In the Isle Rose Fortress, there’s a waterway leading from the canal. It is used as the fortress’ water. There are also wells that were dug deeply and the fresh water is used for making meals.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
Originally, the wells were used by the local residents in a small village but it was bought when the fortress was built. With that money in hand, the original residents moved to Wendel town near the fortress.
One out of the two wells dug down has a hot spring which is the reason why the price of the well was high. The great advantage of those knights staying in the first floor lodgings of the fortress is the ease of using the hot water.
The basement of the fortress is divided into several areas, one of which is a bathhouse used by executives. I also think that this is a consideration only for women’s fortresses –even at the time of war, sanitation is directly linked to a knight’s morale, so it is good that facilities are in place.
Well, hot springs and wells do not always spring infinitely, so we can only wipe our bodies normally… At the academy, once in a while, I go to public baths in town, but that is not the case here.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
When I start to recall the things a while back, my friends come to mind. I think Sven will be fine because he’s a tough guy, but… is Leslie doing well at the academy?
It’s worrisome when it comes to Leslie’s home. As an illegitimate child of Duke Lenklus –I think Leslie herself does not know about it, I just happened to know that fact.
My father works as a secretary in a Noble House and my mother is the seventh daughter of a Viscount family. Originally, there is a large difference in status with Leslie, and it is not a relationship where they can interact. The reason why I got to know her and became known as “Grass-nii” can be traced back when we first met.
By the time I entered the Magic Academy at the age of eight, the teachers weren’t so strict on me because of the fact that I hold a noble bloodline –that expectation was betrayed during the day of my Spirit Selection Ceremony though. But in the first place, there were many children with noble bloodline so I was not particularly favored.
However, I still have a noble bloodline. At the time that Leslie entered the school, my mother’s parents had a connection with Duke Lenklus. Professor Hendrick, the vice principal then summoned me.This is translated by Yume Neiji
“To prevent the other students from harming Leslie Li Lenklus, I would like you to cooperate as one of the personnel who will guard her within the Academy.”
It was a request for me to strictly watch over Leslie during the outdoor school where new students and seniors form a group. The Lenklus family selected few other capable students with noble bloodline and with this, Leslie spent all her time in the outdoor school under the supervision of multiple people, perhaps she’s completely not aware of it.
At that time, I was in a different team. Something may have happened because Leslie got lost in the forest despite the strict guarding instructions.
Someone needs to look for Leslie. At first I thought that it was weird for me to go out and help a younger girl student who I hadn’t talked to yet. But I didn’t hesitate. As everyone rushed into the darkening forest, I was confident that I could find Leslie in the dark forest.
When I think about it, it may have been the sign that I would be contracting a plant spirit… I felt that the spirits of the trees that exist in the naturetold me where Leslie was.
“Why are you here?”
When I finally found her, she was at the root of a big tree forming like a den. I reach out to her and she looked up at me. Her eyes told me that no one believes in her.
Somehow, I hesitated to tell her the truth. If I told her, “I was asked by a teacher”, I could imagine what kind of expression the girl in front of me would look like. I thought hard but I didn’t get an answer so at that time, I just said, “I don’t know”.
How did I get Leslie back then? I can’t remember clearly but I piggybacked her as she sprained her foot.This is translated by Yume Neiji
…Until I tell her the truth, I won’t die. So there’s nothing to worry about.
I received instructions from the deputy head teacher and I even know Leslie’s ancestry. I can’t just keep my silence all the time –someday, I should receive punishment from her.
With the facade that I don’t know anything, I enjoyed being called “Grass-nii” and I felt that the time I spent with Leslie, who also had a similar spirit, was cozy.
All women with Lenklus bloodline are destined to have a political marriage. So it’s not unusual for Leslie to do so while I’m away from the school –it is known that all nobles are to be married by the age of eighteen.
“U-Uhm…..Grass-sensei?”
“Oh!…… S-Sorry, I stopped in the hallway.”
I noticed that a woman with short hair is standing in front of me. I haven’t remembered all of the medic’s names yet –this time, I must remember them.
“Ah, you’re going to take a bath right? In the bathroom, there is a note “Men in use”. We made that note for Grass-sensei and your secretary.”
“Thank you very much for your concern”
“N-No, likewise… I’m very grateful for Sensei’s help… W-Well then.”
Somehow she looked flustered and the woman hurries to go –but that’s maybe because she saw a postcard with the motto, “Be quiet in the hallway”, from which she quickly walked away.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
The people in this fortress are all hard-working people who values discipline. There are different type of people and so far, my social relationship with them is improving, I haven’t had any dispute too. Is it okay to think that I am doing well?
Because I was the only man, I thought I might be quite isolated butit really helps a lot with Lendl-san here.
With that in mind, I open the door with the “Men in use” tag and enter the dressing room.
“Uhm, Lendl-san. I’m going in…”
“Uh……!?”
―No one else can be there other than “Lendl-san”.
There is even the note used by men. Lendl-san who came with me should definitely be a man even if he took off his hat and glasses. But when Lendl-san used magic to protect me from the Goblin’s arrow, I didn’t ask “what type of spirit it is.” If the power of that spirit can make “Lendl-san” lie to me….
“……Grass, s-sensei…..”
That’s how “she” called me… For a moment, I couldn’t connect her to someone I know.
At the age of twelve, she was still an innocent child. But three years later, I knew she changed but I still couldn’t understand how much she changed.
The cloth used for wiping the body unreliably hides her chest. The long wet hair hangs on her shoulder, and she may have concealed it by devising her clothes –her slender, delicate curve.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
Everything in front of my eyes showed that it’s impossible for “Lendl-san” to be a man!
Apologies everyone, I was so busy this past two days that I was not able to translate. (>▂<) For those reading Homeless Tensei, I am sorry that I will be posting chapters for Hagure and Kajiya instead, they have shorter chapters so I can finish one today. For Homeless, I will try to complete at least two chapters till Sunday. Thank you for understanding.
Regarding the long sword, I also showed the “general model” to Rike and she said, “It’s great, but it’s different from the one you showed me at that time though.” That was her impression. I will show how to do it tomorrow, and for today we will only make the mold for that.
Samia returned by the time the mold has dried and I had put off the fire in the smithy.
“I’m home.”
“Oh, welcome home. How was it?”
When I asked, Samia laughed and showed a complacent smile,
“Since you’re asking for it, I hunted a tree deer for you!”
She proudly said so.
“Oh, you did it. Today too, did you sink it in the lake?”
“Yeah. I have to extract the blood and cool it or else it will taste bad.”
There has been an increase in the number of residents here and furthermore, there will be no problem even if a little more food is secured from now on.
“Alright then, I’ll prepare the food first so both of you should wipe your bodies.”
“Okay”
“Understood”
For our dinner, since I run out of root vegetables, I will make something like a porridge with the barley, meat and bean soup. It has a lot of protein but it should be fine because our work requires our body to move.
“Rike, would you like to go with us tomorrow? We’ll be carrying the deer you see.”
“Is that ok?”
“It’s better to have more people.”
“Then I’ll go with you.”
“Un, I’ll be counting on you.”
At some point, it can be done even with only two people, but getting familiar with the work around here shouldn’t be a bad thing… should be.
“Speaking of which, uhm boss…”
“Hn? What is it?”
“Isn’t it about time to restock iron and charcoal? Do you have a supplier?”
“Hmm, that’s right…”
Although it doesn’t mean that it will run out in a day or two, it’s really about time to worry about the amount of iron ore and charcoal on hand. Up until now, I’m using the materials I received, so sales were entirely profitable, but from this point on, I will incur costs for my materials. So it is now necessary to sell the “luxury models” with the same cost and good interest rate.
However, it really can’t be helped without raw materials.
“I only started working lately, so I don’t have supplier yet. For the time being, I think it will likely last for a month…”
“During that time, we have to find a place to buy it, is that right?”
“Un. The next time we go to town, I will ask Marius-san or the peddler guy when I see him.”
“Me too, I’ll try to contact someone.”
“I’m counting on you.”
For now, I have no choice but to leave it to fate. Ah right!,
“Samia”
“Hn?”
“How is your arrowhead doing?”
“It’s still in great shape. When the tree deer turns into a big one, the skin around its back becomes hard. There are times when I can’t pierce it with my arrowhead before, but I can now pierce it without any difficulty.”
“Is that so? Oh yeah, you said that I shouldn’t give the heart to the wolves right? What should I do with it then?”
“Bury it in the soil of the forest.”
“Bury it?”
“Un. That’s how I return its soul to the forest. Then the forest will give it a new life.”
“I see…”
Is it like a primitive belief? Rike is also very much impressed, it seems to be the beastmen’s custom or it could be a custom applied only in this forest.
“Samia will have a break tomorrow after dealing with the deer right? Can you help me again?”Translated by Yume Neiji
“Oh, is that okay?”
“I don’t really mind.”
In this way, I think it would be nice if Samia would be able to do the work of Rike and Rike would be able to help Samia’s work, but, will it happen?
The next day, the three of us head to the lake. I brought the water vat and an axe. First, I will make a log carrier (like a roof rack), but when I tried to cut trees with the axe,
“Oh, b-boss! What is this?!”
“Hn? Ah, this axe?”
“Axe huh, this is really great!”
Rike was very excited. I should have shown it to her yesterday…
“Do you want to try it?”
“Is that alright!?”
“Yeah. Be careful, don’t be reckless or you’ll cut yourself.”
“Yes!”
Rike holds the axe I passed to her. Somehow, she looks like an amazing dwarf.
“Ok, I’m doing it!”
Rike hits the axe against the tree. Ko-on!, a pleasant sound echoed out but it looks like nothing is happening. Translated by Yume Neiji
“?”
Rike looks curious so I call out,
“It’s dangerous so don’t get near to it.”
“Eh? Y-Yes!”
Rike appeals to me, after I stopped her.
“It made a sound but there was no response…”
That’s just right.
“Oh- well, it’s about time.”
“?”
Just then, when Rike looked back, the tree falls down on the opposite side where she hit the axe.
“Eh—!?”
Rike exclaimed in a loud voice. Samia says,
“That’s shocking right? When I first saw it, I was a little uncomfortable. Despite that, Eizou looked calm.”
Samia expressed her sympathy. Did she really think of such thing in the past?
“Anyways, it cuts like that so be careful with it.”
“I-I understand.”
Rike feels nervous but it seems that she had grasped the trick because just like a while ago, about 4 trees are cut down and processed into logs.
“Your workmanship is pretty good.”
“I did something similar.”
Hmm, that’s normal since she has experience it before and besides, we are only going to build an extension. We then tie the logs together with a rope.
“Alright then, let’s go pull it up.”
After I called out, with splashing sound, Samia went into the lake where she sank the tree deer. It is pretty deep. With our heights, me and Samia can afford going in but Rike may barely reach it.Please read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com
“Rike, wait for a while here.”
“Yes”
Then, when I headed to the area where Samia is, the sunken deer is of a considerable size. It may be over 2 meters long.
“Oh, it’s pretty big!”
“Right? I injured it once but it still escaped, it took me a while to hunt it down.”
“Un, by its size, that should be true.”
With this size, it would have been difficult to sink it here.
“This would have been a difficult feat. You did great.”
“Hehehe”Please read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com
As I complimented her, Samia feel delighted.
First, me and Samia pull the deer to the place where Rike is. From there, with Rike joining us, we pulled it together so we were able to pull it up to the shore very quickly.
After that, just like before, we drag the deer to the log carrier and fix the deer into it, after filling the water vat with water, we also fix it into the log carrier. Now that we are ready to move, the three of us drag the log carrier.
It took us about 30 minutes to get back to the house.
Well, it’s dismantling time from here. It is pretty big so it is more difficult to lift than the previous time. The process of stripping the skin was not that different from before, but Rike was surprised again by the sharpness of the “serious model” knife.
Since me and Samia use it on a daily basis, I didn’t cut any unnecessary parts but if I’m not used to it, I may even cut my skin. When taking out the internal organs, it’s also likely to damage the organs that shouldn’t be messed (like bladder, gallbladder or large intestines).
I promised to show the “luxury model” to Rike today, but the “serious model” knife may also be good for Rike.Please read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com
Although the deer was large, it was quickly turned into meat. The amount of meat is plenty in proportion to its physique.
“With all this, even if all the three of us are big eaters, we have two weeks to spare. Samia, you’re a great help.”
When I said so, Samia replies,
“I-Is that so? Then I’ll catch one again next time!”
Apologies everyone, I was so busy this past two days that I was not able to translate. (>▂<) For those reading Homeless Tensei, I am sorry that I will be posting chapters for Hagure and Kajiya instead, they have shorter chapters so I can finish one today. For Homeless, I will try to complete at least two chapters till Sunday. Thank you for understanding.
What should I talk about first? Above anything else, Her Highness’ spirit mark that was interrupted in the middle should be completed.
After doing that, I can bring Her Highness to the sacred tree. I think there is a high possibility that there will be a contract between Her Highness and the spirit of the sacred tree, though this is not a certainty.
Usually, performing spirit selection ceremony will allow one to contract with the spirits in the spirit world. With that power, one can interfere with the spirits in this world… For many generations, the royal shrine maiden had a direct contract with the sacred tree.
At the very least, I did study about the contracts with spirits but I don’t know everything because even a teacher candidate at the academy can only teach a small part of it.
However, there are some laws regarding the spiritual mark. There is also a big difference in design between men and women, but with half of it drawn, it is not that difficult to finish the other half though.
“…Grass, what’s the problem? With that troubled expression…”
“N-No…. About that, although it is presumptuous of me to say this… First, in order for Your Highness to be able to control your magical power, it is necessary to complete the “spirit mark” that is partly drawn on you.”
“Uh…”This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
Raquel-san and the two maids were so surprised that they can’t help but raise their voice –I knew they would, but if I beat around the bush, the conversation wouldn’t go any further.
“To my body… e-even to those parts?”
“Yes, it’s been quite a while since it was drawn, so some parts have faded… The Spirit Mark is like a contract for contracting with a spirit and exercising its power. The fact that it is drawn means that Your Highness was scheduled to undergo the ritual of “spirit selection ceremony” and it was interrupted for some reason.”
Her Highness listened to my story without any question. As I am in front of those eyes, I feel that she can see through my inner most thoughts and I feel restless.
Drawing the spirit mark also means that I have to look at her body again. At the academy, taking the emotions of the students into consideration, other than those parts where the spirit mark will be drawn, the other parts are covered with cloth and the method for drawing the spirit mark is done part by part –Still, since I have to draw on the entire upper body, it also includes the parts that should not be seen normally…
“I understand. Then, would you please draw that mark? If it’s now, I think it will be convenient because I’m not wearing anything under this blanket.”
“…B-But…”This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“Just say it. Why are you being flustered….? It is Her Highness will. It’s better to calm yourself then draw.”
“N-No, if there is someone who is good at drawing, it is okay to ask that person to do it instead. There is a drug that makes the paint temporarily visible to anyone. Of course, it does not harm the human body.”
“I-If it’s like that… Karin is very good at drawing, so we can leave it to her… B-But, I think it would be better if Grass-sensei will draw it directly so as to avoid any mistake…..”
Soara is quite panicked –In contrast, Karin is calm. Perhaps, with that personality, she is not overly afraid in regards to Her Highness.
“…Grass, you’re worried for me isn’t it? Alright, Karin…can you draw it as Grass teaches you? I think your painting is good and the letters are also beautiful, I’m sure you can do well.”This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“……Certainly!……”
Karin replies with a very soft voice. I don’t know because she hadn’t spoken for a long time, but her voice is refreshing and even if it’s a whisper like speech, I heard it clearly.
“…..Kindly tell me what to do….. I will do exactly as Doctor-sama says…”
“I-I understand. First, on a paper, I need to you to write the spirit mark on Her Highness’ body. For that purpose….”
“You don’t have to be reserved to me, Karin is also a girl…”
Her Highness says so and looks at me. It is like she’s saying, “What are you waiting for?”.
“…Grass, can you go out for a bit?”
“Uh….S-Sorry. Then, I will explain how to draw it and go out after.”
I asked Karin to make an exact copy of it, taught her how to draw it then I left the room. Sitting on the chair outside, I take a breath. It takes a long time to copy the figures so I was told that it would be okay to leave.
I have a serious misconception –Her Highness is human too, I didn’t realize the obvious because I think of Her Highness as a transcendental…
….It’snormally embarrassing, but she listened to me because it is necessary. I also have to be more sensitive…. That should have been obvious!
I feel restless while waiting. Looking out the window, the moon floats in the night sky –For a moment, I thought of going back to my own room to regain my composure.
I yearned to live like a plant, but I couldn’t do it at all. I must see to it that today is the last time that I will be disturbed seeing a woman’s body –with that in mind, I walk through the quiet corridor and left Her Highness’ residence.
◆◇◆
I head to the medic’s residence and go to our room. I opened the door with my key and went inside –it seemed that Lendl-san is back, the door to his bedroom was open.
But he doesn’t seem to be in the room. If so, is he taking a hot shower?
Since it is a shared bathroom, there is no need to wait in line. I also have to wash my body. When I think about it, I didn’t even have time to wash my body –a day’s worth of dirt was on my clothes and I also can’t hide the sweaty smell.
I take some clothes for me to change into and head to the bathroom. There will be a problem if there’s is a woman inside but if Lendl-san is the one inside, then the other soldiers won’t make a fuss.
Since the medical examination is over, there might be problem if the two of us remain in the maid’s room, so I move a chair to the corridor and prepare to wait for Her Highness condition update, but–
“Don’t just worry about us. Isn’t it better if Grass would take a rest too?”
As Raquel-san stand beside me, she glances here and there. With a wry smile, I answered,
“When I was a trainee, I was assigned to one of the most complex hospital in the royal capital….Even at midnight, the condition of some patients would suddenly change so I often had to deal with it by myself. That’s why, no matter how deep I slept, I learned a trick that could wake me instantly.”
“N-Not that… I’m not saying that because you’re tired you’ll fall asleep during important times. What I meant was that since I’m here, why don’t you take a rest in the room…”
“I’m fine. There’s a good reason why I would like to sleep while sitting in a chair. The chair is mostly made of wood, so if I ask it to “wake me up in an emergency”, it will wake me up.”
“…Grass, are you diligent or just unusual? I feel like both of them. I can’t really understand how an adolescent man thinks.”
Raquel-san folded her arms and closed her eyes. Looking at her profile, I feel like asking the thing that I’m always curious about.
“Raquel-san, I don’t think our age is that far from each other. Presha-san is younger, but Raquel-san…”
“I’m one year older than Dite, I’m 20 this year. I became a knight apprentice at twelve, and I became an attack captain at fifteen. Before I moved to Isle Rose Fortress, I was given the position of a knight captain. But…..for that position I still…”
“N-No… you’re too humble. 20 years old… to do so, you’re just one step below my stepsister.”
“Is that so?…. I’m almost the same age as her huh. I heard that Her Highness has an old friendly relation with her but I haven’t heard much about it.”
Raquel-san suddenly laughed. Somehow, when I said that I have an older sister, I feel like the way she looks at me have become kinder –I have too little immunity towards women you know!Translated by Yume Neiji
“To send Grass as a military doctor… there may have been some conflict right? When I first saw it, I thought it would be nice for a student to come to the battlefield but…. Grass’ sister must have been worried, isn’t it?”
“Yeah…But my dream was to become a court magician. I can imagine the severity of being a military doctor and I knew it would even be tougher. Still, I’m glad I came here.”
“…Even in this situation, you’re glad huh. That’s what you think. The people who you meet might lose their lives tomorrow. At such frontline, there are a lot of people who get sick.”
Many soldiers died today. Even if the damage done to the enemy is many times greater, I don’t think one could be insensitive towards the sense of death.
“Even if I met them or not, I want to help as much as I can. Using magic on the battlefield is the same… it’s within the scope of the work of a military doctor. Without having any casualty is part of medical care for me.”
Raquel-san closed her eyes and she seemed to be thinking about something.
―Right now, she must be thinking of the subordinates who lost their lives today. Her thinly opened eyes is not looking here, it seemed to reflect somewhere that could never be reached.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“Rita was a lively girl. She was very competitive and was always competing with her best friend Sara for the best spearman. Anna was born in the Western Territories and she would always say that she wanted to protect her hometown with her own hands… She was such a patient girl. Rebecca was an excellent sword user. Astina-denka found her swordsmanship promising… From now on, she will be a big part of our Knights….”
Forty-two died on the war. Each of them had a dream that they wanted to fulfil but it was cut off in the middle. Many people died on Zirconia’s side too. I wonder how many people had died in the waves of the war before this fortress.
I think that rather than feeling sad, I now feel a stronger urge. No matter what happens, the war must end –as soon as possible!
I didn’t look at Raquel-san. If she is crying, I think that she didn’t want me to look at her face. However, I strongly grip my right fist. What can I do in order not to repeat this regret that I could not do anything for those who died?
..Stop Zirconia. Bring it to a ceasefire… For that purpose, I need to think of what should be done. From my position, what on earth can I do?
“Doctor-sama…, Her Highness has regained consciousness…!”
“Uh… I understand, I’ll be there at once.”
After Soara informed us, she re-enters Her Highness’ bedroom. Her Highness, who was sleeping a while ago, woke up and is sitting on the bed, she is looking this way.
“…Grass Weed. And Raquel… Please come here.”
In accordance with Her Highness words, Raquel-san and I stood near the bed. As the Knight Captain, Raquel-san tightens her facial expression –she didn’t show her fragile side in front of Her Highness, and I can feel her strong determination.
“I…..Once more, I lost consciousness again. At the time of bathing…”
“Y-Yes…. We carried Your Highness to this room.”
Soara and Karin are waiting behind us and listening. These two brought Her Highnesses to the bedroom, it means that they are also the ones who did the first aid.
“…I knew that my body was losing power. Fighting and reading the enemy’s “course”… both of these is putting strain on my body.”
“Yes…it’s exactly as what Your Highness says. Your Highness has a very strong magical power, but for some reason you can’t control it.”
Her Highness places her hand around her abdomen. The point below the navel ―it’s around the part where the spirit mark is, the half moon.
“…I felt that the force flowing in my body was stagnant somewhere… it was an unnatural flow. To identify the cause, I have to recall my childhood, but some of my memory is missing. In that missing memory… I know the reason why I can’t control my magic is in there…”.Please read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com
“Yes, probably… Umm about that, Your Highness, earlier I…”
“…You examined me right? After I woke up, I somehow felt it. It was you who woke me up… Grass Weed…”
I applied medicine to her lower body and used magic to help her restore some magic. If she realized it at that time that my magic had entered her body –she would have known how I treated her.
“Don’t be so reserved. Since what you have done is just a treatment… The warmth of the power you sent inside me conveys your integrity. Even though you came here to be my direct subordinate, because of my narrow-mindedness I didn’t accept you readily…. I’m sorry.”
Her Highness bows to me. Her long blonde hair flows smoothly like a thread –for a moment, I don’t know what happened so I couldn’t react immediately. Her Highness thanked me for treating her. It was also the moment when I was recognized as a court magician both in name and reality.
“I have something to tell you. This is a request from me… Zirconia will attack in no time. At that time, I will do my best so that the soldiers would not get hurt even a little. I want to do everything I can.”
―Zirconia, which should have been defeated, attacks the border again.
In the eyes of Her Highness, who speaks of that nightmare like reality, there is an unwavering will. She has the strong desire to overcome this predicament and protect everyone.
The next day, after we finished eating breakfast, me and Rike went to the place where I had loaded the timber two weeks ago. Samia goes out for hunting with a bento on hand. I said, “I would like to have deer meat today…”, I’ll be expecting it.
“Well, from today, we will use this lumber to build a new room. However, it will definitely take a lot of time so half of the day we will build a room and the other half will be for blacksmithing.”
“Understood!”
“Well then, let’s start!”
“Yes, Boss!”
Rike replies cheerfully. Then we get to work.
According to Samia, there are few earthquakes here and it doesn’t rain so much. Actually, it’s been a while since I came here and it didn’t really rain. Is it climatically similar to Germany in my previous world? The name of this forest is also “Black Forest” –Schwarzwald in German.Translated by Yume Neiji
Anyway this place doesn’t seem that humid. We will create the additional room by directly burying pillars without placing foundation stones. As for my previous world, even in Japan where there is high humidity, the Ise Grand Shrine’s reconstruction time is only once every 20 years. Even if there is a difference (whether someone will live in it or none), the pillars themselves should be the same or even better. So I thought there would be no problem with this method.Translated by Yume Neiji
We will dig the holes for the pillars with the hoe handle that was made in the previous work modified to be parallel to the blade, not at right angles. I forgot to ask Samia if it’s only the ground around here or the whole forest, but it’s quite hard soil.
With this hardness, I think it will be tough without a good hoe and strengthened muscular strength. I’m glad I had them, and I thank the one who gave them to me from the bottom of my heart.
Eventually we were able to dig deeply, in there, we will put the end of the log that will become the pillar. We then tied the log with a rope so we can pull it. As Rike and I pulled it together, the edge of the log caught on the edge of the hole, and the log stood up as it fell into the hole.
As the pillar stood up, we hold the log in place and steadily hit it several times to fortify the bottom. After that, I hold the log while Rike fill the hole back. We were able to build a pillar right away.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com
The same work was repeated all morning until the pillars for two rooms were built. But it’s still a little unsteady, so I have to strengthen it tomorrow or it will be no good.
In the afternoon, it’s Rike’s much awaited blacksmithing time. For now I guess I’ll make her create a long sword in parallel with me. “General model” is already out of stock. So I’ll make two molds before lunch. After lunch, my work usually involves melting the iron and casting it in the mold but this time, I’ll only manage the fire and bellows (when I’m alone, I’m using magic to create wind). I decided to make Rike do the casting. She travels to broaden her views but it looks like she’s still proficient in using her hands. Soon after, the melted iron was poured into two molds.
While waiting for them to cool down, we’ll make knives to replenish the stock. I’ll do it first and then let Rike do the same.
Because my blacksmithing skill is a “cheat”, I wasn’t taught so similarly, I don’t really know how to teach her. In addition, we’ll be making the “general model” this time so I’m not really putting much effort during the process. I feel bad that I could only come up with the “look and steal” method. For today, she’ll learn like this.
I take out a sheet metal and heat it on the firebed. I hit it with a hammer to shape it, but while shaping it, I did not spend too much effort. During the process, Rike is trying not to miss any moment.
“How is it? Did you learn how it works?”
“Yes. Boss is amazing after all! It looks like you can hear the voice of the iron. But you’re not even doing it that seriously.”
“You can tell?”
“Yes of course! There’s not much power exerted after all. Above all, it can’t be compared to the long sword you showed me before.”
Ah right! Rike did look at the “luxury model”.
“This is what I can show you for today. Tomorrow, I’ll show you another one superior to this.”This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com
“Is that ok!?”
“Yeah. Though I feel reluctant teaching it to my disciple, it can’t be helped. Today, our target is to create stocks for sale so we only did this much.”
“Thank you very much, Boss!”
Rike is delighted that she’s even about to jump at any moment.
“Then next is Rike’s turn.”
“Yes!”
Like what I did, Rike heats the sheet metal on the firebed then hits it with a hammer. Perhaps because she is a dwarf, her appearance looks powerful.
Eventually, the sheet metal became a knife. She grabbed it with a pincher and lift it as it is then she looks at me.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com
“How is this?”
When I was asked, I looked at it and there is not much difference compared to the “general model” I made. However, while heating and hammering, there was something like wee bit dispersion that occurs. How do I say it, it’s like the only difference is the iron formation. This may be the difference between the cheat holder me and Rike. So far, I’m convinced that Rike can definitely make my “luxury model”.
“Good job! However, you can still aim for a better one. I’m not really good at teaching. I can only tell you to observe and steal the techniques but you can definitely make the long sword that I showed you yesterday.”
When I praised her, Rike says,
“Yes! I will devote myself!”
With a smile on her face, she responded spiritedly.
We work in the field as usual. That said, weeding and watering is better than not doing it. And because of the fast growth rate, harvesting must be done regularly. Currently, our food storage area is full of vegetables as we can’t eat them all.
“But this is really a mysterious place. Where does nutrition come from?”
I said that while I’m weeding and Erna replies back while she’s watering.
“Maybe the corpses of the creatures here are the source of nutrition…”
“I see! It may be the case! The corpses at the disposal site that have become nutrients are distributed to each level of the dungeon! The reason why this place is so prosperous is probably because it is close to the disposal site!”
Once I realized it, it was now easy to understand. According to its own cycle in the dungeon, food chains were created.Translated by Yume Neiji
But I wonder who created this mechanism and for what purpose…
Of course, how monsters occur is still a mystery.
“Have you heard what’s at the bottom of the dungeon?”
“Hmmm well… I heard that according to the report of the adventurer who has gone through the dungeon, there are amazing treasures there.”
“Amazing treasures? How amazing is it?”
Erna thinks with her finger on her mouth.
“Hmm? We might know if we go to the royal capital, but unfortunately this is the countryside, so we won’t know.”
“In the end, it’s still a mystery huh. I just started reading Great Mage’s book too, it looks like I still have a long way to go.”
I started reading the books in the hideout. It’s not because they are the books left by Great Mage Moore but rather, it’s because of my interest in the former resident who lived here. I did not progress that easily though. That is because the words written by Moore were difficult to read as they were written in a quirky style.
Even Erna, a resident of this world, couldn’t understand it unless she opens the dictionary on the bookshelf. As for me, I stopped reading his diary at the very first page.
When the field work was over, me and Erna head to the disposal site. Corpse looting may be a job that is being looked down upon but it is not a reason to refrain from making more money.
As usual, seeing the mountain of corpses, I put my hands together and pray for their souls.
“Hey, I’ve been wondering about it for a long time now, why do you put your hands together?”
“In my hometown, this is an act of expressing prayer. I’m doing it in a sense of gratitude.”
“Gratitude huh… Then why do you thank the corpses of these strangers?”
“In a sense it’s in appreciation of their hard work and I’m doing that through prayer. I hope that you pray and thank the dead too.”
Erna answers with “Hmmm”. She then put her hands together and bowed just like I did. There may also be religions in this world but I think that the feelings while praying are the same.
Immediately after, we approach the mountain of corpses and collect the weapons and armors. As I collect the silver coins and magic stones in the rucksack, I found something rare inside.
“Is this a map?”
When I opened the parchment, an island like that of Australia was drawn on it. At this moment, it is not possible to tell whether this is an island or a continent, but for now, I’ll just call it an island.
At the center of the island, it is described as “Rogas Kingdom”, and many other countries are marked around it. The territory is not so large, and it feels like a small country surrounded by five great powers. And this small country is the country where I currently live.
“Hey Erna. Where is the Mana city here?”
“Let me see…. Hmm, is it around here?”
She pointed the eastern frontier of the Rogas Kingdom. It’s definitely a rural area. In the nearby vicinity, a country called “Estent Empire” is written.
“Where is Erna’s hometown?”
“My hometown is here.”
The country she pointed to is written as “Sanargia Great Forest Country”. It is located in the upper left of the Rogas Kingdom and appears to be adjacent to Estent Empire.
“To call it Great forest Country…”
“That is just right! It is Sacred Tree-sama that governs the country after all. Do you have any complaint about it?”
Erna glared at me and I could only swallow my words. It’s strange that a sacred tree governs the country but in a world with magic, it might happen.
I want to go there someday.
For the time being, I put the map in my pocket and start looting for corpses again.
◆◇◆
“Hey, did you try your Skill Picking on the corpses?”
I am looting a corpse when I heard Erna’s voice. Certainly, I haven’t tried it yet, but that skill can’t be that simple, right? While thinking so, I used the Skill Picking on the corpse.
【Kevin McLaine: Swordsmanship(Intermediate), Taijutsu A(Intermediate), Self Recovery (Beginner): Please select the skill to acquire】
I must have an outrageous foolish look. That was a shocker!
Gingerly, I select the skills and then these words appeared in my head,
【Do you want to acquire Swordsmanship(Intermediate), Taijutsu A (Intermediate), Self Recovery (Beginner)? YES/NO】
After selecting YES, I immediately opened my status to confirm the changes.
【Status】 Name:Shinichi Tanaka Age: 17 years old (56 years old) Race: Homeless Occupation: Adventurer Magic attribute:No Attribute Magic: None Skills: Appraisal (Advanced), Pressure Point (Advanced), Swordsmanship (Advanced), Archery(Beginner), Axemanship(Beginner), Spearmanship(Beginner), Taijutsu A (Intermediate) ↑, Super Sensation(Beginner), Self Recovery(Beginner) New, Skill Picking
Certainly, the acquired skills are added. I was so happy that I wanted to dance naked. I didn’t really do it because Erna is here.
This is a great skill!
Appraisal and pressure points skills were also quite good, but they can’t outdo this one. Getting skills from the dead huh… Even if I made mistake, is it possible to gain skills and get stronger?This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
A hero, Shinichi Tanaka is born.
“Hey, what happened? Did you get a skill?”
Erna seems fed up as she stares at me. For the time being, I take a deep breath to calm down.
“Apparently, Skill Picking enables me to get a skill from a corpse.”
“E-eh!? What’s with that!? Isn’t that against the rules!”
“Uhm, in the meantime let’s keep this a secret between us.”
“…Y-Yeah, that would be for the better. I’m sure it’s going to be a big problem if it is known.”
After ending the conversation with Erna, I decided to get skills from random corpses. I won’t know what kind of skill it is unless I use it.
Then my status changed significantly.
【Status】 Name: Shinichi Tanaka Age:17 years old (56 years old) Race: Homeless Occupation: Adventurer Magic attribute: No Attribute Magic: None Skills:Appraisal (Advanced), Pressure Point (Advanced), Swordsmanship (Advanced), Axemanship (Advanced) ↑, Spearmanship (Advanced) ↑, Hammermanship (Advanced) new, Archery (Advanced) ↑, Taijutsu A (Advanced), Taijutsu B (Advanced) new, Stealth (Intermediate) new, Danger Detection (Advanced) new, Super Sensation (Beginner), Self Recovery (Intermediate) ↑, Skill Picking
There is one thing I understand.
Regardless of how many times I acquired a skill with the same rank, the skill is not added. Even if I add Swordsmanship (Beginner) to Swordsmanship (Beginner), it will still be in a beginner level. Therefore, it wouldn’t make sense unless I aim for the higher rank of the skills I already have.
Nevertheless, looking at the skills I acquired, I don’t mind. This is still a skill festival. Wasshoi! Wasshoi!
I am especially happy about Stealth and Self Recovery. Stealth seems to be able to erase my presence, and it is so effective that Erna even frantically search for me as I disappeared before her eyes.
However, sound and odor were not erased so it may be dangerous if I use it incorrectly. As the name suggests, Self Recovery seems to be a skill that increases my recovery speed.
With my knife I cut my arm and the scene in which the wound closes up in a few seconds occurred. If I have to say my impression, it felt unpleasant.
But as expected, the recovery is not as much as the cure mushroom. Anyway, it was a big harvest today.
Me and Erna then leave the disposal site and return to the hideout.
◆◇◆
After making stew for dinner, I poured it into a wooden bowl and give it to Erna. When the preparations were over, we started eating together.
Erna picks up the stew with a spoon and eats a bite.
“So delicious!….. Why is it that Shinichi is better than me at cooking?”
“Uh, I also don’t know why. Rather, it is strange that Erna is a poor cook.”
When I say so, she clicked her tongue. It seems that I shouldn’t have mentioned the part where she is poor at cooking. But speaking of it, before I became a homeless, I was quite good at my part-time job in a restaurant. To begin with, I didn’t hate cooking and on holidays, I used to show off some elaborate dishes for my family. At that time, I thought I have a nice family, but it must have been a misunderstanding. It’s my past that I want to forget…This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“But this stew is a dish that goes well with bread. I’ve never seen such a dish before, so where did Shinichi really come from?”
“As I said before, I don’t even know where this is. I’m a wanderer lost in this distant place.”
“Homeless, right? But thanks to that, I was able to meet Shinichi and I even become a proper mage. I’m really grateful.”
Erna’s cheeks turn pinkish while chewing. I will also feel shy saying thanks directly to someone.
“Don’t worry about it, it’s fine so quickly eat more.”
“Yup!”
I scoop up some stew with a spoon and the thick white soup produce steam. After putting it in my mouth, the mellow sweetness and the rich extract of meat and vegetables entwined on my tongue, the slightly added cheese also enhances the flavour.
―But words suddenly prompted while I’m having such meal.
【Evolution will begin soon. Once evolution is completed, there is no going back. Do you want to evolve? YES/NO】
For a few seconds I was stunned while holding the spoon.
Evolution? W-What the heck is that?
“Hey Erna…I’ve been asked if I’ll go through with my evolution, but please tell me what it means…”This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
When I said so, Erna was also stunned.
“Evolution…..what will you become?”
“Uhm…I don’t know, it’s not written…”
“Alright, just in case, I will explain. Evolution means that one can level up their race. For elves, we become high elves while for humans, they become high humans. But it is very rare to evolve. I also don’t know the reason for it but it seems that there are cases where one can become a different race.”
“A different race…”
I’m worried! Is it okay to evolve like this? Or should I cancel it?
I’m also satisfied with my current self, that’s for certain. If I proceed with this evolution thing, I may even lose the skills I have acquired by evolving…
When I look at Erna, she nods at me with a smile on her face.
“I will never leave Shinichi even if you’ve become any other race. It will be alright, it will surely be a wonderful evolution.”
“Uhm…”
Well it’s also true that I cannot move forward if I am afraid of facing changes. I even decided to live in this world. Then, I will take it boldly like a homeless would!
I selected YES from the displayed characters.
【Evolution will start in 5 minutes. You will experience extreme drowsiness, so please lie in a safe place and wait. 】
I hurriedly finish my food and I lied down on the sofa right after. I’m now prepared to evolve. I’m a little excited about this, what will I look like after? Maybe, I’ll have four arms… Mufufu, I’m really looking forward to it.
“Wait a minute! What should I do while Shinichi is evolving!?”
“Hn? Well… you can just read a book first and wait until I wake up. If it takes a long time, you can just cook and eat by yourself.”
“Gnununu… I’m not good at cooking…”
She groaned but having hit by extreme drowsiness, it makes it hard for me to talk. I then closed my eyelids and soon, my consciousness was then cut off as I succumbed to slumber.
“Uh………”
When I woke up, the room was already dark, seems like I overslept. I am very thirsty so I start drinking water from the water bottle next to the stove. I drank about 3 litres of water. Satisfied, I sit down on the sofa.
Thinking why I overslept, I immediately recall that evolution thing. That’s right, I should have evolved!This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
I quickly turn on the light and moved in front of the mirror.
“Whooaaaaaaa! What the heck is this!”
My body turned into a bigger size and my height grown up to 180cm. In addition, a tribal patterned arabesque tattoo spread all over my body, it strongly emphasizes its existence up to my neck.
Finally, my hair! My hair which was black and about the shoulder length now extended up to my feet and it changed into transparent silver hair.
I immediately took out the knife and trimmed my hair till an appropriate length.
“This length should be fine…”
I’m satisfied though it’s a little longer than before. I then stared at my face in the mirror. I now have a deep chiselled features, my appearance may have been improved. I looked quite handsome.
“Fu~a~ Shinichi, you finally wake up…”
Erna who’s in her pajamas comes out of the bedroom, she stared at me with her eyes wide.
“Err… who…?”
“What are you talking about? It’s me. It’s Shinichi Tanaka.”
“Eeeh?! It’s really Shinichi!?”
She runs up to me and made a serious observation. Rather than that, I was surprised at the strength of my current body. I’m brimming with power and my fighting spirit seems to be welling up.
The evolution tremendously strengthened my body.
When I opened the status, I found out what I had evolved into…
I told her that we can come back tomorrow to pick her up but she is eager to go with us today, so I consent to it. If we take our time here it will eventually get dark and become dangerous, so I ask Rike to pack her luggage quickly so we can go home early.
Fortunately (?), since she was not sure when she would leave, it seems that she always keeps her luggage at the ready. She immediately descended from the second floor. However……
“Are you alright with that luggage?”
“Yes. I’ve came this far with this in tow.”
“Is that so?”
Rike is carrying a rucksack about half of her size. I don’t know if it was done during her travels but there are traces of repairs here and there. But, as Rike says, she came this far with that so I guess it’s okay to walk just like this.Yume Neiji
“Then, let’s go right away. Even though we have Samia with us, it will be difficult when the sun sets.”
“Okay, Boss!”
Rike answers cheerfully. Let’s make her stop with the boss thing…
The three of us walk to the main road in a hurry. Aside from me and Samia, Rike drank a fair amount of sake and her luggage was big but she’s walking steadily. Is it because she’s a dwarf? This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com
Then we arrived at the forest entrance more or less 20 minutes earlier than usual.
“We’ll be going through the forest from here on so don’t stray from us.”
“Yes, boss!”
“If by any chance you got lost, I’ll surely find you so don’t make any loud voice. If there’s a dangerous being in the area, I’m afraid you might attract it instead.”
Samia warned her.
“Y-Yes, I understand.”
“We will take a break after an hour, so please do your best until then.”
“Yes!”
Then we start moving into the forest. Rike wasn’t too worried, but it seems like she’s not used to walk in the forest, she occasionally trips over tree roots and grass. Even so, we still didn’t get late. She was able to keep with us until the first break.
“Rike, are your legs still fine? If you feel any pain, just say so alright?”
“No, I’m fine. This is nothing.”
“In cases like this, it is more dangerous if you overdo it. If you feel any discomfort, please tell me immediately.”
“Yes. I understand, boss.”
Then, after about 1 hour after moving again, we arrived at my house. We barely made it before the sun set, my house stood in the dim light. On the way, Rike didn’t collapse nor complain that her legs hurt.
“This is our house and it’s also our workshop.”
“Wow, it’s pretty big.”
“Well, yeah.”
At least she’s more surprised at the sudden appearance of such a house.
“Are your legs alright?”
“Yes. I’m fine! It’s easier to walk than what I expected!”
“Is that so? Then let’s get inside for the time being.”
I used the key to remove the bolt and opened the door.
“Yes!”
Pitter-patter, Rike goes in. Samia follows right after.
“Samia-”
I called out to her.
“Hn? What is it?”
“Thank you.”
I knew that Samia chose a route that was easy to walk on and less likely to meet other creatures.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com
“O-Okay…”
Samia enters the house looking flustered and bashful. I remember that she laughed after Rike called me boss but, this girl, in times like this looks really cute.
I let Rike and Samia put their luggage in the bedroom while I head to the study to put mine, then I prepare our meals quickly and the three of us surround the dining table.
“Well then, it’s nice to have you here but there are not enough rooms to sleep in. So, Samia and Rike will sleep in the bedroom for the meantime.”
“Eh? No, I will feel bad! I don’t want to get in between you two. I also have camping equipment with me, so I can just set it on this floor.”
“Hn? Even now, me and Samia are sleeping separately, so nothing will change in particular.”
In fact, Samia still slept in my bedroom and I was sleeping in the study. Samia said she can now give up the bedroom for several times, but each time, I refused. By the way, I am sleeping with a blanket now, and surprisingly, I can sleep more comfortably than I expected.
“Eh, is that so? Even though you’re a couple?”
“Puuh!?”
Samia spouted the deer soup she was eating before I can even react.
“I–I–I-Idiot! What are you saying?! Me and Eizou aren’t like that!”
Samia fiercely protests with most likely a bright red face. I’m not really sure about beastman’s complexion.
“Really? When I first met you, Samia-san is always protecting boss. And after that, you can communicate with just glancing at each other and from the way boss speaks, I can see that he also cares for Samia-san. So I’m certain that’s the case.…”
Rike thought it’s strange. It’s only been about a month since I met Samia, but since we’ve been together almost all the time, we were able to naturally convey our thoughts without speaking like telepathy to a certain extent. Samia generally understands what I want to say. However, being noticed like this… it’s a little embarrassing.
“Well, that’s how it is. There’s nothing going on between me and Samia for now. We’re like a family though.”
“Since you’re both living in the same workshop, right?”
So in a dwarf’s sense,living in the same workshop is equal to a family huh.
“Yeah something like that.”
When I glanced at Samia, I’m not sure if she has already recovered considerably but, she’s curled up while drinking soup. Not good, so this is what she means….
“Well then, for that reason, two girls will stay in the bedroom and the man will use the study room. That will be our room allocation. As the owner of this house and as the boss of the workshop, this is my decision and it cannot be changed.”
“Yes”
“Ye-s”
Rike and Samia responded. Probably they are not convinced with this but I have no choice but to push through with it.
“Well, please bear with it until each room is created.”
“Speaking of which, do we already have lumbers?”
“Yeah. We already secured enough… I think. It should be dry soon so we can start tomorrow.”This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com
“I understand!”
“Okay”
Thus, the resident in my house increased by one more person.
The room next to the bedroom of Her Highness seems to be a room reserved for the maids, the room is also simple and the only decoration is the flowers on top of the chest.
“…..what should I do?”
“Hmmm yeah….. then…. on the bed…”
“Uh… t-there’s a chair over there, w-why should it be on the bed…”
“N-No, I don’t mean anything weird. If we use that small chair in front of a dressing table, you will put a lot of effort into maintaining your posture. I’d like to perform the medical examination while you’re in a comfortable position.”
“I-I see… I’m sorry, I’ve only been checked by female doctor until now. Since you’re a man, I’m over alert… apologies for my rudeness.”
Raquel-san then sits on the bed. I went around the other side of the bed and look at her back –Raquel-san adjusted the ponytail on her back forward to make it easier for me to see.
“…as a knight, my hair should be shorter but I have no time to cut it so it continues to grow. I think it is ugly so please excuse me for now.”
She says so. Magic warrior has better body metabolism than a normal person in the first place so her hair grows faster.
Fortunately, her speed of recovery is good. She puts too much strain on her body and it even leads to slight muscle rupture, thankfully, she recovers before it became worst –However, there are some areas that cannot be supplemented by that alone. That is the tendons and joints part.
“Raquel-san, can you take off your coat?”
She nods and takes off her coat distinct for a general. From the collar of the shirt she’s wearing, I can already see the bandage wrapped around her upper body –it’s supposed to be for pain relief.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
Her method of wrapping the bandage was either instructed by the previous medical doctor or considered so as not to impede violent movement. However, bandaging techniques are also improving day by day, and there is also a bandaging method devised by doctors in the royal capital for those who practice military arts.
“Can you move it a little? Can you move it like this?”
“Uh…..t-that much… there’s no problem…”
As expected, the burden on her body exceeds the limit as she swings that super heavy lance. Her tendons are inflamed and the joints are worn out. If this continuous, osteophytes may occur and it will be painful.
But osteophytes cannot be surgically removed. Because its natural healing power is high, if you are at rest, you will not have much pain… But what should be immediately dealt with is the inflammation of the tendon.If you will not apply medicine, the whole body will be burning in fever.
“…Raquel-san, if the next enemy attack comes, will you still fight on the frontlines?”
“That’s a given. That’s what I’ve always been doing and I’m still in a good shape now. The reason not to fight is…”
“But… if Astina-denka didn’t go to help Raquel-san, it would have been a tougher battle.”
“Uh…That is…”
Raquel-san is at a loss for words. And now I also remember that I blocked the movements of the enemy archers to support Raquel-san. Moreover, she was aware of it –her eyes that stared at me are totally different from the way she looks at me until now.
“…..At that time I was prepared to be shot by the arrows of the enemy archers. Even if I have some injury, I can still defeat the enemy…. However, the movements of the archers were delayed unnaturally. If that was done by my allies, there is only one thing I can think of… I was saved by magic.”
The only magicians on the side of the scene were me and Lendl-san. Even though she couldn’t even see me who was far behind, Raquel-san still concluded that it was me who did it.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“First of all, I should have thanked you at that time. When you’re treating Her Highness, I didn’t take my position in account and I keep on saying something unnecessary…”
“N-No… I know how much Raquel-san adores Her Highness, I understand that. That feeling of respect for Her Highness…. I am the same. So please don’t worry about it.”
“…..you are not offended?”
“Yes, not at all… Though I’m like this, I also want to live like a big tree. In the academy, there is an old tree that I used to call “grandpa”. That’s grandpa is very generous, that’s how I want to be…”
“…I also want to be like that. If I could talk to plant spirits, would I also be affected that way…?”
Raquel-san listened to my story with full of interest. I’ve never seen anyone with such a face, except Leslie, Sven, and my stepsister. That time, I wonder if the Magic Academy is a cut-off world.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“…As you have said, I use heavy equipment that put a strain on my body. Every time I swing my lance, pain starts to run through my body and nowadays, even if I just walk while wearing my armor, my upper body starts to hurt. When I sleep, my body heats up and sometimes I can’t sleep.”
“I see, that’s as I expected… Thank you for telling me. Actually, I would like to make a plan for your full scale treatment but for the time being, I will give you first aid.”
I take out another ointment that I haven’t used for Her Highness. Then Raquel-san widens her eyes as she tries to protect her body –her white skin instantly flushes and turns red.
“T-That’s… like Her Highness, To m-my… all over my body…”
“N-No, I will not do that.”
“What……?”
“I know that Raquel-san will either take off the bandage or rewound it before going to bed. At that time, please apply this ointment to the places I pointed out. I’ll create an illustration for it. And regarding the bandage, there is an even better way of doing it, so try bandaging it around me as practice.”
Raquel blinks her long eyelashes –did she think that I’ll be the one to apply it on her? If I do that, I’ll receive suspicion from others even if Raquel-san gives her permission.
“…I-I didn’t misunderstood anything. That’s right, if you teach me, I can apply it myself.”
She looks like she’s a little bit sulking, it’s probably my fault. And there is still one more thing I have to say to her.
“This is only for first aid, once Zirconia ceases their attacks, we will start with the full scale treatment.”Translated by Yume Neiji
“…I-I understand. I promise.”
“I’m glad. Then, first of all, the places where you should apply the ointment… I need to check if it’s painful so tell me if it is.”
Raquel did exactly what I said and I’m able to identify the painful parts. With this, she will not be seriously injured until the next attack.
However, as I have not told her yet, in order to suppress the muscle fatigue, tendon burden, and inflammation of each part that has progressed to this point, it is necessary to do a quite painful treatment.
About that, I would like to ask for her understanding during the actual treatment.
I somehow managed to endure the intense pressure. It seems that the pseudo dragon intends to crush me just like this, but I’m not someone who can be easily killed. I died once, and it does not necessarily mean that I can reincarnate again. This time, I might really go to hell. That’s why I desperately endured.
“Gugyaoooooo?”
I thought that a big vibration occurred as the ground shakes violently. My field of view, which was pitch black, suddenly regained brightness and the heavy foot on top of me is now moving away.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“Are you okay, Shinichi!?”
Erna who rushed over, helps me up. I managed to stand up by borrowing her shoulder. I immediately checked the surrounding and I found that the pseudo dragon is running away wrapped in a white smoke.
“Did Erna save me?”
“That’s a given. I’m a great mage you know.”
“Yeah, that’s right. As expected of a great mage.”
I pat Erna’s head while staggering. Had she not been there, I would have really died. Anyway, I would like to thank the Great Mage.
“Au……”
Erna’s face was dyed red. Oops, it’s not good to thoughtlessly pat the head of a girl.
However I cannot fight properly in this state. Should we withdraw or continue? If I don’t decide quickly, that pseudo dragon will eventually return.
And then I recalled a certain mushroom.
“That’s right! I have cure mushrooms!”
I take out a cure mushroom from my rucksack and bite it raw. The texture is like shiitake mushroom, but the taste is moist and not bad. If I put it in a nabe, it would be delicious to eat.
After a few seconds, the scratches and soreness in my body disappeared. I am truly surprised at the speed of my recovery, it was as if I watched a video at double speed.
No, even Erna seemed surprised at the effect.
“Cure mushroom is so effective…”
“Eh? You’ve never seen it before?”
“Well, that’s a given. Cure mushrooms are expensive. It’s more common for adventurers to sell it than to use it.”
“I see….”
With this efficacy, I can agree to its high price. However, I feel that it is such a waste selling it after knowing this. In the future, let’s not sell it just in case.
“This is bad!… I-It is back!”
Hearing Erna’s voice, I confirmed that the pseudo dragon is back and it is heading towards us again. Being unruffled after receiving two advance ranked magic means that its endurance is on a different level from the previous one.
“Erna, can you cast the chain magic you used against the pseudo dragon yesterday?”
“Un, I can cast it, but that can’t stop it for so long you know.”
“How long?”
“…..10 seconds. It’s frustrating but the force of the other party is stronger than my binding power.”
Hmm, ten seconds huh…..
If I don’t settle the fight right away, I might be done for next time.
“I understand. Either way, I’ll be counting on you to use that magic.”
“Okay. But don’t die, alright?”
Erna then hold unto her cane as she start running in a different direction. However, the pseudo dragon’s eyes are fixated on me. I seem to be completely targeted.
“Oi, lizard guy this way! Come and follow me!”
I start running in the opposite direction that Erna headed to. Similarly, the pseudo dragon changed direction and chase after me.
“That’s good, come at me just like that.”
While running, I exchange the magic stone on the sword handle. From the red stones I changed it to a yellow stone. With this, I can shoot an electric shock. Anyhow, since it exhales flames, it is not strange that it is resistant to fire. Therefore it’s no wonder that Erna’s advance magic hardly works on it.
By the way, I have five different colored magic stones in my hand, but this time, I’ll try to use the yellow one. Speaking of fire, it tends to be countered by water, but when I put a blue magic stone on my sword, water just flows out. In that case, it would be smarter to attack with the yellow magic stone.
“Gugyaoooooo!”
Before I knew it, it is already behind me. Well it’s a given because it is faster than me but this power is truly dreadful. It is scarier than the images I saw in the movies.
“Erna–! That magic–!”
My voice reaches Erna’s ear and she raises her cane. A transparent aura covered her body, distorting the view beyond. When her magical power fluctuates and converges into the cane, waves slightly occur on the ground.
“Flame chain!”
When those powerful words were uttered, a bright red chain discharging immense heat wrapped around the pseudo dragon’s body. The chains bind its limbs and the hot chains burn its scales. The pseudo dragon suddenly rolled on the ground and start to rampage as it desperately breaks the chains.
“I got you! With this, I’ll kill you!”
I hold my sword as I jump at the writhing pseudo dragon.
“–Ugugh!?”
Its tail hit my body directly and I was blown away. Though my senses were enhanced by eating the balm fruit, that does not mean that my muscular strength also improved.
My body does not react from attacks coming from a blind spot or surprise attacks and I can only barely discern them. This time too, I couldn’t read its movements and was attacked.
“Ugh…”
After I managed to stand up, I immediately start running holding my sword. It should not have been 10 seconds yet.
I can still do it. It will be alright.
As I approached a point-blank range, the chain that restrained it broke and it made a clunking noise. The next action it took was to attack me.
“Gugyaoo!”
I was directly hit by its front leg that was kicked out, I groaned as my left arm that I used as a guard was crushed. Strong shock penetrates through my whole body and my field of view spin around before I crashed into the ground.
“Shinichi!!”
I could hear Erna’s voice, but I couldn’t stand right away. If I will describe it, the impact was like I was hit by a dump truck. It’s a miracle that I’m still alive.
I manage to stand up using my sword as a cane, I take a deep breath with my battered body.
“I can still do it! Come and get me you damn lizard!”
The pseudo dragon start running and it opened its mouth wide. It’s the Breath attack!
The pseudo dragon inhaled some air then as it exhaled, the flames burned the ground at once. I continue running forward without stopping. I’m invincible against magic as long as this black robe is present.
I will let it know that using the breath attack is a bad move!
I plunge the sword into its opened mouth and touch the magic circle on the sword’s handle.
“Bugyaaoooo!?”
The electric shock causes it to be electrocuted and its body shakes violently. I called out to Erna who is watching the situation.
“Erna–! That chain–!”
Erna nods as she holds her can and releases magic.
“Flame chain!”
Jararara, the chain wrap around the pseudo dragon’s body and binds its limbs. It couldn’t resist as it is under electric shock, it then tumbled to the ground like a snapper on a chopping board.
But this is not yet the end.
“This is the power of a Homeless! How is it you lizard?!”
I then pierce the head of the pseudo dragon with my sword. The pseudo dragon finally stops moving and its oblong pupil was left wide open.
I won!
“Ugh… so tired……”
I flopped into the ground and throw out my sword and look up at the sky. It was tough this time. But in exchange, the aftertaste of victory makes me excited.
How many years has it been that I felt this satisfaction?
I feel greater pleasure than when the company shares are listed. It may be said that this is a feeling of being alive.
“We did it! Isn’t it amazing that we managed to kill two pseudo dragons!”
Erna hugged me and kissed me on my cheek. Supposing that this is also a reward for victory, it is worth fighting. However, I’ve been feeling sleepy since a while ago, and it’s a pain just to get up.
I want to go to sleep as soon as possible…
“Oi, Homeless! You’re amazing! Yesterday and today, you manage to subdue two pseudo dragons, it is not an easy feat you know!”
Hearing that voice, I get up. Bud is currently looking at the pseudo dragon with trace of astonishment.
“Yeah, but we had a hard time. It is way stronger than the one yesterday.”
As soon as I got up while borrowing Erna’s shoulder, I take out a cure mushroom from my rucksack and chew on it. As I thought, it tastes like raw tempura and it will taste good if it’s boiled.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“Take that.”
I received the leather bag thrown by Bud, it’s heavier than that of yesterday. When I looked inside, I can see forty gold coins.
“Isn’t this too many?”
“Oi oi, that’s already a large amount for you? That much is reasonable. And I’ll be in trouble if I am stingy towards the hero who saved the city twice.”
Bud beamed displaying his white teeth and laughs with HAHAHA. I’m sure that if Bud goes to America he can adapt shortly. That’s how I feel.
“By the way, since Bud came here, does it mean that we don’t have to take this to the guild?”
“Correct. The other pseudo dragon is still being dismantled in the guild’s warehouse. So I thought we could just dismantle this one outside the city.”
“Then can I help you with it?”
Bud whistled and he asks, “What changed your mind?”
“Not that, I can’t always trouble you with dismantling right? So this time, I’m thinking of learning how to do it.”
“Hahahaha! As expected, heroes are different! That’s fine, you should be able to learn from my dismantling team as they have good skills! Ask me anything that you’re interested in!”
While fighting my drowsiness, I decided to learn dismantling for future use.
◆◆◆
“Fu~a~, I slept a lot.”
After I get up from the sofa, I start my usual daily routine. I learned a lot when I fought that pseudo dragon, I know that my muscles will save me. It is better to keep on training.
“Shinichi! You finally got up!?”
Erna came out of her bedroom and for some reason she has a worried expression.
“What do you mean by finally?”
“You slept all day! I was really worried!”
“All day……?”
I straightened myself and opened my status.
【Status】 Name:Shinichi Tanaka Age:17 years old (56 years old) Race: Homeless Occupation: Adventurer Magic attribute: No Attribute Magic: None Skills: Appraisal (Advanced), Pressure Point (Advanced) ↑, Swordsmanship (Advanced) ↑, Archery(Beginner), Axemanship(Beginner), Spearmanship(Beginner), Taijutsu A (Beginner), Super Sensation(Beginner), Skill Picking New
As expected, my status changed. First of all, the pressure point skill. From intermediate it levelled up to advance, same with swordsmanship.
Next is super sensation. Perhaps because I ate too many balm fruit, my body learned it as a skill. In the future, it will be possible to use the super sense without eating balm fruits. I’m very happy.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
The problem is this Skill Picking. For this skill, rank is not even displayed, it feels different from the other skills. I can’t predict what kind of skill it is and I don’t know how to use it.
“Hey, Erna. Do you know a skill called Skill Picking?”
“Huh? This is my first time hearing that. Or rather, are you sure that it is a skill?”
She says so, but it’s probably a skill because it is on my skill list. As the name implies, I think it literally means skill picking but I can’t quite understand how to do it.
Where do I pick the skill from?
As I used the Skill Picking on Erna as a test, the following words were displayed in my head.
【Acquisition Failure: Skill Picking is not applicable to the target.】
……It’s a no go huh?
However, to say that there is a target means that I can acquire skills from something. For the time being, I’ll put off this Skill Picking. This time, I used the pressure point skill on Erna. There were four red dots in my field of view and the same number of green dots.
“Hmmm, the number of dots doesn’t seem to increase though it levelled up.”
For the time being, I pressed the green dot on Erna’s flank and the effect came immediately.
“Ha~gh!?”
With her eyes wide open, Erna runs to her bedroom. She soon came back and closed the bookshelf, I then heard the sound of door being shut tightly. Apparently, she entered the toilet.
A few minutes later, when she came back, she hits me with the pillow with her face flushed red.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
“If you can get rid of constipation, say it first! I was so surprised because it came so suddenly!”
“S-Sorry. Don’t tell me… that dot is for eliminating constipation…?”
Including this to my apology, I press the green dot between her shoulder blades. Once again, Erna’s eyes are widely opened.
“What is this? It’s wonderful…it feels so good that I’m full of power…”
“Hmmm, was there an improvement in her blood flow?”
I consider this as an effect of the advance levelled pressure point skill. Looking at Erna, its effect seemed to jump. In that case, if I thrust on the red dot, it may find it more useful in battle. If I won’t make a mistake pressing the green dots, I should be able to support my comrades.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)
Hmm, not bad.
“From now on, I’ll try to press on the dot on Erna’s back.”
“That’s fine, but don’t press on my flank too much… I’ll call you when I want you…”
Her smile becomes rigid. I’ll also be embarrassed if that suddenly happened to me. Sorry Erna. For the time being, I prepared myself and rushed out of the hideout heading to the field.
I didn’t realize that I slept all day.
Perhaps until now, whenever I get drowsy, I might be sleeping soundly. In exchange, I felt that my body was firmer and my body is stronger than ever. Now I feel like I can defeat a pseudo dragon with one hand.
However, I didn’t realize that this was just the preparation stage…
I call out to the woman in a hurry. However the woman did not even budge.
“Please I beg you! Make me your disciple!”
This… don’t tell me she won’t move unless I make her into my disciple? If she won’t move even a bit…
People are already gathering around the area. In any case, I don’t want this woman and above all Samia, to be left in the center of this curious crowd.
“For the time being, I will close the store, let me hear about it then.”
After saying that, the woman starts to stand up. Without delay, I close the shop with clattering noise. I want to leave before the guards come. I don’t want to bother the guards too much.
This is the fastest time so far that I tidied my things, holding the sales stand, the three of us went to return it then we met Marius-shi. However, he’s extremely relaxed…
“Oh, you finally met the dwarf young lady huh. That’s good, I’m glad you two met.”
“Ah yes! Thanks to you.”
The dwarf woman smiles and answers back. Ah, she must be the one Marius-shimentioned this morning....
“Marius-san, I wish you have told me more about this a while ago.”
I softly protest to Marius-shi.
“No, the result wouldn’t change even if I told you about it and I also couldn’t do anything about it.”
That’s right… but at least I should have some mental preparation.
“And I was able to see that surprised expression of yours. Normally, you have this usual surly face, so it was also profitable for me.”
I even thought that he came out at the right timing but it seems that he was watching from afar while using the pretext of patrolling or something.
“That was terrible…”
“Well, please forgive me. Events like this are the only fun things happening around here you know.”This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com
“I’ll take it as you owe me one for this.”
“I understand!”
And lastly, Marius-shi jokingly salutes. I don’t think he’s a bad person, but there are some things I’m not good at. In any case I made it as his debt.
I said goodbye to Marius-shi and after I returned the sales stand, we went to an inn in the flea market. As expected, there is a bar on the first floor and accommodations on the second floor. This dwarven woman has been here for three days.
“I’m Rike Moritz”
Said the woman. I’m holding a big mug –not a glass but a small barrel with a handle –though it was not the ale, isn’t this a brandy?
“Family name?”
Samia mumbled that question. Then,
“Ah no, not that, Moritz is not a family name but a workshop name.”
“Workshop name?”
This time it was my turn to question. Samia is drinking ale next to me.
“Yeah. Dwarves basically come together in a few families to have a workshop. People born and living there give themselves the name of the workshop. My name means I’m Rike from Moritz Workshop.”Translated by Yume Neiji
Like that of a clan, it’s like introducing oneself with the name of the village huh.
“My name is Eizou. This is Samia.”
Samia glanced at me. Probably because I didn’t say “Tanya”. I can introduce like that to Rike-san but I don’t know who’s listening at the bar so I refrained from doing so. It’s a bit troublesome if you have a family name in this world, and I don’t want to take the risk for it.
“Nice to meet you.”
Samia curtly greets.
“Likewise, please take good care of me. Eizou-san… Are you a northerner?”
“Ah, that’s my country of origin. Due to various things, I settled down in the “Black Forest” and work there as a blacksmith.”
“I see…”
As she listened to my story, Rike-san pondered about it.
“Is there anything wrong?”
“Ah, none. I was wondering about it as I didn’t see any blacksmith that could make such items before I came here.”
“Ah……”This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com
I drink the contents of the mug. It’s a wine diluted with water, not so good……Contrary to how I look, I am vulnerable to alcohol.
Well, no one makes a workshop inside the forest normally. It seems a water wheel is used to move the hammer so it needs to be near running water. I wonder if it’s close to a hydraulic hammer used to forge in the previous world. In my case, it was already prepared in the forest, so there’s no use in arguing about it.
“It would help me a lot if you won’t pursue the circumstances in that area deeply.”
“I understand. I’m not interested about it in particular.”
Rike-san says so readily.
“So why do you want to be my disciple?”
I corrected the flow of the conversation.
“Ah, yes. About that topic, it will take a little longer as I explain.”
Rike-san drinks the contents of the mug and exhaled.
“Me and my younger brothers left our workshop to visit workshops in various places in order to study. And if we are to find a good workshop, we would enter as a disciple then eventually go back to our original workshop to craft new things using the techniques we learned. Afterwards we will return to the workshop where we are accepted as disciple. That’s how dwarves live.”
Oh, those information are not “installed” in me. Since it doesn’t contain the detailed ecology of animals, I wonder if it’s because of that. Well it’s more fun that way, but…
“That kind of thing… If it’s done poorly the technique might leak so doesn’t everyone usually refuse?”This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com
“Yes. Having a dwarf wanting to be a disciple is normally an honor for the workshop. If everything works well, that workshop will also gain merits.”
But I don’t know ordinary people who aren’t blacksmiths, so at that time I was more curious than the surprise of the apprentice thing. If I was seen by blacksmiths in this town, then there is a possibility that I will incur their envy, right? Leaving immediately is the right choice… No, wait, who does Marius-shi really looking out for? Guess it’s alright, I’ll just have him return this debt in a different way.
Rike-san then continues.
“So, when I arrived in this town about three days ago, I saw that guard I met earlier use a knife, then I inadvertently inquire him about it. I want to be the disciple of the person who made it, so I asked him to tell me where you live. I thought you are a blacksmith in this town at that time.”
“Umm, then you thought I made it, huh.”
“Yes, but I don’t know your name or where you live so I come to the flea market once a week. I was told that you might be coming now since it’s about a week when you last came here.”
“Surely that’s how it is now.”
“So this morning, I watched my younger brothers set off and then come to take a look at the long swords. Then I thought that I want to be your disciple after all and learn this technique.”This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com
“I see…… Eh?”
She just said something I’m worried about.
“Your brothers are no longer here?”
“Yes. They have a workshop they should go to.”
Rike-san smiled sweetly.
“Then, if I refuse here…”
“It’ll be a woman travelling alone, and then search for the next workshop.”
No, I think it would be dangerous. Or rather, she anticipates and purposely says it…. I think I’ll accept here. I still think I’m too naïve for my own good.
“Okay. I approve you as my disciple.”
Samia next to me took a deep sigh. I’m sorry. But didn’tyou expect it?
“Is that ok!?”
“Yes. However, there are four conditions.”
“Y-Yes, what are those?”
“First, like Rike-san did this time, resolving yourself to be a sacrifice is something I don’t like. Please don’t do it in from now on.”
“Yes.”
Rike-san sits up straight and nods.
“Second, we don’t have enough rooms. We will start with your room construction.”
“Yes, I’m use to it. Even at Moritz Workshop, if the family had children, everyone will help in building a new room.”
“Third, it’s related to the second one, but I will ask you to help in various tasks other than blacksmithing.”
“Yes. That’s what it meant to be a disciple.”
“Fourth”
“Yes”
“Let’s drop the honorifics. I’ll call you Rike, so Rike should just call me Eizou.”
“No, I can’t call you that, Boss!”
Samia, who heard it look in amazement.
“B, boss…”
“Yeah, I’m a disciple that’s why calling you Boss to show my respect is logical!”
Samia, who finally couldn’t hold it in, laughed. I’ll remember this.
With this, I made a disciple, which I thought would still be a long way-off.
