Is this wooden lodging wary of fire? There is no kind of lightning here that uses flames. The location of the commander’s bedroom could be identified based on the moonlight coming in through the window at the end of the hallway and with the help of the information provided by the wood itself that composes this building.
Even in a building that has been assembled accurately with no gaps, if we search, we should be able to find a place where air can pass through―we can let the commander inhale the hypnotic air ball and he will become a prisoner without any confrontation. However, I realized that I couldn’t do that when I heard that voice.
(There is a magician in this lodging… I can’t sense inside the commander’s bedroom, detection by listening to the wood’s voices does not work.)
(…You mean we are going to fight here? Since they’re inside, should we set some traps from the outside then…)
(It is not possible to send air into the room. Look at that… There is a thin film of water in the middle of the corridor.)
(Uh…!?)
Presha looked at it keenly. With such a thin and highly transparent film of water, you will not notice it in the dark. Perhaps this set up was made while intending to make use of that.
But I’m worried about the voice from before. If it belongs to the commander, there is a possibility that the magician has betrayed.
A magician who graduated from Silvana Magic Academy infiltrated Zirconia’s side and lends power to the enemy’s army. I suspected that it was due to the scheme of the person who didn’t like Her Highness –and that would be the Second Queen.
If Noin did not completely follow the Second Queen’s scheme… If she hasn’t forgotten her role as a court magician protecting the kingdom. But, isn’t it justa wishfulthinking?
(For the time being, we have to do something about this film of water… It will be bad if we touch it.)This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
(Yes, we should take proper measures to remove it.)
Thus, while thinking in front of the trap set by the water spirit’s magic, I noticed it for the first time. Considering the fog, I could be able to counter it too. Plants also breathe. And, except for some parts of the plant tissue, it is mostly composed of water ―by promoting the absorption of water in the air, the fog can be eliminated.
Whether water spirits can interfere with the water taken in by plants… It’s a gamble but I’ll know it if I let a plant absorb this film of water.
(I’ll summon Arlaune and have her roots suck the water.)
(Eh?… I-Is that okay? Will Laune be safe?)
(If the water brought by the water spirit could be taken in and neutralized by Laune, a plant spirit… It may be worth trying.)
I got the permission from Her Highness, I asked them to hide behind the reference room’s door. I then place one of Arlaune’s bulbs that I brought with me on the floor, slightly away from the film of water.
(『Oh luscious flower that blooms in the enchanted garden of Youka… appear once in this world and show your power!』)
―Arlaune’s roots do not need to suck the nutrients from the ground, my magical power alone can serve as nutrient for her to bloom. However, the process of growing her this time was different.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
At the same time I finished the chant, thin vines and green leaves stretch out from the bulb at once, as if the film of water was regarded as nutrients, it suck the water steadily.
As expected from the film of water that was set up by a magician. As it was sucked by Arlaune’s vines, it showed signs of resistance at the beginning ―however by the time the water reached Arlaune’s root, it was sucked up and neutralized.
Though it was a different process from the usual, Arlaune’s flower opens. Then, a girl with flowers on her head materialized.
(Puha, it was a delicious water. Because it has plenty of magical power, my vines just grew.)
(You’ve done well, Laune. I know that water was set up by the enemy magician, but you sucked it well.)
(If it were the body of the water spirit, it wouldn’t end up good even if I manage to absorb it. It seems like there’s a mechanism that if you touch it, water spears will fly out, but if it’s separated from the main body, it’s just water for me. However if a lot of them flow at once, I won’t be able to absorb it as I’ll have a hard time with that.)
(Laune, you did well this time, but I’ll praise you later. There are enemies in that room, so don’t jump out because it’s dangerous.)
(Yes-nanodesu, I’ll keep quiet until Summoner-sama tells me to.)
Raquel-san (?) chided and Laune covers her mouth. Raquel-san smiles slightly and holds Laune with one hand. It seems that she will protect her.
(TLYN: Raquel was supposed to be left behind with Dite and Leslie though so I put [?])
How powerful is that water spear? ―I’ve seen the magic of a combat magician from a distance and it was not half-hearted. A trap of this scale would definitely be deadly if you were to be injured.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
Plant spirits seem to be compatible with water spirits. In that case, with this compatibility, I can make up even a little for the big difference between the presence and absence of the combat training.
Maybe because of the water spirits’ magic, interference from outside the commander’s room is blocked so I can’t grasp what’s going on inside even if I touch the wall.
Here too, Presha-san took the task of taking the lead.
(As soon as you open the door, I will also grow my vine as fast as I can. With that, we can make sure that there are no traps.)
(Y-Yeah, I’ll leave it to you. Even if you will not do that, I’m a warrior in the end so I should be able to avoid it, I think.)
Immediately after opening the door, Arlaune’s vine grows into the interior space at a tremendous rate –as soon as we realize that no film of water has been set up, Presha-san moved forward, lowered herself and slipped inside.
“Y-You….what the hell…uh”
Presha-san questions the person inside. Her voice tells me that she does not understand the situation in front of her. We then went inside the room as well –then I saw a man who seemed to be the Commander sitting on the bed in the bedroom and a woman wearing a Zirconian military uniform was holding a dagger at his nape.
“…Noin Flores…”
A woman with light blue hair who was chosen by water spirit… However, her atmosphere is totally different from the time I had seen her at the Academy.
The Commander is already injured. Noin, who bathed in spurts of blood, wiped the blood on her cheeks with her free right hand. With the weak light of the torch in her background, she touched her glossy lips.
“…To pass through my “water mirror spear”. Even if I was told that you are a flop magician, you didn’t seem like you’re rotten to the core.”
She has a relaxed tone that resembles the murmuring of water but her words harbour clear malice and there’s a concealed sharpness that should not be left unguarded.
Why did she do something like attacking the Commander of this fort?
If that’s the case… she made that fog not to detect intruders but it was probably because she was within that fog and invaded here.
“You didn’t manage to take an exam but since you came here, I’ll assume you are qualified. Hey, you guys, do you want to trade with me? I think our interests match. Since you have the Princess with you, decision can be made here.”
Astina-denka did not answer. At such interval, Presha-san’s or Her Highness’ exceptional swordsmanship could have “reached” her but Her Highness did not even hold her sword.
“…I don’t trade, but depending on what you are here for, there is a room for conversation.”
“Fufufu… to have faith in people, it’s indeed natural for someone that pure. Truthfully, I’m not really envious of that.”
Her smile and even her words only seem to imply something in this situation. But I didn’t think that I couldn’t trust her at all. In fact, with her own hands, Noin aimed to seize our enemy, the Commander of Zirconia.
【The conditions are met. Integrate skills to evolve. 】
I am confused by the words displayed in front of me. Integration means that several kinds of skills will become one. As Erna said before, skills seem to change when the conditions are met. However, it would be nice if it was just really an integration, it would be very troublesome if it were to be a different thing.
So I thought I would choose NO this time, but I finally realized that I had no choice.
【Integrated Evolution: Pressure point + Taijutsu A + Taijutsu B = Life or Death Technique 】
The completed skills were “Master of War” and “Life or Death Technique”.
I now probably have those integrated skills but I’m still not sure if it’s the so called evolution already. Let’s check the status for the time being.
【Status】 Name:Shinichi Tanaka Age:17 years old (56 years old) Race: Homeless (Variant) Occupation: Adventurer Magic attribute: No Attribute Magic: None Skills:Appraisal (Special), Master of War(Beginner) new, Life or Death Technique(Beginner) new, Stealth (Special), Thread Generation (Special), Thread Manipulation (Advanced), Thread Bomb (Special), Division(Beginner), Danger Detection (Advanced), Digestive Enhancement (Intermediate), Eyesight Enhancement(Advanced), Hearing Enhancement(Special) New, Arm Strengthening (Intermediate), Leg Strengthening (Advanced), Body Strengthening (Special), Super Sensation (Intermediate), Shock Absorption(Beginner), Hardening(Advanced), Self Recovery (Intermediate), Plant manipulation (Advanced), Leadership (Special), Skill Picking, King’s Vessel
The two newly added skills both have their rank. If so, it means that it can become stronger from here on.
“Should I acquire 1UP again…?”
As long as I can have that flying rabbit, my skills will improve over and over again. I want to immediately rank up my Master of War skill and Life or Death Technique.
“You’ve been acting weird since a while ago you know? What happened?”
Erna stared at me. Pero also seems to be worried. It’s better to explain things here.
“Once I got the Fly Rabbit’s skill, my skill’s rank goes up. From there, my skill integrated and evolved.”
“W-Wait a minute! What do you mean by you ranked up if you pick up a skill?”
As expected, she snapped when she heard the rank up. I then explained the event in detail.
“―So enviable! I also want to improve my skills and evolve!”
“E-Even if you say that, you must have the Skill Picking ability you know…”
Erna looks frustrated. Pero, who is nearby is confused as he does not understand the content of the conversation that well.
“I’m thinking of hunting fly rabbits again…”
“Oh, that’s unfortunate. Fly Rabbits will escape once their companion was killed. They won’t be back here for a while.”
Looking around, the several rabbits that were supposed to be there have disappeared. Just like the saying, good luck wouldn’t continue that many times indeed. I will give up 1UP for now.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“Then, shall we return to the hideout?”
We went back to the miniature garden from the Temple of Teleportation.
◇
“It’s getting a lot bigger.”
We are in the field and I am knocking on the things that have grown big. It is a vegetable characterized by its dark green color and black vertical stripes. Well, it can be called as a fruit too. It is famous as a summer item, it has a lot of red flesh and water inside.
Yes, it is a watermelon.
When I was making the second field, I was wondering what to plant on it then I found the watermelons. The place where I first found a watermelon was in the market in the Royal Capital. It seems that watermelons are popular in the Royal Capital and good-quality watermelons are so famous that nobles purchasing them become a common existence.
Well I call it watermelon but in this world it’s called as “suiku”. The only difference from the ones on Earth was that its seeds are large. It’s of a marble size so they are easy to find when you’re eating one. I also bought other vegetable and fruit seeds at the market but I am still considering which one to plant.
“Well then, it’s about time it got cold I think.”
I go to a stream in the miniature garden. A watermelon was cooled in the water there. Some other vegetables were also soaked in the water and they feel fresh enough that they even reflect the light.
“Shinichi! We’re done weeding!”
Erna and Pero head to the stream too. It’s about time they got hungry. I picked up the vegetables and watermelon from the stream and gave them to the two.
“Hmm! It’s delicious!”
With crunching sound, she bit on a vegetable similar to a cucumber. Is it really delicious? Erna’s ears were even twitching…
“The vegetable that father has grown is delicious.”
Pero is also happy while biting on a vegetable similar to a tomato. I’m happy with the current relaxing time. We can live by eating the vegetables we have grown. It even feels like luxury.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“Hey, let’s eat that suiku quickly too!”
“Hn? Ah, right. Shall I cut it then?”
I sliced the watermelon with the knife, the bright red color was revealed in front of our eyes. I immediately cut it into pieces and handed them over, Erna and Pero then bit on the watermelon.
“It’s delicious! It’s crunchy and delicious!”
“What? You haven’t eaten suiku before?”
“Well, that’s right. We don’t grow suiku in my hometown you see. Besides, you can only grow it around the Royal Capital.”
So watermelon is a specialty of Rogas Kingdom? I did not know that. On Earth, it’s being grown everywhere but watermelon in this world is probably special.
I was not satisfied with this watermelon though. It’s delicious but its sweetness is lesser than those Japanese ones. I want to eat a sweeter watermelon…
Then from that, one skill comes to my mind. Should I call it as an insight? I wondered if I could do it so I ran to the watermelon field.
“If this succeeds, I’ll be able to reach a new height.”
I have the skill called Plant Manipulation (Advanced). Speaking of manipulation, I simply think of manipulating it but it is still unclear on how far I can manipulate things. If I can control the quality of plants with it, it’s necessary to review my skills.
Upon arriving at the watermelon field, I immediately put my hands on the growing watermelon. I then thought of increasing the sweetness of the watermelon.
Such window opened in front of me. It was as expected. My intuition was correct. I involuntarily jumped in excitement.
“All right then, let’s try adjusting the sweetness to 5.”
When I manipulated the window’s detail, I felt that the color of the surface of the watermelon became extremely dark. Somehow, I also smelled a sweet scent. I immediately harvested the watermelon and after that, I returned to the stream while holding it.
“Uh-, did you harvest suiku again? I’m already full you know.”
“Well, don’t say that. You’ll understand what I mean when you eat it.”
I cut the harvested watermelon with the knife and it smells sweeter than before. The closer it was to the red colored flesh, the fruit’s juice that dripped become more vivid and juicy.
I eat the watermelon without hesitation. The condensed sweetness spread on my tongue. I ate like crazy but I can’t find the words to describe how delicious it was. I have never eaten anything like this in Japan.
“Hey, let me eat it too!”
“I want to eat too.”
The two began to eat the sliced watermelon without waiting for my permission. And after that, silence goes on between us. It’s so delicious that it’s hard for us to talk.
Then finally, I lay down and sighed.
“That was satisfying…”
The other two also lay down after eating.
“I’m so full…”
“Cannot move…”
However, with this, my farming will be further developed. Speaking of desire, I would like to remodel the plants but I don’t think there is such a skill. It’s what I hope for and it would be great if I can have it.
When I opened my status, the plant manipulation had changed from advanced to special grade. I don’t know what triggered the change but I appreciate the rank up.
Even so, I think it’sstrange for the rank to rise after using the skill only once…
“Is it… am I getting the experience of the previous holder of the skill?”
Skills cannot be strengthened without using them. It goes up relatively quickly from beginner to intermediate, but it takes longer from intermediate to advanced. And it would take more time from advanced to special grade.
I’ve been growing abnormally fast since before, but this time, it seemed even more abnormal. Base from what I can think of, first possibility is that I have taken over the skill of the previous owner. The other possibility is that my growth is accelerating more than before due to some factor besides the Saint Water.
Well, as for the second one, such factor cannot be identified so the possibility of confirming it would be low. In that case, the hypothesis that I have taken over the skill will be higher.
“It can’t be helped. It’s a hassle but I can only check it out huh.”
I slowly get up then I leave the two of them as I head to the second miniature garden.
◇
“Watermelon is good, but orange is also delicious.”
I headed to the balm tree. My purpose this time is to advance the rank of my super sensation skill. I ate the balm tree’s fruits to find out how fast I could level up.
“This is the fourth one huh…”
While checking the status, I munch on the balm fruit. Then the change came out.
【Status】 Name:Shinichi Tanaka Age: 17 years old (56 years old) Race: Homeless (Variant) Occupation:Adventurer Magic attribute: No Attribute Magic: None Skills: Appraisal (Special), Master of War(Beginner), Life or Death Technique(Beginner), Stealth (Special), Thread Generation (Special), Thread Manipulation (Advanced), Thread Bomb (Special), Division(Beginner), Danger Detection (Advanced), Digestive Enhancement (Intermediate), Eyesight Enhancement(Advanced), Hearing Enhancement(Special) New, Arm Strengthening (Intermediate), Leg Strengthening (Advanced), Body Strengthening (Special), Super Sensation (Advanced)↑, Shock Absorption(Beginner), Hardening(Advanced), Self Recovery (Intermediate), Plant manipulation (Special), Leadership (Special), Skill Picking, King’s Vessel
Finally, Super Sensation became advanced. When I tried it out, the extent where my senses spread is tremendous. I can hear even the heartbeats of Erna and Pero who are in the first miniature garden. As expected, it will be about twice the performance of the beginner level.
“I may not even need Erna’s Hell Ears skill anymore.”
As I mumbled that, I heard Erna’s voice.
“Shinichi is bad-mouthing me…He’s underestimating my Hell Ears skill…”
I was startled. I didn’t expect that my mumble would reach Erna’s ears though she’s in the adjacent garden. Perhaps the Hell Ears skill does not only improve her hearing.
I should be careful not to say anything strange in the future…
“Does this mean that the probability wherein the skill could be taken over has disappeared?”
Super Sensation is a skill that I have earned by myself. I didn’t acquire it from a monster by using the Skill Picking. If so, the probability where my growth rate is increasing due to another factor is high.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“Different factor…”
Was there any difference before and after returning to the Royal Capital?I’ve acquired a lot of new skills, but the strange thing is…
“Is it because of the King’s Vessel?”
That’s it. There is a skill that I do not know how to use. I got it from Bull King and left it as is. But if the King’s vessel is promoting such growth, I can understand the reason for my abnormal rank up. As the name implies, it is a skill to help the person grow into someone suitable to be a king.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“In that case, I may eventually become a king someday.”
I murmured while laughing.
It’s a ridiculous talk. There’s no way I will be a king.
For the time being, I decided to go back to where the other two were.
It seems that there are only a total of about 200 soldiers stationed at this fort. About 1,000 soldiers attacked from the west side of the fortress last time and even after deducting the report that over 250 people were killed, it’s easy to know that there are other places where soldiers are stationed besides this fort.
There are about 100 people sleeping in the lodging where we sent out Laune’s pollen. Since there are two lodging of the same scale, I made Leslie take the medicine that works against fatigue caused by the consumption of magical power so she can maintain the magic to erase our presence. She was then able to work on the hypnotic air ball for those two lodgings.
“With this, we are able to neutralize about 200 soldiers huh… Grass, Leslie, are you alright? How about your fatigue?”
“With my current ability, I’m now reaching the limit where Laune’s hypnosis can be applied simultaneously. I think that if we were to encounter only a few more enemies after this, we can still eliminate them thru hypnosis though.”
“We were relying too much on the magic of the two of you. We have to get rid of them quickly…”
“What should we do, Your Highness? We have two options, capture the commander and make the soldiers surrender or we’ll only take their warship and escape.”
“Even if we can take the warship, with the current direction of the wind, we can’t get out of the canal even if we set sail. It seems that the wind direction changes depending on the time so we have to wait another half hour. Unless the weather suddenly changes…”
―The moment Astina-denka said so,
I feel like water drops have fallen from somewhere. It’s raining even though the moon is out ―I’m sure such phenomenon doesn’t occur, I also felt a strong sense of uneasiness.
It’s not rain… Moisture in the air is being collected and… turned into water…?
“Grass-nii, this fog….uh”
While Leslie suppresses her voice, she pulls my sleeve in a hurry. As what she has said, the fog rapidly shrouds the area and the visibility deteriorated. However, even in this situation, Her Highness, Raquel-san and the others were still calm. Her Highness’ line of sight was not pointing at the commander’s lodging but at its back.
“There’s a shed for raw materials over there in which the lookouts are shorthanded. Let’s move quickly.”
Following Her Highness’ instructions, we start moving immediately. There is one soldier on lookout yawning, and before he knew it, an air ball flew to hypnotize him. I gave him an instruction while passing each other. I simply told him to go back to his station once the fog goes out.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
―Before our clothes get wet, we were somehow able to enter the shed for raw materials. And if for some reason an enemy soldier was inside, we put ourselves on guard but no one came in or out at this time.
“When the fog came out, I feel that it’s just right to hide and move…”
“I don’t think this fog was a natural occurrence. It’s probably a magical interference.”
“We’ve entered the fog range for a little while now. Haven’t you noticed the enemy magician?”
There’s no denying that possibility ―I left the plants so I can get information about this place, a water spirit could also be able to do the same. Although Leslie manipulates the air to prevent the invasion of the fog, it can be perceived that “the spirits made contact with each other”.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
However, after a few minutes, Leslie makes a dubious look.
“…Grass-nii, the fog has disappeared. What do you think is the meaning of it?”
“If that fog that appeared for a short time was made just to find us, we might be attacked if we stay here.”
I want to avoid head-on confrontation with a combat magician―then, what should I do? As long as the commander is restrained, the enemy cannot involve the commander so attacking should no longer possible…
The shed’s door was gently opened and Presha-san surveyed the area. Fortunately, it seems that enemy soldiers outside did not go here.
“There is a window on the back side of the commander’s lodging, it’s at a high place though. I wonder if we can enter from there?”
“At that position, it’s unlikely that you can enter it unless you are a fairly light person….”
“Then I and Presha will go in with Grass. Raquel, can I leave the foothold to you?”
“Yes, I understand. Grass, I think you need some courage as it’s your first time but it’s better to resolve yourself. It’s a direct nomination from Her Highness you see.”
“Y-Yes. The foothold is…”
“Raquel will catch your feet and hurl them. After confirming the safety of the room, we’ll carry out the plan.”
I’m honoured to be able to follow your command but… I’m a little worried if I’ll be able to keep up with everyone’s physical abilities―However, I can’t waver here.
“Leslie, even if we get inside, is it possible to continue using your magic that erases our presence?”
“…If you’re inside this fort, even if we got separated, it will be fine. It’s no good if you go too far though.”
“Once we are inside, I’m going to restrain the commander. If things are safe, using Grass’ magic, please inform the three people outside. Can that be done?”
“Yes. Leslie, if this bulb shines, please think it’s a safe signal. Or, I’ll use that bulb as a medium to summon Laune and transmit message through her.”
“Yeah, I understand. Grass-nii, be careful…”
Presha-san came out first, watched the surroundings first then Raquel-san and I followed after. I touched the wall of the wooden lodging and after making sure that there were no enemies inside, I nodded to Presha-san and Raquel-san.
Raquel-san catches Presha-san’s feet, and with considerable power, she hurls her to the window positioned in the high place. Presha-san silently clung to the window sill then she rushed inside the room ―Her highness also followed after, with her physical ability, her leaping figure trailed a light like that of a celestial maiden― Uh, this is not the time to watch in fascination.
“Don’t hesitate, come. If you can’t make it at the first take, I’ll be right below you, I’ll definitely catch you.”
As a man, even to a warlord like Raquel, I want to avoid being caught like a princess. I strengthened my resolve and let Raquel-san hold my feet and I was then hurled vertically ―somehow I managed to put my hands into the window sill and urgently leaned forward. I made the seed of a plant hidden in my cuff to germinate and send it like a rope to entangle me.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
After that, the ivy plant slowly pulls me up, and once my body is completely inside, I let the ivy grow long enough then I swiftly go down. When I got down on the ground, Presha-san was so surprised that her eyes were wide opened.
(Amazing… If you could do that, you could have climbed without being hurled up, right?)
(It’s best to shorten the time as much as possible. Somehow, it went well.)
(This is like a reference room. Let’s move carefully to the commander’s bedroom.)
At last we were able to advance to the next stage –However, the meaning of that fog still bothers me. Where is Noin? If she is appointed to an important post inthe Zirconian army, is she inside the commander’sbedroom?
With tension, we opened the door to the reference room and tried to get out.
“―Guaaaaa…!!”
And at the moment we are about to leave the room, we heard someone’s voice who seemed to be in great pain from somewhere inside the building.
The day has come to go to town. Today we will go to Camilo’s shop to wholesale the goods and pick up the beddings then we’ll head home afterwards. I’m concerned about the condition of Marius-shi’s sword though so I would like to check on it.
We then load the produced items in the cart. Although I did not work on blacksmithing for a week, it has a larger load than usual, so it is pretty heavy. Me and Rike almost made a mistake when pulling it.
“As you have seen on our way home two weeks ago, let’s be careful when going there today.”
“Understood.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
I also decided to put a short sword on my waist. I remade Helen’s previous short sword by hitting it again, since its sharpness is more than enough, it will be useful for self-defense. We move on more carefully than usual. It’s unlikely that a wolf or a bandit would think that an ordinary person would pass through a place like this but there’s nothing wrong about being careful. After a short break on the way, we came to the forest exit we normally go by. Once there, we stop and look around for a moment.
“How is it? I don’t feel any presence.”
If there’s someone else’s presence, I can feel it as well. However, if an expert erases his presence, I won’t be able to know. I don’t think it’s possible for bandits to be able to do such thing but it would be dangerous if there was someone who could do that. I asked Samia who can smell odor as it’s something that can’t be erased easily here.
“I can’t feel it too. There is no smell of blood or smell of people around here either.”
“If that’s the case, it’s good. Let’s be careful on the road as well.”
“Okay.”
I can’t overlook such presence so we go on the road at a speed in which we can respond quickly if something goes wrong. Since we were being careful, we walked slower than usual but we arrived safely in the town. The guard standing at the gate today is still not Marius-shi. He’s the colleague who came to buy a sword with Marius-shi before.
“Hello.”
“Oh, it’s you guys. Hello.”
“Recently, I haven’t seen Marius-san. Did something happen?”
I asked straightforwardly. It doesn’t seem to make much sense if I say it in a roundabout manner.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“Ah that… he went to the capital for a while.”
The colleague answered in vague words. Well, if it is difficult to answer, it can’t be helped. I’ll just hear it from others.
“Is that so? Ah no, I was worried about the condition of the sword you see. If you are interested, please go to Camilo’s store for consultation.”
“Oh, I see. Uhm, I’ve used it a few times but it’s still okay for now.”
“I see. That’s good then.”
I responded with a smile, but I also felt relieved in my heart. The thing I made was used and on top of that, my acquaintance seemed to be safe. Regardless whether the opponent is big or small, they won’t be left unscathed. It’s a weapon for that purpose.
—However, if in reality, someone was hurt using my work, I can’t just look away either… I think I have to take this in and be able to digest it properly, instead of looking away or becoming insensitive about it.
Such determination resides in my heart and then I continued talking to that colleague.
“By the way, I saw traces of blood around the forest about one hour from here two weeks ago. There are also traces that something seemed to be dragged inside the forest.”
“Oh. Yeah, occasionally, there were reports like that. For that, we are increasing the number of patrols recently too, but if you see something again, please tell me when you come next time.”
“Okay, then please give my best regards to Marius-san.”
The guards in this town are much more diligent than what I think after all. Maybe they are treated well?
We nodded to that colleague and entered the town. Today, there are many wagons and people pulling carts on the main street so it is so lively. Camilo’s store is just off the main street so when we turn to that side, the number of people is extremely reduced. It’s not that it’s dark or extremely narrow, it’s just that it’s not a place where people without particular business wander around aimlessly. We proceed while pulling the cart with clanking sounds there then we arrived at Camilo’s store in no time.
We put the cart near the warehouse and from there, we call out to the people on the store. When the door of the warehouse is opened, we placed the cart inside and asked for Camilo. We were guided to the business discussion room on the second floor (I don’t really know what Camilo calls it) and wait for Camilo there. It wasn’t long before Camilo and Clerk-san (that’s what I call him internally) came.
After entering, the first thing Camilo said was,
“Did I keep you waiting?”
“No, not at all.”
“Are the goods the same as usual?”
“Yeah. I have placed the knives, both long and short swords in the warehouse. It’s not enough for two weeks but it’s a little more than a week’s worth. Well, you can just leave the surplus.”
“No, your works were sold out in 2 weeks. I’ll take the ones you brought with you.”
“I see. Thank you. And by the way, did you acquire the beddings?”
“There is no problem in that. Was it two sets?”
“About that, I want three sets if you have it.”
By the time I made the bed, I had completely forgotten about the guest room, so I didn’t have enough bedding for that room. Well, even if there’s no extra here today, I’ll get it next time or I can go to the flea market and buy it.
“Oh sure, there should be some in stock. Then, is it the usual iron ores, charcoal, salt and wine?”This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“Sorry. That really helps.”
“What? We are friends you know.”
The talk ended there then Camilo glanced at Clerk-san who nodded back and left the room. When I saw that Clerk-san has left the room, I begin to talk.
“By the way, Camilo, is there something going on here in town?”
“Why?”
“I heard that the guard I get acquainted with went to the capital for a while now but haven’t returned yet. Even though they say that the guard protecting this town went to the capital, it’s not like he’s going to other City. Even if it’s visiting one’s parents, it won’t take that long, is it? I’m a little worried because that person has taken care of various things for me, he also bought my knife and the like.”
“I see……”
Camilo thinks about my words. It’s to the point where he’s almost brooding, it’s the same as confessing that he knew something. Well, he’s a merchant so I’m sure he would know about it.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
A rather heavy silence fills the room. Eventually, Camilo told me a little about it.
“Right now, there’s something suspicious in the capital. Rather than saying that it’s from the King, it’s from another higher-ranking noble below him. It seems like something will happen around there. So maybe the guards have something to do with that area… Anything more than this, I won’t be able to say it to you.”
“I see. Sorry for that. Thank you anyway.”
“Don’t worry about it. Honestly, just don’t delve on this matter too much.”
“Okay, I understand. Leaving that aside, since the information isn’t really disclosed, the information fee is free, right?”
“Y-Yeah. The way you put it, you’re not bad as a merchant!”
After saying so, Camilo and I laugh at each other. We mutually wished that we won’t get caught up in the Capital’s mess.
When we arrived at the City Lord’s mansion, two soldiers stood at the gate. So I speak to the soldiers for the time being.
“I heard that the lord is looking for us. If there is no inconvenience, I would like to offer a visit.”
“…Are you guys the rumored Homeless?”
I showed the card from the guild to the soldier. This card is just like ID cards so they are very useful in such cases.
“An advanced adventurer’s card huh. There’s no doubt about it, wait here for a while.”
One of the soldiers goes inside the mansion. The City Lord’s mansion was surrounded by a fence and the garden was overgrown with trees. You can’t really see where the mansion is exactly from the gate. Vaguely thinking about that, the soldier came back along with a maid.
“Homeless, right? Please follow me.”
The maid bows before us and guides us inside the place. The garden is large after all. I could see many flowers as well as trees.
“The City Lord seems to like growing plants huh.”
“Yes, Lord-sama is a very kind person. Please do not be rude.”
It turns out that the maid has great trust in the City Lord. I wonder why the City Lord was looking for us, it’s not like he should reward the people who saved the capital…
We then arrived at the mansion within a few minutes of walking. It is small compared to the Duke’s residence in the Royal Capital but it is still quite large. The maid does not go to the entrance but leads us to the back of the mansion.
“Master, I have brought the guests.”
There was a man in the backyard. He is watering the flowers silently with a watering can. As if the maid perceived something, she sat down in the chair in the backyard and prepared tea at the table. She’s an excellent maid as she can work even without being instructed anything.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
The man appears to be an old man, but his body is slim and his head has grizzled hair. Like a nobleman, he had a beard under his nose and a monocle on his left eye.
“These sweets are delicious.”
“Sweets, delicious.”
Erna and Pero were eating the sweets on the table. I wanted to say that neither of them was nervous but this backyard is indeed relaxing.
“Sorry, I’ve kept you waiting.”
The Lord finally sits on a chair. His hoarse voice is composed and it gives a sense of security to the person with whom he speaks to. That made me nervous. I had the impression that he was completely different from the people I had met.
“You don’t have to remember my name. But please remember me even as the poor Lord of this city.”
“Still… that would be rude…”
“No, I don’t mind. Call me Mana Lord or any way you want.”
I decided to call him City Lord-dono for the time being. He feels different from the nobles I have seen so far after all. The City Lord sips on the tea brought by the maid and begins to speak slowly.
“I was looking for you guys because of the sacred beast there.”
“Pero?”
“Yes, this Lord wants you to stay in this city. What do you think?”
“It doesn’t matter to me but we’re living inside Mohed’s Great Labyrinth, not in this city. I’ll have to refuse you if you intend for us to live inside the city.”
The lord spews out the tea he was trying to put in his mouth once more.
“E-Excuse me. Rather than that, you guys live in that worst labyrinth?”
“Yeah, I can’t say where but we’re definitely living there.”
He looked up at the sky and took a deep breath, probably because he wasn’t expecting that kind of reply. Well normally, no one would think of living inside the Great Labyrinth. If it’s on Earth, it’s like you’re living in the middle of Savanna. And you wouldn’t be considered sane.
“Let’s leave it at that for now. More than that, what I care about is on what you guys think of this city.”
“I think this is a good city. For now, I’m not going to go anywhere.”
“Then, that’s good. That’s all I really want to happen.”
The lord relaxed when he sees Pero eating sweets.
“It is said that the sacred beast is a guardian deity. People can live with peace of mind just by knowing that there’s a sacred beast in the city. By all means, I would like you guys to continue to stay in this city.”
Finally, I understood the purpose of the City Lord. It seems that he is trying to keep us in this city. Being asked by a noble and a ruler of Mana City, I can understand that this is extraordinary even if I have little common sense. Sacred beast is such an incredible creature.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“I like this city. I’m going to make this City my main activity base unless somewhere really good exists.”
“I’m happy just from hearing that. Of course, I have high expectation not only from the sacred beast but from Homeless itself. Ah, I’m very grateful for the Pseudo dragon’s case too.”
The lord bowed his head. Erna who sees such a figure speaks in a hurry.
“N-No. Stop it City Lord-dono. We just did what we could, you don’t have to bow to us.”
“It’s okay. If I can show my appreciation by lowering this old man’s head, I’ll lower it as much as possible.”
I finally realized what is different about the City Lord of Mana from the other nobles. His temperament is similar to Japanese people. He is old and yet he still has a solid core. I have seen many office workers like that and the person in front of me feels like that too. Of course, the City Lord is white. It is only until that part that he is somehow similar.
“I’m glad I talked to you today. If you have any problems, come visit me.”
The lord smiles and sees us off. While being guided by the maid and trying to get out of the backyard, I turned around and asked the City Lord. It’s not because I was wondering about something else, I just wanted to hear it.
“Does the City Lord know Japan…?”
“I don’t know such country.”
“I see… I’m sorry.”
After we got out of the gate, we walked back to the dungeon.
“The City lord is a kind person after all.”
“That’s right.”
“The sweets were delicious too.”
“That’s right.”
Erna and Pero talk to each other, but I have been thinking about the previous thing in my head. When I asked if he knew Japan, the City Lord instantly answered that he did not know such a country. No matter how I think of it, I found it strange. It’s not like I said “Do you know what country Japan is?”
The City Lord is clearly hiding something!
“Oh my! Isn’t this Tanaka-kun?! You are back huh!”
It was a female adventurer who called out to me. I don’t know her name, but she is famous in this City because she wears a bikini-like protective clothing as she works. Well, we are acquainted enough so we can talk in public.
“You’re here again without any qualms at all!”
Erna readied her cane. The female adventurer put her hands on her hips and thrust her big chest forward.
“What? Are you going to interrupt me again?”
“I’m going to do that! I will never let you have your way!”
Hmmm, I’m not sure what they’re up to, but it seems that they’ve been competing against each other a few times already based from their conversation. More than that, the matter about the City Lord can’t be taken off my mind.
“Why, can you even puff-puff the man I took a liking to?”
W-What!? Puff–puff!? That can’t be ignored!
If I look closely, she’s a considerable beauty. Puff-puff would surely be nice too. Kukuku
“Shinichi-!?”
When I heard that cold voice, I instantly regained my sanity. What was I doing? I can’t believe that I’m fooled by that puff-puff.
“Tsk! You’re a hindrance again. I’m backing down today but I won’t give up next time!”
“I’ll deliberately hinder you as many times as you do. Next time, I’ll turn your chest into charcoal!”
Then the female adventurer leaves.
Puff–puff… My puff–puff…
“Let’s go! We’ll go home after we hunt outside the city, so pull yourself together!”
“Y-Yes…”
I forgot what I was worried about and decided to go outside the city.
◇
“Waauuu!”
Pero runs through the grassland at full speed, the magical beast that sensed the danger fly into the sky and escaped. Once again, it’s a failure.
“They didn’t say that Fly Rabbit’s danger detection was in an advanced level!”
As Erna had said, this flying beast called Fly Rabbit flies into the sky as soon as it senses danger. Even though they looked just like a rabbit, they have this bat wings on them.
“We need a bow to stop it then.”
“That’s right, that’s what I was saying from the beginning! Fly rabbits are vigilant as long as they’re on the ground, so if we can’t stop them before flying in the sky, they’ll quickly escape.”
Convinced by Erna’s words, I tried to take out the old wooden bow on the bangle. Then one question popped out. This bangle… Can I really be the only one who can use it?
Of course I’m the sole owner but I thought that it would be possible for others to use it if I gave out my permission. I have to make sure of this or it could be my loss. To know whether it is possible or impossible, isn’t it important for living?
In my mind, I gave permission for Erna to use it. Then words appeared in my field of view.
【Will you give Erna Frederia the permission to use the storage? YES/NO】
My heart jumped. This bangle appears to be better than expected. I did not hesitate to choose YES.
“Hey Shinichi, something like a status appeared in front of me…”
“That’s the bangle’s screen. Try choosing the old wooden bow.”
Erna was still baffled but she chose the old wooden bow. The next moment, she had a bow in her hand. What’s amazing about it is that Erna can take out the things inside even though I was the one wearing the bangle.
“This… does this mean that I can use the storage?”
“In a nutshell, I would say so. From now on, you should be able to freely move the weapons in and out of the bangle.”
“It’s such a handy tool.”
She squeezes her bow with admiration. Then she shot an arrow. The wind arrow changes its trajectory greatly and hits the head of the flying fly rabbit as if it’s only natural to hit it.
“I’m not yet done!”
Erna fired arrows one after another, shooting down the fly rabbits trying to fly away. She’s too good at it so I checked her status.
【Appraisal Result: Erna Frederia: The second daughter of the Frederia family. Her dream is to become a Great Mage so she studies magic until late at night. 】
Archery had reached a special level. It also appears that the indomitable spirit had become an intermediate level. I think her growth rate is extraordinary.
In this world, it turns out that it takes years to raise the level of skills. Thinking about it, I realize how abnormal I and Erna are. It may be because of our daily intake of Saint Water, but Erna’s growth is still outstanding. It’s as if her growth that had been stopped until now was recovered.
……No, actually it should only be like that.
Because I pushed the yellow acupuncture point on her, Erna’s delayed growth may have bloomed all at once. Looking at her status, there is another thing that I’m curious about. There are additional magic skills. Flare Zone and Camouflage have been added and they are very intriguing.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“Got the last one!”
Erna who shot down about ten fly rabbits has a big smile.
“Hey Erna. What kind of magic are Flare Zone and Camouflage?”
“Eh? Aah! You looked at my status without permission!”
“Sorry, I’m a little curious you see. Rather than that, what about the thing I asked?”
“I haven’t tried them yet. I know Camouflage is an intermediate level of light magic but it’s not an attack magic. But for Flare Zone, it’s a special rank of fire magic and as far as I know, it’s the most powerful attack magic. I can’t try it immediately considering its power you see.”
Flame burst is quite powerful already. If it far surpasses that, I can understand her cautiousness.
“Then, why not try it in a less crowded place tomorrow?”
“That sounds good. This is close to the city so I’m sure they will be surprised.”
As our conversation ends, Pero also offers the fly rabbits that he picked up to me. As I can see, it’s just a white rabbit that has bat wings.
Let’s use appraisal.
【Appraisal Result: Fly Rabbit: Has an extremely timid personality and when it escapes, it uses the wings on its back to fly in the sky. The flight time is not so long and it is said that the maximum time is one hour. 】
My body stiffened the moment I saw it. I don’t think it’s possible but it would be ridiculous if what I’m thinking is spot on. I picked up the skill first and acquired it then I opened my status.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
Swordsmanship has changed from advanced to special grade. I have just improved my skills instantly. Thrilled about it, I acquired 1UP skill from the other fly rabbits that were defeated.
My levelled up skills were appraisal, pressure point, swordsmanship, axemanship, spearmanship, hammermanship, archery, Taijutsu A, Taijutsu B and Stealth.
Can happiness be any better than this?
I’m glad that I got that skill up but becoming strong now turns to be a trivial thing. Well, in the first place, I am so lucky to have the ability to pick up skills.
Then the following words were displayed in my field of view.
【The conditions are met. Integrate skills to evolve.】
Sorry guys for not uploading as per scheduled. I was not able to translate continuously this past days. Still, thanks for your support 🙂
The fence surrounding the Zirconia army’s fort is made after hammering in the thick logs that will become pillars at a certain interval. In between that, there are reinforcement materials connecting them like a bridge and thin logs were placed in between to fill the gap then lastly, those reinforcement materials where hammered from the back once more. It looks solid from a distance, but when you approach it, you can see that the fence is not so heavily funded.
As for the turret, stones are piled up and firmly assembled to form them. However hypnotic air balls can enter facilities with windows so there is no problem at all.
Leslie interferes with the air and prevents our shadows from being seen when illuminated by the torches. Lookouts have been neutralized but we should still be careful as there may be scouts around the fort. Since there is no cover to hide ourselves from, we chose a blind spot where it’s hardly reached by the lights from the torches, lowered ourselves and run at once.
As we moved to the back door on the northern fence, we can see that the logs arranged vertically are cut off in the middle from up close. When I looked at my feet, there were traces that something was covered. Logs were sharpened as they were to be fixed into the ground, as the soil were scooped out ―there’s no doubt about it, this notch part can be moved.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
First of all, I touched the log fence to make sure that no one was inside then Raquel-san bend down, took a deep breath and released her power at once.
“Fu…!”
It’s certainly an unparalleled herculean strength ―the vibration across the fence was minimized by magically interfering with the logs. When the hidden door was opened to the extent that we could crouch down, we quickly entered inside. The first thing in front of us was the food storage in line with to the drawing. Presha-san, who intruded first, runs straight away –there was a soldier who had just patrolled the corner of the food storage.
“Uh…!?”
Presha-san’s agility was like that of a carnivorous beast. Before the enemy can get ready, the butt end of her spear already hit the pit of his stomach. The enemy soldier can only make a small moan and collapsed on the spot.
“I thought I was able to hold back… Sensei, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
It’s easy to proceed while eliminating the enemy soldiers, but it will also speed up our exposure. Therefore we decided to use hypnosis through Laune’s pollen to ask for the enemy soldiers’ “cooperation”.
“Once you wake up after 10 seconds, make sure to go around your lookout route as scheduled, and when you finish that, make your regular report. There was nothing unusual here.”This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“……Yes, I understand……”
The soldier who inhaled the pollen of the Youka replied with empty eyes while lying down. And exactly ten seconds later, the soldier got up, looked around the area attentively and walked out as if he hadn’t seen us being here.
(Presha-san, even if there is an enemy over the corner, we can let an air ball fly to put him under hypnosis. Let’s move carefully till we reach the commander’s lodging.)
(Yes, I know. It was a bit dangerous right now you see, to exactly patrol around this time…)
(We were saved because Presha reacted instantly, I was about to shoot an arrow too.)
There are scouts inside the fort, but there is a path that we can follow without entering their line of sight. First of all, with the permission gotten from Her Highness, I decided to move to a place where I could see the lodging with many enemy soldiers.
Using the power of the Mandrake to wipe out the enemy soldiers is another tactic but I decided to prepare two options. The dormitory has windows and they remained open. Perhaps it’s for ventilation but even in their dreams, the enemy soldiers could never think that it would help us.
(Your Highness, we’ll send Laune’s pollen into the lodgings and put the soldiers under hypnosis.)
Astina-denka nods and puts her hands together to pray –the supply of magical power is now ready. All I have to do is ask Laune to do the rest.
(……uh)
(…Leslie-dono, what happened? Are you tired after the continuous use of magic?)
(I’m okay if it’s just this much…. It’s just that if the air ball is too big, it’s a little difficult to control… It’s okay, Grass-nii. I’m fine, so please keep going.)
She spoke with a smile, Leslie’s presence is necessary for this operation –if she was to be exhausted, the risk of us being spotted by the enemies would jump up.
(Summoner-sama, I’m ready.)
(Okay… Leslie, I’ll leave it to you.)
I can’t say let’s take a break when this is over but, I have something I can do –it’s a military doctor’s job to look after the health of his colleagues and give first aid.
(『You, who fall asleep, become lost in a long dream, be enchanted in the flower garden! 』)
The flowers on Laune’s head produce pollens along with my chanting. Leslie enclosed it in the air and sends it flying to the enemy’s lodging with precise manipulation.
And to summon the mandrake, I moved to the wall of the dormitory and throw the root that can be called as Rei’s body. If there is a soil to nourish it, it can quickly take root and sink into the ground –this allows Rei to be summoned through that medium.
(…Grass, are you planning to use the power of the Mandrake to defeat the soldiers in the lodgings?)This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
(I also thought of that but I’m currently trying to confuse the soldiers in that lodging through the hypnosis’ effect.)
(You mean, two-level strategy right? Grass, have you never really learned how to fight? It seems like you’re thinking ahead of me.)
(Well, he’s a student of a Magic Academy, which is also the top school in the royal capital. It’s no wonder that we have a different train of thought… If we return safely, it would be nice to have a study group on different strategies.)
(It’s inauspicious when you speak like that so please be careful, Dite-san. Well, Dite-san seems to be a tenacious one.)
Dite-san just smiles gracefully, we then move on to the next course of action at once.
―To use hypnosis on the commander or not? And, whether the magician, who’s presence still can’t be felt, is in this fort or not…
There’s also Leslie’s condition so I walk while checking her state ―by continuously maintaining the magic, one’s spirit mark heats up. As a magician, I am always prepared to deal with this condition, although it is only a temporary measure, it seems that I can take care of it with my medicine.
The usual work begins from today. On the first day, we will make the sheet metal that will be used and from the next day onwards, we will make knives, short swords, and longswords. From this point on, I have decided to let Samia help me in making sheet metal as well. The three of us will work on melting, hardening and stretching the sheet metal. I can’t afford to do something in the middle of hardening but I can share the work of melting and stretching, other than that, I think our efficiency has improved.
In the end, we were able to make about 1.2 times the amount of the ones we previously made. There are still iron ores too. In other words, even if we make this much, the quantity that I purchased will be much more than the amount we will use and with that, it won’t decrease at all. There may come a day when I have to tell Camilo that I don’t need to buy them anymore.Translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
We will make weapons from the next day. Speaking of which, I haven’t consulted Camilo, but, is it better to increase the weapon types? I have a custom modelled short spear and I know that it will be useful after it’s used in an actual combat, if there is no problem, I would like to add it to the lineup.
Anyway, we’ll first make short swords and a longswords. The procedure is of course the same as before. However, the efficiency is gradually increasing. Melting iron, pouring it into a mold, and taking the burr off, all of it were done by Samia, it’s convenient for me and I appreciate that I can focus on the high-end model ones. We continued this work for about 3 days and we were able to produce a good number. I think it’s okay if we don’t deliver again for the next two weeks.
The next two days will be for making knives. There’s nothing that Samia could help me with, and I said that it was about time to stock up on our meat so Samia went hunting. I have to replenish the arrowheads too…
Just like before, I made the high-end model ones and Rike did the general model ones. The procedure is the same as usual. We made it until the evening, and we made a reasonable number. I’ll make a general model tomorrow. While thinking about such things when cleaning up the workshop, Samia came back.
“I’m home.”
“Welcome home. How was it?”
“It’s ok. This time, I killed a big boar.”
“Oh, you did it.”
“That’s obvious.”
Samia proudly said so as she sticks out her chest. Her hunting skill is really good.
“Is the arrowhead still okay?”
I check with Samia about the matter that concerns me.
“Yeah, it pierces in one shot and it’s durable, even with that much, it hasn’t declined. I’d be happy if I have a spare though.”
“Yes. That would be good.”
“The boar’s head is quite hard but it was pierced with one shot. I think it may even penetrate an iron helmet…”
“I-Is that so?”
Um, I wonder if the firepower is too much. Well, an arrow is an arrow, it’s meaningless if you don’t have the skill to hit something with the bow. Will it be the same as bringing a gun in this world? Tomorrow, the three of us will pull it up, and so, this is all for today.
The next morning.
The three of us head to the lake. Since it’s sunk in a fairly deep place, I and Samia pull it up, but in the meantime I ask Rike to prepare a carrier by cutting the trees around the area. When we reached the place marked by Samia, I saw a boar with a greenish fur that was sunk in the water. The boar in the forest is greenish with hair like moss on its body (I’m not sure if they are lichens or not). If you crouch down, it looks like a thicket at first glance.
Even so, I heard that it was a “big one” but it is so huge. In the previous world, it seems that there are some who are 2m long, this is likely the case for this one. “Heave-ho”, after saying that, we pulled it up. When we got to the shore, Rike already prepared the logs. The three of us cooperate with each other to tie it up with a rope and make a carrier, we did our best and drag the boar to the carrier. Then all we have to do is pull it back home. I have a cheat, Samia is a beastman, and Rike has the strength of a dwarf, so it’s not too hard if the three of us work together.
That said, we spent an extra hour more when we go back. I immediately hanged it on a tree near the house. After that, I peel its skin off and dispose it. Since I don’t have an assistant, I have to break apart the carrier and turn it into lumber. Since it was done by one person, it took some time, but I was able to cut it into appropriate size and thickness. After that, I put it together around the place where the old timber is placed then I’m done. After that was completed, I look on how Samia and Rike were doing, they have finished dismantling as well.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
Like the deer, I took out some part that we would eat for today and the rest will be salted. We have boar steak for lunch. When I tried it, it certainly tastes like pork. However, there is a feeling that this one has a wild taste, it has similar odor but it is not an unpleasant odor though.
“This boar is delicious as well.”
“Yeah. It tastes quite different from a pig.”
“Right? It seems that this wild boar eats good food, and I heard from a traveller that they taste better than those in other places.”
“Heh-. Is that so?”
“But they are difficult to hunt. It’s super violent at times and the bones in its head are so hard that arrows can’t get through sometimes.”
“Then, it’s all thanks to my arrowhead huh.”
“Is that really true?”
I didn’t mean to say that. I also feel embarrassed.
We will make knives from the afternoon. It seems that a reasonable amount can be secured, and since it is only the general model, I decided to let Samia perform the first process.
Perhaps because she helped a little, her muscles are relatively good. However, since she’s almost an amateur, it’s not good to compliment her before the work is done. Then from there, I will finish the general model ones.
“It’s a given for Boss but, Samia can do pretty much anything huh.”
Rike speaks to Samia in a friendly tone.
“Hmm, is that so? Compared to Eizou’s, the one from earlier wasn’t that better though.”
“It’s wrong to compare it with Boss!”
“Is that so?”
They say that and laughed at each other. It’s good like this. Somehow I felt like I was kind of laid back, I should be careful so I don’t inadvertently make a high-end model.
I’m satisfied looking inside the warehouse. The large amount of vegetables is now equivalent to two cardboard boxes. Well, there’s no cardboard in this world, but I would say that it’s about that much. When I returned to the living room, Erna was teaching Pero the language of this world.
“Pero is quick to learn, just like you Shinichi.”
“Father, Pero did his best.”
Pero speaks with the words he has just memorized. Such a figure is so cute that I can’t help but gently pat his head.
“Let’s end your study till that part. Shall we go to town?”
“Understood”
I said so and wear the breastplate on my body. Pero specializes in agility so he doesn’t need heavy armor. So amongst the armors that had been collected at the disposal site, I just searched for the perfect one for him. As for the weapon, he has his sharp claws so that may not be necessary, but I would like to give him good things if possible.
We then packed up our luggage and left the hideout.
◇
When we entered Rodman’s Weapon Store, the shopkeeper displayed a big smile.
“The hero returned huh! You did it, Tanaka-kun!”
“Can you stop with that hero thing? I can’t get used to it, I feel uneasy.”
“You can only say that now you know. I’m sure big jobs will come to Homeless at a mad pace.”
As Rodman has said, the number of jobs will increase in the future. Especially now that we are famous in this Kingdom. It’s indeed impressive if you think of the adventurers who defeated the Bull king that only appears in a thousand years. However, I cannot help feeling embarrassed being called a hero.
“Rather than that, I came here today to shop.”
“Oh? It’s unusual for you to shop at my place.”
“Nah, I’m looking for a perfect weapon for my son, Pero you see. Can you choose one for him?”
“Son?”
The shopkeeper leaned forward from the counter, Pero, carrying a backpack, stood in front of his line of sight. With his small eyes, he stared strangely at Rodman.
“This is amazing! Isn’t it a sacred beast?”
“Did you use appraisal?”
“Of course. Appraisal is useful in such cases. More than that, is this Sacred Beast really your son?”
“Uhm, I decided to raise Pero as my son.”
Rodman folded his arms and thought for a while then he suddenly held his stomach and began to laugh.
“Buhahaha! That’s fine! I will look for good weapons for him! Tanaka-kun is a guy who really entertains me!”
“Rodman, I’m not entertaining you separately though…”
With rustling sounds, the shopkeeper searched in the back of the shop then he brought out something.
“This is a knuckle, it’s a weapon used when punching something. When I looked at Pero, I feel that he doesn’t use knife so I think hitting type weapon will fit him.”
As expected from the owner of a weapon store. Just by a glance, he seems to have figured out how Pero fights.
“Give me your hand for a minute.”
Pero obediently puts out his right hand then Rodman makes him grasp a silver knuckle.
“How is it?”
“This is good.”
Pero immediately liked it, he punches out his fist to check its feel. He tried to put on a few more but the first one that was attached to his fist seemed to fit on him perfectly.
“Then I will buy two of those silver ones.”
“Thank you for your continuous patronage! That’s 10 gold coins!”
Ten gold coins? There’s no way that Rodman would rip me off but no matter how I think of it, two knuckles for ten gold coins is too expensive. It’s 10 million yen if it’s in Japanese currency!
“…Isn’t it expensive?”
“It’s a given that it’s expensive. It’s made of Mithril you see. It’s harder and lighter than steel and has a high magic rate, so it’s a rare metal that everyone wants.”
“Mithril huh…”
That metal is the same as my sword. In that case, I can understand its high price. It was only natural that it’s expensive.
“As for the discount, I can give it to you for about two gold coins less, how about it?”
“If that’s the case, I’ll buy it.”
I paid Rodman the gold coins. Of course I can negotiate with the price, but he’s taken care of me and it’s my first time shopping here. There may be future transactions too.
“Thank you father.”
Pero clung to my leg. Seeing that eye-catching waging tail, I feel like I understand Freya’s feeling.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“Oh right, do you know where this can be processed?”
I started the conversation. This is one of the reasons why I came here. I took out the Bull king’s horn from the bracelet and placed it in front of Rodman. The corner is quite large, about one meter. The surface is black and seamless, as if cut from obsidian.
“This is…”
“It’s the horn of the Bull King.”
“F-For real……?”
Overwhelmed by the horn, Rodman didn’t seem to find the right words to say. Even after the owner died, its horn still had an overwhelming presence. As expected from a king.
“………”
Rodman stares at the horn, folds his arms and thinks for a while. All he has to do is introduce me to a blacksmith, but I’m really worried as he looked troubled.
“OK, I decided!”
“Decided? What have you decided?”
“Please let me handle this. I’ll surely show you a good sword.”
I got many question marks in my head.
“Rodman, do you mean, you will make it?”
“Of course. I’m from a family that originally does blacksmithing. Most of the items in this shop were made by me you see. There is a workshop behind the shop. Do you want to see it?”This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
We left the store and went to its backside. I saw a structure with a large chimney. We can hear the sound of metal being hammered from inside. When I opened the door and went inside, a young man was hitting a reddish metal with a hammer. Every time he hits the metal that generates heat, sparks scatter. His sweaty appearance while pounding his hammer down over and over again made him look as if he is obsessed with something.
“That’s my son, Cain.”
“What? You are married?”
“There was a woman who has a strange taste you see.”
Rodman says so and laughs. However, his son, Cain, keeps hitting the metal silently.
“The Rodman’s have been doing some blacksmithing even before the days of the Hero Pedro you see. We make good weapons and sell them to good customers. That is the Rodman’s motto.”
“Then Pedro’s sword is made by the Rodman family?”
“Yeah, it’s the work of my ancestors.”
I have decided.
“In that’s case, I’ll leave the production to you.”
“Leave it to me! You will never be at a disadvantage!”
Amazing person has different looks after all. I am looking forward to the weapon that will be completed from now on. Then I remembered something else.
“By the way, do you know an honest merchant in this City?”
“Hmm? Honest merchant? There are many of them, why?”
I took out a vegetable from the backpack that Pero is carrying.
“I don’t want others to investigate where I’m growing this one you see. I have a lot of leftover so I want to sell them, do you know anyone around here that buys vegetables?”
“Isn’t this a hasai…? I see, if it’s like this, others would indeed keep an eye on it.”
“Is it that bad?”
“No, it will be okay if it’s a proper merchant, but it will stand out if an amateur sells it. Tanaka-kun’s thinking is right.”
I also thought that I could just open a stall and sell them, but I stopped that idea when I thought of Rodman. I then came up with the idea of looking for a trustworthy person who I could wholesale them to instead. Speaking of it, it’s just like we are farmers after all. All I need to do is sell them to someone who is good at it, in this way, we won’t have to work hard selling them ourselves.
Rodman thinks for a while then he began to speak.
“Then you could inquire about it in Arnold’s store. He has been dealing with food in the market for a long time now you see. That guy’s a little weird but once you get used to it, you’ll get along quickly.”
I felt a little uneasy with the term “weird guy”, but since Rodman recommended him, I think he is a reliable person. After thanking Rodman, we immediately started moving towards the market.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“Fuhahahaha! The grown young lady over there, how about this vegetable!? It’s fresh and delicious!”
“Oh dear, addressing me as young lady… Can’t be helped then, give me one of those.”
“Thank you for your continuous patronage!”
The store clerk poses with his muscles gleaming in black lustre, as he smiled broadly, his white teeth were displayed. There was only that store in the specified area.
“Hey, I wonder if that is Arnold…”
“Uh- uhm… shall we try asking?”
When I called out to the black man, he suddenly grabbed my shoulder.
“You have a good body boy! Would you like to train your muscles with me?”
“Muscle? I am also in favour of that. Muscles are good.”
“Oh comrade! You do know about the happiness in having muscles!”
He hugged me tightly. No, I do understand the importance of muscles but to suddenly ask someone who he just met to train muscles together is a bit…. Why is he shirtless in the market in the first place?
“Hey you pervert! Release Shinichi!”
Erna hits the black man with her cane. Pero was frightened with his tail curled up behind Erna.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“Fuhahahaha! That kind of thing doesn’t work on me! Look at this muscle! Such back muscles and well trained biceps! Nothing is better than this!”
Erna shrieks with a “Hiii” and moves backwards. Now that I’m released, I talk to the man who is posing nonstop.
“Are you the merchant named Arnold?”
“That’s right! I’m Arnold!”
Certainly, those muscles are impressive. It is very close to the body I want. He seems to be a man who is loved by muscles.
“We came here with Rodman’s recommendation. Could you hear me out?”
“Fuhahahaha! Rodman huh!? Okay, let me hear your story!”
His voice is very loud, it echoes throughout the market. Whether it’s a daily occurrence here, no one tries to look at Arnold. I see, they envy his muscles so no one dares to look straight at him. Well, his body is indeed one to be envious of. It seems that I still have to train hard.
“Pero, Shinichi is grinning…”
“Waauuu…”
The two of them were close to each other while trembling. Is there something wrong? I’m not quite sure. Well, I think it’s strange that his upper body part is naked.
For the time being, I explained the situation to Arnold.
“―I see, I understand your situation. Then, should I buy the vegetables you bring?”
“Yes, I’ll be grateful if you can do that.”
Pero put his backpack on the ground and many vegetables rolled out from inside. Arnold grabs a Hasai and stared hard at it.
“Good quality and size. This is a fine vegetable. Is this all of it?”
“No, I still have the others.”
I took out the vegetables from the bracelet. Arnold stared in wonder at the heaped up vegetables.
“Fu, Fuha, Fuhahaha! I love you guys! I’ll buy all of these!”
Arnold handed me two gold coins. It’s a little surprising that our first wholesale priced 2 million yen.Translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“From my point of view, they are all rare high-class ingredients. In this case, the nobles will buy them for a high price. I think many ordinary people will want them too.”
Somehow I was satisfied. Even Japanese people give high prices to matsutake. The price is given because it is rare, and the vegetables I brought here are similar to matsutake.
“I am Shinichi Tanaka. I look forward to working with you in the future.”
“I’m Arnold. Same here, I’m counting on you on this.”
Arnold smiled broadly that his white teeth were in full view. Aside from me, Erna and Pero were looking away. When the business talk was concluded, we decided to head for the City Lord’s mansion. It was said that he was looking for us for something.
“Alright then, let’s go to the City Lord’s place.”
While being excited about what we are supposed to talk about, we started walking to the mansion in the center of the city.
We carefully detoured through the forest while heading to the north, reaching to the point where the back of the fort could be seen. The lookouts seem to take turns to observe around the area from the turrets built in every direction, but as long as Leslie’s magic persist till the end, we will not be noticed.
The Zirconia’s base we found goes like this, first in line is a shipyard and barracks are built to protect the surrounding area, fences and turrets have also been built around it to prevent intruders. It has been thought well so they lasted till now.
There are traces of felled trees on the north side ―to make such fort, it should have been cut around two years ago. From that time, they probably attempted to build a warship and cross the border.
“Grass, if the woods felled from here were used to build that fort, can you get some information from it?”
Even if a tree is cut down and processed, it still responds to its tree stump. As Her Highness has said, when I touched the tree stump, I could feel where its woods were used in the fort.
For there to be such a thing….. The sacred tree controls all plants after all. Even the plants on Zirconia’s side cooperate with us who have contract with the sacred tree…!
I organize and reconstruct the memories provided by the stumps of the felled trees in my mind. Then I started drawing the fort on the parchment I brought using one of the stumps as a table.
“Grass-sensei, that is….. is it the map of this fort?”
“Yes. As Her Highness has said, I was able to trace the memory of the trees cut here.”
Relying on the moonlight shining through the forest, I finished the simplified outline of the map and have Presha-san look at it first.
“Eh?… R-Really? The commander’s bedroom… you even know that part?”
“The tree is still alive even if it was felled. We talked to these tree stumps and they told us about the formation of this fort.”
“You can achieve until that part huh… Grass, you mean that no matter how strong the fortress is, if wood was used, the structure can be uncovered, right?”
“It’s only been about two years from the time it was built so it’s still fine. As the years go by, the spirit of wood will fade so I think it’s difficult to get my call answered in that case you see.”
Presha-san and Raquel-san are looking at the drawing, thinking about the route we should take. There is a small door on the northern fence of the fort provided for troops to enter and exit. At first glance, it appears that it cannot be opened from the outside but in fact, there’s a mechanism to open it from the outside and if one knew about it, it’s easy to open.
The fact that only the commander’s lodging is built separately greatly contributes to our operation too. And one more thing ―the large one-story barracks which is likely to be used by the several troops at this fort. If we use magic, we can neutralize the enemy troops in several ways.
“Leslie, manipulating the flow of air is in the category of the “air” spirits, right?”
“….I can influence the air around me and get them to move. They are not as fast as the wind spirits and they can’t be used in a wide range.”
“I see…. there are such limitations huh.”
Perhaps what I’m trying to do now would be better off cooperating with a wind elementaler.
With Arlaune’s pollen, I can place the entire fortress under the Youka’s control. All I have to do is drop the pollen from the upwind, but that can’t surely let the pollen get inside the building, and even if some enemies were hypnotized, it makes no sense if the other soldiers were alerted.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“…Grass-nii, I have an idea.”
“Hmm……?”
“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can make an “air ball”. And I can trap Arlaune’s pollen in…”
“Y-You can do such a thing?”
Leslie nodded to Presha-san who was so surprised.
By working with Leslie, Arlaune’s pollen is turned into a projectile that can be used to make the opponent fall asleep ―“hypnotic air ball”, its power can be tested by using it on the soldier standing by on the turret, north side of this fort.
I then summon Arlaune through the bulb and let Leslie enclose her pollen in a ball of air. She said, “I can get them to move”, but that small ball of air appears to be at her disposal, then it flies straight towards the soldier who is on the turret ―then,
“… Summoner, it worked, my pollen reached the enemy.”
While suppressing her voice, Laune speaks with excitement. The soldier on the turret could no longer do his job as a watchman as he already falls asleep.
It turns out that the hypnotic pollen works even without any command if it’s just to put the target to sleep. Depending on how I use it, I may be able to control the movement of the enemy soldiers and it would be possible to eliminate the obstacles till we get to our objective.Translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“Magic can be extremely powerful depending on the method…”
“Laune, with the help of your pollen, it looks like we’ll be able to survive without needless killing.”
“Whoa…I’m happy that Summoner-sama and Princess-sama praised me…”
“Good for you, Laune. From here on, don’t make your voice that loud as it will be bad if they notice us you see.”
Laune immediately closes her mouth and holds it with both hands. Although we are a little worried with this infiltration mission as we are with the children, now that we know that Leslie and Arlaune’s combination was effective, even Raquel-san who is always strict did not scold her.Translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“Now then, we’ll aim for the command center. Let’s carry on with caution.”
Leslie strengthens the magical effect of erasing our presence. Other than ourselves, we became “unrecognizable beings even if we were there”, and finally, we went inside from the back of the fort.
I really enjoyed fishing yesterday. I managed to catch one and keep my face at the last minute. Today is the second day of vacation. Doing the same thing as yesterday would be boring… And if I can’t catch one today, I can’t pull through it. I want to avoid such possibility as much as possible. But if I work during this vacation, I would be a workaholic straight away. Speaking of that, I will not work but I will not just have fun either…
“Today, we will make a field.”
I reverted the hoe that we used to make the rooms back to its original shape, then I go outside the corridor of the new room –as the room increased, I came to the place that has become a courtyard.
“Yes.”
Rike replied while holding a sickle.
“Uhm, it’s good but, why a field?”
It was Samia who also has a sickle with her.
“Right now, we rely on purchase to get vegetables but I also want us to be self-sufficient in this area. Meat can be hunted by Samia, and fruits can also be harvested if we go near the lake, only the vegetables are not.”
It seems that seeds like the original ones I know grow here and there, but I think that in this world, there are different vegetables. In fact, the carrot like ones here is closer to the Hatsuka carrots than the ginseng carrots I know. Well with that, I can assess that I could produce them too.
If I could get some potatoes, I want to secure a place in advance to grow them later. I think that in my previous world, it had not yet spread to Europe during the Middle Ages, but in this world there is no such division as Europe or South America (I know this roughly because of my installed knowledge). They do cultivate wheat and other similar things to it but not all rely on them in this world. However, originally, there aren’t many of those in this area, or they seemed to be consumed only by the farmers, so they are not seen in the market. Perhaps there is a rule that says that one should produce only the amount that they can consume.Translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
As I explained that to Rike and Samia. Rike speak with an impressed face,
“Recalling the things we talked about when we had dinner, Boss sure knows a lot huh.”
“Right! Eizou is kinda strange you see.”
Samia followed up, but saying I’m “strange” is unnecessary. No, since my knowledge in the previous world is combined with the installed knowledge, it’s not really wrong that I’m strange isn’t it?
I have a mixed feeling, but anyway, let’s get started.
Since I will only prepare my own field, I will not violate the rule that “I will not work today”. It’s just like the time I’m taking care of the fields I rent on my day off in my previous world. For the time being, the three of us cut the grass in the courtyard with the sickle. It’s a general model, but it is still too sharp. We have just cut the area and it was about noon already so we stopped working. In terms of size, this would be fine.
“After eating lunch, shall I make a hoe for Rike and Samia too?”
“Is it okay?”This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“For now, I just hope that you guys can use it today, it’s in that level you see.”
“I think that will be enough.”
Well, I had to do blacksmithing after all, but since this is for the house, I would like to say that it is not counted. After eating lunch, the three of us went to the workplace. Rike and Samia will handle things till the point where the sheet metal is heated and shaped, I’m in charge of finishing it.
Once I lit fire in the firebed, Rike started heating the sheet metal. Eventually, the sheet metal glowed red, Rike takes it out and place it on the anvil. From there, Samia hits it with the hammer until it becomes a big square. Even if there is some misshapen part up to this point, I can fix it. Once it has turned into a certain size, it’s heated again, then Rike put it on another anvil and I took over hitting it with a hammer to give the final shape and touch. I used strength similar to the time I made high-end model ones.
Meanwhile, Rike and Samia work on heating and forming the next sheet metal. While Samia is hammering, I did the heating and while I’m hammering, Rike did the heating. Work proceeds smoothly as never before. Finally, I finished the second hoe blade and so today’s blacksmithing is over. I then select the wood that seems to be good out of the surplus from the construction and make it into a pole. Now there are 3 hoes.
It took us about 3 hours to finish them. After 2-3 hours, the field can be done. However, as it is a given after finishing a work, I still basked in that accomplishment so I can’t muster even a little motivation. But the ladies seem to want to know on how to use the hoe that they actively participated during its production.
Returning to the field again, the three of us plow the soil. As I said before, the soil in this forest is mostly hard. However, we were able to dig up the soil steadily with the efficiency of the high-end model hoe alongside with the strength I got from the cheat, and Rike and Samia’s vigor. This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
In a TV program I saw in the previous world, I saw three people working on a rough field to make vegetables, and then cooking using those grown vegetables. However, the thing that is different from that is that our work is quite faster because of our tools and strength. After 3 hours, plowing the soil was finished. However, it’s getting dark, and we have just plowed it up, it’s not a field yet. It’s a little unfinished, but on the contrary, it’s something we can enjoy doing for our next vacation.
We need to take the next vacation early so that weeds do not grow again, this also turns to be a good opportunity to actively make a vacation. Thus with this, my vacation is over, and the next day I’ll start working again. But I don’t feel as depressed as I did in my previous world when Monday comes. I think I really like the life I have in this world.
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