The reason why he want us to keep silent is probably because of that.

“As soon as your father finds out, he’ll come to Mana for sure.”

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure he’ll eat up all the food from the stall in no time.”

I laughed. Father has an eye for delicious food, so yakitori would be an easy prey. I can imagine Suketarou-san panicking. When we finished eating the yakitori, we decided to go to the furniture shop together.

“Hmmm-, what to choose for the new bed…”

“Decide quickly. I’m tired of waiting.”

“Just wait a little longer. I don’t get a chance like this very often so let me choose more slowly.”

“They’re all the same.”

When we went to the furniture store, I saw Erna-oneesan and Liz-san in front of the store. Moreover, Erna-oneesan is expressing her hesitation as she looks inside the store. I decided to talk to Liz-san.

“Liz-san, were you able to buy a bed?”

“Hn. Bought it.”

She nods slightly, her eyes half-closed. Liz-san doesn’t talk much and sometimes has a snarky tongue but she’s not a bad person by any means. I think she just doesn’t know how to interact with people. According to what I heard from Father, she has been sick for a long time, so it can’t be helped that she’s not good at socializing with others. If I were in the same situation, I might have become silent like Liz-san.

“Ah-, that one is good too! Hmm, but this one isn’t bad either… Eh? Pero-kun?”

Erna-oneesan seemed to just noticed me. I got closer to take a look inside the store.

“Are you struggling about choosing that big bed?”

“That’s right. Isn’t it every girl’s dream to have a canopy bed? Shinichi gave me a lot of money, so I thought I’d splurge and buy it.”

“But it won’t be able to fit it into the room you know.”

“Ugh, you’re right…”

Pulled back to reality, Erna-oneesan fell to her knees with a thud. The other day, father went out to buy a bed but he wasn’t able to buy anything. So today, Erna-oneesan came to the city with Liz-san, and as expected, Erna-oneesan seemed to be having the most fun.

“I think it will be able to fit if you can make the room bigger… but that’s impossible, right?”

“Make the room bigger… That’s right! Make the room bigger! Why didn’t I think of that!”

Erna-oneesan suddenly stands up and rushed inside the store. She then bought the bed with a canopy. I wasn’t sure if I should stop her, but I decided to see if she has come up with a good idea.

“Now I can sleep peacefully in a bed with canopy! This is great!”

“Are you sure it is okay?  Father will be angry if you can’t put it in the room you know.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry. It’s possible with my power!”

Then Erna-oneesan leaves with Liz-san with a big smile. Feeling a bit of anxiety, Freya-san and I walked into the furniture store.

“Welcome”

The clerk greeted us. I decided to ask the clerk a question before looking at the bed.

“Uhm, do you have a bed my size?”

“Of course we do. Well, it was made a long time ago so the design is inevitably outdated, but it can be used sufficiently. As inventory clearance, we will give you a discount of about 50%.”

When we went to the second floor of the store, there is a large sized bed on display. I suspect that it was built for a dragoneut. Lying on the bed, I feel satisfied as the size is not bad.

“Then please give me this one.”

“Certainly! Would you like us to deliver it to your home?”

I shake my head.  After paying the clerk, I stored the bed in the bangle. Like Erna-oneesan, Freya-san and I also received permission from Father to use the bangle. So even if I don’t have the bangle with me, I can still put things in and took them out freely. After completing the purchase, we head to Rodman-san’s Weapon Store. I also need to buy a weapon. When I opened the door of the store, I saw Rodman-san exhaling smoke from the tobacco pipe.

“Hello”

“Welcome! Hoh-, are you two going on a date today!?”

“No. We are just buying something.”

“It’s a date!”

We spoke at the same time and Freya-san insists it’s a date. She had a serious look as she emphasized that. Both Rodman and I could only nod at such strange pressure.

“Yes, this is a date.”, I could only follow-up.

“Hahahaha! It’s nice to be young!”

 Rodman-san began to laugh and pulled something from under the counter.

“This is-?”

“I made it at the request of  Tanaka-kun. I have already received the money for it.”

It was a marine blue gauntlet. It was a perfect fit when I put it on my hand. When I poured some magic on it, water gushed out from the gauntlet. I turned my gaze to Rodman-san.

“It’s made of an alloy of aquatium and steel, just like the one you used before. However, the attributes are different, so I think it will be easier for Pero-kun to use it now.”

“Yes, it seems to be very easy to use. Father told you to change the attribute?”

“Yeah. Tanaka-kun said that if possible, water-type weapon would be better so I went all the way to the royal capital to buy the materials. Please use it with care.”

“Thank you very much.”

 I thanked Rodman-san and I’m grateful to father. I vow to use this weapon with care.

“Hn?”

Suddenly, I found something unfamiliar in the store. Even though it is a weapon shop, there is a necklace on display. When I looked closely, I can see that there is a small stone attached on it as decoration. The stone color varies from red, green, brown and blue.

“Uhm…, what is this?”

“It’s a ‘substitute stone’ that arrived recently. It said to be able to save the owner’s life. But from the looks of it, it’s just a stone though. This kind of item is often bought by adventurers so I decided to sell it here as well.”

“Ohh-, a substitute stone huh.”

 I looked at the necklace and come up with a good idea. I bought five necklaces from Rodman-san and gave the one with red stone on it to Freya-san.

“C-Can I have it!?”

“Take it. This stone will help Freya-san when you are in danger.”

“Aaaaaaaaah! I received a present from Pero-sama! I will cherish it for the rest of my life! No, I’ll put it in the safe and keep it as an heirloom!”

“Please wear it properly.”

Freya-san is super excited from joy. Just when I think her excitement has reached its climax, the whites of her eyes suddenly turned upwards and with a thud, she fell to the floor. I hurriedly picked her up and realized that she had fainted.

Sigh.

I decided to carry Freya-san on my back and go home.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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There was a man who used to be my right-hand man. I think we met when I had just established my company. 

While I was sitting down at a cafe, I suddenly spotted a man I became interested in. That guy was quietly reading a management-related book at the same cafe. I approached him out of curiosity and we strangely hit it off. Then I said, if he is interested, he could join my company. He readily accepted the offer and few months later, he became a regular employee.

After that, we worked hard together. Gradually, the number of employees increased, and the company grew larger and larger. I remember laughing with him that his goals were high, and that he was still not satisfied with this. When the company was finally listed on the first section of the stock market, he and I watched the sunset over Tokyo from the president’s office.

The two of us talked about finally standing at the real starting line. He said that together, we would grow the company into the best company in the world. Our goal was to be on top of the world. But—, he betrayed.

As a result of an employee’s mistake, I, the president, was held responsible. It quickly developed into a resolution to dismiss me at the shareholders’ meeting. I was then fired with unnatural ease. As I later learned, I had been betrayed by the man I trusted more than anyone else. However, I didn’t feel angry. How to say, hmmm, it’s like a balloon with a hole in it, just like the gas, my emotions also start to dwindle. Struck by my own misery and stupidity, I chose to quietly leave the company.

I don’t remember much after that. It seems that I splurged as if I was making up for the time I had so far. Before I knew it, I only had a million yen left. For a short time, I seemed to have lost my sanity. And it was at that time that I realized that I had nothing left. I decided to change my mind and sought for a new job. However, all I can get is a part-time job. Then, when I reached my limit, I chose to become homeless. Now, I just think he did a good job for firing me.

“It’s sunset huh…”

When I arrived at Mana, I squint my eyes at the orange sunset that can be seen from the city. I suddenly stopped in my tracks, thinking that the beauty of the sunset does not change even in another world.

Now that my life is finally stable, I began to recall the past.

“Whoa-, it’s Homeless!”

The children who saw me come to surround me. They seem to be having so much excitement while asking, “You didn’t defeat a magical beast today?”. I just smiled, pulled out a bunch of candy balls from the bangle and distributed them to the kids. I bought it as a snack, but I’m sure the candy balls will be more appreciated by the kids eating them.

“Thank you, Homeless onii-chan!”

The children surrounding me dispersed like an ebbing tide. I couldn’t help but admire their vivid movements.

“Yosh-, let’s head to the Lord’s mansion.”

I start walking and head to the Lord’s mansion in the center of Mana City. When people passing by see me, they waved their hands and greet me. Inside a building, a beautiful woman calls out to me, “Would you like to stay just for one night?”. Well, I am moved, but Erna appears in my mind with her staff pointed at me so I decided to refuse.

As I passed through the market, I saw shoppers wandering around at dusk. The store that stands out the most is probably Arnold’s stall.

“Come, buy here! Don’t you want fresh vegetables that are as good as my muscles!? There’s also the Homeless soy sauce and miso which are very rare seasoning!”

Arnold is amazing as he attracts customers while posing. No matter how many times I look at him, his body is perfect. Yet strangely enough, customers who come to his store buy products while looking away. I can’t believe they don’t look at those muscles, the customers are losing out a lot.

I got closer and greet him,

“How is it going Arnold?”

“Fuhahaha! Both soy sauce and miso are selling well! Thank you for making such a good condiment!”

“I see. If it’s selling well then there’s no problem. I’ll come back if I have time.”

After leaving the market, I finally reached the mansion. When I greeted the gatekeeper guarding the entrance, he recognized me and then he quickly opened the gate for me. As soon as I entered the building, the maid guides me inside. I was led to a room and the lord is already there sitting on the sofa.

“I got the letter.”

I sat down on the sofa facing the Lord and then I started the conversation right away. The lord nodded slightly, straightened his collar and adjusted his posture.

“The reason I asked you here today is because I have an important matter to tell you.”

“Important matter? Are you talking about the war?”

“No. It’s something important to you and me.”

With a question mark in my head, I decided to listen first. If the Lord says it is important, then it must be so.

“Hoo-, Alright. Let me introduce myself again, I am the Marquis of Mana. My name is Ryan Doris.”

I learned the name of the Lord for the first time. Until now, he has avoided giving his name. I’m not sure why, but I had the impression that he was a little reserved towards me. Then the Lord stands up and sits upright on the floor. I watched closely to see what he’s going to do.

“I apologize here and now for what happened at that time!”

After saying that, he kneels down on the ground. He then bows his head so deeply that his forehead almost touches the floor. I am so confused by the sudden turn of event.

“Lift your head up first. I have no idea what you’re talking about you see.”

 The Lord did not raise his head. And then, he slowly talked about it.

“There was once a man named Yasuhiko Kanzaki who betrayed someone he respected and usurped his position. But that false glory didn’t last long. He too, lose his position to others. He changed his mind and decided to start all over again with the person he respected. Unfortunately, he was reincarnated in another world at the same time.”

“Yasuhiko Kanzaki…”

I’ll never forget that name. He was my former best friend and right-hand man. I trusted and relied on him the most. Until I was betrayed.

The lord continues to speak,

“He then made it big in another world. The son of a baron rose to become a marquis. As he grew older, he had completely forgotten about his previous life. Until one day, a man with the same name and surname appeared in front of him. He was extremely flustered. Then he decided to take the time to find out if that person is the one he hoped for.”

“What’s the answer?”

“It was him. It is definitely Shinichi Tanaka.”

The Lord then looked up at me. I saw him with a runny nose and tears streaming down his face. However, I could read the emotion of joy rather than sadness in his eyes.

“Kanzaki… Is it you?”

“Yes! I am Kanzaki! I’m Yasuhiko Kanzaki, your right-hand man!”

My tear glands become loose. What a coincidence that my best friend, whom I thought I would never see again, was in another world with me. It’s a miracle!

“Kanzaki!”

“Tanaka-san!”

I opened out my arms to hug each other…… —I pretended. I grabbed Kanzaki by the arm and collar and threw him against the wall.

“Bu-gee!?”

He slammed against the wall, fell to the floor, and then he stood up while clutching his waist.

“What you did just now betrayed me. With that, we are even now.”

“Hoh-, you’re still the same as ever huh.”

Kanzaki smirked as I said that. How to say, it’s that I can’t help but be happy. We sat down on the sofa and resumed talking.

“It’s been a long time, Tanaka-san.”

“That’s right. But you’re older than me now.”

“Yeah. It’s been sixty years since I was reincarnated. I guess I’m getting old.”

Having a conversation with him evoke a sense of nostalgia. It gave me the illusion of going back to those days.

“Wait. How did that happen? You were certainly one year younger than me right?”

“I don’t know either. When I woke up, I was reincarnated as this Ryan Doris. There seems to be a considerable time gap between me and Tanaka-san.”

“A time gap? ….Did Kanzaki see that in Tokyo too?”

“Yes. I was caught when I’m in the middle of looking for you Tanaka-san. I remember being killed by a demonic beast-like creature wearing a black cloth.”

“That guy huh.”

My memories were evoked. The monster that killed Shigeru-san and even got me afterwards. It looks like Kanzaki was also killed by that guy.

“But why did we get reincarnated in this world?”

“That’s also a wonder for me. Was it a prank of God or the work of the devil? Or, was it the mercy of Buddha?”

The cause is still unknown, but it can be said that we were able to reincarnate while retaining our memories. I still think we are lucky. However, the cruel truth may lie ahead. I decided to change the subject for now.

“What happened to the company? I haven’t heard of it going bankrupt since I left.”

“For a while, thanks to Tanaka-san’s souvenirs, sales have risen to an all-time high. However, the current management situation is difficult. It has shrunk to three-quarters of the size it was when Tanaka-san was the company’s president.”

The souvenir he is talking about is the next generation mobile phones. It was an in-house product that was rushed to develop when I was too absorbed in the loss of my family members. Since I was fired, I don’t know much about its subsequent developments though. When I think about it now, at that time, I was really in a hurry to live, as if I was obsessed with something.

“I can tell you now, thank you for firing me. I was crazy back then.”

“At that time….. I-, I didn’t think I could follow Tanaka-san. That’s why I made a plan to dismiss you. However, I kept wondering if I had chosen the right path.”

“No, you were right. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”

Suddenly, when I looked out the window, the light of the setting sun was shining in. I stood up and looked at it.

“Do you remember that sunset?”

“Yes, I still remember it.”

“At that time we decided to be the best in the world. Why don’t we try it again?”

Kanzaki’s eyes widen. The first company was no good. But it doesn’t mean I’m giving up on the next one. Even if the world changes, the dreams we dreamed together could still come true.

“I would be happy to. This time, I’ll follow you everywhere!”

“Then it’s settled. Together, we’ll make Mana the best Japanese food district in this world.”

“Ye—huh!? Japanese food!?”

“What are you surprised about? There’s no such thing as a cellphone in this world. Moreover, I feel that food has a future. I want to establish Japanese food in this world and transform Mana into the best food city in this world.”

“Don’t tell me… Perhaps the soy sauce and miso that are being sold in the market…”

I grinned when I heard him mutter that. Isn’t that a good guess?, as expected of Kanzaki. Moreover, he is quite quick to hear and know about what’s new.

“It’s part of the plan. We will develop Mana as a food capital. To do that, you, the Lord, need to act.”

“I see. That’s what you mean huh. Then please use my power to the fullest.”

“Yeah”

Kanzaki—no, Marquis Ryan Doris got down on one knee and bowed his head to me. He just swore his loyalty to me. Of course, as the Lord, it’s not a bad thing for Ryan either. It’s not hard to imagine that if Mana could attract people to something else, not just the dungeon, the city would be richer than ever. And as the economy develops, the city itself will gain strength. Well, that’s secondary. Honestly, I just want to eat a lot of Japanese food.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes.”

When our talk ends and I was about to leave, the Lord hurriedly holds me back.

“There was something I forgot to mention.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know the new hero of this kindgom?”

“Hero??”

I wracked my brain. I’ve heard it before but I can’t remember where it was. More than that, I wonder what the hero did.

“He was awarded the title of Hero by the King for his success in the last war. His name is Arvish Gloris, he is a young man who is making a name for himself in the royal capital.”

“Arvish Gloris…”

Soon a young man is recalled from my memory. He’s the one who attacked me and Erna. I thought he had gone somewhere, but apparently, he gained strength and returned to the royal capital. I don’t know how things have changed since then.

“In fact, that new hero is criticizing Tanaka-san. He is saying that Shinichi Tanaka, from Homeless party, is a coward and a sneaky bastard. I have a hunch that it will lead to trouble you see.”

“That’s possible. There’s a high probability that he held a grudge against me after all. I now need to think about how to deal with it huh…”

After a short silence, “Well, thank you for the information”, I said to the Lord. And this time, I left the mansion.

I never imagined that the Lord of Mana is Kanzaki. But now, my vague thoughts turned into a certainty. There are other reincarnated people besides me. Moreover, there is a possibility that they have been reincarnated through the ages.

Coincidentally, me and Kanzaki were close in time. However, if there are others, they are not necessarily living at the same time as us. They may be far in the past or perhaps there is someone who is reincarnated in the far future. I don’t know why I could say that, but the fact that I am alive like this is the best proof.

“Maybe Shigeru-san is also alive somewhere.”

 Looking up at the darkened sky, I came to know once again what fate is.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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A week has passed since the cafeteria opened. Sales are quite good. I had planned to run the cafeteria little by little, but it seems like the response has been more than I expected. My original purpose was to make Japanese food take root in this world. And secondly, I thought that it would be good if I could get the minimum amount of money necessary for life. After that, I thought it would be nice if it could become a temporary resting place for adventurers.

But reality betrayed me in a good way. Interestingly, it seems that the number of people coming to the dungeon has increased just to eat in the cafeteria. This should be the one known as “word of the mouth”. We didn’t advertise it that much but a large number of adventurers started coming every day. It’s indeed a good idea to open the store on the 15th floor. Japanese food may be well suited to the palate of people in this world.

Soy sauce and miso are also selling well. This started from customer requests. The set meals are mainly seasoned with soy sauce and some adventurers said that they want to eat such taste at home. Since the cafeteria also sells soy sauce and miso, I recommended it, and they bought it without hesitation. But in this way, it will become a seasoning that is not available to the general public and I don’t want that to happen. Luckily, this point has also been solved. I had Arnold sell soy sauce and miso in Mana’s market. This made it possible for ordinary people on the ground to enjoy Japanese food as well. Thus the success of soy sauce and miso. All that’s left to do is wait for soy sauce and miso to spread throughout the world.

“Teriyaki hamburger steak is delicious!”

Erna is sitting in front of me, looking happy as she eats. Next to me, Pero is also enjoying a sashimi set meal. Right next to Pero, Freya is silently eating a stir-fried vegetable set meal. The four of us came to Homeless Cafeteria. The store is busy today as well, the chatter of adventurers echoed throughout the store.

“Hey-, there’s a grain of rice on your face.”

I took the grain of rice from the corner of Erna’s mouth with my finger and ate it. She immediately turned red and steam emits from her head.

“Ho- ho- ho…..”

“?”

Erna makes a blowing movement from her mouth and she shakes her head afterwards, as if calming herself.

Did I do something wrong?

“Father is very dense sometimes.”

Hearing Pero’s words, I thought about arguing but I held back. This is because it is impossible for me, who had a reputation for being keen, to be dense. And, sometimes, it is the duty of a father to accept his son’s painful words.

“Dense!”

A girl’s voice sounded so I subconsciously looked around. However, there is no sign of such a person. While wondering what it was, I dig my chopsticks into the salmon TKG set meal from the secret menu.

“What is that? It looks so delicious!”

An adventurer who was nearby reacted when he saw my food. This restaurant only serves three types of set meals so it seems to stand out if I eat something different.

“This is a salmon TKG set meal from the secret menu. If you don’t mind raw eggs, you can order and try it.”

“Oh, thank you!”

He also ordered it right away. When the skeleton serving as a waiter brings the food, he teaches the customer how to eat TKG by writing it on a flip. Since the skeletons cannot speak, they basically communicate with customers through written communication. 

After the adventurer understood, he put the egg on top of the rice, poured soy sauce on it and stirred it. When he put it in his mouth, he let out a cry of joy, “Uwa!” Apparently, it suited his taste.

“Is TKG delicious?”

I heard that voice again so I checked my surroundings once more. But as expected, the owner of the voice was nowhere in sight.

“Is anyone there?”

“…………”

There was no response. There is no sign of that person but I know there is someone nearby. I then opened the eyes in my forehead and looked around. My third eye has the power not only to see but also to reveal what is hidden in space. I don’t usually use it so it’s easy to forget about it. However, it’s an ability that comes in handy at times like this.

“……Why are you here?”

“You found me.”

 A familiar girl was standing behind me. It seems that she has been hiding with her ninjutsu skill for a long time.

“Just show yourself.”

“Can’t be helped then.”

The girl reluctantly releases her stealth and pushes Pero aside to sit in the seat next to me. She has short pale blue hair and a still young appearance. I recalled that she was on her pajamas when we first met, but now she is wearing an adventurer gear. She also carries a large rucksack on her back so she doesn’t look like a nobleman.

She’s Liz. She is the girl from a noble family who was sick in the neighboring town.

“I’ll ask you again, why on earth are you here?”

“I’m bankrupt. That is why I became an adventurer.”

“Huh? Speak a little more clearly.”

“Mmm. My house has fallen and I became very poor. I wanted to become an adventurer to earn money, but I don’t know how. That’s why I thought I’d ask Onii-chan to teach me.”

With eyes half-closed, Liz explained nonchalantly.

In other words, she wanted to be an adventurer so she came here to ask for my help. But why would she go into hiding? No, wait. How long has this girl been following me?

“……How long have you been following me?”

“Since yesterday.”

I almost fell out of my chair from shock. She probably saw me in the city yesterday, I didn’t expect her to be around me for that long. The three people listening to the story were also stunned.

“Why didn’t you talk to me sooner? If I hadn’t found you, you wouldn’t have known how to become an adventurer forever.”

“I’m a shy person. It’s a pain for me to talk to people.”

“But you want to be an adventurer, don’t you?”

“Well, I thought it would be okay to leave it as it is. If I can’t find you, I can just eat for free and just laze around. I don’t like trouble you see.”

I couldn’t help but let out a sigh. This girl seems to have a frightening tendency to dislike trouble. Even with that, she thought about becoming an adventurer. This concept is a bit…

“Did your parents approved of it when you told them you’ll become an adventurer?”

“I was told that if I could make money and earn honor, I should do my best.”

Her parents are also… Well, they say parents and children are very similar. Leaving that aside, for nobles, it seems that downfall means bankruptcy as well. I wonder what kind of life they are living so far.

“I understand your situation. Alright, from now on, I’ll show you how to become an adventurer.”

“You don’t have to teach me that. I’ve decided to be Onii-chan’s wife.”

“Ah!? My wife?”

“Yes. It will be easier that way.”

I let out a second sigh. I had been thinking of how to help her become an adventurer but this girl started saying ridiculous things again. And her reason is not a reason at all.

“Let me tell you, I also have the right to choose my partner you know. Besides, I can’t marry a girl who isn’t even old enough yet.”

“Stingy.”

“I’m not stingy. I’ll teach you how to be an adventurer, and I can train you for that, but I can’t help you get married.”

“Stingy”

 Don’t call me stingy twice. At that moment, Erna stood up and exclaimed,

“Shinichi doesn’t have enough time to deal with a kid like you!”

“Shut up middle aged woman.”

“You-, Me?, middle-aged? What are you saying!”

 Liz’s words infuriated Erna. She raised her wand and began to say, “I’m going to make you disappear!” me and Pero hurriedly stopped her.

“Apologize to Erna. What you said just now is too much.”

“I’m sorry…. middle-aged woman.”

Liz bows her head to apologize but her next words made Erna furious again. Well, it’s incredibly rude of Liz to provoke Erna’s anger by apologizing first then insult her after. It seems like she needs to be taught some common sense first. After calming Erna down like how a cowherd does, I decided to check Liz’s status again.

【Analysis: Liz Schmidt: The third daughter of the Schmidt family. She has a personality that hates troublesome things to the extreme. If possible, she would like to spend the rest of her life lying in bed. She has a strong interest in Shinichi Tanaka. Rarity: B, Overall Ability: D】

【Status】  Name: Liz Schmidt  Race: Human  Age: 15 years old  Magic Attribute: Water  Magic: Aqua Ball, Aqua Arrow, Aqua Wall, Aqua Cure  Skills: Shinobi’s Vessel ▹Intermediate: Ninjutsu, Body Strengthening, Eyesight Enhancement  Evolution: Conditions are not met  <Evolution Condition: Swordsmanship (Advanced), Ninjutsu (Intermediate), Taijutsu B (Advanced)>

Compared to the first time I saw her, her Ninjutsu and Body Strengthening seemed to have improved. Compared to ordinary people, her status is still quite good. If she trains well, she’ll be able to become an intermediate adventurer in no time. Maybe her choice to become an adventurer is the right one.

“Okay, I’ll make you an adventurer. However, I’ll manage your money.”

“As long as I have three meals and a nap, there is no problem.”

Liz took her purse out of her pocket and then she handed it to me. When I looked inside, there were only five copper coins inside. How pitiful that one day’s worth of food was all she had.

“Let’s eat for now. You must be hungry anyway, right?”

“Yes.”

When a sashimi set meal was brought in front of her, she dexterously began to eat with chopsticks. I was intrigued, so I asked her a question.

“You can use chopsticks?”

“I learned it when I saw Onii-chan using it.”

 It’s scary to think that she learned how to use chopsticks in an instant. She doesn’t like trouble, but she seems to be quite smart. I also resumed eating, and I instantly felt satisfied with my salmon TKG.

“Uhm, if you call Father Onii-chan, I wonder what you’ll call me…”

 Pero looks at Liz with an anxious expression.

“Son”

 Liz replies as she munch on her meal. This time, it was Freya who asked,

“And me?”

“Red Woman”

 Freya murmured, “Red woman…”

 Finally, Liz points her chopsticks at Erna and says,

“Rival”

Erna had a surprised expression on her face. She quickly put a proud smile on her face and then she ordered a drink to the waiter skeleton. She took a deep gulp on the sake that was brought to her, then she pointed her index finger at Liz.

“Okay, I’ll recognize you as my rival! Let’s compete fair and square.”

“That’s what I hope for. I won’t lose to a middle-aged woman you see.”

It felt like sparks were flying between the two of them. As adventurers, it must be a pleasure to compete against each other in terms of skill. In that case, I can’t afford to lose either. As I was grinning at that thought, Pero and Freya looked at me with shocked expressions.

“Father is really dense after all…”

“Yeah. Tanaka-dono doesn’t seem to understand the heart of a maiden.”

That again. 

What’s so dense about me?

You’re both mistaken you know. I would like to protest resolutely. After we finished our meal, we decided to go back to our hideout for the time being.

 ◇◇◇

“Liz, you’ll share a room with Erna and Freya. As for the bed, it will be purchased later today. Do you need anything else?”

“None.”

“Alright then, I’m going to the city. In the meantime, get your things sorted out.”

When I closed the door of the room and turned around, I saw Pero painting in the living room. The model is Erna. He quickly runs the pencil across the drawing paper and makes a sketch. His skill on painting has improved a lot. It’s amazing that he’s able to draw this much on his own. Maybe he’ll pursue a career as an artist someday.

“I’m going to the city. If anything happens, report it immediately.”

“Yes, I know.”

Because Pero is concentrating, Erna replied instead. When I looked at Freya, she is busy polishing her weapon in front of the fireplace. It’s the usual scene of the Homeless party.

“Okay then. I’ll leave the hideout to you guys.”

I left the hideout and exits to the ground through the Temple of Teleportation. I tried to go to inside the city but I immediately paused.

“Right. I need to make sure I haven’t received a letter.”

When I searched the mailbox in the temple, I found an envelope. The sender is the Lord of Mana.

 Is it some kind of request again?

 Feeling doubtful, I decided to go to the lord’s mansion for the time being.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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12 midnight.

The area around Mohed’s Great Dungeon is filled with darkness and only the roars of beasts can be heard. I start walking quietly out of the Temple of Teleportation and then I gradually quickened my steps until I reached my destination, —the forest. As I continued into the forest, I caught a familiar scent on the wind. 

“It looks like things are going well huh.”

I mumbled as I proceed further. The thick roots of the trees are spread out like a maze on the moss-covered ground. This is a place called “Shoyu Forest”, it’s about 10 kilometers from Mana City. As for the origin of the name, it is said that a man named “Shoyu” used to live in this forest. So the Shoyu Forest came to be.

Strangely enough, I couldn’t think of Shoyu-san as a stranger. If we could meet and talk, I feel like we would be best friends. When I reached the center of the forest, I can see the fields spread out in a circular shape. The scent in the air also becomes even stronger.

“I’m sure it’s around here…”

As I walk through the fields, I relied on my memory and grope around. From the point of view of an onlooker, I look like a weirdo groping around aimlessly. That’s a big misunderstanding though. This is because I am looking for an isolated space that is in the middle of this field. This isolated space is made to be invisible to the surroundings. Moreover, only authorized people are allowed to enter.

Then, I had touched something like a lump of cotton in my hand.

“Alright, let’s work on it again today.”

When I entered the isolated space, a familiar scene appeared before me. It is a wooden factory that was built in the field. White smoke billowed out of the chimneys and skeletons in white work clothes carried large quantities of beans into the warehouse.

“Katakata”

“Is the work going well?”

When the skeletons greeted me, I responded by raising my hand. The skeletons also responded to my question saying, “It’s going well”. I entered the factory and then I also put on a white work clothes and special boots. Going further inside, I arrived at a place where large wooden barrels are lined up.

“Katakatakata!”

Sukejiro came running over and immediately saluted to me. He is accompanied by Lich A, who also saluted to me.

“I presumed that it would be completed today but-, how is it going?”

“Katakata”

Sukejiro replies apologetically, “We can’t be sure of the taste.”

I expected that this would indeed be the case. I approached the barrel and scooped out the black liquid inside with my finger. When I licked it, the same taste as I remembered spreads in my mouth.

It’s definitely soy sauce.

“It’s completed! I can call it soy sauce without any complaint!”

Hearing my words, the skeletons who had been watching me do the tasting clattered their jaws and cheered. That’s right, we finally made the soy sauce. When I think about it, it’s been a long road. First, we find soybeans and grow them in the miniature gardens on the 24th floor. Then after storing the harvested beans in the bangle, we built a factory to make soy sauce. The wood used in constructing the building was obtained from the sacred tree of Sanargia Great Forest Kingdom. As it is called the World Tree Treant, its wood contains just the right amount of moisture and is extremely sturdy. Not only the building, but also the soy sauce barrels were made from the same wood, and judging from the finished product, it can be said that the wood was suitable for making the soy sauce containers.

Now, let me explain why I am making soy sauce outside and not inside the dungeon. As you know, Mohed Gread Dungeon has an environment where microorganisms cannot reproduce. In other words, the koji mold necessary for making soy sauce cannot be produced there. For this reason, I built the factory in the forest near the Great Dungeon. It is now operating as a splendid soy sauce factory.

Let’s then talk about soy sauce making. To make koji mold, we had to mix soybeans with brine, wheat and koji and then stir them every day. Once you repeat this process, you will gradually get a mushy brown liquid. People call the mushy brown liquid “moromi”. After another year or so of fermentation, it becomes the soy sauce that everyone knows. In fact, there is more detail to be done but let me leave it to here.

It’s been about two months since we first started making soy sauce. Perhaps it was thanks to the building and barrels made out of the World Tree Treant’s branch, the fermentation was completed extremely quickly. And today is the day to pack the long-awaited soy sauce in a jar.

“Alright, next is to squeeze the moromi and cook the soy sauce!”

“Katakata”

The skeletons wrapped the mushy moromi in a cloth and they began to squeeze it. A black liquid then drips into the bucket placed directly below where they are squeezing. This is the commonly known soy sauce. Then they heated the collected soy sauce in a pot until it boiled, let it cool and afterwards, they poured it into the prepared black bottle.

When I received the completed bottled soy sauce, I placed a raw egg on a bowl of rice and dripped soy sauce on it. It’s an authentic TKG (Tamago-Kake-Gohan* Egg sauce over rice). When I stuffed it into my mouth, my breath became rough, probably because I am too excited.

“It’s egg sauce over rice…” (**Imagine him speaking while munching so it sounds stuttering)

I let out a blissful sigh after I finished eating the bowl of rice. I finally got what I wanted so badly.

“Well done! This will be popular for sure!”

“Katakatakata!”

The skeletons jumped up and down. Right, maybe you are thinking why we even built a factory just to make soy sauce. Well, of course, it’s for selling.

There is no soy sauce in this world. Everyone here dies without even knowing the best seasoning, —soy sauce. It’s sad, right? So, it is better to make one and sell it. I want to spread this wonderful Japanese seasoning in this world.

“Katakata”

Sukejiro brought a small box. When I opened it to look what’s inside, I found a reddish-brown sticky stuff. I lightly pinched it with my fingers and brought it to my mouth.

“Hmm-, yes, this is good enough.”

Sukejiro bows deeply at my evaluation. This is miso. The skeletons are also making miso in parallel with making soy sauce. That said, it was quite difficult to make miso. I can see the hardships faced by soy sauce and miso companies when we tried to make them.

As the skeletons begin to bottle the soy sauce in earnest, they also put on the labels they have made. It’s called dark soy sauce with a homeless trademark on it. Of course, the same label is attached to miso as well.

“Katakata”

“Well, when the work is done, we will celebrate.”

The skeletons happily jumped up and down after hearing my words. After about an hour of packing the boxes, I prepared a number of large sake barrels. The skeletons who had washed their bodies clean were already waiting in a line.

“Alright, come on in!”

At the moment I gave the signal, the skeleton on the first line jumps into the barrel. Then his red eyes gradually turned pink. He is drunk. After the first one leaves the barrel, the next skeleton enters. Well, skeletons cannot eat or drink because they are just bones. However, they are known to actually absorb water from the surface of their bodies. When I learned of this fact, I decided to serve them alcohol as a consolation. Even if they don’t need a salary, they must be rewarded for their hard work. Besides, even though they are magical beasts, they also have personality.

“That’s everyone huh.”

After confirming that all the skeletons in the factory have entered the sake barrel, I warned Sukejiro to keep the banquet in moderation and then I returned to the dungeon.

When I arrived at the fifteenth floor of the Mohed Great Dungeon, I followed the usual path without getting lost. When I reached the dome-shaped open room, a guard in gray cloth at the entrance bowed to me. He wore a mask on his face and he is also wearing gloves and boots. At first glance, he looks like a person, but he is unmistakably a homeless skeleton.

The room is set up with tables and chairs and a number of skeletons dressed in gray cloth are diligently cleaning inside.

“Everyone gather around.”

The skeletons quickly gathered together after I spoke. There were about ten people. Including the skeletons outside the room, there were about 30 people here. However, only those inside had things to do.

The skeletons clattered their jaws as if asking, “Is it made?”.

“Yes, the soy sauce and miso are ready. This place will open in a week.”

The skeletons hugged each other and rejoiced. That’s right. A week later, this Homeless cafeteria will open. Why was the cafeteria inside the dungeon? The reason is simple. I wanted to do a small business with the adventurers who roamed inside the dungeon.

Of course, I can make a good living as it is now but it is still very unsettling to earn money by fishing for the corpses of adventurers. In order to live a stable life, it is important to have a stable income. That’s when I came up with the idea of a cafeteria. The main dishes served are Japanese food, and soy sauce and miso are indispensable for it. I also plan to casually sell soy sauce and miso in the store.

I took out the soy sauce and miso from the bangle and hands them to the skeletons. They will learn how to make Japanese food from now on. There are only about three kinds of dishes served in the cafeteria so they shouldn’t have much trouble. There won’t be that many adventurers anyway. This cafeteria is just a small business after all.

“Well then, let’s practice cooking.”

 I immediately decided to teach them how to cook.

◇◇◇

 (A certain tavern in Mana City)

Inside the tavern, two male adventurers were conversing.

“Hey, do you know?”

“Ah? What do you mean by that?”

“It’s rumored that a cafeteria opened in the dungeon recently.”

“Huh?”

The man says something like, “That’s impossible”, and takes a swig of ale. The other man continued talking as he watched his behaviour.

“Well, listen. I’ve only heard about it through rumors, but apparently, there is a cafeteria in the rearmost of the fifteenth floor. What’s more, the food served there are delicious. All the famous people in this city are now all talking about that cafeteria.”

“A cafeteria in the dungeon… Is it really there?”

“I’m not sure either. But if it really exists, it would be a blessing for us adventurers.”

“Well, that’s right… If there’s really a place where we can take a break in the dungeon, that’s certainly a good thing.”

The man said and then he gulped down the remaining ale in one shot. He put his glass down on the table and grinned at the man who started the conversation.

“Then, shall we look for it now?”

“Now?”

“Yeah. Both of us can transfer to the fifteenth floor so we can just go there directly. Let’s check if it’s true.”

“……Right, that’s a good point. I’ve been curious about it too and it’s indeed a good time to check it out.”

The two men left the tavern, packed up their gear and decided to dive into the Great Dungeon. Using the Temple of Teleportation, they reached the fifteenth floor but they immediately felt uneasy.

“……Hey, isn’t it too quiet?”

“Yeah…., it’s not like the previous fifteenth floor. There is no sign of the enemy at all.”

The two of them draw their swords and searched for signs of magical beasts. However, they didn’t see any of those creatures.

Katakatakata.

Hearing the sound, the two of them immediately braced themselves. Footsteps can be heard from the other side of the aisle, indicating that something is approaching them. The two of them waited with bated breath. Is it a man or a beast?

Then they soon find out what it is.

“Katakata”

What appeared was a man with a gray cloth over his head. He is fully covered, he wore a mask on his face, gloves on his hands and boots on his feet. Looking at his waist, he is equipped with sword, and the two of them somehow recognized him as a fellow adventurer.

“I’m sorry, I thought it was a magical beast.”

When the other guy said that, the figure in the gray cloth just waved his hand lightly, as if to say, “I don’t mind.” The two of them felt relieved, and just as they were about to leave, the mysterious person suddenly handed them a piece of paper. They took the paper and checked its contents.

“Homeless cafeteria opening? 30% off now?”

There was even a map to the store, and they thought it was close to their current location.

“Uhm… This is…”

When the two of them looked up to talk to the mysterious person, he was already gone. They were scared, but still, they decided to go to the cafeteria with the help of the paper they were given.

“This….., can you smell it?”

“Yes! It smells good. I suddenly felt hungry.”

“Me too.”

They walk as they talk to each other and then they came to the designated place. There was a door in front of them. From the other side, they can hear a lot of people talking. The two of them made up their minds and opened the door.

“Whoa! This is amazing!”

“What the hell is this?”

Beyond the door was a large room, where nearly fifty adventurers were chatting and eating happily. Men wearing gray clothes moved in a practiced manner between the customers. They were carrying trays of food and serving them to the table with efficient movements. Although the two were surprised by the sight, they knowingly sat down on an empty seat.

“Katakata”

A man in gray cloth who appeared to be a waiter asked the two of them for their order. Looking at the menu on the table, it seemed that there were only three dishes.

MENU ・ Teriyaki hamburger steak set meal – 5 copper coins  ・ Sashimi set meal – 3 copper coins  ・ Stir-fried vegetable set meal – 2 copper coins

“Then I’ll have a teriyaki hamburger set meal.”

“I’ll have a sashimi set meal.”

The waiter bowed and walked away from the table. The two of them immediately wondered about the dish they have never heard of.

“The price is quite low. I can’t imagine what kind of dish it is from the name though.”

“Yeah. I know about stir-fried vegetables but I’ve never heard of sashimi.”

Looking around, it seemed that many adventurers were drinking and eating. Some of them can be seen dipping white things in a black liquid and eating them. The two adventurers felt concern but they also have an uncontrollable curiosity.

“Katakata”

Not long after, the waiter brought their food. The two men’s eyes widened in surprise. Served in front of them were dishes they have never seen before but a good aroma that increases their appetite tickles their nostrils.

“Why don’t we try it…”

“Okay…”

For the time being, they decided to drink the soup served in a wooden bowl. When the two of them put the warm soup in their mouths, they let out a cry, “Wow!?”

“What a complex taste! The amount of salt is just right and it’s so good! I’ve never eaten anything like this before!”

“Hey-, it’s pretty good if you eat it with this white lump!”

As he began to gobble on the soup and rice, he also took a bite of each main side dish.

“Wow! The sauce on the hamburger is so delicious!”

“Is this a raw fish? It’s delicious when dipped in the black liquid and eaten!”

The two adventurers eagerly ate the set meal and continued eating until they were full. When they finished eating, they paid the bill at the counter and headed back to the Temple of Teleportation.

“…..The rumors were true after all.”

“Yeah. The food is also great. I want to come again.”

 They returned to the ground feeling satisfied.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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“You’re going to fire me!? Are you fucking kidding me!?”

Yasuhiko Kanzaki pounded the table in the conference room. He is fifty-five years old and his silver-framed glasses made him look shrewd. Inside the room, men in suits were sitting on the chairs surrounding the round table. They stared intently at Kanzaki.

“Your dismissal has already been decided. I cannot continue to let you sit in the representative director’s seat.”

One of the men stated coldly.

Kanzaki’s body trembles with anger for a while and then he leans back in his chair as if he has given up on something.

“…I understand. The number of contracts has plummeted since I became president. It’s now three-quarters of what it was when President Tanaka was the president. It’s only natural that I should be fired.”

A general meeting of shareholders was held recently and representative director Kanzaki was dismissed. Generally, when a representative is dismissed, the company director remains. However, when a company director is dismissed, he or she will lose both the representative rights and the position as director. Kanzaki has lost both of them. It can be said that he was effectively fired.

“Now that I think about it, President Kanzaki… no, Kanzaki-kun, don’t you know where Tanaka-san is?”

Kanzaki snorts a laugh at the fat man’s words. He could easily tell that he’s already pretending to be a president. He then remembered his former president, Shinichi Tanaka.

White Ring Co., Ltd., whose founder was Shinichi Tanaka, is a first-class company with a history of 46 years this year. The company’s main business is domestic communications, but it also operates a wide variety of other businesses. It was known to the general public as the white ring of mobile phone companies.

Kanzaki has been an employee since the company’s founding. There is no doubt that the man named Kanzaki played an active role as Shinichi Tanaka’s right-hand man and supported Shinichi as a friend and employee. It would be impossible to say that White Ring Co., Ltd.’s rapid rise to become a top-notch company was without his efforts.

“…No, I don’t know. More importantly, why does former president Tanaka’s name come up here?”

“The shareholders are demanding that Tanaka-san be made president again. They probably thought that the founder could make this company, which was on the brink of collapse, turn around.”

“I see. It’s going back to Tanaka-san after all huh…”

“Of course, personally, I don’t think it is necessary to look for him. I have to listen to the wishes of the shareholders though. So, if you don’t know where he is, that’s fine. In fact, even if you know, don’t tell him.”

The fat man grins, showing his yellow teeth. Looking at him, Kanzaki predicted that this company would be over.

“Haa-, what would Tanaka-san say if he saw the current company?”

“Hah! You really have the nerve to say that!? You were the one who dragged President Tanaka down in the first place! Have you already forgotten that you reached out to the shareholders and asked them for his dismissal?”

Kanzaki’s face contorts as if he has crushed a bitter worm. The man was right. He lobbied the shareholders and kicked the former president. That fact was a well-known story within the company.

“When I thought about where the company would end up to, I decided that I had no choice but to do that. At that time, Tanaka-san was on the verge of destroying the company you see.”

“It is true that we were able to create our main products because of that. But it is not like I forgave you back then!”

Kanzaki cast his eyes downwards after hearing the man’s words. All the directors here are gathered in admiration to a man named Shinichi Tanaka. Everyone respects Shinichi deep down in their mind. However, now their positions have changed, and they are using the company to satisfy their own greed. The flow of time has changed both Kanzaki and the men.

“It’s my bad. Then, I’ll go find the former president.”

 When Kanzaki said this, the man lost his momentum and lowered his voice.

“I don’t think you have to do that. I’m going to be the representative director so even if Tanaka-san comes back, the management won’t necessarily go well.”

Kanzaki was stunned by the man’s words. They are now blinded by their status. He was tempted to say that double standards should be put aside. But it’s the same with him. He also enjoyed the 11 years that Shinichi was gone as president. He sucked the sweet nectar and satisfied his greed. Remembering this, he realized that he was not in a position to say anything to the man in front of him. They are the same after all.

“You are saying it’s my fault right? Okay, I’ll obediently get dismissed.”

 Kanzaki then leaves the room.

◇◇◇

It’s been six months since Kanzaki was fired from the company. During that time, he hired a detective to look for Shinichi Tanaka.

“This is the investigation report, and to be clear, the person you are looking for is still alive.”

Two men faced each other in a detective agency. It’s Kanzaki and the hired detective. The man holds out a thick document.

“He’s alive huh…”

Listening to the detective’s words, Kanzaki flipped through the papers. Shinichi Tanaka’s birth and upbringing are described there in detail.

“I already know this information,” he said, then he checked the last page to find out where he was.

“Tanaka-san… H-He is homeless?”

Kanzaki was speechless at the current Shinichi Tanaka which was written on the last page. The fact that the former president, who ran a large company and earned enough money to live on leisure, was now homeless, made Kanzaki doubt his own sanity. He quickly went back to the page and found out why Shinichi was homeless.

After Shinichi Tanaka was fired from White Ring, he sold all his assets and donated them to welfare facilities throughout Japan. After that, when he ran out of money, he worked part-time and suddenly disappeared one day.

The detective continued to inquire and discovers that there is a person who appears to be Shinichi Tanaka in Shinjuku Central Park. The investigation kept going and he finally found the person he was looking for. This was the result of the investigation.

Kanzaki remembered Shinichi in the past. He always has a calm atmosphere and a keen eye that he shows from time to time. However, contrary to his appearance, he was also affectionate and valued his family more than anything else.

“That’s right, it wasn’t until he lost his family that he went crazy…”

He watched the work by Shinichi’s side more than anyone else. Without a doubt, he was a major figure who would stand on the shoulders of Japan’s business community. However, Shinichi has changed. After the divorce, he became even more immersed in his work.

Without taking a break, they devoted themselves to the development of their own products, reaching out to new businesses one after another. It was a terrifying sight for everyone. Working beyond the limit affected the entire company. Employees and subcontractors who had reached their limit left one after another. Kanzaki, who thought that it would be over if it goes as it is, planned to drag Shinichi out of the president’s position. Kanzaki then became president after that.

“I wonder if I was wrong…”

Kanzaki mutters. It’s unclear whether the path he chose with the company in mind was the right one. However, if Shinichi had been left alone, the White Ring company today might not have been there.

For the past 11 years, Kanzaki hasn’t even met Shinichi and he’s been struggling with the choice he made at that time.

“As an outsider, I know it’s not my turn to say this but, wouldn’t it be better if you go to him and apologize?”

The detective said to Kanzaki while smoking a cigarette.

“Apologize? After 11 years…. don’t you think it’s too late now? Maybe he even has a grudge against me.”

“Isn’t it better if he hates you? I think what’s more important now is what you want to do in a situation like this. Even if you can’t regain the trust you’ve lost, you can rebuild it once again.”

“Once again?”

Kanzaki was convinced. Hearing the detective’s words, the feelings that had been sealed away were released. He would like to work with Tanaka-san again. He wants that person to trust him again. His overwhelming emotions turned into a turbulent wave that swept him over.

“Tanaka-san… where is he now?”

“At this hour, he should be wandering around behind the convenience store. Wait a minute, I’ll get you a map.”

The detective gives him a map and with red pen, he circles the convenience store where Shinichi will be. Kanzaki paid the commission fee to the detective and immediately rushed out of the office.

“He’s not the kind of person who should end up being homeless! Right! I’m going to work with him again!”

As he ran frantically, he was able to come to the vicinity of the convenience store he targeted. Then Kanzaki begins to look around in search of Shinichi.

“Gyaaaaaaaa!”

Suddenly, he heard a scream. Then as if triggered, meteorites began to fall from the sky. The building in front of him was shattered, and the ground shook from the impact. On the road, there are people fleeing and big beasts chasing them. He saw a giant wolf bite a human, it crunches the bones and swallows the person.

“W-What…? What’s going on!?”

Terrified, he decided to flee for now. When he walks into a nearby back alley, he notices something unfamiliar floating in the air. It was wearing a black cloth and was carrying a large sickle. There are two human corpses nearby. Their heads were cut off and they lay motionless on the ground.

“Gugigigigi”

The uncomfortable voice made Kanzaki take a step backwards. This is clearly an unusual situation. Deciding that he should run away, he turned his back and started to run.

――But then his field of vision rotates. The scenery changed rapidly, and then his cheek hit the ground. Immediately after that, his consciousness drifts far away, and a revolving lantern begins to flash in his mind.

Kanzaki realized, “Oh-…. I’m dead huh.”

Strangely, he didn’t feel sadness or wonder at the fact that he died so quickly and easily. On the contrary, he laughed at it, betraying Shinichi, he deserved it.

◇◇◇

“Ryan! How long are you going to sleep!? Wake up!”

Kanzaki was woken up and he jumped from the bed. A white woman he had never seen before was looking at him with an angry look.

“Eh? Huh?”

“Eh? Huh? What are you dazed about!? It’s already eight o’clock! Get ready and go to school quickly!”

School?

Kanzaki feels confused, but memories gradually awakened in his mind. His current self is called Ryan Doris. He is 13 years old. He was born as the eldest son of the Doris family, a lower aristocracy. Today is a weekday and he has to go to a school attended by aristocrats. He quickly dressed himself, grabbed his bag and left the house.

“What does this mean?”

Walking through the city, Kanzaki ponders over this matter. In his line of sight, there is a landscape that is not in Japan at all. It looks like it could be somewhere overseas, but when he saw an adventurer with a sword, he immediately realized that this is not Earth.

When he saw his reflection in the glass window of a store, he realized that he turned into a white kid and his current look did not resemble his former self.

“Reincarnation…?”

That’s all he could think of. Yasuhiko Kanzaki was reincarnated as Ryan Doris. Then a fervor that he had never felt before is now bubbling inside him.

“It’s a second life!”

He trembled with joy. He jumped up and down with joy, blowing away all his doubts. However, as soon as he calms down, his thoughts go full circle.

“I don’t know why this happened, I said I want to work with Tanaka-san again but I don’t think I can do that. I also wanted to apologize properly but…”

The only thing he left undone in his previous life was an apology to Shinichi. However, when he decided that it was impossible under the current circumstances, he changed his mind with his own mental strength. Kanzaki is already dead, and now he is Ryan. He decided that there was no point in dragging his past life.

At that moment, the sound of bell ringing echoes in the city.

“Ah-, crap! I’m late!”

 Ryan hurried to school.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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I felt thirsty when I woke up. I lifted my heavy body and looked around the tent. Nobody else is here. It was dimly lit and I could hear the soldiers drinking from outside. Apparently, it hasn’t been long since the sun went down.

“Water…”

I took out a barrel of water from the bangle and gulped it down. As always, after evolution, I get very hungry and thirsty. If I don’t prepare properly and then just evolve, I will probably die due to starvation. That’s what I think.

“I’m hungry…”

When I got out of the tent, I saw two people eating in front of the campfire. One is Freya. The other one seemed to be Pero but his aura was somehow different. He has this air of sacredness around him that makes it difficult to approach. The color of his fur varies from white to pale silver and I can somehow feel something like a cool cold air from him. I was confused as to whether I should call out to Pero.

“Ah, Father!”

Just then, Pero turned around and smiled as he greeted me. His aura has changed but I am relieved to know that he is the usual Pero. Maybe I can understand a little bit about the feelings of parents who have children that reached a rebellious stage.

I then sat down in front of the bonfire, takes a frying pan out of the bangle, and begins to cook the meat. I’m tempted to bite into the raw meat, but I hold back and wait for the meat to cook. When it was done, I took out a piece of freshly cooked rice from the bangle and scooped it into my mouth along with the meat. Rice and grilled meat are great for an empty stomach.

Yeah-, too delicious!

By the way, I usually store freshly cooked rice in the bangle. I decided to cook a lot of it in my spare time and take it out only when I needed it. I am very grateful for these times.

“Father, look at my evolution! I’ve become stronger!”

Pero stood up, called out to me and asked me to look at him. I was so absorbed in eating that I completely forgot about Pero. When I looked at him again, I get the impression that Pero has become even more muscular after evolving. His white fur was smooth, and there was fluffy fur growing around his chest. The fingernails on his hands and feet have changed from organic metal to metallic luster, it also look like bluish steel.

I wonder if the same thing happened to his fangs?

But when I took a look, it seemed to be different, there were pure white sharp fangs growing in his mouth. I could say that he is a werewolf that specializes in attack.

“It looks like you’ve made a good progress.”

“Yes. Now I can protect Father too.”

I feel like crying. This child wanted to become stronger as he think about me. I feel touched by my son’s heart. I then resumed eating my food. I ate a lot of rice until I felt full. Before I knew it, I finished 20 cups of rice. Well, being satisfied is also a kind of happiness.

“Speaking of which, where did Erna go?”

“She went over there to take a walk.”

There was a large tree growing in the direction Pero was pointing at. I start walking there to see how Erna has evolved.

“Erna… Is that-?”

When I came to the foot of the tree, I saw a woman standing a little further away. She looks up at the night sky and stares at the brilliance of hundreds of millions of stars. I found this scene mesmerizing. Like an oil painting painted by a master craftsman, or like a piece of music played by a master musician, there was such a beauty that could not be put into words that shook my soul.

“Ei!”

I heard Erna’s voice then large wings appeared from her back. It looks a lot like the wings of a butterfly that shines golden. The sudden event left me at a loss for words. Erna soars high into the air, scattering particles of light as she ascends into the starry sky. Her appearance is that of a night fairy. Uh-, No, I don’t mean it in a strange way. It’s just my wordings for it.

I calls out to her, “Erna”.

“Shinichi? You’re up huh.”

Erna, who was flying in the sky, swoops down beside me and with her glowing wings disappearing, she lands on the ground. She has long silk-like golden hair that reflects light and her eyes are big, like jewels. Her pink lips are glossy and attractive, and her sweet floral scent tickles my nostrils. It can be said that she is a surreal beauty. If there is a fairy in this world, it is her.

“You got more beautiful again.”

“Fufu~, isn’t it? Girls will become beautiful as soon as you leave them alone.”

“I see. That’s certainly true.”

Erna and I smiled at each other. It seems that she has also made a wonderful evolution. Suddenly, I was curious about my changes.

“I… has something changed in my appearance?”

I don’t see any major changes in my body. I already had my third eye and the tribal arabesque tattoo on my body so I think nothing is new. In the meantime, I look into my crotch, but my man’s jungle is still clean.

“Hmm, I don’t think there’s much difference but I can kind of tell that you are stronger than before…”

“I see. So I guess there wasn’t much change this time huh.”

I lightly scratched my head with my right hand. Then Erna’s eyes widened and her mouth drops open.  

What? Was there something strange?

“That!”

“What?”

“Look at your arms!”

I looked at my arm as Erna says, but there is nothing unnatural about it. It’s the usual arms.

 ……Huh? If my arms are here, what is the one scratching my head?

“I didn’t see it clearly, but Shinichi, you got another pair of arms!”

Through sensation, I checked my arms. First, my original arms are there. Next, I felt a pair of arms extending from around my upper back. I now have a total of four arms.

“My arms… Is there really one? It’s my own arm but I can’t touch it you see.”

If I try to touch the arm that I can’t see with my original arms, I can’t feel it. I know it is there but can’t touch it though.

What’s going on?

For the meantime, let’s call the invisible arm as “sub arm”.

“What did you evolve into Shinichi?”

“Oh-, right. I haven’t checked it yet.”

【Status】 Name: Shinichi Tanaka Age: 17 years old (56 years old) Race: Homeless (Emperor) <Emperor Dragoneut | Vampire | High Elf  | High Dwarf  | High Beastman  | High Winged Man> Occupation: Adventurer Magic Attribute: No Attribute Magic:  Restoration Space, Isolation Space Skills: Familiar Creation, Familiar Summoning, Dragon Transformation, Skill Picking, Race Picking, King’s Vessel, Emperor’s Vessel ▹Special: Danger Detection, Sense of Touch Enhancement, Taste Enhancement, Eyesight Enhancement, Hearing Enhancement, Smell Enhancement, Digestion Enhancement, Super Sensation, Shock Absorption, Hardening, Leadership, Indomitable Spirit, Small Dragon Breath, Separation, Intimidation, Division, Sand Walking, Enemy Search, Digestion Strengthening, Flight, Familiar Strengthening, Analysis, Life or Death Technique, Dragon Beheading Slash ▹Advanced: Theft, Stealth, Paralyzing Eye, Limit Breakthrough, Sand Walking, Flight, Hardening, Plant Manipulation, Dragon Breath, Master of War, Danger Prediction,Nerve Strengthening,Limit Breakthrough, Self-recovery, Dictatorship, King Dragon Breath, Plant manipulation(Improved) ▹Intermediate: Underwater Adaptation, Fist King Technique, Metal Manipulation,  Self-recovery, Universal Thread, Dual Blade Magnate Technique, Awakening, Impact Nullification, Oppression, High-Speed Flight ▹Beginner: Slash Impact Resistance

As expected, I have evolved into an Emperor specie. It was the same when he I got the King’s vessel so I wasn’t too surprised. A line of text then appears in my field of vision.

【Evolution has been changed by the skill, Emperor’s Vessel.】

As soon as I thought about it, new text message appeared in my field of vision.

【Report: New skill has been added.】

 When I checked my status, a new skill called “Path to Relentless Evolution” has been added. I tilted my head at the skill I don’t understand. 

What does the Path to Relentless Evolution mean?

【Report: The limit on evolution has been removed by the skill, Path to Relentless Evolution.】

 Limit? Could it be that originally, my evolution should have ended with Homeless (Emperor)?

If that’s the case, it means that the current me is now qualified to evolve further. Hoo-, I’m now quite curious to see how strong I can be.

“Hey, what did you evolve into?”

“Ah, it’s the Homeless (Emperor) race, I don’t know how strong I have become though.”

“Mmm-, you’re one step ahead of me again.”

Erna pouted as she said that. Maybe she wants to catch up with me. I’m not competing in evolution, but I guess it’s frustrating for her that she can’t reach my ability as a team member.

 I smiled at Erna.

“I’m jealous of your wings though, or, are you better off with these invisible arms?”

“Really?”

Erna suddenly smiled brightly. She may have been in a good mood because of my words.

“Okay. Let’s go back?”

“Yes!”

 We decided to go back to Pero and Freya.

◇◇◇

“So, the Empire admits defeat?”

“Yes. The previous battle was a senseless war that was caused by former Emperor Dragnil’s selfish desires. The current Emperor, Scathach-sama, is deeply distressed by this fact.”

“I see…”

I leaned back in my chair whilst facing the messenger from the Empire standing in front of me. Two weeks have passed since the emperor was killed. From then on, the empire must have urgently enthroned the next emperor and began preparations for the end of the war. This means that Scathach has come up with a policy in a short period of time. This was much faster than I expected. It seems like that girl was also quite clever, especially when she casually blamed the former emperor.

“The Empire promises to pay reparations to the five kingdom, and in the future, we vow not to touch the kingdom where Shinichi Tanaka is located.”

The messenger placed a piece of parchment in front of me. The content is as he had just explained. It’s written there that the empire only admitted defeat to me, but did not lose to the other kingdom. In other words, they would like to imply that they did not really surrender. I guess it was the pride of the dragoneuts that made them do that.

I then turned my gaze to the Beast King who is sitting nearby.

“What do you think, Beast King?”

“I have no complaints or whatsoever. If the Empire wants to go to war again, it’s fine with me. That’s what I want anyways.”

I was an idiot for asking. If anything, I think the Beast King seems to be enjoying himself, he even looks forward for another war. By the way, the empire seems to be issuing parchment with the same content to the other kingdom. In other words, what I have in my hands is addressed to the kingdom of Mana. I’m not sure if I should decide on the post-war process on my own, but it would now be too late to ask King Logas for instructions.

“Should I sign here?”

“Yes.”

I lightly picked up the pen and wrote my name smoothly.

I also heard from the messenger that the previous emperor had suddenly died. It seems that Scathach has decided not to publicize our conversation. The death of the sacred beast, the invasion on the Imperial City and the death of the Emperor, she was trying to hide all of that in darkness.

I think that was better though. The skeleton army is not something to be exposed to the public. They have the power to blindly frighten people after all. If the Empress says she’s going to keep everything a secret, it’s convenient for me.

As I thought of that, I suddenly had doubts.

“You crossed Fort Marsei right? Didn’t you see anything?”

“Uh-……..I-, I haven’t seen anything. All I can say is that I went through safely.”

The messenger stiffened his face and squeezed out a reply. He must have been surprised by the skeleton army guarding the fort. Well, I ordered them not to do anything unnecessarily so there should have been no problem. It seems that the skeletons frightened him more than necessary though.

Looks like I have to get my army back to the dungeon soon huh.

“Then take this. And as for the reparations to the kingdom, send it to King Logas. I don’t need it.”

“I understand.”

The messenger received the parchment and bowed deeply before leaving the tent.

The war is now truly over. My three-fold repayment has been completed. I should be freed from troublesome things and now be able to live with peace of mind.

Shortly after, the Beast King asked me,

“Does this mean that the allied forces will be disbanded?”

“Well, yes. We will be leaving here in the next few days. Please tell that to the Naji army as well.”

“Understood. Haaa-, It’s lonely after the festival though.”

“You are the only one who thinks so you know.”

After casually giving him a nudge, I went out of the tent.

The allied forces were disbanded and three days later, each army returned to their respective kingdom.

◇◇◇

 (A week before the dissolution of the Allied Forces.)

In the throne room of the royal castle of the kingdom of Logas, two figures bowed their heads to the king sitting on the throne.

“So, that head belongs to the Empires’ Supreme Commander?”

“There is no doubt that it is the head of Gaen Dragnil, the first heir to the throne of the Estent Empire.”

The head of the man placed in front of King Logas is cut in half, and only the face of his terrible death can be seen. The ministers and dignitaries watching on the side were buzzing. It was a man and a woman who delivered the head to the king.

One is Arvish Gloris. The other is Feria Benesse.

They used their stealth skills on the battlefield to successfully collect Gaen’s head. Everyone in the room mistakenly thought that the two had killed Gaen. Of course, that’s what the two of them are aiming for. They wanted to mislead them and defraud a reward from the king.

In his mind, Arvish was full of laughter while thinking, “If I am lucky, I will be able to reconnect with the Gloris family.”

“Very well. Then, let us honor Arvish Gloris for his exploits and allow him to be a hero of this kingdom. You are a living legend of this kingdom from today onwards.”

Arvish looked up in surprise after hearing the king’s words. He was overjoyed by the reward that was beyond his imagination. Hero. It is a testament to the fact that the person involved was able to make his mark on history. It was the strongest title in the kingdom that anyone who fights would dream of at least once.

“Your Majesty! That can’t be done! It’s ridiculous to bestow such title to someone who we are not even sure where they got that head from!”

Duke Medil raised his voice to King Logas. The fat king, who sits deep on the throne, just gave the duke a side glance and waves his hand lightly.  It was a signal to “get out of here”.

“I-, yes, pardon me…”

The Duke bowed and walked out of the throne room. The ministers and high-ranking officials who were watching the situation were silent. King Logas, who was in a good mood when the Duke left, picked up a fruit resembling an apple from a nearby bowl. With a crunch, he took a bite at the red fruit and tosses it towards Arvish.

“I gave you something special. I reward you the leftover fruit that I have bitten. Go ahead, eat it.”

“Thank you very much Your Majesty.”

Without any hesitation, Arvish picks up the fruit thrown at him and sets his teeth on the part where the king had just bitten. His mouth is filled with just the right amount of acidity and a refreshing scent that passes through his nose.

“While you eat, I’ll assign you one more request.”

“Anything for Your Majesty.”

“Actually, during this recent battle with the Empire, there is a person who has smeared dirt on my face. Although he has the appearance of an adventurer, he has stolen the soldiers of the other kingdom that I have gathered. I want that thief to be punished by God. If there’s anything you need, say it. I’ll provide you with whatever you need. What do you think? Will you do it?”

“Of course Your Majesty. I’ll make sure that I, Arvish, will put an end to that great sinner.”

“You are indeed a hero. Then, I guess I’ll just wait for that stupid man’s head to arrive. Guhihi.”

King Logas let out a vulgar laugh and looked at Gaen’s head with a smirk. In his mind, an image of a man he didn’t even know was begging for his life.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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After returning from the Imperial City, I decided to hide the skeleton army in a suitable place and then join the Allied forces.

“Listen, don’t harm people unnecessarily, understood?”

“Katakata”  

Suketarou nods. Even though their numbers have been reduced to 400,000, a large army of skeletons still look like a threat to everyone. Moreover, when such a group of scary homeless skeletons gather, it’s possible that not only children but even adults may be so frightened that they could wet their pants. 

Thus I decided to temporarily hide the skeleton army in Fort Marsei, the easternmost part of the empire. It’s a big fort and if I cram the skeletons inside, they’ll manage to fit in. Following that, I made 10,000 skeletons stand guard as a defense. Of course, there’s a reason as to why I chose Fort Marsei as the hiding place for the skeletons. In order for the empire to reach the kingdom, they must pass through this fort. In other words, if I control this area, I will be able to stop them even if they try to invade again. Well, I’m not sure if the empire that has just lost an emperor has that kind of guts though.

“Alright, let’s just say we are renting this place. The Empire probably won’t charge right away but they may plan to expedite the schedule as the war is over, so let’s stay put here first. Oh-, and don’t make weird stuff, okay?”

“Katakata”

I reminded Suketarou and Sukejiro many times. I’m worried about these guys because even though they are now just skeletons, they still have strange personalities.

While I had to do this with painful reluctance, I decided to return to the Allied headquarters alone.

◇◇◇

“Guhahahaha! Your kicks are still weak!”

“Gii-, P-Please give me a break. I can’t move any more!”

When I returned to the main camp, I found the Beast King and several soldiers fighting. In addition to that, a pile of unconscious soldiers was built around them. The ears of the dog-type beastman soldiers he is currently facing were drooping with fear and their legs are even shaking.

“Hey, Beast King! What on earth are you doing?”

“Ooh-, It’s you Shinichi! I’m glad that you’re finally back! I’m training the soldiers right now, wait a minute!”

The Beast King knocked down the soldiers with a single blow and then he walked briskly towards me. The sharpness of his technique is as frightening as ever. If we are to fight to death instead of just testing our strength, maybe I will lose.

“So, where have you been?”

“A little towards the Empire. There was no problem with the army, right?”

“Yeah, nothing in particular. If I’m to say, it’s more of the soldiers’ fighting spirit, it’s declining because they have so much free time.”

“Then that’s fine. The war should be over soon you see.”

“?”

The Beast King was puzzled at my words. I could tell him about the past week’s event but then I will have to explain the skeleton army from the scratch. I could see that it was going to be troublesome, so I didn’t. 

If you think about it normally, it is unusual for an individual to have a force of 400,000. On top of that, it would also be a problem to have such number of magical beasts. Considering that I am an adventurer that lives in the kingdom of Mana, it is not hard to imagine that I will get into a big trouble. Too much force creates friction after all. That is why I want to keep the skeleton army a secret.

“The Allied Forces will wait for another month and then decide to disband.”

“What? It’s already over? It would be nice if I could fight for another year.”

I smiled bitterly at the Beast King’s words. We would have gotten to that point if it lasted a long time, but I don’t have that much free time either.  I think it’s best to finish it when you can. If it’s shorter, the scars that will remain for future generations will be smaller.

I said goodbye to the Beast King and decided to go to the tent where the members of Homeless are staying.

“I’m back.”

 In front of the tent, Freya and Pero were grilling meat on a bonfire. Freya didn’t change much but Pero’s body has grown considerably. He’s now a full-fledged werewolf. His face is completely that of an adult wolf.

“Father!”

When Pero noticed that I had returned, he immediately runs up to me and hugs me with his big body. His white fur is so fluffy and it feels nice. I feel excited like Freya.

“I’m sorry I was away. Was there a problem?”

“No. There’s nothing special except that I’ve gotten bigger.”

“I see. But Pero, you’ve become quite an adult huh.”

 When I said that, Pero shakes his head heavily.

“I’m still a kid, I want to be stronger like Father.”

“Then, we need to train together again.”

I gently pat Pero’s head. I am happy that the kobold child I picked up had grown up to this point. I’m sure that one day, he’ll be on his own. But when that happens, as a father, I want to send him off in a grand way. It was Pero who gave me a life to live as a father again after all.

 Let’s first take a look at Pero’s status.

【Analysis Results: Pero Tanaka: Werewolf sacred beast. While he is saddened by the killing of people in war, he hopes for further growth. He loves his Father a lot. Rarity: S, Overall Ability: S】

【Status】 Name: Pero Tanaka Age: 5 years old Race: Saint Werewolf Occupation: Adventurer Magic Attribute: Wind, Holy Magic:  Air Ball, Air Arrow, Holy Roar Skills:  ▹Special: Fist King Technique(↑),Intelligence, Body Strengthening, Fang Strengthening ▹Advanced: Claw Strengthening, Intimidation, Devil Nose(↑), Self-Recovery(↑) ▹Intermediate: King Claw(New) ▹Beginner: Acceleration(New), Gale Storm(New), Body Strengthening Z(New), Prodigy(New), King Fang(New)  Evolution: Conditions have been met.  < Evolution Condition: Fist King Technique(Special Grade), Body Strengthening(Special Grade), Fang Strengthening(Special Grade), Intelligence (Special Grade) >

It seems that the ones who have risen in the ranks are Fist King Technique, Devil Nose, and Self-Recovery. The skills gained through skill upgrade are Acceleration, Body Strengthening Z, King Fang, King Claw, and Prodigy.

He had been practicing with me for about a month and the degree of growth was considerable. Suddenly, discovering an unfamiliar skill, I asked Pero a question.

“What does acceleration skill do?”

“This is my guess, but I think it’s a skill that accelerates my time. And unlike extra sensory perception that Father had mentioned, I can move quickly even if everything around me seem to be slow.”

It’s a tremendous skill. Eventually, I won’t be able to beat Pero huh. As I think about that, series of words appears in my field of vision.

【Do you want to evolve Pero Tanaka?】  【YES/NO】 【Evolution destination option:】  ・Saint Werewolf → Saint Silver Werewolf  ・Saint Werewolf → Saint Ice Werewolf

When I looked closely, I can see that the conditions for Pero’s evolution have been achieved. Even though he just leveled up, he is up for evolution already huh. I informed Pero of the evolution options.

“I’d like to choose the Saint Ice Werewolf.”

“Alright, if you say so, let’s do that.”

As Pero said, I chose to evolve him into a Saint Ice Werewolf. Pero immediately gets inside the tent, curls up like a puppy and begins to sleep. I’m looking forward to seeing how he evolves.

“Huh? Shinichi!? You’re back?”

Erna, who was sleeping in the tent, wakes up. She had drowsy eyes and she looked at me dazedly, it looked as if she’s going to fall asleep again.

“I just came back. Was there a problem?”

“Hn?, I don’t think so. But I want you to look at my status instead.”

“Status?”

 I checked Erna’s status.

【Analysis Results: Erna Frederia: The second daughter of the Frederia family. She thinks that magic is what she is best at, but she is rumored to be a mage martial artist by the soldiers who know how she fights. Rarity: S, Overall Ability: B】

【Status】 Name: Erna Frederia Age: 19 years old Race: Founder Elf Occupation: Adventurer Magic Attributes: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Light, Darkness, Lightning Magic: Fireball, Fire Arrow, Flame Bomb, Flame Chain, Flame Wall, Flame Burst, Flare Zone, Aqua Ball, Aqua Arrow, Aqua Wall, Aqua Cure, Spear Rain, Aquarius Recovery, Rock Arrow, Rock Wall, Rock Bullet, Rock Armor, Metal Wall, Ground Hammer, Air Ball, Air Arrow, Air Cutter, Air Wall, Lightning, Thunder Ball, Break Tornado, Light, Stun Light, Camouflage, Shadow, Shadow Field, Shadow Bind, Laser, Mind Break Skills:  Indomitable Spirit ▹Special: Essence of Magic, Extrasensory Perception, Spearmanship(↑), ▹Advanced: Bow King Technique(↑), Fist King Technique(↑), ▹Intermediate: Hell Ear Z(↑) ▹Beginner:  Awakening(New), Attack Prediction(New) Evolution: Conditions are met <Evolution Condition: Attack Prediction (Beginner), Indomitable Spirit, Essence of Magic (Special)>

Spearmanship, Bow King Technique, Fist King Technique, Hell Ear Z, and Essence of Magic had ranked up. Through skill upgrade, she gained Awakening and Attack Prediction. Erna is also practicing with me for a month now so the level of her growth was considerable. And for the magic she mastered, Laser and Mind Break was added.

“There’s nothing wrong with your status.”

“I want you to look at the evolution part.”

“Evolution?”

When I checked her status again, I found that the conditions for evolution has been met. Following Pero, it seems that Erna can also evolve. Then before long, lines of text appeared in my field of vision.

【Do you want to evolve Erna Frederia?】【YES/NO】 【Evolution destination option:】  ・Founder Elf → Ancient Elf  ・Founder Elf → Primordial Man  ・Founder Elf → Superior Elf

“What is primordial man?”

“Primordial Man? I don’t really know either. Is that the only track for me to evolve to?”

“No, there are Ancient Elf, Primordial Man and Superior Elf. The only choice I can kind of foresee is the Ancient Elf though.”

“Hmmm, the safe bet is Ancient Elf huh…”

Erna begins to think. I’m curious about the primordial man, but for me, Superior Elf is the most interesting one. Superior means of higher order or the top one. If that’s the case, compared to now, her rapid progress can be made further.

“Hey Shinichi, which one do you think is better?”

“Do I decide?”

“Well, even if I evolve strangely, Shinichi will take responsibility.”

“Responsibility huh…”

I don’t really understand what she meant by responsibility but I’m not going to abandon Erna no matter what she becomes. Besides, if she thinks about it that way, she might not have a problem with which one I choose. Judging from the trend so far, she has never deviated from the form of a human. I should be bold here. My intuition also says that I should do so.

“Well then, I’m going to go with the Superior Elf.”

“Yes, it’s not bad. It’s ten times better than that primordial man one.”

What the heck…, it’s her choice in the end, isn’t it?

As expected, I really can’t understand the words and actions of women.

After selecting the Superior Elf, Erna’s body began to glow dimly. She lay down again and wrapped herself in a blanket beside Pero. I then left the tent and came to check Freya’s status just in case.

 With this trend, she also has the potential to evolve.

【Analysis Results: Freya Label: Former Knight of the Duke’s Imperial Guard. A fur control, famous not only among Mana, but also among the Allied forces’s soldiers. Can no longer live without Pero’s fluffy fur. Rarity: S, Overall Ability: A】

【Status】 Name:  Freya Label Age:  18 years old Race:  Neohuman Occupation:  Adventurer Magic attribute:  Fire Magic:  Fire ball, Fire Arrow Skills:   ▹Special: Arm Strength Enhancement(↑) ▹Advanced: Telekinesis(↑), Swordsmanship,Cooking ▹Intermediate: Meteor Thrust(↑), Shield, Extrasensory Perception(↑),Spear King Technique(New), Physical Strengthening(↑) ▹Beginner:  Fist King Technique(New), Attack Prediction(New) Evolution: Conditions are not met <Evolution Condition: Telekinesis (Special), Spear King Technique(Beginner), Physical Strengthening(Beginner)>

Her skills such as, telekinesis, meteor thrust, arm strength enhancement, physical strengthening, and Extrasensory Perception had leveled up. What she gained from skill upgrade was the Spear King Technique and the Fist King Technique. Freya has also grown considerably after a month of training. It seems that she has become even stronger after this battle. However, she has not met the condition to evolve yet.

“Is there something on my face?”

Freya, who is eating meat in front of the bonfire, asked me while showing a curious expression. I sat down next to her and picked up the skewers that were still grilling.

“The war will be over soon. I’m sorry that you had to fight a hard battle.”

“What are you saying? I am one of the Homeless now you know? It is natural for the leader to give instructions and for the members to follow them. Besides, I’m proud to be able to defend my kingdom.”

Freya laughs happily with a piece of meat on her lips. She has lived as a knight. That’s probably why she doesn’t feel hesitation or guilt about fighting. That is something I am grateful for. I’m also glad that she came back and did not die on this battle.

 At that moment, series of words appeared in my field of vision.

【Evolution will begin soon. Once the evolution is complete, there is no going back. Will you evolve?】 【YES/NO】

“Eh!?”

 I’m surprised, but when I think about it, I too, meet the conditions for evolution. It is amazing that three out of the four members will evolve.

“Freya, it looks like I’m evolving so I’ll take a rest in the tent as well. Do report the important matters to the Beast King.”

“Understood. Good luck on your evolution.”

“Yeah.”

I then entered the tent and decided to lay next to Pero. Immediately after, my consciousness became distant and then I sank into slumber.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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I dodged the Emperor’s attack by rolling on the floor and then I also retrieve my sword that had fallen. The invisible slash shattered the place where I had been earlier.

“You don’t know how to give up huh.”

The Emperor’s sword once again sliced in the air. Even though it is an invisible blade, if you trace the source, you can see that it extends from the sword. Thus it is possible to predict the trajectory by watching the movement of his hand. With the sword I held in my left hand, I managed to block his slash.

“Are you planning to fight with only one arm?”

“Of course!”

I managed to block the slashes he swung at me with one hand. Honestly, losing my right arm hurts a lot. Since it was a sudden incident, I haven’t retrieve my arm yet. But now, I should stick it back right away.  I want to pick up my right arm somehow.

“Then, you don’t need that. Flame Bomb!”

The Emperor used his magic to blow up my right arm which had fallen to the floor. I couldn’t help but contort my expression.

“Kuhahaha! That was a pity. Now you really have to fight with only one arm!”

“Ku!”

This situation, in which I have lost my dominant arm, is very unpleasant. If I don’t fix my arm back somehow, I won’t have a chance. But first, I need to buy time.

“Let’s play something a bit more special. I don’t dislike hurting the weak you see.”

His Dragon Beheading Slash was about to attack me again. In that case, it is Dragon Beheading Slash for a Dragon Beheading Slash . I caught his invisible blade with my invisible blade.

“Hoh-, you could use it too huh. This is unexpected.”

“Don’t underestimate me. It hasn’t been decided who will lose yet.”

I and the Emperor strike at each other with invisible blades. The length of each of our blades is about fifteen meters, which is barely enough to fight in this throne room. Repeatedly fighting with only one arm in this unfamiliar environment really pushes me into a corner.

“What’s wrong? Your strength is getting weaker and weaker you know?”

“Damn it!”

My left arm was numb from the intense impact. Even though the blade has become longer, it is barely enough to block his attacks. I have to get a little closer.

“Now!”

I released my Dragon Beheading Slash in accordance with the emperor’s strike. When I caught the invisible blade with my sword, I let it slide as it is and then I closed the distance between me and the emperor. With a screeching sound, sparks flew between the two swords.

“So that’s your move huh.”

He quickly released a Dragon Beheading Slash and blocked my attack with his sword. With our swords crossed, we pushed against each other. I was slightly pushed back though.

“It’s inconvenient not to have a right arm, right? Ah-, now that I think about it, I was the one who cut it. Kuhahaha!”

“My left hand is enough to fight you. If I got to beat you, I’ll laugh heartily then.”

“Fine with me. That is, if you could defeat me!”

The Emperor put his strength into the sword and he pushed me away in one fell swoop. I rolled backwards, regained my position and fired a thread bomb from the fingertips of my left hand. The bomb explodes over the Emperor’s head and a large number of threads rain down on him.

“What the heck is this!?”

The sticky threads that clings to his body restricted his movements. Meanwhile, I took out a rainbow mushroom from the bangle and throw it into my mouth and chewed it quickly.

“Uh-, Uggghh…”

The moment I swallowed the rainbow mushroom, my right arm, which should have been cut, grew back. It was like a planaria that’s regenerating the part that had been lost. And like the green man in a certain comics, my arm was completely regenerated. I couldn’t help but feel that my arm was disgusting. However, now I can fight the Emperor on an equal footing again.

“Tsk! What a hindrance! Fireball!”

Struggling with the tangled threads, the emperor finally began to use magic against himself. The threads were then burned down by the fire.

“What an impudent behaviour!”

“I told you not to take me lightly. Also, I’m retracting my previous statement. I’ll stop fighting with one hand.”

When the Emperor noticed that my right arm was restored, his expressionless face contorted slightly. Well, I returned to my original state after all.

“How did you get it back? I’m sure I destroyed your right arm.”

“If you want to know, think about it yourself.  There is no reason for me to tell that to my enemy you see.”

“Heh-, then I’ll cut it off again and observe how you do it.”

The emperor and I crossed swords again. The regenerated arm was moving without any problems. With this, it seems that I can find a way out.

Every time our swords crossed, a high-pitched sound echoed throughout the room. Our sword skill is almost evenly matched. If there is any concern, it is the length of reach due to our physical difference.

In that case…, I took advantage of our height difference and jumps under his feet.

“Foolish! Don’t you know that it is suicidal to come to my feet?”

Without any hesitation, he tried to trample me down. However, I lightly caught the approaching foot with my left hand.

“U-uwah!? What the hell!? Why can’t I crush you!?”

No matter how hard he tries, he can’t trample on me. The reason for that is my Impact Nullification skill. I don’t understand the logic but the skill is nullifying the power that weighs on me. In other words, in hand-to-hand combat, I am almost invincible.

“Yaaa!”

When I pushed back his leg, the emperor loses his balance and falls to the floor. I immediately jumped on his chest and thrust my sword into his heart. I am confident of my victory.

“With this— uguuh!?”

I was grabbed by a large hand and was thrown violently against the wall. I banged my back against the hard wall, but thanks to impact nullification, there was no pain at all. More than that, I was surprised that the emperor, who should have been stabbed in the heart, was slowly standing up. His wound closed quickly and it disappeared without a trace. It makes me want to mourn, it’s that Self-regenaration again.

“You’re the first one that ever made me this mad. As you wish, I’ll bury you without even a bone.”

It seems that I have touched the emperor’s reverse scales.

His body is now covered in dark green scales and his face transforms into a dragon. Wings protruded from his back and a long tail grew from his buttocks. From the people I knew, his transformation is the closest to a dragon.

I also activated my dragon transformation skill. Black scales then covered my entire body.

“Turn to ashes!”

The emperor took a deep breath and exhaled flames at me. I barely dodged it to the side. The flames obliterated the wall where I was before, creating a large hole. The power of the flames he exhaled was so powerful that the one from Gaen looked like a mere child’s play. At that moment, I noticed that the light outside was shining through the hole.

“Chance.”

I spread out my wings and decided to escape from the castle through the hole. It would be too disadvantageous to be attacked like before in such a limited space. If we are going to fight, it would be better to have a larger space. Besides, I would like to avoid destroying the castle.

“I won’t let you escape. I’ll chase you down to the ends of the earth and kill you!”

The emperor chased after me. I increased my flight speed and flies far above the Imperial City. When I stopped above the clouds, the emperor also emerged through the sea of clouds.

“You’re not going to run away anymore huh, little human?”

“I didn’t run away. I just led you to a wide area.”

“Impudent talk!”

Flames spew out of the emperor’s mouth. It is no longer at the level where it can be compared to a flame thrower. If I am to describe it, it’s a hellfire. The amount of heat is so high that even I, who had transformed into a dragon feels the hotness on my skin. Faced with the oncoming flames, I took a deep breath.

“King Dragon Breath!”

A bright red flash of light radiates from my mouth. It stretched straight and collided with the fire. The shock wave spreads to our surroundings, pushing the clouds in a circle.

“Gururuaaaaaaaaa!!”

“Ugaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

Our breath jostle against each other. This will probably be the last fight. If the current me can finish him off, it is only with this King Dragon Breath. 

In that case, I will bet everything on this blow!

“Ugaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

The flash of light I exhaled gained even more momentum. Gradually, I was able to push back his fire and I slowly approached the emperor.

“Guruaaaaaaaaa!!”

The Emperor’s hellfire pushes back the flash of light. However, it soon faded, and the flash of light that I spewed finally struck the emperor’s head. When the flash faded, the body of the headless emperor begins to fall to the ground.

I think I finally won this time. 

However, considering his regenerative power, I can’t let my guard down yet. After retrieving the Emperor’s body, I decided to return to the throne room for the time being.

◇◇◇

“Looks like he’s dead huh.”

I had been observing the corpse for quite a while now but there was no sign of the emperor being resurrected. Self-regeneration does not seem to regenerate the head after all. It is a relief.

I decided to use  my Skill Picking and acquire the emperor’s rare skills.

【Status】 Name: Shinichi Tanaka Age: 17 years old (56 years old) Race: Homeless (King) <High Dragoneut | Vampire | High Elf  | High Dwarf  | High Beastman  | High Winged Man> Occupation: Adventurer Magic Attribute: No Attribute Magic:  Restoration Space, Isolation Space Skills: Familiar Creation, Familiar Summoning, Dragon Transformation, Skill Picking, Race Picking, King’s Vessel, Emperor’s Vessel(New) ▹Special: Stealth, Danger Detection, Sense of Touch Enhancement, Taste Enhancement, Eyesight Enhancement, Hearing Enhancement, Smell Enhancement, Digestion Enhancement, Super Sensation, Shock Absorption, Hardening, Plant manipulation, Leadership, Indomitable Spirit, Small Dragon Breath, Separation, Intimidation, Division, Sand Walking, Enemy Search, Digestion Strengthening, Flight, Familiar Strengthening, Analysis(↑),Life or Death Technique(↑),Dragon Beheading Slash(↑), Self-regeneration(↑) ▹Advanced: Theft, Stealth, Paralyzing Eye(↑), Limit Breakthrough, Sand Walking, Flight, Hardening, Plant Manipulation (Improved), Dragon Breath, Master of War(↑), Danger Prediction(↑) ,Nerve Strengthening(↑),Limit Breakthrough(↑), Dictatorship(↑), King Dragon Breath(↑) ▹Intermediate: Underwater Adaptation, Fist King Technique, Metal Manipulation, Self-recovery, Universal Thread, Dual Blade Magnate Technique, Awakening(↑), Impact Nullification(↑), Oppression(New), High-Speed Flight(New)

What I got was Dragon Beheading Slash, Awakening, Self-regeneration, Dictatorship, Oppression, and Emperor’s Vessel. Oppression seems to be a high-level skill of intimidation so the effect seems to be roughly the same. In addition, some of my skills leveled up by fighting the sacred beast and the Emperor. The ones that leveled up are Analysis, Life or Death Technique, Master of War, Danger Prediction, Nerve Strengthening, Limit Breakthrough, Impact Nullification, and Paralyzing Eyes.

It is quite a harvest.

【Certain conditions have been met, your skill evolved.】 【Skill Evolution: Hardening→ Slash Resistance】

Skill evolution is displayed in my field of view. I didn’t expect that Hardening would become Slash Resistance. It’s a good news. After that, I used Race Picking and acquired the Emperor Dragoneut race.

“Now then, time to clean up…”

I can’t help but sigh.

In fact, the war was supposed to end with the emperor agreeing to my negotiation. But what happened? In the end, I killed the emperor. The worst case I thought of has come true. I scratched my head about what to do from now on.

“Father!”

When I heard the voice, I turned around and saw a woman at the entrance of the room. She was trying to get inside but Suketarou stops her. The woman shook off Suketarou’s restraint and entered the throne room.

“Aaahhhhhh!!! Father! Father!”

When the woman saw the emperor’s body, she slumps on the floor and weeps. Apparently, she is a member of the royal family.

“Katakata”

Suketarou apologizes to me, saying, “Please forgive me.”

I replied, “I don’t mind.”

“…… You-…… Are you going to destroy this kingdom?”

The woman who stopped crying looked at me with a sharp gaze. She has long purple hair and well-shaped eyebrows that are slightly back-arched. She has an appearance that everyone would describe as beautiful. In addition, the pink dress looked good on her, furthering her grace.

I didn’t answer her question right away. When I looked at the floor, I saw the crown the emperor wore. I guess it somehow fell down at some point when we were fighting each other. What’s more, about half of it has melted which makes you think that it’s impossible to use it as a crown again.

I picked it up and restored the crown back to its original form by using my restoration space skill. I then put it on the woman’s head.

“What…”

“I did kill the emperor. However, I don’t have intention of destroying the empire. Therefore, you will lead the empire from now on.”

“I-, that…………”

The woman was perplexed by my words. I guess that would usually be the case. It’s no wonder that she would be perplexed if the person who killed her father asks her to become the empress.

I felt that she was the right person to rule this kingdom. Of course, it’s just my hunch, there is no clear logic behind it. However, the intuition cultivated by my experience told me that the woman in front of me should become the empress.

“I’m Shinichi Tanaka, an adventurer in Mana. If you want to avenge your father’s death, I’ll take your revenge anytime. However, if you’re planning on going to war again, you’ll end up like your father.”

“…..I-, I won’t start a war. I’ve always been against Father’s ideas. And-, I won’t seek revenge either.”

“That would be good if that’s true. What’s your name?”

“I… I’m Scáthach Dragnil, the sixth in line to the throne.”

I made a mental note of the woman’s name. Well, I’m not sure if she will actually become the Empress. Maybe someone else will become the ruler but I would like to recommend her.

“Alright, we’ll take our leave. You should never touch the kingdom again.”

“…….Yes. The Empire will never again make a move on the kingdom where Shinichi Tanaka lives.”

Hn?

I think that it is slightly different, but I feel that the end result is the same so it is okay I guess. As I was about to leave the throne room, I remembered something.

“Oh, I forgot to mention that you should pay reparations to the five kingdoms that fought the war.”

“I understand. I’m going to make amends for the invasion even if it takes a long time.”

“That’s fine, and may I have the vase on the first floor?”

“Vase?”

Scáthach looks at me with a stunned expression. She must have been wondering how much treasure the man who killed the emperor was going to take away. I am not in trouble with money though. The only thing I wanted was the vase that Suketarou was interested in.

“If it’s just the vase, please take as much as you want.  And-…, if you want money, I’ll give you as much as you want.”

“No, all I want is that vase. I’ll gratefully accept it.”

Once we got down to the first floor, I took the desired vase. Suketarou clattered his jaw happily. This would further polish the interior of the tea room for sure.

After I joined up with the skeleton army, we then left the empire and went our way to return to the kingdom.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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