The three of us left the Marquis’ residence and head to Eimurl family’s mansion. I completed everything so I want to take off this outfit as soon as possible. After arriving in the Capital, I worked at the smithy first, and from there, I went directly to the Duke’s residence so this is my first time to go to the Eimurl family’s place.
The Eimurl’s residence is smaller than the Marquis’ residence but it is still a mansion with an impressive gate. Camilo and I were led to a well decorated room, maybe it’s the reception room. Marius is not with us right now. Perhaps he’s already changing clothes.
I also want to change my clothes…
As I thought of that, a middle-aged man who seemed to be a servant came,
“Eizou-sama, please go with me.”
I was the only one called.
I walk down the corridor with the servant. The corridor was the same as the one leading up to the reception room, but unlike the image I get in the previous world, there were no vases or armors displayed. There are only tapestries decorating the walls here and there. Shortly after, we arrived at a certain room and the servant opened the door.
“Please come in.”
He prompted. I obediently followed his instruction and entered the room, there were few female servants waiting inside. Then door behind me closed shortly after. That being said, it seems unlikely that anything “momentous” will happen here as my clothes are neatly folded nearby.
“It must have been tough since you are not used to it, right? I’ll help you change your clothes now.”
A female servant briskly takes off the luxurious clothes. I don’t know how to put it on, so it saved me the trouble on taking it off. This morning, I already learned that it would take more time if I resisted badly so I let them be. I can wear my own clothes, but since they say they’ll dress me too, I let them do it.
Perhaps since I’m used to it, changing clothes was completed in a blink of an eye and I turned into my usual villager A getup. This indeed suits me better. That sort of luxurious clothing does not suit me. As I enjoyed the sense of liberation, the female servants giggled.
“What is it?”
“No, nothing. I think Eizou-sama seems to like that appearance in particular.”
“Yeah. I’m just an uncle in town. And you see, this one suits me better, isn’t it cool?”
I said that while smiling, like I’m making fun of it.
“Yes, indeed.”
The female servants laughed even more.
As I finished changing clothes, I went back to the reception room before with the male servant guiding me. Inside, Marius and Camilo, who also changed into clothes that gives off this more casual feel, were chatting over tea.
“Oh, you’re back.”
Marius was the first to react.
“Yeah. When I changed my clothes, I understood the feeling of having stiff shoulders. In addition, I also realized that I’m not suitable to be a noble.”
I laughed as I replied. Camilo rides on,
“No doubt about it. No matter which one you look like, I don’t feel afraid of you at all.”
And all three of us laughed.
“Well, I’m very grateful for you two for this matter. Thank you.”
Marius bows his head.
“As I told you before. You’ve taken care of me a lot when I’m in town, this is a repayment.”
“Right. Aside from Eizou, I was also able to make a connection with the Count’s family. It’s not a big deal and I don’t mind it either.”
“I’m very grateful with you saying that.”
Marius smiles faintly. If you think about it, we hold an important secret of the Count’s family. We can make use of it but it seems that it was also conveyed that we don’t feel like doing something assertively with it.
“Well then. I can’t give a big reward but I still want to thank you guys with my heart.”
“It would be perfect if you continue to trade with me from now on. Just having a deal with the Count family is more than enough for me.”
Camilo made a request. It’s quite modest, but it’s also true that if you’re a supplier to the Count family, you’ll gain prestige out of it.
“Alright. Let’s trade what Camilo is dealing with to the extent that it does not overwhelm the current favor. What about you, Eizou?”
“Me?”
That being said, honestly, the “I want this thing” is… Ah, right, there was that thing.
“I want information on rare ores. Not iron ores, but more rare ones.”
“Like Mithril?”
“Yes, it’s exactly that.”
“When you say “information”, do you need the real thing?”
“I’m fine with the information you can get. As for the rest, I’ll ask Camilo’s help to acquire it.”
“Then, let’s set our point of contact. Should I tell Camilo if I find one?”
“Yes. Please do.”
When I look at Camilo, Camilo nodded back. I proceeded without asking Camilo first but it seems that he’s willing to do it. I’m grateful for that.
“And, this is a different reward from the one just now. Do receive it without further questions.”
A small bag is given to me and Camilo. Looking inside, there were several gold coins in it.
“Hey…”
I tried to decline but Marius stared at me and shook his head. It’s not good to firmly refuse this then….
“Okay then, though I’ll feel bad, I’ll take it.”
“Yeah”
Marius nodded this time. After all the talk was over, it was now time to go home so I asked Marius,
“By the way, I have to go home to take Diana back. There will be a feast, right?”
“Hn? Ah, right. I have to legalize the succession of the title as soon as possible you see.”
Huh? For a moment, he was pressed in that reply just now. That tone was close to Marius when he was a guard. Well, never mind.
“Alright then, I’ll work with Camilo and take her back in two to three days time. It’s okay, right?”
“Yeah, that’s fine with me.”
“I’ll leave it to you guys then. Let’s keep in touch with each other accordingly.” The last meeting is over and I just need to go home. I was away for 3 days, but I missed my home that fast. While restraining my enthusiasm, I left Eimurl’s mansion and set for the road going home.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
We arrived at the 26th floor accompanied by the skeletons. It’s quiet and empty, probably because I’ve made most of them into my familiar.
“Is there no enemy in this floor?”
Freya holds her spear and increases her vigilance due to the odd silence. It’s a hassle but I still decided to explain it.
“My skeleton familiars are those who were originally in this floor. I’ve put almost everyone under my control so we may not encounter any enemy.”
“Saying it in a matter-of-factly manner, Tanaka-dono is quite scary…”
Freya looks at me with her expression mixed of fear. Ahem, excuse me for that. Even I think that I overdid it. However, there is no help for what has been done. This floor will be used as a resting place for the adventurers in the future.
With the skeletons at the forefront, we were finally able to find the stairs in about an hour. Apparently, there’s only a short distance from the previous stairs to the next stairs on this floor, and if it went well, it seemed that one could pass through the skeletons.
Well, that doesn’t matter now anyway.
“We’re going down to the 27th floor. Everyone should be careful.”
My party members and the skeletons nod their heads. I heard that Mohed’s Great Labyrinth suddenly becomes difficult to capture from a certain point. I’m not sure if it’s the 26th or 27th floor but it’s better to be prepared as we move ahead.
We then slowly go down the stairs.
“It’s the same as the 26th floor huh…”
The twenty-seventh floor was a similar brick-like passage. It’s still dim and the crystals on the wall are faintly shining.
Tap-
I heard a sound. It’s like someone’s walking barefoot on a hard floor.
Tap- Tap-
A sound can be heard from the end of the passageway so we hold our weapons. In the skill enemy search that I’m already using, one enemy seemed to be approaching us.
“Ugaaaaaaa”
The groan that’s as if it came from the bottom of the earth that we just heard came from the enemy approaching us. Its body is pale and the eyes are so unfocused that you cannot tell where it is looking. The clothes it was wearing were worn out and when I looked closely, it didn’t seem to be wearing shoes.
I knew it’s a magical beast. No, it’s rare not to know. That’s a well-known monster.
Yes, it’s a zombie.
“Iyaaaaa!”
Erna raises her wand and casts magic.
I hurriedly tried to stop her, but the magic had already been activated and the intermediate magic Flame Bomb hit the zombie directly. We evacuated to the rear due to the scattered pieces of flesh.
“Don’t attack so suddenly! You caught us unprepared!”
“I-It can’t be helped… I hate zombies…”
“Still, do it moderately!”
I don’t really like zombies either. However, I really want her to stop doing the attack just now. The sight of human flesh scattering is like watching a splatter movie.
“Father, it’s coming again!”
Responding to Pero’s voice, when I confirmed it with the enemy search skill, it appears that four enemies were approaching. I immediately ordered the skeletons.
“Form a formation and eliminate the enemy!”
Hundred skeletons move forward in line. Suketarou is like the general of the skeleton unit so he seems to make command behind the unit.
“Uguaaaaa!”
Four zombies attack the skeletons. However, the biting attacks of the zombies cannot inflict any damage on the pitch black bones. As the skeleton kick the zombie, it slashed its sword to the head without any hesitation.
The skeletons get rid of them in a few seconds then they continue to move forward without stopping. This is not an adventure anymore. It’s already a mopping-up operation.
“A powerful soldier who never gets tired… Tanaka-dono is so amazing! Zombies are like garbage now!”
Freya praises the skeleton unit with excitement. Well, I wasn’t surprised because I could see such result.
I appraised the defeated zombies for the time being.
【Appraisal Result: Zombie: Although it is called a zombie to distinguish it, it is actually said to be the same magical beast as a skeleton. Before molting, it is referred as such and it horrifies many because it turns into a skeleton by stripping off their rotten flesh: Rarity E】
The enemy search skill has finally reached the advanced level. By using the skill, the performance has improved dramatically as it has become possible to identify things within the range 1.5 times as much as before.
Then the following words were displayed in my field of view.
【Since certain conditions have been met, skill will evolve.】
【Skill evolution: Appraisal → Analysis】
I’m surprised. It seems that upgrading skills is not limited to integrated evolution. It seems that it can evolve even by itself if it meets the conditions.
If so, it would be a proof that the skills do not end in special grade, but rather, there is more above that. I’m wondering how far I can go.
I suddenly wanted to try the newly acquired Analysis skill so I tried it on Erna.
【Analysis Result: Erna Frederia: The second daughter of the Frederia family. She hates zombies as she was traumatized when she was chased by zombies in the forest in the past: Rarity C】
【Status】 Name:Erna Frederia Age: 19 yrs. old Race: Elves Occupation: Adventurer Magic attribute:Fire / Light Magic:Fireball, Fire Arrow, Flame Bomb, Flame Chain, Flame Wall, Flame Burst, Flare Zone, Light, Stan Light, Camouflage Skills:Spearmanship (Intermediate), Archery (Special), Taijutsu A (Advanced), Taijutsu B (Advanced), Hell Ears (Advanced), Super Sensation (Intermediate), Attack Prediction (Advanced), Indomitable Spirit (Advanced) , Essence of magic (Beginner) Evolution: Conditions are met.
First of all, I was interested in the Essence of Magic skill. I don’t know when she got it, but I think this is the reason why she recently said that her magic wasn’t working properly.
Additionally, my attention focused on her skill improvements, Hell ears, Super Sensation and Attack Prediction has advanced. I used to train with Erna from time to time so she used it quite often.
And the most notable item is the Evolution category. Despite the fact that the conditions have already been met, there is no such sign in Erna. Perhaps even if the conditions are met, it may not be announced immediately.
However, words suddenly appeared in front of me and I am utterly stunned.
Do you want to evolve Erna Frederia? 【YES / NO】 【Evolution destination selection:】 ・ Elf → High Elf ・ Elf → Founder Elf
Eh? Whaat?I will be the one to determine the evolution?
I was confused and decided to consult with Erna for the time being.
“Hey, I’m being asked if you want to evolve.”
“H-Huh!? Why is Shinichi being asked instead of me!?… I mean, I can evolve!?”
“There’s a category for evolution but, which is better, high elf or the founder elf?”
“Founder Elf !? For real?!”
Erna was flustered and in disbelief. After pondering for a while, she says she wants to evolve to a founder elf.
“By the way, what is a founder elf?”
“Well, as the word says, it’s the ancestors of elves. It seems that the races from ancient times had great power especially the elves. We were by far the most predominant ones before humans ruled the world. Above all, it is said that it was the founder elf who taught magic to everyone.”
“Hoh-, the founder elf was a magic expert then.”
While saying that, I clicked on the YES option for evolution.
“It’s here! An evolution notice has arrived!”
Erna hurriedly went to bed and closed her eyes with excitement. I took the blanket out of the bangle and drape it on Erna. I also called back the skeletons and ordered them to protect our surroundings.
“By the way, it’s the first time I’m looking at the evolution of others.”
Observing Erna, her body begins to glow faintly. This situation continued for hours, and gradually, we began to kill time by eating and drinking tea.
“We got nothing to do huh……”
“It was like this too during father’s evolution.”
Pero said that while being embraced by Freya when I grumbled.
In the future, it would be better to think about the place a little more before evolving. I finally understood the feelings of Erna and Pero at that time. About six hours later, the light finally disappeared from Erna’s body.
“Uuh… where is this…?”
Erna who got up had a ghost-like hair. Her long blonde hair grows further and covers her entire face.
“Drink water for the time being.”
When I gave her the water bottle from the bangle, she gulped it down. As she took a breather, she stared at her palms and body.
“Right… I’ve undergone evolution…”
“Um, we’re still in the dungeon. How are you feeling?”
“I feel… the best! I’m full of power and magical power stream in my whole body.”
She takes out a knife and cuts her beautiful blonde hair. Her face, that I could now see, was different from before. She had evolved into a beautiful woman. Her golden lashes are even more obvious than before and the long golden eyelashes give off a presence like that of a work of art. Her lips were plump and pink and I felt the illusion of being sucked in just by looking at them.
I can’t hide my admiration for this founder elf transformation.
“Erna-anechan is beautiful!”
“That’s right. Erna seems to have made a great evolution.”
Pero and Freya also look very pleased.
However, Erna stared at me fixedly.
“Y-Yeah. I was surprised at how beautiful you are, Erna seems to have made a good evolution huh.”
When I said that, Erna smiles contentedly like a blooming flower. I think she was worried about her first evolution. I regretted it, I should have praised her immediately.
“Now then, the evolution is completed but, shall we rest for a while? Erna should be hungry too.”
“Yeah, I’m really hungry.”
I then cook for Erna. She poured the served food into her stomach. By the time she finished her meal, she was hungry enough to finish six servings of food alone. I’m impressed that it fits into that slender body.
“Then, shall we head off?”
We start walking again and we move forward with the skeleton unit at the forefront.
“Oh, my hearing improved too. I can hear the footsteps of the enemy not far away.”
“I haven’t got any respond from my enemy search skill yet. By the way, is the enemy a zombie?”
“It looks different… The footsteps are quite hard.”
Is it the Lich?
I haven’t seen any skeletons in this floor yet. It’s pure luck, but the possibility of it being a Lich cannot be ruled out.
Kata-kata-kata
When I heard that peculiar sound, a strange skeleton appeared from the end of the passageway. Its body is made up of white bones and the eyes have green flames. He wore a brown, dingy piece of rag, and in his right hand was a cane that was modelled after a skull.
【Analysis Result: Lich: High-ranking skeleton race. Since it specializes in magic, it is relatively weak in physical attack. If there are a lot of skeletons, it’s usually a Lich’s work: Rarity B】
【Status】 Name:Lich Race:Undead Magic Attribute:Darkness | Fire Magic: Shadow, Shadow field, Shadow bind, Flame Bomb Skills: Swordsmanship (Intermediate), Familiar Creation, Familiar Strengthening (Beginner), Familiar Summoning, Soul eating Control Rate: 100% controlled by Federer Evolution: Does not meet the required condition. [Evolution Condition:Swordsmanship (Special), Spearmanship (Intermediate), Attack Prediction (Beginner)]
He seems to have good skills, but I am more interested in controlling it. It seems that Federer has the control over the Lich in front of us. I’m not really sure what it means to have a familiar and be made into a familiar, but there may be some conditions for the familiar to be made.
For example, is it the link between the ruler’s power and the ones he rules over?
“Katakata”
The Lich used shadow magic on its body. As expected, it seems that it has more wisdom compared to a normal skeleton.
“Alright then, I’ll go.”
As I move forward, I hold out my sword. I need to know what kind of enemy a Lich is.
“Katakatakata”
A fireball was fired from Lich’s cane. All of a sudden, intermediate magic was made as a great welcome. I’ll receive it then. Without avoiding it, I was totally exposed to the explosion.
“Katakatakatakata”
The Lich is clattering its jaw. It probably thought that it won.
Naive.
The Lich then stepped back when it saw that I emerged out of the flames.
“Magic doesn’t work on me, you know?”
Waves of light runs on my black robe, signifying that it nullified the magic. If it’s a magical beast that specializes in magic, I think I will be its natural enemy as magic doesn’t work on me at all.
Seeing me grinning, the Lich’s jaw clattered, as if it just shivered.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
Hi guys, sorry for the chapters delays. I find it hard to concentrate translating during night time as I feel so sleepy so I haven’t made any progress on it. Thankfully, it’s already school break so I can work on the afternoon again. Pardon me as I can’t make up for the missed uploads, I’ll translate as much as I can during this school break though. Thanks again for your support.
“Your Excellency, it dirtied your garden and I have no excuse for that. Please tell me what my punishment is.”
Marius bows to the Marquis. Since this area is made up of soil, it will be easy to replace it but this matter would not end there. The Marquis did not get angry though and despite such gruesome field, he just laughed and said,
“No, you don’t have to worry about it. Oh and, Lord, it’s a great sword to be able to defeat the “thief” you see.”
Now, Marius is called “Lord” instead of “dono”. In other words, this means that the Marquis recognized Marius as a Count. And the fact that Karel was called a “thief” meant that by the declaration of the Marquis, he was no longer a member of Eimurl family.
“However I’ve shown you our family’s disgrace. What if there’s such occurrence in the future?”
“Hmm. Speaking of that, I remember something. Hey, the two of you.”
The Marquis nods to Marius, who bows again, and speaks to the two people that Karel brought along.
“Y-Yes”
“Wa-W-What is it?”
The two of them still didn’t seem to catch up with what had happened. Unlike us, who expected this to some extent, this is completely unexpected to the other side.
“I forbid you to speak of what happened here. If you leak it out… you should know, right?”
The Marquis intimidated them with an extremely threatening voice. And as expected, the two trembled and nodded vigorously. Oh, poor guys.
“Alright. Hey, someone come!”
The Marquis called his servant and had him quickly take care of the two of them. The two were extremely grateful for that. We also left the courtyard and returned to the original room. It seems that the servants of the Marquis family will clean up the rest.
It was notable that even for a moment, Marius looked sadly at Karel, who was left behind on that spot. Upon returning to the room, the Marquis and Marius begin a meeting about the future policies.
We could have left our seats and the Marquis seemed to want to do that too, but Marius,
“It pains me to ask this of your Excellency, but they have the right to know everything about the story.”
He was adamant on that and the Marquis approved it so we also ended up attending.
Firstly, Marius succeeds the Eimurl family and inherits the Count title. It seems that this will be done within another week. Even if there is no grand ceremony, there seems to be a private feast so I have to send Diana back as soon as I get home. I have to work it out with Marius and Camilo later.
And the next one is on how to deal with Karel’s matter. The corpse will be secretly buried in the Eimurl family’s graveyard at once, but officially, it will be said that he gains some knowledge and travels around the various regions to assist Marius in the future. It will be passed on to various regions that worry and investigation is unnecessary because this will be done by hiding his identity in order to get the opinion of the people in each town. Normally, when a person like the Count’s family comes to another province, he needs some kind of welcome, but he doesn’t need it and he’s not a spy, so there’s no need to worry.
With these simple wrapping up, the Eimurl family’s mess is now settled.
“Then, thank you very much, Your Excellency.”
“Yeah. Same here.”
Marius and the Marquis stand up and shake hands. It’s short when summarized, but this is just the right time to conclude this meeting. I’m thinking good grief, but I stand up without showing it on my face. Then the Marquis called out.
“By the way, Lord’s guest, do you have any knowledge on swordsmanship?”
With eyes that seem to pierce through, he asks while looking at me.
“No, I don’t have one in particular.”
I answered while my heart is beating fast. I really want you to stop doing this when I’m feeling relieved after it’s all over you know?
“A while ago, you were the first one to react to that guy’s movements. I thought you were someone with excellent skill.”
“I see… I can somewhat swing the sword for self-defense but it’s not something that can be called swordsmanship.”
When I answered that, the Marquis’ eyes narrowed and the feeling of intimidation increased.
“Well, if you say so, let’s leave it to that. If I have the chance, I’d like to compare with you.”
“No no, I’m not very good at it so please pardon me…”
I bowed my head while having cold sweat. The Marquis saw that, and he then left the room while laughing.
“Man, Eizou sure is amazing.”
It was Marius who called out after the Marquis left. The terrifying feeling until a while ago was already gone so he’s now showing treatment towards a friend.
“Huh?”
I don’t get what was amazing. I’m only shrinking back in fear.
“At that last moment, the Marquis was quite intimidating, but you fend it off easily you know?”
“Is that so?”
Well, I thought it was intimidating.
“If it’s an average person, he can’t even say a word.”
“Even me, who was right beside you, was quite threatened, but you didn’t have any sign of that and just answered normally.”
Marius followed up and Camilo also grumbled. Making it like it was really such a great thing.
“His Excellency was a reputable swordsman. He once took command on great Orc subjugation, and at that time he himself was the vanguard. He probably understands Eizou’s strength to some extent that’s why he tried to intimidate you like that. Goodness, talk about a bad personality.”
“That is well……”
“He’s not a bad person so don’t worry about it. I’ll just pass as an undercover guest too.”
“I’ll really leave that to you.”
Like I’ll let myself be eyed by troublesome people anymore than this! I couldn’t help but pray for Marius’s good luck.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
Karel shouts out loud. Actually, “it shouldn’t be”, so that’s expected.
“Karel, calm down.”
The Marquis spoke to Karel. Karel sits down reluctantly. Looking at the two people accompanying him, one is simply surprised, but the other looked bitter. It seems that he did not tell the exact details of the matter to the one who looked surprised. It can be said that he was fortunate in a sense. The man with the bitter expression is dressed like a noble. Considering that he’s a noble, if he doesn’t know how to hide his real feelings, he’ll surely be killed in no time if he goes to a place where conspiracy swirls.
“Then, what do you mean by “real” one?”
The Marquis asked Marius.
“Yes. Actually, I only found this out from the document left by my father. In reality, during private ceremonies, the Eimurl family prepares a “fake” to be used in public but there’s actually a “real” one. “If there is a serious affair in the Kingdom, the one who succeeds the family will take the real thing and help face the national crisis”, that’s what the document left by my father says so.”
Marius took out a paper (probably parchment) from his bosom and presented it to the Marquis. The Marquis receives it and reads it.
Hearing the Marquis’ words, Karel’s eyes opened wide. Well, to justify the story, it can’t be helped but to forge it cautiously. When it comes to fooling the eyes of an old friend, he must have asked a skillful guy and that must have been Camilo’s job. When I glanced at Camilo, he winked at me. An uncle winks at another middle-aged man…
Karel tried to say something but Marius stood up first.
“Big brother, when I found this document, you went somewhere else and I haven’t had the chance to meet you until today so I was late to tell you this. I’m very sorry.”
After saying that, he bows his head. Karel sat down again. Talking about being suspicious, it really is suspicious but, the consistency matches well.
“In tha-, that maybe so but, Karel-dono, do you have any objections? If none, I would like to report to His Majesty that there is no problem here.”
The Marquis unknowingly throws words that are equivalent to death penalty for Karel. Now, this matter was settled with “that vigor made you act recklessly but it was all for recovering the heirloom. That spirit is admirable.”
It may not be possible to take over the family, but I think that the best thing to do now is to just end it here. Then, while Marius is investigating the cause of his father and brother’s death, he can hide or do his business.
“Well, after all, I can’t just believe that this is a “fake” and that is the “real” one.”
However, Karel wanted to settle it here. It’s what he hoped for. Even though it is clearly an act of placing his king in front of the piece placed by Marius.
“Understood. Let’s make a clear proof for that then.”
Marius said quite casually. It’s a proof of how much trust he has in my product but, there’s also this side of me that would like him to stop such acts too.
“How will you do it?”
“It’s faster to test it out. May I borrow your garden?”
“I don’t mind. Is this okay for you, Karel-dono?”
“Yes”
Everyone stands up and move to the garden. Karel is no longer hiding his feeling and is openly glaring at Marius. Marius was able to pass it on.
Thus, the final confrontation was to take place in the courtyard of the Marquis’ House. They both held the “heirloom sword”, but this doesn’t mean they will fight each other.
The one I made is being stuck in the ground on the courtyard. Even though it’s my work, it gives off this feeling that you’ll become the king if you pull it out. Then, a young soldier with a spear in hand approaches there. He is the guard of this mansion –a private army of the Marquis. From now on, he will stab the edge of my sword. If that damages the sword, what I made is a “fake”. However, as I looked at it, with that tip, my sword can withstand 50 times, even if the material is just steel.
The soldier struck it about 20 times, but the tip of the spear just broke, and the sword I made had no scratches.
“That’s ridiculous……”
It was Karel who groaned in a low voice. That’s right. You can’t have something like this in just one or two days. It’s more than expected. The Marquis also praised the sword with admiration.
“As expected, it is a sword given by His Majesty. It has both beauty and strength.”
“That’s right. Isn’t it just right to call it the “real” one?”
Marius rides on. He had already shown the performance of my sword to begin with.
“Then, it’s Karel-dono’s sword’s turn.”
“Yes.”
Karel similarly stuck his sword into the ground. So the Marquis,
“Hey. Get another spear.”
ordered the soldier from before, but,
“No, that would not be necessary.”
As soon as Marius said that, he pulled out the “real” one that was stuck next to Karel’s. He then slashed at the “fake” sword. Without any metallic sound, the “fake” was just cut off from the middle. The upper half, which was cut off, particularly made a clang sound when it fell.
“This strength, this sharpness, with it having all these, there is no doubt that this is the “real” one, what do you think?”
With a broad grin, Marius declares victory towards the Marquis.
“Y-Yes. With such sharpness, if you enter the battlefield, you will be a match for a thousand. This is indeed the real thing.”
As expected, the Marquis too has not caught up with the events that happened before him. However, if he saw it, there is neither admission nor disapproval. Surprisingly though, he declared which one was the real thing.
“And with that, since there is no particular problem this time, the succession of the family will proceed as usual. I would like to report this to His Majesty. Is that fine with you, Marius-dono, Karel-dono?”
The Marquis declares after he somewhat recovers.
With this, it’s over. I want it to end now so I can go home quickly. As I’m thinking of that,
“Uwaaaaa!!!!”
Karel shouted as he dashed towards Marius. He had a knife in his hand. I was able to catch his movement thanks to the “cheat”, but I can’t make it from here. However, at that moment, I caught another move. It’s Marius.
Marius’ right hand, which was holding the sword, flipped up at a tremendous speed, the blade of the sword moved from Karel’s left hip to the right shoulder as if nothing was there. It was cut off without a sound. Karel’s upper body broke up before he even reached Marius and with a thud, it fell to the ground.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
I changed my clothes or rather, I was forced to change clothes. I was being rocked inside the carriage with Marius and Camilo. I still have that indignant look though. Thankfully I was not seen by Samia and Rike in this appearance.
“Don’t get angry. Don’t you want to see the “fake” one?”
Camilo intervenes.
“I told you I don’t want to see it…”
The heirloom which is bestowed by King would be nothing more than that, but if asked if I’m interested, of course, I would be.
“This is my request. I’ve involved you guys so I want you two to know what the result is.”
Marius said so. I have no objection to that.
“So why did I have to wear this outfit?”
That’s the only thing I’m stuck on.
“I can’t let them know that there’s a blacksmith present in such place so I need to cover it up. I think it’s silly but I still dressed you up as a noble.”
Marius replied.
“Well, Eizou is supposed to be my guest from the North. It seems that Karel will bring some people with him too so it shouldn’t be a problem to bring guests with me. Knowing Karel, it would be convenient for him if he could declare the reclamation of the sword in the presence of a third party. The same is true for Camilo. He’s expecting that the event will spread on the peddler’s information network. Otherwise, Karel wouldn’t allow himself to be in the same presence with a “peddler” you see.”
“I see…”
That “peddler” is probably Karel’s term, not Marius’. Marius is supposed to be the next Count, but for a nobleman, he is “progressive”. Since he was once a guard in the town, he could see various people, did that experience take effect on him? To say that it’s better to be a merchant and that blacksmiths are no good, is not something that you can’t understand considering the spread of information.
“You mean, that’s where it’ll all backfire?”
“It’s like that”
Being seen by me, a third party and by Camilo, a peddler with an information network would only result in spreading Karel’s failure. Karel bringing in friends and acquaintances has the same effect. I hope he will accept it easily. I couldn’t help thinking about it.
Eventually, we arrived at a large mansion. Is this the residence of the Count Eimurl?
“This is Lord Menzel’s villa.”
Marius informs me, but it’s a name I’m not familiar with.
“Lord Menzel is the Marquis of this city.”
Camilo followed up. Is a Marquis one level higher than a Count?
“Heh-, then I came to a great place huh.”
“My father was an old acquaintance of Lord Menzel. He was younger than my father, but he was friendly. That’s why he was also entrusted with the ruling on this matter.”
It was Marius who spoke. So that’s how it is huh. If it’s the Marquis, he might be able to report to the king directly.
We get off the carriage once we’re inside the mansion. Perhaps he’s a servant here, a polite young man guides us and take us to a large room. When we came in, no one else was in the room yet. Marius sat down and we sit down besides him. I’m not sure about the seating order, but it doesn’t seem to be much different from my previous world. The “real” heirloom sword is wrapped in a cloth and placed beside Marius.
After a little while, three men came in. One of them has a fearless smile. He somehow resembles Marius. So that’s Karel huh? He’s not particularly villain looking. I wonder if he just happened to be blinded by greed… The other two are probably people with a certain position. Karel and his companions sit down facing us.
Until Karel arrived, Marius was chatting with us in a whisper, but as soon as he came in, he shut his mouth and remained silent.
Some more time after that, a middle-aged man in luxurious clothes came in. He has a strong build with his mustache and hair trimmed neatly. He should be Marquis Menzel.
We all stand up at once. After the Marquis sat in the seat of honor, he urged us to sit down.
“Well then, regarding the matter about the heirloom sword stolen from the Eimurl family, Karel was able to get it back, is that right?”
The Marquis asks Karel and his companions. It’s a low and deep voice that is no different from the image you’ll feel seeing his strong build. It makes me think that most human beings will tremble if yelled at by such voice.
“Yes. It was the work of a thief near the border, but I managed to get it back yesterday.”
Karel has a higher but calm voice. He put out a long item, wrapped in cloth. It was the sword. As Marius said, it sheathed in a simple scabbard with little ornate decoration. The same is true for the patterns on the sword guard, it can be seen that they are made by the hands of a good craftsman.
“So what do you want me to do? There shouldn’t be a problem if you get back what you’ve lost, right? Isn’t it all settled if Marius over there succeeds Count Eimurl?”
The Marquis replied back to Karel. The Marquis doesn’t seem to have a very good impression on Karel, or, is he originally like this?
“No, I don’t think that someone who has had the heirloom stolen under his nose and just stand by and do nothing is suitable to be the head of the Count family.”
Karel argues while taking a glimpse at Marius. Has it started? Hearing such words, the Marquis began to ponder.
I can understand what Karel is saying. If a person, who just stand by and does nothing even if something important was stolen in his house, was to be deemed suitable as the head of a decent or higher-ranked house, that in itself would be suspicious. The higher ranked the family is, the more people are involved. The lives of the people of the territory, of course, depend on the patriarch. The patriarch needs to have the ability to solve these difficulties, and Marius couldn’t show it this time.
Of course, it’s only true if the heirloom was really stolen, it’s a different story if they collude with the thieves. But it is impossible for us to prove otherwise. I think it’s possible that Karel killed the thieves he brought in. In that case, Karel’s story that “The heirloom was stolen, so I searched for the whereabouts of the thieves, killed them, and recovered them” is seemingly consistent, and above all, it’s “not a lie”.
But we also have a trump card. This is a tightrope walk here, but this is a trump card that Karel wouldn’t expect.
Marius opens his mouth.
“Can I say something?”
“I don’t mind. Say it.”
The Marquis urged.
“I seemed to be leisurely because that heirloom was a fake. I had the real thing at hand so I thought I should slowly hunt down the thieves. Though I’m reflecting if it seems that I was just standing by and doing nothing, but please be aware of the difference between cleaning up quickly and slowly cornering them then capturing them at once.”
“Ho-oh?”
The Marquis raised an eyebrow at Marius’ counterattack. There was a clattering noise, and when I looked at it, Karel stood up unexpectedly.
“Here is the “real” one.”
Marius unwrapped the cloth he put beside him and revealed a sword sheathed in a scabbard. The “real” sword that I forged.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
Here’s another set of advance chapters sponsored by fronzenman60. Enjoy reading!
“Then, the next one would be the scabbard.”
I speak to Camilo and Marius.
“Oh, right. There is also a scabbard.”
Camilo said so. If it’s just an ordinary longsword, I can just make it quickly without worrying about its design, but it’s for the heirloom after all.
“Well, after this, I don’t know how much value it will have as a heirloom. But when it comes to a heirloom, there is a certain scabbard, right?”
“Can you finish it by tomorrow?”
It was Marius who asked.
“Well, I’ll be able to do that. But I’ll try to finish it by the end of today.”
“You don’t have to ornate it too much, the fake’s scabbard wasn’t too striking either you see.”
“Is that so? Alright then, let’s make it like that.”
“Yeah, I’ll leave it to you.”
Then they went out after that. The next time they’ll come here is the time of the complete delivery. Well then, shall I start?
The base will be made of wood. I chose the one that is old and packed amongst the woods that are placed here as materials. Experts around here also rely on cheats. Though it’s a heirloom, it will be fine to say that the scabbard is recently remade using new wood. Although for national and sacred treasures, I think that it would be quite difficult to remake its scabbard.
I place the sword on the wood, measure the size, and then hollow out the wood in the shape of the sword. I prepared two wooden boards with half of its body hollowed out, stick them together with glue, and then make the outer shape with the high-end model knife that I made as a trial earlier. It seems that this knife can be used for engraving. I only engraved one flower stem and leaf-like pattern in the middle.
Once I’m done with that, I clean the whole thing with the knife. It’s the planing part.
Next, I took a beeswax with a cloth and applied it all over. I think it’s a fairly expensive item, but it’s for the heirloom’s scabbard so I can’t be stingy.
After spending a considerable amount of time polishing, I light up the fire bed. Heat a sheet metal that is not very large and hit it with the hammer to spread it thinly. The stretched steel metal will be used for edging the scabbard. It’s usually a fairly time-consuming task, but thanks to the cheat, I made the length and shape I want at once.
I then attached the stretched sheet metal around the scabbard and engraved something with a chisel. The design is also like that of a plant’s leaf. By the time the sun went down, the scabbard was finally completed. It was relatively early in the morning when I was awakened, and Marius and Camilo didn’t stay that long, so it took a considerable amount of time creating just one scabbard. Even so, it’s thanks to the cheat that I was able to finish the work that would normally take about a month (if you’re not good at it) in just one day.
When I put the sword in the scabbard, it looks quite elaborate. This would not be inferior to the fake. Then as I chuckle to myself, Camilo and Marius came.
“How are you doing? It’s not like you cannot meet the deadline, right?”
Camilo asked with a cheerful expression. He did not even consider that I can’t finish it. I’m glad and embarrassed that he trusted me so much.
“I just finished it. What do you think about this?”
I showed them the newly made sword and its scabbard.
“O-oh!……”
Marius expressed his admiration.
“This would make it easier to counter that fake one.”
“Really? That’s good then.”
I replied a little bluntly to Marius who is beaming. I’m glad that he is pleased with what I’ve made but I also become more embarrassed.
“Thank you very much, Eizou.”
“What’s with that?, I owe you one too. I just returned it.”
Marius extends his right hand. I also took that hand and we shook hands firmly.
“Take a break for now. I’ll come back tomorrow morning.”
Camilo told me that.
“Okay, understood.”
I’d prefer if we sneak out in the middle of the night but the gate will be closed at that time. Well, it wouldn’t be suspicious if we would come out early in the morning when it was crowded.
I obediently followed Camilo’s words and decided to go to bed.
The next morning, I woke up before Camilo came to pick me up. I’m preparing to go home by washing my face with the water in the water bottle. That said, I haven’t brought many things so I don’t have much to prepare. I’d like to take one of the knives I made here as a trial instead of the one for self-defense that I already broke. When I get home, I can just make a new “custom model” and use it for self-defense.
A little after the sun rose, Camilo and Marius came. Besides them, there are few women too. What are they trying to do?
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
Camilo grins as he says that. I’m quite confused
“Y-Yeah. I got up before you came.”
I answered back. Well, I used to sleep in a chair all the time in the previous world. Then Marius calls out to me who’s still confused.
“It’s sudden and it’s my bad, but please change into this one.”
While saying that, he showed me his luxurious clothes.
“Eh?”
My confusion deepens even more. Why do I need to bother on changing into such luxurious clothes when we’re just going home?
Completely not caring about me, Marius tells the women who came with him,
“He’s not used to clothes like this. Help him change clothes.”
So he ordered. The women nodded then surrounded me.
“N-No, w-wait a minute. Why are you my changing clothes!?”
I raised my voice almost like a shriek. In the meantime, the women are trying to order me–that is, for me to take off my clothes. I hold my clothes down and wait for their answers, but both of them only grinned and didn’t reply. If they put this much force, my clothes will be damaged, so I could only loosen the hold on my clothes for a moment, but the women took off my clothes and I became only in my underwear instead. Since it’s already like this, I have no choice but to put on the new clothes. Well, I certainly don’t know how to wear these luxurious clothes.
It can’t be helped, so I’m left with letting them dress me. Probably because I didn’t have any strange resistance, those who are dressing me got things done quickly. The clothes have a design similar to Marius’ clothes and have an aristocratic feel. I couldn’t keep up with the situation, but when I looked closely, Camilo was also in good attire.
“So? What are you trying to do by making me wear this? It can’t be you want me to go home like this, right?”
When I asked them with an indignant look, Marius replied without even trying to stop his laughter.
“After this, I’m going to confront my brother and I want you to go with me.”
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
This completes the sword blade itself. It cannot be “compared” with any sword out there. However, this cannot be delivered as it is. It’s so simple for a heirloom.
I borrowed a chisel (although the hammer and others are also borrowed) and carve on the blade. With the help of my cheat, I added a graceful pattern on it to match the curve of the blade without disturbing the weight balance and hardiness. It looks like the leaves and stems of a plant. Then I put a flower-like pattern on the tip of the sword. Since these are carved on the back and front, it is quite an intricate work. If I’m not good at this, it would be harder than when I’m hitting the blade… Well, that’s also why I feel that it will be good as a heirloom.
Thanks to the cheat, I can work without hesitation and without drafts. After a considerable amount of time, I finally finished engraving on the blade. Next will be the sword guard and the pommel. I put a pattern that looks like a plant is entwined in the sword guard. I carved the pattern on the sword guard in a way that it looks three-dimensional. I also put the coat of arms of the Eimurl family in the middle of the brim. As for the pommel, it’s an engraving that looks like a flower bud.
The usual “sitting fat cat” was engraved in the small place where it wouldn’t be visible if it was wrapped in leather. It’s a little bit like an Easter egg.
I then use a file to clean the burrs that came out when I’m putting the engravings. The pattern has become clearer so I stop there. When I noticed it, it appears that it’s already quite late. I’m also very drowsy now. There is no point in continuing to work on this. As I got older, I tend to give up on doing this kind of work much faster. After I put out the fire on the firebed, I lay down wrapped in a blanket inside the smithy.
“―up. Hey, wake up.”
I wake up after being shaken by someone.
“Hrmm”
I opened my eyes droopily. It seems that it was Camilo who was shaking me.
“I thought you were depressed because you couldn’t do it yesterday, but you’re sleeping peacefully huh.”
“Hnnn… No. It’s not good for the body to stay up all night you see.”
I replied to Camilo’s words in a carefree manner while still lying down. If the body of the sword hadn’t been made, I wouldn’t have been able to take it easy.
“Your body is your capital huh?”
I heard a familiar voice that was different from Camilo. I jumped out of bed in a hurry.
“Marius-san!”
The one who’s smiling there is the face of the guard who I saw at the entrance of the town. He’s wearing fine clothes instead of the slightly rugged leather armor. I’m glad and embarrassed at the same time seeing that the short sword on his waist was the one I made.
“It’s been a long time, Eizou-san.”
Marius-shi politely greets me. I’m afraid he’s having a hard time with the mess these days, I can see some of them reflected on his face. Eh?
“Marius-san, you know my name?”
“I heard about it when I asked help for this matter. Even if this is a confidential matter, it will be rude of me if I continued not to know your name.”
“I see… Marius-san, you don’t have to treat me so politely. Just do so like when you meet me in town.”
When Marius-shi treats me politely, it felt strange and the conversation is quite awkward.
“No, I can’t be rude to those who are my benefactors.”
It’s been the case since he was the guard in the town, Marius-shi is quite distracted huh.
“No, not at all. You don’t have to worry about it because I owed you one too.”
When I said that,
“Well then, let’s just say we are in the same position so let’s stop being polite to each other, all right?”
With a smile, Marius makes a suggestion. If I don’t agree to this, he’s probably going to keep on treating me like that. I don’t want that either.
“Understood… no, I see. Let’s do that.”
Thus, a blacksmith, who talks to the Count casually (probably the next), was born.
“I still need to wrap the leather so please wait a moment. Do you have time?”
“Yeah, it’s still okay.”
“Alright”
I wrapped the leather around the grip of the sword. With the help of my cheat, I was able to wind it quickly and tightly.
“This should be fine. Try shaking it.”
“Got it”
I handed the sword to Marius-shi. Marius looked at the sword he received and,
“It’s a beautiful sword…”
He liked it. He looked at it for a while then as if he had returned to his senses, he started swinging my sword. It’s a beautiful swordsmanship. It’s very similar to Diana-san’s swordsmanship, probably because he was learning the same sword technique. However, probably because Diana was a woman, her movement was a little more focused on speed, but Marius’ movements are more like playing around, I got this impression that it was a power type stance.
Marius-shi waved the sword intently for a while, and then he stopped moving so I called out.
“How is it?”
“Wow, this sword is the best sword I’ve ever had.”
Marius-shi spoke from the bottom of his heart.
“Well, it’s almost the best I can make. It won’t lose to the swords out there…”
Oops, I was about to forget.
“By the way, what is the material of the “original” heirloom sword?”
I have to listen to this. It’s pretty good, but after all, it’s just steel. If it’s made of a magical metal such as Orichalcum or Adamantite, my sword will lose.
“That “fake” was given to the Eimurl family when we received the count’s title, the king at that time asked the best blacksmith in the kingdom to forge it. Even if there is god metal which would be the best in the kingdom, it’s not attainable by humans.”
“In other words, it’s just steel?”
“Exactly”
For the time being, one is clear. Is it impossible for a normal person to get Orichalcum? I wonder if it’s possible for me…
“One more thing, up until now, did you ever show the heirloom?”
“It is displayed during private ceremonies, but other than that it’s not displayed. It’s also written in the records that “the title and the sword is given by the king” so no one could comment on it.”
“Then, the outsiders wouldn’t make a fuss saying, “The shape is different from the heirloom I heard off”, right?”
“Yeah, it will be like that.”
Then it will be fine, right? I was wondering what to do if it had been exhibited like the ones in a museum in the previous world. It appears that it has never been exposed to the public because it is treated as a god tool.
“If something goes wrong, I’ll just compare it. If this “real” one doesn’t lose to the “fake” one, they will know which is the “sword given that was graciously given by the king”, right?”
Marius grinned as he said that.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
“Yes, this is the only request issued to Homeless.”
There was only one nomination request given in the guild.
Didn’t the Homeless become famous?
The receptionist who saw my confusion explained the reason.
“Basically, for big requests, they tend to ask the adventurers from the Royal Capital. This is a remote countryside so jobs for famous senior adventurers tend to be scarce. Ah, but just like this time, there are quite few researchers with strange tastes who issue requests.”
Looking at the request form, it seems that the request was made by a researcher living in the neighbouring city.
In the content, it was written that he wanted us to procure an undead magical beast called Lich, which dwells in the Mohed’s Great Dungeon. It seems that he especially wants its skull. He’s indeed someone with a strange taste.
“Freya, what kind of magical beast is a Lich?”
“It’s a high-ranked skeleton. It specializes in magic and seems to be vulnerable to physical attacks. However, it’s said that its magic is powerful and many often gets annihilated before they even enter a close range.”
If it’s a high-ranked skeleton, I think it’s okay to make it into my familiar. I already have some familiarity with a skeleton after all. In addition to the request, let’s turn a Lich into my familiar too.
Un, that would be good.
Furthermore, when I talked to the receptionist, according to the information of those who saw it, it seemed to be on the 26th to 30th floor of Mohed’s Great Dungeon. It’s also right on the floors that I am trying to explore. I have no choice but to accept this, I guess.
After accepting the request, we went to Rodman’s Weapons Store after doing some shopping. When I opened the door of the store, I saw Rodman smoking as usual.
“Welcome― Oh! Tanaka-kun!”
“Since Rodman is the shopkeeper, it means… it’s completed?”
“Of course! Anyway, look at this!”
What he brought from the back of the store was a weapon wrapped in a high-quality cloth. When I opened the cloth, a sword of about 1m and a knife of about 20cm came into view.
The sword is housed in a black-painted scabbard, and the handle is made of leather to prevent it from slipping. There was a hole in the handle, and a magic circle was engraved around the hole. It’s done as I requested.
“Can I pull it out?”
“It’s my masterpiece! Please take a look!”
Rodman looks excited. He probably made this with great passion. I gently pulled out the sword from the scabbard.
Shiing.
I heard a bell-like tone and the unsheathed sword reflected some light. It is pitch black like obsidian, what’s more, it’s even darker, as if darkness was added on it. A sword that seems to solidify darkness, it’s exactly what you call pure black. The weight is moderate and it fits in my hand. Although I’m not an expert, this is a work that deserves to be called a sharp sword.
I used appraisal to check it out.
【Appraisal Result: Bull King’s sword: A sword made by processing the horn of the magical beast, Bull King. It surpasses Mithril in all aspects and it takes prides in its twofold magical conductivity: Rarity S】
“Amazing…”
“I had a hard time with that one! Anyway, the material is pretty hard so it’s difficult to sharpen it. Well, if I apply my skill, that’s it! Uhahaha!”
“Is that so? By the way, what’s with the knife?”
“Oh, this is made from the excess horn. Take it as a bonus.”
The knife was also pretty good. With such sword and knife, the production cost would be considerable. I’m a little worried about how much it will be.
“That’s why… this is the production cost for this time.”
When I looked at the paper that was given to me, it was written that it totalled eight gold coins. Approximately 8 million in Japanese yen. I think it’s too cheap, but Rodman, the shopkeeper, may have some reason for it.
“The price of a weapon is usually high because of the materials, but this time, it’s brought in so that’s not included in the calculation. It ended up like that after I added the processing fee, design and the material cost of the handle and sheath.”
“So it’s like that huh. Recalling the mithril knuckles last time, you were pretty squared up.”
“No. Well, the price is still high enough.”
I suddenly realized that when it was pointed out. Apparently, my sense of money is paralyzed.
Recently, I have forgotten the value of gold coins because I often receive gold coins. With one gold, a normal household can eat for a year. Considering that it is good for eight years, the payment this time is quite high. I should keep in mind the importance of money.
After paying Rodman, I decided to leave the store and return to the dungeon. On our way home, Freya asked the thing she’s concerned about.
“By the way, regarding the formation of Homeless, two people are for close range and one for long distance, wouldn’t it be better if I’m in charge of middle range?”
“Hn? That’s right… but can you use a spear?”
“Though I look like this, I’m an advanced ranked spearman. Depending on the weapon I have, I can use a sword or a spear well.”
So speaking of that, Freya could also use a spear huh. I completely forgot about her status. Let’s check Freya’s status once more.
【Appraisal Result: Freya Label: Retired Knight Guard of the Duke, got recruited as Homeless adventurer party member. She likes dogs through and through. For her, Pero, a sacred beast, has been converted into an idol: Rarity D】
【Status】 Name: Freya Label Age: 18 years old Race: Human Occupation: Knight Magic attribute: Fire Magic: Fire ball, Fire Arrow Skills: Swordsmanship(Advanced), Spearmanship(Advanced), Shield Technique(Intermediate), Taijutsu A (Intermediate), Taijutsu B (Intermediate), Strength Enhancement(Intermediate), Cooking Technique(Advanced)
Hmmm, as what she had said, the spear seems to be suitable for her. Then, I’ll welcome such capable person as Homeless member. It’s decided, Freya will be in charge of the middle range.
“Alright then, I’ll hand this over.”
I took a spear out of the bangle. As Freya received it, she looks bafflingly at the spear.
“Tanaka-dono, this spear looks like a Mithril…”
“Yeah, that’s certainly a Mithril. Are you dissatisfied?”
“Huh? What do you mean by dissatisfied!? Mithril is a high-class metal! Rather than that, I’m worried if I should accept it!”
As what she had said, Mithril is a high-class one. It’s embarrassing because I didn’t even know that fact until I went to Rodman’s shop. However, it is also true that these Mithril weapons are weapons that were originally in the hidden room for free.
There were two spears, so give one to a comrade is trivial.
“Ah right, Freya also use a sword, right? I have a Mithril sword, if you need it, I can give it to you.”
“Hiii! It’s fine! A spear is enough!”
Hmmm, her attitude of not being greedy is quite good. I’m glad to have such good comrade.
In this way, we returned to the dungeon.
◇
“―And, this is our house.”
After showing Freya the things around, we finally arrived at the hideout. She looks at the hideout with a dazed look. She was also silent when I showed her around the fields and disposal site but I want her to say something soon…
“W-Who are you really, Tanaka-dono…?”
“I’m just a homeless person.”
“A mere homeless person doesn’t live in a place like this…”
Freya approached the bookshelf and pulled out a book. Flipping it over, she mutters, “No way…”
“That’s right. It seems that this hideout was Moore’s, the one who was once dubbed as a wise man.”
“This is a great discovery! I have to report it to the Kingdom right away!”
“W-Wait, wait! That’s no good!”
After catching Freya who’s about to start running, I told her about our circumstances.
“This is a place I don’t want anyone else to know! I showed it to you because you’re a comrade, so don’t betray me!”
“B-But…”
Freya struggled for a while then she hung her head as if she lost her vigor. It looks like she was convinced.
“I was about to betray Tanaka-dono’s trust. I’m sorry. I won’t say anything about this anymore.”
“Um… Sorry but, please do that.”
I then sit on the sofa with peace of mind, Freya pulls another book out of the bookshelf and begins to look inside. She also seems to have a strong interest in Moore.
“Are you also interested in Moore?”
“Of course! Moore is the smartest and strongest mage in history. And he’s a human you know? If you grew up in this Kingdom, there’s no one who doesn’t adore him.”
When she tried to put the books back on the bookshelf, probably because of the force, the bookshelf started to slide sideways. Erna was in the middle of changing clothes in the bedroom. Her pink underwear is completely visible, and the white and well-proportioned body is right before my eyes.
“…”
Erna, who’s trying to tuck her pants on, froze. I also froze while still looking at her.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaa !!”
Alongside that scream, the bookshelf closed in a hurry. I thought she was sleeping, I wasn’t expecting this to happen. However, it’s a good thing that I saw something beautiful.
“I’m sorry, the bookshelf turn out to be a door…”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s a common occurrence if you live in such a small space.”
“Is it a common..?”
Freya blushed. Although she is often cold, she’s still unmistakably a woman. Maybe it’s time to make a rule here. When the bookshelf opens, Erna, with her face dyed pink, comes out.
Unlike her previous red robe, she now wears a purple robe.
“Did you finally make it purple?”
“Yeah, I already memorized a special magic, I thought it’s about time to wear it. More than that, why is Freya here?”
I explained to Erna what happened when I was in Mana.
“―So you mean to say, Freya has become our official comrade?”
“Yeah, that’s the case. It was my bad that I did not talk to Erna about it first, but Freya is already credible, partly because of the things that happened in the Royal Capital. I decided it was enough to recruit her as our comrade.”
“That’s fine with me. But this house has only one bed, right?”
“No need to worry.”
I took two beds out of the bangle. One is for Freya. The other is for me and Pero. It was getting harder to sleep on the sofa, so I thought it was time to buy it.
“Wait a minute, what do you mean by two?”
Freya asks with excitement. Somehow, I can see through her thoughts, but I need to answer honestly because it depends on Pero.
“It’s for Freya and me. Pero always sleeps with me, so I thought I should buy it too.”
“T-Then, Pero-sama could go with me!”
Freya is breathing “Haa-Haa” like a pervert. Seeing that, Pero clung to my leg and shook his head.
“I heard he wants to sleep with me for a while.”
“Uwaaaaaaaa!! Pero-samaaaa!!”
She’s a noisy one. She’s a beautiful knight except the part that she’s obsessed with Pero. It’s such a pity. I decided to put Freya’s bed in the bedroom and my bed near the fireplace.
It would be convenient to have another room somewhere, but I can’t say luxury.
◇
Upon returning to the 24th floor to resume the exploration, I found the skeletons working hard in the livestock farm.
“Katakata”
After Suketarou approached me, he took me to a certain hut. Harvested wheat and barley were stored there, forming a small mountain.
“Have you already harvested?”
I went to the field for the time being. The vast land turned into a field, probably because the skeletons continued to cultivate without rest. New buds are emerging from the fields, and the skeletons are watering them with a watering can.
Looking at where the water comes from, it seems that they have taken the trouble to go up to the 22nd floor to fetch water. They are tireless, a unique trait of skeleton. However I’m still impressed as they are doing it for a long time.
“Katakata”
Suketarou clatters his jaw.
Somehow, I got what he wanted to say. Apparently, wheat and barley grow faster when watered, so they focused on expanding the fields within reach and watered them. That’s what he seems to say.
I’m glad that it is possible for us to communicate. Well, it’s probably because of our connection. Or rather, Suketarou seems to be smarter than I expected. Looking at the apple trees, they are still growing. It will take a little longer to feed them to the livestock.
After I gathered the skeletons, I selected some to go with me to the 30th floor. It would be enough if there were about 100 of them. Of course, I will take Suketarou with me.
It’s a good time to see how strong his fighting power is.
“Let’s begin!”
We then depart for the 27th floor.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
Once I returned to my room, I instructed Noin and Leslie on what we should do next. Both of them are more of my assistants than military magician so I can share the work around this large fortress with them. I’ll ask them to help me check the health of the knights.
“At first, it’s better to have you two work together. Once Noin gets used to this, let’s decide the division again.”
“Certainly, as Milord commands.”
“…That Milord thing is startling everyone so I think it’s better to call him in a different way.”
Leslie does not hesitate to give her opinion to Noin, who’s older than her. Noin didn’t seem to be particularly offended and was happy instead as she look at Leslie.
“For me, there’s no other word to call him though.”
“Uh…T-That… the one to decide that is not you, but Grass-nii so…”
Since the opportunities for Leslie to address me like that was considerably reduced, I somehow felt some kind of deep emotion on that one. Even if she’s dressed up as a man and acts as my assistant, Leslie will always be Leslie after all.
“…Leslie, it’s better if you will be a little more honest with yourself. But that purity of yours is something I really like.”
“I… I’m not as pure as what you’re trying to say. I’m just doing what I want…”
“Is that so? Then, I’ll like you even more now.”
I, who doesn’t know much about Noin yet, totally can’t understand the real meaning of Noin’s words just by listening to their current exchange.
Noin became a court magician like she wanted but her will was twisted by Jorge Frost. While she was possess by the dark spirit, the pain she suffered in her mind and body is something very hard for me to even imagine.
“I’m really sorry, Milord. Though I think that Leslie-sama’s opinion should be respected as much as Milord, there are things that are difficult for me to concede.”
“W-Well… I do agree with Leslie but I also think it might be best to let Noin do what you want to do…”
“…Grass-nii, aren’t you so lenient towards Noin-san? At the academy, she was famous for being very beautiful and talented, so Grass-nii too…”
“I’ve been paying attention to Milord since I was at the academy. I remember that Milord often looks at the plants in the courtyard.”
“Hahaha… well, I was treated as a weirdo at that time. Only Leslie and Sven spent their time with me you know.”
I look at Leslie who somehow seemed to be dissatisfied but she still laughed with nostalgia.
“I wonder if the spirits that are said to be “flop” by the rules of the academy are indeed true… No one ever tried to doubt it… However, that was a mistake. I think that the constitution of the academy will change if they found out how great Milord’s magic is.”
“It’s not something that can be changed overnight. But I think it will be good if the assessment of spirit users other than the elemental spirit users will be given re-evaluation. Though from my perspective as a “flop”, the things I can do are really limited.”
Silvana Magic Academy. The highest institute of education in this Kingdom that was able to produce magicians who support the kingdom.
For the first time after I left that place, I realized that my magic was valuable and that people needed it more besides the spirits that were useful for war.
At that academy, I have my stepsister, Millenia. I’m sure that she, who didn’t give up on me, harbour doubts about the current constitution of the academy. Nevertheless, she’s not able to create a policy of not discriminating against spirits, probably due to the tradition of the kingdom itself.
“…Grass-nii’s spirit magic is really incredible. Therefore, it is better not to spread it too much and keep it a secret. If not, the enemy might target you.”
“Right… Even if I can exchange my life to protect Milord, it’s important to act so as not to be targeted. Milord, is it alright to think this way?”
“It would be helpful if you could do that. There are occasions where it would be better to be scorn after all.”
“Only a limited number of people understand the greatness of your spirit magic… So it’s that setting alright. It would be a great honor for me to be one of them.”
“…Grass-nii is weak to praises, so don’t say too much.”
“W-Well… it’s as Leslie said, I would like it if you don’t lift me up too much. I’m also just a human being, so too much might make me stuck-up.”
As expected, with three person including Noin in a room, a very serious problem that I might become a degenerate comes up. It’s only in the level of being told to recognize the harshness of the current situation and be more careful though.
◆◇◆
I asked Leslie and Noin to look for someone who felt sick inside the fortress and bring them to the sanitary building for treatment. Fortunately, I was able to prepare medicines for all cases with my own herbs.
Some knights have already left the sanitary building and returned to their duty. They wrote me a letter but I haven’t had the time to read it yet.
“Everyone loves Grass-sensei you know. I think they can tell that you always care for them. I even heard someone who has not been able to talk to you for a long time to ask if it’s not Grass-sensei’s duty yet.”
Katie-san, who is helping me with my work at the sanitary building, wipes the tears spilling from her eyes while she’s talking about it.
“Still, since I just came here… On the contrary, I feel sorry if they are this grateful. When I receive a letter, I tend to get shy and I can’t open it easily.”
“After you calm down…Though I’m not one to talk, please read it. I’m also nervous as if you’ll be reading my own letter you see.”
“I’m the same. I’d be happy if something good was written for me.”
“…Grass-sensei is too humble. You should know the extent on how you healed the injured knights…”
I’m glad to hear that. But I treat everyone for the sake of sending them back even though not all in the frontline but still to the battlefield.
I wish I could bring the knights back to a peaceful life, not to a battlefield. I vowed to follow Astina-denka not only to embrace her as an ideal, but to make such thing happen.
―But by doing so, wouldn’t I run into conflict with my stepsister? If that happens, how can we avoid to fight? From now on, I think I have to think about it as a possibility.
“…But sometimes you have a very complex expression. If such a kind doctor was brought to the battlefield, then after seeing dreadful situations, if you become like my predecessor…”
“Don’t worry about that. I am myself, so I won’t change that easily you know. My friends even told me that I never break under any situation, see.”
“You have such nice friends… Ah. Is it perhaps Lendl-san?”
“Eh, Ah… Well, Lendl-san is also one of them.”
Katie-san still thinks that Leslie is a man named “Lendl”. Considering Leslie’s family, it’s best to have a limited number of people who know her real identity –so I haven’t told Katie-san yet.
“Maybe if I went to the Magic Academy to learn magic, I would be able to be Grass-sensei’s… Such thing is, it’s not good to make a dreamlike analogy, right. I’ll take over the night shift.”
“Please don’t overdo it. I’ll give you some medicine to help get rid of your fatigue. If you put it in a tea and drink it, it will surely warm your body.”
“Thank you very much… Grass-sensei is really kind.”
Recently, I’m starting to feel like I am overly complimented, so I’d like to somehow restore the balance of human relationships –isn’t that usually the opposite?
I waved at Katie-san with full bloom smile and left the sanitary building. It’s about time for dinner, but first, let’s visit Presha-san.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
Looking inside the smithy, fire bed, bellows, hammer and other items are available. In addition, that big hammer is eye-catching. Looking at it, the shaft extends outward at the top. It’s the one that’s operated by a water wheel. The installed knowledge tells me how to make it work, I think I can do it somehow.
The fire bed is not a magical one so I need to ignite it myself. After putting charcoal in the fire bed, I take some bark and wheat straw that will be used for ignition and sheet metal and hammer to be placed on the anvil.
After placing the sheet metal on the anvil, I hit the end with a hammer while turning it over. After doing this for a while, the edges of the sheet metal turns reddish. When I put the wheat straw on the bark of the tree and touched it with the red-hot sheet metal, the wheat straw ignites. I took it to the fire bed in a hurry, place it around the charcoal laid on it and then operate the bellows until the charcoal ignites.
I operate the bellows for a while and when it starts burning, I add some charcoal, operate the bellows and repeat such process. This area is the part that has been magically done in our workshop. All I have to do is throw in the charcoal, ignite it with magic, and send some wind. If there’s a person who can use magic better than me, he should be able to do the same thing on this fire bed. Anyway it can’t be helped because mine is only the minimum. And perhaps such person wouldn’t be a blacksmith either.
The fire was now enough and the temperature has risen so I shoved the sheet metal that seems to be the best here and heat it. When I finished heating, the first step is to stretch it. I placed the heated sheet metal on the anvil and hit it with a hammer. I try to make the parts as uniform as possible but it feels a little different from the usual. Is it because the hammer is different? I wish I had brought the one from the workshop.
Since this is a “custom model”, I hit it while concentrating and stretch it. Eventually, it became the length of a longsword. From here on, it’s time to shape it. By repeated heating and hammering, the shape was finally made. The completed shape is a longsword with a straight blade. It is simple and sturdy.
“Oh, is it done?”
I don’t know where he was until now when Camilo suddenly called out to me.
“Yeah, the shape is done.”
While replying to him, I put the sword in the fire bed and raise the temperature. It’s the preparation for quenching part. While manipulating the bellows, I determine the perfect temperature. Eventually, the sword was heated to the temperature I expected, I then took it out of the fire bed and quickly cooled it with water. When the temperature has dropped sufficiently, I lightly set it on the fire bed. Then warm it up and let it cool down. After polishing and sharpening, it should be completed…
“Hmmm”
I was puzzled.
“What’s wrong? You’re not able to do it?”
Camilo is worried because of my expression.
“No. I made it but this is not the expected result…”
That’s right. This sword doesn’t have that kind of glitter when I made the “custom model”. This is good as a “high-end model”. To do it in such a short time, my “cheat” may be sufficient but this one is not good enough to be made into the next generation’s heirloom.
“It looks good enough though.”
“No. This isn’t it.”
The firewood here were also placed in the same way as our workshop so I placed a wheat straw bundle on top of it then I slashed it with the sword I just forged. The wheat straw bundle was quickly sliced. The blade digs into the firewood.
“Whoa, isn’t it really sharp?”
“No… this isn’t it…”
Camilo was thrilled. But naturally, the sharpness of my custom model one isn’t like this. This is just a high-end model. I take out my own knife and cut the wheat straw and firewood with it. While sliding down, the wheat straw bundle broke along with the firewood. As expected, it is this sharpness if it is a proper custom model.
“H-Hey, just now…”
“Hn? Oh, if I take it seriously, I can make something that cuts like this.”
“I-Is that so…?”
Camilo made a complex look for a moment. I see, it might be that Helen really just showed him the appearance, not its sharpness.
“Don’t speak about this too much.”
“I know. I mean, they won’t believe me even if I say this.”
“Well, that’s true.”
It’s because aside from the wheat straw bundle, the knife even cuts the firewood.
“I’ll give it a try again.”
“What about this one?”
“If you want it, I’ll give it to you. It’s cheap.”
“As usual, you’re a greedy blacksmith.”
Camilo laughed as he said that.
After that, I made about two knives, but all of them end up being high-end models. The sun has already set and Camilo isn’t here either.
I compared the high-end model I made here with my custom model one for self-defense. As expected, something like its luster is completely different. High-end models also have some luster on it but custom-made models even seem to glimmer on their own. Somehow it’s not shining much now compared to when I made it previously.
What’s the difference…? How can I make this shine with the materials here?
“No. That’s not really the case.”
I realized that. If it doesn’t work with the materials here, I can use a material that’s not here as well.
After making the fire on the fire bed stronger, I put the self-defense knife in it and heat it. I take out the red-hot knife and cut it into about one-third. I alternately place a small sheet metal and the cut knife part on top of a sheet metal, wrap it in a thin damp linen cloth, attach the ashes of the burnt wheat straw on it then put it in the fire bed to heat it. When I took it out, it looks red and lumpy. I made full use of the cheat and hit it with the hammer so that the sheet metal here and the steel from the cut knife stick together.
I repeat this process several times, and when it’s done, I hit it with a hammer to stretch it. However, I haven’t stretched it to the desired length yet. When it stretched to some extent, I made a cut in the middle, fold it back and put it together again. This work was repeated about 15 times.
The resulting lump is heated again, and this time, it stretched to the desired length. At this point, I tap it to erase the unevenness so that the material’s texture becomes uniform as much as possible. This time, when I hit it for the first time, I did not feel off.
It was now stretched to the desired length. There’s no unevenness or distortion as well. From here, I start to form its shape. I then heat and hammer it repeatedly. I’m looking seriously so that the unevenness and distortion that I erased will not appear again.
The shape that was eventually created was not like the first one that I made, the blade part draws a graceful curve. I wasn’t attentive about it when I hit the first one but when it comes to a heirloom, it’s better to be elaborate in its design. And with the cheat, the quenching, tempering, polishing and sharpening part were all done perfectly.
I took a closer look at the newly made sword. This luster is definitely a custom model. I took a wheat straw bundle and firewood, arranged them, then I lightly swing down the longsword I just made.
The next moment, the blade of the longsword touched the ground and while slipping down, the wheat straw and the firewood were scattered on both sides.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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