《Someday Will I Be The Greatest Alchemist?》 Chapter 1: Eventually The Strongest Artisan Chapter 1: Eventually The Strongest Artisan Left in a pure white room, I was being crushed by anxiety when, right before my eyes, a woman with a troubled expression watched me. Of course, even my dense self could understand that this situation was not normal, and I knew that this was not good. Hmm, Im sorry. It seems youve gotten involved. Eh?! The woman in front of me says that she is the goddess of the world called Mildgard. She certainly seems like a Goddess-sama that naturally descended as she sits. Even without doing anything, she was so full of dignity. What Goddess-sama said was that summoning magic that was supposed to be prohibited in Mildgard was used. However, it seems that as a result of using a spell with unreasonable conditions, multiple people were summoned, and I got dragged into it. Then, please send me back to Japan. Sorry. Thats impossible. Ehh! You see, different world summoning is a very dangerous magic. Its a summoning that randomly selects from innumerable targets of many worlds. The principles of some of those worlds are so different that at the moment of summoning, there is a risk of Mildgard copsing. Although I rushed to intervene, there is nothing I could do about the summoning itself. Haa. So then, I looked around once more. Umm, if I was dragged into it, then there are other summoned people, right? Yes, like you, there were three other Japanese people summoned. There was no problem calling those children to the summoning magic circle of the Divine Empire of Sydnia. Huh? Then what will happen to me? When I asked that, Goddess-sama had an embarrassed expression as she apologized. Ehehe, you see, I applied a patch so that the forbidden technique of otherworldly summoning can no longer be used, but I made a slight mistake on its extent. It seems the Goddess is saying that she altered the global specifications so that the summoning magic would be unusable in the world of Mildgard. With one hand on her head, she apologized for getting me, who got dragged into all this, involved. That manner of apologizing[1] This is already the realm of the gods in the world of Mildgard so you can no longer return to the world you lived in. Give up. No, to just give up Then, will I also be summoned to the Divine Empire of Sydnia? That would be fine too but, I wanted to apologize to you so I thought I should support you a little and called you here separately. Besides, speaking of the Divine Empire of Sydnia, its a bit of a problematic country. Its clear that they would almost certainly treat you, who was dragged into the hero summoning, badly. Whats with that country? Bad treatment for someone they summoned. ording to Goddess-sama, Mildgard is simr to Earth in the 15th century with its civilizations advancements. Its been said there is arge variety of races that live in it, and that dangerous monsters exist. Divine Empire of Sydnia is a religious nation but the deity they worship doesnt exist, so it seems they are, in various ways, a problematic country. To begin with, that hero summoning, there was no purpose for it. Eh? It wasnt to defeat the demon king? Good grief,Goddess-sama shook her head. Apparently, Mazoku do exist in Mildgard but they were said to be a race that specializes in magic, and it seems that the demon king is just what the king of the Mazoku country is called. With all that said, the Divine Empire of Sydnia was quite fishy. Hey, since its like that, you can thank me, you know. And its like the games and novels in Japan, you will go to a world simr to that. Its a fantasy world of swords and magic, with levels and skills. Isnt it exciting? No, I have nothing but worries. Goddess-sama was in high spirits as she said it, but as a 40+ year old man, I think that a fantasy world of swords and magic is tough. Goblins and dragons are scary, but so are thieves and bandits. Now now, thieves and bandits are fine to kill. Huh? Are my thoughts being heard? I get it. Im still a goddess, you know. Although this world might certainly be savagepared to the Japan you guys lived in, it is still simr to Japan in the 15th century, isnt it? Bearing in mind what you said, it would be fine since I will support you. Goddess-sama waved her hand and my body was wrapped in light. Chant Status in your mind Just as Goddess-sama instructed, I chanted Status in my mind. Then, a translucent pane appeared before my eyes. StatusName : Takumi IrumaRace : Human Age : 15 years old Job : Level : 1 Vitality : 100 Magic Power : 100 Strength : 50 Agility : 30 Stamina : 50 Dexterity : 50 Intelligence : 70 Unique Skills Passive Skills Active Skills Huh, I became 15 years old. Thats also a service. Starting as a 40 year old in a harsh environment would be an impossible game, no? Umm, what does Job mean? Im a sry worker though As you would expect, sryman doesnt exist in Mildgard but the things called jobs here are Swordsman and Magicians, Knights and cksmiths, Thieves, Hunters and the like. In Mildgard, there are a variety of jobs you can take depending on your conduct. And the growth and behaviour of your status are revised depending on that job. I see. Then I have no other option but to go to Mildgard, right? If thats the case then a pharmacist, alchemist, smith master, or carpenter would be great. I never want to be a swordsman or a soldier. Well, rather than worrying about whats already decided, its more productive to n for whats ahead. So I will support you by etching the continentsnguage and brief general knowledge about the world of Mildgard into your soul. Is there anything else you want to request? I thought about what she said. From what Ive heard, this world was certainly like a game. I will probably be near danger too. First, if Im aiming for a production job, I wonder if Ill need a skill simr to appraisal. And a way to protect myself, at least. But I cant imagine myself being able to fight proactively. If its a civilization in around the 15th century then wounds and illnesses are scary so is there recovery magic? And if in a production job, Ill be collecting raw materials so I wonder if theres anything simr to storage and item box. Appraisal, item box and recovery magic, right? Also, although it would be a production job if you didnt want abat job, the magic you chose is convenient for the production job. But wanting a production job instead of hero is in, isnt it? I was thinking about it carefully when Goddess-sama said that and waved her hand again, then the ball of light that was released from her hand went inside of me. Agaaaaaaaaaaaa``!! The next instant, my head felt like it was going to split open as a sharp pain ran through, I immediately scrunched down. Well then, do your best to live, okay~ Lightly being sent off by Goddess-samas voice, my body was enveloped by the light, then my consciousness faded. You sent him out, huh Next to the goddess, Norn, a woman with white wings on her back like an angel, appeared unnoticed and talked to her. Oh, you were watching? Thats because Norn-sama did something asplex as to especially send that man 3 years into the past from the time of Sydnias hero summoning. Furthermore, Norn-sama even prepared a special body for him. It is likely to be much greater than those of the heroes summoned with the summoning magic circle. I, its that. He would stand out in Mildgard if he was rejuvenated as he was. The people suspected of being connected to Sydnias hero summoning may or may note out in 3 years. Also, the heroes of Sydnia are 3 people. If he were to square off with Sydnia, I want him to be able to fight back! Haa, I understand. I will leave it at that. So, in the end, what do you expect from him? He was bestowed skills to an overprotective extent. The angels pursuit did not stop. His soul was, by all means, obstinately gentle. I believe that if its him, he would not use his powers mistakenly, and would even be a good influence to Mildgard. If he doesnt be prejudice towards the races, he may be helpful in stabilising Mildgard. Goddess Norn did not demand the duties of a hero from Takumi. She was aware it would only amount to throwing a pebble into the pond called Mildgard. She believed that the ripples that pebble will cause would extend greatly, though. *** Footnotes:
  1. Apologizing with one hand on your head is more informal than with both hands together in front of you or by your side as you bow. It kinda looks like this.
Chapter 2: Takumi Alone in the Land Chapter 2: Takumi Alone in the Land When my consciousness returned, I felt the sensation of solid ground on my back. U, urgh, that was terrible. My body felt out of ce immediately after I sat up. Did my stomach get smaller? I stood up at once so I could confirm it. Un, my stomach clearly got smaller. Feeling delighted that my body that was overweight from having azy lifestyle in addition to being in my 40s has been refreshed. Though, I did not realize a much bigger change at this time. Looking around, I realized I was on a hill in a meadow. A forest behind me and meadows in front of me, I wonder if theres a river beyond that. A steep-looking mountain to my right, and to my left is a meadow all the way, huh I guess I have no choice but to head towards the river. Before I set out, I inspected myself. My attire was a stiff, unbleached shirt and light brown pants, a pair of sturdy-looking leather short boots, a short sword on my left hip, and there was a leather shoulder bag by my feet. Is there something inside this bag? When I checked inside the bag Knife Harvest Knife Dried meat Water bag Hand towel Mantle A small bag with money ( 1 Gold coin, 10 silver coins, 10 copper coins) The types of money and approximate value of the Asgard continent-wide coins are 1 tinum coin = 100 gold coins = 10,000,000 yen. 1 Gold coin = 100 silver coins = 100,000 yen 1 Silver coin = 10 copper coins = 1,000 yen 1 Copper coin = 10 iron = 100 yen 1 Iron = 10 yen Thanks for the money. Oh yeah, I should confirm my status. StatusName : Takumi Iruma Race : Human Age : 15 years old Job : Level : 1 Condition : Healthy Vitality : 100 Magic Power : 100 Strength : 50 Agility : 30 Stamina : 50 Dexterity : 50 Intelligence : 70 Unique Skills : Appraisal EX Item Box EX Passive Skills : Active Skills : Light Attribute Magic Lv 1 Fire Attribute Magic Lv 1 Water Attribute Magic Lv 1 Wind Attribute Magic Lv 1 Earth Attribute Magic Lv 1 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv 1 Alchemy Lv 1 Smithing Lv 1 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn So that goddess-sama was called Norn. Rather, I have a lot of magic attributes. Since I thought there was no helping it, I looked for other strange things and noticed the Divine Protection of Norn. When I looked closely, Appraisal worked and the details were disyed. Divine Protection of Goddess Norn Large growth correction for everything ? Growth limit break Right now only Takumi has my divine protection, be grateful, okay? I know Im gonna get dragged into something troublesome like this. Because its no use thinking about it, Ill inspect magic next. I have magic in my status but I dont know how to use it. Ive made up my mind to use something as a test. Since congration with fire attribute magic is scary, Ill try using water attribute magic. Lets see, Water Ball! After I extended my right hand and chanted, there was a feeling of somethinging out from my body, then a lump of water projected forward. I guess what came from my body just now was magic power. The moment I sensed it, a message was transmitted in my head. The Magic Perception skill has been obtained As soon as I obtained the Magic Perception skill, I was able to sense that there was something simr to magic power (?) within me and in nature. After that, with a clearer image of the result, I tried out Water Ball again. Shuba! Compared to the first one, its clear that there was force in this waterball when it flew. Its the The image is important temte, isnt it? Afterwards, I changed attributes multiple times to verify my magic. Lv 1 magic of any attribute probably consumes 5 magic power each time. Alright, thats it for that. All thats left is to check the item box. When I thought of the item box, a ck hole immediately appeared from air. I gingerly put my hand in and ced a stone that I picked up. Un, can I turn it into a list in my head to check? Being able to confirm the contents would be convenient. I reviewed the details of my item box. Item Box EX A time-space attribute magic different from storage magic. A unique skill that the Goddess Norn created. Opening and closing the space, and putting in or taking out items does not require magic power. Infinite storage capacity ? Time stop ? Storing living things is not allowed Ooh, this leaking out would be bad. The moment I said my soliloquy, a message was transmitted into my head. Item Box has be Item Box EX (Concealed), Divine Protection of Goddess Norn has be Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed) Thanks Norn-sama For the time being. I picked up medium-sized stones and ced them in the item box. This is for stone throwing. Although I cant sense any dangerous monsters around right now, theres no way I can use a short sword right off the bat. My reasoning is If its stone throwing then I might be able to manage somehow. Afterwards, I searched for a handy pole in the thick forest of trees behind me. As a way to defend myself, I think that rather than a sword, a spear would be better for a beginner. With that reasoning, I used Appraisal and the one handed short sword as I searched for sturdy wood. Without entering the forest, I searched the outer perimeter and a fallen tree caught my eye. Following my instinct, I used Appraisal. Treant Wood High grade wood obtained from a Treant, a tree monster. Excellent for magic power conductivity, it is used for magicians canes and magic tools. Oooh, is this my great fortune? I took out my knife and cut out the appropriate size. I cant use this as it is. Can I do this with the Smithing Skill? Smithing Lv 1 Correction to Smith working. Smithing Magic ( Modeling ? Shaving ? Heating ? Cooling ) are usable. Un, it seems Ill be able to manage somehow. I held the Treant Wood in my hands, imagined a spear handle, poured in magic power, and invoked the Smithing Magic Modeling. Whether it was because the Treant Wood had high affinity for magic or because the form of the spear was simple, the spear handle waspleted with the image I had. Next, I peeled bark from the fallen Treant and made rope. The Woodworking skill has been obtained I can get skills from this? Although I was puzzled by how I got the Woodworking Skill so simply, my work became much easier. I inserted the knife I dismantled into the notch I previously made on the Treant handle and fastened it with the rope. Un, I wonder if this is good enough. I took a stance and tried thrusting and swiping the spear I made. Alright, I guess I should head in the rivers direction first. A few hours have gone by unnoticed since I was sent here by Goddess Norn. Wanting to avoid sleeping outdoors, I started walking in the direction of the river. I believe that if I moved down the riverside, I would reach a settlement where humans live. I bid farewell to the forest and started walking towards what seemed to be a river far past the meadow. *** Chapter 3: I Haven’t Managed To Reach a Village Chapter 3: I Havent Managed To Reach a Vige While walking with the spear in one hand, I appraised everything. Hirukuku Grass An herb used as an ingredient for Heal Potion. Recovers a little bit of Vitality if eaten as is. Kurupopo Grass An herb used as an ingredient for Stamina Potion. Maryl Grass Its blue flower is used as an ingredient for Mana Potion. York Grass The leaves and roots contain poison. Used as an ingredient for poison and antidote. Mamani Mushroom Causes paralysis if eaten. Used as an ingredient for paralysis poison. As it is a ce people rarelye by, I was able to pick up a variety of raw materials. I stored everything in my item box. The Foraging skill has been obtained Upon acquiring the Foraging Skill, I felt my collecting speed and quality have both improved. Around an hour has passed since I started walking but I dont feel tired yet. If I were my past self, I would already be exhausted by travelling on a hard to walk path that isnt path-like, so I dont know if its because Ive been rejuvenated into a 15 years old or some other factor. Also, Im heading for the river right now but, although its a bitte, I thought it was strange that even though it wasnt thatrge, I saw it quite well from a distance. ? As I was nearing the river, I could hear a rustle from a thicket. I hurriedly readied by spear. What came out was a rabbit around the size of a medium-sized dog. But this rabbit, with a horn growing from its forehead and fangs I wouldnt have expected from a rabbit, bared it fangs and rushed at me. The rabbits in this world are carnivores?! I thrust the spear forward. Gasa! By some coincidence, the spear I thrust pierced the neck of the horned rabbit that lunged at me. The sensation of stabbing an animal was unpleasant but I understood that that thrust was fatal to the horned rabbit. The Spear Handling skill has been obtained Horned Rabbit Lv 5 Its horn is used as an ingredient for cold medicine. Its meat is preferably eaten. Using Appraisal, it seems its name is Horned Rabbit. I thought it would be better if I dismantled it but I threw it into the item box for the time being and headed towards the river. ? Ive finally reached the river. As I drew nearer the river to wash my face, I was at a loss for words. This is my face? The face being reflected on the waters surface was that of apletely different from when I was Japanese. Im not sure if its white or silver but Im certain that its not ck hair. Save for some traces of my old face, its now that of a westerners. My eyes dont seem to be ck either. It looks more handsome than my previous one so, oh well. I gave up dwelling on it. Its not like I can do anything about it now. I washed my face and dried it off with a towel, took out the water bag from my satchel and replenished it. Sitting on arge rock by the riverside, I gnawed on the dried meat as I took a break. Now then, I should hurry up. Moving along the riverside, I walked downstream. I earnestly searched for any vige in the vicinity as I headed downstream. The sun gradually setting was making me flustered so I quickened my pace. ? Around the time it was getting dark, I spotted what seems to be a vige. I sprinted halfway to the vige. Finally, I reached it. I was delighted for a moment, but it was a short-lived as the subsequent moment ended it. a deserted vige, huh. It was an abandoned small vige. The buildings were crumbling away. The fences encircling the vige were already broken. There were no signs of monsters inside the vige but I readied my spear as I investigated the perimeter of the vige. The Enemy Search skill has been obtained The Presence Detection skill has been obtained As soon as I gained Enemy Search Skill and Presence Detection Skill, I, intriguingly, was able to grasp the situation around me. I wonder, would the range extend as the skill levels up? Eventually, having detected no signs of monsters in the deserted vige, I came across a house less derelictpared to the others so I decided I would sleep here for tonight. Ill have to endure with dried meat for today. Once I finished eating my dinner of dried meat and water, I took out the mantle from the satchel and proceeded to sleep with it wrapped around me. ? I slept lightly and woke up repeatedly until morning dawned. U, uuuun I stretched to loosen up then searched for any presence of monsters in the vige. Once I confirmed that there were no response, I looked at my status. StatusName : Takumi Iruma Race : Human Age : 15 years old Job : Level : 1 Condition : Healthy Vitality : 100 Magic Power : 100 Strength : 50 Agility : 30 Stamina : 50 Dexterity : 50 Intelligence : 70 Unique Skills : Appraisal EX Item Box EX (Concealed) Passive Skills : Active Skills : Spearmanship Lv 1 Enemy Search Lv 1 Presence Detection Lv 1 Magic Perception Lv 1 Light Attribute Magic Lv 1 Fire Attribute Magic Lv 1 Water Attribute Magic Lv 1 Wind Attribute Magic Lv 1 Earth Attribute Magic Lv 1 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv 1 Alchemy Lv 1 Smithing Lv 1 Foraging Lv 1 Woodworking Lv 1 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed) Un, the skills have increased but there were no changes. Upon storing the mantle, I gnawed the dried meat as I began walking downstream. I have a feeling that, even at the worst, Id manage to get to a vige before today is over. The reason that deserted vige was abandoned was because of the damage done by wild animals and monsters. Thats what I concluded when I saw how the houses and fence surrounding the vige were broken. I believe that vige was their initial vige. With the information about this world that Goddess Norn has given me, I specte that its a far walk of 2-3 days. There should be a town or vige thats close to a days worth of walking. Sleeping outside, I dont wanna~ Making free use of the physical prowess that have definitely improved since my time in Japan, I earnestly quickened my walking pace. *** Chapter 4: Finally Arrived at a Village Chapter 4: Finally Arrived at a Vige Around the time sun was gradually sinking on the day I had set out from the deserted vige, I caught a glimpse of a small vige enclosed in a fence. I picked up materials as I kept walking, and just when my anxiety was at its peak, I found the small vige not much different in scale from the deserted one. Alright, Ive finally reached a vige.Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Warrior Lv 3, Mage Lv 1 Level : 2 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 120 Magic Power: 120 Strength: 55 Agility: 35 Stamina: 55 Dexterity: 55 Intelligence: 75 Unique Skills: Appraisal EX Item Box EX (Concealed) Passive Skills: Active Skills: Spear Handling Lv 2 Enemy Search Lv 1 Presence Detection Lv 1 Magic Perception Lv 1 Light Attribute Magic Lv 1 Fire Attribute Magic Lv 1 Water Attribute Magic Lv 1 Wind Attribute Magic Lv 1 Earth Attribute Magic Lv 1 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv 1 Alchemy Lv 1 Smithing Lv 1 Woodworking Lv 1 Foraging Lv 2 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed) On the way here, I was able to hunt two Horned Rabbits. I realized I leveled up at that time due to the strength that welled up from my body, but I didnt notice the jobs that appeared. I am aiming for a production job if possible, as an Alchemist. By the way, the maximum skill level is 10 and, depending on the skill, it could awaken to a superior skill. This skill thing is indeed a game-like system. It was evident as my handling and defense with the spear was much smoother the instant the Spear Handling Skill leveled up from 1 to 2. The maximum Job Level is 100, but while lower rank type of Jobs such as Warrior and Mage are easy to level up, the highest rank Jobs such as Master Swordsman of the Knight and Swordsman series are exceedingly difficult to raise. Looking at the vige closely, its really a small vige with around 10 houses. It is surrounded by a crude fence, and there is no one at the gate. No gatekeeper is that how it is? Un? Niichan, need something from this vige? As I was talking to myself, a man in the prime of his life wearing a fur vest started talking to me. Yes, I left my hometown after I came of age, and Im collecting raw materials as I travel. Also, my name is Takumi. I see. Takumi, is it? Thats amazing for someone still so young. I am a hunter in this vige, Vanga[1]. Even so, collecting raw materials huh, this area is abundant in raw materials used as ingredients for medicine. Additionally, there is an ore vein near here so this is a paradise for those with production Jobs. Well, being so far in the out still has its ws at times though. If there are a lot of materials here, then staying for a little while to practice the skills of the production jobs Im aiming for would be good. Would it be possible for me to stay in this vige? Sure, youre wee to. Well, theres no inn in this vige, but you can build the house youll stay in. Vanga-san says that I can use the stockpiled timber for the house Ill build, then cut down trees to replenish the stock afterwards. As it was a godsend for me, I epted his kind offer. The name of this vige is Bohd Vige. It seems that the deserted vige I stopped at was abandoned because of a monster stampede 5 years ago. This current vige is located at the western end of Valkyra[3] Kingdom and on the north-west of the Asgard Continent. As I was talking to Vanga-san, the vigers gathered in a bustle. Yo! This guy is Takumi ! He said he was collecting herbs as he travels! He wants to stay in the vige for a while so one house will be built! Heeee~ Oniichan is a handsome guy, isnt he? You can stay for as long as you like. There are no more than 40 people in the vige. It seems almost everyone in the vige is here, including a few small children too. I am called Takumi. For the short while Ill be here, please treat me well! The vigers were, surprisingly, very warm and weing to me. It might be because it is necessary to help each other in an environment thats harsh to live in. I ended up staying at Vanga-sans house that day. Vanga-san lives with his wife, Martha-san, and his son, Ganbo-san. It seems he has another son, but that son left the vige when he became an adult. The next morning, Vanga-san guided me towards the edge of the vige. Sorry, but this is the only vacant lot you can build a house on right now. Its great that its pretty close to the where the timber is being stored though, right? Vanga-san said so apologetically. Certainly, its a vacant lot a bit distant from the other houses. I believe it was inevitable in this small vige. No, I will only be staying for a short while, and I am grateful for being permitted to stay. O-okay, then lets get to building quickly? Yes, please. The vigers, not just Vanga-san, helped, so carrying the timber finished before long. I will be ttening the ground. I then ttened the ground in the area my house would be built on with Earth Attribute Magic. The Earth Attribute Magic Skill has leveled up The Magic Power Maniption Skill has been obtained Fuuu, it took a bit more magic power than I had imagined. Enduring the slight dizziness of having my magic power almost run dry, I supported myself, and looked at Vanga-san and the others. Everyones mouths were agape. Ta-takumi, you are a Mage? Well, that aside, to use earth magic that way Umm, was it something unskillful? I dont know any other Mages. N-no, its fine. Then, everyone! Lets divide the work and build this quickly. O, oh, thats right. Wooow! Oniichan! The children seemed to be delighted, but it seems that how I used Earth Magic to build a house was sort of unconventional. I should be careful. As for the dimensions of the house, the n a 6-jou[3] cabin that has 2 rooms on a dirt floor and with a hearth. Its a small cabin so, with the vigers all helping, the exterior was almostpleted by dusk. The Carpentry Skill has leveled up The CarpentrySkill has been obtained Until the hearth is ready, Martha-san will take care of my meals. I will be making my furniture little by little; Tomorrow Ill make a bed, and chop down trees to rece the amount of timber Ive used. *** Footnotes:
  1. Vanga is read as Van-Ga.
  2. Got a better way to write ܩ` (I used Boud) and Щ` (Balkyra) in english? Board and Bakira dont sound very nice to meBrassKnight gave a bunch of suggestions. Changed to Valkyra and Bohd.Thanks
  3. 1 Jou (Tatami mat) is equivalent to 1.53m2so its 9.18 m2.
Chapter 5: First to prepare my living space Chapter 5: First to prepare my living space The exterior of the house isplete, but as there was no bed, I slept on a nk while covered in a mantle. Uugh, o-ouch. Telling myself that today is thest time Ill sleep on a hard nk, I loosened my body as I got up. After I washed my face and brushed my teeth at the only water well in the vige, I did some light stretching, and I ate the sausage and bread that Vanga-sans wife, Martha-san, brought overst night. Now then, gotta chop down some trees first. Sometime yesterday, Vanga-san marked some trees needed for the periodic thinning. I will be logging those trees today, then I n on making an assortment of furniture and tableware afterwards. Hmm, its cutting edge seems to be dull. Looking at the edge of the axe that I borrowed yesterday, I judged that chopping down trees with this would be difficult. Come to think of it, wouldnt Smithing magic work somehow? Among the Smithing magic, there is one that can freely manipte the form, Craft, and another for honing, Sharp. I held the axe and invoked Smithing Magic. Since the level of my Smithing skill is low, it was sharpened roughly, but because it is an axe, that isnt a problem. So with the axe on one hand, I exited the vige gate and trudged my way into the mountain to fell some trees. I swung the axe into the marked trees. Kan! Kan! Kan! Cutting down a tree 30 cm in diameter was harder than I thought. But as I sweat buckets, I was able to cut down the tree. The Logging Skill has been obtained The Axe TechniqueSkill has been obtained Right after I finished cutting down that one tree, I got some skills. But in reality, getting skills cant be this simple, right? is what I thought as I chopped down one marked tree after the other with the skill, which increased my tree cutting speed, that I obtained. The benefits of the skills were tremendous, from second to third, and from third to fourth, my tree cutting speed increased several fold each time the skill level went up. The logged timber only needs to be stored in the Item Box so I reached the quota of timber much faster than nned. I ced the timber stored in the Item Box into the timber storage space, took some timber for the furniture, and headed back to the house. With the tools I borrowed from Vanga-san, I will be making a bed. But first, checking my status.Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Warrior Lv4, Mage Lv3 Level : 2 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 120 Magic Power: 120 Strength: 55 Agility: 35 Stamina: 55 Dexterity: 55 Intelligence: 75 Unique Skills: Appraisal EX Item Box EX (Concealed) Passive Skills: Active Skills: Spear Handling Lv 2 Axe Technique Lv 2 Enemy Search Lv 1 Presence Detection Lv 1 Magic Perception Lv 1 Magic Power Maniption Lv 1 Light Attribute Magic Lv 1 Fire Attribute Magic Lv 1 Water Attribute Magic Lv 1 Wind Attribute Magic Lv 1 Earth Attribute Magic Lv 2 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv 1 Alchemy Lv 1 Smithing Lv 1 Woodworking Lv 1 Carpentry Lv 2 Foraging Lv 2 Logging Lv 2 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed) Next is to see if I could change the job. So then, Carpenter | cksmith | Alchemist | Thief | Priest I saw I could select from 5 kinds of Jobs. Therefore, I changed Warrior to Carpenter and Mage to cksmith so I could get a correction for furniture making, even if just a little bit. Like I thought, Smithing magic is effective even if the material applied to is wood. I poured magic power into the wood, using Craft to mold it. I used the nails given by Vanga-san for the construction of the house, but thanks to my Woodworking skill, I was able to work on the furniture without having to use nails so the amount of support from nails was kept down. The Woodworking Skill has leveled up The Carpentry Skill has leveled up The Smithing Skill has leveled up The Carpenter Job has leveled up The cksmith Job has leveled up The Magic Power Maniption Skill has leveled up Once the bed was finished, several skills and jobs leveled up. Instead of a bed mattress, I was sold the fur of the viges sole livestock, a goat-like animal called a Yaak, for 10 silver coins. In addition to that, I received fabric as a substitute for a bedsheet from Martha-san. Since I discovered that production jobs levels up even without fighting, I am leaning more and more towards production jobs. I continued making a workbench, a stool, a dining table, and a chair until the sun came down. Dinner at Vanga-sans house became a feast since I presented the two horned rabbits that I forgot about in my item box to Martha-san. While I was learning how to dismantle it from Vanga-san, I challenged myself to dismantle one too. It would have been revolting or something in my life in Japan but I was totally fine. Is this a specification of another world too? The skills of the production type jobs were improving steadily.Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Carpenter Lv 7, cksmith Lv7 Level : 2 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 120 Magic Power: 120 Strength: 55 Agility: 35 Stamina: 55 Dexterity: 55 Intelligence: 75 Unique Skills: Appraisal EX Item Box EX (Concealed) Passive Skills: Active Skills: Spear Handling Lv2 Axe Technique Lv2 Enemy Search Lv 1 Presence Detection Lv 1 Magic Perception Lv 1 Magic Power Maniption Lv 2 Light Attribute Magic Lv 1 Fire Attribute Magic Lv 1 Water Attribute Magic Lv 1 Wind Attribute Magic Lv 1 Earth Attribute Magic Lv 2 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv 1 Alchemy Lv 1 Smithing Lv 3 Woodworking Lv 3 Carpentry Lv 3 Foraging Lv 2 Logging Lv 2 Dismantling Lv 1 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed) *** Chapter 6: First, Making Tools 1 Chapter 6: First, Making Tools 1 Ive been staying at Bohd Vige for 3 days now and, although it was just the exterior, its great that my house was built in one day. And on the morning of the second day the house was built for me, I woke up soon after the sun had just risen, but because all the vigers were already awake, it seems they live a life of waking up when the sun rises and sleeping when the sun sets as a default. Now then, today lets mine the iron ore vein I heard about from Vanga-san. As there is a cksmith, Bobon-san, who makes agricultural equipment and misceneous goods for daily living, I had made an agreement with Bobon-san to dig up iron ore today. There seems to be magic iron ore too. Magic iron ore is an iron ore thats been permeated with magic power over a long period of time, refining it into magic iron. Weapons made with magic iron and steel can be d in magic power when attacking. Yo, Takumi. Were leaving immediately. Yes, I look forward to working with you today. I met with Bobon-san at the vige gates and we headed towards the vein. Its around a 2 hour walk to the vein, so I stored the pickaxe in my Item Box. With my self-made spear in hand, I followed after Bobon-san. Takumi, over here! This is a good open-pit to dig ore from, try digging at the right spot. The ce Bobon-san pointed to was an open-pit mine where ores can be dug up. The ground was a reddish brown rust color. Then, Ill be digging. Bobon-san swung his pickaxe and started mining for ores. I imitated him, taking the pickaxe out of my Item Box, and dug at a ce that I guessed likely has ores. Appraisal works well here too. Iron Ore High quality oreprised mostly of iron. The Mining Skill has been obtained Its mysterious how as soon as I got mining skill, I could vaguely grasp the spots where ores are. I was having fun, mining silently and storing one thing after another into my item box. Bobon-san was surprised to see this. Normally, there are people who have Item Box-type skills, but that is Storage magic of Time-Space attribute, and it seems it cant storerge quantities like my Item Box. Since its now toote to hide it, I decided not to restrain myself when ites to the Item Box. Thats because the Item Box is convenient. Once Bobon-san and I made a few mounds of mined ores, Bobon-san informed me that were done mining. Takumi! Were leaving for the day! Since both Bobon-san and I were able to mine plenty of ores, he decided we should return to the vige before it gets dark. Today, besides iron ores, and in addition to silver and copper ores, I was able to find a fair amount of magic iron ore. Bobon-san said that ores apart from these, such as mythril and adamantite, could not be obtained here. I want to see mythril and adamantite. Theyre mysterious metals of a fantasy world. As a matter of course, I stored the ores mined by Bobon-san in my Item Box as well. Incidentally, on the way back, we were able to hunt four horned rabbits, so Bobon-san and I divided it, two each. Upon returning to the vige, I deposited Bobon-sans ores into his workshop, and bid him farewell. Though I am called a cksmith, I am but a simple cksmith so I do not have enough skill to teach you, Takumi. Especially since you can use Earth Magic and Smithing Magic. Its because Im bad at magic. Anyway, see ya, Takumi. Lets go mining again sometime. Thank you very much. Yes, lets. I went back to my house and immediately sorted the mined ores by type. Refining these would originally be done in a furnace, but this is a fantasy world. Iron, Copper, Silver, and Magic Iron. Ill refine each into ingots. cing the iron ore on my workbench, I invoked Alchemys Deconstruction and Extraction. I picked out only the iron (Fe) from the iron ores mainponent, iron oxide. On the workbench, it seperated into a shiny silver colored metal of near pure iron and g[1]. I synthesize the iron with Earth Magic and made it into an ingot. The Alchemist Jobhas leveled up The Alchemy Skill has leveled up The Earth Attribute Magic Skill has leveled up The Magic Power Maniption Skill has leveled up I steadily made progress in the refining process. When my magic power ran dry, I took a break, losing consciousness soon after, and when I regained consciousness, it was already the morning of the next day. I ate the breakfast Martha-san brought, then continued refining. It took three days to finish refining all the ores, and the level of my jobs rose considerably. I was able to extract iron, silver, copper, magic iron, and small amount gold, lead, tungsten, titanium, tin, and so forth. Aside from the Job level and skill levels that Ive already mentioned went up, these are the values of my status,Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Alchemist Lv 32, cksmith Lv 36 Level : 3 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 150 Magic Power:160 Strength:60 Agility: 40 Stamina: 70 Dexterity: 70 Intelligence: 80 Unique Skills: Appraisal EX Item Box EX (Concealed) Passive Skills: Superhuman Strength Lv 1 Active Skills: Spear Handling Lv 3 Axe Technique Lv 2 Enemy Search Lv 1 Presence Detection Lv 1 Magic Perception Lv 1 Magic Power Maniption Lv 4 Light Attribute Magic Lv 1 Fire Attribute Magic Lv 1 Water Attribute Magic Lv 1 Wind Attribute Magic Lv 1 Earth Attribute Magic Lv 4 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv 1 Alchemy Lv 4 Smithing Lv 4 Woodworking Lv 3 Carpentry Lv 3 Foraging Lv 2 Logging Lv 2 Dismantling Lv 1 Mining Lv 3 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed) Because I frequently changed my job to Mage and used Earth attribute magic when I made the metals into ingots, the level of my Earth attribute magic skill rose greatly, and my Mage level became 10 too. I appraised the Job levels and Skill levels of the other vigers but, as I thought, it seems my levels and skills rise much faster. Since Ive finished refining the ores I had mined, I can make my own tools by tomorrow. *** Footnotes:
  1. g C a stony waste matter separated from metals during the smelting or refining of ore.
  2. I am assuming that the author made a typo here since he wrote the Alchemy Skill twice so I changed one to Alchemist.
Chapter 7: First, Making Tools 2 Chapter 7: First, Making Tools 2 Its the morning after I finished refining all the mined ores. I n on making tools today, starting with a pickaxe and shovel for mining, an axe for lumbering, then a pot, a kitchen knife, and a utility knife afterwards. Then, should I start with steel? Mixing a small amount of carbon with the iron ingot, I produced several kinds of alloys. Just this much had exhausted my magic power, so I rested for two hours. But maybe because I experienced magic power depletion numerous times and had gotten used to it, I didnt lose consciousness like the first time. Upon recovering my magic power, I modified the steel using the Smithing magic, Craft. It seems I can modify the metal using Earth attribute magic too, but the cost of magic power when using Smithing magic is definitely lower. I am able to shape with just a little bit of magic power. Ill first make the pickaxe, then the shovel, andstly, the axe. While making these, I expect that my Smith Job and Smithing Skill levels to rise. For the axe that wasst, I raised my Job level and Skill level as much as I could to make the iron stick to the core, and make the exterior more solid. But since my Job level passed 30, it became much harder to raise even though I was doing the same routine. Nevertheless, by the time I finished the axe, it passed 40, so I actually really feel that I had been given favorable treatment. Various items such as a hammer and nails, a crowbar, a chisel, a kitchen knife were made. I couldnt have made these this fast without magic, huh. When the skill level goes up, so does the manufacturing speed. It reached the point where I am easily able to make minute adjustments to the form andposition of the item. This is an unreasonable speed even for the cksmiths of this world, and in addition to my Smith and Alchemy skills, I also possess Earth attribute magic, so I imagine I could substitute the whole metal tempering process with magic. Differing from the cksmiths in this world, I think my implementation of magic into the construction of martensite[1] in the forged de is heresy in this world. After I finished making a pot,dle, and silverware, the interior of my house had already dimmed. A uniform rhythmic sound of striking metal was audible. Takumi, when forging magic iron and steel, its crucial that you continuously charge magic power while hammering. The day after I made my tools, I went to Bobon-sans workshop. The reason for this is so I could be taught how to handle magic iron since there was no magic power in Earth. This, too, was weed by Bobon-san. The truth is, Bobon-san is a person who had very little magic power, so he has to expend it over several days to forge magic iron. Ordinary people that doesnt have a magic Job seldom fight, so since they have few chances to raise their level, they dont even have 100 magic power. Bobon-san himself has around 50. So my request to be taught about magic iron is more than I could hope to ask for from Bobon-san. The thing I have to be careful about when forging magic metals is the magic power I put into it while striking it. When a cksmith puts in magic power while forging, the metal to shape bes extremely pliable. Making alloy bes easier with Smithing magics Craft and Sharpen, and Alchemy. Kan! Kan! Kan! I swung the magic power charged hammer at the spots Bobon-san pointed at with a mallet. When I forge magic iron, I dont actually need a furnace, an anvil, and a hammer, but since I found my Smithing skill and cksmith level difficult to raise today, I smithed manually. I had no problem swinging the heavy hammer with the passive skill I learned, Superhuman Strength. Bobon-san shaped it with a mallet and ced it in the well-regted furnace. Alright! Takumi! Raise the temperature by heating it with Fire magic! I will check! Look at the color closely! I used appraisal to check its detailed condition as I watched the magic steel in the furnace intently. Okay! Now! Jyuuuu-!! Bobon-san quenched the item he took out. Its a short sword of magic steel with a tinge of ck. Its awfully beautiful. But is it really alright for me to have it? Yeah, magic iron is too much for me. Also, Takumi, you carried the ore for me, so Im satisfied. Thank you very much. That short sword is the best among what Ive made. By all rights, with two at the minimum, a sword of that ss can be granted two or three, abilities, however, as Takumi already knows, I am bad at magic, so enchanting is impossible. Enchant? Yeah, magic stones and magic crystals are catalysts that can grant abilities and increase the strength of the sword. Enchant seems to be a magic skill of a job called Magic Bestower. As for the skill, there is one called Magic Bestowal Skill, and that only when a Mage that uses an attribute magic reaches a certain level could he attain that job. This is what Bobon-san taught me. [2] You can ask for the details in the Magicians Guild in a town. Its probably ridiculously expensive, but they should be selling a spell book on magic bestowal. I wanted to see a spell book, even just once. I used Alchemy without training camp either, but even if I did go to training camp, I would be training the same way, just inserting magic power many times over. Its sometimes convenient working inrge quantities. Now then, watch carefully as I sharpen it by hand this time. The image is important when you use the Smithing magic, Sharpen. Saying so, Bobon-san sharpened the magic steel short sword with a rough grind medium sharpening finishing polish, using several kinds of whetstones. Making the handle and guard, Bobon-san told me to swing the short sword. Swing it to try out the bnce. I dont have the Swordy skill. It doesnt matter so hurry up and swing. Doing as I was told, I reluctantly swung the sword in front of Bobon-san. Un, not bad. Okay, it will beplete after the scabbard is made. Takumi, you will help. Because it is precious, I reinforced the tip of the scabbard with silver while trying to adorn it at the same time. The Metalworking skill has been obtained The Earth Attribute Magic skill has leveled up The Magic Power Maniption skill has leveled upStatus Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Alchemist Lv 33, cksmith Lv 40 Level : 3 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 150 Magic Power:180 Strength:64 Agility: 40 Stamina: 75 Dexterity: 72 Intelligence: 80 Unique Skills: Appraisal EX Item Box EX (Concealed) Passive Skills: Superhuman Strength Lv 1 Active Skills: Spear Handling Lv 3 Axe Technique Lv 2 Enemy Search Lv 1 Presence Detection Lv 1 Magic Perception Lv 2 Magic Power Maniption Lv 5 Light Attribute Magic Lv 1 Fire Attribute Magic Lv 2 Water Attribute Magic Lv 1 Wind Attribute Magic Lv 1 Earth Attribute Magic LV 5 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv 1 Alchemy Lv 4 Smithing Lv 5 Woodworking Lv 3 Carpentry Lv 3 Foraging Lv 2 Logging Lv 2 Dismantling Lv 1 Mining Lv 3 Metalworking Lv 2 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed) Confirming my status, both the level and skills of cksmith are already on par with an average cksmith. Im aiming for Alchemist and yet I dont get it. Since there are no monsters to hunt, my level doesnt rise, but maybe because it was influenced by the manualbor and abuse of magic power Ive dely, my status improved a bit. *** Footnotes:
  1. Martensite C formed in carbon steels by the rapid cooling (quenching) of the austenite form of the iron at such a high rate that carbon atoms do not have time to diffuse out of the crystal structure inrge enough quantities to form cementite (source: Wiki). If I understand correctly, its what strengthens the steel.
  2. I believe that Magic Bestowers (ħ) was a typo of (ħ) and Im a bit confused between Magic Bestowal (ħ) and Enchant ().Though it does look like it can be used interchangeably(?).
Chapter 8: Potion Making is an Alchemist’s Work Too? Part 1 Chapter 8: Potion Making is an Alchemists Work Too? Part 1 At Bobon-sans ce, after having had difficulty leveling up cksmith and making the short sword, I reced the head of the spear I always use to magic steel. Vanga-san, since you are a hunter, you have potions in case of an emergency, correct? Pardon me, but would it be alright to show it to me? Yep, theres nothing but basic grade potions at my house though. That is more than enough. I decided to try my hands on potion production, and somehow use therge quantities of medicinal nts in my item box. And there it hit me, If I use Appraisal on a genuine article, I could figure out the recipe, right?. And so, since Vanga-san might have some, I intruded at his house. Basic Heal Potion Quality: Normal Grade Hirukuku Grass + Water ( 2 : 8 ) Heal Potion produced by Pharmacist Un, it looks like Ill manage somehow. Thank you very much. Sure. If you make potions, sell me some. Yes, please wait without expectations. Upon returning home, I sat in front of the work bench and just when I was about to make potions, I realized I forgot something important. I dont have bottles to pour the potions into. Eventually, I ended up going to the river near the vige to collect sand. The river is approximately a 30 minute walk from the vige; I went to collect sand there, alone; In order to guarantee arge amount of ss bottles for the future, I steadily shovelled sand into the Item Box. I wonder if it would be better to make this without a furnace. As an experiment, I tried extracting, heating, and shaping the silica sand. My magic power whittled away, but it doesnt seem impossible. Eventually returning to my house, I relied on my magic power to make all the ss bottles. In doing so, I know my magic power would increase, therefore I chose to make it with magic as training. I continued to make ss bottles even as I ate lunch from Martha-san, and was able to make 500 potion bottles. The day after, I heard from Vanga-san that there was a cork-like wood that could serve as a bottle cap, so I took the opportunity of joining him for his hunt. In the forest, walking behind Vanga-san who erased his presence, I too endeavored to erase my presence while simultaneously searching for enemies. The Stealth Skill has been obtained The Presence Detection Skill has leveled up The Enemy Search Skill has leveled up Shh, its a de Deer. Takumi, after I shoot an arrow, you strike. Understood. What Vanga-san spotted was arge deer monster with sharp edged tool-like horn. Since it was just eating the bait, it hasnt noticed us yet. Shu I leaped out with spear in hand before checking where the arrow Vanga-san shot went. Not deviating from where he aimed, the arrow Vanga-san fired pierced the de Deers neck, the creature then flinched, and I charged, pushing out my spear. Guh! The spear I thrust with all my might pierced the throat of the de Deer, and therge body of the de Deer fell to the ground. Ooh, its been a while since thest big game, Takumi. This being the case, the meat will be shared throughout the vige. Takumi, sorry but could you store this? I understand. Draining the blood will be done after we return to the vige, so I stored the de Dear into the Item Box. Look, theres a Kork Tree just over there. Vanga-san pointed at a tree said to be cork-like, a Kork Tree. I was able to peel enough Kork Tree Bark to ensure the portions for potion bottle caps. We caught big game today so I n on going back already, Takumi what about you? My errand is finished, so lets go back. Luckily it didnt take much time from when we entered the forest to hunting the big game, so I decided to go back to the vige early today. Well then Takumi, Ill deliver the meat to you afterwards. Alright, thank you very much for today. We brought the de Deer to Vanga-sans house, and parted ways. I immediately matched the size of the potion bottles opening, and made the caps from the cork-like Kork Bark peeled from a Kork Tree. Ill shape it partly by hand, then Ill continue it with magic afterwards to make 500 caps for potion bottles. Haa, I dont want to do this. Fuu, three, two, OUCH! Heal I stabbed my own finger with a knife, and after that, I repeatedly cast the Light attribute magic, Heal, on it. I am not particrly an M. This is necessity for improving the Light attribute magic skills. There is a purifying magic among the Light attribute magic called Purification. Though it was originally to purify undead type monsters, there are actually other uses for this magic. The purifying magic Purification is even able to clean impurities. For instance, if I use purification on my body, it would be cleaner than taking a bath; Even if I am covered in the blood of a monster I fought, Purification is able to remove the impurities. Given that the people suited to Light attribute magic are few and valuable, theres no one that would use it to clean such impurities. And I need a purification spell to purify the potion bottles and caps before the heal potion is poured into them. The Light Attribute Magic Skill has leveled up The Light Attribute Magic Skill has leveled up The Light Attribute Magic skill became level 3. The groundwork for making the Heal potions has finally beenpleted.Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Alchemist Lv 42, cksmith Lv 40 (Carpenter Lv 7, Warrior Lv 7, Mage Lv 26) Level: 4 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 180 Magic Power: 220 Strength: 72 Agility: 45 Stamina: 80 Dexterity: 77 Intelligence: 85 Unique Skills: Appraisal EX Item Box EX (Concealed) Passive Skills: Superhuman Strength Lv 2 Active Skills: Spear Handling Lv 3 Axe Technique Lv 2 Enemy Search Lv 2 Presence Detection Lv 2 Stealth Lv 1 Magic Perception Lv 2 Magic Power Maniption Lv 5 Light Attribute Magic Lv 3 Fire Attribute Magic Lv 4 Water Attribute Magic Lv 1 Wind Attribute Magic Lv 1 Earth Attribute Magic Lv 5 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv 1 Alchemy Lv 5 Smithing Lv 5 Woodworking Lv 4 Carpentry Lv 3 Foraging Lv 2 Logging Lv 2 Dismantling Lv 1 Mining Lv 3 Metalworking Lv 2 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed) *** Chapter 9: Potion Making is an Alchemist’s Job Too? Part 2 Chapter 9: Potion Making is an Alchemists Job Too? Part 2 With the preparations for making the heal potionsplete, I used the magic Pulverize on Hirukuku grass and then ced it in the washed and driedrge pot. The pot was then filled by Water attribute magic, and stirred while heating it. Furthermore, Synthesize magic blended the water and the Hirukuku grass extractpletely. I was being prudent so as not to burn it while heating it, then for a second, the inside of the pot shone. Hurriedly turning off the heat, I tried appraising it. Was it a failure? Basic Heal Potion Quality: Superior Hirukuku grass + magic water ( 2 : 8 ) Heal potion produced by an Alchemist A Basic Heal Potion of the highest quality, it has a restorative effect close to Intermediate Heal Potion. The Alchemy Skill has leveled up The Alchemist Job has leveled up The Alchemist Job has leveled up Umm, it was sessful, right? I proceeded to portion thepleted Basic Heal Potion from the pot into the ss bottles. In conclusion, I made 100 Basic Heal Potions. The colors are clearly different. Though the Basic Heal Potion Vanga-san showed me had the same blue color, the Basic Heal Potion I made was definitely a more beautiful shade. Moreover, I can sense magic power. The cause is most likely the water I prepared with Water Attribute Magic. The water became magic water. The difference between the potion that the Pharmacist brewed manually and the potion I freely used alchemy on is simply due to the water I prepared with magic, and the process of pulverization and synthesis substituted with magic. I sure want the recipes for Intermediate and Advanced Heal Potions. As well as try to make Stamina and Mana Potions too. I pondered if I should start preparing to go to the next ce soon. I must train my Job level and Skill level a bit more, practice magic, as well as prepare equipment. And thinking about it properly, only now did I realize that I dont have any decent armor. Therefore, I decided to set a mid term and long term goal. First, at the bare minimum, to set up countermeasures against monsters. Specifically, to prepare armor, and to make and master weapons apart from the spear. After that, go to a muchrger town, preferably a ce with a likelihood of obtaining of spell books and magic potion recipes. Thereafter, I headed to the river several times to collect materials for potion bottles, set out for the spot where there were Kork trees to harvest materials for bottle caps, and manufactured arge amount of potion bottles. Being vignt for monsters, I used Presence Detection and Enemy Search when I entered the forest, and at that time, I noticed how, albeit limited to monsters, Magic Perception was also helpful in detecting monsters. Given that monsters have magic stones and,pared normal animals, they possess magic power, I believe that the Magic Perception Skill is able to sense that. The Stamina potion and Mana potion failed a bunch of times since I fumbled over the recipe, but I was eventually able to produce 100 Basic Stamina Potions and 100 Basic Mana potions. Basic Stamina Potion Quality: Superior Kurupopo Grass + Magic Water ( 2 : 8 ) Stamina potion produced by an Alchemist. A Basic Stamina Potion of the highest quality, it has a restorative effect close to Intermediate Stamina Potion. Basic Mana Potion Quality: Superior Maryl Grass + Magic Water ( 3 : 7 ) Mana Potion produced by an Alchemist. A Basic Mana Potion of the highest quality, it has a restorative effect close to Intermediate Mana Potion. The level of my Alchemist Job has gotten quite high. Vanga-san says that growth dulls once the Job level exceeds 40. From there, one enters the stage of the top ss. Oh yeah, can I improve the Heal potion in my own way? Differing from a Pharmacist, Vanga-san says that the potion an Alchemist brews is an original that the Alchemistes up with. So, in the appraised recipe for make heal potions, I decided to try altering the magic water that was included in the procedure into magic water charged with Light attribute magic. Ill try charging the water taken from Water attribute magic with Heal magic. This is quite difficult, and slowly charging the Heal into it will continue for a while. The Bestowal Magic skill has been obtained This is Bestowal Magic? The Bestowal Magic skill has leveled up A change appeared in the water that I kept charging with Heal. The water shined faintly. Special Intermediate Heal Potion Quality: Superior Hirukuku Grass + Magic Water ( 2 : 8 ) Intermediate Heal Potion produced by a skilled Alchemist with a special form. An Intermediate Heal Potion of the highest quality, it has a restorative effect close to an Advanced Heal Potion. Unable to heal defects. Un, this will be ced inside the Item Box. Leaving this on the table would be bad.Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Alchemist Lv 42, cksmith Lv 42 (Carpenter Lv 7, Warrior Lv 7, Mage Lv 26) Level: 4 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 180 Magic Power: 240 Strength: 74 Agility: 45 Stamina: 85 Dexterity: 77 Intelligence: 88 Unique Skills: Appraisal EX Item Box EX (Concealed) Passive Skills: Superhuman Strength Lv 2 Active Skills: Spear Handling Lv 3 Axe Technique Lv 2 Swordy Lv 1 Enemy Search Lv 2 Presence Detection Lv 2 Stealth Lv 2 Magic Perception Lv 2 Magic Power Maniption Lv 5 Light Attribute Magic Lv 3 Fire Attribute Magic Lv 4 Water Attribute Magic Lv 1 Wind Attribute Magic Lv 1 Earth Attribute Magic Lv 5 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv 1 Bestowal Magic Lv 1 Alchemy Lv 6 Smithing Lv 5 Woodworking Lv 4 Carpentry Lv 3 Foraging Lv 3 Logging Lv 2 Dismantling Lv 2 Mining Lv 3 Metalworking Lv 2 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed) *** Chapter 10: Fighting Strength Is Needed by Artisans? Chapter 10: Fighting Strength Is Needed by Artisans? Its been 3 months since I began staying in Bohd Vige. Ive decided its time to make preparations to leave for the next ce. Internally, I thought about the stuff I needed for the journey. This is a world where one lives close to death. Dangerous monsters hunt people, bandits and thieves exist, such is the norm of this world. Certainly, just like Goddess-sama had said, ve trade was normal even for Japan in its period of warring states during the 15th century. Its not that I dont understand that this world isnt especially dangerous, but this is undoubtedly a world far different from the current Japan. Nevertheless, whats strange is that sinceing to this world, even though my opponents were monsters, I was not perturbed upon taking their lives. There was never a time in my life in Japan where I had to do things such as dismantling and yet, unjustifiably, I have no feelings of repulsion for it at present. Were the standards of this world something the Goddess-sama tampered with in my soul? Well, it cant be helped that my so called soul cant be left as is since theres a possibility that I will have to fight not just monsters, but people as well. Magic trainings got to be first, isnt it. Afterwards, trying out weapons besides the spear, huh I wonder if the protective gear would turn out to be leather armor. Lets consult with Bobon-san. I had in mind a few ideas on how to fight using my production jobs, but even then, I stillck a lot of things. After that, I constructed a target at the side of my house and began Throwing practice. In the beginning, Ill throw stones, then once my uracy and power increase due to the acquisition of the Throwing Skill, Ill make free use of therge quantity of throwing knives Ill make with steel and the Smithing skill, Craft. Kan! Kan! (hammering) Kaka! Kakaka! (throwing sounds) It took me 10 days of throwing who knows how many knives before I could do it with ease. Alright, now to go out and level up Warrior and Mage. With the Magic Steel Short Sword on my left hip, and a Magic Steel Spear in hand, I headed towards the forest. However, there werent any powerful monsters in the vicinity of Bohd Vige. At best, the monsters should be as strong as the de Deer that Vanga-san hunted recently. I did not realize that I had just raised a g for myself. I nibbled on grass and mushrooms while advancing into the forest. I took care not to eat too much at once. CurePurificationHeal The Poison Resistance Skill has been obtained The Paralysis Resistance Skill has been obtained As one could guess from the announcement, what Im nibbling on are the poisonous nt, York Grass, and the fungi with a paralytic toxin, Mamani Mushroom. Ingest a small amount, recover with magic, then repeat. I thought since I had skill acquisition and level up correction[1], I should learn resistance skills as one way to defend myself. Well, Im doing this while walking in the forest because its not like I could do this in front of Banga-san and the others. While raising my resistance skills as I walk in the forest, I came across a chance to acquire the Confusion Resistance Skill. Gururururu!! ?! Gasagasagasa, gasa. I was caughtpletely off guard. I was negligent in Enemy Search, Presence Detection, and Magic Perception. Theres no way a thing like that would be in this forest! What came charging into my view were red, bloodshot eyes, with two gigantic tusks. Its body is likely around the size of a Kei-Car[2]. Huge Armored Boar Lv25 Its tusks can pierce through even iron. A ferocious monster with a body d in steel-like armor. Its meat is a delicacy and can be sold for arge sum. A ridiculouslyrge wild boar d in armor is charging right at me. Dododooo!! The earth shook as the Huge Armored Boar charged. I can say with certainty that I will die if I get caught by its more than a meter long tusk. Kakaka! I immediately took out the throwing knives from my item box and threw them at it, but it didnt seem to have left even a scratch on it as it approached without losing any speed. Think! Think! Theres got to be a way! I fired off Fireballs one after another. It looked like it faltered a little bit from this but it doesnt seem like there was any damage. Dowaaa! The Insight Skill has been obtained The Evasion Skill has been obtained I jumped to the side, avoiding the charge of the Huge Armored Boar by a hairs breadth. As I was muddied by tumbling on the ground, I somehow recovered. spits HealHeal I thought I dodged by a hairs breadth but it seems I was grazed. It was just a graze but the pain that assaulted me was causing me to lose heart. It would have been preferable if this ce was densely popted by trees, but, unfortunately, it is wide enough for something of arge build could charge in. The irritated Huge Armored Boar that I dodged changed its course, intending to charge. What can I do!? Think! Dodododooo! The earth rumbled as the Huge Armored Boar approached. If this were to hit, itd definitely be a traffic ident. Ive already dropped my spear. The things I could do are limited. Throwing knives cant even scratch it. The spear and sword I made wouldnt work either, I think. My only high level magic is Earth Magic. The next high level skill, Fire Magic Lv4, is ineffective. There is! My highest level magic! I immediately moved in preparation. I enveloped myself in magic power. Slipping by the long tusk of the Huge Armored Boar in front of me in a blink of an eye, I leapt sideways as I hit itsrge head with the palm heel of my hand. Bogoooon!! The opposite side of where my palm hit had ruptured. Gorogorogoro Checking what happened to the fallen Huge Armored Boar, it had copsed in a crater on the ground that ran several meters. The Taijutsu Skill has been obtained The Matoujutsu Skill has been obtained Fuu, Was I scared? What I had released was, of course, not just a simple palm strike. I gathered magic power in my palm and invoked the Alchemist skill Dposition as I struck the boar. Since there were a variety of targets to dpose, it took the entirety of my magic power, but I believe that that snap decision was a job well done. Uwaa~ My heads all fuzzy. Straightening my aching body, I approached the Huge Armored Boar, I checked the wound on its head, its surface didnt change much but I think that its brain is probably all mushy. Draining the blood and dismantling it at this spot would be difficult so I gave up on that and stored its as-big-as-a-Kei-Car-body in the Item Box. Using purification magic, I cleaned off my muddied body, and continued walking through the forest while inserting a few breaks in between.Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Warrior Lv26, Mage Lv32 ( Carpenter Lv7, Alchemist Lv 44, cksmith Lv42 ) Level: 14 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 280 Magic Power: 340 Strength: 124 Agility: 95 Stamina: 185 Dexterity: 127 Intelligence: 188 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX (Concealed) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv2 Insight Lv 1 Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Active Skills Spear Handling Lv 3 Axe Technique Lv 2 Swordy Lv 1 Throwing Lv 4 Taijutsu Lv 1 Matoujutsu Lv1 [3] Enemy Search Lv 2 Presence Detection Lv 2 Stealth Lv 2 Evasion Lv1 [4] Magic Perception Lv 2 Magic Power Maniption Lv 5 Light Attribute Magic Lv 3 Fire Attribute Magic Lv 4 Water Attribute Magic Lv 2 Wind Attribute Magic Lv 2 Earth Attribute Magic Lv 5 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv 1 Bestowal Magic Lv 2 Alchemy Lv 6 Smithing Lv 5 Woodworking Lv 4 Carpentry Lv 3 Foraging Lv 3 Logging Lv 2 Dismantling Lv 2 Mining Lv 3 Metalworking Lv 2 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed) *** Footnotes:
  1. Effect of the goddess divine protection, in case you forgot.
  2. A small type of car local to Japan. More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei_car
  3. Matoujutsu C Battle Magic Arts ħLg (ޤȤ) or something like that as the magic counterpart in Taijutsu.
  4. Ive checked so many times in multiple future chapters. This skill is not in the list of skills even though it was a skill acquired just this chapter. I think I will remove it in future chapters as well since I wouldnt know its progress, I guess?
  5. Additionally, Ill be using Artisan / production jobs depending on the context.
Chapter 11: Spiders Are Not Bugs Chapter 11: Spiders Are Not Bugs Making camp as I explored the inside of the forest, I met it. A ck mass around 30 cm. It has a faint response to Presence Detection and Magic Perception but there was none to Enemy Search. Thinking it was strange, I approached it cautiously. Lets see a spider? Its a monster spider curling its legs close to its body. However, there was no feeling of danger. Youre dying? The monster spider is weakened and about to die. I could also see that one of its legs was torn off, it must have fought with another monster and lost. Poison Spider Unique Species Lv19 A monster spider possessing paralysis poison and a slow-acting poison A Unique Species born from the Poison Spiders. As it is a rare specimen, it has the potential to evolve. Condition: Dying As a result of Appraisal, I now know what kind of monster it is butwell, finishing it off is not something I want to do. It wont live even if I leave it alone though For some reason, I dont know why but, I couldnt take my eyes off it. A strange mood that makes it difficult for me to leave it as it is. Im not that good with bugs and spiders but, it looked rather cute, does it have Demon Eyes of Charming, I wonder? But there wasnt any sort of feeling of resistance, so thats not it. At that moment, I felt the sensation of a path of magic power from the spider I was watching closely connect to me. It felt as if my Insight skill had brought something up. Hm? If this spider bes healthy, it wont be defeated anymore. So, I healed this spider several times. Its missing leg wasnt restored but Appraisal shows that it was no longer dying so its okay now. Well then, Ill be leaving now. The [Taming] Skill has been obtained Tame Poison Spider? Y/N Eeeh~! What is Tame?! So, insects can be made into a familiar[1]~ No, spiders are not insects. No no no, thats not the problem here. While I was being indecisive, the spider watched me with its eight crimson eyes. It looks like it wants to be taken along. Haa, you want toe with me? The [Poison Spider] has been tamed g, o. toge, ther. At that moment, I knew that we, the Poison Spider and I, were definitely connected by a path of magic power. Not having a name would be inconvenient, right? Lets see I, who isnt really confident in my naming sense, pondered over a name for the spider. Then, incidentally, the pattern on the back (?) of the spider came into view. Thats it, I see a leaf of the maple tree. I dont know if this world has maple trees but, do you think the name Kaede[2] is good enough? ye, ah It looks like its pleased. The moment I gave the Poison Spider its name, arge amount of magic power from within me flowed into the Poison Spider. Wha?! This must be because of naming it! Then Kaedes body was wrapped in light and started moulting. Kaede grew one sizerger when it finished moulting. Even its leg was healed to how it was before. Could it be that you didnt grow but evolve? Killer Spider Unique Species Lv1 A monster spider that possesses paralysis poison and deadly poison. A rare species that evolved from the Poison Spider. There was a different species name when I appraised it. It seems like it really did evolve. Evolved, Kaede, happy The words sent telepathically have be a bit more fluent. Yeah Since I could see the status of a contracted familiar monster, I decided to check it.Status Name : Kaede (Takumi Irumas Familiar) Race : Killer Spider Age : 5 Level : 1 Condition : Healthy Vitality : 140 Magic Power : 160 Strength : 60 Agility : 80 Stamina : 70 Dexterity : 90 Intelligence : 60 Unique Skills Spider Thread Creation Passive Skills Poison Resistance Lv4 Paralysis Resistance Lv4 Spatial Understanding Lv2 Active Skills Thread Maniption Lv6 Poison Creation Lv5 Presence Detection Lv4 Magic Perception Lv5 Stealth Lv5 It seems its level was reset upon evolving. Even so, this one seems strong, doesnt it? Spider Thread Creation The ability to create strong threads. Its strength can cut even steel. Thread Maniption The art of freely manipting and fighting with thread. Looking at the details of the unique skill together with Thread Maniption, it bes a formidable weapon. Spatial Understanding Skill is to make use of thread for nimble three-dimensional movement distinctive to spiders. Poison Creation The ability to create poisons such as paralysis poison, neurotoxins, slow-acting poison, toply to a situation. It seems that its poison is much stronger than when it was a Poison Spider. This might be tough on my Poison Resistance. Since the level of the skills Magic Perception, Presence Detection, and Stealth are quite high, its like the configuration of an assassin. Now then, Ill be going back to the vige soon but, is your body alright? Can you keep up? Am alright, can follow, Master Given that its exoskeleton has now settled after moulting, I told Kaede of my return to the vige. [1] On the way back to the vige, I had some leeway in returning since Kaedes legs were back to how they were before. Kaede would hop around while following me. Sometimes, it would leap from tree to tree with its threads like Tarzan. It was a long time after I had named Kaede did I realize that I had not asked if it was a boy or a girl. *** Footnotes:
  1. Kaede in kanji means Maple (tree) in Japanese, but the name in its status is in Katakana. Also, its speech is all in Katakana.
  2. When something moults, the new exoskeleton is soft for a while before it settles and hardens.
Chapter 12: A Village in Festivity Chapter 12: A Vige in Festivity Starting from the time I had encountered the Huge Armored Boar, nothing as big as that had turned up. So I reflected, training Presence Detection, Enemy Search, Magic Perception, and Stealth while walking through the forest. Presence Detection and Enemy Search have subtle differences in their roles. Presence Detection is a skill that searches for presences of living things regardless of whether theyre big or small, or friend or foe. Enemy Search is a skill that, like its name says, searches for hostility in living things. Magic Perception is much broader, it perceives targets with magic power. Improving resistance skills and training were done at the same time as I hunt for monsters. In the end, it took me 3 days to return to Bohd Vige. Oh, Takumi, youre back safe and sound? Ive somehow returned safely Upon returning to the vige, I went to Vanga-sans house before I went back to my ce. Naturally, it was about the Huge Armored Boar. Dismantling it alone is just simply impossible. Furthermore, it is something that cant be done without receiving the cooperation of the cksmith, Bobon-san. Dooon! I took out the Huge Armored Boar from my Item Box. Wha!! So big! So this is a Huge Armored Boar! Takumi! You, did you kill this?! Yes, I thought I was going to be killed Well, yeah. Oi! Kaachan! Kaachan[1]! Vanga-san called out to Martha-san. What is it, youre so noisy, talking so loudly Kaachan, hurry and call that bastard, Bobon, over here. Dismantling this is too much for just me and Takumi. Y, yeah, got it. Martha-san quickly went to call Bobon-san over. During that time, all (?) of the citizens of Bohd vige had gathered, and were looking at the Huge Armored Boar from a distance. Oi oi! You done killed something so amazing. Look at these tusks. This armor-like hide too, thesed make some excellent leather armor. Bobon-san, who was called over by Martha-san, stopped whatever he was doing in his den and started talking on and on in an excited tone when he saw the Huge Armored Boar. Though everyone was talking loudly in a hubbub, not a single person brought up the fact that Kaede was clinging onto my back. It seems that the impact of Huge Armored Boar was so strong that they didnt even notice Kaede. At that moment, children noticed that Kaede was on my back. Listen listen Oniichan, theres a huuuge spider on Takumi-oniichans back Whatcha saying. ThisHiiih! Ah! I-its alright! This one here is my tamed monster! I hurriedly diffused the situation that could have caused a panic. Takumi, people would normally have known that insect species cant be tamed but it seems they can be. Observing how docile Kaede was being on my back, even Vanga-san was slightly shocked, however, the vigers soon recognized that Kaede was not dangerous. Guys, arent you too quick to ept this? Oh, Vanga! Dismantle this before anything else, dismantle! Bobon-san smacks the Huge Armored Boar and hurried us. It seems hes in a hurry to make weapons and armor from its materials. The desire of a candid man. Now then! Time to dismantle! With an engaging shout from Vanga-san, altogether the vigers began to dismantle the monster. Naturally, at Vanga-san and Bobon-sans instructions, I also helped. Takumi-san, please purify the viscera! Yes yes, Purification The instructions for me to purify the viscera came from a vige wife. Fresh monster viscera is something the vigers consider a feast, however, those parts having miasma and parasites is a problem. That is resolved with the use of my light attribute magic Purification. The convenience of Purification through my frequent use of it in everyday life is something that the vige wives hade to know about. Thanks to that, its purification over baths, purification of trash that cant be turned into fertilizer, purification ofundry that fell and got dirty, and other convenient uses is how things currently stand. This method of using purification magic is probably something only I do. The number of people suitable for the light attribute are few, and those that are, work as priests under the church, is what Martha-san informed me. Use it in a way that wont make you stand out in town she says. After I, who unreservedly uses purification and takes it for granted, leave the vige, Im worried if the vige will be troubled by the difference in their way of life. The vige wives quickly started cooking the viscera I had cleansed. The men were doing physicalbor under Vanga-san and Bobon-sans instructions. Everyone wasing by for meat and taking the initiative to help. Its a small vige so even after distributing meat to everyone, theres still arge amount of it that remained. My item box stops time so its alright though. Takumi! Look at this harder-than-steel exoskeleton-like hide! This will be a great material for excellent leather armor~! Bobon had so much enthusiasm hed likely rub his cheeks against the Huge Armored Boar. The materials of this Huge Armored Boar that will be mine are hide for myplete set of leather armor, one tusk, the soft hide near the belly, the magic stone, and the leftover meat. For Bobon-san, I n on presenting a bit of the armor-like hide, one tusk, and the bones. A small vige it may be, but with everyone making progress with dismantling, the process finished surprisingly fast. Maybe due to the location of this vige, almost everyone has the Dismantling skill. Isnt it amazing, even kids were helping with it. Alright! Takumi! These are the materials for the leather armor and tusk, your portion of the meat, and the remaining hide. The hide will sell for a high price in town so take it. Yes, I understand. I stored my portion of the divided materials into the Item Box. Alright! All thats left is for everyone to eat the meat~!! Uooooooo~~!! From there, the whole vige broke into arge festivity. Apparently, once a year, this vige performs a harvest festival, but the chances to fill up on meat are few, so as a reaction to that, both the adults and the children wolfed down the meat, and the adults took out and drank the alcohol, bought from peddlers that visit a few times a year, that theyve been keeping. The children fed Kaede some meat. There, Vanga-san was sitting next to me. Its because of Takumi that Bohd Vige became cheerful again. Really, thank you very much. Thats not true, Vanga-san, this is because Im so grateful to everyone in the vige. In actuality, I was so lucky that the first people Ive met in this world were Vanga-san, Martha-san, and the vigers, but I didnt say that, Thanks to not having been exposed to ill will, and having received the kindness of everyone in the vige, I have a feeling that I gained the resolution to live in this world. That night, the vigers all continued festivities untilte. *** Footnotes:
  1. Kaachan / Kaasan C it means mom, but, like Vanga, at times the husband calls his wife this, and, conversely, a wife sometimes calls the husband, Otousan. Usually done when they already have children.
Chapter 13: Kaede is Popular Among The Wives Chapter 13: Kaede is Popr Among The Wives The Killer Spider known as Kaede is a dangerous monster spider, but it is popr amongst the wives in Bohd Vige. Honestly, rather than just okay, I actually think its cute, but since it was of a size that was impossible in earth, I wanted everyone to at least feel that I wish you wont be afraid of it. But when it was made public, lo and behold, it was popr amongst the Bohd vige wives. If I had to say why things turned out this way, its because of the threads that Kaede produces. Ive heard that cloth woven from threads of a monster spider called Spider Silk is a super high ss item. It is more durable than cheap leather armor, it doesnt get dirty easily, and the feel of it is the best. They say that Nobles would buy Spider Silk cloth. Two days after therge banquet where I had brought Kaede back to the vige, Martha-san enthusiastically asked something of Kaede. Naturally, with us being connected by magic power, no one but I canmunicate telepathically with it. However, maybe because of Martha-sans persistence, or because Kaede is clever, they had agreed to exchange a fixed amount of thread for meals. Martha-san is incredible. The vige had but 3 looms used in turns, and the wives were ecstatic to weave Spider Silk cloth. From there, I made my own thread spinning wheel and loom, learned how to weave from Martha-san, weaved Spider Silk cloth, and challenged myself to sew my own clothes. Kaede-san is impressive. With just my magic power and meals being given, it produces as much thread as it wants. Kaede, can you make the thread just a bit more stic? Can. I decided to try to weave some cloth using the slightly stic thread, weaving it crosswise with durable thread. Kaukaukau This, fun. Skillfully manipting the thread in the thread spinning wheel with two arms, Kaede spun thread. My Kaede is so clever I couldnt believe its a spider. gikkonbattan, The sounds of weaving resounded from Bohd Vige. Martha-san dyed the threads with dye I had adjusted with alchemy. With this, its goodbye to stiff underwear. My, Takumi-san, youre making even your underwear with Spider Silk? I wonder if we should do the same. Umm, please dont tire Kaede out too much. The wives response to my muttering to self was extreme. It resulted in Kaedes burden increasing. However, using Kaedes special stic thread, the band for underwear can be made. It seems I can make cloth have the sticity thats close to the underwear I wore when I was still in Japan. After I finished weaving the Spider Silk for my clothes, I started weaving an stic cloth for underwear. Making sure not to forget the stic band for the underwear, my aim is boxer briefs. Takumi-chan, that has to be backstitched. Ah, yes. Takumi-kun, is there any of the stretchy cloth remaining? Oh, I have some. I was surrounded by the vige wives and was sewing clothes. Takumi-kun, the pants being ck is alright, but wouldnt the shirt be better if it was a bit lighter in color? I have a reason for making it a darker color. To make it harder for monsters to spot me in the forest, it has to be a dark color. Well, thats limited only to the surroundings of the dark forest though. So Takumi-chan has also been thinking this through. Ive been behaving awfully cute to the vigers here. I believed that since the 40+ year old me had obviously turned into a handsome 15 year old, the vigers would think of me like a younger brother or son and treat me as such. Prior to this, despite not even having 3 months pass since I hade to this world, I hadnt been self-conscious that I was in my 40s. I also think that putting an old soul into a young body was extreme. (This is definitely Norn-samas doing.) Takumi-kun, would it be possible to request fine thread for the shell from Kaede-chan? For the shell? Right, for covering the coat. Aaah, a coat with a shell of spider silk would be too conspicuous, wouldnt it. Also, if its you, Takumi-kun, you could enchant the shell of the coat with temperature control. Spider silk cloth has very goodpatibility with bestowal magic. Since, at the very least, 2 enchantments are possible, its only natural that my clothes and underwear would have enchantments. I understand. A magic stone as a catalyst, please. A small one will be enough. Oh my, us too please. yes. I havent even enchanted my short sword and spear yet Bestowal magic is magic that turns a magic stone into a catalyst for the purpose of writing a magic circle. Or a Magic Bestower actually uses that intended magic. I dont understand magic circles, but I do use a diversity of magic so I could probably enchant. For example, lets say fire magic to increase offensive power, and wind magic to increase sharpness and cut through bone. In order to fulfill the vige wives request, I have to practice Bestowal magic more.Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Warrior Lv30, Mage Lv38 (Carpenter Lv7, Alchemist Lv44, cksmith Lv42, Magic Bestower Lv20, Tailor Lv16) Level: 18 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 320 Magic Power: 420 Strength: 144 Agility: 115 Stamina: 205 Dexterity: 142 Intelligence: 196 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX (Concealed) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv2 Insight Lv1 Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Active Skills Spear Handling Lv3 Axe Technique Lv2 Swordy Lv1 Throwing Lv4 Taijutsu Lv1 Matoujutsu Lv1 Enemy Search Lv2 Presence Detection Lv2 Stealth Lv2 Tame Lv1 Magic Perception Lv4 Magic Power Maniption Lv6 Light Attribute MAgic Lv5 Fire Attribute Magic Lv4 Water Attribute Magic Lv4 Wind Attribute Magic Lv2 Earth Attribute Magic Lv5 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv2 Bestowal Magic Lv3 Alchemy Lv6 Smithing Lv5 Woodworking Lv5 Carpentry Lv3 Foraging Lv3 Logging Lv2 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv3 Metalworking Lv2 Sewing Lv3 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed) Familiar: Killer Spider Unique Species (Kaede) *** Chapter 14: Making Takumi’s Armor Chapter 14: Making Takumis Armor Around the time the Kaede Fever started to settle down, I decided to make the full set of armor for myself while receiving help from Bobon-san. Bobon-sans suggestion is to use the Huge Armored Boars hard-as-steel hide for the helmet, breastte, shoulder pads, and gauntlet, and the flexible yet sturdy de Deer pelt for the lining and moving parts. For enchantments, itd only have Automatic Temperature Regtion for now. The n is that, if I find the magic circles in a spellbook in town, Ill add Self Repair and Automatic Size Adjustment. Takumi, Ill take your measurements so dont move. But how would you make an armor from the hide of Huge Armored Boar thats this hard? I dont think it would heat up like metal in a furnace. Huh, its kinda the same as how an insect species would its exoskeleton. Thats the reason for the smithing magic, Craft. Though, before you mold it with Craft, its necessary to pour enough magic power into it to adapt it to yourself. I think that if its you, your magic power will be enough. Under Bobon-sans tutge, I molded the parts. Its consumption of magic power is definitely muchrgerpared to Magic Steel, but it was much easier when I started molding it with Craft. The design of the helm is simple, and the interior is affixed with shock-absorbing cushioning. Bobon-san cut the hide into parts, and sewed them. The Huge Armored Boars hide was dark brown, and yet its now close to ck, isnt it. It probably changed in color because of Takumis magic power adhering to it. Stories of actual color tones of the materials and colors of finished products differing are something I often hear. The hard metal-like parts, ones unthinkable as a monsters hide, were given a surface finishing and the ck became close to gray when it settled. Additionally, to match, the other parts were hide parts dyed ck but a bit brighter. Given that my concept is to not stand out, it should be difficult to find me at night and in dark forests. Takumi, while were at it, wanna make new boots too? Youre right to make new ones now. Ive given it a little thought too. Then, Ill give you the materials Ive been holding on to. Saying that, Bobon-san went into his workshop. Bobon-san came back before long and in his hand was a bluish gray hide. This is a the skin of a Kelpie[1]. A Kelpies skin is exceedingly waterproof, very sturdy yet flexible. Its a first ss material for boots. Its such a valuable material, would that really be alright with you? When I said so, Bobon-sanughed it off. Listen Takumi, it might not look like it, but taking the materials from the Huge Armored Boar that Ive received from you into consideration, Ill be making a considerable profit. Then its good if that is the case. The tips and soles of the boot need some reinforcement. For when you need to kick, right? No, I am an artisan though Bobon-san scoffed as I said that. There aint an artisan that can walk in the forest alone. Eh? Normally, when an artisan goes out to harvest and mine, hed go and hire an escort. It would seem that although Bohd Vige has few dangerous monsters nearby, the de Dear is one of those dangerous monster. Also, Bobon-san told me to take the Huge Armored Boar from the other day as an example, such a strong irregr monster appearing is strange even for this world. I think you are already at a level where you can make a living as apetent enough adventurer. Nooo, I am unable to make a living with that. Certainly, the me who took down the de deer to Huge Armored Boar calling myself an artisan might be branded a fraud by adventurers. After that, I heard that to subjugate a Huge Armored Boar, it takes at least a B ranked party of 4-5 adventurers.yeah, it was hard to attack. However, the fact is that I increase the levels of mybat type jobs for it to be useful to my artisan jobs. Thanks to switching to Mage in fights, my magic power increased, and the skill Insight that I learned in the middle of the fight is useful to both fighting and crafting. Well, Takumi is Takumi. Isnt that a good thing? as you say. The people of this vige are truly genial. They epted me and treated me like family. Though, I certainly have made contributions to the the vige as well. The influence I had in this vige might not have been small. Supplying potions, information on sanitation, using Earth magic to form the protective walls of the vige. Especially the hand pump Bobon-san and I made for the water well, Im sure it made the vigers day to day life much easier. I tried wearing thepleted set of armor. The Spider Silk used on the durable ck cargo pants is stretchable so it doesnt inhibit mobility. Since the shirt is also made of Spider Silk, on top of being durable, it is also smooth to the touch because of the thin threads used. Furthermore, I wore the breastte and shoulder pads together for my upper torso. Wearing the gauntlets, Kelpie boots, and putting on the helmet, my presence could be mistaken for as an assassin with these ck and gray tones. Fumu, it doesnt seem like we need to do any adjustments. Yes, there are no problems. I moved while wearing the equipment, confirming that it didnt inhibit my movement. Dont feel so lonely.said Bobon-san. Everyone said that it would be better if I leave the vige by the time that my armor ispleted. Since its just around the time a peddler would visit, I should head to town by hitchhiking with the peddler, they said. Though it was only for a short while, saying goodbye to the people Ivee to know well is sad, but staying here indefinitely doesnt feel right either, so, like Vanga-san and Martha-san said, I decided that this is the right time to leave the vige. *** Footnotes:
  1. Kelpie, a water horse spirit of Scottish myth, they are capable of shape-shifting. They inhabit the Lochs and pools of Scond. It is described to look like a horse, but can take a human form. Said to delight in drowning its victims. In certain stories, it loves the human liver. C Myth Wikia. though of course my image of it is from the Persona series. ahaha*ahem*
Chapter 15: Takumi’s Departure Chapter 15: Takumis Departure Lined up by the road close to the gate of Bohd Vige was the entirety of the vigers. As for me, in order to camouge the boar leather armor and gauntlets and Kelpie boots on top of the Spider Silk shirt and cargo pants that I was wearing, I put on a in-looking overcoat. And snuggling up beside me, growing up to around 50 cm from measuring just its torso, is Kaede. With Kaede and I actively hunting in the forest, we raised our level. Thanks to that, Kaede got bigger, legs included. Bobon-san says that while there are somergely-built species that exceed 10 meters within the monster spider family, since Kaede is of the assassination species that stealthily uses poison to kill, it seems its the type that will not grow too much. Vanga-san and Martha-san approached, hugging me tightly. You had bettere show yourself here again. Thats right, because Takumi-kun is kind of like our child already. Thank you very much. I will definitelye back someday. Take caaare~~! Come back again~! Takumi-oniichaa~an! Ou! Polish your skills! Ban, Bobon-san urging me on with a pat on the back, I walked towards the peddlers carriage. Everyone! Though it was for a short while! Thank you very much!! Take caaaare~~!! Holding in the tears, I hurried to the peddlers carriage. I believe that my first encounter sinceing to Mildgard being with good people and parting with them is an experience I likely wouldnt ever have in Japan where peoples rtionships were faint. Having boarded the peddlers carriage and taking the seat beside the coachman, I continued to wave as the carriage began to move. The vigers waved their hands until I was out of sight. Takumi-sama you are very much loved in Bohd Vige, arent you? Ive beening and going to Bohd Vige for many years but The one who called out to me is the peddler controlling the carriage from the coachmans seat, Papeck-san. Papeck-san a man with a prominent stomach in his 40s or 50s. Vanga-san had asked Papeck-san if he could give me a ride until town, to which Papeck-san readily agreed to. Also, this might have also been influenced by the fact that Bobon-san sold some of the materials from the Huge Armored Boar to Papeck-san. Its true, weve done a few escorts to Bohd Vige, but its like Takumi-dono is part of the family to the vigers there. Papeck-san and Heath-san, please address me casually as Takumi. I am but a greenhorn whos only recently be an adult, after all. Hyahyahyahya, thats cus Heath stinks like an old man. What did you just say?! Lyle, youre the same age as me though! The one speaking from inside the carriage is an adventurer escort, Heath-san. He has short blonde hair, is almost 2 meters tall and has burly muscles, a battle axe-wielding Warrior. I was surprised to hear his age though. He looked like he was still in his mid-twenties. While I looked surprised, the one who made fun of Heath-san was Lyle-san. A long red haired bow-wielding Scout. He looks like an effeminate man but hes likely very skilled. And one more person, the silent skinhead bald , Bogah-san is a giant evenrger than Heath-san, wielding arge shield and mace. He is probably the tank of the party. These three are the members of the C ranked Adventurer party Lions Fang, the escorts that Papeck-san oftenes with to Bohd Vige, it seems. Still, in the short time since Ist came to Bohd vige, it was surprising to see that the vige has changedpletely. Well, its a development. Since I was very well under their care, even if was just a little bit, I did it for sake of the vigers. When I first arrived at Bohd Vige, there was only a crude fence that surrounded that vige. That can now be called defensive walls. A 2 meters high, 30 cm thick stone wall enclosing the vige. Furthermore, with the likelihood of the vige growingrger in the future, the defensive wall was built much wider. A moat has been dug outside of the wall, and while it borders the abandoned vige, it doesnt seem to be visible. This was something I made as part of my Earth Magic training, wanting to make it even a little bit safer for the kids. Also, though it would sooner orter be exposed, a hand pump was installed in the vige water well. The pump that Bobon-san and I made together was installed inside one of the two water wells of the vige, but if a merchant or a tax collector were to discover such a groundbreaking invention it might be troublesome for me, so a new water well with a pump installed was dug up in a hard to notice ce. And then Papeck-san noticed that the attires of the vige housewives were made of spider silk, but since I had introduced Kaede, I couldnt hide it. Also, Takumi-sama, how many Basic Potions do you have left stocked? Since the potion bottles I have are limited, excluding the ones for my personal use, I have around 100 pieces of each potion right now. Since potions were also made everytime I made potion bottles, I made a fair amount, but these were reserves for the vige which were entrusted to Vanga-san. When Im staying in the vige, illnesses and injuries could be healed with potions or recovery magic, but I cant say the same for when Im gone, so I supported them as much as I could. Though I think its hypocritical if its only to the extent where my hands can reach, but it is natural to favor those who have treated me kindly. Would it be possible to buy all of those? If there is no issue rted to rights then I dont mind. Since potions and the like can be bought from any Magician Guild, Pharmacist Guild, Commerce Guild, Adventurers Guild, there will be no issue selling it to me. From Papeck-sans exnation, it seems that the recipes for standard potions are monopolized by the Pharmacist Guild and Magician Guild, and one must register to either guild to be taught the recipes and practice to make potions. In my case, knowing the recipe thanks to Appraisal EX, I produce it using alchemy, improving its quality. Papeck-san said that the kinds of potions I made exceeded the limits of basic potions so simr ones could not be made by the Pharmacist Guild or the Magician Guild. It appears that since the method and recipe would be recognized as my original, there would be no problem selling to Papeck-san or the Adventurers Guild. Incidentally, it seems that Papeck-san also has the Appraisal Skill, but it is different from my unique skill Appraisal EX, since it can only find out up to the description of people and items. Appraisal is ineffective at finding out theposition of medicine and its recipe. Papeck-san had appraised the potions I left in the vige and was surprised by its effectiveness, and by all means wanted to buy some from me, even if just a small amount. Then, would you be willing to sell everything to me? Yes, that would be alright. Well then, how does 10 silver coins a piece for Basic Heal potions, 10 silver for Basic Stamina Potion as well, and 50 silver for Basic Mana Potion sound? Eh? Isnt that expensive? These are basic potions, you know. Heal Potion and Stamina potions were 10,000 yen each? Mana potions at 50,000yen? I couldnt believe my ears at Papeck-sans suggested prices. This is not at all expensive. Rather, since Takumi-sama is nameless, Im sorry but what Im offering is a bit cheap. Thats right Takumi, hearing that although its basic grade, its of the highest quality, if the amount it restoreses close to intermediate potions, its selling price would be many times that price. Yeah, its as Heath says, Takumi. Because, to us adventurers, potions are our lifeline. Theres no one here who would die because of stinginess. There you have it, it will be 70 gold coins for everything. The trade of merchandise and money will be at my shop in the town of Volton, please. Haa I couldnt help but be dumbfounded. In this world where you can live off of 1 gold coin for month, to suddenly have 70 gold coins. That is equivalent to 7 million in Japanese Yen. Harvesting the medicinal nts, collecting the materials for the potions bottles, creating the bottles, and, of course, brewing the potions inside were all done by me. So isnt this almost pure profit? Though, since its medicine that can heal injuries at once, its inevitable that prices are high, I suppose. Also, it seems that the Huge Armored Boar materials from Bobon-san were bought at a very high price, I couldnt say I have more. *** Chapter 16: The Town of Volton 1 Chapter 16: The Town of Volton 1 On an ordinary carriage, its a 3 day trip to the town of Volton. So if one were to ask if there were unordinary carriages, there actually are. A horse that has turned into a monster, a Demon Horse, boasts a remarkable difference in ability from a normal horse in both speed and stamina. In this world where the roads and distances traversable in a day are bad, a normal carriage can travel less than 100 km, whereas a Demon Horse-drawn carriage is able to travel twice that distance. On our way to Volton, we had encountered Goblins and Forest Wolves a number of times but Heath-san and his party kept us safe by killing all of them. Nevertheless, it was my first time seeing the ssic small fry enemy, the goblins, in fantasies. They were around 120-140 cm tall, their bodies werepletely green, and two horns grew on their ugly faces. It seems that while they are certainly recognized as small fry by adventurers; they are threatening enough to ordinary people, so if they were to form and attack in groups, it would turn out like the deserted vige I had seen. Forest Wolf isnt an animal, but a full-fledged monster. I heard that monsters are determined by whether they have magic stones within their body or not. On the third day after leaving Bohd Vige, the town of Volton could be seen in the distance. Volton is a fortress town encircled by tall ramparts. The gate facing Bohd Vige had a sparse queue of people, so its likely that entering will be a short wait. Its a splendid town for the border, isnt it? Volton is located on the western edge of Valkyra Kingdom. This town has an excellent feudal lord governing it, and there are plenty of mid to high level adventurers like Heath-san active here. From what Papeck-san said, with a vast forest where monsters run rampant northeast of the town, to a mine that yields rare ores in the northwest, and with various monsters inhabiting areas from the grasnds in the south to the wends in the southeast, it is an ideal ce for adventurers to work at. Taking into consideration Takumi-samas material collection, I believe this ce would be a suitable base for you. Yeah, it loses inparison to the kinds of medicinal nts around Bohd Vige, but even then, the variety and amount are still aplenty here. From Papeck-san and Heath-sans words, it might be a good to make Volton my base of operation for a little while. Okay, next!Oh, if it isnt Papeck-dono. Are you on your way back from peddling? Yes, the escorts are the 3 members of the C rank party Lions Fang, and this is Takumi-sama. He travelled with me from Bohd Vige. On Takumi-samas knee is Takumi-samas familiar. Our turn came after a while, and it seems that the gatekeeper soldier and Papeck-san are acquaintances. The gatekeeper approached me. So you are Takumi. What is your purpose foring to Volton? Yes, I practiced Alchemy and Smithing while harvesting materials in Bohd Vige, but I thought it would be better to go to arge town to further my studies on alchemy. Alchemy huh, thats rare. Yeah, Volton certainly has a books and spell books that Feudal Lord-sama had gathered from around the continent in therge library. It might be the best ce for you to learn. So then, do you have identification papers? No, I do not have one. Then, theres no problem if I collect 5 silver coins? Yes, 5 silver coins, correct? I took 5 silver coins from my bag and handed it over. I was then handed a permit of stay, and advised to pay for identification papers to be issued at the Government Office or to register at a guild somewhere. If you register at a guild, deducting the handling fee, 3 silver coins will be returned to you so bring your permit of stay or guild card to this gate again. And, because you are obligated to register that spider familiar in the Adventurers Guild or Government Office, please go to either one and register your familiar. Yes, I understand. Is everything good now? Thank you for the wait. Papeck-sans carriage advanced. Inside the fortress town past the sturdy gate is a main street paved with gstone that continues up to the castle in the middle. Stone buildings lined up on both sides, and the townscape had overwhelmed me. Takumi-sama appears to be pleased with Volton, that is whats important to me. Watching me look around, Papeck-san was smiling at me as he said so, and my face turned red when I realized. Totally like a kid. As a middle aged man, I can definitely feel my mental age is turning into the age of my appearance. But it cant be helped that I look around! After all, this is my first time seeingraces other than humans.sinceing to this world. Right, in the town of Volton, there are a variety of races aside from humans living here.. There were no races other than humans in Bohd Vige, but Valkyra Kingdom is a country that encourages inter-racial harmony. And it seems there is a diversity of people of different races living in this country. On the main street were Humans, Beastkin that have animalistic traits, short and stout physiqued Dwarves, Elves that are race of beautiful men and women with tapered ears, and Mazoku whose individual traits are different so there isnt a way to distinguish them from their outward appearances. Papeck-san informed me detailedly. In rural areas, there are many people like Takumi-sama who have not had an opportunity to meet other races until they reached adulthood. Ha, I see. I think thats true. If I had been born in Bohd Vige, it wouldnt be strange to live my whole life and die in that vige, far from the other races. 5 minutes from having passed through the gate, we had arrived at Adventurers Guild of Volton. A 3-story stone building, as expected of an adventurer town. Its very imposing. Now then, this is the Adventurers Guild. Heath-donos party must report thepletion of their request so we will be parting with them here, but Takumi-sama, wouldnt it be better if you take this opportunity to register yourself as an adventurer while subsequently registering your familiar? Are other guilds not allowed? Since I dont want to be an adventurer, wouldnt the Alchemist Guild or cksmith Guild be better? If Takumi-sama is only going take the cksmith job, then there is no problem with the cksmith Guild. The Commerce Guild requires an annual fee therefore I can not rmend it. The Magician Guild is corrupt so it would be better to give up now, and unfortunately there is no Alchemist Guild. Eh? There is no Alchemist Guild? I thought that because alchemy is convenient, whether it be in smithing or in potion-making, there would be an Alchemist Guild. While there are a number of Alchemists, it seems that there are more who main as a Mage that dabble a little bit at alchemy. Then the Adventurers Guild is the only option, isnt it? Theres also Kaedes registration. I had not realized it at the time but I had forgotten that it is thanks to Appraisal EX that I could say alchemy is convenient. And even if its just extracting iron from iron ore, for the mages of this world who have no scientific knowledge, it would be impossible if they are not flexible with their usage of either Earth Magic or Alchemy. At this point in time, there are few people studying and training to be Alchemists. Even though its so useful. Well I will be waiting outside so, Heath-dono, may I leave him to you? Yeah, I got him! Takumi, lets go. Getting off the carriage, I was led by Heath-san and his party to the Adventurers Guild. I wonder if there will be a temte development or something like it. *** Trantors Note: Thank you for reading! Everyone knows what Takumi looks like, but for those who have wondered what the other characters look like, Ive made this Character Page. I hope you enjoy it ^^ Ill see you guys next chapter~ Chapter 17: The Town of Volton 2 Chapter 17: The Town of Volton 2The Adventurers Guild building is 3 stories high and even has a wide frontage. Following behind Heath-san, Lyle-san, and Bogah-san, I entered the guild. The interior of the Adventurers Guild is spacious, with the left side having 3 counters each with a staff member acting as receptionists; The right side is a restobar, and its just past noon so there were very few people there at the moment. Heath-san walked briskly to the reception desk, while Lyle-san and Bogah-san went to the bar. I trailed after Heath-san to one of the counters. Hey, Im reporting thepletion of a request. Oh, Heath. Its the escort request by Papeck Company, isnt it? There was a line at the beautiful receptionist, so Heath-san lined up in the shorter queue at the counter a male receptionist attended to. When his turn came, Heath-san reported and handed over the proof ofpletion of Papeck-sans request to the receptionist. Yes, it has been validated. Would you like to deposit the rewards to your card, as per usual? Yeah, in the card please. Heath-san presented 3 business card-sized cards to the receptionist. Very well, the rewards have been deposited. Thank you for your hard work. The guild staff returned the cards to Heath-san. Also, this is a separate matter. This here is Takumi, Id like you to help him register as an adventurer and register his familiar. Well then, Takumi-sama, please fill out the necessary forms. And where is your familiar?Hiiih! Seeing what was stuck on my torso when I had spread my overcoat, the guild receptionist let out a small shriek. Ah, I apologize for startling you. This is what I have to fill out, right? Fumu, name, age, job, preferred weapon huh, writing anything is fine, isnt it? Its not like this information will be used when joining someones party. For my name, just Takumi should be fine. For job, Alchemist seems questionable so would Mage be good? For preferred weapon a Mage with a spear would be weird so leaving it nk would be better? Is this fine? Well, there are some who only fill out their name so there is no problem. Well then, pour some magic power into this magic device or a drop of blood please. Yes, will this be fine? When I touched the specified area and poured magic power, a card came out of the magic device.Guild Card Name : Takumi Age : 15 Job : Mage Rank : H Title : None 0 G Looking at the guild card, the written information is very simple. The Adventurers Guilds rules and exnation will be` Ah, weve taken care of the exnation I understand, then onto the familiar registration. Heath-san interrupted the male receptionist.[1] Since we had a lot of time inside the carriage from Bohd Vige, I listened to the exnation about the Adventurers Guild. There are 11 ranks, from H C SSS. Points are determined by the request, and the rank is raised when enough points have been umted. You can ept requests up to one rank higher than your rank. Promotion to D Rank requires a battle exam. In addition, so as to not be used simply as an proof of identity, if an H Ranked does not at least ept 1 request per month, the guild card will be rendered invalid. 1 every 2 months for G Rank, 1 every 3 months for F Rank, 1 every 6 months for E Rank, 1 every year for D Rank, and C Rank and above are no longer bound by that regtion. Well, Ill be careful so my guild card isnt invalidated. While I was recalling that, the guild receptionist brought some sort of magic device close to Kaede and was measuring something. I wonder if it was a magic device to measure Kaedes magic power. Alright, the familiar has been registered into Takumi-samas card with this. Please confirm. Like he said, there was a Killer Spider Familiar entry written on the presented card that wasnt there before.Guild Card Name: Takumi Job: Mage Rank: H Title: None Familiar: Killer Spider 0 G With this, Takumi-samas registration at the Adventurers Guild has finished sessfully. Since Takumi-sama is currently H Rank, you are required to ept no less than 1 request per month. It hasnt been long since Takumi-sama had reached adulthood, so I rmend permanent requests such as collecting medicinal nts. Umm, are medicinal nts already on hand not allowed? There are a lot of Hirukuku Grass, Kurupopo Grass, Maryl Grass, York Grass that havent been made into potions stored in my item box. Thats alright. Hirukuku Grass and Kurupopo Grass are permanent requests at 5 bunches for 2 silver coins, Maryl Grass is amon G Rank request at 5 bunches for 5 silver coins. Well then, I wonder how much is within the eptable range. If its 5 bunches each, would handing over 50 each be good? Then, these please. Pretended to take it out from the leather bag I got from Norn-sama, I withdrew 50 of each medicinal nt from the Item Box. I took out 10 sets of 5 bunches. ha! I, Ill count them immediately. The male guild staff was stunned by the amount of medicinal nts I took out. It seems it really was too much. These Hirukuku grass, Kurupopo grass, and Maryl grass are satisfactory since they all certainly look like theyve just been freshly picked. It is 20 silver coins for 10 sets of 5 bunches of Hirukuku grass, 20 silver coins for 10 sets of 5 bunches of Kurupopo grass, and 50 silver coins for 10 sets of 5 bunches of Maryl grass. It will be 90 silver coins in total. Would depositing the payment to your card be fine? Recovering immediately, Guild receptionist-san quickly finished checking their quality and calcted the fee. The adventurers guild card is able to record the rewards into it. Since this is usable in almost all stores and inns, it isnt necessary to carry around heavy coins. Given that I had the money that I received from Goddess Norn-sama on hand, I asked for the payment to be deposited into my card. I handed over my card and waited for the requestpletion and payment processing to finish. Okay, thepletion of the request has been validated. With this, Takumi-sama has been promoted to F Rank. Eh? I only registered at the guild just now, you know. Isnt it weird to be promoted 2 ranks higher all of a sudden? No, originally, H Rank would be promoted afterpleting 10 requests of the same rank. So Takumi-sama was raised to G Rank. Then there is themon request for Maryl grass, but because this is an F Rank request, it is considered thepletion of a request 1 rank higher than yours, thus you have been promoted to F Rank. I dont really get it, but its 1 request every three months for F Rank, isnt it. If thats the case then this is fine. I understand. I received the guild card that has been revised to F Rank. Ou, that took a while.This is our stop. Papeck-san is waiting outside. Heath-san, thank you very much. I bowed to Heath-san and said goodbye, waved my hand at Lyle-san and Bogah-san, and hurried out of the guild to where Papeck-san was waiting. Papeck-san was waiting for me toe out. Now then, Ill guide you to mypany. Pleasee on board. I sat beside Papeck-san and he operated his carriage, driving towards the center of Volton. *** Footnotes:
  1. This line isnt actually in the raw but smoother this way.
Chapter 18: Preparing the Living Quarters Chapter 18: Preparing the Living QuartersThe carriage ran along the gstoned main street. Papeck-sanspany is in an area in the direction of the town center, 5 minutes from the Adventurers Guild. So huge. The building of the Papeck Company sat right before my eyes. It is a building that doesnt lose to the Adventurers Guild in size. Papeck-san, he wasnt just some old peddler? Now then, Takumi-sama. Pleasee in. Leaving the wagon to an employee, Papeck-san guided me into thepany building. Although this was a talk I had with Papeck-san at ater time, I wondered, why is the president of argepany peddling at Bohd Vige, a small vige at the border?. Papeck-san said that its because he doesnt want to forget the feeling he had when he first started out as a merchant. It seems that because its rtively safe up to Bohd Vige as long as he isnt being reckless, thepany tolerates it. Led to an extravagant parlour, I sat ufortably on the sofa. As a middle aged sryman without connections to many extravagant furnishing and works of arts, I was feeling self conscious of how I was lower-middle ss. The door made a sound as it opened, and in came Papeck-san and one more person, a man in his prime. My apologies for the wait. Takumi-sama, this is our head clerk, Thomas. My name is Thomas. Takumi-sama, I look forward to working with you in the future. Eh, y-yes, please bear with me. As a 15 year old juvenile suddenly being greeted very courteously by the head clerk, I ended up acting strangely. Let us now proceed with the trade of potions. Y-yes, I will take it out right away. While pretending to take it out of my bag, I took out 100 pieces of each type of basic potion. Thomas-san stored them in what was likely a magic bag as he counted them. I have urately confirmed 100 basic heal potions, 100 basic stamina potions, and 100 basic mana potions. Therefore, here is the payment of 70 gold coins. Please confirm. Pretending to put the bag of gold coins as it was into my bag, I stored it in my Item Box. Oh? Is it alright for you to not check? Thomas-san, seemingly surprised, asked but Ive decided on my answer. Its because I see no reason for such arge and prominentpany to cheat a young greenhorn such as myself of money. Not at all, it is only natural to check what you receive so, Takumi-sama, please check and receive the money agreed upon next time. I see, if there was a discrepancy with the amount because of a mistake, it might be an issue for the Papeck Companys credibility. I understand. I will do so next time. And with that, the trade has sessfullye to a close. This is off-topic but may I hear your ns from here on, Takumi-sama? At the end of the potion trade, Papeck-san asked me about my ns for the future. I wonder, what to do? The vicinity is different from Bohd Vige so getting a fixed amount of medicinal nts for potions would be difficult, and can potion bottles be bought? Because I more or less came to this town to search for books rted to magic about alchemy and the like in the library, maybe to the library first? After that, while epting requests at the Adventurers Guild so that my guild card doesnt expire, I will try to do things that I wasnt able to in Bohd Vige. Takumi-sama, your armor, those are made out of Huge Armored Boar materials, correct? The design has been refined from what Bobon-dono had created. This is most likely a joint project with Takumi-sama. Since Takumi-sama is an alchemist who can make potions, you are likely a craftsman that can make excellent armor as well. Therefore, would it be possible for the Papeck Company to sell the things that youve made? For example, the magic device in the well at Bohd Vige. Uwaa, the hand pump had been found out. It must have been inspected before I realized it. Haaa, it cant be helped if itse to this. What is installed in the well is not a magic device. That is a device that doesnt need magic power called a hand pump. What!! I dont mind letting the Papeck Company sell that, but please return a part of the proceeds to Bohd Vige. Also, since I taught Bobon-san how to make the hand pump, I think it would be better to learn from Bobon-san who made it without using magic. Thomas! Send a cksmith to Bobon-donos workshop in Bohd Vige! Dont forget the contract either! With Takumi-samas consent too! Certainly. I will make preparations immediately. Papeck-san immediately gave instructions, and Thomas-san left the room. Takumi-sama might not realize this but water is particrly important to this town, other towns, and viges. Aside from nobility with money and wealthy merchants who have magic items that produce water, even procuring water for drinking is heavybor for ordinary people. Now if they had that device, just how many people would be freed from that heavybor. Wouldnt they have valuable time from that time freed? That having been said, if the spread of the hand pump is for the good of the people in this world, then I concede. But there is one thing I will not yield on. Papeck-san, I am fine with spreading the hand pump. However, please conceal the parts about me. Lets see, I think that will be fine. With Papeck-sans understanding, he will proceed with the production behind closed doors, my name not being revealed. Because there would be imitations as soon as the technical hurdles of the hand pump are crossed, the n is that arge number of the product will be made at the start so by the time the otherpanies enter the market, if one were to say hand pump, it would already be associated with the image of the Papeck Company. Although the truth is that I would like to continue dealing in potions as well, there is a bnce between the Pharmacists Guild and the Magicians Guild, therefore lets not be greedier. Leaving Papeck Company, I headed for the inn that Papeck-san had referred to. it really does stink. The townscape is clean so cleaning might be thorough; Theres no fallen garbage, but even though I think its better than medieval Europe, the smell of fecal matter is terrible. Papeck-san told me that the towns clean up is a slum countermeasure by paying poor people. Nobility and wealthy merchants have purifying magic devices for dealing with sewage. A sewage system runs underneath Volton, and they say that priests would periodically purify the area where sewage umtes. When I asked Papeck-san Using magic devices?, he said that there were rtively a lot of purifying magic devices among the magic devices found, however, because it basically relies on excavations in dungeons and ancient ruins, it is too expensive to buy for the sake of cleaning the towns sewage. Although, if its at the level of purifying magic device, itd be impossible with just a bit of studying but if I can raise my skill level then I think I can make it. I think that its correct to say that there are definitely issues with unfettered flow of money to priests that could be called an exploitation. Because the only ones who can use purifying magic are the priests of the church. This depends on what kind of person the Lord of Volton is, but it would be better to consult with Papeck-san about this matter. In the meantime, Ive arrived at the inn Papeck-san told me about. Lets see, Golden Wheat Pavilion. Its this. I wonder if its a grade in between luxury inns and cheap hotels, it has a nice feel to it. I went into the Golden Wheat Pavilion. *** Chapter 19: Studying for the first time in 10-ish years Chapter 19: Studying for the first time in 10-ish yearsWhen I entered the Golden Wheat Pavilion, a calm voice greeted me. Wee to the Golden Wheat Pavilion, will you be dining? Or lodging? The one who greeted me is a kind-looking human woman in her mid-30s. Is she thendy of this inn? Papeck-san told me of this ce when I asked for a rmendation. May I please stay 10 days for the time being? Oh, a referral from the president of the the Papeck Company. A night in a single room with meals in the morning and in the evening will be 5 silver coins. One nights stay with meals included costs around 5000 yen huh. I dont really understand the prices in this world but this is cheap. So that will be 50 silver coins. By depositing 1 gold coin, if you prolong your stay then it would be deducted from that. I handed over 1 gold coin to thendy. Thank you, I will hold on to it. Could you please to add your name into the inn registry? I filled out my name onto the registry that thendy held out. Thendys name is Maura-san, and it seems that she and her husband manage the Golden Wheat Pavilion. So its Takumi-sama. Your room will be number 205 on the second floor. I took the key and went to my room. The room has a bed and a small closet, its small but it has a clean feel to it so its a good room. Haaaa~~ Lying in bed, I sighed loudly. Kaede came crawling out of my overcoat. Kaede, wanna eat? Want, eat Cutting up some monster meat for Kaede, I served it on arge te I made for its use, then put on the floor, I took off my overcoat then hung it in the closet, and unfastened the armored boar leather armor. I applied the purifying magic, Purification, on the leather armor and everything I had on my body, then stored them in my Item Box. Woops, I also applied Purification on the bed. Incidentally, even if the purifying magic, Purification, isnt chanted as Purification , the magic form can still be invoked. After all, if its chantless, then the image is everything. When I asked Papeck-san about purifying magic, it seemed that the purifying magic that the priests used only purified undead and miasma. He said that it is unable to clean dirt the way I use it. I think this is because of the preconception and image. As far as my current self is concerned, purifying magic is a useful magic that I cant give up. Having Kaede house-sit, I ate dinner on the first floor. There were noplex dishes in Bohd Vige, but this being arge town, dishes that used various spices were served, and it was very delicious. I was able to sleepst night. I finished eating breakfast on the first floor, and Im going to the library, which is my primary reason foring to this town. I asked Maura-san where the library is, and walked towards it. A building with a solemn presence could be seen after walking 10 minutes on foot. Kaede is not staying at the inn. In fact, my Time-Space magic skill level finally increased to 3, so I became able to use a magic that doesnt demand much of a tamer, called Subspace. This magic called Subspace is different from the inside of the Item Box, but the flow of time inside is the same as the outer world and living things can enter it; Its capacity is also dependent on the user. It is simr to Storage Magic but it is apletely different magic. Storage Magic is a downgrade of the Item Box. Magic power is necessary when depositing or withdrawing items, and arge amount of magic power is necessary when the storage space is first created. It is said that a normal user can create a storage space up to around the size of a 6 tatami room. The magic power required when opening Subspace is little, but its at a level where it can be ignored when natural magic power recovery is taken into consideration. The magic power it takes when the space is first created is identical, but that cost is much cheaper. Incidentally, the size of the space Kaede is currently in is as wide as 4 baseball stadiumsbined. Kaedes thoughts concerning the interior of the space is that its filled with my magic power and that it was cozy. At the Librarys reception desk, I paid for the establishment fee and the insurance fee. These seem to be for the cost of the maintenance of valuable books and library management cost. I have received 30 silver coins. 20 silver coins will be returned at the time of your departure. Expensive. The usage fee is 10,000 yen. They said that because the books are collected to be appended, if the book is dirtied, the 20 silver will not be returned so they sincerely ask that it be handled carefully. Un, Ill handle it carefully even if they didnt say so. When I entered the library, it had a collection of books that wouldnt lose to a library in Japan, and the aged leather-bound books had a profound feeling to it. Because searching blindly seemed unreasonable, I quickly gave up searching by myself and asked the librarian for books rted to magic circles and alchemy. Theres surprisingly few. From the vast collection of books in the library, there were only 4 books on what I had requested. While there was a fairlyrge number of books rting to spell casting, it seems that matters rting to alchemy and magic circles were minor fields of research. If I had to say, then this is why. By relying on items discovered in ancient ruins and dungeons, the current situation on magic devices will not improve. (I see. Deconstruction, Extraction, Reconstruction, Synthesis. The analysis of an alchemy magic circle can be done.) Alchemy magic circles can be deciphered. If its like this then arranging might also be possible. (Automatic Size Adjustment is aplex magic huh; Size alteration, how fantasy-like; Self Repair is a light and time-space attribute so its a rare enchantment. Enhanced Agility and Strong sh are wind attribute, Enhanced Strength and Enhanced Attack are fire attribute. I see, I see. I understand the general method, so if its like this, I might be able to Enchant without a magic circle.) I wondered why these simple and easily understandable magic circles for Alchemy and Bestowal Magic are obsolete. Although I was thinking this, I realizedter on that the reason I could say this was because the Goddess Norn-sama had gifted me the ability to understand allnguages of this world. In actuality, the people of this world have yet to decipher the characters and magic circles of the age of the ancient magic civilization. This was something I had not yet realized at this time. I continued reading the books, even forgetting to eat lunch. Buying parchment and a pen from the library, I kept taking memos and, by the end of the the day, I was able to obtain the necessary information. *** Chapter 20: Now Ashamed Chapter 20: Now Ashamed The progress of my investigation was surprisingly smooth, I could understand the magic circles, to the point that I could apply it effectively in different aspects. Until now, I, who couldnt manufacture even simple items like a lightmp magic device or an ignition lighter magic device, am now able to manufacture artifacts at the level of those from ancient ruins and dungeons. On bestowing magic on armor and weapons, aside from the dwarven country Gnomstoll Kingdom, I might be able to make magic weapons No, since Ive already been sessful at simple Enchants, with the research I did on magic circles and magic letters and symbols in the library yesterday, and my analysis on the magic forms of ancient magic finished, I might surpass the dwarves before long if I practice. As for my current status, because I havent been fighting, my level hasnt risen even once. Aside from Magic Perception and Magic Power Maniption which I constantly practice, the Skill level of Time-Space Attribute Magic and the Job level of Magic Bestower have gone up. Magic, whether it be alchemy or attribute magic, fails to invoke advanced magic if your skill level is not enough, so training everyday is essential. After changing to the Magic Bestower and practicing enchanting, it was clear to see that constructing magic forms became much easier. Given how that sense grows with each increase in job level, I could tell in an instant that it is quite a lot even though the numbers of the job correction doesnt show.Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Magic Bestower Lv26, Mage Lv38 ( Warrior Lv30, Carpenter Lv7, Alchemist Lv44, cksmith Lv42, Tailor Lv16 ) Level: 18 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 320 Magic Power: 460 Strength: 144 Agility: 115 Stamina: 205 Dexterity: 142 Intelligence: 198 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item box EX (Concealed) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv2 Insight Lv1 Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Active Skills Spear Handling Lv3 Axe Technique Lv2 Fencing Lv1 Throwing Lv4 Taijutsu Lv1 Matoujutsu Lv1 Enemy Search Lv2 Presence Detection Lv2 Stealth Lv2 Tame Lv1 Magic Perception Lv6 Magic Power Maniption Lv8 Light Attribute Magic Lv5 Fire Attribute Magic Lv4 Water Attribute Magic Lv3 Wind Attribute Magic Lv2 Earth Attribute Magic Lv5 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv3 Bestowal Magic Lv3 Alchemy Lv6 Smithing Lv5 Woodworking Lv5 Carpentry Lv3 Harvesting Lv5 Logging Lv3 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv2 Sewing Lv3 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed) Familiar Killer Spider Unique Species ( Kaede ) Be it Bestowal magic or Attribute magic, I think the cruxes lie in the skills Magic Perception and Magic Power Maniption. If you can control magic power precisely, then constructing a magic form would be easy. And because adding an image has arge effect, there is an endlesslyrge divide in images between me, a man from Japan, and the people of Mildgard, whose science and civilization is equal to that of the 15th century. Between these two, the people of this world fail and cant smoothly invoke alchemys fundamentals, DpositionReconstructionExtraction. It wont work unless dposition is used to put magic power into the magic form. That really will make Alchemy obsolete. Bestowal magic is ready and all, but my current problem is more basic than that. I dont have a ce to work at. In Bohd Vige, I could work from alchemy to smithing to woodworking in my house so it slipped my mind, but as one would expect, I cant do that in the room of the inn. What to do. should I consult with Papeck-san? I had Kaede enter the other dimension, and proceeded to the Papeck Company. He might not meet me without an appointment but I dont know anyone else in this town. Yep, its hard to enter, isnt it? I arrived at the entrance of the Papeck Company building but the lower-middle ss me is hesitating. Oh my, if it isnt Takumi-sama. Youvee. Pleasee into the shop. Ah, Thomas-san, good morning. The one who greeted me is the Papeck Companys head clerk, Thomas-san. I felt relief as Thomas-san guided me into the building. Led into the same room as the other day, I drank tea while waiting for Thomas-san. Apologies for the wait. Knocking on the door, Thomas-san entered. Papeck-san will be here shortly, so please enjoy your tea while waiting. I thanked Thomas-san for the referral to the Golden Wheat Pavilion, and we chatted about my impression of my visit to the library. Thank you for waiting. Papeck-san entered the parlor. What business do you have with me today? Standing up to greet one another, Papeck-san then asked about the matter. As expected of a president that handles apany, he manages time efficiently. The truth is, I was nning on renting a ce like a workshop or something simr where I can work on various things, but because I dont know anyone in this town, even though I think it might be an annoyance, I would inquire and consult with Papeck-san. Oh my, I have been careless. This Papeck is ashamed, too ecstatic about the handpump, he was. A workshop is a matter of course for Takumi-samas production, and yet, I am very much ashamed. Papeck-san, aware that a workshop is necessary for my activities in this town, seemed to have forgotten. I myself had thoughtlessly forgotten, so I have no words. No, I had also forgotten. The workshop is for Takumi-samas solitary use, correct? Yes, since I think my smithing and alchemy are unique, I cant hire someone who could do the same so Id like to work alone for now. I said so and Papeck-san pondered over it. Hiring someone unskilled would be risky, wouldnt it. That having been said, it would be troubling if Takumi-sama cant concentrate solely on production. Someone from our ce is not possible. President, in my humble opinion, wouldnt purchasing a ve be eptable? Towards Papeck-san who was muttering to himself, Thomas-san dropped a bombshell. Well~ it seems Im the only one who thought that about ve. Thats true. That might be the best option for Takumi-sama who has many secrets. No, its the only option at present. To hide my use of Alchemy and Smithing Magic, Papeck-san and Thomas-san are saying that it is best to buy a ve to protect that secret. But I have one thing I must say before that. Papeck-san, and Thomas-san too, I came here today for a referral on a workshop where I could do my production in though M-my apologies. Again, I have be excited and digressed. Then, I will list down properties suitable for Takumi-samas workshop from the ones that thepany manage, and guide you to them. Please do. As expected of the Papeck Company, they even have real estates. Thomas-san left to pick up the property files; Papeck-san had work; I was waiting for Thomas-san at the entrance of thepany. Garagaragara Thomas-san turned the carriage to the front of thepany. Now then, please get on, Takumi-sama. Yes, please. Thomas-san drove the carriage to the first property. *** Chapter 21: Workshop, Get! Chapter 21: Workshop, Get! There are 3 properties in Thomas-sans list. The first property is close to the Papeck Company in the central part of the town. It is in the vicinity bordering between the area with noble estates and the middle-ss area. This is the first property. N, no, Thomas-san, I think this is too big. This was formerly a barons estate, but it was put up on the market due to an economic distress and the Papeck Company purchased it. Baron is low ranking among nobility, however, from the perspective of us average citizens, that ptial estate is impressive enough to hesitate entering its gates. Just in case, I was guided inside but impossible. It was impossible for the price, size, and my mental health. Boohoo, I feel sad for my lower-middle ss self. The purchase price will be 100 tinum. Rent will be 5 gold per month. It is 1 billion yen if I buy it, renting is 500,000 yen per month. Impossible, just impossible. And its too excessive for me. Thomas-san, this estate is impossible for me. I believe that Takumi-sama is more than capable of living here, but an estate of this level certainly is no good as it would require at least 3 servants. Then, let us go to the next property. As if nothing happened, Thomas-san led me to the next property. The second one is formerly the mansion of a merchant, located in the middle-ss area of Volton. Yes, a mansion. I wonder what the criteria for Thomas-sans list is. For me, this is the ce I personally rmend. The other house has a narrow garden, is located in a ce far from the Adventurers Guild and market, and its neighborhood is not pleasant. I made an extensive list, but I rmend this ce if you want a house and workshop. There is a workshop-only property, however, I excluded it from the list because it is fairy expensive. Thomas-san showed me the house n of the 3rd property on the list, and the 2nd one is looking much better. Ill have to see about the priceter. Pleasee in. Thomas-san opened the gate with the key and went in. In the middle of the plot enclosed by walls over 2 meters high stands a two-storey concave building[1]. In the rear garden of the wide plot is a storehouse-type building. How about remodelling that storehouse into a workshop? Like Thomas-san says, the storehouse is more than big enough for a workshop. I worked in my house in Bohd Vige, after all. Now then, I will show you the rooms inside. In the central part of the concavity was an elegant door, Thomas-san opened it with a key and went inside. Past the door was an atrium hall and staircase. On the right side of the first floor are the dining room, kitchen, and one servants room. On the left side of the first floor are a spacious parlor room, and a restroom. On the second floor, there is onerge bedroom and 3 small bedrooms, and on opposite side of therge bedroom are a restroom and a really spacious bathroom. A bath Yes, there is a derisory of houses that have bathrooms in the town of Volton. The previous owner was very particr about bathrooms and seemed to have spent quite a bit of money on this bathroom. As Thomas-san says, the bathroom in this house is spacious enough to amodate 5-6 adults. The bathtub is made of marble-like stone, and the walls and floor were tiled. This is terribly attractive but just like this residence, the price is also quite high, isnt it. Frankly, this house is too big for just Kaede and I, but it having a bath is enticing. In reality, I clean my body and my clothes with purifying magic, but this and that are different. Maybe its because the Japanese love baths. The price of this property is 20 tinum if purchasing, and 1 gold 50 silver per month if renting. Isnt that cheap? I think this house is incredibly cheap at 200 million in Japanese Yen. I could never afford this if I were still in Japan, though. And isnt the 150,000 yen monthly rent equivalent to a normal condominium in a metropolitan city? Yes, it is quite cheap considering the market price. The truth is that although there are water and fire magic devices installed in the bathroom and kitchen in the first floor, their magic stones were removed, therefore it would be necessary to purchase magic stones for those as well as for the light magic devices. Furthermore, regarding the maintenance of this residence, cleaning and tending to the garden are done periodically, however, there are still some touch ups that need to be done here and there. If I can do the repairs myself, would it be cheaper? Frankly speaking, it is as you say. Once Takumi-sama has touched up the residence, its value would be higher too. I dont know why his evaluation of me is this high even though we just met the other day, but if the monthly rent is 1 gold 50 silver then the current me can pay for it. Thomas-san, this one please. Certainly. Also, I have a request, I would like some wood and y. Could you please see to it? We will bring it in two days. Then I will hand over 20 gold for 1 years worth of rent and for the wood and y. I paid Thomas-san 20 gold. Yes, I have received it. When will you be moving in? Lets see, I need to prepare the furniture and interior as maintenance for the mansion. There are some parts Id like to renovate so including a number of days to secure raw materials, I think I will move in 7 days from now. Understood. Then let us return to thepany and draft a contract. Returning to the Papeck Company, a residential lease was made and I received the key. I came back to the Golden Wheat Pavilion and talked to Maura-san about the the house with a workshop that I had rented. Ill be returning the remainder of the money you entrusted to me then. No, Maura-san. Could you please make a variety of lunchboxes with the money? That will be quite a lot, you know. I have a magic bag, so its okay. Since the leftover 50 silver is around 50,000 yen, thats like having 50,000 yen worth of lunch boxes, so I understand Maura-sans concern over therge amount. I see, Takumi-sama has a high ss magic bag. I understand. Then I will give 50 silvers worth of lunch boxes with a different menu for each day in 7 days. Please do. I received the key from Maura-san, returned to my room, then had Kaede leave the Subspace and fed it. Alright, so the first thing I need to repair in that mansion is the restroom. Now then, the first thing I absolutely have to work on in that mansion. The toilet reform. I pondered over the structure in order to make a purifying magic device that will clean up the toilet after use. Although Golden Wheat Pavilion is a clean inn, their restroom is no different from a squat toilet. Its thanks to Maura-san and her husbands hard work that the inn is kept clean. As I am a city kid, I am not ustomed to squat toilets. In Bohd Vige, ever since I could use purifying magic, I could clean up each time after going to the toilet so I wasnt bothered by it. As Kaede ate dinner in silence, I thought seriously about toilets. *** Footnotes:
  1. Just like its kanji , the sides are taller than the center of the house.
Chapter 22: Remodel?Repair Chapter 22: Remodel?Repair The day after I rented out a mansion with a storehouse[1], I promptly came to renovate the mansion. Kaede, you can y in the garden. Un, y. Alright, lets fix the perimeter wall first. It seems that it was cleaned properly, but there was no maintenance on the outer wall and house. I repaired the walls with Earth magic as I did ap on the grounds. Once myp around the grounds was finished, the exterior of the perimeter wall was redecorated to a hardened white y. Un, its cleaner than before. Just when the repair of the outer wall finished, the wood and y from Papeck Company arrived and was brought to the storehouse. The current state of the storehouse isnt too bad, so with a bit of repairing, it was done. There is a lighting magic device installed in the storehouse, so I inserted a magic stone I had on hand into it and the interior of the storehouse-turned-workshop brightened. I set up the workbench and stool I brought along from my house in Bohd Vige, something I thought would be an obstruction if left behind. I took out the soil and stones from when I had mined ores from the Item Box. Using pulverized quartz and y that arrived from Papeck Company, I mixed them together with magic while moistening the mixture with Water magic. Its safer to shape it into a familiar form. The first thing I made from the y is a daily necessity made of porcin. Its name is Western Toilet. In this case, should it be Otherworld-Style Toilet? The toilet in this world is close to the Japanese style; Its just a hole. Its easier to duplicate something once one has beenpleted. 2 will be enough for the mansion but Ill make around 5 more. Also because I mixed too much y at one time. I heat it up with magic, making it into a bisque[2]. Next, using wood ash as the mainponent, feldspar and silica arebined with it to make the ze[3]. The ze was put on the surfaces of the 7pleted toilet bowls. Lastly, once the bisque is baked in high temperature, I checked to see if its surface has turned ssy. The Alchemist Job has leveled up Up until now Ive been thinking that this world is amazing since everything could be done with magic, but when Papeck-san came for an inspection, his mouth was agape after seeing me work. It seems Im the strange one. This toilet bowl isnt just your run-of-the-mill western style toilet. Thats because I will add a purifying magic device into it. After using the toilet, the switch of the magic device is pressed, and the contents of the toilet are purified by water and broken down. Correct, this magic device is a magic device engraved with the magic forms of Purification and Dposition. I stored thepleted toilets in the Item box, then installed them in the restrooms on the first and second floor. While I was there, I reced the water magic device of the bathtub with a hot and cold water magic device After that, I checked the condition of the mansion itself, confirming that there are damaged ces. Ill fix those. Deciding that therge room on the second floor will be my room, I returned to the workshop to make a bed, closet, chest, chairs, and table that Id put in there. The Carpentry Skill has leveled up The Woodworking Skill has leveled up I should make a bed, closet, chairs, and a small table for each room. I worked until evening, and since I finished cing the furniture for each room, I decided to go back to the Golden Wheat Pavilion. Kaedeeee, were going baaack! Yeees, Master. I stopped by the furniture store on the way back. Sorry. I ended up buying a sofa for the living room. I also ended up buying mattresses for the beds and a futon. I couldnt help it; I had no fur in stock. Searching for which furs are good, hunting those monsters, and then making it takes too much time so I abandoned the idea. Ill be sure to try making my own sofa at some point. After that, I bought a bunch of daily necessities at a general store, then returned to the Golden Wheat Pavilion. The next day, with Kaedes help, I installed the loom I brought from Bohd Vige into the workshop. Having Kaede spin its thread into the loom, I weaved the Spider Silk into bed sheets. Do I need covers for the futon too? Though nobles would faint at hearing those words, for me who doesnt know the value of Spider Silk, Ive been associating cloth with Spider Silktely. The Sewing Skill has leveled up The Tailor Job has leveled up The Tailor Job has leveled up ????? Just when I finished the sheets, there was a visitor. How is it The one visiting the workshop was Papeck-san. Seeing Kaede in front of a loom, nimbly spinning its thread, he froze. Papeck-san, are you alright? Papeck-san!? Ha! Eh! Takumi-sama, that monster is? Ah, it seems he was surprised at seeing Kaede. It is my familiar, its name is Kaede. No, thats a Killer Spider, isnt it? Ooh, as expected of Papeck-san. He knows the names of monsters well. Yes, it is.The Killer Spider, Kaede. Kaede, this is Papeck-san. When I introduced Papeck-san to Kaede, Kaede waved one leg at Papeck-san. Ha, haha, it seems to understand Takumi-samas words. Ha, haha, am I dreaming? Huh? Wouldnt you normally have mutual understanding with a familiar? O-oh right, should I show you the inside of the house? There isnt much there but Ive tampered with a few things. Th-thats right. Please show me. Yes. The color of Papeck-sans eyes changed as soon as we went in the mansion. When Papeck-san asked to use the restroom and went in the restroom on the first floor, this happened. Takumi-sama! What is that toilet!? Wai-, Papeck-san, youre too close. Papeck-san who had exited the toilet, approached me with a frightening expression. A, aah, my apologies. I lost my self-control. And so, what is that toilet? Aah, thats a toilet bowl with a purifying magic device. Its a toilet with a magic device that purifies your bottom and the discharged things, and disintegrates the cleaning water and imperceptible inorganic waste. Takumi-sama, you have an aptitude for Light Attribute Magic? For a while, Papeck-san looked serious as he thought over something. And then he suddenly talked. Could you please make 50, no, 100 of that toilet magic device? Apart from that, I would also like a purifying magic device that would invoke after a set amount of time. For the toilet bowl, if you can prepare a number of magic stones, y, and stones from a volcanic area then you can make it. But as for a magic device that would routinely invoke purifying magic, some testing will be necessary. I understand. Those will be prepared immediately, so please make the toilet with a magic device. In the end, Papeck-san went back in a hurry after that. Just as he was leaving, he forbade me from speaking about this magic device to anyone.StatusName: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Magic Bestower Lv26, Mage Lv38 (Warrior Lv30, Carpenter Lv16, Alchemist Lv45, cksmith Lv42, Tailor Lv26) Level: 18 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 320 Magic Power: 460 Strength: 144 Agility: 115 Stamina: 205 Dexterity: 142 Intelligence: 198 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX (Concealed) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv2 Insight Lv1 Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Active Skills Spear Handling Lv3 Axe Technique Lv2 Fencing Lv1 Throwing Lv4 Taijutsu Lv1 Matoujutsu Lv1 Enemy Search Lv2 Presence Detection Lv2 Stealth Lv2 Tame Lv1 Magic Perception Lv6 Magic Power Maniption Lv8 Light Attribute Magic Lv5 Fire Attribute Magic Lv4 Water Attribute Magic Lv3 Wind Attribute Magic Lv2 Earth Attribute Magic Lv5 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv3 Bestowal Magic Lv3 Alchemy Lv6 Smithing Lv5 Woodworking LV6 Carpentry Lv4 Foraging Lv5 Logging Lv3 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv2 Sewing Lv3 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed) Familiars Killer Spider Unique Species ( Kaede ) *** Footnotes
  1. Probably the authors mistake, so I altered it. The raw said a mansion with a workshop, but its actually only a storehouse right now.
  2. Bisque or Bisquit is a pottery that has been fired and not yet zed C Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biscuit_(pottery)
  3. ze (Ceramic ze)is an imperviousyer or coating of avitreoussubstance which has been fused to aceramicbody through firing. ze can serve to color, decorate or waterproof an item. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceramic_ze
  4. Papecks reaction to Kaede, while Takumi was travelling with Papeck to Volton, it said there that Papeck saw Kaede, but now hes surprised. I dont get it, honestly.
  5. The author actually kept changing the terms he uses when ites to the toilet. It could sometimes be toilet, toilet bowl, toilet seat even when he means the same thing based on the context. Ill just try to keep it uniform.
Chapter 23: Takumi Becomes A Rich Man Chapter 23: Takumi Bes A Rich Man As I repair the mansion and make the things Im still missing, the ce slowly started to be easier to live in. The y and stone from the Papeck Company arrived during that time. Extracting whats needed from the stones, mixing it with the y, I kept working on and on. Im so d Im not working on this manually. From the bottom of my heart, I am so d that this world has magic. AH! I could have asked the Papeck Company to make the toilets! The Alchemy Skill has leveled up The Alchemist Job has leveled up The Light Attribute Magic Skill has leveled up The Light Attribute Magic Skill has leveled up It was only after Ive finished 100 toilets that I realized. Ipletely forgot to do the same as with the hand pump. There, the crestfallen me wasforted by Kaede. To beforted by a spider The magic device that invokes purifying magic at set intervals that Papeck-san had requested was surprisingly easy to make. Using Time-Space attribute magic, I could easy set a specific time interval for invocation. Having made 100 toilets and 5 timed purifying magic devices, I headed for the Papeck Company to deliver them to Papeck-san. I arrived at thepany and Thomas-san immediately showed me to the parlor. Its like Im being treated even more courteously or maybe its just my imagination. Papeck-san arrived immediately. Takumi-sama, are you delivering the goods already? Yes, because it was only making the same things. Then, I will first hand over the money for the hand pump. The hand pumps are in such great demand in towns and viges, supply is currently not enough of it even with help of Bobon-dono in Bohd Vige. Im crying for joy. As Papeck-san said that, he received a bag from Thomas-san, and held it out in front of me. 20 gold. This sum is only from the advanced orders these past few days. We will pay you at fixed intervals after this. I epted the bag of 20 gold coins. It hasnt even been a month since I came to Volton, and yet Ive already earned such arge amount of money that its like Im losing touch of reality. For the toilet magic device, Im still considering its price, therefore please allow for your remuneration to be paid at ater date, Takumi-sama. And for the timed purifying magic devices, it will be sold to the feudal lord, therefore, please allow for payment to be deferred to ater date as well. Given that I have enough funds in hand right now to be fine without working for a while, I told Papeck-san that there would be no problem with that. And then, I requested that if they wanted arge quantity of toilets with a purifying feature, then Ill teach them the whole recipe, from the materials needed for the toilet and ze to the finished product, and that anything besides the parts with the magic device will be manufactured by the Papeck Company. No matter how much of an artisan I am, I dont want to keep doing the same thing over and over. This is what the work entails, but it hasnt even been a year since I came to this world. There still many things I want to try and a variety of things I want to make. Moving out of the Golden Wheat Pavilion, Maura-san gave me the lunch boxes and I moved into my new home. A few days after I had moved in, Papeck-san visited my house. Really~ The toilet magic device we had Takumi-sama make are flying off the shelves and since preparing the toilet manufacturing facilities is taking the Papeck Company some time, could we please ask you to make 200 more toilets and 10 timed purifying magic devices? Well, I was expecting this though. But will that be fine? To be selling purifying magic devices so extensively, Papeck-san, youre being vignt around the church, right? Papeck-san was poprizing the purifying magic device cautiously at first. The circumstances behind this is because the Divine Empire of Sydnia exists. Purifying magic is a Light attribute magic. Rather than the Divine Empire of Sydnia, it is the Light God Church that ims that the people who use Light attribute magic are the Gods chosen ones. The Light God Church enclose the ones who have the aptitude for Light attribute magic, perform medical treatments with recovery magic and drive curses away with Dispel Curse in exchange for arge donation, which then bes the Churchs operating funds. As a Church that uses purifying magic on filth, they would not overlook a method of cleaning up filth, and for that reason, Papeck-san should have been cautious in selling the purifying magic device. I believe it will be alright because I have secured backers. However, it would be a disaster if something were to happen to Takumi-sama, therefore, if you find it eptable to buy a ve that can be both your guard and your aid for everyday necessities, then I will make use my connections for the search. Regarding the ves that Papeck-san often rmends, like he had previously stated, a ve is forced to protect secrets with Contract magic so it is perfect for someone like me. The vige Takumi-sama was born in is a wealthy vige even if it is in a rural area, isnt it? Its amon story in any country, those who cant pay taxes sell their children or fall to very themselves. There are several types of ves. ?Debt ves Literally, someone who fell into very due to debt. Once that debt has been repaid, they are released. ?Criminal ve A criminal that didnt receive the death penalty is made to do forcedbor. Felons fundamentally wouldnt be liberated, however, there were a few ves that worked exemry that have been granted amnesty by a feudal lord. Petty criminals that fell into very are released after a fixed period of manualbor. ?War ve Someone who became a prisoner in times of war, but wasnt returned as part of the prisoner exchange or as reparation, and fell into very. They are fundamentally not released, however, release is not impossible with a feudal lords permission. ?Illegal ve People that were attacked and caught by bandits and thieves, and have been enved illegally. There is no regtion for their release. It seems Papeck-san is searching for war ves or illegal ves. Is it due to the issue of nondisclosure once a debt ve is released? That is correct. Criminal ves are out of the question, well, even the ves charged for petty crimes would have issues with disclosure upon their release. Huh? But illegal ves are people forcefully taken, arent they? Couldnt they buy themselves back? People forcefully taken can be released to how they were before they were sold to ve traders. Even after being sold to ve traders, they should be able to buy back their freedom. Yes, thats certainly true but, when they became illegal ves, their parents and siblings[1] Ah, I see. When thieves attack viges and merchant parties, people aside from the ones to be sold as merchandise are killed. It is not umon for ves to refuse their own release due to these circumstances. The reason for this is because the master of a ve is obligated to provide food, clothing, and shelter for the ve. There are many of those who had been freed with nowhere to return to that want to be protected as ves rather than live on their own. Hearing that, it made me think Uwaaa~ I was sent to a horrible world. But theres nothing I can do about it. I understand. I will leave the matter regarding ves to you, Papeck-san. Please have the materials for the 200 toilets delivered in 3 days. Oooh, thank you. Now then, I will pay for the previous toilets and magic device. Since each individual toilet was sold for 10 gold, that will be 10 tinum, and each purifying magic device was sold for 100 gold, therefore the total amount is 15 white gold coins. Please confirm. My jaw dropped at the excessive amount of money. Isnt 10 gold for one toilet too expensive? What are you saying? Purification magic is that valuable. And I believe Takumi-sama has noticed it as well, but, the town of Volton reeks. I am currently marketing towards the nobles and wealthy merchants, but once the Papeck Company starts manufacturing toilets, we n on doing our best to stabilize the price so that even an average household can buy one. I see. ording to Papeck-san, the toilets that Papeck Company made are a bit lower in quality. Therefore, their n is to market the ones I made as high ss items, and the ones which I only made the magic device for will be marketed as the generic version. But still, a 1 million yen toilet; I wouldnt buy that. The purifying magic device was sold to Voltons feudal lord, and it was said that there are ns for it to be installed in the sections where the sewers connect. It seems that with this, the smell in Volton would improve and that the feudal lord is more than happy enough to be the backer of Papeck Company. And that leads to protecting me. Haa, I understand. I will make the delivery as soon as I am finished. We look forward to it. Papeck-san returned smilingly. 15 tinum, thats 150 million yen. Isnt it fine if I dont work anymore? As I say that, the lower-middle ss me will probably work. *** Footnotes:
  1. I believe that the author made a typo here, said criminal ve (ū_) instead of illegal ve (`ū_).
Chapter 24: Ulterior motives…… Can’t I not to have one? Chapter 24: Ulterior motives Cant I not to have one? Having been requested an additional 200 toilets by Papeck-san, I worked on the same things in silent contempt for a while, then went to Papeck Company to deliver the 200 toilets and 10 purifying magic devices. It was repetitive work but the levels of Alchemy skill, Earth attribute skill, Alchemist job, and Mage job all went up. Furthermore, because I had been cooking for myself in the mansion, I acquired the Cooking skill. Given that its only level 2, its correction value is still minimal, but it is useful enough. There werent instances where I could cook for myself when I was a sryman in my 40s, but somehow being able to cook is amazing for a skill. On one such day, a carriage from the Papeck Company stopped in front of my home, and Papeck-san says that theres a ce he wants to bring me to. As I had promised previously, I will take you to an acquaintance ve trader. I would like for Papeck Company to deal in ves as well, however, ve trading requires apletely different know-how from trading in normal merchandise. Also, I received a payment of 30 tinum for the delivery of the additional magic devices. Inside the carriage that was moving along the gstone path, I received an exnation about the ce we were heading to. The carriage eventually stopped at the outskirts of themercial district, at a ve shop one house away from the red light district. The building of the ve shop shows a modest facade. To the point that if I wasnt told that it was a ve shop, I wouldnt know. Takumi-sama, this is the Moulin very Company. Because this is in Volton, it is apany that runs its business very seriously. We alighted the carriage, and a voluptuous woman came out of the verypany to greet us. Papeck-sama, it has been too long. Moulin-dono, I must say it truly has. Today we havee in search for a ve that can be be entrusted with assisting in daily matters and a ve that would serve as a guard for Takumi-sama. Thank you very much, Papeck-sama. Takumi-sama, I am the proprietress of thispany, Moulin. Thank you for visiting us today. My name is Takumi. Moulin-san, please treat me well today. An older voluptuous woman, my heart wouldnt stop beating fast at Moulin-sans seductiveness. I had lovers when I was in Japan, and I am not a virgin. But my response is no different from the 15 year old boy that I am today. Fufu, pleasee in. Urged by Moulin-san, I followed after them into the ve shop, all while red in the face. I drank tea in the parlor room while calming myself, and Moulin-san came in with a file in one hand. Due to this being a time where there are few debt ves, the ves that ourpany can showcase are few, however Moulin-dono, that may be so, however Takumi-sama is intent on war ves or illegal ves. [1] The moment Papeck-san said that, Moulin-sans eyes narrowed and her gentle aura to dangerous one in an instant. Could you please tell me the reason? Yes, Takumi-sama here may be young, however, he is an artisan with techniques that other people can not imitate. There are many among those techniques that must be kept a secret, and it is difficult to choose a ve, such as a debt ve, with the potential of leaking those secrets after their release. Papeck-san exined it as such, and Moulin-sans aura returned to a gentle one. I see, if its a war ve, he will not be released unless a very trusting rtionship is built. Conversely, many of the illegal ves rely on their masters and would hate to be freed. I understand. Then, I will show you to them. After that, I looked at the ves around the room that Moulin-san guided us to, but there werent many people here. Thinking that it was an invasion of privacy, I had not appraised anyone until today. My apologies, but with Takumi-samas requirements, there are few men withbat potential that have be ves. As Moulin-san says, when ites to war ves or illegal ves, the options diminish very much. Lets review it again. One person to help manage the mansion and my everyday needs. One person to serve as a my guard when Im foraging. I want at least two people. Moulin-san says that the number of war ves that the Moulin Company currently is currently in possession of is one. Just one. And that sole individual has quite a special circumstance. In fact, this ve is a prisoner from the war between Triaria Kingdom and Yggurle Kingdom 50 years ago. 50 years ago?! Ah, thats because Yggurle Kingdom is the country of elves. Moulin-san said that, in those days, the skirmishes between those two countries fell into a temporary state of war, and the prisoner wasnt exchanged at the time and was directly sold as a ve to a third party country, Valkyra Kingdom. Since Volton is located at the western end of Valkyra Kingdom and is close to Yggurle Kingdom, Moulins grandfather had sessfully bought the ve from Triaria, but due to various reasons, has remained unsold. I dont know why an exchange of prisoners wasnt done, but I knew from just a nce what the reason is for remaining unsold. The right hand, left leg, and an ear were missing. As you can see, she can not fight. She is an elf so she should be able to use spirit magic and attribute magic, but is unable to use magic for some reason. In addition,cking a leg is fatal if travel is taken into consideration. I have no clue as to what grandfather was thinking when he took this girl in. Right, the war ve given a single room is a peerless, beautiful woman. She has long light golden hair, a face so beautiful it was as if it was made by a god, gentle green eyes carrying a strong will, is of tall stature with long legs and arms, and has a figure everyone would likely be charmed by. Above all is her impressive protruding chest that my eyes were nearly glued to. Even so, isnt it strange for there to be no one who wants to buy her? Well, I heard that even with her disabilities, she still has a beautiful face so there were many enquiries from nobles and wealthy merchants. But grandfather seems to have a contract to not sell her as a sex ve, and so she has remained unsold. I thought about this for a bit. My Light attribute magic is currently level 7. To be able to use Extra Heal to return lost limbs, I would have raise its skill level one more time or I wont be able to. I havent obtained the recipe for advanced potions yet so Ill exclude that. Would it be alright for me to buy her? Takumi-sama, are you sure? Surprised, Papeck-san asked. I wonder if he thought Im buying because shes beautiful. ````````````````````Status Name: Sophia Sylphide Race: Elf Age: 80 years old Job: Spirit Mage Lv60, Knight Lv20 ( Warrior LV80, Hunter Lv67 ) Level: 64 Condition: Missing limbs ( very ?Curse of Sealing ) Vitality: 420 Magic Power: 520 Strength: 280 Agility: 380 Stamina: 320 Dexterity: 210 Intelligence: 360 Unique Skills Spirit Eye Passive Skills Insight Lv3 Active Skills Swordy Lv7 Shield Technique Lv5 Spear Handling Lv6 Archery Lv6 Taijutsu Lv4 Enemy Search Lv2 Presence Detection Lv2 Stealth Lv2 Enhance Strength Lv4 Magic Perception Lv6 Magic Power Maniption Lv5 Spirit Magic Lv8 Water Attribute Magic Lv5 Wind Attribute Magic Lv6 Effect of missing limbs, -100 to all stats Unable to manage magic power due to Curse of Sealing. ```````````````````` Sorry, but her status is ridiculously strong. Shell be a battle-ready if the curse and her disabilities are resolved. (Takumi-sama, your Light attribute magic skill is that high?) (I think Ill reach that point soon.) Papeck-san asked in a whisper. Papeck-san naturally knew that I could use Light attribute magic. That being the case, it seems he was surprised that my skill level was this high. Her name is Sophia, and she will be 2 tinum. I dont know if 20 million in Japanese Yen is expensive or cheap, but it also includes the expenses from 50 years of being unsold. Nevertheless, 2 tinum might be extremely cheap for a peerless elven beauty. Iter heard from Papeck-san that although Sophia has missing limbs and had an ear, which is an Elven trait, cut off, because of a contract to not sell Sophia as a sex ve that Moulin-sans grandfather has, she is a useless ve that has stayed in Moulin Company for many years. Papeck-san said that if she were to be sold as a sex ve, she would be worth 20 tinum even with her disabilities. Or rather, that would be the starting price at an auction. I would like to interview her and then buy her if there are no problems. Then please wait at the parlor room. Papeck-san and I returned to the parlor room for the interview.Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Magic Bestower Lv29, Mage Lv46 ( Warrior Lv30, Carpenter Lv16, Alchemist Lv49, cksmith Lv42, Tailor Lv26 ) Level: 18 Condition: Healthy Vitality; 330 Magic Power: 480 Strength: 146 Agility: 116 Stamina: 208 Dexterity: 154 Intelligence: 202 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX (Concealed) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv2 Insight Lv1 Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Active Skills Spear Handling Lv3 Axe Technique Lv2 Swordy Lv1 Throwing Lv4 Taijutsu Lv1 Matoujutsu Lv1 Enemy Search Lv2 Presence Detection Lv2 Stealth Lv2 Tame Lv1 Magic Perception Lv6 Magic Power Maniption Lv8 Light Attribute Magic Lv7 Fire Attribute Magic Lv4 Water Attribute Magic Lv3 Wind Attribute Magic Lv2 Earth Attribute Magic Lv7 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv3 Bestowal Magic Lv3 Alchemy Lv7 Smithing Lv5 Woodworking Lv6 Carpentry Lv4 Foraging Lv5 Logging Lv3 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv2 Sewing Lv3 Cooking Lv2 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed) Familiars Killer Spider Unique Species ( Kaede ) *** Footnotes:
    1. I think author made another typo with criminal and illegal ves again, so I am sticking to illegal ves.
Chapter 25: In the end, I bought two Chapter 25: In the end, I bought two Konkon, Gacha The sound of knocking was heard and Sophia came in with Moulin and an employee. Please sit down. Since she was just standing there, I asked her to sit down. Please allow me to ask you one or two questions. Sophia-san, you were a knight in Yggurle Kingdom. Though right away is impossible, would there be a problem if you were to return to Yggurle Kingdom when you are released in the future? Also, although I am an artisan, I would like to be escorted when I sometimes forage or go mining, but do you find duties like those unpleasant? For the time being, I tried asking if theres a reason should she not want to return to her homnd, and if a knight like her is a fit to be doing guard duty for me. Takumi-dono, was it? Before that, are you a son of a noble? Im sure youve heard but I am by no means cheap. No, I am not a noble. Just a country bumpkin. Sophia-dono, though Takumi-sama is young, he is an excellent artisan. An excellent artisan and developer whose earnings in just this month alone is enough to buy every one of you. It seems like a young person such as myself carryingrge amounts of money was misunderstood to be a nobles idiotic son. Papeck-san exined how I have such arge amount of money. So, how is that? there would be no punishment if I were to return to my mothend. With regards to escorting, I do not dislike the work itself either. However, I am unable to wield a sword or spear with this body. I cant be relied on for magic either because I cant knead magic power. Sophia bit her lip in vexation. This is unrted but I wonder if Sophias speech being boyish is because she is a knight. Its such a steep gap from her womanly appearance. I wont say anything at the moment but Ill do something about that, somehow. Please tell me at once if my purchase of you is physiologically impossible. N-no, its not impossible. Rather, what else can I say to such pretty silver hair and cool eyes? Oooh, her face that doesnt look 80 years old blushing is cute. Her appearance might be like that of someone in their 20s. Elves sure are amazing. Theyre said have a lifespan of 700-800 years. An error range of a 100 years Well then, you will be purchasing Sophia, correct? We will make preparations for Sophia. And one more, you wanted someone who can manage a mansion, did you not? Yes. Then we will present children who had been subjected to a crime and were illegally sold as ves. However, having suffered excessively at the hands of thieves, there are many who have a fear of men. Therefore the ones being presented to Takumi-sama today were kidnapped children who have no ce to return to, and among the ones weve raised, we will first present the one we rmend. Bring Maria. Moulin-san gave instructions to the employee. A girl around the same age as me entered after a short while. I felt strangely impressed at her lovely reddish blonde hair that seemed to exist only in the fantasy world. Her appearance is at a level where 10 out of 10 people would turn their heads at the beautiful girl. She hasrge eyes and translucent skin, arge bust unthinkable of a young girl, hips projecting outwardly from her slender waist, has long arms and legs. How shes not yet sold is a mystery. You may be wondering why someone of Marias appearance hasnt been sold yet at her age. She said she will not do nightly duties, and ourpany only sell the children once theyve be adults because grandfather had ordered so. Maria has only just turned into an adult the day before yesterday. I see, if that wasnt the case, then theres no way a beautiful girl of this level would remain here. Maria is educated in reading, writing, calctions, and general housework. May I ask her a few questions? Please feel free to ask her anything. I looked into the girls eyes, but I could sense from those eyes that she has not given up on life. I am Takumi. Maria-san, please allow me to ask a few questions. If I bring you back with me, I would like for you to manage my home but would that be a problem? The rooms in the house consist of a living room, dining room, and kitchen on the first floor, and four bedrooms and a bathroom on the second floor, but if this is too difficult to manage alone, I would like for you to tell me how many people would be necessary. Maria thought about my question for a little bit and answered. With regards to returning to Takumi-samas house and managing it, please do take me from here. For the number of rooms there, I believe I will be fine by myself. Hearing her answer, I looked at Moulin-san. Maria will be 80 gold. No problem. So, her too please. Then we will make preparations for Maria. We will bind Sophia and Maria with a ve contract thereafter. I paid Moulin-san 3 tinum, subtracting themission fee and the initial tax, I received 10 gold coins in change. We signed Sophia and Marias ve contracts in another room. Before that, I didnt forget to dispel Sophias curse with Dispel Curse. If I dispelled it after the ve contract is done, the curse and the ve contract will both be lifted. Moulin Companys exclusive mage cast ve Contract magic on Sophia and I, and Maria and I. Thereupon, a ve crest showed underneath the throats of the girls and they became my ves. Master, I will endeavor to forever stay by your side. Master, please treat me well. Lending my shoulder to Sophia, we boarded Papeck-sans carriage to return to the mansion. In the carriage on our way back to the mansion, Papeck-san could no longer hold it in and asked me. Takumi-sama, can you recover lost limbs? Papeck-san, I must say that it is impossible at present. However, with one more level, I better not say anything more than this. Yes, t-thats right. I will not ask about this. I heard that there is one priest in the Divine Empire of Sydnia that can recover limbs, and that is the pope. Hearing Papeck-san and my conversation, Sophia suddenly grabbed my arm. Sophia-san, your face is close, too close! If a peerless beauty does that, Id lose all reasoning. Master, you can use Light attribute magic to the point where limbs can be restored? No, Im saying its still impossible for me right now. But Ill do something about it before long. For Sophia-san who hade to be my guard, it would be hard to hold even a sword without a right hand, wouldnt it? A sword, I will be able to swing a sword Sophia-san wants to believe but cant believe it, and I could see thatplex expression. Ah, since your curse has been dispelled, you can use both Spirit magic and Attribute magic. Eh!!? Sophia-san kneaded her magic power within herself inside the carriage. Magic power, my magic power is working. I can knead magic power! Whoa, whoa! Calm down Sophia-san, were inside a carriage. The excited Sophia-san calmed down somehow. I know youre happy because you hadnt been able to use magic until now, but, sorry, Ill have you settle down. Papeck-san had on a face that was saying Since when had the curse been dispelled???. *** Footnotes:
  1. Onomatopoeia exnations. Konkon = knocking, Gacha = door opening.
Trantors Note: Im so happy we finally reached the story where the girls are shown. >w< Ive always been so curious as to who those girls on the cover were and when theyd appear. As always, thank you for reading! Ill be back from my trip to Singapore by the 25th. Thank you for your understanding. Chapter 26: Three People and One Creature Chapter 26: Three People and One Creature We returned to the mansion using Papeck-sans carriage. The three of us entered the mansion and rxed in the living room. For starters, there are 3 vacant rooms on the second floor, Sophia-san and Maria-san please choose from those. Master, please address me simply as Sophia. That is right, Master. Master, you will be looked down upon if you treat ves in such a manner. As soon as we returned home, I had suddenly been given advice by Sophia-san and Maria-san. It seems that the Master C ve rtionship must properly be upheld. I dont think of it as a Master and ve, but Sophia and Maria, this is awkward. Also, one room per person is too luxurious for a ve. No, there are many rooms so use them. Ah! I forgot to introduce you. Kaede,e out. Kaede came out of the Subspace, and got on myp as I sat on the sofa. uCumm, M, master, th-that is Sophia and Maria were pale faced and staring at Kaede. This ones name is Kaede. Its my familiar, so do get along. Familiar, Master, that, is a Killer spider is it not? Oooh, as expected of an elf, you know it well. No, the incredible one is Master. An escort is unnecessary if Kaede is around; Im losing confidence. Afterwards, I toured them around the mansion, and exined how to use the toilet and the bath. I-is it alright for u-us to use the bath as well?! This is my first time seeing a bath! After showing them and telling them that theyre free to enter the bathroom, Sophia and Marias spirits became ridiculous. Sophia-san, its soap! Its true! What a nice scent. The excitement of the two wouldnt settle down, they kept touching the magic device and dispensing hot water. The hot water vigorously flowed, and in a few minutes the hot water had filled the tub. Ill prepare the towels, you guys bring a change of underwear, and its fine to go in one at a time or together. For Master to note with us, and for ves to enter first, you say. Thats right, Master! Come on, the appeal of the faces of these two who want to enter the bath. Un, honesty is best. I take a bath just before sleeping so its alright. Then I will take your word for it. Me too, Ill go in first. Sophia and Maria ran to get underwear brought with them from the verypany. Even though Sophia is one-legged. You dont have to run though Meanwhile, I made lunch in the kitchen. A simple meal would be good, right? I heat up a frying pan on the magic stove I made. I fried both sides of the bacon and distributed it on the tes. I greased the pan, then brought out eggs from the Item Box and cracked them into a bowl. I dont know what kind of milk this is, but I added the milk-like thing and stirred it. Salt is enough for vor. I would have liked some cheese though. I hummed a song while making the omelette. I cooked three peoples portions of omelette, then arranged them on the tes with bacon. I set the tes on the dining table, and ced a basket of bread at the center of the table. I then lined up individual tes and pre-prepared vegetable soup for three people. Master! Master! Why are you cooking food!? Sophia and Maria who had just stepped out of the bath were wearing simple dresses. When the two with exceptional proportions wore thin dresses, their chests bulge and their hip-lines became more temptatious. Lets have lunch. There are times when I do this because I have to if I wanted to eat. You can rx today. Now, lets eat before it gets cold. I sat at the dining table. Sophia and Maria remained standing. Whats wrong? Both of you sit down. For a ve to do such a thing as have a meal at the same table as Master. Maria was lost and confused at what she should do. Come on,e on, Maria, help Sophia to a chair. The two reluctantly went to the table, and I imparted my wish to them. Sophia, Maria, I want you to listen. I grew up in an environment where there were no ves. That is why, I dont understand the significance of differentiating special ves. So to have bonds with my ves, I want us to match my style. Alright, this talk is over. Lets eat. I dont know if they understood it or not, but the three of us somehow finished our meals. Informing Sophia and Maria that I am going to the workshop, I left the mansion and went entered the workshop. Now then, this is gonna hurt, I bet. I rolled up my sleeves and stabbed myself. Ow! Heal I immediately remedied the injury with Heal. I took out York Grass from the item box and tossed it into my mouth. Cure I alternated between casting Heal and Cure on myself. Of course, my goal is to level up the Light attribute magic skill. When the skill level goes up, improving to the next level simply through usage bes more unclear, hence difficult. That is why I heal injuries, detoxify poison, and purify the room. And do it again. Truthfully, using more advanced Light attribute magic is more efficient at increasing the skill level, but I still cant use therge-scale Holy Barrier. And then, that time came. The Light Attribute Magic Skill has leveled up Haaa, it finally went up.I returned to the mansion and Maria was preparing dinner. Ah, Master, preparations for dinner will be done very soon. Thank you. The three of us ate dinner, then I took Sophia to her room. Whats the matter, Master? Well, its fine, its fine. Sophia sat on the bed. I kneaded a concentration of magic power and constructed a magic form. Extra Heal A change suddenly wrapped light around Sophias body. Ah! Sophia let out a groan. Sophias right arm started regenerating, her ear returned to its former state, and her foots regeneration proceeded at a quick pace. Sophias arm, leg, and ear had regenerated right before my eyes. Maria covered her mouth with her hand in surprise. Wha! M, Masterrrr~! Sophias exceedingly beautiful face distorted and she burst into tears. Waa~ Im so tiiired~ I-is Master a priest? Maria spouted absurdities. In the end, it took some time before Sophia could regain herposure. Washing her tear-stained face, Sophia then fell to her knees in front of me. I will dedicate eternal loyalty and devotion to Master. Sophia, raise your head.I healed your body for my sake. So raise your head, Sophia. This is wonderful, isnt it, Sophia-san. Well talk about whats toe tomorrow, Sophia will rest today. Her lost limbs were healed, but having not moved very much for a very long time, Sophias stamina did not return to how it used to be. Good night, Sophia. Good night, Maria. Good night, Master. Theyve got to change their way of calling me Master. Being called Master, no way~ this isnt a maid cafe. *** Chapter 27: Current Objectives Chapter 27: Current ObjectivesOn the second morning of Sophia and Mariaing to the house, the three of us finished eating breakfast and were discussing todays ns and future objectives over a cup of tea. Firstly, my ns for today. We will buy clothing and underwear, and any other necessities for you, Sophia and Maria. However, we might run into some trouble because both of you stand out very much, so Ill lend you my overcoat today. We might be able to hide your face if you pull up the hood. I can understand Sophia-san, but I will be fine. No no no, Maria, you should be aware of your own appearance. Sophia is a different type, but you are also good enough to boast about. When I said that, Marias face turned red and she looked down. Beside her, Sophia was also nodding. I will eventually make clothes and underwear. Eh!? Umm, Master, even our underwear? Thats right. The clothes Im wearing, down to my underwear, are all handmade. The cloth is made from Kaedes specialized Spider Silk. S, SPIDER SILK! Knowing the value of Spider Silk, Sophia was speechless. About my ns for the future. I want to travel freely to different ces. I also want to go to ces with food and materials only avable in those ces, see beautiful sceneries and historic ruins. Of course, our base will be this house. I would like for Sophia to always be with me to guard me, but if that were the case, Id be worried for Maria whod have to house-sit for a long time. L-listen, Master, would it be a bother to you if I said I want toe along with you and Sophia-san? Maria stared at me as she talked. Being stared at by a beautiful girl like her, Id do anything she asks for. Receiving permission from the two, I first checked Sophia and Marias status using Appraisal.Status Sophia Sylphide Race: Elf Age: 80 years old Job: Spirit Mage Lv60, Knight Lv20 (Warrior Lv80, Hunter Lv67) Level: 64 Condition: Healthy ( very: Takumi ) Vitality: 420 Magic Power: 520 Strength: 280 Agility: 380 Stamina: 320 Dexterity: 210 Intelligence: 360 Unique Skills Spirit Eye Passive Skills Insight Lv3 Active Skills Swordy Lv7 Shield Technique Lv5 Spear Handling Lv6 Archery Lv6 Taijutsu Lv4 Enemy Search Lv2 Presence Detection Lv2 Stealth Lv2 Enhance Strength Lv4 Magic Perception Lv6 Magic Power Maniption Lv5 Spirit Magic Lv8 Water Attribute Magic Lv5 Wind Attribute Magic Lv6 ````````````````````Status Maria Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Maid Lv20, Thief Lv20 ( Warrior Lv16, Chef Lv32 ) Level: 14 Condition: Healthy ( very: Takumi) Vitality: 120 Magic Power: 140 Strength: 70 Agility: 80 Stamina: 90 Dexterity: 96 Intelligence: 110 Unique Skills Passive Skills Active Skills Dagger Technique Lv4 Taijutsu Lv2 Enemy Search Lv2 Presence Detection Lv2 Stealth Lv2 Magic Perception Lv1 Magic Power Maniption Lv2 Fire Attribute Magic Lv2 Water Attribute Magic Lv2 Earth Attribute Magic Lv3 Sewing Lv3 Cooking Lv3 ```````````````````` I already knew Sophia was strong before I appraised her, but Marias status wasnt all that bad either. It might not be an exaggeration to call her a genius. Just what did Moulin-san make Maria do? Shes a battle maid no matter how I look at it. Our levels arent that much different, and you can use three attribute magic. Maria, your status is more than enough. But is this really okay? I think we will face a lot of danger. Yes, it would be many times more painful being left by Master and Sophia. Maria looked serious. Master, I also ask this of you. I would like for you to allow Maria to move together with us. If its magic, then I will teach her, and I think I can also teach her how to fight. thats true, I will also join your training. Yeah, Maria is the one in charge of my well-being after all. Yes! That being the case, it is necessary to reassess our battle potential. Originally, I had nned for just Sophia and I to go on the journey. I thought it was a good idea to hire an escort from the Adventurers Guild when moving from one town to the next. Sophia is also strong so I think nothing extreme would happen. However, Mariaing along changes the story. To take a beauty and a peerless beauty on a journey, thats just like saying Please attack me. At present, Maria and I have to improve our overall strength. Sophia will cancel out her 50 year nk. And I will make Sophia and Marias equipment. Thats about it. Also, it might be good for Maria and I to register at the Adventurers Guild. Thats true, you need identification papers. Today will be for shopping and registering at the Adventurers Guild. In the Adventurers Guild, aside from the registrations, I would like some information about the monsters that frequently appear in the vicinity of Volton. Sophia, would knight armor be good? Since Sophias job used to be a knight, I asked her if she wanted knight armor, but she shook her head. No, being a knight doesnt mean I wear knight armor. Leather armor that does not inhibit my movement would be sufficient. I still have a ton of materials from the Huge Armored Boar so Ill use those. What weapon can you use well? Sophia should be good with the sword, spear, and, very elf-like of her, the bow. I would like a long sword, a spear around 2 meter to 2.5 meters, and a long bow as my bow. Also, one or two knives. You dont need a shield? For the shield, a small round shield will be good. I wonder if Sophias fighting style relies on speed. Ill make a leather armor simr to mine then. Maria, what weapon do you want to use? Still a dagger? I trained with a dagger at Moulin, so a dagger or knife as the base would be good, but I have worries about its destructiveness against enemy monsters. Fumu, it is enough for interpersonal fights but grave againstrge monsters. How about a spear then, Maria? If its a spear then I can teach you. Thats right. Spears, ives, bardiches, halberds, there are many types, but either way, a long weapon would probably be good. In the end, it would make no difference whether you use a knife or a spear if youre fighting a huge armored boar, but if youre fighting a goblin with a knife, or fighting it with a spear or ive, then thetter would definitely be much easier to fight with. Yeah, Maria is a beginner with long weapons, so try starting with a spear. You can change to a ive after that. Yes, please teach me, Sophia-san. It seems Maria took Sophias advice and chose the spear. Aside from the twos spears and des, I need to prepare their armor too. *** Chapter 28: Preparation for the Two Chapter 28: Preparation for the Two All of my actions, which includes the collection of materials, Sophia and Maria wished to do together. Also, although it had already been decided that I will make Sophia and Marias equipment, a certain incident happened on the night of the discussion. I was rxing alone in the bath when, all of a sudden, a bare Sophia came in. Wha! I forgot how to breathe and my eyes were wide open. There stood an exceedingly marvelous figure far beyond my imagination, smiling while enduring her shame. Takumi-sama, would you please ept all of me? I had the two of them change their way of calling me master after the discussion we had earlier. I want to get along with them familiarly, not as their master. Sophia, there should be a use in your ve contract stating that you are not demanded to attendto me. Restoring your limbs was also because I wanted your fighting potential. These are my feelings. In my long life as an elf, my time together with Takumi-sama is short and fleeting. With that being the case, I wish to spend that time devoting my mind and body to you. Being told that much, my reasoning was at its limits. A beautiful girl the likes Ive never seen before is in front of me, naked. There is no way I could endure that. What happened after that was quite excessive. It was morning by the time we realized it. On therge bed I madey an exhausted Sophia, sleeping. Last night, what happened in the bathroom was a first for Sophia. She had already lost her limbs by the time she became a prisoner, but she is the daughter of a noble, even though low ranked. After that, why Sophia was not returned in the exchange of prisoners and indemnities, I was not told. In the beginning I thought Sophia would be too much for me, but the constitution of my body was made special by Goddess Norn; It was very high-performance. In various meanings. Although Maria and Sophia exchanging nces about something during breakfast was on my mind, I n on making their equipment today. In order for Sophia to recover from her 50 year nk, she practices in the garden using the spear and sword I lent. When Maria is done cleaning and tidying up, she would join the said training. As for me, I was secluded in the workshop in the garden, making Sophia and Marias des and spears. I think Magic Steel would be good as the material . I can just buy or make a request the ores aside from this. Although its fine if I buy the weapons since I have a lot of money, I still want to do it by myself., from mining, to refining, to smithing, until enchanting. Additionally, in this world, simply being a hard metal is not very meaningful. Even if I made tungsten carbide, a hard metal alloy, that alloy has low affinity with magic power and would do little damage to monsters. That is why, in this world, a bullet from a handgun would only pass through a weak monster. This is a fact from the information I had received from the Goddess. So now, Ill divide the magic steel ingots into the necessary portions using Earth magic. With the Smith magic Craft, I imagined a de 50 cm long, the spearhead of a spear in Japan called an Oomiyari[1]. At this point, I realize that I forgot one thing. Oh no! I forgot the materials for the shaft! I forgot. Probably because of therge correction Goddess-sama had on my luck, I was able to use Treant materials, but to go hunting for Treants now would be impossible. I changed my mind and just make the spearheads for now, then make the sword and knives. The mental image I have is a Japanese spear called a Sasahoyari.[2] With a precise image in mind, I used Craft to shape the ingot. If I was shaping this normally, then its entirety would be magic steel, however, I altered the core and edge into carbon steel. Furthermore, I restructured the martensite on the de. Working on it with just an image shaves off my magic power. The [Smithing] Skill has leveled up The [cksmith] Job has leveled up The [Earth Attribute Magic] Skill has leveled up The [Alchemy] Skill has leveled up The [Alchemist] Job has leveled up The [Bestowal Magic] Skill has leveled up The [Magic Bestower] Job has leveled up Having made another simr spearhead, I then decided to engrave Sophia and Marias spearheads. The design on Sophias spear were wings. On Marias spear, a me. The [Metalworking] Skill has leveled up The [Metalworking] Skill has leveled up Lastly, I enchanted the spearheads with Enhanced Attack and Self Repair toplete it. Sophias sword was a typical long sword. The de of the sword looks short at 80cm, with handling as its priority. I processed a magic stone into a magic crystal and inserted it into the pommel to try to facilitate the activation of the magic sword. A magic sword is a method to increase the offensive ability of the sword by coating it in an attribute magic. Its hard for magic power to course throughmon iron swords, but magic metals such as magic steel, mithril, adamantite, and orichalcum have high affinity with magic power and are suited for magic swords. Although this is different from a magic sword, the technique to envelop a weapon with magic power to strengthens the weapon and increases its offensive ability is an ordinary technique usable by the knights or adventurers of this world once theyve reached a certain level. However, Sophia informed me that although anyone can use it, its a technique that is hard to master. For Maria, I made two knives. One is arge knife with a 30cm de. The other one I made is a a double-edged dagger, rather than a knife. I think either of the knives would be easy to use though. Then I had a thought. A battle maid would have a knife on her thigh, right? So, I made an additional small knife. Yes, I am a fool. The enchantment on the knives and swords are the same as the ones on the spear.Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: cksmith Lv48, Magic Bestower Lv32 ( Warrior Lv30, Mage Lv46, Carpenter Lv16, Alchemist Lv52, Tailor Lv26 ) Level: 18 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 330 Magic Power: 486 Strength: 147 Agility: 116 Stamina: 208 Dexterity: 156 Intelligence: 204 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX (Concealed) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv2 Insight Lv1 Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Active Skills Spear Handling Lv3 Axe Technique Lv2 Swordy Lv1 Throwing Lv4 Taijutsu Lv2 Matoujutsu Lv1 Enemy Search Lv2 Presence Detection Lv2 Stealth Lv2 Tame Lv1 Magic Perception Lv6 Magic Power Maniption Lv8 Light Attribute Magic Lv7 [3] Fire Attribute Magic Lv4 Water Attribute Magic Lv3 Wind Attribute Magic Lv2 Earth Attribute Magic Lv8 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv3 Bestowal Magic Lv5 Alchemy Lv8 Smithing Lv6 Woodworking Lv6 Carpentry Lv4 Foraging Lv5 Logging Lv3 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv4 Sewing Lv3 Cooking Lv2 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed) Familiar Killer Spider Unique Species ( Kaede ) *** Footnotes
  1. its longer version of the suyari which is a straight double edged spear. Image of Oomiyari and aSuyari forparison.
  2. Image of Sasahoyari.
  3. Authors mistake, based on the story progress, this should have been level 8. I will keep this as Lv7 only because the story continues with it as being lv7.Thanks to Tanskandoggi for pointing it out.
Chapter 29: Equipment of the Two, Armor Edition Chapter 29: Equipment of the Two, Armor Edition Having finished making the sword and knives of the girls at a speed that one could only be expected with magic and only in a fantasy world, I then moved on to making their armor. The materials will be the same as mine, Huge Armored Boars hide and carapace. Ive already finished remodeling my armor to have Automatic Size Adjustment, Enhanced Physical Defense, and Automatic Temperature Regtion enchantments. I n on changing the design of Sophia and Marias armor but it will have the same performance as mine. I had asked for Sophia and Marias requests beforehand, and they said they wanted something that doesnt be a hindrance to their breastte and gauntlets. Even with the Automatic Size Adjustment enchantment, Id still need to take their measurements, huh. I made excuses for myself as I went to call Sophia and Maria over. The two were in the middle of training in the garden. Sophia was doing demonstrations with the spear I had lent her, and Maria was mimicking it with a stick modeled after a spear. Guessing from Marias movements, she probably already acquired the Spear Handling Technique skill. Shesure does have talent. As someone who has a cheat-ss correction from the Goddess, that is what I thought when I saw their training. (A knights spear handling really is educational.) For me who is self-taught in the ways of the sword and spear, this view of training is beneficial. Acquiring a skill, you will certainly be able to do those technical skills, but I think having sufficient technique founded on martial arts is still important. Sophia, who was training, noticed me and stopped the training. Takumi-sama, may I help you? Ah! Takumi-sama, you were watching? Un, I was admiring Sophias spear handling, and surprised by Marias talent. When I said that, Sopha and Maria smiled shyly. I could feel my blood pressure rising from just seeing those smiles. Oh, right, I was making armor for the two of you but I came here because I needed to take your measurements for the breastte and gauntlets. Take measurements Takumi-sama measuring me Both of them turned red as soon as they heard measurements, but since nothing would happen if Im embarrassed as well, I started to take Sophias measurements. Continuing with Marias measurements, I then hurriedly returned to the workshop once I was done. Haa, haa, that was dangerous. Sophie and Maria both had staggering destructive power. I got a nosebleed. Taking refuge in the workshop, I sat down on the stool and syed my upper body on the workbench. When I measured Sophia, I rememberedst night, and when I measured Maria, I couldnt hold in my excitement. I am so blessed. I may have been dragged intoing to this world, but thanks to the Goddess, I was rejuvenized well, my origin isnt at a reincarnated level, but I met Vanga-san and the vigers at Bohd Vige, and even met Maria and Sophia by chance in this town. Goddess Norn-sama, thank you very much. I made Sophia and Marias breasttes and gauntlets. Their colors are the same as my two-toned ck and grey leather armor, and I had engraved patterns on the right side of their breasttes using silver, Sophias design were wings, and Marias were mes. Both Sophia and Maria, the curves on their chests are so impressive. The curves of the finished breasttes awoke my worldly desires. Shaking my head to pull myself together, I made the girls boots. I cant use Kelpie hide but I can use de Deer pelt as the base and then reinforce the toes and heels with Huge Armored Boar carapace. Naturally, I also have identical reinforcements on my Kelpie boots. Furthermore, using rubber which I synthesized with alchemy on the sole of the shoe, thefort and padding for footwear which was impossible for this world had been realized. I then added State Preservation and Self Repair enchantments on the soles. The breastte and gauntlets have been enchanted with Enhanced Physical Resistance, Automatic Size Adjustment, and Automatic Temperature Regtion. The boots, apart from the sole, were enchanted with Automatic Size Adjustment and Automatic Temperature Regtion. Lets change the color of Sophia and Marias boots. Having the girls wear boots the same color as mine isnt cute. I used alchemy to coat the surface of the boots with a pigment to change their color. For Sophia, because the forest is the image associate with elves, dark green. For Maria, a type of blue will match her hair so I dyed her boots dark blue. The girls boots, unlike mine, are long boots. This is just a matter of appearances, though. All thats left is the under-armor. Normal clothes are fine, but I should do all the things I can do. Kaede, could you take out some stic threads? Yes, Master I had Kaede who was rxing beside me provide some stic threads. Leather armor is an equipment worn above clothes, but I n on preparing special under-armor. I had woven Kaedes special stic thread together with a thicker-than-normal thread to weave a cloth to make cargo-pants-like pants. However, that might be unfashionable for Sophia and Maria. So, with tights in mind, I wanted to make durable pants with thin stic thread so it doesnt inhibit movement. Their shapes would show too much if I keep this as it is. Its okay I can see it, but I dont want others to see it. Ill have to add a miniskirt in ce of tassets over this. It would be easy to move in by adding a slit, and its defense should leave nothing to be desired with Spider Silk (defense specialized). With that decided, its weaving time. To make cloth with a variety of spider silk, I set the threads into the loom. As I imagine the parts Sophia and Maria will wear the equipment on, I couldnt reel in my smiling face. *** Chapter 30: Adventurer Registration of the Two Chapter 30: Adventurer Registration of the TwoIt took 3 days since I started making Sophia and Marias equipment to finish making the fitted shirts and pants that would be their under-armor. Besides this, the day after I had started making the equipment and connected with Sophia, another incident urred. I worked enthusiastically on their equipment since the day began so after eating dinner, I took a slow, rxing bath. Fuuu~ will Sophiaing today? My memories ofst night resurfaced. At that moment, I heard the door open and someone entered. Thinking Sophia hade, I held in my grin, looked at the entrance and. Eh!? The stark naked figure that appeared was not Sophia, but Maria. A breathtaking beauty different from the adult woman that Sophia is. Coming in from the exit, I couldnt retreat to elsewhere, a figure dangerous to the eyes had freely entered the bathroom. Maria. Takumi-sama, I had conceded the first to Sophia-san, however, I will do my best in attending to you. Umm, Maria, our contract excludes attending to me, doesnt it? Thats because I wanted you to take care of my everyday needs. Maria approached the bathtub while I was saying that. I will assist in both your everyday needs and attendingto you. Eh, Maria, donte any closer. I wont be able to ho` Maria didnt let me finish what I was saying. After her soft lips had shut my mouth, my reasoning flew away. Moulin is frightening; It is Marias first time but she seems to have received a variety of training. In the end, we slept at around the same time as yesterday. From the discussion I had with the two after that, it seems Sophia had decided to attend to me after I cured her disability. I somewhat get it but I also dont. Its not something you do out of gratitude. I thought But if thats the case, how about Maria? but apparently, its because, from the time I had first met them, I continued to treat Sophia and Maria like any other person. Sorry to tell you but for me, its because I was in an era in Japan that is unfamiliar with the system of very. Sophia and Maria said that they do not want to be freed. Especially Maria, she said she absolutely hates it. Kidnapped and sold when she was a child, Marias whole world was in Moulin very Company. Maria, who has no ce to return to, pleaded, wanting to stay with me my whole lifetime. Incidentally, the agreement is that when I die, they will be set free. With this and that, for the two who had been connected to me both emotionally and physically in the short time since weve met, I swore to do my very best. For the 3 of us to travel together, Sophia advised that it is essential that Maria and I increase our abilities, so its about time I fight monsters and make an effort to level up. Before we do that, weve decided toplete Maria and Sophias guild registration. Their armors wereplete; Sophia and Marias equipment are Huge Armored Boar leather armor, gauntlets, and long boots. I wonder if well get into trouble if they wear an overcoat with the hoods up. Un, it suits the two of you very well. Thank you very much When I said so, Sophia and Maria didnt conceal their smiles while seeming embarrassed. Weve only been associated with each other for a few days but I feel like weve gotten much closer. We will go to the Adventurers Guild. After we finish the registration, I n on epting some kind of request. I wore my equipment too, and we headed for the Adventurers Guild. Its a 10 minute walk from the mansion, and I made full use of Enemy Search and Presence Detection as we walked. I am Sophias target to protect, but even I have a little bit of pride. Despite being a weak artisan, I want to protect these two. Having arrived at the Adventurers Guild without anything happening, we immediately lined up at the receptionist counters toplete the registration. Its morning right now and the Adventurers Guild is packed with adventurers looking for jobs. Although there are long lines at the receptionists, therge majority of the adventures are men, so the line at the beautiful female receptionist was amazing. We lined up at the male receptionist I had previously registered at. Good morning. Its Takumi-san, isnt it? Will you be epting a request today? He remembered my name. Yes, but before that, please register these two. Certainly. I am a staff member of this guild, Hans. Then, could the two please fill out this form. Naturally, Sophia, as well as Maria knew how to read and write, so the pair filled in the necessary items on the form. They were issued H ranked guild cards.Guild Card Name: Sophia Job: Swordsman Rank: H Title: None ?Guild Card Name: Maria Job: Warrior Rank: H Title: None ? The two epted their cards and the three of us registered as a party. Then we decided we would take a request to raise Sophia and Marias rank. How about we ept some H rank and G rank requests for now? If thats the case, we wont add to Takumi-samas points? Its alright. I dont want to raise our guild ranks separately. While the three of us were looking and discussing requests pasted on the bulletin board, I had been careless. Since it hadnt happened before, the usual temte had turned up. Even though their hoods concealed their faces, it couldnt hide their figures. Especially since Maria was only 160 cm tall, with her long hair peaking at times, as well as her chest and bottom which couldnt be concealed. It was likely clear that she is a woman. Yo~ Onee-chans, we can guide you more attentively than this weak Anchan[1]. Yeah, we are D rank, were more reliable than this weak Anchan. Oy, these Nee-chans are ves. Oooh! Oniichan! Lend us these two! We might return them in 2 to 3 days! Hyahyahyahya. The ones who came to pick on us were, arge man d in dirty leather armor with an axe on his back, a fussy-looking mage, and a short mouse-like male scout. I could see that inquisitive eyes were starting to gather towards us from the bar of the Adventurers Guild. It couldnt be helped that Im scared, but I stepped in front of Sophia and Maria. What? Youre not disobeying us, are you? Therge man with the axe tried to coerce me through intimidation, however, I was thinking something entirely different. (These guys stiiiink~) They smell so bad I think my nose is gonna fall off. No matter how much you say that only nobles and and wealthy merchants have baths in their mansions, Heath-san and his party members from the C ranked party Lions Fang who I was with when I came to Volton were more mindful of their hygiene. Hey! What do you think youre doing ignoring me!? Since I wasnt talking, therge man began to rage. Sophia moved to protect me but I held her back with one hand. I actually had something I wanted to try. Ill have this ruffian be my guinea pig. you stink. I murmured those words and therge man was enraged. Youve got some nerve! Its time you slept, you bastard! Therge man swung his fist, aiming for my face. The 2 meter giant let loose a punch. I bet people around us think that no matter how close I am to 180 cm, against his stature, Id be knocked out in one hit. I envelop my entire body with magic power and raised my physical abilities. TheEnhance Physical Abilities Skill has been obtained Gyakinn!! Gusha! Gyaaaaaaaaaa!!! A sound too hard to have been that of a person being hit resounded, and therge man cupped his hand and rolled on the floor. Oi! Devuel W-whats wrong!? You bastard! What did you do to Devuel!? His twopanions hit me. Gyakin!! Gyakin!! Gusha! It huuuuuuurts!! Ugyaaaaaa!! Naturally, I had no reason to dodge and let them hit me, the result was 3 ruffians rolling on the floor of the guild. What do you think youre doing inside the guild!! A skinheaded[2] man in his prime and the receptionist who was in charge of Sophia and Marias registration, Hans-san, came running out from within the reception counters. These guys are D rank and Devuel. Is this your doing? The 2 meter skinhead asked me in a low voice but all I did was get hit. Guild master[3], Takumi-kun and hispanions were dragged into this, they hit him one-sidedly. Hans-san testified what he saw. Just got hit you say? These guys fists are all messed up. Whered they have to hit to do this? Haaa, well, it was Takumi, wasnt it? I wanna talk and ask you a few questions soe with me to another room please. Hey, its not like youll be punished; There was a testimony from a guild personnel this time. I nced at Sophia and Maria and they nodded, so Hans-san guided us into the guild conference room. Meanwhile, those men were dragged along by guild personnel. *** Footnotes:
  1. Anchan C another way of saying Oniichan (Older Brother, or a casual way of calling a stranger)
  2. Skinhead C Bald.
  3. Hans calls the guild master, guilmas.
Sphys Note: Heya. You may have noticed I just useattendas the trantion of Yotogi which is to sleep with a man (at his bidding). I believe it fits more than sleeping with in this context. But what I really want to say is, while I believe this novel is R15, if there are scenes that would turn R18, then forgive me because I will skip those because this site does not allow such content for certain reasons and Im not interested in such. Thanks for reading! Chapter 31: Alchemist Chapter 31: AlchemistPrompted to sit after being guided into the guild conference room, the three of us sat side-by-side across from the guild master. So, what did you do? With a file on hand, the Guild master suddenly questioned me. Guild master, its impolite to not even give your name. Hans, youre too stuffy. Sorry, sorry. I am the guild master of Voltons Adventurers Guild, Barack. So, even if it was a joke, what did you do to D ranked Devuel and hispanions? Is not answering that not possible? I dont want to show my hand to other people very much. More or less. The Adventurers Guild does not leak personal information. Furthermore, I believe that it is necessary for the guild to have an understanding of the abilities of the adventurers registered to it for a smoother execution of our duties. This incident informed us that Takumi-kun, who was promoted to F rank through a delivery of medicinal nts, has the ability to repel Devuel and hispanions. It would be easy to understand if it was done with a sword or martial arts, however, because I sensed residue of magic power were present, I believe that magic was used. What a terrifying guy. To be able to sense residues of magic power, the skill level of his Magic Perception must be quite high. Im surprised Han-san isnt just your average receptionist. Im shocked. You clearly understood that it was magic. But to say it was magic.. what was used on Devuel, was it?, isnt some sort of magic. So heres a y-by-y of what I did at that time. When Devuel started to punch, I secretly took out charcoal from my item box. I then just coated my upper body with the charcoal. Its just that I transmuted the charcoal into diamond. Had Devuel and hispanions strengthened their fists with magic when they punched me, I think I would have taken damage. Diamond boasts a 10 on the Mohs Hardness scale[1], but its durability is simr to a crystal, so I think it wouldnt have been able to endure an attack with magic. Takumi-kun, are you an alchemist? No, but, to transmutation in battle, and chantless, too? Wait a minute Hans! Exin it in a way I would understand! He covered his body with a hard material, the damage when they hit was from defending. Well, the damage had rebounded to Devuel and hispanions. Fumu, then its good they got what they deserve. However, Takumi-kun, you registered as a mage, didnt you? Well, you dont look like a mage though. When Hans-san said that, I realized. I am wearing leather armor and have a sword on my hip. Yeah, I look like a warrior or a soldier. Now that he mentions it, Im not using a staff. In a discussion Iter had with Sophia, a medium for magic invocation isnt indispensable, but it does make magic power maniption and managing magic forms much easier. I wish I knew that sooner. Ive only just realized that I dont look like a mage too. Fumu, and these two Onee-chans are Takumis party members? Barrack moved his gaze onto Sophia and Maria. Thereupon Sophia removed her hood. And mimicking her, Maria also removed hers. hou, an elf ve. She isnt a criminal ve, is she? Judging from elf-neechans abilities, a war ve, huh. And the other neechan also looks like shes got some qualities. I understand why their faces are hidden. Idiots like Devuel woulde one after the other. Takumi-kuns true abilities are unknown but it would be better if you rank up to D soon. Yeah, if you do that then the number of those guys whod make a pass at you guys would decrease. I heaved a great sigh. So then, I have a proposal. Until you three go up to D rank, could you please prioritize the requests I choose? I will tune it so that you can develop your abilities as you rank up. May we discuss this for a bit? I discussed things with Sophia and Maria when Hans-san gave a one-word consent. What do you think? I think its good. Should the timee, I would stake my life to protect Takumi-sama, but I support us increasing our rank and improving our abilities. I also want to be useful to Takumi-sama. I want to protect Sophia and Maria. I would need strength to do that. Hans-san, please do. Understood. It would revolve mainly around subjugation requests where you can easily level up, and will be mixed in with material collection requests during your breaks so you can rank up as soon as possible. The discussion has been settled, Devuel and hispanions will be fined and charged with a penalty. Then please wait a moment. I will choose requests immediately. Hans-san said so and left the conference room. Takumi, Alchemist is a production job, isnt it? I would like for you to get one more guard, but with these two beauties here, it would be hard to get a guy, even if a ve. So one more person is needed after all. A three-man party isnt rare but in your case, you dont have a true vanguard, do you? Ill tell you how it is typically. A guard and vanguard are two people, a scout is one, and one rear guard makes four people at the least. Ideally speaking, it would be great if you have a healer, but as you probably already know, people that can use Healing magic with Light Attribute magic are being secluded by the Divine Empire of Sydnia. Damn it! Those greedy people! I heard it from Goddess-sama, but the Divine Empire of Syndria really is good for nothing. Huh? I wonder what happened to the 3 summoned heroes to such a ce. At this time, I didnt know that I was transferred to the time 3 years before the hero summoning that I got caught in. Even if we were to add people, not just anyone will do, so for now we will do our best with just three people. After a short while, Hans-san came back to the conference room with a file in hand. Sorry for the way. I will exin the requests Ive chosen immediately. The requests Hans-san brought were: Goblin Subjugation A free rank permanent request. Subjugate 5 Goblins toplete request. Reward: 5 silver coins Kobold Subjugation A G rank subjugation request Subjugate 3 Kobolds toplete request Reward: 6 silver coins Maryl Grass Collection A G rank collection request A set of 5 bunches toplete request. Reward: 5 silver coins Aside from these, Hirukuku Grass and Kurupopo Grass are permanent requests with a reward of 2 silver for a set of 5 bunches, so our n is to forage them when we find some. Sophia-san can handle goblins and kobolds so I believe it will be fine. Including Takumi-kun, all of your members have quite the equipment. Yeah, youll probably get to F rank very soon. I understand. Then we will be on our way immediately. We checked the habitats of Goblins and Kobolds, and left for the quests at once. *** Footnotes:
  1. Mohs Hardness Scale -A scale used for one of the most important tests for identifying mineral specimens.More information here.
Chapter 32: Irregularity of the Subjugation Request Chapter 32: Irregrity of the Subjugation Request The area where goblins and kobolds start appearing is a 30 minute walk southwest from the town of Volton. Isnt a 30 minute walk to where goblins and kobolds appear too close? Takumi-sama, goblins are G ranked. It is said that if you see 1, there are 100. Goblins are the enemy of women. Oh, the goblins in this world are inpliance with light novels. I did think that Sophia might have been an elf-with-uncharacteristically-huge-breasts character though. We trained Presence Detection, Magic Perception, Enemy Search, and Stealth while searching for goblins and kobolds. Shh, Takumi-sama, Ive found some goblins. Sophia pointed at 4 goblins ahead. They have ugly faces and green bodies, are short in stature; They carried clubs and rusty swords. These are probably goblin scouts. They might have formed a mid-sized colony. Thats terrible, Sophia-san, we must notify the guild. Calm down Maria, we first need to confirm it. Sophias conjecture made Maria panic, but we decided to confirm whether or not there is a colony. Then, I will kill the two on the right. I will leave the two on the left to Takumi-sama and Maria. Got it. I, Ill do my best. On Sophias signal, we started running. The three of us were holding the spears I made. In the end, I used wood that I bought for the handle, but the girls liked and epted them. Gyagyagya We paid no mind to the goblins noticing us, and stabbed them with the spear in a sh. Gyaaaaaa!! I killed the goblin with one thrust to its throat. I hurriedly checked on Sophia and Maria. Maria easily stabbed the goblin,ying it to rest with her spear. Sophia took down the 2 goblins with minimal effort. Good job. That was too easy for both Takumi-sama and Maria. Lets keep this pace up. Yes, Ill try my best. The right ears of the goblins were cut off with a knife as proof of subjugation, and the magic stones were dug out from around their heart. I then immediately disposed of the remnants of the corpses by burying them with Earth magic. After that, we who were advancing through the meadows to the forest as we hunted for goblins, found and defeated a small pack of kobolds along the way. We were proceeding smoothly, fighting goblins using swords and spears. I couldnt see a glimpse of Sophias true abilities with just goblins. Maria and I receive Sophias advice as we steadily kill goblins At noon, we ate some of thergely stocked lunch prepared by Golden Wheat Pavilion that I was keeping in the Item Box. Hey Sophia, are goblins something this frequently encountered? No, I believe the frequency of our encounters is clearly very high. Before we arrived here, we fought with a considerable number of goblins. Kaede alone took out a little over 10 of them. Kaede uses paralysis poison and toxic poison. Furthermore, it leaps to behead goblins with its tough threads that were further strengthened. Because these tough threads are hard to see, the goblins heads fly off and they die without them understanding what happened to them. The colony might have a general ss within them. Sophia taught us that superior species emerge inrge goblin colonies. They say that arge colony is very likely to be ruled by a Goblin King, and it would be ssified as a cmity and arge scale subjugation would be organized. Sophias conjecture is that, because she has only seen Goblin Archers, Goblin Mages, and superior to those, the Goblin Knights, it could only be a Goblin General at most. However, a Goblin General is a rank C monster. For the subjugation of a colony of that scale, it is advisable to have 5 parties that are at least D rank when challenging it. Lets think about what Sophia had exined. Normally it would need 5 parties, but wouldnt it be different if its us? Hey Sophia, that doesnt apply to us, does it? When I said that, Sophia grinned broadly. Yes, my Spirit Magic, Takumi-samas attribute magic, and even Marias Earth attribute magic will be our war potential. I think that the likelihood of us decreasing their numbers by starting with a saturated attack with magic is high. Sophia who said so seems to be uplifted by battles. As expected of a knight, she flourishes only in battle. Weve foraged more than enough medicinal nts, and weve cleared several requests for Kobolds as well. Lets prioritize our safetyter at the pest extermination. Yes, I will protect Takumi-sama and Maria. Ill try my best. Do best Since even Kaede was brimming with eagerness, we advanced deeper into the forest.StatusName: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Warrior Lv48, Mage Lv56 ( cksmith Lv48, Magic Bestower Lv32, Carpenter Lv16, Alchemist Lv52, Tailor Lv26 ) Level: 24 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 360 Magic Power: 520 Strength: 160 Agility: 130 Stamina: 220 Dexterity: 160 Intelligence: 220 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX ( Concealed) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv2 Insight Lv2 Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Active Skills Spear Handling Lv4 Axe Technique Lv2 Swordy LV2 Throwing Lv4 Taijutsu LV2 Matoujutsu Lv2 Enemy Search Lv2 Presence Detection LV3 Stealth Lv3 Tame Lv1 Enhance Physical Abilities Lv2 Magic Perception Lv7 Magic Power Maniption Lv8 Light Attribute Magic Lv7 Fire Attribute Magic Lv4 Water Attribute Magic Lv3 Wind Attribute Magic Lv3 Earth Attribute Magic Lv8 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv3 Bestowal Magic Lv5 Alchemy Lv8 Smithing Lv6 Woodworking Lv6 Carpentry Lv4 Foraging Lv5 Logging Lv3 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv4 Sewing Lv3 Cooking Lv2 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed) Familiars: Killer Spider Unique Species ( Kaede ) *** Chapter 33: The Awakening of Takumi Chapter 33: The Awakening of Takumi Afterwards, while fighting the asional goblins, we were confident that we were getting closer to the colony. Its there. Yes, its a Goblin General like we thought. Luckily it isnt a king. We discovered a mid-sized goblin colony, and the site had about 300-400 goblins. There were superior species such as Goblin Archers and Goblin Mages, with 4 Goblin Knights and the Goblin General as the head. The Goblin General is huge. Compared to goblins that were the size of elementary school students, the Goblin General is over 180 cm tall. You wouldnt think they were the same race. Ive confirmed with the Wind Spirit. There seems to be no people here. We sighed in relief at Sophias report. The fate of women kidnapped by goblins and orcs is tragic. But with this, we can freelyunch magic. Then lets match up our timing. Sophia and Maria nodded and began kneading magic power. Oh Spirit of Wind, turn to des and cut the enemies before you. Solid piles that pierce through all, Bloom. Sophia and Maria recited incantations. Spirits Riot de Rock Pile Firestorm des of wind overran the colony. Piles of rock burst forth from the ground like a mountain of swords. A maelstrom of fire swirled in the middle of the colony. A stream of skill level announcements flowed in my head, but we rushed into the colony with spears in hand. The surprise magic attack of three people reduced the goblins to around 100, 1/3 of their original numbers. And originally, challenging that amount in meleebat with just 3 people is unreasonable, but we were confident we could win. Unscathed goblins were few, and injured goblins that couldnt move well were stabbed with the spears we wield, killing them one after another. Enemies in front were mowed down by stabbing them with the spearhead, enemies from behind were hit with in the face with the butt end of the spear. While using the spear, I scattered stone bullets with Earth attribute magic Rock Bullet. We stabbed with spears and swung with swords. Goblins fell to the ground each time. The minute it turned into a melee, Sophia changed her equipment from spear and sword to sword and shield, and performed what seemed like a sword dance in the crowded areas. Maria sometimes shoots out a fireball while using her spear. Kaedes tough invisible threads make the surviving goblins heads fly soundlessly. The movements of Maria and I, who were low leveled, quickly grew sharper and stronger as we fought. Gaaaaaaaaaa!! Roaring and carrying arge sword, the Goblin General appeared with the four Goblin Knights. Sophia began fighting two of the Goblin Knights. Maria and I confronted the remaining Goblin Knights, one-on-one. When the Goblin Knights started running, holes were made with Earth magic. With the ground underfoot suddenly copsing and opening up, the Goblin Knights that started sprinting lost their bnce. [1] Ha! Yaa! Maria and I stabbed the necks of the fallen Goblin Knights and swiped sideways from there, and the Goblin Knights heads went flying. Then I saw that Sophia was struggling in her fight with the two Goblin Knights.[2] Maria! Support Sophia! Yes! When I thought about it afterwards, I fail to understand why I, who was aiming for a peaceful life as an artisan, challenged this clearly superior opponent alone. I confronted the wounded Goblin General. Flinching from the tremendous pressure thatshed at my heart, I tightened my hold on the spear to recover and started running. Booon! I avoided therge sword that the Goblin General swung while lunging with my spear. The Insight Skill has leveled up The Evasion Skill has been obtained I distributed magic power to my whole body and strengthened it. The Enhance Physical Abilities Skill has leveled up Gin! Therge sword hit the spear. The Spear Handling Skill has leveled up The Taijutsu Skill has leveled up The Matoujutsu Skill has leveled up I instinctively read and avoid attacks while lunging with the spear. Guuooooo!! The Goblin General whose injuries were increasing began brandishing hisrge sword recklessly in irritation. The movements of the Goblin General, which werecking liveliness, and mine, which were gradually stronger and faster, were ever-changing attacks and evasions inteced. The Goblin Generals power and speed were superior in the beginning. But that made a reversal as the fight continued. I wonder if Im in the zone right now. I could see the Goblin Generals breathing perfectly. The Swordy Skill has leveled up The Spear Handling Skill has leveled up Before I had realized it, I was already holding the spear in my right hand and the sword on my left. I enveloped the spear and sword I held with magic power and began repelling the Goblin Generalsrge sword. The Matoujutsu Skill has leveled up The Body Control Skill has been obtained The wind pressure from therge sword cut my cheek but I dodged while shing, dodged while stabbing, and kicked when I saw a chance. My level rose during the surprise magic attack, and my skill levels increased during the battles. With my senses catching up to the sudden changes in my body, the discrepancy between my bodys capabilities and skills were resolved by my abilities and awareness that have improved. And so I became aware that my movements were gradually bing refined. The Enhance Physical Abilities Skill has leveled up As I was exposed to the pressure of the enormous sword, my concentration was boosted to its utmost limits, and I overpowered the Goblin General. And so the difference between the Goblin General and I had be decisive. Zashuu!! Haaaaaaaaaa!! Guoooooo!! Piercing its heart with the spear, I let go of the spear and jumped sideways, going around while gripping my sword overhead with two hands and swinging downwards at the Goblin Generals neck. Gan!! Goto!! The Spear Handling Skill has leveled up The Swordy Skill has leveled up The Mage job has leveled upped and has be Magus[3] Seeing the Goblin Generals head go flying and spurting blood, I searched for Sophia and Maria. Sophia and Maria had already disposed of the 2 Goblin Knights and were watching over my fight. Takumi-sama! The two ran over to me and embraced me. Good work. You were amazing, Takumi-sama. That style of fighting was unthinkable of an artisan. You were so cool. Even Kaede returned to my side. Master, Kaede, Evolve, Start Ooh, isnt that great? Then, in that case, evolve safely in the subspace. Un. Kaede went back into the Subspace. I checked my status; Its be amazing. First, the level of Mage capped and changed to Magus. Looking at the detailed exnation, its a job that has a higher correction to magic circle mastery and influence on magicpared to Mage. Warrior had also capped, but because it has diverges into several higher jobs, it is currently on hold. Aside from that, I obtained Evasion[4] and Body Control Skills, and there are skills that leveled up, but the biggest change is probably that my level increased. Like the title also says, it seems that the difference between the Goblin Generals and my level was quiterge. I understood that my title and win against the Goblin General is thanks to it being injured by the surprise magic attack at the start. I wonder, why did the cowardly me challenge the Goblin General alone I was in a trance at that time, but thinking about it now that Ive calmed down, I dont get it.Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Warrior Lv100, Magus Lv1 ( Magic Bestower Lv32, Carpenter Lv16, Alchemist Lv52, cksmith Lv48, Tailor Lv26 ) Level: 54 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 660 Magic Power: 820 Strength: 310 Agility: 280 Stamina: 370 Dexterity: 310 Intelligence: 370 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX (Concealed) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv2 Insight Lv2 Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Evasion Lv1 Body Control Lv1 Active Skills Spear Handling Lv7 Axe Technique Lv2 Swordy Lv4 Throwing Lv4 Taijutsu Lv4 Matoujutsu Lv4 Enemy Search Lv3 Presence Detection Lv4 Stealth Lv4 Tame Lv1 Enhance Strength Lv4 Magic Perception Lv7 Magic Power Maniption Lv8 Light Attribute Magic Lv7 Fire Attribute Magic Lv5 Water Attribute Magic Lv3 Wind Attribute Magic Lv3 Earth Attribute Magic Lv8 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv3 Bestowal Magic Lv5 Alchemy Lv8 Smithing Lv6 Woodworking Lv6 Carpentry Lv4 Foraging Lv5 Logging Lv3 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv4 Sewing Lv3 Cooking Lv2 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed) Familiars: Killer Spider Unique Species ( Kaede ) Titles: Giant Killer *** Footnotes:
  1. The raws in both LN and WN say goblin general but it doesnt make sense so I changed it to goblin knights.
  2. Raws said Maria but I believe this is Sophia since it said just a few lines up that Sophia was fighting 2 and maria just killed 1. sooo.. xD
  3. ħʹ C I originally tranted this as the mage job, and when ħg pops up once in a while, Id use magic user but now the higher tier job uses ħg as well. I think I read somewhere that a Magus is a better version of mage so Ill use that maybe? or is there something better?
  4. Yes, I am aware of the inconsistency. Evasion is a skill had previously been acquired in chapter 10 in an announcement but was not included in the status originally. Another error by the Author that was not fixed even in the LN. There might be more inconsistencies like this so I will put in footnotes regarding them but I will not change it because the story might fix them at ater point. If I miss any, please do point them out. Thank you.
Chapter 34: The Battle is Over Chapter 34: The Battle is Over The intense battle is over, there were over 300 corpses and broken goblin dwellings strewn about in the site of the colony, and once we finished confirming that there were no surviving goblins, we finally took a breather. Setting aside how my status could no longer be that of an artisan, Sophia, Maria, and Kaedes statuses also had a sudden increase. Marias status became that of an average veteran adventurers. Among those, the most extreme change is Kaedes. Master, Kaedes evolution is done.[1] Kaede, who came out of the Subspace, has a spider body around 1 meter in size, and on top that is the white body of a little girl. It seems her Race is called Archenie[1]. Sophia and Maria were also surprised by this. A white body, with white hair, and red eyes. How cute~ Kaede-chan. Thats true, if you just look at her upper body then shes just like a human. It seems shes liked by Maria and Sophia as well. I have to make her a shirt when we get back. ````````````````````Status Name:Sophia Sylphide Race: Elf Age: 80 years old Job: Spirit Mage Lv74, Knight Lv46 ( Warrior Lv80, Hunter Lv67 ) Level: 70 Condition: Healthy ( very : Takumi ) Vitality: 450 Magic Power: 550 Strength: 300 Agility: 410 Stamina: 350 Dexterity: 240 Intelligence: 380 Unique Skills Spirit Eye Passive Skills Insight Lv3 Active Skills Swordy Lv7 Shield Technique Lv5 Spear Handling Lv6 Archery Lv6 Taijutsu Lv4 Enemy Search Lv3 Presence Detection Lv3 Stealth Lv3 Enhance Physical Abilities Lv5 Magic Perception Lv6 Magic Power Maniption Lv5 Spirit Magic Lv8 Water Attribute Magic Lv5 Wind Attribute Magic Lv6 ````````````````````Status Name:Maria Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Warrior Lv56, Thief Lv48 ( Cook / Chef Lv32. Maid Lv20 ) Level: 44 Condition: Healthy ( very: Takumi ) Vitality: 210 Magic Power: 220 Strength: 140 Agility: 200 Stamina: 210 Dexterity: 212 Intelligence: 240 Unique Skills Passive Skills Active Skills Spear Handling Lv4 Dagger Technique Lv4 Taijutsu Lv3 Enemy Search Lv2 Presence Detection Lv3 Stealthy Lv3 Enhance Strength Lv1 Magic Perception Lv2 Magic Power Maniption Lv3 Fire Attribute Magic Lv2 Water Attribute Magic Lv2 Earth Attribute Magic Lv4 Sewing Lv3 Cooking Lv3 ````````````````````Status Name: Kaede (Takumi Irumas Familiar ) Race: Archenie Age: 5 Level: 1 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 240 Magic Power: 260 Strength: 360 Agility: 280 Stamina: 170 Dexterity: 210 Intelligence: 160 Unique Skills Spider Thread Creation Passive Skills Poison Resistance Lv6 Paralysis Resistance Lv6 Spatial Understanding Lv4 Insight Lv2 Active Skill Thread Maniption Lv7 Poison Creation Lv5 Presence Detection Lv6 Magic Perception Lv5 Stealth Lv6 `````````````````` Oh right, you two, HealHeal It doesnt look like theyre injured but I cast Heal on them just in case, and then took out 3 Stamina Potions from my Item Bag and made everyone drink. Fuu~~, want to drink Mana potions too? My magic power will be fine with a bit of rest. Its the same for me. Our tired bodies were cured with Stamina Potions. It was then that I noticed that the three of us were covered by spurts of blood from head to toe. Sophias blond hair as well as Marias white skin were bathed in goblins blood. Purification Purification Purification I cast purifying magic on our entire bodies. Now then, it will be a lot but lets collect the subjugation parts, shall we? Takumi-sama, I think it would be better if you store and bring back the Goblin General and Goblin Knights as they are. You have a point, we also have to report it to the guild, so having the whole body would make the discussion move faster. I stored Goblin General and all of the Goblin Knights into the item box like Sophia had suggested. Collecting the goblins right ears and magic stones probably took the most time. In addition to theirrge numbers, due to the the surprise magic attacks shot at the start, many of the bodies were no longer in their original form, and if I were still the me from the time in Japan then I would definitely have vomited. Takumi-sama, what do we do with the weapons the goblins used? Hmm, the weapons that the Goblin General and Goblin Knights used were rtively decent so maybe well collect those? I dont think Ill need the rusty swords and clubs though. The greatsword used by the general is quite a sharp sword. Maria came to ask what we should do about the collection of weapons, but the weapons of normal small-fry goblins are wooden clubs and swords or knives full of rust. However, ording to Sophia who examined the Goblin Generals greatsword, it seems to be a good sword. Greatsword of the Absorber A magic / cursed sword that can absorb the magic power of the enemy it cuts. The more magic power it absorbs, the more its attack power increases. Looking at it with Appraisal, it seems its a magic sword[2]. This would have been dangerous if it had cut me. During the intense battle with the Goblin General, I was fortunate enough to not have been injured, but my body shivered at the thought of not knowing how the battle would have turned out had the attack power of the magic sword increased. This sword, Sophia, you cant use it, can you? Yes, I have not used a greatsword. That said, I still felt that selling this would be wasteful. Should I reforge it? This would probably be considerably hard to do, but I believe theres nothing I cant do. I could probably reforge it into a longsword that Sophia can use. Ill store it in the Item Box for now and examine it carefullyter. Well, cleaning up afterwards sure is troublesome. We couldnt leave the bodies of goblins as they are. If a corpse, not limited to monsters, is left in a dark ce, there is a possibility that it would be an undead, such as a zombie or a skeleton. So, it is proper etiquette for adventurers to burn the corpses of monsters after they defeat and finish dismantling them. The three of us divided the work and gathered the corpses in one spot. Kaede, who had evolved into an Archenie, manipted multiple threads and reeled in the goblin corpses. It was easy understand that Kaedes expression was saying praise me, praise me, and Sophia and Maria would stroke her head and praise her each time. Kaede is helping? Thats right, Im grateful that Kaede is very helpful. Of course, I also stroked her head and praised her. Maria and I set fire to what eventually became a mountain of goblin corpses with Fire attribute magic. After everything burned to ashes, we sprayed down the site of the colony with Water attribute magic so it doesnt turn into a forest fire and went on our way back to Volton. And so, I went back thinking that although there were a few irregrities, our subjugation request was a sess, but what I didnt expect was a severe scolding from the guild master in the conference of room of the Adventures Guildter. *** Footnotes:
  1. Kaede talks in the third person.
  2. Could be read as both magic sword or cursed sword. Will adjust if needed.
Trantors Note: Hi~ Thanks for reading! This is thest update until I get back from my trip. Ill be back home by the 27th but will resume updates after resting for a day or two. Ill see you all then! Chapter 35: Rank Up Chapter 35: Rank Up That night, we returned just before the gates of Volton closed. This was very tiring. Lets report to the guild tomorrow morning. Yes, even I am tired as well. Takumi-sama, Impletely exhausted. By the way, Kaede is already sleeping in the Subspace. We went home and the three of us entered the bath and washed each other then fell asleep in our respective rooms. I have such a rtionship with Sophia and Maria, so I share a bed with them alternately, but after a day like today, I just slept like a log till morning. Next morning, waking upter than usual, the three of us + Kaede ate breakfast then wore the usual matching overcoats with our faces covered with the hoods, and walked 10 minutes worth of distance to report thepletion of requests at the Adventurers Guild. Immediately after we entered the Adventurers Guild building, Hans-san spotted us and guided us into the conference room. Thank you. Nonsense, with the Devuel and Co. matter happening, its only natural that the Adventurers Guild safeguard its promising newbies. Well, in a sense, its also so that another Devuel incident doesnt happen again. The talks turned to the request once the three of us sat down. And so, hows your progress with the requests? Yes, weve more or lesspleted all the requests weve received. Eh? Today is only a day after it was given yesterday, isnt it? Hans-sans eyes opened wide in surprise. We epted 3 types of requests. ?Goblin Subjugation A free ranked permanent request. Subjugate 5 Goblins toplete request. Reward: 5 silver Kobold Subjugation A G rank subjugation request. Subjugate 3 Kobolds toplete request. Reward: 6 silver ?Maryl Grass Collection A G ranked collection request. A set of 5 bunches toplete request. Reward: 5 silver Although the subjugation of 365 goblins and there being superior species being present there were unexpected, we were also able to hunt Kobolds on our way, and we were able to forage enough Maryl Grass for our share and 50 bunches. I reported to Hans-san that I had stored 350 Goblin parts and 10 parts of superior species like Goblin Archers and Goblin Mages as proof of subjugation, and the bodies of 4 Goblin Knight and the Goblin General as they were, in my Item Box. However, because of the surprise magic attack at the start, a considerable number of goblins turned to mush and burned to a crisp, their real numbers may or may not have been slightly over 400. After that, there were 6 Kobold parts as proof of subjugation. and 50 bunches for 10 sets of Maryl Grass. umm, could you wait for a bit? Ill call the Guild Master. Hans-san was holding his head as he left the conference room. I wonder if we overdid it a bit. Thinking about it now, that fight was quite the close shave. Truly. Takumi-sama fought against the Goblin General by himself. Yeah, Im an artisan, so I wonder what I was doing, fighting the Goblin General one on one. That was really dumb. Bam, the door of the conference mmed open and the Guild Master of the Adventurers Guild, Barrack-san entered. Spit it all out! Barrack-san sat down heavily on a chair and said that one line. Spit it all out, you say. Well, Ill talk, but thats because I came here to report the request. I talked about how after we received the three types of requests, we subjugated Kobolds and foraged for Maryl Grass while searching for the Goblins. And how realizing that our encounter rate with Goblins were high, we went deeper into the forest to identify the cause and discovered the site of the colony. I exined to Barack-san that in that colony, a Goblin General lead it and there were 4 Goblin Knights and superior species, but because of the magic attacks that three of us did at the start, there were many corpses that didnt even keep their form, so we dont know their exact numbers, but it might have been upwards of 400. You guys Barack-san was greatly perplexed. Guild master, I will prepare to calcte and process their rank ups for the time being. Takumi-kun, Sophia-san, Maria-san, please hand over your guild cards. Hans-san, who entered after Barack-san, said that and temporarily left the conference room. Listen, Takumi, there was a colony of over 400 Goblins governed by a Goblin General at a distance traversable in a day from Volton. That is essentially an army and is at a level where the Adventurers Guild needs to assemble several parties of at least D rank to subjugate it. ha, haha. Barack-san is somewhat scary. Also, a Goblin Knight is probably alright if its an E rank party. As a party. As for the Goblin General, it is rmended that you be C rank if youre soloing, and D rank if as a party. Those arent subjugations for F and H rank! Goblin extermination is free ranked, but thats because Goblins would continually increase if left alone so its inevitably left as a free rank. Superior species like Knights, to say nothing of the Goblin General, are NOT free ranked! It seems that the subjugation of normal Goblins is rmended at G rank. Well, that Elf-neechan over there is quite a powerful person, but all of you being Warriors and Mages is absurd. However, its a bit understandable. Barack-san said that a Spirit Mage like Sophia is very rare. In the first ce, there were very few elves that arent affiliated with their own country, and the number of those that be adventurers are even lower, so her being in my party could be considered a miracle. Spirit Magic is powerful. Furthermore, if the two of you are mages, it would be settled on the first surprise attack no, that probably would still have been a close call. As expected of the Guild Master, I have underestimated you. It certainly was a close call. Marias and my level increased quite a bit at the magic attack at the start, so it felt like we managed somehow. So it really was a close call. Barack-san was astonished. In the first ce, are you even an alchemist? Ill buy if its potions. Ah, potions, right? What, you got some? I talked about the basic potions I made which were as effective as average Intermediate Potions. Thereafter, I exined that arge-scale sale would cause disputes with the Pharmacist Guild and after selling 100 pieces of each basic potion to the Papeck Company, I wouldnt make for anything other than my own use. Ah, I did hear a rumor that Papeck Company was selling fairly expensive Basic Potions that were unusually effective. So those were potions made by Takumi. But that is regrettable, if the recovery amount of basic potions arerge, then it would have been a great help to the Adventurers Guild. Barack-san and the Pharmacist Guild would definitely have disputes so he said hed give up. Because the Pharmacist Guild would be in trouble if it couldnt sell to the Adventurers Guild, the n to trading potions with me was easily abandoned. Then Hans-san came back with our guild cards. Well then, first will be the rewards for thepletion of the requests and purchase of the Magic Stones. Kobold | 6 subjugated | 12 silver Maryl Grass | 10 sets of 5 bunches | 50 silver Goblin | 350 subjugated | 350 silver Superior Goblin species | 10 subjugated | 100 silver Goblin Knight | 4 subjugated | 200 silver Goblin General | 1 subjugated | 5 gold Goblins magic stone | 350 pieces | 35 silver Superior Goblin Species magic stone | 10 pieces | 10 silver Goblin Knights magic stone | 4 pieces | 40 silver Goblin Generals Magic stone | 1 piece | 1 gold Special reward for defeating the colony | 5 gold Total: 18 gold, 97 silver coins. The money has been deposited into Takumi-samas guild card, so please confirm. And Sophia-san and Maria-san have been promoted to F rank, and Takumi-kun has been promoted to E rank. Once Sophia-san and Maria-sanplete at least 1 more F rank request, they will be promoted to E rank. ording to Hans-sans exnation, Sophia and Maria have cleared the requirements to be promoted to E rank, however, because it has been decided that ranking up will be done in a one-two step rule, they would rank up afterpleting one more request. Hans, ask Takumi about the location of the colony, then put out a verification request. Understood. Hans-san returned our guild cards and returned to work. Haa, for heavens sake, be a little more careful. Yes, I will do my best. More or less after also undergoing a scolding, we reported thepletion of the request and got the reward (which was the only thing we were supposed to receive), we were more tired than we had imagined, so we decided to go back home and rx. *** Chapter 36: Artisan Type Practice Chapter 36: Artisan Type Practice The request to raise Sophia and Marias Adventurers Guild rank had beenpleted. Since evolving, Kaede is affectionate with Sophia and Maria, and spends her time spinning thread or ying alone even when I seclude myself in the workshop. I n on working on production for a while today. Sophia and Maria, you can pass the time as you please. Then I will do spear and magic training with Maria, and then practice sewing with Kaede. Yes, I too want to get better at sewing. Kaede, will make lots of thread. Even Kaede is raring to go, but it would be great if she doesnt overexert herself making thread. Kaede, dont tire yourself too much making thread. Ye~es! Kaede raised her hand and responded energetically. Oh right, theres also Kaedes shirt. Then I will sew one together with Sophia-san. Yeah, please do. I handed Maria the Spider Silk cloth I made previously and went to the workshop. Now then, what should I practice. Job: Warrior Lv100, Magus Lv1 ( Magic Bestower Lv32, Carpenter Lv16, Alchemist Lv52, cksmith Lv48, Tailor Lv26 ) Checking my status, the first skill I must develop is the Bestowal Magic skill. Alchemy skills are already quite difficult to level. I also want to improve my Smithing skills. My Sewing skills also still have a ways to go. Next, the attribute magic skills Water and Wind are low. Time-Space attribute magic is already hard to level but its necessary so I can use Warp and Gate magic in the future. Light attribute magic is high from using purifying magic everyday so I think it would be fine to just leave it to improve by itself. For now, lets try practicing magic while working simultaneously. After making a n for what to train in production and magic, I started invoking the low skill level Water and Wind attribute magic. I made water balls and wind orbs float and swirl around me, aiming to improve my Water Attribute Magic, Wind Attribute Magic, and Magic Power Maniption skills[1]. And at the same time, I transmuted the silver I had stocked in my item box with some copper and aluminium to make sterling silver. Next, I roughly shaped it with Smithing magic then carved the details of the metal manually. The numeric value of Dexterity on my status is over 300, which makes working on details much easier than before. During that time, water balls and wind orbs swirled around me. The Water Attribute Magic Skill has leveled up The Wind Attribute Magic Skill has leveled up As for what it is Im doing, Im making rings as a medium for magic invocation for Sophia and Maria. It is not a problem even if the medium for magic invocation is not a staff. Given that Sophia, a magic swordswoman, cant hold onto a staff while fighting, it has to be a ring or a bracelet so it doesnt hinder her fight so I decided on a ring. The Metalworking Skill has leveled up The Water Attribute Magic Skill has leveled up The Wind Attribute Magic Skill has leveled up I carved the designs of wings for Sophias ring, and mes for Marias ring. The cksmith Job has leveled up The Magus Job has leveled up I also made a medium for magic invocation for myself while I was at it. As I thought, it has to be a ring so it isnt a hindrance. What design should I use on my ring, okay, lets go with a crescent moon. Thus, I did it in one try. I held the three formed rings in my right hand. Only at this time did I cancel the water balls and wind orbs that were floating around me. Fuu~~ Alright! Firing myself up, I concentrated magic power in my right hand and charged it with an image. Kankan My magic power decreased. When my magic power ran low, I drank mana potions, not even stopping as I charged the rings with magic power. Filling up my stomach with mana potions, my magic power recovered while I continuing to charge the rings with magic power. The Increased Magic Power Recovery Speed has been obtained The Magic Power Maniption Skill has leveled up The reaction from the rings in my right hand changed. Was it sessful? Divine Silver Ring Magic Power Enhancement (Large) ? Magic Form Management Assist (Large) Magic Power Maniption Assist (Large) Appraisal confirmed it but it seems it was a sess. It was written in books in the library that Mithril is the result of silver being continuously exposed to dense magic power for a very long time. So I thought, what if I make it artificially but, that was tiring. Nevertheless, it became Divine Silver. It already has 3 amazing effects even without it being enchanted yet. But it might be better to buy mithril. Although I was somehow able to make 3 small mithril alloy rings by drinking mana potions even if they were just basic grade, it would be easier to buy mithril. Because the rings were this difficult, making enough for a mithril sword and an armor would probably be impossible. Ipleted the enchantment of Automatic Size Adjustment on the rings. Divine Silver Magic Ring Magic Power Enhancement (Large) ?Magic Form Management Assist (Large) Magic Power Maniption Assist (Large) ? Automatic Size Adjustment When I appraised the finished rings, the name of the rings changed. Making items while practicing sure is nice. The levels of the skills Water Attribute Magic and Wind Attribute Magic went up to level 5. When Water Attribute Magic and Wind Attribute Magic went up to level 5, I was convinced that I could learn Ice Attribute Magic Skill and Lightning Attribute Magic Skill intuitively. Un, I think I can do it. A lump of ice floated on my outstretched arm. The Ice Attribute Magic Skill has been obtained. So, this is next? I outstretched my arm. Pachipachi My arm was d in lightning. The Lightning Attribute Magic Skill has been obtained. It looks like it is possible to apply ice and lightning on magic devices. ording to the spell book I read in the library, Ice Attribute Magic and Lightning Attribute Magic are treated as superior attribute skills, only those who were born with a gift for it from the goddess or when those with an aptitude for water and wind attribute magic have developed the levels those skills can acquire it. In my case, it was thetter. I might be able to make a refrigerator with this. I have an Item Box so I dont need a refrigerator, but its useful for chilling drinks and it looks like it will sell at the Papeck Company.Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: cksmith Lv52, Magus Lv2 ( Warrior Lv100 , Magic Bestower Lv32 , Carpenter Lv6 , Alchemist Lv52 , Tailor Lv26 ) Level: 54 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 660 Magic Power: 825 Strength: 310 Agility: 280 Stamina: 370 Dexterity: 310 Intelligence: 370 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX (Concealed) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv2 Insight Lv2 Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Evade Lv1 Body Control Lv1 Increased Magic Power Recovery Speed Lv1 Active Skills Spear Handling Lv7 Axe Technique Lv2 Swordy Lv4 Throwing Lv4 Taijutsu Lv4 Matoujutsu Lv4 Enemy Search Lv3 Presence Detection Lv4 Stealth Lv4 Taming Lv1 Enhance Physical Abilities Lv4 Magic Perception Lv7 Magic Power Maniption Lv9 Light Attribute Magic Lv7 Fire Attribute Magic Lv5 Water Attribute Magic Lv5 Wind Attribute Magic Lv5 Earth Attribute Magic Lv8 Ice Attribute Magic Lv1 Lightning Attribute Magic Lv1 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv3 Bestowal Magic Lv5 Alchemy Lv8 Smithing Lv7 Woodworking Lv6 Carpentry Lv4 Foraging Lv5 Logging Lv3 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv5 Sewing Lv3 Cooking Lv2 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn ( Concealed ) Familiars Arachne Unique Species ( Kaede ) Titles Giant Killing *** Footnotes:
    1. Raws dont have wind orbs and wind attribute magic written in this sentence but a few sentences down it says that there were also wind orbs so Ill add it here for more consistency.
Idle Talk 1: Idle Talk: Maiden Slave Idle Talk 1: Idle Talk: Maiden ve The vige I lived in was attacked by thieves. The men were killed and the women were vited. When mother died, I was with father and we failed to escape. Father was killed and children like me were caught and, just like that, we were sold. The thieves sold us to someone called a broker and we were brought to Volton. But we thought it was still better than hell. The reason being that the one who bought us was Moulin-sama of the Moulin verypany who has a policy of not selling children until they be adults. The Feudal Lord who governs Volton also seems to be a person who rules benevolently. Thanks to that, the Moulin very Company that is based in this town does not treat its ves cruelly. Moulin-sama, contracted us illegal ve children with the same terms as those of debt ves. The terms are that we could be released once we save up the sum of expenses used until we became adults plus thepanys profits at the time of our sale. Wanting to be released as soon as possible, there were some children who had agreed to prostitution contracts and were bought by brothels, but I wanted to work my hardest to take back my own life. At Moulin very Company, with reading, writing, and calctions as a matter of course, we were taught from good etiquette up to how to use a knife for self-defense. You can be a battle maid. What Moulin-sama wanted from me, I dont know, but this experienceter became a huge asset for me. Since you are pretty, you can live an easy life if you be a nobles mistress. Moulin-sama says that but nobles disregarding contracts altogether is scary. Forcing someone to spend the night without that persons consent is a crime, but that would be unscrupulously scrapped if its a powerful noble. However, I am not in a position where I could choose the master who buys me. So I pray to Goddess Norn everyday. Please, make it so that a kind master buys me. At that time, someone who bought the elf war ve, Sophia-san, appeared. Sophia-san lost her right arm, left leg, and an ear in a war. However, that doesnt obscure Sophia-sans beauty even the slightest. With Sophia-san like that, how has she remained unsold for as long as 50 years? That is because Sophia-san could not use magic. It wouldnt be strange for nobles and wealthy merchants to want an elf that can use strong Spirit magic, and is also beautiful. If those elf characteristics and said magic are lost, the value is halved. Furthermore, since Sophia-san herself refuses to sleep with the other party, there are no buyers, says Moulin-sama. I think thats probably not everything. The one who bought Sophia-san is a silver haired young man the same age as me. Why do I know? Aside from Sophia-san, that person wants another ve to keep his secrets. And Moulin-sama rmended me to that person. When ites to keeping the masters secrets, debt ves are first excluded. Debt ves are rtively cheap, so the time until their release is short. Once released, their contract to keep the secret is lifted, so debt ves are excluded from the choices. Because war ves are people who were sold by other countries when a prisoner exchange or reparations were not carried out, many have disabilities, no ce to return to, or have special circumstances barring them from returning. And above all, I heard that war ves are mostly expensive, and exceedingly few are set free. And illegal ves. including me, have no ce to return to and have no blood rtives or acquaintances either. When freed from very, they wouldnt know how to make a living. That being the case, there are many who think its easier to just live their whole lives as ves. Thanks to Moulin-sama, we havent given up on life, but realistically, I think buying myself back and being released from very is difficult. And so, when the master who bought Sophia-san wants another ve that would manage his mansion, Moulin-sama rmended me. At that time, I was d I might be bought. I am Takumi. Maria-san, please allow me a to ask few questions. If I take you back with me, I would like for you to manage my home but would that be a problem? The rooms in the house are a living room, dining room, and kitchen on the first floor, and four bedrooms and a bathroom on the second floor, but if this is too difficult to manage alone, I would like for you to tell me how many people would be necessary. Master politely interacted even with me, a ve. That gentle aura and staring at his cool eyes, my heart wouldnt stop throbbing. So Id be bought by Master, I went so far as to show off. Master, I will endeavor to forever stay by your side. Bought together with Sophia-san, I naturally said so. What came after was a session of surprises. The first surprise was, while we were on the way to the mansion, Master said that Sophia-sans curse has been dispelled. Sophia-san has, in fact, be able to use magic, and seeing Sophia-sans delight pleased me as well. The second surprise was when Masters familiar, arge spider, Kaede-chan was introduced. My apologies but I could not control my face from cramping up. The third surprise is that there is arge bath in the mansion and Sophia-san and I who are ves are encouraged to use it freely. Guiding us through the mansion and surprising us with the bathroom, Master filled the tub with hot water with the affixed magic device[1], told us to use it as we wish and left. Excitedly, Sophia-san and I enjoyed a bath that one wouldnt experience if they werent a high ranking noble. Lastly, the fourth surprise is that Master healed Sophia-sans lost limbs. Its been said that not even the high ranking priests in the Divine Empire of Sydnia could heal lost limbs. Just who could Master be? He might be a familiar spirit of Goddess Norn-sama. At this time, Sophia-san decided that she would serve Master his whole life. Sophia-san wanted to sleep with Master and he epted. The next day, naturally, I too wanted to sleep with him, and so my mind and body became Masters. Thereafter, aside from doing my duties at the mansion, I wished for power to protect masters secrets together with Sophia-san. To always be with Master. *** Footnotes:
  1. Raw said magic but previous chapter kinda said magic device. Going with magic device.
Chapter 37: Takumi is summoned by a Noble Chapter 37: Takumi is summoned by a Noble The day after the goblin subjugation, I intended to train my Artisan and Magic skills for some time, but that n was suddenly derailed. Early in the morning of the day after I made magic invocation medium rings for Sophia, Maria, and I, Papeck-san visited the mansion. This was the first time this happened, so I had a bad feeling, however, I could only sigh and listen to him talk. Takumi-sama, I have a request for an audience from Lord Godwin von Volton. Lord Volton is His Excellency Margrave Volton who governing this town. Takumi-sama, you might have already seen it, Margrave Volton-sama is the benevolent feudal lord who hasid out the good governance of our present day. It is also thanks to the feudal lord that Moulin very Company where you bought your ves have the stance that they do. It hasnt been long since I arrived at this town, but even in that short time, I could see that. Why does the feudal lord want to an audience with me? Of course it is because of the toilet attached with a purifying magic device and the timed purifying magic device, Takumi-sama. As a matter of fact, even though construction of the factory for cheaper toilets is progressing at a quick pace, the toilets attached with a purifying magic device have already spread to the wealthy people in Volton. At the same time, the septic tanks of the sewers are being installed with the purifying magic device. These several days, have you noticed that the smell in the Volton has improved? Moreover, Takumi-sama also has the rights of the hand pump. The hand pump is already a product that is being manufactured and distributed at two locations, here at Volton and at Bohd Vige. Ah, I overdid things too suddenly. Well, I dont think you do not need to be too concerned.. He simply wants to meet the excellent artisan, Takumi-sama, to be acquainted with you this time. Haa, Ive instantly be depressed. After all, I of lower-middle ss around 40-ish years old already experience mental strain from meeting with the managing director and thepany president. To say nothing of a noble. And isnt a margrave a high ranking noble? Hes not a duke or royalty, but that doesnt make a difference to me. Please be at ease. I will be with you during the audience. Papeck-san gave a follow up upon seeing my worried expression but I had Kaede enter the subspace, and I asked Papeck-san how this? how that? as it had been decided that he would bring me to the castle in the heart of Volton where the feudal lord resides. It will be alright, Takumi-sama. I will be by your side. Thats right. Maria will also be with you too. My oh my, to be loved this much by your ves in such a short amount of time, it is as I had anticipated from you. Haha, to be encouraged by girls. Before long, I could see a castle befitting a town of adventurers. It looks like arge fortress. As expected of Takumi-sama. As a matter of fact, Volton Castle here was a fortress in the forefront. Building a fortress town with that fortress at its center was the beginning of the town of Volton. Papeck-san gave an exnation to my mutterings of my impression of the castle. Thats right, its not because it was unmannerly. The castle has a moat filled with water that surrounds it, and the drawbridge is lowered to allow entry. The drawbridge is now left lowered. That is because there have been norge wars in over 50 years. That was the war between Triaria Kingdom and Yggurle, wasnt it. If Im not mistaken, that war was the impetus for Sophia falling into very. Yes, that war was triggered by the foolish nobles of Triaria Kingdom. To obtain beautiful and handsome elves who can use powerful Spirit magic, they instigated the central figures of the country to start a war. Valkyra Kingdom was located in between the two countries and was greatly affected by it, however, I heard that they entered into diplomatic rtions with Yggurle Kingdom and had some skirmishes with Triaria Kingdom. The war appeared to havee to a close when Triaria Kingdom, who had to maintain its long supply line, abandoned its invasion, however, it seems that the war is not over and no peace treaty has been signed. So then, in a manner of speaking, we are still at war? Neither a ceasefire nor reconciliation have been carried out, therefore, that is how it is. So somehow the Divine Empire of Sydnia isnt the only one that is good-for-nothing. I nced at Sophia, but even though were talking about the war that caused her to be a ve, it doesnt look like she particrly minds it. I wonder if the day Sophia tells us the reason why she cant return to her country and had to be sold as a ve wille. Since that war, there have been no otherrge-scale wars, so the drawbridge has been left lowered. A guard stationed in front of the bridge stopped the carriage. Halt! I am Papeck, the president of the Papeck Company. Today, I havee to guide the alchemist, Takumi-dono, at the request of the lord. Please wait for a moment. A guard stationed at the gate ran to confirm. From those brisk movements, I could sense that the soldiers of Margrave Volton are thorough with their training. I have received confirmation. Please move the carriage this way. We alighted from the carriage at the entryway of the castle and were guided by a soldier to a waiting room for guests. In the room with quality furnishing that wasnt at all gaudy, we drank tea that was clearly made from first ss tea leaves while waited for the appointed time. Today, the audience will not be an official one but rather a personal one, therefore, I believe it would be fine for you to not be too nervous. Besides, there will be no problem given that Takumi-sama treats everyone in a polite manner. Haa Certainly even Sophia and Maria who are my ves have a favorable impression of me who treats them the same. It seems that they would not be in the same room, much less the same table, if this were in Triaria Kingdom or the Divine Empire of Sydnia. The door was knocked on and opened by an elderly maid who entered the room. Thank you for waiting. Master has finished his preparations, I shall guide you. Thank you. Papeck-san stood up and I followed. Guided through the hallway with thick carpeting, we threw down the gauntlet at the audience with the Lord. *** Chapter 38: Lord Volton Chapter 38: Lord VoltonA well-built man in his mid-40s came in with a knight escort and the house superintendent. With his hand, he gestured for us, who hurriedly stood up from our seats, to sit down. Ease up, I am Godwin, the one who governs Volton. I am pretty much entrusted to be the Margrave. This is the house superintendent, Xervus, and the other one is Dorn who Ive entrusted the Knight order to. I am Xervus, the superintendent of this household. A slender, grey-haired man in his 60s bowed gracefully. My name is Dorn, the leader of the Knight Guard Order[1] of the border territory Volton. This person is a well-built man in his 50s with short light blonde hair, wearing silver knight armor, who gave salutations with an unmoving gaze. I am Takumi Iruma. Takumi-samas ve, Sophia Sylphide. Likewise Takumi-samas ve, Maria. Sitting across the table from us, Lord Volton exined the reason for his invitation. Today, I asked Papeck-dono to call you for the well hand pumps, toilets affixed with a purifying magic device, and the magic device for the septic tanks which I am most grateful for. As the one governing this town, I want to thank you for developing these. Lord Volton lowered his head to thank me. Seeing me surprised to see a feudal lord lowering his head, Lord Voltonughed. Was seeing a noble lowering his head that surprising? If lowering my head improves my territory then I will lower it as many times as you like. Xervus-san, the house superintendent, took over the conversation from here. Iruma-donos invention, the hand pump, has drastically reduced the heavybor of the citizens. Furthermore, even without the production being done at Bohd vige by the border, it is now beyond recognition. Iruma-dono expanded the defensive walls, and owing to your use of something strong for the poor defensive walls of the vige, there has been an increase in immigrants in the vige. I was a bit happy to hear about Bohd Vige from Xervus-san who continued from Lord Volton. Are Vanga-san and Martha-san are doing well? Is Bobon-san working hard on the making the hand pumps? As I was remembering my time at Bohd Vige, Xervus-san continued the conversation. Moreover, Iruma-dono developed the toilet affixed with a magic device. This is a remarkable item that has resolved the long-standing problem of this town. Xervus-san says that this town of Volton was built as a town with the n for it to develop into a city so a sewer system wasid out underneath the town. However, they were still racking their brains for a way to deal with the filth thats umted in the septic tanks of the sewer. I, too, remember the stench of the excrement at that time when I walked in town for the first time, However, I thought it couldnt be helped if it was at the level of Europe in the middle ages. There, although the toilets I made also had an impact, it seems that it was thanks to the the magic device that purified the septic tanks that the air in town became cleaner and the inhabitants of the town were pleased. Until now, the residents in the slums weremissioned for the clean up of the sewer system and septic tanks, if the generic toilet with the purifying magic device poprizes, we will be able to mediate other jobs for the residents of the slum. Given that the magic devices were installed only on the septic tanks, cleaning the sewer tunnels is currently necessary, but even if that will take some time, the intervals between those cleanups can be lengthened. The point is, it is because of Takumi-dono that sanitation of the town has improved, and it also a serves as a countermeasure against epidemic. It means we will not sleep with our feet in the direction of Takumi-dono. [2] Not at all, I am getting paid for it. It is only natural that you would be paid for it. Iruma-dono is humble. In fact, a significant amount of money from the the proceeds from the magic device part of the generic toilet and the patent fee is scheduled toe from now on, so I couldnt help but say that. The following will be from me. Dorn-san said that he has to talk about a report from the Guild Master of the Adventurers Guild. I have read a report I received from Barack-san. In a ce not even a days walk from Volton, there was a mid-sized colony of Goblins that the Knight Order had overlooked, and you had subjugated that colony instead of us. If a report came from the Adventurers Guild, then it would be better to not act clueless. Yes, the three of us and my familiar subjugated them. I thank you for doing the work that us knights should have been doing. Dorn-san said that the Knight Order periodically have a campaign to exterminate monsters on the outskirts of Volton. Naturally, exterminating monsters that could be threats take precedence over one or two monsters such as goblins or orcs left behind, but he apologized for not having noticed the colony this time. No, the Goblin subjugation was a job from the Adventurers Guild so I must apologize for taken away the job of the knights. Hahahahaha, Iruma-dono is intriguing. Modesty is unnecessary for us knights. We the knights are here to protect Lord Volton, and the Volton territory. Even we are delighted if a menace is eliminated, we would not criticize or do anything of the sort to Iruma-dono. That said, the Knights operate for the sake of their master whatever the circumstance may be. The town of Volton is called an adventurers town, and it has many adventurers. Both knights and adventurers often unite to subjugate thieves and monsters. Some parts of the work of knights and of adventurers often ovep, but it can bepartmentalized in a such a way that the work of the Knight Order is mainly to protect the town, its popce and the feudal lord, while the work of adventurers is focused on monster subjugation and tradingpany escorts. However, listening to this conversation, if its a mid-sized goblin colony then the dominating species there would have been a Goblin Knight or a General. For that to be defeated by the alchemist Iruma-donos party, it is expectedly unbelievable. Iruma-donos party member, Sylphide-dono is a magic swordsman who can manipte spirit magic, a victim of the Triaria Kingdoms outbursts 50 years ago, and a powerful knight on the battlefield. Xervus-san told of Sophias past, but Sophias countenance didnt even budge an inch. It might be memories she does not really want to remember. Be that as it may, the fact is that the three have the ability to crush the colony. However, I wish Iruma-dono takes his own body into consideration. My territory is still in need of Iruma-donos wisdom, after all. I love creating things as well, so I would not be too rash. I earnestly implore you do, because if something were to happen to Iruma-dono, it would not a loss to just the Volton territory, but to the whole kingdom. That is too exaggerated, I have little sense of belonging to this country. I would be fine if it is any country other than Triaria Kingdom or the Divine Empire of Sydnia, Im also fine if its at Lomaria Kingdom which is in between Samandour Kingdom and the Divine Empire of Sydnia at the south of the continent. (Norn-sama sent me here so I think that means this country might be the right choice though.) After that, I received a reward of 50 gold coins from Margrave Volton for the subjugation of the goblin colony. *** Footnotes:
  1. The Knight Guard ordermight be the real name of their knight order, formally said as part of the introduction, but Im not sure. The raws say lTʿ for here but they simply use Tʿ for all other parts of the conversation.
  2. From what I understand, 򤱤ޤ is an expression where they says that they owe an extraordinary debt of gratitude to someone and they would never disrespect him. please correct me if Im wrong.
Chapter 39: Going by Preference Chapter 39: Going by Preference Returning from the feudal lords castle, everyone rxed on the sofa, resting our fatigued bodies. No matter how friendly he was, I, who have never associated with high-ranking nobles, am dead tired. So tired~ He is a good lord, but being too familiar is also a problem. I was nervous~ Its still daytime but I dont want to move. Well, I wouldnt be moving if I work while sitting in the confines of my workshop though. Alright! Ill make clothes such as underwear today. Underwear? Sophia and Marias faces turned red. The underwear of this world is extremely unreliable. Sophia and Maria were surprised when they saw my handmade underwear. Theirs are a Sarashi[1]-like thing where it just wraps around their chest, and their underpants are tied by a string because there are no stic bands, however it wasnt the g-string I know, but rather the old-man-type trunks that are tied with a drawstring by the waist. To be blunt, Sophia and Maria have huge cleavages so they have to restrain it with a sarashi, but for people who dont, it seems its normal to just not wear any. Its outrageous. So I decided to make bras and panties for Sophia and Maria. For me. Okay! Kaede, some stic threads please! Got it! Kaede will do best! In the workshop. Kaede spun her threads into the loom to make cloth to use for the underwear. I asked that Sophia and Maria not enter the workshop. I guess I should make a mannequin of Sophia. When ites to making underwear, using a half-hearted pattern paper is unjustifiable, so Ill build a mannequin of Sophia using Earth magic to challenge myself in three-dimensional sewing. Once I finish Sophias mannequin, Ill make Marias. Is making the mannequins based on the images burned into my memory alone a bit disgusting? Now then, if I had to say why I asked Kaede to make stic threads, thats because I was thinking of making sports bras. Since adventurers move around intensely, I thought that normal bras wouldnt be any good. Im a guy so I wouldnt know, but if I remember right, I heard that athletes wear them? Sports bras and panties for adventuring, and sexy underwear for spending nights with me. In any case, the time, ce, and asion are important. After that, I had Kaede produce various kinds of threads. Like thin, transparent threads, gufu, I shouldnt, my delusions would run wild. Then I dyed the threads into different colors. ck, red, blue, green, yellow. The variation in color is essential. Often revising the pattern paper as I made various types of bras and panties, I gave it my all. When I thought about afterwards, there was an Automatic Size Adjustment enchantment, so it wasnt necessary to expressly make Sophia and Marias mannequins. Well, I told myself that it wasnt pointless even then and made underwear. All the underwear were enchanted with: Automatic Size Adjustment, Anti-fouling, Automatic Temperature Regtion With the creation of this series of underwear, my Sewing skill went up from 3 to 6. This pulled me in a bit. It has been 3 days since I secluded myself in the workshop. Alright, its finally done. Takumi-sama, you made underwear, didnt you? Yeah, thats right. You look somewhat exhausted. Are you well, Takumi-sama? When I told Sophia and Maria that the underwear had been finished, I made them worry over me who was a bit tired. Tadaaaaah~! I showed Sophia and Maria the variety of underwear I created. Those designs also have strings that have a G, a T thats not in front, and sheer, and I think I did my best. Umm, Takumi-sama, it is very pretty but Sophia was dumbfounded, and Maria was bright red from embarrassment. Why dont you try them out right now? Eh?! The two were abashed, but they tried it out in my room. This is pretty and makes me feel good. I understand that somewhat, as well. Lustful red that suit Sophias white skin, and sexy ck that beautiful girls wear on Maria. Both of their cleavages protrude and seem like it would overflow. Takumi-sama, these are underwear to please you at night, arent they. Sorry, you figured it out as expected. I would wear anything if it pleases Takumi-sama. c, I cant hold back!! Kya! Its good to have a big bed. At noon the next day, we ate ate breakfast, and I gave Sophia and Maria the sports bra and panties. I think that these are better for when were out doing adventurer stuff. I think we should try these out first. These are easy to move in In the end, the three of us kept at what we started yesterday. I consider having leveled the sewing skill quite a bit to have been a good thing. Afterwards, I went to Papeck-san with a sample and the pattern paper, and he got extremely into it. A whileter, numerous underwear that the Papeck Company started selling had, in a sh, spread to the wealthy people and thedies who work at the evening establishments in Valkyra Kingdom. *** Footnotes
  1. Sarashi looks like this..
  2. Sorry for the stupid censorship with the types of underwear he made. I hope you find humor in it, at least.
Chapter 40: Living improvements Chapter 40: Living improvements A little while after I made underwear to my preference, I kept doingbat training everyday as I challenged myself to not think of making things. These days, I have been indulging myself in Sophia and Maria too much. Its difficult to cast away these indulgent days, but I will return to developing magic devices again starting today! Takumi-sama, please do not announce that so strongly. Thats right, isnt it embarrassing? Were Sophia and Maria self-conscious about the several days of indulgence? They were protesting but their faces were red. Ive be able to use Ice attribute magic, so I n on raising its skill level by making magic devices. While the two were still abashed, I dered todays n. But Takumi-sama, you just receive gold as a reward from the feudal lord, and the royalties from the Papeck Company have been quite favorable, havent they? Will it be another new magic device? It is as Sophia says. I have quite the allowance on the mary front. The Guild Master of the Adventurers Guild, Barrack-san, also mentioned that a small number of basic potions is fine so he asked if I could sell him some. When I asked Will that be alright with the Pharmacist Guild?, he said he will be able to do something if its a small amount. Its hard to refuse with that being the case. I will be quite busy with the development of the magic devices, so Sophia and Maria, please make the preliminary arrangements for the basic potions in your free time. On a silver te, I used enough mixture of powdered magic stones and drew DehydrationExtractionSynthesisPulverizationDposition alchemy circles. If this is used, Sophia and Maria can use them just by pouring magic power into it. I understand. Yes, I will do my best. Hey, hey, how about Kaede~? Hmmm, how about a nap for Kaede? Yaaay~, Kaede will nap~! Thats good enough. Now then, I do have long term objectives. That would be to increase the skill level of Time-Space attribute magic to the point I can use Short Warp, Warp, and Gate. so I thought that maybe I could reproduce transfer magic circles that seem like they came out of a novel or a game. Theres one more thing about Time-Space attribute magic, although I already have an item box because of my cheat, I was thinking couldnt I make item boxes for Sophia and Maria?. Since I can already to use Subspace, if I am able to use Storage magic, wouldnt I also be able to bestow space expansion on a bag? was the idea I had. However, increasing the skill level of Time-Space attribute magic is difficult. Like when its skill level was 1, the only things I could use were Secure Coordinates and Coordinates Recognition. Now I can get experience by opening and closing Subspace though. The thing Im building now is because of something from before. What I am building now is a refrigerator that was requested by Maria. There are refrigerators in this world. However, its mechanics are that a Mage that uses Ice Attribute Magic has to periodically supply ice, and that ice chills it. This is the same mechanism of a refrigerator when there was no electricity. I n on making a refrigerator that cools its inside by just recing the magic stones. The mechanism of this is that a cooling magic circle will be drawn on a metal te, magic power would then flow from the magic stone to continuously invoke cooling magic. Well, Ill think about that after I build it. I took out iron, chromium, and nickel from the Item Box. I synthesized the iron, chromium, and nickel. Its stainless steel. Once the stainless steel was made with alchemy, I shaped it into a box with Smithing magic. I inscribed a boundary magic circle in the gap between the twoyers of the box. This is so the cold air does not escape, and so the outside temperature doesnt interfere with it. The door needs a rubber gasket. For now, should I make do with synthetic rubber using vegetable oil and sulfur? I synthesized the synthetic rubber to the ideal sticity, I formed it with Earth magic then set it on the door and the main unit. Hooray for the Alchemy skill. Opening and closing the door to test it, and checking the magic power consumption of the Boundary magic and Cooling magic, I inspected the refrigerator if it was good enough to be the final product. Its magic power consumption isnt much. If thats the case then a trash magic stone would be enough, but a slightly better magic stone would pretty much be better. I examined the finished product from all angles. The stainless steel exterior nice, but having some color variation would also be good. I will make 3 more of the tentativelypleted refrigerator. For it to hold onto the dyes, I synthesized the synthetic rubber to change its blend, and those 3 colors which were white, light blue, and light green were painted on the refrigerators. Sophia, Maria, which color is good? I called the two to consult the final product with them, and had them choose which would be used for our house. This is? Maria, you mentioned wanting something that could store ingredients, didnt you? This is a refrigerator, it is a magic device that cools its contents and makes the food less susceptible to spoge. Thank you very much, Takumi-sama. Maria looked cheerful. Right now I am storing all the ingredients in my item box so were all good, but she has to ask me to take out the ingredients she needs each time she cooks. So which color should we use for the house? I intend to sell the remaining ones to Papeck-san though. I think this pale blue is nice. I feel the same as Sophia-san. This pale blue is refreshingly pleasant. Since the two agree, I installed the light blue refrigerator in the kitchen and stored the remaining in my Item Box. Afterwards, Ipleted 100 of each Basic Heal Potion, Basic Stamina Potion, and Basic Mana potion that Sophia and Maria had prepared. This time, the potion bottles that I used were bought from the Papeck Company. The quality of the potion bottles I made were better, but when I told Papeck-san that I make my own potion bottles, he was shocked. That is why I am buying potion bottles this time. Perhaps when its for an advanced potion, it would be necessary to bestow an enchantment on the bottle itself so it maintains its current state, but I currently do not have a single clue as to the recipe for advanced potions so I probably dont have to worry about it for now. Tonights dinner was made by Maria who was all fired up because she was pleased with the refrigerator. After that, the three of us happily bathed, and naturally the three of us went to bed. *** Idle Talk 2: Idle Talk: Hero Summoning Idle Talk 2: Idle Talk: Hero Summoning Three years after Goddess Norn interfered with the time axis and sent Iruma Takumi into Mildgard, three individualsnded in the summoning circle of the Divine Empire of Sydnia. The three individuals were walking around town when, all of a sudden, they were wrapped in a blinding light, and by the time they realized it, they were already standing in a wide hall enclosed by stone walls. On the summoning circle that will never again activate for having provoked Goddess Norns wrath, stood three youths that could not understand their situation. Jinguji Akira, 18 years old. This young man had only just enrolled into university has a very strong sense of justice that is rare in present days. Having good grades at sports as well, he is a young man who has both brains and brawns. Taiga Yamato, 18 years old. Arge man, childhood friends with Akira. Despite being wild, he gets along well with Akira and have known each other for a long time. He made full use of therge physique hes had since childhood in Judo, and he is always a favorite in nationalpetitions. Misato Akane, 18 years old. Akira and Yamatos friend since senior high school. She was born with long ck hair, clear eyes, and the beauty of an idol, and has a figure that would put a gravure idol to shame. Akira likes Akane and has assertively pursued her many times over, but has been rejected entirely. Akane thought that Akira had a straightforward personality but his self-righteousness told her that they could be friends but he will never be her lover. Hey Akira, what do you think? Is this, that? That thing called an otherworld transfer? At that moment, the only door to the room enclosed in a stone walls, opened. Knights in western style armors and helmets, old men that looked to be mages, a man in the prime of his life wearing high ss clothing, led by a French-doll looking woman with long blonde hair, had entered the room. Wee Brave Heroes, I am the imperial princess of the Divine Empire of Sydnia, Elizabeth. Heroes, I beseech you, save this world. The three each had their own reaction the instant the beautiful woman in the lead said that. (Ooouh, what a beauty! Im a hero?! A hero that would save the world?! (Things just became interesting.) (It will be bad if we dont somehow escape from here.) The moment Akane looked at Elizabeths eyes, her intuition told her that she couldnt trust this woman. Staying in this country would be dangerous. At that time, there was an announcement in Akanes head. The Unique Skill Divine Oracle has been obtained At that instant, Akane understood the details of her Divine Oracle Skill. Divine Oracle: A blessing from Goddess Norn Follow your instinct and you will naturally reach the right answer. Akane entrusted herself to the Divine Oracle. (I will endure for now. Im confident a chance will definitelye. So this is Divine Oracle ) Please, Heroes. You will require an array of exnations, would you not? Rooms have been prepared for you. Preceding that, an audience with father. Prompted by Elizabeth, the location was moved from the stone-walled room to a different room. They realized before long that they were underneath a castle-like ce. In an area on the upper stratum of the castle, Akira and his friends had an audience with the Pope of the Divine Empire of Sydnia, Warvaal. The Pope of Divine Empire of Sydnia, Pope Warvaal-sama! The man beside the throne announced loudly. The three were prompted by a soldier to kneel. I must firstly apologize to the heroes. It was wrong for us to have summoned you for the circumstances of our world. However, I wish for your understanding in our plight. This world is overflowing with monsters, subhumans and demonic beings that bring misfortune to this continent. May we ask that you save this country, this world? Akanes bad feeling hade true and she frowned internally. He says there are subhumans and demons, but she just couldnt trust him. They say they wished for this country to be saved, but during the audience, the pope, imperial princess, and people who seemed to be nobles had on extravagantly luxurious attires. When Akane thought she needed to discuss escaping from this country with Akira and Yamato no matter what, Akira began acting rashly. This country is said to be a religious country whose main deity is the Goddess Anat, the spirit of Light. However, Akanes unique skill Divine Oracle was granted by Goddess Norn. Akane instinctively chose Norn. And she believed she had to hide her unique skill. I understand, Pope-sama! We will be your strength if you will have us! (Wha!! Are you an idiot?!) Unaware of Akanes sentiments, Akira looked at Elizabeth with a glittering smile. If I can rampage as much as I like, then I have noints. When even Yamato started spouting iprehensible things, Akane, who had been the only one who was determined to escape from this country, froze. Heroes, please touch this appraisal magic device with your hand. An aged man that looked to be a mage was holding out an A4-sized metallic te. Starting from Akira, they touched the metallic te with their hand. Oooh, how magnificent! To have this status at Level 1. Moreover, for two to have an aptitude for Light attribute magic, this must be the favor of Goddess Anat. The aged mage was overly pleased. It seems this aged man is the head imperial mage. This unnatural behavior leads Akane to understand this country. ````````````````````StatusName: Akira Jinguji Race: Human Age: 18 years old Job: Hero Lv1 Level: 1 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 200 Magic Power: 200 Strength: 100 Agility: 100 Stamina: 100 Dexterity: 100 Intelligence: 100 Unique Skills Appraisal Passive Skills Active Skills Swordy Lv1 Light Attribute Magic Lv1 Wind Attribute Magic Lv1 ````````````````````Status Name: Yamato Taiga Race: Human Age: 18 years old Job: Warrior Lv1 Level: 1 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 250 Magic Power: 100 Strength: 150 Agility: 80 Stamina: 150 Dexterity: 70 Intelligence: 80 Unique Skills Appraisal Passive Skills Active Skills Taijutsu Lv4 Fire Attribute Magic Lv1 ````````````````````Status Name: Akane Misato Race: Human Age: 18 years old Job: Priest Lv1 Level: 1 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 150 Magic Power: 250 Strength: 70 Agility: 80 Stamina: 80 Dexterity: 80 Intelligence: 150 Unique Skills Appraisal Divine Oracle (Concealed) Passive Skills Cooking[1] Lv5 Active Skills Light Attribute Magic Lv1 Water Attribute Magic Lv1 Wind Attribute Magic Lv1 ```````````````````` Oooh, my job has Hero! Even though the excited Akira saw Akane looking at him icily, but he didnt realize it. Heroes, thank you. Your rooms have been prepared, please be at ease and rest well. At Elizabeths statement, Akira and his friends were guided to their respective extravagant rooms by maids. Once Akira and his friends left the audience, Pope Warvaal, Prime Minister Musudan, Head Magcian Homer, the Sydnia Holy Knight Orders Leader Packard, and Imperial Princess Elizabeth had a secret discussion. So, what do you think? Despite being Level 1, those stats are definitely those of a heros. However, there is one worrisome matter. Warvaal inquired about Homers answer. Worrisome matter? Yes, all three heroes possess the unique skill Appraisal. We will not be able to trick them into using a very cor. Homers report had Warvaal grimacing. That could not be helped, could it? Fortunately, that male hero looks easy to deceive, so I believe it can be done in one way or another. Fumu, it is up to you, Elizabeth. Yes, father. Please leave it to me. Well then, the reins of the heroes shall be entrusted to the princess, and the training and level raising of the heroes shall be entrusted to Homer and Packard. Prime minister Musudan eyed Homer and Packard. Please leave it to us. Large numbers are advantageous in war, and that fact does not change whether it is in Earth or in Mildgard. However, in this world where skills and levels exist, some strong people can lead to mayhem. The Divine Empire of Sydnia have summoned nuclear weapons called heroes. However, Warvaal and hispanions were not aware. They did not realize till the end that their appraisal magic device can not appraise information such as divine protection. and that the original heroes summoned are not blessed divine protection by the Goddess like they should have. And without the said goddess blessing, even if the qualities and initial status after having been summoned are superior, the growth rate of each person does not change. Above all, they were not aware of the being that the goddess had sent an entity three years into the past of Mildgard known as Takumi. *** Footnotes:
  1. Cooking was ced in passive skills, but iirc its in active skills for Takumi.
Chapter 41: Intelligence Gathering Chapter 41: Intelligence Gathering The day I gave Sophia and Maria magic invocation medium rings, they were in a good mood all day long. Is it possible that giving rings as a present has a special meaning in this world too? Well, I already gave it so its toote to worry about it now. Sure enough, Papeck-san really sank his teeth into the refrigerator. I made arge quantity of the parts with magic form, delivered it to the Papeck Company, and discussed how to make the case. But even though Ice attribute magic is a superior attribute magic, its not that there arent any that can use it, so my involvement in production of the part with the magic form will be just this once. Havingpleted the initial delivery of potions to the Adventurers Guild, we had no more immediate ns, so I told Sophia and Maria about the n I previously had of wanting to upgrading our equipment. My cksmith level and Smithing skill level have both risen, and Alchemist and Alchemy skill level have risen quite a bit as well, so I was thinking its about time that improve our equipment from Magic Iron to Mithril or Adamantite, but what do you two think? Magic metals known as Mithril, Adamantite, Orichalcum have high affinity with magic power, it easily strengthens magic power. Aside from its general use by attacking while d in magic power, a magic sword d with attribute magic is something a normal iron sword would not be able to endure. Mithril is originally silver, having traces of magic power, it is harder and tougher than an iron sword, and alloying it would make it even harder and tougher. Adamantite simply surpasses Mithril in both hardness and toughness. A sword made of Adamantite can easily cut steel armor. Orichalcum is the top magic metal out of all magic metals. Weapons and armor made of Orichalcum are treated as sacred treasures. Takumi-sama, the spear and sword made with magic iron that I received are more than enough, however, if it is needed to protect Takumi-sama, then I believe it would be beneficial to change it into mithril and adamantite-made weapons. I am still very much inexperienced so I will leave it up to you. The two did not oppose it, so we decided to gather information on how to mine and process mithril ore and adamantite ore. I think we should split up to gather information, but what do you guys think? Then I will investigate in the library. I will ask the Papeck Company. Sophia will investigate the library and Maria will gather information at Papeck-sans. Then Ill gather information at the cksmith and Adventurers Guild in town. Having Kaede house-sit, we went around Volton. I first went to the Adventurers Guild. When I arrived at the Adventurers Guild, Hans-san was there so Ill discuss it with him. Head to the conference room then. Hans-san came in after a while, we immediately talked about my need for mithril ores and adamantite ores, and if it was possible to mine it by myself. Say, Takumi-kun, youre not just an alchemist but a cksmith too, arent you? Takumi-kun, have you seen any adventurer with weapons and armor made of mithril and admantite in this town? No, I wasnt paying attention so I didnt realize, but now that you mention it, I havent seen any. In Volton, called the town of Adventurers, that was a bit strange. The truth is that for both mithril and adamantite are easy to obtain because their ores are two-fold. Could it be that refining and forging it is difficult? Well, thats almost right. If its a cksmith from the Dwarven country, Gnomstoll Kingdom, then he might be able handle it, but even then, refining it is still a high hurdle. Frankly, an exponential amount of magic power is necessary to refine mithril and adamantite, and it seems that even though dwarves have more magic power than humans, there are few craftsmen that can refine it. Apparently it consumes the same amount of magic power to forge them, so as a result, weapons and armor made of mithril and adamantite do not appear on the market. I think the only ones who have weapons and armor made of mithril and adamantite in this town are probably the feudal lord and Guild Master Barack. Hearing that much, I remembered I refine with Alchemy. Umm, Im an alchemist so maybe Right, you might need extra magic power when ites to refining, but if its you, you might be able to use alchemy on it. i wonder how much I can shape and temper magic metals with Smithing magicter. So, about the ce to mine at Go straight northwest of Valkyra Kingdom and the mining town, Horuas, will be there. This town is dwarf-centric town, and although it is a town of Valkyra Kingdom, it has a strong rtionship with Gnomstoll Kingdom. Will I be able to collect ores if Im in Horuas? You cant actually enter the mountain without joining the cksmiths Guild, but there is a backdoor to that. There are monsters thate out of the tunnels, if you ept a request to subjugate monsters then you are allowed to mine ores while youre there. Thats because adventurers dig for the monsters. If I can do a subjugation request and mine at the same time, I couldnt ask for more. How long will it take to get from Volton to Horuas? Lets see, it should be 6 days on a normal carriage, and around 3 days on a carriage pulled by a Demon Horse. My apologies but it will have to be a normal carriage this time. A Demon Horse is a horse that became a monster, but it is docile for a monster. It is possible to train so it can be used for horseback riding and as a work-horse. With its speed and stamina, it can reach its destination at half the time of a normal horse. Hans-san, thank you very much. Advise the guild when you will leave Volton. I left the Adventurers Guild, and paid a visit to the cksmith in town. Excuse me! I can hear you even if you dont yell! What came out of the cksmith workshop was a bearded, beer barrel-shaped dwarf. What do you want, kid? I came here to ask about something for a little bit but, if it is alright with you, I would like for you to teach me the important points when forging mithril and adamantite. When I said that, I was observed from head to toe. Youre a cksmith? No, I have Smithing skills, but I am an Alchemist. The dwarfs eyes shined when I said so. That means you can refine mithril and adamantite with Alchemy, right? probably. Hereupon my arm was grabbed, and I was forcefully brought into the workshop. I am the cksmith, Doganbo. I have confidence in my smithing arm, but have nowhere near enough magic power to refine mithril and admantite. In my country, when were refining mithril and adamantite, it takes 10 mens umted magic power to do the refinement. It is definitely not a one-man refinement. Youre a genuine alchemist, arent you? Yes, more or less. ording to Doganbo-san, there is no alchemist that can refine metals at this day and age. Then I handed over the sword I made to Doganbo-san[1]. This is a sword I worked on, starting from mining. After looking at the sword down to the hole I hammered into it, Doganbo-san suddenly took my hand. Sorry! I made light of you! This sword was forged with Smithing magic, wasnt it. Impressive. Its the sword of an Alchemist that understands metals very well! Thank you very much. If the Dwarf Doganbo-san says so then I can be confident. Now, about the important notes when forging mithril and adamantite, was it. Frankly, aside from therge amount of magic power needed, it isnt much different from magic iron. Orichalcum is a different matter though. Hearing that relieved me. If unknown techniques were needed, I would have had to take an apprenticeship from a dwarf. After that, Doganbo asked me to do one thing and then I went back home. Joining Sophia and Maria at home, we reported our findings to each other. In the library, locations for mines aside from Horuas were investigated, but since Horuas is the closest this time, we determined that Horuas is our only viable choice. At Papeck Company, they said they can procure mithril ores and adamantite ores. It seems that when Papeck-san was informed that we n on going to the mine ourselves, he conversely requested that we procure mithril and adamantite ores for him. He might have noticed that I will try refining mithril and adamantite. Lets arrange for a carriage until Horuas and prepare food and other necessary items for the tripter. We began making preparations for our departure to Horuas. *** Footnotes:
    1. Typo. Raws said Doga-san only.
Chapter 42: Preparations for a Journey and Departure Chapter 42: Preparations for a Journey and Departure Having decided to go to Horuas, I was considering what I should do for the carriage, but Papeck-san visited my house and gave a proposition to lend me a carriage. The conditions of the exchange is the procurement of mithril ores and adamantite ores, and that I refine it. A special reward will be paid for the refinement. Papeck Company has arranged to lend out a carriage and the two-headed demon horse, Tahda. I bought arger quantity of rations and stored each one in the Item Box, and bought a lot of bentos from Maura-san from the Golden Wheat Pavilion. I went to the Adventurers Guild to report to them that we were leaving for Horuas. When I entered the Adventurers Guild, the receptionist Hans-san was still there so I informed him we were leaving for Horuas in 3 days. Hans-sans counter is always open. Its because of that, isnt it? The other counters had pretty receptionist Oneesans. I was the first in line at Hans-sans because his queue was empty. Takumi-kun, could you wait a bit? Hans-san invited me to the conference room like always, and Barack-san was there. Hey Takumi, so youre going to Horuas? Hello Barack-san, is there something going on at Horuas? For some reason, there will be a troublesome talk from Barack-sans sorry smile and it made me want to leave the conference room. Now, now, dont make that kind of face. Did you know that there has been ack of Treant Wood arriving at Voltontely? I realized that I had forgotten to remake Sophia and Marias spear handles with Treant Wood when he said that. Treant Wood cant be bought in Volton right now? Thats because it is already autumn. Many of the adventurers in Volton go hunting for ck Buffalo. There is a decline in Treant Wood arriving because of that, and were now even troubled for materials for canes. This year is better than usual though. ording to Hans-san, Treants are difficult to kill and bring back, so they arent really popr with the adventurers to begin with. However, those materials are used from bows and canes to high-ss furniture, and supply cant keep up with the demand. But is that rted to me going to Horuas? Yes, it is just that! Takumi, you have the Time-Space attribute magic Storage Magic, dont you? Its an errand request to secure Treant Wood. umm. Ah sorry. Guild master is hard to follow. The truth is, the Forest of Death that Treants live in is along the way to Horuas. So, could we ask you to subjugate them while youre there? Hmm, Treant Wood is a material I want to get. Actually, aside from the piece I picked up when Inded in this world, I havente across Treant Wood. If you take this errand request, Takumi will be promoted to Rank D, and the Oneechans will be promoted to Rank E. Even if you dont take this request, you only need toplete 1 more request to rank up though. Wai-, Hans! Keep your mouth shut! I should take this request. I understand. I will ept the errand request to secure Treant Wood. Ooh, I knew youd say that. Well then, you guys will be traveling in Papeck Companys carriage, right? The guild will bring out another carriage so you will leave with two carriages. Guild Master, your exnation iscking again. Listen, Takumi-kun, you know of the adventurer party Lions Fang, dont you? Yes, thats Heath-san and his party, isnt it? Its the party of adventurers that guarded the carriage I rode from Bohd Vige to Volton. Yes, I want you and his party to go to the Forest of Death together to secure some Treants. They will return to Volton from there, but its alright for you to return after youve finished your business at Horuas. Why are Heath-san and hispanions only going until the Forest of Death? I thought it was strange that they werent going up til Horuas so I asked. Thats cause its ck Buffalo hunting season. Thats how it is. ck Buffalo is delicious so it is traded at a high price. ck Buffalo, huh. I want to eat it. Will assembling in front of the gate on the morning 3 days from now be okay? Ill tell Heaths party. I left the Adventurers Guild and went home. There was another thing I carelessly forgot. I forgot to reforge the Goblin Generals greatsword for Sophia. Im back. Wee back. Wee home, Takumi-sama. Bofu! Oof! Wee hooome! Kaede came leaping and clung onto me with her 8 legs and 2 arms. I went to the living room with Kaede still clinging onto me and rxed on the sofa. I epted an errand request from Barack-san at the Adventurers Guild. I talked to Maria and Sophia about the details of the errand request that we epted, that we will hunt for Treants in the Forest of Death that is on the way to Horuas and that we will secure the Treant Wood. I do not know that party called Lions Fang, but I support the matter of hunting Treants. Treant Wood is a valuable material. I will support what Takumi-sama decides. That being the case, I should forge a Magic Iron Axe. Yes. May I borrow your spare axe? Training with the Axe Technique skill will not be in vain. Since it was a request from Sophia, I lent her the axe I used in Bohd vige. She told Maria they will practice the Axe Technique skill and went out to the garden. My girls are so diligent. I made two Magic Steel Axes at the workshop. After that, I took out the Greatsword of the Absorber I was keeping in the Item Box. I disassembled the hilt and guard and tried reshaping only the sword de into longswords with the Smithing Magic, Craft. Uwaa, what a terrifying resistance this has. Its not that its hard to prate it with magic power. Lets analyze theposition of the greatsword. ?Greatsword of the Absorber Magic Steel + Tungsten Carbide + Cobalt + Titanium Carbide Tungsten is a hard thing. But that doesnt change anything. As if the greatsword had a will of its own, it resisted my Craft magic. Nevertheless, it gradually epted my magic power. I had to drink one or two mana potions midway, but I was able to reshape the Greatsword of the Absorber into longswords. As a result, two longswords werepleted. ?Sword of the Absorber A magic sword that can absorb the magic power of the enemy it cuts. The more magic power it absorbs, the more its attack power increases. I enchanted the swords with Strong sh and Self Repair and a magic sword with a bluish sword de waspleted Ipleted it by making scabbards and hilts for them. Ill give one to Sophia, and the other to Maria. And so, 3 dayster, in front of the gate of Volton, we waited for Heath-san and hispanions inside the carriage that the Papeck Company lent us. In the coachmans seat sat a beer barrel-shaped old man. It is the cksmith, Doganbo-san. The truth is, when I mentioned Id go to Horuas, he badgered me to go together. He said he would teach me how to mine Mithril ore and Adamantite ore, so I decided to taking him along. When I told him that we epted a request to secure Treant Wood on the way there, he was, conversely, delighted. It seems he was troubled by its recentck of stocks. After a bit of waiting, the carriage of the Adventurers Guild that was being pulled by a Demon Horse arrived. The coachman is Lyle-san. Hans-san came with them to see us off. Yo Takumi, long time no see! Long time no see Lyle-san, Heath-san, and Bogah-san. Yeah, it seems were ying an active role. Well then, Takumi-kun, we will buy all the Treant Wood you have. Be careful. Yes, Ill do my best. And so, the two carriages we were operating started moving straight for Horuas. *** Trantors Note: Hello and thank you for reading and bearing with me this whole time. This is the end of Volume 1 of the novel. As Ive been so focused solely on this novel for the past 2 months, I will take a small break from this novel to finish the remaining chapters of the first arc of my other project, Stepmother, which will likely take a week as my schedule has still only slightly loosened up. Book 1: Illustrations: Book 1: Illustrations: These images are avable for free on Alphapolis. To view the remaining images, please support the author by buying the novel, or renting the chapters through the source site. Cover Character Page Takumi using alchemy Chapter 43: Envying Takumi Chapter 43: Envying TakumiThe Forest of Death is just midway from Volton to Horuas. Its still far even if it is said to be midway, and the forest became visible on the 2nd day of the 6 day journey. We continued travelling for two days with the forest on our right side. We will hunt Treants this time, but ording to Heath-sans information, the Treants are filled with malice. The Forest of Death is condensed with magic, and it seems that there are an unbelievable kinds of other-worldly monsters inhabiting it. I dont wanna~ I dont want to enter such a scary forest, but Lyle-san said that we will be fine if were at the outskirts of the forest. So, Takumi. Two ves as beautiful as these two Oneechans youll exin, wont you? While we were making camp on the first day, Lyle-san came over and was being annoying. Well, it was just by chance. Im an artisan, arent I? I sold a few things I made, and rented a house with the money I earned. I consulted with Papeck-san about getting someone who could manage the house. Papeck-san then rmended a ve, and I was lucky enough to havee across these two. What do you meane across?! Sophia-san is an elf, isnt she?! Lyle-san couldnt calm his excitement. Id probably have said the same if I were in his position. Off[1]! Woah, Takumi, Im really curious about this girl thats really stuck on you but Kaede camped on my knees. About Kaede~? Kaede has been with me since we were in Bohd Vige. She is really popr with the housewives in the vige. Kaede made many threads~! Un, the vige housewives were amazing now that I think about it. Even if she is a unique species, Ive never heard of a Killer Spider evolve into an Arachne before. In the first ce, I think Arachnes themselves are an unknown monster, but am I paying it too much mind? Seeing Sophia and Maria ept Kaede normally, Heath-san had nothing to say. Its fine! Kaede-chan is cute! Kaede is cute~? Yup, youre cute. I pat Kaedes head while she was looking up and leaning on me. Leaving that aside, how did you earn enough money to buy two ves?! Lyle, get a grip. Heath-san warned Lyle-san, but it fanned the mes of Lyle-sans jealousy. Heath-san said that Lyle-san is frivolous so he cant do with a serious girlfriend. I heard that Heath-sans adventurer party Lions Fang is close to rising to Rank B. It seems that Lyle-san wants to settle down soon. By the way, I learned that Heath-san and, surprisingly, Bogah-san are already married, so I can kind of understand why Lyle-san is getting impatient. Sophia-san, how about me? In the end, he began making moves on Sophia directly. Hmm, what to do when someone makes a move on anothers ve. Both my body and soul are Takumi-samas. Hey hey, Maria-chan. You think a man of my age and body has a manly appeal, dont you? Well? I have tolerance. I too have decided to walk beside Takumi-sama my whole life. Well, being turned down after making a move on Sophia, he immediately moved on to Maria. And was rejectedpletely. D, daaamn iiiiiittttt!!! Lyle-san ran off somewhere. Sorry about that Takumi, Lyle is usually more decent, but it seems he was rejected by a woman from a night shop. And then your two ves are a peerless beauty and a pretty girl. Id appreciate it if you go easy on him for a while. Im somewhat sorry. It makes me feel like running away. Im on my forty-year-old-sryman self[2]. Norn-sama, thank you. For making me handsome. Next morning, Lyle was acting as if nothing happened. I ended up respecting that boldness. Even when Wolf-like monsters asionally attacked on the 2nd day, it was mostly uneventful and we progressed smoothly. Its probably strange that I say its uneventful when monsters attacked. Takumi, youre not half bad. Its nothing great but thats not how an artisan fights. Thank you very much. I sometimes hunt monster materials by myself, so I need to do battle training. I still have a ways to go. I am still half-baked whenpared to Heath-san and his party. Sophia is as strong as the Lions Fang members even without magic. I might have higher status values than them, but I am overwhelminglycking in experience. No, Takumi, we will soon be promoted to Rank B, which are called veteran adventurers. It would be unbing if an artisan can fight on par with us. Certainly, while I say keep saying Im an artisan, my subjugation request ratio is high. Is that strange? Its strange. Yeah. Around the time the sun started going down, the Forest of Death could be seen on the right. Is that the Forest of Death? Yeah, thats right. Thats the Forest of Death. It looks somewhat ominous. Your perception is correct. Its not like that on the outskirts, but it definitely is at the center. It is not a ce people should set foot into. Its not unusual that the Forest of Death that we can see in the distance feels like it has evil spirits lurking within it. Alright, lets camp in this area for today. It would be dangerous to go any nearer to the Forest of Death. We started making prepare the camp in an area a bit far from the forest. Since were going to have to explore the outer edge of the forest to hunt for Treants tomorrow, we slept earlier than usual today. *** Footnotes:
  1. Get off!
  2. Kinda like a persona? His younger silver haired self and his 40+ year old sry man self.
Chapter 44: Treant Hunt Chapter 44: Treant HuntIn the morning, we finished breakfast and are now exploring the outskirts of the Forest of Death. Heath-sans party and my party will split up into two groups to hunt for Treants. Takumi, you be careful! Yes Heath-san, please take care as well! Bringing spears, we will pretty much explore the outskirts of the forest. If a Treant is found, we will switch to axes. Oh right, I should ask Sophia how to identify Treants. Sophia, have you fought Treants? Yes, plenty of times. The forest is the territory of us elves. Is there a way to identify them? Yes, we ask the spirits to tell us. However, I think that if its you, Takumi-sama, you might be able to distinguish between normal trees and Treants that camouge as trees if you use Magic Perception attentively. I see, thanks. Lets do our best in our search. Takumi-sama, please look at the tree a little bit to the right 20 meters ahead. Maria, look carefully too. I carefully observed the area that Sophia pointed to, and I could sense a clump of magic power from a single tree over there. Is that it? Yes. That is a Treant. I pointed to a tree and was told I was right that it is the Treant. Ahh, yeah, I might not have realized it if I didnt have Magic Perception, but I might have still made a mistake had my Magic Perception not been fairly high. Ill go first. I took out the axe I always use from the item box, brandished it and covered it entirely with magic power, closed the distance and swung it downwards. Kaaaaaaaaaan!! Guoooooo``!! The Axe Technique skill has leveled up The Logging skill has leveled up The de of the axe dug deep into the root and a face appeared on the trunk of the tree. The camouging Treant cried out in pain. Tentacle-like roots thrust out from the earth and attacked me but they were lopped off by Sophia and Marias magic steel axes. I used that chance to swing my axe a lot. Kaede cut up the tentacle-like roots that were sticking out of the ground with her threads as if the roots were tofu. Guooooooooo````!! Its trunk struck over and over by axes, the Treant shrieked and was defeated. Batan!! Fuu, my axe is made of steel so its hard to make magic power flow through it. I cant cut. Our magic steel axes cut exceptionally. My Axe Technique and Logging Skills have leveled up. Kaede did good? Kaede was amazing too. I pat Kaedes head as I praised her. I should have made my axe magic steel too. Well then, lets cut off the extra branches. Yes! Okaaay~! I gave the two Magic Steel Hatchets and we cut off the branches. The cut branches which had be Treant Wood were then stored in the Item Box. Alright, next time lets use Wind attribute magic. On the next Treant we found, Sophia and I attacked it with a session of Wind Cutter. The roots that stretched out from the ground in the Treants desperation were cut by Marias axe and Kaedes threads. Wearing the ring of magic invocation, the power and uracy of the magic increased and the Treant was killed. Gtaaaaaaaa``!! The Wind Attribute Magic skill has leveled up The Wind Attribute Magic skill has leveled up It looks like the axe is more effective than magic. Lets see, we can take it easy because we can see through a Treants camouge, so lets use it to train with both the axe and magic. For Sophia to say this, ourpatibility with Treants must be good. After that, I borrowed the Magic Steel Axe from Sophia, and hunt for Treants with Maria and her axe. Sophia cuts the roots thate up from the ground with her sword and attacks with Wind attribute magic in a hit and run tactic. We hunt Treants one after the other. Sophia and I alternate roles midway, cutting roots with a sword and feinting with Wind Cutter. Kaedes threads easily cut through the roots of the Treant. She is ying a very active role in this. The Axe Technique skill has leveled up The Logging skill has leveled up The Swordy skill has leveled up The Swordy skill has leveled up The Magic Swordsman job has leveled up The Magus job has leveled up Around the time we were supposed to join up with Heath-sans party, several roots more than twice as thick as any weve encountered until now shot up from the ground we were walking towards. I promptly cut it off and backstepped once to recover. Takumi-sama! Its an Elder Treant! I took out the axe and cut the roots as I listened to Sophias shouts. Elder Treant is a monster subjugation target rmended at Rank B. It is by no means an enemy that we should be fighting. In the first ce, its a monster that isnt supposed to appears in the forest edges. Lets deal with the roots first! Yes! We switched gears in an instant and focused on the enemy in front of us. Sophia immediately used Spirit magic to cut the roots. Maria only now used Fireball to burn the roots. Many of Kaedes threads veered left and right, cutting away at the thick roots. Guoooooooooon!! The Elder Treant roared in anger. When most of the roots protruding from the ground had been cut off, Sophia fired off a powerful Wind Spirit attribute magic on the Elder Treants main body. The main body of the Elder Treant is a thick trunk around 2 meters in diameter and is showing an ugly angry face shouting. Before the Elder Treant could put out new roots, I ran up to it brandishing an axe. Fuuun! Gatsu! I circted magic power through my entire body and strengthened it. I enveloped the Magic Steel Axe with magic power. Fuun! The Enhance Physical Abilities skill has leveled up The Matoujutsu skill has leveled up Gatsu!! Again, I enveloped the axe with Wind attribute magic power and swung with all my might. The Superhuman Strength skill has leveled up I instinctively dodged the root that approached me from behind. The Insight skill has leveled up The Evasion skill has leveled up The Presence Detection skill has leveled up From the ground, the regenerated roots rampaged like crazy. Relying on my senses, I evaded the roots while swinging my axe. Gatsu!! The Body Control skill has leveled up The Taijutsu skill has leveled up Receiving support from Sophia and Maria, I swung the axe many times over. Sophia repelled the roots with her shield as she cut the roots with her Magic Steel Sword d in Wind attribute magic power. Maria kept her distance from the Elder Treant but, one by one, she axes the roots with certainty, then burns them with Fireball The regeneration of the Elder Treants roots were slowing down. Gatsu!! The Wind Attribute Magic skill has leveled up Gukaaaaaooooooooooo!!! Shrieking its death cries loudly, the Elder Treant stopped moving. The Axe Technique skill has leveled up The Magic Swordsman job has leveled up The Magus job has leveled up. Zuzuuuun!! The earth rumbled as the Elder Treant fell. Haa~~, Im tired~~ Takumi-sama! Are you alright?! Sophia and Maria rushed to my side. Kaede clung onto me. Something like that came out even though this is the outskirts of the forest. Yes, its not impossible. That was frightening. Kaede was helpful? Its thanks to everybody that we won. Thank you, everyone. The branches of the Elder Treant are thick, even a single piece can be used as a material. We collected all of the fallen branches. So Treants bear fruits, huh. Ah! Thats an Apple of Miracles. That is something rare that even elves dont often get to eat. Sophia told me excitedly. ?Apple of Miracles The rare fruit of an Elder Treant. Its taste is of the finest quality, and it contains plenty of magic power. It can restore magic power if eaten. I had no doubts after appraising it. Alright! Lets take everything back! Yes! We stored all of the fruits in the Item Box, cut off the branches of the Elder Treant, storing everything, from the trunk down to the veryst leaf. Now then, lets join up with Heath-san. Yes!Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Magic Swordsman Lv8, Magus Lv9 ( Magic Bestower Lv32, Carpenter Lv16, Alchemist lv56, cksmith Lv58, Tailor Lv40) Level: 64 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 710 Magic Power: 880 Strength: 360 Agility: 320 Stamina: 420 Dexterity: 340 Intelligence: 420 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX (Concealed) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv3 Insight Lv3 Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Evade Lv2 Body Control Lv2 Increased Magic Power Recovery Speed Lv1 Active Skills Spear Handling Lv7 Axe Technique Lv5 Swordy Lv7 Throwing Lv4 Taijutsu Lv5 Matoujutsu Lv5 Enemy Search Lv3 Presence Detection Lv5 Stealth Lv4 Tame Lv1 Enhanced Physical Abilities Lv5 Magic Perception Lv7 Magic Power Maniption Lv9 Light Attribute Magic Lv7 Fire Attribute Magic Lv5 Water Attribute Magic Lv5 Wind Attribute Magic Lv6 Earth Attribute Magic Lv8 Ice Attribute Magic Lv1 Lightning Attribute Magic Lv1 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv3 Bestowal Magic Lv5 Alchemy Lv8 Smithing Lv7 Woodworking Lv6 Carpentry Lv4 Foraging Lv5 Logging Lv5 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv5 Sewing Lv3 Cooking Lv2 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn ( Concealed ) Familiars Arachne Unique Species ( Kaede ) Titles Giant Killing *** Chapter 45: Mining Town Chapter 45: Mining Town Did I have good luck? Or bad luck? After fighting the unforeseen Elder Treant, we hurried to an area a little ways away from the forest to meet up with Heath-sans party. There, stacks of Treant Wood were piled up. Hey! Takumi, you guys okay? Yes, Im d you are all safe as well. Could I ask you to store the Treants immediately? I understand. They borrowed Item Bags from the guild, but it seems that 5 of those had been filled with Treant Wood. I stored the stacks of the remaining Treant Wood in my Item Box. The capacity of Takumis storage magic is amazing. It seem I have arge amount of magic power. In order to deceive them about my Item Box, I gave a suitable reason to Lyle-san. Lets go back to the carriage then. The dwarf uncle is probably tired of waiting. Yes. We returned to the area, a bit distanced from the forest, where Doganbo-san was on standby. Doganbo-san, nothing happened? Yeah, it was all good. Well camp here today, then tomorrow morning, Heath-sans group will return to Volton, and we will go to Horuas. Alright then Takumi, lets meet again in Volton. Yes Lyle-san, please take care. Takumi, the main roads are few and they are infested with thieves. Dont hesitate when that happens. Dont forget that innocent lives will be lost If you turn a blind eye to them. Thieves kill the men and vite the women until theyre bored then sell them. Try to imagine that. I, who has no experience killing people, was warned by Heath-san who had a stern look. I lived my ordinary petit bourgeois life never having gotten involved in fights in the peace-at-all-costs Japan. But seeing a destroyed vige first in this world, I think I was able to realize that dangeres hand in hand with this world. Nevertheless, I still think that killing a person is at a different level, but I have a feeling Ill be fine. Sinceing to this world, I who had never killed a living thing, didnt feel shaken mentally when I killed Horned Rabbits and hunted the de deer. I have a reluctance to killing a person, but this world is that kind of world. I have a feeling that that had been etched into my soul. I am almost certain that this is Goddess Norns doing. My Japanese ethics and morals had been influenced so that my mind would not break. Its alright, Heath-san. If its to protect Sophia and Maria, I have no reason to hesitate. Thats right, dont forget that feeling. ording to Heath-san, there will be thief subjugation requests and merchant escort requests starting at adventurer rank D. He said that when confronting thieves, those who hesitate die. He might have given me this advice knowing that I would be promoted to Rank D after this request is over. Alright, see you at Volton. Yes, please take care Heath-san! Bogah-san as well, please take care! The two carriages then began running in opposite directions. We continued towards Horuas with the Forest of Death to our right. Camping twice, we continued until we could no longer see the Forest of Death, and it changed into a deste scenery with rocks scattered and standing out. Water Arrow! Marias water attribute magic pierced through a skink lizard[1] that spanned over 2 meters. The skink lizard monster was a Rock Lizard. It has rock-like scales that are strong against physical attacks but it is weak against Water attribute and Ice attribute magic. Our carriage has constantly been attacked by Rock Lizards ever since the scenery changed to a rockyndscape. Their movements were slow, so they became practice targets for Maria and Is Water and Ice magic. Rock Lizards are quite troubling monsters. While dismantling the Rock Lizard, Doganbo-san grumbled, looking disgusted. Apparently, the rock-like scales of the Rock Lizard can be materials for armors and shields. I cant use these as they are, though. It seems that the materials still take the characteristic of being weak to Water and Ice attributes and the process to mitigate that is troublesome. The liver can be used as an ingredient for medicine, right? I checked with Doganbo-san as I helped with the dismantling. Im not a pharmacist so I dont know the details, but it seems its used as an ingredient for fever medicine. If thats the case, should I reserve a bit of it for ourselves? Medicine for illnesses arent that important for us. That is because I can use Recovery magic to cure illnesses. However, themon knowledge of the people of this world about the use of Recovery magic seems to be different. My Recovery magic cures illnesses normally, but it seems that when other Priests use Recovery magic, it isnt that effective. This is the result of not knowing the cause of the disease. Since I have the unique skill Appraisal EX, I can investigate details of the disease. Only after knowing the details of the disease, whether the cause is a bacteria, virus, or something else do I imagine taking away that cause and use Recovery magic. Thanks to Sophia listening to the spirits voices, we were able to prevent monsters surprise attacks. We defeated many overconfident monsters, and didnt encounter the thieves that Heath-san was worried about. Heee~ So thats Horuas. Seen from an elevation, Horuas truly is a mining town surrounded by mines. With many streaks of smoke rising from within the town, I knew from a nce that there were many metalworking studios. Many g heaps from mine were piled around the town. Horuas is a mining town, it has many miners and cksmiths so be careful of the rough ones. ording to Doganbo-san, many criminal ves are sent to Horuas to work in the mines. Its that kind of town so the public order is worsepared to Volton, and we were told to be careful so we dont get caught in any trouble. (Doganbo-san, thats what we call raising a g!) We descended the elevation, moving along the path to the gates of Horuas. There were many merchant caravans lined up before the gate to the town. We lined up at the end of the queue. It took a long time but we were able to pass through and enter Horuas before it got dark. *** Footnotes:
  1. An example of a Skink Lizard looks like this. ȥ is not one specific species of lizard, but since the raws have ȥ (Tokage) and ꥶ` (Lizard), Ill put it in so it is less confusing in english.
Chapter 46: The Tunnel Subjugation Request Chapter 46: The Tunnel Subjugation Request Nearing dusk, we, who entered the town of Horuas, arrived at the inn Badgers Sett Pavilion that Doganbo-san had rmended. Here, over here! Doganbo-san stopped at the inns dedicated space, unfastened the Demon Horse and asked the inn staff to take care of it. This is the shop that Ive been in the care of since I was young. Their meals are cheap but delicious. Doganbo-san briskly walked into the inn alone. We hurriedly followed. Ou! Got vacant rooms?! Doganbo-san loudly called out at the small counter. Oh, how rare. If it isnt Doganbo-san. Its been a while. The one who came out from inside is a woman with a dialect befitting of a dignified mistress. Ooh, its been a while, Nora. Do you have vacant rooms where me and Takumis bunch can stay today? How many rooms will that be? Doganbo-san looked at me. Two rooms please, one single and a triple room. Eh?! Before I could say anything, Sophia answered the inns mistress. My oh my. Well then, a single room for Doganbo-san at room 301, and the three over there can use a quadruple room at room 403. Thank you very much. Nora-san handed over the keys to Doganbo-san and Sophia. For starters, how much will it be for three days? With meals in the morning and evening, it will be 5 silver per night for the single room, and 10 silver per night for the quadruple room used by three people, for a total of 45 silver for three nights. I paid Doganbo-san our share. What will you do about dinner? You may eat immediately if you want it now. Well eat, thank you. Since we just got hungry, we decided to eat at the dining room / bar on the first floor. The food was delicious just like Doganbo-san had said. As expected of a mining town, it tasted a bit stronger but it was delicious cooking. It has been strongly influenced by dwarven cuisine, a stimting vor in this world where spices are precious. I think the salt is as strong as theborers in this town. I let Kaede out of the Subspace when we entered our room, fed Kaede her meal, and used Purification on everyone. Today, we quietly slept in separate beds till morning. Only Kaede sneaked into my bed and slept clinging onto me. Good morning. Oh, youre early. Morning, we went to the first floor and Doganbo-san was already seated at a table. So about today, Takumi, youll go to the Adventurers Guild to ept a tunnel subjugation request, right? Yes, that is the n. Then Ill tag along with you to mine ores. I am a member of the cksmith guild, so Im free to go mining in the mine. After we finished breakfast, we went to the Adventurers Guild. The Adventurers Guild in Horuas is a smaller buildingpared to the guild in Volton. But it is jam-packed with adventurers. Thats a lot of people. Thats cause there are a variety of jobs, like mining escort, ore transport, monster subjugation, We looked for requests at the notice board. I cant raise my rank until I return to Volton, but Sophia and Maria can rank up to E here if theyplete a request. Raising my rank to D apparently requires a promotion exam. This was the advice I received from Heath-san, to see if interpersonal fights are possible. Iron Mole subjugation? Is that mole a monster talpidae[1]? Yeah, it eats ores. A monster that feeds on ores is the natural enemy of a mine. What the, so there are monsters that eat ores? Id like for you to take the ore eater request too. They dig holes any darn ce, those can be causes for cave-ins and tunnels copsing. At Doganbo-sans rmendation, we decided to ept a Rank E subjugation request. As you can see from it being Rank E, the Iron Mole itself is that strong. But since it isnt a swarm of monsters, subjugating a number of them is hard, so it isnt a profitable request. It is put up as a permanent request but is unpopr.. The requester is the cksmith Guild. We tore of the written request and lined up. Okay, an Iron Mole subjugation request, yes? Your guild cards please. Okay, I have verified it. Subjugate three Iron Moles toplete the request. The proof of subjugation will be the w of the Iron Mole. The deadline is 3 days after the request has been received. Please take care and do your best. The polite receptionist returned our cards and we left the guild. I brought a pickaxe but should we buy for you, two? No Takumi, wouldnt it be better if the girls guard us instead? It might be as Doganbo-san says. While Doganbo-san and I dig, it would be normal to leave it to them to keep watch of our surroundings. I dabble in all production jobs so I might have wanted Sophia and Maria to do the same. But it doesnt necessarily mean that Sophia and Maria want to be artisans. At Doganbo-sans lead, we headed to the third tunnel. The mine has tunnels 1 through 5, but ording to Doganbo-san, the third tunnel has roughly the same ratio of mineable Mithril ores and Adamantite ores. He said that he chose the third tunnel this time since I wanted either of the ores. The first tunnel mainly has iron ore, the second has copper and iron ores, the third has Mithril and Adamantite ores, the fourth mainly yields Mithril ore, and the fifth mainly yields silver ores and a bit of gold ore. For the clueless people, theyd think that people would gather at the third mine, but the refinement of Mithril and Adamantite is too high of a hurdle here, so Doganbo-san says that the third mine is always open. At Doganbo-sans lead, we will head to the third tunnel. A stagecoach came before long, and about 10 minutester, we arrived at the entrance of the third tunnel. Ournterns are ready, so follow me. With Doganbo-san at the lead, then Maria and I, then Sophia and Kaede at the end of the line, we walked into the dimly lit mine in that formation. *** Footnotes:
  1. Family species of mole, raws say Mole (`) in kana and Mogura (⥰) in kana so just to show a difference. So kinda doing the same.
Well.. just random, todays my birthday. a ha ha ha Chapter 47: Moles Are Weak To Light Chapter 47: Moles Are Weak To LightRelying on thentern for lighting, we kept walking in the dim tunnel for 30 minutes. The bat monsterSonic Bat infests some of the paths. These Sonic Bats are more of a small fry than the Iron Mole, so they mainly be Kaedes partners for killing time. They cant escape from Kaedes threads in these narrow tunnels. The pitiful Sonic Bats fall in two parts. Since they have neither trash magic stone nor essential materials, I just dispose of them by burying them with Earth magic. Takumi, lets dig a bit in this area. Yes, understood. Doganbo-san and I dug up the area he had indicated with pickaxes. Sophia and Maria kept watch of the surroundings. Kaede spread out her threads to detect for monstersing from underground. Ooh, this might be a hit. Takumi, look at this rock. This is Mithril ore. You have magic skills so check it out with Magic Perception. How is it, you can see it contains magic power, right? You can distinguish mithril ore with this magic power and its whitish color. I looked for magic power in the stone that Doganbo-san prospected, and I really could slightly sense magic power that I couldnt sense in an ordinary rock or iron ore. yes, I kind of get it. I tried using DpositionExtraction and Synthesis on the mithril ore I was holding. It definitely expends more magic power than when I transmute magic iron but not that much. When the transmutation finished, what was left on my palm was a shiny silver lump of mithril. From there, Doganbo-san and I dug up the wall. Midway through, Doganbo-san left the digging to me and sorted out the excavated stones. Takumi! Lets move to the next spot! Yes! I stored everyst ore that Doganbo-san had sorted into my Item Box. After that, we continued mining a number of tunnels and were able to mine quite a bit of mithril ore. Takumi, well soon be at an area where we can mine Adamantite ores. Then well prospect here, right? There, Doganbo-san showed me an Adamantite ore. I could feel magic power within it just like with the mithril ore, but its characteristics which were different are that it is cker in color than an iron ore and it is much heavier. Adamantite is harder and more durable than mithril and magic iron but it is heavier. I see, but if one were to ignore its weight, it is a superior metal with higher hardness and durability. It might be difficult as armor, but wouldnt that be the most suitable for weapons? When I said that to Doganbo-san, astounded, he said The only thing superior to adamantite is orichalcum, so of course it is. This was while we were in the middle of mining for adamantite. Master! Something ising! Kaede pointed to the ground. Sophia! Maria! Its an Iron Mole! While being vignt at the spot Kaede pointed at, I stored my pickaxe and reced it with a sword. There I was thinking, its a mole, and decided to try an idea that I thought of since I had nothing to lose. Gobaaa!! The moment something came out of the ground, Light! I chanted the light attribute magic, Light. Kyaaaaaaaa`````!! The Iron Mole fainted. Maria, please finish it off. yes. Zaku! Hey Takumi, what did you do? Well, since its a mole, I thought it would be weak to light. Master, how did you beat Mole-san? Hmm, moles like dark ces so it sort of hates bright lights. Takumi-sama, is it really alright to defeat monsters this easily? As expected of Takumi-sama. Your idea was genius. The questionable response from Maria and excessive praise from Sophia were somewhat unbearable. Well, its great that you can defeat the Iron Mole easily.Okay, lets hurry up and dig for adamantite ores! Looking nonchnt, Doganbo-san restarted digging. Mining a fixed amount of adamantite ores is quite the chore. To start with, you cant mine the same amount as you would mithril and magic iron ore in one spot. Furthermore, adamantite ore is heavy, so there are transportation costs as well. I have an item box so I can ignore the weight and bring back as much adamantite ores as I like, but this would be difficult if someone had to carry it. Master, Mole-san again! OK! I prepared to use Light at the spot Kaede indicated and waited for the Iron Mole toe out. Light! Kyuuuuuuu````!! Zaku! It ended up like an assembly line. Takumi-sama, the third Iron Mole. It seems my dismantling will improve Sophia is truly an elf, it seems they hunt frequently in their country and dismantling is their specialty. Hey! Takumi, I leave these ores to you! Now Dognabo-san ignores it when Iron Molese out and continues to mine or sort ores. Yes! I stored the adamantite ores into the Item Box. Doganbo-san, havent we already mined quite a bit of mithril and adamantite ores? I think Ive been able to reserve enough for my personal use. I feel like theres enough even taking the amount that Doganbo-sans shop will use into consideration. A bit more, so just a bit more. Thanks to Doganbo-sans a bit more chant, by the time we came out of the third mine, the sun had gone downpletely. Mining and killing Iron Moles without eating lunch, we rushed back to the Badgers Sett Pavilion and ate our fill of Nora-sans food and slept like logs. *** Chapter 48: When templates are forgotten Chapter 48: When temtes are forgottenWe were able to secure the needed amount for both mithril ore and adamantite ore, and a bit more. So, we decided to stay one night then head back to Volton. With this, Ill be D rank. As I listened to the sound of the carriage wheels tter, I feel that an artisans adventurer rank bing Rank D is strange. Not even a year has passed since I arrived at Mildgard. Despite this, my level is in the mid-60s. For adventurers in this world, people who reached this level are called veterans. Even though Im an artisan. Other adventurers might get angry if they were told this is a status of an artisan. So, what will you do? Will you hunt for more Treants at the Forest of Death on our way back? When the campsite across the Forest of Death came into view on the left side, the very my pace dwarf Doganbo-san who was at the coachmans seat looked over his shoulder asked if we wanted to make a stop-over. May we stop by for a short while if we have some time? Sophia, Maria, what do you think? The town of Volton has a shortage of Treants, so having even a little bit more would be greatly appreciated. I want to be even stronger. Since the two were eager, we decided to hunt for Treants for a bit. Ha! Gan! Gan! Guoooooo````!! Sophia and Maria drove their axes into the Treant, and Kaede and I cut off every single tentacle-like root that emerge from the ground. This time, Kaede and I were support while Sophia and Maria fought the Treants. Clutching a sword on my right hand and a knife on my left, I cut the roots aiming for Sophia and Maria. With the Swordy skill level at 7, I took a step into the realm of top-ss sword handling.[1] Its slowlying to a point where its bing shameful to call myself an artisan. I feel like a con artist. This much will do, right? Having seen 5 Treants killed, I suggested that it was time to go back to Doganbo-san who was taking care of the carriage. Yes, we should barely manage to reach the next campsite if we leave now. I have had enough of Treants for a while. Kaede had enough too! Since it had be routine work, everyone agreed to put an end to the Treant subjugation. We stored thest defeated Treant and returned to the carriage Doganbo-san was waiting in. We have returned. Ou, how was it? Yes, since the girls did their best, we were able to secure materials from 5 Treants. You improved a bit if you got that much. Yes. Even so, I understood that that still wasnt enough, but the ck Buffalo hunt would settle down very soon, and adventurers hunting Treants would soon turn up.Galloping on with the Forest of Death in view on our left, something happened just when we were about to reach the end of the forest. Takumi-sama! Spirits say that there are around 20 people lying in wait for an ambush at the side of the main road ahead! Spirits informed us via Sophia that there is imminent danger ahead of us, and Sophia asked me on how we should deal with them. What Heath-san said became a reality. In this world where thieves attacking carriages on highways is amonce, I once again resolved myself. But I consider myself blessed. When I came to this world, I whose age and appearance had been changedpletely might have also had my soul tweaked by Norn-sama, but I was released from the epted practices of Japan in a good way. Doganbo-san, keep the carriage speed as it is. Kaede, erase your presence and kill those carrying bows. We will do a surprise attack with magic. Understood. Time your magic with mine. Ill try my best. Thanks to the spirits, we know the location of concealed thieves. We decided tounch a surprise attack with magic at Sophias signal. I had Kaede to take a detour and dispose of the thieves aiming at us with bows. Frontward, groups of ruffians wearing dirty leather armor and carrying swords and spears came out from the sides of the main road and blocked the path. Doganbo-san who was operating the carriage slowed down. Kaede jumped out from behind the carriage, and silently ran off to the hidden thieves with bows. Hey! Stooop! At the same time the boss thief carrying arge axe yelled, Sophia, Maria, and I fired magic at the thieves blocking the road. Thrown stones, des of wind, bullets of ice swooped down on the thieves. GYAAAAA``!! GAH! UU! Surprised by magic suddenly being fired from within the carriage and thieves copsing, the thieves still hiding in thickets on both sides of the road panicked and came out. D, Damn it! You bastards! Surround them! Gyaaaaaa!! Hiiih! The moment the axe-wielding thief, despite being heavily injured, yelled, many screams came from behind. Uu! Gyaaa! Standing on the coachmans seat, Sophia shot to death the thieves that came out. Oraaa!! Before I knew it, Doganbo-san appeared at the front of the carriage, brandishing a hammer. When the number of thieves had dwindled to half, I jumped out of the carriage. I thrust my spear, aiming for the thiefs throat. Ive gotten used to fighting monsters but it feels different when the opponent is a person. Although I feel ufortable taking my opponents life, I lunged my spear at the next thief. You bastard! I definitely wont let this pass! Ill kill you, ravage those women till Im tired of them and kill them! The idiot boss thief swung his axe and attacked me. Avoiding the swing of the axe wasnt difficult. You bastard! You keep running away! Because the range of a spear and an axe are different, the fight between the idiot and I was one-sided. Closing the distance in an instant, I stabbed the slow idiot boss thief in the abdomen, chest, and throat with a triple thrust and he died with a frustrated-looking expression. Haa, haa, haa. Even though I wouldnt be out of breath if this were a fight with a monster, I am breathing roughly and my back is drenched in sweat right now/ I was disturbed by killing a person for the first time, but that was it. I once again noticed that I have changed. Heave-ho, heave-hounsho unsho, Master! Brought thief! Okay, thank you Kaede. Youre a big help. Kaede was pulling a headless corpse with her threads. I stroked Kaedes head and thanked her. She may be a monster, but having instructed Kaede to kill people, I couldnt escape the feeling of aversion again. Takumi-sama! Are you injured? Sophia worried for me and checked my whole body. Even Maria had alighted the carriage and embraced me. Thinking about it, it was also Marias first time in an interpersonal battle too. Even if this is a brutal world, the hurdle for killing people is not low. But the reality is, kill or be killed. Okay, lets take what can be taken, and deal with themter. Doganbo-san moves at his own pace till the very end. Im saved by the very my-pace Doganbo-san. Afterwards, we split into groups to strip the corpses of the thieves of their armor, guild cards, and any item that seemed useable, then dug up arge hole with Earth magic and buried the corpses in it, and then we headed towards Volton. *** Footnotes:
  1. its kinda like how you keep a door open by jamming your foot between the door and frame and then inching your way through. Thank you to Rinne-san for the suggestion.
Chapter 49: Being Pampered Chapter 49: Being PamperedHaving been confronted with a thieves attack, which in a sense is a royal road temte, the (mental) damage I received from killing a person for the first time was not as big as I thought it would be, rather, it shocked me. Its not that Impletelyposed after having just killed a person, but my mind had epted it as inevitable, and I was shocked at myself. Now if I had to say how I am right now, I am being praised and pampered by Sophia and Maria inside the carriage. It seems they thought that I was terribly shocked by having killed people for the first time. I am not against being pamperedpletely by Sophia and Maria. More like, Im even ogling and flirting with them. It should have been Marias first time murdering as well but it seems that worrying for me calmed her down. I wonder if it turned out okay in the end. Even in the middle ages in Japan, there were probably thieves and brigands around during the warring states period, it wouldnt change very much to daimyos and powerful families even if they banded together. Reflecting on that, this world might not be that unusual. A world where no onepetes for prosperity doesnt exist. This is shown by human history. Thieves are suppression targets, wanted dead or alive, and you would not be charged for killing them. There are a variety of people who be thieves. Fallen adventurers, fallen mercenaries, farmers living in famine. Knowing that, I think that there are two types of thieves, people who were swept along by the ease of it and people who enjoy criminal acts. It is because of the those types of people that it seemed absurd that I was even troubled. If the entirety of the people of this world had an opportunity to to learn a standardized education, the circumstances would likely change a little, because there are many people who fell to thievery that cant read or write. At least, I think they might be able learn a kind of job. (Huh? In this blood-thirsty world, wouldnt being an artisan while having a slow life be impossible?) Well, just being able to flirt with Sophia and Maria is good enough. Its not my job to think about the hard stuff, thats the job of feudal lords and kings. Doganbo-sanpletely ignored our flirting in the carriage. He probably just had no interest though. On the second day after the thieves attack, we returned to Volton. Without dy, we headed to the Adventurers Guild and when Hans-san spotted us, we were beckoned over and taken to the ce they store materials. For starters, please take out the Treant wood. Yes, Ill put them here. I piled up the 10 that Heath-san left to us and the 15 that we subjugated there. Also, there is an Elder Treant, but I want to keep materials for that though. An Elder Treant came out?! That was difficult, wasnt it. If its possible, I would like you leave some of it to the guild. As a result of the negotiations, half would be sold to the Guild. Half of thatrge tree is enough for me, and because the guild would buy it for arger sum than I had expected, I had no problem with it. Thank you, Takumi-kun. With this, we will somehow manage till the the ck Buffalo season is over. Then I was promoted to D rank. Takumi-sama, you have forgotten the report regarding the thieves. Ah! Ipletely forgot about it until Sophia mentioned it. Did my mind want to forget about it? What, thieves appeared? I reported the scale of the thieves, the location of the attack, and how they were dealt with afterwards to Hans-san. So, you retrieved the guild cards. The guild will examine those, and you will bepensated upon inspection. But with this, Takumi-kun will be a D ranked adventurer both in name and reality. I received the designated request rewards, and we separated from Doganbo-san at the guild and headed home. Doganbo-san parted with us after promising to refine mithril and adamantite the day after tomorrow. The three of us sauntered around town while buying ingredients and then returned home. Having returned home, Maria prepared dinner while I prepared the bath. Maria, want some help? Yes, then Takumi-sama, please take care of the soup. Okay! Im sorry, you two. As Maria and I were standing in the kitchen, Sophia hung her head, seemingly apologetic. Sophia is an elf and is the eldest among us, yet she cant cook at all. Whether the women of lower ranking nobles can cook or not, I do not know, but since Sophia is my guard, I told her that we can cook so its alright. After enjoying dinner and ying with Kaede around the table, its time for a pleasurable bath. Takumi-sama, its embarrassing so please dont stare too much. Thats right. Youre staring too intently. I entered the bath earlier and waited, then Sophia and Maria entered the bath naked. The embarrassed two tried covering up with their hands and went by me as they said so, but my response had already been decided. Impossible! At their beauty which seemingly embodied the beauty of this world, my excitement was at its peak and its like my blood was boiling. Thanks to that, I was able to get over the suppression of thieves. It doesnt matter, Im just a pervert, after all. *** Trantors Note: Sorry if it seemed really rough reading that. Half the time, the sentences in the raw just didnt match each other. I tried my best to make it more sensible. But Im really bad with the flirting stuff. It all just makes me cringe. lol Anyway, thank you for reading! Edit: I was able to reword some lines to make things a bit smoother. Chapter 50: Magic Metal Refinement Chapter 50: Magic Metal RefinementOn the second day after returning to Volton, since Doganbo-san was being really annoying and telling me toe first thing in the morning, I reluctantly went to Doganbo-sans workshop in the morning. Too slow! Eeh~~! I arrived first thing in the morning, didnt I?! The first thing he says is Too slow!.. even though I ate breakfast earlier than usual and came here. Doganbo-san dragged me by the hand into his workshop. Both mithril and adamantite are impossible to refine in my furnace. It can still bear the tempering portion of it, but without a specialized furnace for refinement, its impossible. So Takumi, splitting the ore equally will do so Ill leave the refinement to you. Well, okay The amount that Doganbo-san had mined was muchrger, so Im grateful for that and all but Im not in highest of spirits so early in the morning. I took out the mithril ore and ced it in the area that Doganbo-san had designated for it, and once all of the mithril ore was out, it turned into quite a hill. Now then, I should refine these one after the other, yes? Yeah. Adamantite is my favorite but mithril can be used for armor and essories. Alright, lets refine it down to thest one! Yeaa, talking that way Im the one refining it though. I made extra mana potions for today, so Ill do my best! I will use Dposition and Extraction on the mithril ore and Synthesis on the extracted mithril. Since mithril ore also contains a small amount of other elements such as aluminium and titanium, its necessary to use Extraction on the essential metals and Synthesis to secure it. The leftover elements and sand were hardened with Earth magic and turned to blocks. After that, while drinking mana potions, I continued to refine the small hill of mithril ore. Takumi-sama, how about you take a break and have lunch? yeah, Im hungry already. Then I will make preparations. Because Sophia, who had been watching over me, proposed I have a break, I decided to have lunch. Doganbo-san turned towards me with a dissatisfied look but I cant work without eating. I let Kaede out of the Subspace and the four of us ate the meal that Maria had prepared. We invited Doganbo-san to join us, but he said he cant eat leisurely when there was mithril ore in front of him then he began doing work that was piling up. No, if work piles up, you should do finish them before they do. In the end, Maria sewed side-by-side with Kaede, and I continued the refining, all the while drinking who knows how many potions. I finished refining over half the small mountain of mithril ore that very same day. Alright! Same thing first thing tomorrow morning! yes. This.. refining until the adamantite ores, I wonder how many days this would take. Now then, work hard! That manner of speech, well, anythings fine though. Early morning the next day as well, I began refining mithril ore. Mustering my magic power, I refined the mithril ores, and by the time I finished, the sun hadpletely gone down. So then well be doing adamantite starting tomorrow. Gya! I involuntarily let out a weird voice. (This is artisan work, this is the artisan work that I wanted but not like this!) I was supposed to make things enjoyably, its like I was thrown into a ck environment[1]. Huh? Am I being deceived? Iined about how I didnt want to do it and that it was hard. Adamantite ore in particr. the magic power necessary to refine it with alchemy is higher. Chantless, I abandoned the magic formationless refinement and prepared three metal tes with the alchemy formations for Dposition, Extraction, and Synthesis, and just poured my magic power into what could be called a refinement assembly-line system. To that extent, I was finally able to finish refining all the adamantite ores in two days. Takumi, take half of the mithril and adamantite ingots. Well start making mithril and adamantite armors and weapons 5 days from now. Mithril is already usable as it is and has high affinity with magic power, but its hardness and toughness are not that high. That is why it is alloyed[2,3]. It is mixed with metals and those amounts are a cksmiths secret. That is the same for adamantite. Adamantite is much harder and tougher than steel as it is, furthermore, its affinity with magic power is also high, so apleted weapon can easily slice through steel armor. Then by keeping the cksmiths unique alloy mix a secret, and raising the abilities of the adamantite weapons, those weapons and armor be national treasure-grade. In exchange for me refining the ores, Doganbo-san gave me an alloy recipe. Considering that, this much hardship might have been reasonable. Thanks to that, my job levels had increased.StatusName:Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Alchemist Lv64, cksmith Lv60 ( Magic Swordsman Lv12, Magus Lv11, Magic Bestower LV32, Carpenter Lv16, Tailor Lv40 ) Level: 68 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 730 Magic Power: 920 Strength: 372 Agility: 332 Stamina: 430 Dexterity: 350 Intelligence: 432 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX ( Concealed ) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv3 Insight Lv3 Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Evasion Lv2 Body Control Lv2 Increased Magic Power Recovery Speed Lv1 Active Skills Spear Handling Lv7 Axe Technique Lv5 Swordy Lv7 Throwing Lv4 Taijutsu Lv5 Matoujutsu Lv5 Enemy Search Lv3 Presence Detection Lv5 Stealth Lv4 Tame Lv1 Enhance Physical Abilities Lv5 Magic Perception Lv7 Magic Power Maniption Lv9 Light Attribute Magic Lv7 Fire Attribute Magic Lv5 Water Attribute Magic Lv5 Wind Attribute Magic Lv6 Earth Attribute Magic Lv8 ice Attribute Magic Lv3 Lightning Attribute Magic Lv1 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv3 Bestowal Magic Lv5 Alchemy Lv8 Smithing Lv7 Woodworking Lv6 Carpentry Lv4 Foraging Lv5 Logging Lv5 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv5 Sewing Lv3 Cooking Lv2 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn (Concealed) Familiars Arachne Unique Species ( Kaede ) Titles Giant Killing *** Footnotes:
  1. ckpanies are a thing in Japan. When this is mentioned, it usually means they overwork their employees absurdly. To the point that there is a term for when people die from overworking, ^ (Karoshi).
  2. Alloy is a metallic substanceposed of two or more elements, as either poundor asolution. more info here.
  3. Alloying is done for many reasons, typically to increase strength, increase corrosion resistance, or reduce costs. more info here.
Sphys Note: Hello~ Weve finally reached 50 chapters(52, including the idle talks). Thank you very much for reading until now! Ill continue to try my best with the future chapters~ I hope you continue to read! ^^/ As an aside, I edited chapter 49 a bit more because I wasnt really satisfied with what I released. Itshouldntbe as rough, or so I hope. Chapter 51: Smithing Magic Chapter 51: Smithing Magic Having been liberated from the hard work of refining mithril and adamantite, I spent my days rxing at home and thinking of what to make with the Elder Treant wood in the workshop. And then I challenged myself to make mithril-made armor and adamantite-made weapons at Doganbo-sans ce. Too slow! No, I came first thing in the morning. There has to be a limit to how much this bearded beer barrel-shaped old man can go at his own pace. At the workshop, Doganbo-san first showed me how to hammer a mithril knife. Doganbo-san fired up the furnace. If its ordinary silver, youd mix things like copper in, but while mithril was originally silver, its properties are already different. Youd know it by its other name, Divine Silver. So, when ites to mithril, you mix these. Doganbo-san took out metal fragments, a red stone, and some kind of powder. One is Magic Iron fragments, the red stone is a Smanders gallstone, and this powder is pulverized magic stone. ording to Doganbo-san, for mithril alloy, it doesnt have to be magic iron specifically, but it must be mithril and a metal with simrly high affinity with magic power. Truthfully, a knife with adamantite would raise its performance, however, mithril alloy has the characteristics of being light and has high affinity to magic power therefore Doganbo-san said that he judged that magic iron would be more suited as the apaniment. The Smanders Gallstone is a material that grants fire attribute to the knife. Powdered magic stone acts as the agent that promotes the mixture of the Smanders Gallstone and the Magic iron. That said, when that mithril alloy is hammered into a knife and it will be a fire attribute knife, correct? Yeah, if theres a Bestower, youd be able to grant fire attribute to the knife even without the Smanders Gallstone, however, if you add the attribute to the materials of the knife itself, there will be arge margin between thepleted knives. I can use bestowal magic so I understand, the number of effects you can use on materials of bestowed weapons and armor fluctuate. In very game-like fashion, weapons and armor have slots that grant special effects, but if you can grant attributes to the materials themselves, you can grant attributes without having to decrease the slots of thepleted knife. Doganbo-san ced the materials into the furnace to heat them up. From there, Doganbo-san heated the furnace more with magic power. Magic metals need to be charged with magic power. However, by applying only heat, no matter how high the temperature is, alloying is not possible. You need to charge magic power into the hearth to raise its temperature to synthesize the Magic Iron and Smanders Gallstone with the mithril. In the dark workshop lit only by the fires of the furnace, one sweats buckets even by just staying still. Doganbo-san struck the mithril alloy that has yet toplete blending on the anvil using a mallet. There I hit it with a sledgehammer. I do not know why he is using a mallet but I think Im learning.[1] More, put more magic power into the mallet! Yes! Kan! Kan! Kan! Kan! Repeating it over and over, it turned into a uniform alloy and Doganbo-san enters the shaping process. Its strange but Doganbo-san has used barely any Smithing Magic up to this point. Only to correct the shape a bit. Using his big arm, Doganbo-san charged the mallet and hammered with it. Completing the shaping process, the object shaped like a knife was once again heated up in the furnace. The tempering temperature is this color, remember it! Jyuaaaaaaaaa``!! Doganbo-san dipped the reddish-orange hot knife into water. The tempered knife was sharpened through a rough grit, medium grit, then a fine grit whetstone to finish and the final product became a silver knife with a light red tinge. After that, add your mark and its finished. After that, I decided what I would make next. What I thought to make was a spearhead made of adamantite alloy. Ill try the recipe that Doganbo-san had taught me. Since I didnt have monster materials that could grant attributes, Doganbo-san advised that I make use of magic stones with attributes. When high ss monster materials are used, the attribute it grants is more effective. For example, when you use a Fire Drakes fire sack, not only will it be fire attribute, but it would also have Enhanced Attack. Another is, when using materials from a monster called Thunderbird, it grants equipment the lightning attribute and Enhanced Agility. Adamantite by itself is already a superior metal, but alloying it makes its abilities even better. Now then, while Doganbo-san said that it would be easier to practice with a small amount of mithril and magic iron, lets try out a variety of things here. With alchemy, I can try as many time as I want. Usually, there is the core, shell, and edge which have carbon content of 0.3% C 0.8% and the core is soft, the shell is hard, and the edge is a little softer than the shell. Verifying that hardness actually varies on the carbon content, I get that the properties of iron arepletely different. Next, I tried transmuting titanium, tungsten carbide, and cobalt. While appraising their details with Appraisal EX, I researched for an adamantite alloy recipe. It seems that although itll be somewhat heavy, tungsten is the right choice. Changing the carbon content of tungsten, cobalt, and titanium each by several percent while transmuting, I probed into the bnce between hardness and toughness. Eventually, Id make a shell with high hardness and average toughness, an edge with average hardness and toughness, and a core with average hardness but with high toughness. Though I present it as average, if we were to say that those were in adamantite alloy, I think the alloy made would be in a different dimension from mithril alloy or magic steel.[2] Alright! Psyching myself up, I piled the three types of alloys. While using the Smithing magic, Craft, Earth magic, and Alchemy, I imagined that the types of alloy fusing. Thepleted form is a bamboo leaf shaped de of an oomiyari. Ill remake the spears that Sophia and Maria used with adamantite alloy. To finish it, I imagined tempering it. cing it on the ground, I imagined altering the speed it cooled, converting the degree of hardening until the metallographic structure changed. Despite this being made only with Smithing magic, a hamon is visible on the de.[3] I carefully examined the 60cm oomiyari de. The de has a ck de characteristic to adamantite alloy with a distorted clover hamon line on the surface.[4] There doesnt seem to be a problem when I appraised it. W-what is that?! Eh? Its a spearhead. I hadnt noticed in my concentration, but Doganbo-san drew closer to me, wide-eyed. Hey Takumi, Smithing magic is only used to the degree of correcting shapes. From shaping to tempering, and sharpening to top it off, that Smithing magic you used to make the spearhead is preposterous and going too far. Whats with that spearhead? Apart from the pattern on the de, I can see that its obviously a sharp de. I exined to Doganbo-san that Ibined adamantite with tungsten, cobalt, and a little bit of titanium, then altered the carbon content while stacking the three kinds of alloys, making one spearhead. Honestly speaking, I have absolutely no idea what tungsten and cobalt are, but by altering the hardness of the core and the edge, you were trying to bnce the weapons sharpness and strength. Doganbo-san was still mumbling, but since my prototype had more or less been sessful, Ill see if I grant an attribute to the materials of this alloy. I took out one magic stone from my Item Box, grasped it, and charged Ice attribute magic power into it. Confirming that the magic stone had turned dark blue, I used Pulverization to turn the magic stone into powder. Alright, now Synthesis. The ck adamantite alloy-made de turned bluish ck. I could see that the hamon portion where the ck is faint is especially blue. I grasped the core part, pouring magic power into it, enveloping the spearhead with ice attribute magic power. Lastly, I applied Strong sh, Self Repair, and Strong Thrust enchantments, and the adamantite alloy-made spearhead isplete. I made a handle from Elder Treant Wood, a silvery-white cross-guard made of mithril alloy, and an adamantite alloy-made butt end. ?Ice Spear Ice Bringer An adamantite alloy-made spear created by an excellent magic cksmithing alchemist. Endowed with the Ice attribute. By passing magic power through it, the spearhead will be d in Ice attribute magic. Enhanced Ice Attribute Ice Attribute Resistance Strong shSelf Repair Strong Thrust Rarity: National Treasure By the time I looked with Appraisal EX, it already had a name. I can go home now, right? Doganbo-san didnt respond. As he grumbled, it seems he had stepped into my world. Since Ill be fine at my own workshop, Ive decided to go home now. *** Footnotes:
    1. For the people who want to see the mallet and sledge hammer thing that Takumi and Doganbo are doing.Video
    2. Hardness, Toughness and Strength in metal exined by definition because in normal English, these words are usually interchanged. Definition
    3. In swordsmithing, hamon ( hamon) (from Japanese, literally de pattern) is a visual effect created on the de by the hardening process. Source: Wikipedia.
    4. Example of a clover hamon here. More types of hamon here
Chapter 52: Equipment Enhancement Chapter 52: Equipment Enhancement With thepletion of the adamantite alloy spear, we decided to remake our armors. Since I want to strengthen our armor now as well, if you have some requests, Id like it if you dont hold back and tell me. When I said so, Sophia and Maria pondered over it. Right now we are using the Armored Boar Leather Armor and Spider Silk underarmor. I think that among those, leaving the Spider Silk underarmor as is will be okay. The fitted underarmor made with stic threads that Sophia and Maria are wearing are exceptional items. Noints even on its functionality. For the new armor and poise, I might change the style and color though. Takumi-sama, are you considering mithril for the armor? Hmm, wouldnt you agree that silver colored armor suit Sophia and Maria? Especially since Sophia is a knight. At Sophias question, I ended up answering obliquely. Takumi-sama Sophia left, astounded. Regarding Sophia and Marias armor, I have a little idea. Right now, the material used for our leather armor is the Huge Armored Boars hard carapace. This material is highly popr among adventurers. It is rtively light and very hard, so even veteran adventurers want this material. But that doesnt mean it has no issues. Whether it is because the monster rank of the Huge Armored Boar itself is not that high, or the material itself not having any special effects, the number of bestowals that could be done on it is not a lot. Among the materials of dragon species and other high ranking monster, the materials that naturally have special effects are not few. Furthermore, for some reason, the number of times you can bestow items made of high ranking monster materials is plenty. Therefore, with mithril alloy, the material itself has high resistance to magic attacks. It even has physical resistance that surpasses steel, and circting magic power to it strengthens magic attack resistance and physical attack resistance. In addition, maybe due to mithril being a rare metal, the number you can bestow is plenty. Inparison to the heavy adamantite alloy, it is clearly a material suited for armor. Lets make mithril alloy breastte, bracers, and greaves. This is already a decided matter. Their previous armor, instead of tassets, had a Spider Silk-made miniskirt with slits worn on top of the armor. This time, it will be a mini dress. Of course, it wouldnt be your run of the mill one piece dress. Naturally, it will use Spider Silk, and mithril alloy will be processed to be fine and thready, then it will be intertwined with Spider Silk and woven together. It will be iparable to the Spider Silk-made cloth used until now in both physical and magic resistance. The body-fit stic underarmor, knee length leggings for bottoms and long sleeved body-fit shirt, will be remade. It will be enchanted with Automatic Size Adjustment, Automatic Temperature Regtion, Enhanced Physical Resistance, and Enhanced Agility. Without dy, I processed the mithril alloy thinly. This is also quite difficult. Its metal so I can use Earth Magic, but making uniformly fine threads is more difficult than I had imagined. Since Im including the portion for Kaedes clothes and mine, I had to make portions for 4 people, so I kept working silently as my nerves wore down. Im d working this way is my specialty. Sophia and Marias one piece are colored white, and Kaedes is white as well. My shirt had been dyed grey, and my cargo pants, dark grey. The process of making thread surprisingly took time and I had gotten stuck solely processing mithril alloy for several days, but the fabric I found eptable had beenpleted. I made Sophia and Marias one piece ording to their figure. This was a three-man operation since Maria and Kaede have sewing skills, so we were able to do it quickly even when Kaedes and my shirts were included. The truth is, I wanted new boots as well, but because of the materials, I had to put it off for now. Now, Ill grant attributes to the mithril alloy itself. Sophia and Marias shared attribute is Water, so it should be fine to make the same armor with the Water attribute. But considering Sophias fighting style, Ive determined that Wind attribute and materials with Enhanced Agility effect would be better. I hope to give Earth attribute and Enhanced Defense for Maria. I prepared two slightlyrger magic stones, and charged them with Wind attribute and Earth attribute magic power respectively. When I loaded it with magic power until it overflowed, the Wind attribute magic stone turned green and the Earth attribute magic stone, orange. As it was clearly different from the magic stones Ive loaded with attributes, I appraised it. ?Wind attribute Magic Crystal A magic crystal containing strong Wind magic power. ?Earth attribute Magic Crystal A magic crystal containing strong Earth magic power. They mutated into magic crystals. Magic crystals are said to be highlypatible magic stones made by processing magic stones. I refined each magic stone with mithril alloy. As a result, the mithril alloy refined with the Wind attribute magic crystal was a silvery-white mass tinged light green, and the mithril alloy refined with Earth attribute magic crystal was a silvery-white tinged light orange. I feel like Ive made terrifying things. ?Mithril Alloy (Wind Attribute) Mithril alloy made from Mithril + Magic Iron and synthesized with Wind attribute Magic Crystal through alchemy. ( Wind Magic Resistance ? Enhanced Wind Attribute Magic ? Enhanced Agility ?Mithril Alloy ( Earth Attribute) Mithril alloy made from Mithril + Magic Iron and synthesized with Earth attribute Magic Crystal through alchemy. ( Earth Magic Resistance ? Enhanced Earth Attribute Magic ? Enhanced Defense They really are terrifying things. They have 3 effects in their material stage. The Divine Silver Ring that I made for myself had effects with relevance to magic such as Magic Power Maniption and Magic Form Control before the enchantments, but that was probably affected by my Magic Power Maniption at that time when I was altering it into mithril.[1] Puhaa~! Yeaaah, this is disgusting! I drank up a mana potion and troubled over what I should do with my own armor. So, I took out 2 magic stones on a whim, and loaded one with Lighting attribute and the other with Wind attribute magic power. A vibrant yellow Lightning magic crystal and a green Wind magic crystal were made. Would that be possible from here I synthesized the two magic crystals I made into one. Thepleted magic crystal is a vibrant emerald green. ?Lightning Wind Attribute Magic Crystal A magic crystal containing strong Wind and Lightning attribute magic power. Oooh, I did it. But thebination is important. I think it was fine because Wind and Lightning attribute are highlypatible. But it would be impossible with Fire and Water. I think, Fire + Wind = Enhanced Attack + Enhanced Agility Fire + Earth = Enhanced Attack + Enhanced Defense Wind + Water = Enhanced Agility + Enhanced Magic Power Water + Earth = Enhanced Magic Power[2]+ Enhanced Defense Its probably something like this. I refined the synthesized Lightning Wind attribute Magic Crystal and Mithril. ?Mithril Alloy ( Lightning Wind Attribute ) Mithril alloy made from Mithril + Magic Iron and synthesized with Lightning Wind attribute Magic Crystal through alchemy. ( Lightning Wind Magic Resistance ?Extra Large Enhanced Agility ) Yup, Ive definitely made a terrifying thing. I found out thatbined attribute materials were possible, thats why I willbine the mithril alloys for Sophia and Maria. I will synthesize Sophias existing Wind attribute with Water attribute. And Marias existing Earth Attribute with Fire attribute. ?Mithril Alloy ( Water Wind Attribute ) Mithril alloy made from Mithril + Magic Iron and synthesized with Water Wind attribute Magic Crystal through alchemy. ( Water Wind Magic Resistance ? Enhanced Agility? Enhanced Magic Power ?Mithril Alloy ( Fire Earth Attribute ) Mithril alloy made from Mithril + Magic Iron and synthesized with Fire Earth attribute Magic Crystal through alchemy. ( Earth Magic Resistance ? Enhanced Earth Magic ? Enhanced Attack ? Enhanced Defense ) Sophias green mithril alloy changed to a silvery-white tinged aquamarine, while Marias orange mithril alloy turned into a silvery-white tinged deep crimson. With this, Ive finished my preliminary preparations, so now Ill make the breasttes, bracers, and greaves. *** Footnotes:
  1. He was talking about the process and his actions when he tried making mithril out of silver. This is in chapter 36.
  2. Author Typo, it said agility in WN raw, but in the line before this it was magic power for water.
Chapter 53: Uncontrollable? Chapter 53: Uncontroble? Havingpleted the mithril alloys, I immediately got to work making Sophia and Marias armors. I partitioned the necessary amounts. With the armor Sophia had been using until now as reference, I charged the mithril alloy with magic power and shaped it, and there was a remarkable difference in how much magic power magic iron could bearpared to this. Its impossible to not level this up. I cant evade being ridiculed as a pervert since I made borate mannequins of Sophia and Marias physiques when I made underwear, but I have confidence that I can make things without the need for the Automatic Size Adjustment enchantment. Taking into calction the sports bra holding everything in, I shaped the curve of the chest portion. I didnt use mithril alloy on the sides near the back of breastte. I thought that it wouldnt obstruct the movements of her back when using a bow. I chose to use the de Deers soft leather for the lining of the mithril breastte. For Sophias gauntlet, I aimed for her right piece to have a shape that would not be a hindrance when she holds arrows. The greaves shape is simple so that was easy. It took two days and a belly filled with mana potions to shape mithril alloy for three people. ?Ranmas Light Armor Water Wind Attribute Light armor made from mithril alloy that carried Wind and Water attributes, crafted by an extraordinary Alchemist and Magic cksmith. ( Wind Magic Resistance ? Water Magic Resistance ? Enhanced Water Magic ? Enhanced Wind Magic ? Enhanced Agility ? Enhanced Magic Power ) Automatic Size AdjustmentAutomatic Temperature Regtion Equipment Weight Reduction Self Repair ?Endos Light Armor ( Fire Earth Attribute Light armor made from mithril alloy that carried Fire and Earth attributes, crafted by an excellent magic cksmithing alchemist. ( Fire Magic Resistance ? Earth Magic Resistance ? Enhanced Fire Magic ? Enhanced Earth Magic ? Enhanced Attack ? Enhanced Defense ) Automatic Size AdjustmentAutomatic Temperature Regtion Equipment Weight Reduction Self Repair ?Jinrais [Thunderp] Light Armor ( Lightning Wind Attribute ) Light armor made from mithril alloy that carried Wind and Lightning attributes, crafted by an excellent magic cksmithing alchemist. ( Wind Magic Resistance ? Lightning Magic Resistance ? Enhanced Lightning Magic ? Enhanced Wind Magic ? Enhanced Agility [Extra-Large] ) Automatic Size AdjustmentAutomatic Temperature Regtion Equipment Weight Reduction Self Repair I am speechless. Its beautiful, very beautiful. Sophias blue tinged silvery-white armor, Marias red tinged silvery-white armor, and my green tinged silvery-white armor. It seems that their appearances have high evaluations. Could I have you two try it on along with the underarmor that had mithril threads interwoven with it? Yes! Sophia and Maria took their respective armor and clothes with them. They hurriedly went to their rooms. Left alone, I tried on my new equipment. Because thick and sturdy threads used, I believe its defense is higher than the armors sold in town. I put on the long sleeved shirt, and equipped the breastte above that, then the gauntlets, boots, and greaves. Lastly, I put on my belt, and affixed the Sword of the Absorber to the sword belt. Takumi-sama, how does it look? Does it suit us? Having finished changing, Sophia and Maria came back. The bright blonde, tall Sophia and the reddish blonde haired Maria. The beauty and pretty girl the likes Ive never seen in my previous world wearing white one piece dresses and ck leggings, with bluish and reddish mithril armors that wrap around their figures exuded godliness. excellent, both of you are really excellent! Thank you very much. My voice unintentionally got louder, but I was engrossed in too much beauty. Takumi-sama looking gant and dreamy as well. Yes, very handsome. Thank you, I feel a bit embarrassed being praised by you two. Moving on, these armors arepletely different from our previous armors, so lets all go to the garden to check them out. Yes. My armor has Enhanced Agility ( Extra-Large ). I needed to confirm to what degree that extrarge effect has. Are there any defects on the armor? Does it inhibit movement? How are the bestowed effects? Sophia and Maria moved their bodies to check. The Enhanced Agility effect, lets see, I feel like I can move 20% faster. Sophias armor has been bestowed with Enhanced Agility. It seems that some training is needed to get used to it. My armor does not feel different. Marias armor has been bestowed with Enhanced Attack, but it seems that with ordinary boots, she couldnt see any difference just by moving her body. The issue is with mine. My armor has been bestowed with Enhanced Agility ( Extra Large ). I tried out how much of an effect that extrarge has. Don! Uwaaaa! gorogorogorogorogoro. My speed overtook my senses and I fell over magnificently. Crap, this might take some time getting used to. Takumi-sama! Are you alright?! Are you injured?! Sophia and Maria came running. I took no damage, but I was filled with embarrassment. Yeah, Im fine. I took no damage. It felt like 50% increase. If you suddenly speed up by 50%, its inevitable that your senses would be overtaken. More importantly, Im worried if my muscles and kic vision can get used to this sensation. Sorry, I need to train to get used to my armor for now, so you two are free to do what you want. Then, the two of us will train. Since Sophia and Maria separated from me, I continued to practice getting used to it by changing speeds little by little. Making slight bodily movements with the help of the Body Control skill, I quickly became able to control my body. The Body Control Skill has leveled up The moment the skill level rose, my senses immediately caught up with the speed. The High-speed Thought Process skill has been obtained The moment I obtained the High-speed Thought Process skill, the gap separating my body and senses disappeared, and Ive be able to use the functionality of the armor perfectly. Fuu~~, Since my muscles and bones take the burden, its necessary to use Enhance Physical Abilities skill simultaneously. The burden on my body will likely be resolved by dding myself with magic power and using Enhance Physical Abilities. Alright, lets improve the weapons next. *** Footnotes:
  1. I changed the skill Enhanced Strength to Enhanced Physical Abilities, showed in ch32 first. Sorry xD
Chapter 54: What will the Artisan who wants strong weapons do? Chapter 54: What will the Artisan who wants strong weapons do? When I trained to get used to the newly made armor, I had to postpone making the two other spears. But now I can continue. The handle of the Ice Spear Ice Bringer that I made some time ago is made from Elder Treant Wood, but I wrapped it in a thinyer of mithril alloy and carved an arabesque pattern on it so it doesnt slip. ?Ice SpearIce Bringer An adamantite alloy-made spear created by an excellent magic cksmithing alchemist. Endowed with the Ice attribute. By passing magic power through it, the spearhead will be d in Ice attribute magic. Enhanced Ice Attribute Ice Attribute Resistance Strong shSelf Repair Strong Thrust Rarity: National Treasure Sophia, Maria, what attribute do you want to bestow your spears? For Sophia and Maria who dont possess the Ice attribute, even if they use the ice spear, they will not benefit from the attribute enhancement. Thats why I asked the two what attribute I should bestow on their spears. As expected, shouldnt it be the Wind attribute for me? Youre right. If its Wind, it might release shes of wind when you stab or swipe. Sophia chose the Wind attribute. Hmmm, would the Fire attribute be good for me? Lets see, it is more specialized in offensepared to the Water and Earth attributes, so I think its okay. If that is the case, then I am all right with the Fire attribute. Roger! After that, I forged the two spear siblings of Ice Bringer. The adamantite alloy spearheads became the ck spearhead tinged with green, Tempest, and the ck spearhead tinged with red, Explode. ?Wind Spear Tempest An adamantite alloy-made spear created by an excellent magic cksmithing alchemist. Endowed with the Wind attribute. By passing magic power through it, the spearhead will be d in Wind attribute magic. Wind attribute Resistance Enhanced Wind attribute Strong sh Self Repair Strong Thrust Rarity: National Treasure ?me Spear Explode An adamantite alloy-made spear created by an excellent magic cksmithing alchemist. Endowed with the Fire attribute. By passing magic power through it, the spearhead will be d in Fire attribute magic. Fire attribute Resistance Enhanced Fire attribute Strong sh Self Repair Strong Thrust Rarity: National Treasure Thepleted Tempest was wielded by Sophia and a gale twined around the spearhead. Learning from Sophia, Maria also used it and the spearhead of Explode sketched the air with traces of fire. Amazing, this is amazing, Takumi-sama. It reinforces shes, and the spearhead is d in gale as soon as I had imagined it. Sophia is somewhat excited as she shows off Tempest. Goooo``!! Maria unleashed a dragon breath-like me from the spearhead of Explode. Fireballs continuously shot out from the spearhead of Explode, hitting the tungsten-made target in the garden. Kyahahaha! Amazing, oh so amazing! Maria is in ridiculously high spirits, not letting go of Explode. Once Maria had settled down, Sophia had a request. Takumi-sama, my foremost task is to be your guard. Therefore, should something happen, I have resolved to protect Takumi-sama even if it means throwing my life away. Nope, value your life, Sophia. Should things go wrong and Sophia gets injured protecting me and ends up dying, I dont think Ill be able to recover. No, this is my wish, after all. Due to that, I was wondering if I may have a strong shield. Sophias readiness seemed unwavering. That being the case, Ill make a shield so that Sophia will not get hurt. I got it. Sophia, tell me the size or style of the shield you wish for. Yes, the style will be a round shield, its size at around 50-60cm, and Id be d if it has magic resistance as well, if that is possible. What are the features that Sophia want for the shield she requested? Physical Resistance is a matter of course, and the Magic Resistance that she had requested. whatsplicated will be the weight of the shield. Some heft will be needed, right? That is correct, as it rtes to the power of shield bash. But it would be better to not wield a heavy shield in one hand. Then how about charging magic power when you shield bashing, and producing a shockwave with Wind attribute magic? Sophia, your level is high and so are your status values, so you might be fine with a heavy shield, but the weight might hold you back if a fight draws out. Yes, I will leave the decision to you. I immediately headed into my workshop. I will prepare our meal then. Then I will clean the mansion and bathroom. Maria and Sophia headed for the mansion. Now then, if its light then it has to be mithril alloy. I think it would be good to have monster materials, but that would be asking for too much. ording to the rumors, things like dragon scales which are high in magic resistance and physical resistance are durable materials, but those rarely ever appear in the market. Well yeah, someone would have had to have subjugated a dragon for materials to show up in the market, after all. In the end, I will make a round shield 50 cm in diameter. The material will be the same mithril alloy that was used in Sophias armor, endowed with abination of the Wind and Water attributes. The face of the round shield is engraved with the Air Bomb magic circle. It is possible to switch between strengthening magic power, or activating Air Bomb voluntarily. ?Fuumas Round Shield ( Water Wind attribute ) Round shield made from mithril alloy that carried Water and Wind attributes, crafted by an excellent magic cksmithing alchemist. Wind Magic Resistance ? Enhanced Wind Magic ? Enhanced Agility ? Enhanced Magic PowerEnhanced Magic ResistanceEnhanced Physical ResistanceEquipment Weight ReductionSelf Repair Id like to think that the round shield and Ranmas Light armorpleted Sophias equipment set. *** Sphys Note: Hello~ Thank you very much for reading~ The raws had quite a few typos but I wont add them to the footnotes anymore. Both because Imzy and its not really important. Sorry this waste, had a bunch of stuff to do over the weekend. Current Character Status 1: Current Character Status 1: Takumi Iruma Originally dragged into the hero summoning, he was sent to Mildgard by Goddess Norn. In addition, he was sent three years prior to the hero summoning. In his time in Japan, he was a sryman in his 40s, but he became a handsome, silver haired 15 year old in Mildgard. This is a special body that was personally made by Goddess Norn, with more blessing than a heros and has quite the cheat abilities hidden within it. The person himself thinks Ill enjoy the slow life as an artisan, but he hasnt noticed that, just by his status, hes already equal to a first-ss adventurer.StatusName: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Alchemist Lv72, cksmith Lv70 ( Magic Swordsman Lv12, Magician LV11, Magic Bestower LV32, Carpenter Lv16, Tailor Lv40 Level: 68 Status: Healthy Vitality: 730 Magic Power: 930 Strength: 372 Agility: 332 Stamina: 430 Dexterity: 356 Intelligence: 434 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX ( Concealed ) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv3 Insight Lv3 Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Evasion Lv2 Body Control Lv3 Increased Magic Power Recovery Speed Lv1 High-speed Thought Process Lv1 Active Skills Spear Handling Lv7 Axe Technique Lv5 Swordy Lv7 Throwing Lv4 Taijutsu Lv5 Matoujutsu Lv5 Enemy Search Lv3 Presence Detection Lv5 Stealth Lv4 Tame Lv1 Enhance Physical Abilities Lv5 Magic Perception Lv8 Magic Power Maniption Lv9 Light Attribute Magic Lv7 Fire Attribute Magic Lv5 Water Attribute Magic Lv5 Wind Attribute Magic LV6 Earth Attribute Magic Lv8 Ice Attribute Magic Lv4 Lightning Attribute Magic Lv3 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv3 Bestowal Magic Lv5 Alchemy Lv8 Smithing Lv8 Woodworking Lv6 Carpentry LV4 Foraging Lv5 Logging Lv5 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv5 Sewing Lv3 Cooking Lv2 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn ( Concealed ) Familiar Arachne Unique Species ( Kaede ) Title Giant Killing ```````````````````` Sophia Sylphide Born to a low ranking noble household in Yggurle Kingdom, the country of elves. she was a knight that became a prisoner of war in the war between Yggurle Kingdom and Triaria Kingdom 50 years ago. Originally, she was in a position to be exchanged during a prisoner exchange and aspensation, but was sold to Valkyra Kingdom through a broker. As she was already in a state where she was disabled with a leg and arm missing and was cursed to be unable to knead magic power when she was purchased by Moulin very Company, she remained unsold for 50 years despite being a peerless beauty. It is unknown why she was not returned to her country, nor why was sold as a ve. Purchased by Takumi, her missing limbs and ear were restored and curse dispelled, she pledged her loyalty to him for the rest of his life.StatusName: Sophia Sylphide Race: Elf Age: 80 years old Job: Spirit Mage Lv82, Knight Lv64 ( Warrior Lv80, Hunter Lv67 ) Level: 80 Condition: Healthy ( very: Takumi ) Vitality: 500 Magic Power: 620 Strength: 340 Agility: 440 Stamina: 380 Dexterity: 270 Intelligence: 420 Unique Skils Spirit Eye Passive Skills Insight Lv4 Active Skills Swordy Lv7 Shield Technique Lv6 Spear Handling Lv8 Archery Lv7 Taijutsu Lv4 Enemy Search Lv4 Presence Detection Lv5 Stealth Lv4 Enhance Physical Abilities Lv5 Magic Perception Lv7 Magic Power Maniption Lv6 Spirit Magic Lv8 Water Attribute Magic Lv6 Wind Attribute Magic Lv7 ```````````````````` Maria In her childhood, the vige she lived in was attacked by thieves. The men were killed and women were vited then sold as ves afterwards, and all the children were sold as ves as well. Sold to Moulin very Company through a ve broker, she received education until she reached of age as she waited for the day she would be purchased. Purchased by Takumi who was of the same age, she came to the decision to be this mans ve for the rest of their lives because of his appearance and kindness.Status Name: Maria Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Warrior Lv82, Thief Lv68 ( Chef Lv48, Maid Lv40 ) Level: 54 Condition: Healthy ( very: Takumi ) Vitality: 260 Magic Power: 280 Strength: 180 Agility: 240 Stamina: 250 Dexterity: 260 Intelligence: 300 Unique Skills Passive Skills Active Skills Spear Handling Lv5 Dagger Technique Lv4 Taijutsu Lv3 Enemy Search Lv2 Presence Detection Lv3 Stealth Lv3 Enhance Physical Abilities Lv2 Magic Perception Lv3 Magic Power Maniption Lv4 Fire Attribute Magic Lv4 Water Attribute Magic Lv3 Earth Attribute Magic Lv5 Sewing Lv6 Cooking Lv5 ```````````````````` Kaede A dying Poison Spider that Takumi had discovered near Bohd Vige. It was tamed when Takumi had saved its life. When a path of magic power connected Takumi to it at that time, it evolved into a Killer Spider. At present, it evolved once more and became an Arachne. Spider Silk, threads that Kaede produces, has now be an indispensible item to Takumi and his entourage.Status Name: Kaede ( Takumi Irumas Familiar ) Race: Arachne Unique Species Age: 5 Level: 42 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 450 Magic Power: 510 Strength: 442 Agility: 400 Stamina: 254 Dexterity: 368 Intelligence: 240 Unique Skills Spider Thread Creation Passive Skills Poison Resistance Lv6 Paralysis Resistance Lv6 Spatial Understanding Lv6 Insight Lv4 Active Skills Thread Maniption Lv8 Poison Creation Lv5 Presence Detection Lv7 Magic Perception Lv6 Stealth Lv7 Sewing Lv5 `````````````````` *** Chapter 55: Quite the summoning Chapter 55: Quite the summoning With theplete renewal of our mithril and adamantite equipment, we spent our days leisurely, making potions or epting requests at the Adventurers Guild, and taking proper breaks. On one such day, Papeck-san visited my home for the first time in a while. Its usually the head clerk, Thomas-san, who brings my rights-rted remuneration, but if it is the ever-busy Papeck-san thating to my house, wouldnt that mean that he has some sort of troublesome favor to ask? I kept vignt as I ushered Papeck-san to the living room. My apologies for neglecting to contact you in a while. For the hand pump, purifying magic devices, and refrigerator that Takumi-sama had created one after the other, I am grateful. Papeck-san smiled as he gave his greetings, but that smile is a bit frightening. It has been a while, Papeck-san. I reciprocated with an eptable greeting. Takumi-sama, truthfully, I have a request I wish to ask of you today. Ah. I knew it. Its fine if its production rted, but I dont want to if its adventure rted. A request? It hasnt yet been decided that its troublesome. Yep, I wouldnt know until I ask for the details, right? Yes, with magic circle that Takumi-sama provided, it is now possible for toilets attached with purifying magic devices to be manufactured wholly in the Papeck Company workshops. Owing to that, the number of toilets manufactured is increasing drastically, spreading to even the royal capital. So thats how it is. Until just a while ago, I made the part with the magic device, but now that Ive provided the magic circle for the purifying magic device to the Papeck Company, I just receive the royalties. Is there a problem with the magic circle? No, since analysis of the magic circle is impossible for us, we can only copy the magic circle that we have received from you, Takumi-sama. The magic circle makes use of ancient magic letters and symbols, and to furtherplicate it, ancient elven magic letters were mixed in. Furthermore, dummy magic characters that will not interfere with the magic circle were added to make deciphering it difficult. Moreover, I had the idea to insert a dummy magic circle into it. As a matter of fact, Margrave Volton presented the hand pump, the toilet with purifying magic device, and the refrigerator to His Majesty the King. Given that even His Majesty was extremely pleased, a concentration of inquiries from nobles of the royal capital and wealthy merchants hade, and as a result, we will be supplying a massive amount of merchandise to the royal capital. I seeee, my congrattions to you. That said, that isnt the end of the conversation. Rather, theres an issue because that happened. Probably understanding what I was thinking, Papeck-san nodded. That is right. As it had be quite the topic in the royal capital, someone with the audacity to pick a fight, or should I say, talk absurdly hade. Haaa~. Its the Divine Empire of Sydnia, isnt it? The religious country that dered that the Light attribute magic that was given to them by God is sacred magic. The primary cause of why I was dragged into this world. The headquarters of the Light God Faith that only performs recovery magic at an exorbitant price. Yes, the Light attribute magic was something that was given to the Light God Church by God. They came, saying to immediately offer the magic circle and the rights to the patent of the purification. As one would expect, His Majesty scoffed and rejected. Telling them, If that is so, it would be best if you make your own purification magic circle. Apparently, the Divine Empire of Syndnias Light God Church dismantled the purifying magic device to try to decipher the magic circle, but, be it the ancient magic characters or the ancient elven letters, they were not able to decipher a single one. It would seem that since there is no other way to create it aside from copying it fully, letter by letter, other domesticpanies paid the patent fee for the method and have begun imitating the Papeck Company, but the pride of Divine Empire of Sydnia would not allow it. Above all, Light attribute magic is sacred to the Divine Empire of Syndia. Theyve taken the stance that attaching it onto a toilet is uneptable. Still, even though I already knew about it from Norn-sama, the Divine Empire of Sydnia really is hopeless. An even more absurd demand by the Divine Empire of Sydnia, they said to present the person who brought about the purifying magic device to them. Otherwise, they will pull out the priests of the Light God Church. His Majesty said they are very much wee to pull them out. I feel that His Majesty the Kings response is reassuring, but is this really alright? In this world, priests rece doctors with their recovery magic, after all. Takumi-sama, there is no problem. You are from a rural area so you might not know this, but aside from the Light God Church, this country has the Genesis Church whose deity is Goddess Norn-sama. Huh? the Light God Churchs deity is not Norn-sama? Yes, if I am not mistaken, it is one called Anat. Valkyra Kingdom guarantees the freedom of faith, but nearly all are originally believers of the ancient Genesis Church. Therefore, even if the Light God Church pulls out their priests, it will not have an effect. ording to Papeck-san, the Light God Churchs priests will not perform recovery magic if the offerings are not expensive. By no means can ordinary people pay that amount of money. On the other hand, the Genesis Churchs priests perform recovery magic with mere offerings of gratitude, but the overall number of priests are few as the Light God Church consists of those priests. Meanwhile, it is said that the priests of the Genesis Faith solicited offerings and donations from all people, and the church brews alcohol at the same time to guarantee funds for orphanages or feeding programs. Even more recently, Papeck Company sells the small amount of basic potions that I periodically make to the church of the Genesis Faith cheaply. Papeck-san said that that is another reason for the limited effects of the Light God Churchs priests withdrawing. Come to think of it, I have never gone to church sinceing to this town. Does this town also have a church? Yes, there is the church of the Genesis Faith. The church of the Light God Faith is only at the royal capital and therge towns surrounding it. It is likely they wont make money in smaller viges and towns in remote regions simr to Volton. Itsplete hogwash. So in the end, what is this conversation about? Yes, His Majesty has frankly taken an interest in you, Takumi-sama, and has ordered Margrave Volton and myself to take you there once. Haaa, why things turned out this way, I dont know, but is this something I absolutely cant object going to? I was already nervous meeting Margrave Volton. I believe that His Majesty will not get mad if you refuse, however, mypany and you yourself have received His Majestys protection on this asion, so as a merchant I really do not want to be ungrateful, but what about Takumi-sama? Papeck-san says its alright to refuse, but I would like to answer to His Majestys favor. It is as you say, I have been protected as well. I understand. I leave the decision up to you, Papeck-san, and to Margrave Volton. Thank you very much. Really~, this is a weight off my shoulders. Well then, we will depart for the royal capital soon, but because of the supply of merchandise as well as organization of a sales unit, I believe it will be within two weeks, at most. At that time, Margrave Volton will go to the capital as well. Takumi-sama, to conceal your rtion to the purifying magic device, I must have you apany the sales unit as its guard. Thank you for your consideration. By the way, there are 7 days even in this world, and there are 5 weeks in one month, and there are 360 days in a year. The 7 days are Light Day, Fire Day, Water Day, Wind Day, Earth Day, Time Day, and Dark Day. So as to not find myself in Sydnias line of fire, it seems that Papeck-san is worrying over how I would be as inconspicuous as possible. There I realized that Ive been involved since a while back. Thats right, the Divine Empire of Sydnia is the name of a country that I heard from Norn-samas own mouth. If I had to say exactly, as a result of the forbidden technique, the hero summoning, that took ce in that country, I was dragged into it. Huh? Still, I wonder what happened to the three summoned heroes. Even so, this is not a topic I can ask Papeck-san. It reeks of danger. Till the royal capital, Valkyratos, it will take 10 days even for a carriage pulled by a Demon Horse, and twice as long with a normal carriage, so please be prepared. I understand. After that, we had a bit of a chat then Papeck-san left. Haaaa~, the royal capital, huh. Its the royal capital, Im looking forward to it. Me too, it will be my first time at the royal capital. Grumbling as I flumped into the sofa, Sophia and Maria seemed to look forward to going to the royal capital. It seems it isnt rare for a regr person in this world to not leave their birthce for their whole lifetime, so for Maria who has been in Moulin very Company since she was young, now being with me, who has been going here and there, is fun. And Sophia said that, as an elf, traveling freely to foreign countries was difficult. Though theres the matter of her being a lesser nobles daughter, shes also a knight, but I think that the Sophias exceedingly beautiful appearance is the number one problem. Lets split up tomorrow to prepare for the trip to the royal capital, shall we? Yes! Haaa, this is too depressing. *** Important Notice: Im sorry to say but I must slow down even more with updates. A family member had been injured in an ident the other day and I have to help out. It might take 2-3 weeks to recover. I hope to have your understanding during this time. Thank you. Chapter 56: Shall we prepare little by little? Chapter 56: Shall we prepare little by little? Having decided to go to the royal capital, were making a list of the necessary items and will continue with our preparations. How about some new overcoats? I suggested brand new overcoats for everyone. I believe our previous overcoats are still fine though? Yes, the previous overcoats look like thatbut its quality is still good. I have a reason for wanting new overcoats. The truth is, I got a hold of a Dark attribute magic stone from Papeck-san. Dark attribute? I cant use the Dark attribute, but I can draw magic circles for Dark attribute magic. I talked about how I can bestow some useful Dark attribute magic on the overcoats. I want to apply the Inhibit Perception enchantment on the overcoats. Inhibit Perception? Inhibit perception, is that to erase presence? Its a bit different. Its where youre in front of someone but its hard for them to notice you. Theres magic to conceal presence as well, but Im still considering what I should do about that. As she is now, Sophia, a peerless beauty and rare elf, will catch everyones attention, and will probably leave a profound memory in those people. Inhibit Perception will prevent that. Presence Concealment is a simr to the Stealth skill. By erasing presence itself, the being ispletely imperceptible. Sophia, you have the Stealth skill, so I think it would be possible to supplement that by turning Presence Concealment[1] on and off as well. It seems usable even in battle. As a bit of a battle junkie, Sophia immediately rted it to fighting. Well, I believe it would be a way to give temporary peace of mind being safe from an enemy sensitive to presences. Also, this would prevent Sophia and Maria getting dragged into things. If I bring Sophia and Maria along, Im sure well be picked on. Kaede wants overcoat too~! Kaede raised both her arms and demanded so. Youre right Kaede, we always receive thread from Kaede, so we should have a matching one for Kaede too. Ya~~ay! Kaede jumped at me, clinging onto me with her 8 legs and 2 hands. Certainly, Kaede is also has an assassin type battle style so it would be just perfect. Master~! Kaede will take out threads so lets go workshop! I got it, I got it.Sophia and Maria, please buy arger than normal quantity of foodstuff. And seasonings as well, if possible. Understood. Hey hey master, strong fat thread riiight? Thats right, its an overcoat so it needs to be durable. Kaede spun the threads directly into the loom as she produced them. Were already used to this operation, and theres also the effects of the Sewing skill, so even weaving everyones portion of cloth didnt take that much time toplete, Master, ck overcoat? Ill use grey for the lining but the exterior will be ck. The outeryer is a ck cloth woven from thick durable thread, and the lining is made of soft cloth in consideration of the feel of wearing it. Furthermore, it was interwoven with thin thready mithril, increasing its magic resistance. Now then, what to do with the enchantments.Inhibit Perception is already decided on, and I think two more will be alright. It has solely spider silk made by Kaede, a rare material that can be granted 3 effects with Bestowal magic. At the time she evolved from a Killer Spider and turned into an Arachne, the performance of Kaedes threads have definitely increasedpared to before. It might even be possible to grant 4 effects. Bestowal magic isnt the same for every enchantment.. The greater the effect, therger capacity it would require. Inhibit Perception, Enhanced Stealth, Enhanced Physical Resistance, and Automatic Temperature Regtion, if its these 4, then it might be alright on the capacity. So the result is, Ipleted it. ?Overcoat of Existence Concealment An overcoat made from cloth woven from threads of an Arachne Unique Species and threadlike Mithril. Inhibit Perception Enhanced Stealth Enhanced Physical Resistance Automatic Temperature Regtion Overcoats for 4 people, Kaedes included, have been prepared. With this, even if the crowd of people notice Sophia and Maria, we probably wont get caught up in any trouble. Sophia and Maria gather attention even by simply standing because they are a beauty and pretty girl. And theyre also wearing mithril light armor so I think its only natural that I take measures. Sophia-san, lets buy plenty of meat. Out shopping, Maria called Sophia to the front of a meatshop. Maria, we cant have only meat. Well, theres ck Buffalo meat here right now so I think its alright to take some home though. With the mass migration of ck Buffalo now over, the meat that adventurers hunted around Volton are now lining the fronts of meat shops for a limited time. Takumi-sama had mentioned that he wanted to eat ck Buffalo meat too. Then theres no helping it. Even though Sophia said that, she also wanted to eat ck Buffalo meat, so they nned to buy arge amount. Excuse me, please give me 100 kilos of various cuts of the ck Buffalo meat. 100 kilos you say, you sure are buying quite a lot, Oneechan. Although her face cant be seen under the hood of the overcoat, Sophias eyes still charmed the meat shops proprietor who was shocked by herrge order. We have a Magic Bag so it will be alright. No, thats not what I meant but, well I have enough if youre buying that much. I see, then 200 kilos please! Maria inadvertently doubled the order. Oneechan, ck buffalo is expensive. If 200 kilos, lets see, these are good cuts so thatll be 20 gold coins. I understand. 20 gold coins it is. Sophia and Maria are buying 2 million Japanese Yens worth of beef without batting an eye. The proprietor of the meat shop also has a magic bag, so hes not worried about the money. This Magic Bag is naturally a bag that Takumi made. It has been bestowed with the Time-Space attribute, has a storage capacity approximately the size of a gymnasium, and stops the passage of time. This time-stopping magic bag is something that Takumi had recently created. Aside from this, Sophia and Maria also bought chicken meat, orc meat, vegetables, and seasonings. Although it can be said that Takumi asked them to do this, it looks like theyre spending money like its water. But knowing how much money Takumi has been earning recently, even spending 2 million yen on groceries wouldnt make a dent on Takumis fortune. Sophia-san, for instance, if Takumi-sama set you free from being a ve, what would you do? On their way home, Maria asked Sophia what was on her mind. I am a war ve. Setting me free isnt that simple. However, it would probably be simple if its Takumi-sama. Still, I am Takumi-samas guard. Until Takumi-sama returns to Goddess Norn-sama, I intend to serve him as his retainer. It would have been nice to have a contract like the one Kaede-chan has though. For Sophia and Maria, they feel a little bit jealous that Kaede is connected to Takumi by a path of magic power. Moreover, I am an elf. Living in a human country, I would probably involved in less trouble as Takumi-samas ve. Hearing that, Maria nodded. Justifiably, it would be a crime to harm anothers ve. Conversely, there might be those that woulde out and harm Takumi to obtain Sophia. However, Takumi-sama undervalues himself too much, doesnt he? Yep, he has pretty silver hair and well put appearance that wouldnt lose to an elf. Furthermore, he has talents and abilities as an artisan. And above all, his disposition. Yeah~ Leaving Takumi-sama is unconceivable~ Sophia and Marias girl talk, which would leave Takumi blushing if he heard, continued until they were in front of the house. Is this it? The church of the Genesis faith. I arrived at the church in Volton. The impetus for my arrival at this world might have been because of the forbidden technique of the Divine Empire of Sydnia, but I shudder at the thought of what would happened if I was not picked up by Goddess Norn-sama. Inside the church, there are a reasonable amount of people praying. Joining those people, I went in front of Goddess Norns statue, genuflected, and prayed. (Goddess Norn-sama, thank you very much for your amodation in many ways. I am able to have fun living because of you.) Yeah, Im relieved youre doing well. Eh?! Suddenly, hearing a voice, I opened my eyes and saw Norn-sama standing in front of me. Umm, did I die? Just like I had experienced when I first descended into this world, I hade to a pure white room again. You didnt die. Jeez, Takumi-kun, its because you didnte to the church at all. Now that youve finallye, I brought your spirit to my sanctuary. Hearing that relieved me. Ah, theres something I would like to ask you, Norn-sama. I came to Mildgard because I was dragged into the hero summoning, right? What happened to the heroes summoned by the Divine Empire of Sydnia? Maybe because Im at the border, I havent heard of any rumors. Ah, about that. Actually, I sent you 3 years into the past by interfering with the time axis , Takumi-kun. Eh? So that means, theres still a little over 2 years before then? Right, you catch on fast. Ah, its time. Visit the church again, okay? We might be able to talk if the time is right. Norn-samas voice sounded far, and before I knew it, I was back at the church. Two yearster, huh. Well, it doesnt concern me. At that time, I thought that the heroes and I were unrted. *** Footnotes:
    1. Raws here say Presence Concealment, but theyre talking about adding Inhibit Perception, so Im confused. LN is same, so I kept it as is.
Sphys Note: Hello, thank you for your patience and well-wishes. My family member is now sort of doing better now, though I still have to support her so updates will still be slow. I just wanted to give you guys a chapter, I havent forgotten you all. On another note, I was also informed that aggregator sites fixed their chapters and now has the right chapters, which kinda saddened me, but oh well. Im really thankful to everyone who reads this here. Chapter 57: Ways to make a trip comfortable Chapter 57: Ways to make a tripfortable We will depart for the royal capital, Valkyratos, in about two weeks, and are progressing with our preparations. However, this time it will be a long trip that will take 20 days in a normal carriage, or 10 days in a Demon Horse-drawn carriage. So I am making a carriage for afortable ride. Fortunately, we have already hunted for Treants, so we can purchase enough Treant Wood for one carriage. I have Elder Treant Wood on hand, but it would be too wasteful to use it for a carriage and it would cost too much, so Ill use it sparingly. Sophia, well be going to the royal capital on a Demon Horse-drawn carriage, but if thats the case, Id rather make a morefortable carriage. So Ill be making a one, but would a two-horse carriage be good? Theres 4 of us including Kaede. The luggage will be kept in magic bag I gave to Sophia, and I have the Item Box as well, so its fine to not take the luggage into consideration. lets see. It is likely that Margrave Volton and the Papeck Company will use two horses at the very least. Therefore, it would be difficult for us to follow if we are the only one with a single horse carriage. Thanks. Ill design a two-horse carriage then. Takumi-sama, there is one more method. When I decided to design a two horse carriage at Sophias advice, Maria said she had a good idea. One more method? Yes, we are in Volton, the town of adventurers. Why is it called the town of adventurers? That is because, in the vicinity of Volton, there are a variety of monsters that inhabit it. And among those, I hear there are monsters even faster and stronger than the Demon Horse. By any chance, are they the Unicorn and Bicorn? As for the rare ones, Dragon Horse[1] and Griffins are able to pull carriages as well. Maria just said something outrageous. Even I know Gryphons[2]. Thats if the Griffin in this world is the same as the imaginary creature that I know. I dont know the Dragon Horse, but Griffin is likely impossible. You probably dont even know where they were previously at. Ehehehe, it is as you say. Thats right, we do not have enough time right now, and even if we find a Unicorn or a Bicorn, its uncertain if we can tame it. When Sophia said that, Maria became disheartened. Aaa, she just wanted to be helpful, even if only a little. Thinking that, I just couldnt leave her alone. We still have time so why dont we gather information at the guild and search for 2-3 days? Fufu, you are right. When I said that, Sophia did an it cant be helped gesture and looked at Maria for agreement. Despite saying one thing or another, Sophia loves Maria like a little sister. Truly? To the guild then! Maria who was disheartened till just a while ago immediately livened up. Looking at Sophia, she involuntarily smiled andughed. Maria has already been showing a variety of expressions. She has been obedient to me from the start, but recently, I feel a bond between master and ve, or am I just misunderstanding it? Rushed by Maria, we left for the Adventurers Guild to look up information on the monsters in the vicinity of Volton. In the reference room of the Adventurers Guild, the three of us split up to investigate monsters. There is a sufficient amount of sightings of Unicorns and Bicorns. Dragon Horses as well. Despite being called a Dragon Horse, its not a species of dragon though. A Dragon Horses has a long tail and mane and has a silhouette close to a horse, but what decisively differentiates it from a horse is its rhinoceros-like horn jutting out, and the dragon-like scales that cover their body. Its physique is alsorger and stronger. I wonder if we should aim for a Dragon Horse. Its taming difficulty will be high, however, it is not much different from Unicorns and Bicorns. ording to Sophia, its speed, robustness, and stamina, all far surpass the Demon Horse, but its taming difficulty is higher. Well we wont lose anything by trying, and lets just go with the mindset that if we do tame one then, lucky. Yes! I agree. We will search, aiming for a Dragon Horse, but have Unicorn and Bicorn as runner ups. Luckily we are in Volton, a remotend. It is close to the monster den Forest of Death, vast grasnds, volcano area, and the like that satisfy the living conditions for various types of monsters. Apparently it was a miracle that there were no powerful monsters inhabiting the area surrounding Bohd Vige. We prepared our equipment, rented a carriage from the Adventurers Guild, and headed in the direction of the grasnds. Amazing. The vast grasnds really is what they say it is. I gazed at the scenery in front of me, grasnds stretching as far as the eye can see. This grasnd is inhabited by a rich diversity of monsters such as Bush Wolves, Green Lizards, Army Ants, and the like. Sophia informed me of the details of her search at the Guild. The Unicorns and Bicorns are included there as well, arent they? Yes, Horse type and Cattle type monsters find it difficult to move in wends and forests, after all. Kaedes threads will catch! Kaede is getting awfully into it. Surely Kaede-chan wants apanion familiar. Yeaaah! Kaede wants juniors! Understanding the reason for Kaedes eagerness, we set up a simple barrier around the carriage and walked in the grasnds. *** Footnotes:
  1. Dragon Horse is the literal trantion of Ryuuma / oR. There is also a mythical creature known as Longma but I think Ill go with the english name to keep with the theme.
  2. Raw said Griffin in the previous one, but says Gryphon now. Maybe its to differentiate between the mythical creatures on earth and the ones actually existing in Mildgard.
Chapter 58: Ways to make a trip comfortable Chapter 58: Ways to make a tripfortableWalking in the grasnds, Sophia is in the lead with her Sword of the Absorber and round shield, followed by Maria and I with our spears, and Kaede protecting the rear. I made full use of Presence Detection, Magic Perception, Enemy Search as we searched for arge horse-sized monster. Wearing the Overcoats of Existence Concealment, we made full use of the overcoats abilities and took the initiative against monsters 100% of the time. The Inhibit Perception and Enhanced Stealthbo became a powerful asset. Thats because all four of us have the Stealth skill. For instance, even against a better opponent, a steady fight is possible if we can do a preemptive attack. Zashu! It started freezing from the pierced part. Piercing through the neck of a Bush Wolf with the Ice Spear Ice Bringer , I regretted not making the overcoat sooner at this too quick a victory. If I had this overcoat when I fought the Huge Armored Boar, I could have finished it without getting scared. The alchemy skill Dposition that I used to defeat the Huge Armored Boar is a strong attack that directly destroys an enemys vital points, but I would need to fight in close proximity. But with this overcoat, if I could get close to the enemy without it noticing and hitting it in one strike No, it was aftering to Volton that Ive be able to use true bestowal magic. Right before my eyes, Maria swung with her me Spear Explode, instantly killing the Bush Wolf. Sophia, with the Absorber and Fuumas Round Shield, disyed a steadfast fight. If it can fool a Bush Wolfs nose, we can make use of this overcoat. Thats right. But it is also necessary to fight without the overcoat for training. Sophias desire to be strong is insatiable. There is a Long Horned Bull. In front of where Sophia pointed, there is a mini truck-sized cattle-like monster with enormous horns protruding sideways. It is more ferocious than the ck Buffalo, and its monster rank is higher as well. Apparently its as delicious as the ck Buffalo. Maria sure has quite the appetite. Kaede will finish it with threads. Kaede said so and readied the thread she took out previously. Undoing her stealth, Kaede was noticed by the Long Horned Bull. In order to remove us from its territory, it charged savagely. Just when the Long Horned Bull thought it had reached us with its very heavyweight charge, its legs were suddenly caught several meters from us. Rolling vigorously, it found itself entangled in the threads that Kaede had prepared. The Long Horned Bull wasrgely built, but it couldnt move in Kaedes threads and only breathe roughly through its nose. Now will end it. Kaede threads cut through its neck, free of any resistance. You did well, Kaede. Its perfect since youre draining the blood too. Seeing the blood spurt out vigorously and not minding it made me reaffirm my believe that I am no longer Japanese. I stored the Long Horned Bull into my Item Box, then cleaned up the traces of blood with Purification. If left as is, monsters would gather here, after all. How lucky, we got more meat. Maria had be a gluttonous character. We proactively hunted for monsters while getting used to the new equipment. Halfway through, we stopped using the Stealth skill and trained, aiming to improve our fighting techniques. (Im an artisan, but it doesnt seem like talking to Sophia would be of any use.) At times, Id gather medicinal grass and flowers while looking for horse-type monsters. After that, when we were looking for horse-type monsters, we encountered human-shaped monsters. Sophias beautiful face contorts in disgust. Maria looked a bit scared. Are those Orcs? Yes, an Orc is over 2 meters tall, with a body with wrestler-like thick limbs, and a pig face with tusks. It has a flesh-colored skin and wears another monsters pelt over its lower body. They probably came to hunt. There are 5 orcs, each one has a club on hand and is searching for prey. Seeing Sophia and Marias reaction, they are most likely the enemy of women, just like in the novels. When I looked at Kaede, she was drooling and slurping it back. It seems theyre a feast for Kaede. Sophia and Maria finished preparing, ready to release their magic. It seems the girls dont want to approach them as much as possible. Avoiding the line of fire, Kaede took a roundabout path as she shortened the distance. Sophia fired des of wind, lopping the head of one of the orcs. Three of the orcs panicked when theirpanions head fell and its body spurt blood. Then they were attacked by Rock Lance. The Earth magic Rock Lance that Maria had fired pierced through one of the panicked Orcs. Gumoooooo``!! Thunder Arrow! I fired Lightning magic at the screaming Orc. With three of theirpanions dead in the blink of an eye, the two remaining Orcs recklessly swung their clubs. The head of one of those Orcs silently fell. Kaedes thin yet tough threads cut through the neck of the Orc without any resistance. It was only then that the remaining Orc noticed that I was running up to it. Bumooooooo``!! The orc, raising an angry war cry, and I, wielding the Ice Bringer, sh. I dodged the club that the orc swing down, and stabbed its thick torso and moved sideways. The movement of the orc that was stabbed with the magically charged Ice Bringer worsened. The ce where the orc was stabbed started freezing. I then swung the Ice Bringer down, cutting off the orcs log-like arm. I stabbed the orcs neck deeply with my Ice Bringer when the orc, who lost its club-wielding arm, tried hitting me with its remaining arm. I breathed deeply as I watched the orc spurt blood and die. Sophia and Maria rushed over to me while I was storing the orcs into the Item Box. Takumi-sama! Thank you for your hard work! Good job as well, you two. Tonights dinner is orc meat? Or cow-san? There, Kaede suddenly showed up. Lets decide when we get home. We continued searching afterwards, but just when I was thinking its about time we go home for the day, I sensed the presence of many monsters. A fight between monsters? It seems the Army Ants are surrounding their prey. Did Sophia hear about it from the spirits? She informed me of the details. Do you know what monster they are hunting? it might possibly be a Dragon Horse. I began running when I heard that. Shortly after, I saw more than 20 ants surrounding and attacking a Dragon Horse. Its just that, each of those ants were monsters over 1 meter long. They attack their prey with theirrge jaws. *** Chapter 59: Ways to make a trip comfortable Chapter 59: Ways to make a tripfortable Rushing towards the Army Ants that surrounded the Dragon Horse from behind, I mowed them down with Ice Bringer. The Army Ants tried intimidating the sudden intruder by snapping their jaws. There, Sophia rushed in, lunging with the Wind Spear Tempest. Gales blew violently from the spearhead, swallowing up the surrounding Army Ants andunching them into the air. mes were brought forth the moment Maria stabbed an Army Ant with the me Spear Explode, burning the insides of the Army Ant. The Army Ants that Sophia hadunched into the air started falling. I struck one of ants on the head with the adamantite alloy butt end off my spear, easily smashing its exoskeleton, which could withstand an iron sword and can only be chipped by a magic steel sword. I sidestepped instinctively, then suddenly, formic acid scattered and fell onto the spot I stepped away from. Be careful of the formic acid! I called out to the girls, and hit the head of the ant that tried spit formic acid using butt end of my spear. The blow I did to stop it from spitting was stronger than I expected and the head of the ant twisted off and flew somewhere. The swarm of ants that took pride in their tough exoskeleton and weapons were cut up and killed without resistance. The extermination took 5 minutes. I hit the head of the ant that wouldnt stop biting the Dragon Horse with the palm of my hand, invoking Dposition on its brainstem. The Army Ant let go of the Dragon Horse and fell like a puppet that had its strings cut. Dosa! (Thud!) The moment all of the Army Ants were exterminated, the Dragon Horse copsed. The Dragon Horses body had bite wounds from the Army Ants powerful jaws and festering scales covered in formic acid that were painful to look at. It raised its head and snarled at me when I tried to approach. Its okay, we wont harm you. Hey you, why not be my familiar? Sophia, Maria, and Kaede went to my side. Did the Dragon Horse understand something when it saw Kaede? It stopped snarling. Youre a clever one. Ill even heal your wounds. Will youe with me? The Dragon Horse that had its head raised, nodded. High Heal! My recovery magic enveloped the Dragon Horse, and in a sh, the bite wounds and festering scales recovered to how they were before. The Dragon Horse slowly stood up and faced me. I activated the Taming skill. Tame the Drake Horse? Y/N It had transmitted that the Dragon Horse epted. Naturally, I chose YES. The Drake Horse has been tamed I felt that a path of magic power connected the Dragon Horse and myself. I have to give you a name. Hmm, what should it be? This one is a girl. Wouldnt a cute name be nice? Would a cute name fit a Dragon Horse? Maria said that a cute name is fine. Master, how did Kaede get Kaedes name? Kaedes body has a leaf pattern, right? It is exactly like the leaf of a tree called Kaede[1], so thats where I got it from. Then name this one from a leaf too, Master. Being told that by Kaede, I looked at the Dragon Horse and gave it some thought. I examined the Dragon Horse properly again. It has arge, strong body covered in deep green scales, and a white mane that sways with the wind. Its crimson eyes were watching me intently. Alright, this one here is Tsubaki. What is Tsubaki, Master? Ah, it is an evergreen shrub, one whose leaves do not fall all year round, and it has red and white flowers. This Dragon Horse has deep green scales and deep crimson eyes thats why I associate it with the tsubaki[2]. Your name is Tsubaki. Burururu Tsubaki shook her head as if to say that she was pleased with the name. Tsubaki, it has a nice ring to it. Its quite the splendid horse. Sophia and Maria approached Tsubaki and pet her too. Kaede is already on Tsubakis back.Status Name: TsubakiTakumi Irumas Familiar Race: Drake Horse Age: 3 Level: 12 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 210 Magic Power: 80 Strength: 160 Agility: 180 Stamina: 240 Dexterity: 30 Intelligence: 50 Unique Skills Dragon Scales Lv2 Passive Skills High Speed Travel Lv4 Long Distance Travel Lv2 Active Skills Charge Lv2 Presence Detection Lv2 Magic Perception Lv1 Confirming her status, I could see that she has outstanding stamina. Hey Kaede, cant Tsubaki use telepathy? Tsubaki cant yet. Tsubaki cant use telepathy unless she evolves one more time. Considering that, Kaede being able to use telepathy right after being tamed is amazing. After that, everyone rode on Tsubakis back, heading back to the ce we left our carriage at. Tsubaki was galloping easily even with all of us on her. Tsubaki ran like the wind, not at all affected by carrying the four of us. Her back surprisingly didnt shake so we werent burdened. Returning to the carriage, I manipted it and we returned to Volton. Tsubaki ran alongside the carriage. Kaede was merrily riding on her back. She seems really pleased. Iter heard that she was happy she was able to get a sister. *** Footnotes:
  1. Kaede () C Maple tree.
  2. Tsubaki () C Camellia Japonica. Picture here.
  3. To rify, Dragon Horse is the simr to the Genus/Family name, and Drake Horse is the Species name.
Chapter 60: Ways to make a trip comfortable Chapter 60: Ways to make a tripfortableKapo Kapo Kapo (Clip Clop) Alright, next pers hiiiih! Returning to Volton with Tsubaki, people were awfully surprised when we passed through the gate. No, its fine. You registered it as a familiar, but you said you were an alchemist didnt you, Takumi-kun? Howe you have 2 monsters tamed? In the Adventurers Guild, Hans-san was very much astounded. Even I was aware of that without him telling me. Im not a magic user-type based on my equipment, and my method of fighting where I get close then use Dposition is ridiculous. Dposition isnt omnipotent though. Frankly, if the target of Dposition is a high-rank monster with more magic power than me, the cost to activate Dposition bes ridiculously expensive. If its true strength is too high, it might resist it. Well, in any case, this really isnt how an Alchemist fights, is it. Haaa, how long has it been since this Dragon Horse or Drake Horse been tamed? Youre not even a monster user. Also, the ce where you subjugated the orcs is in this spot at the grasnds, right? Ill put out a survey request just in case. And about the Army Ants that I sent to be dismantled, it will be fine if we buy the exoskeletons, yes? The magic stones will be returned. After that, while I was beingshed at by Hans-sans words, I requested that the Long Horned Bull and Bush Wolf be dismantled by the guild, and for the magic stones and Long Horned Bulls meat to be returned. Sophia-san and Maria-san, you have now been promoted to D rank. Please keep your guild cards. It seems both Sophia and Maria were being promoted to D rank. Since it was known in the Guild that these two had battle experience against thieves, it looks like theyve fulfilled the promotion requirements. We sold the materials, epted the request for Army Ants exoskeletons and delivered it, received the reward, magic stone, Orc meat, and Long Horned Bull meat, then returned home. The horse that would pull the carriage has been prepared. Now, Tsubaki is at home in the hurriedly-made stable in the garden. I want to make the carriage now. The size of the carriage will be a small two-horse carriage. I made the pipe frame with adamantite alloy, strengthening the box shaped carriage. To further reinforce the box shape of the pipe frame, Elder Treant Wood was used. After that, I affixed the ceiling, door, walls, and floor with Treant Wood. The Treant and Elder Treant were painted ck. Leaf springs and oil damper to guarantee afortable ride. I even made an axle from adamantite alloy, and installed adamantite alloy-made wheel bearings. After transmuting quartz ss, I shaped it to match the size of the window frame. Enchanting it with Enhanced Physical ResistanceSelf Repair, I then installed it in on four points, the front, both sides, and the back so the interior of the carriage will take in light. I affixed panels of thin, stretched mithril alloy onto the exterior of the carriage, increasing its magic resistance and strength. Affixing the silver mithril panels to the body painted ck brought about a feeling of solemnity to the carriage. Enchanting the carriage with Self RepairEnhanced Physical ResistanceEnhanced Magic ResistanceWeight Reductionpleted it. The interior of the carriage is very fantasy-like. Bestowed with Space Expansion, it became a 12 tatami wide room. It has a bed, sofa, table, mini kitchen, and a restroom. There is a Kaede-made carpet. The bed is big enough for 4 people to sleep in. Takumi-sama, you overdid it. Theres no carriage like this even if you search the whole continent. Woaaah~! Its so amazing~! Waaa~, the inside is spacious too~! Seeing thepleted carriage, Sophia and Maria had each given their own impressions of it. Afterwards, I made a harness for Tsubaki. Hey Kaede, would Tsubaki dislike wearing armor? Hmm, lets ask Tsubaki! Learning that Kaede might possibly understand Tsubakis will, I asked her to interpret for Tsubaki. Feelings such as happiness are transmitted to me, but the finer nuances will have to be left to Kaede. She says its okay if it is cool. Bururu Since I got Tsubakis consent, Ill make a barding for Tsubaki. The material used will mainly be adamantite alloy, and mithril alloy will for the bordering. Taking Tsubakis measurements, I shaped y, making it into a miniature Tsubaki to simte the armor parts joining together while taking the restriction of movement into consideration. Next, I created a full-size model of Tsubaki. I formed the adamantite alloy with Smithing magic, fitting the parts onto the model whenever theyrepleted while checking for any defects. It might not be necessary since Tsubaki has tough scales, but the armor is lined with soft leather. It was enchanted withWeight ReductionEnhanced Physical ResistanceEnhanced Magic ResistanceAutomatic Temperature Regtion. Eventually, I had Tsubaki wear the finished product, and had Kaede ask her how she feels wearing it. Tsubaki, how is it? She said it was just right, Master. The impact of Tsubaki wearing the adamantite alloy-made horse armor is intimidating enough that it might make a small child cry. It seems cool on Tsubaki.Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Alchemist Lv76, cksmith Lv72 ( Magic Swordsman Lv18, Magus Lv14, Magic Bestower Lv39, Carpenter Lv24, Tailor Lv46 ) Level: 69 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 735 Magic Power: 940 Strength: 376 Agility: 338 Stamina: 438 Dexterity: 360 Intelligence: 438 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX ( Concealed ) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv3 Insight Lv4 (Up) Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Evade Lv3 (Up) Body Control Lv3 Increased Magic Power Recovery Speed Lv1 High Speed Thought Process Lv1 Active Skills Spear Handling Lv7 Axe Technique Lv5 Swordy Lv7 Throwing Lv4 Taijutsu Lv5 Matoujutsu Lv5 Enemy Search Lv4 ( Up ) Presence Detection Lv5 Stealth Lv5 ( Up ) Tame Lv2 ( Up ) Enhanced Physical Abilities Lv5 Magic Perception Lv8 Magic Power Maniption Lv9 Light Attribute Magic Lv7 Fire Attribute Magic Lv5 Water Attribute Magic Lv5 Wind Attribute Magic Lv6 Earth Attribute Magic Lv8 Ice Attribute Magic Lv5 ( Up ) Lightning Attribute Magic Lv5 ( Up ) Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv5 ( Up ) Bestowal Magic Lv7 ( Up ) Alchemy Lv9 ( Up ) Smithing Lv9 ( Up ) Woodworking Lv7 ( Up ) Carpentry Lv4 Foraging Lv5 Logging Lv5 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv7 ( Up ) Sewing Lv5 ( Up ) Cooking Lv2 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn ( Concealed ) Familiars: Arachne Unique Species ( Kaede ) Drake Horse ( Tsubaki ) Titles: Giant Killing *** Chapter 61: Extremely Speedy Carriage Chapter 61: Extremely Speedy Carriage An adventurer town located in a remote region, Volton. In the grasnds in its outskirts is a carriage with running at explosive speeds. Its ck body with silver panels dashed in defiance of the horrible paths. The horse pulling that carriage was abnormal as well. Despite its body being over 2m 30cm and weighing over 1 ton, it has the stamina to run all day and can go over 100 km/h. A type of Dragon Horse known as a Drake Horse. There are records of these monsters being tamed and have yed an active role in war. However, there have been no records of it being tamed in these past 600 years. Furthermore, the Drake Horse pulling the carriage has a ck barding with silver hemming. Its impressiveness is enough to make Orcs run away. Buumooo!! Dooon!! Gyaan!! Bang!! And right now, it is running over a pack of orcs. Orcs fly at its recklessly fast charge. Kyahahaha! Chaaarge!! Maria was holding the reins andughing in the coachmans seat. Sitting beside her, Kaede experienced the attraction (ride). There isnt much shaking inside, is there? Yes, it does not sway very much. Sophia and I were sitting and drinking tea on the sofa installed inside the carriage. Today were travelling to test the carriage, so wevee to the grasnds in the outskirts of Volton. At the same time, we epted the guilds designated request for the inspection of the area where orcs were subjugated the other day. Wanting to exterminate the orcs before they make arge colony, the guild assigned and dispatched us to survey the orcs in the grasnd. But its fortunate how we seem to have gotten them before they were able to make a colony. I agree, there were still only normal orcs. It would have been troublesome if there were superior species. Yes, the result of the survey is that there is no sizeable colony of orcs in the grasnds. Driving around in these rough roads at recklessly fast speeds over 100 km/h, we finished the survey of the grasnds within a short time. There were no issues with both the carriage and Tsubaki, right? Yes, there would be nothing to be worry about if it is to the degree of orcs. It was a miscalction to collect the road kill orcs after one cycle of Tsubakis wild run as it took a long time to retreive. How was it, Tsubaki? Dont feel the weight of the carriage and hitting orcs was alright, she says. Kaede interpreted for me. It seems there was no problem. Tsubakis level also rose a few times today, so her attributes rose as well. Apparently, Tsubakis goal is to evolve as soon as possible. Kaede told me that Tsubaki is looking forward to talking to me telepathically. Ill be checking the carriage for any defects, so you guys can dash around for a little while, Kaede. Really?! Then well be going, Master! The carriage was unfastened so Kaede jumped onto Tsubakis back and immediately dashed around the grasnds. Theyre definitely going to run over monsters. Aaah~ That was fun~! Maria, why not take a break and drink some tea inside? Yes, I will have some tea. Maria, who had been in the coachmans seat and was holding the reins during the wild run, had a very satisfied look when she alighted the seat. I told Maria to take a break then I checked the carriage for any defects. I checked every nook and cranny, but I couldnt find a single dent or scratch. There are no problems with the axles and leaf springs. The oil dampers are doing a good job too. I went in the carriage once I finished checking all theponents. Maria, did any part concern you? Hmm, lets see~. Can we add des that project out the sides of the carriage? I think it would be more interesting if we do that. Was Maria this kind of girl and shes just opening her heart to me? Y, yeah, Ill think about it. It seems Maria wants to turn this carriage into a deadly weapon. At thiste hour where Ive already made barding for Tsubaki, too. After a bit of waiting, Tsubaki returned with Kaede on her back. Kaede was pulling a number of threads. Master! We brought monsters!! At the ends of the threads were monsters that Tsubaki ran over and were wound up in Kaedes threads. Ah, okay, Ill store them. I stored the monsters in the Item Box, then made Tsubaki drink water and rest. The carriages trial run and Tsubakis barding check finished uneventfully. Weve decided that from tomorrow til the day of our departure to the royal capital, we will continue raising Tsubakis level. Apparently, Tsubakis objective is to trample swarms of Army Ants. Once surrounded by a great number of them, Tsubaki is burning for revenge. Maria appears to be addicted to driving the carriage wildly. Many adventurers witnessed a gigantic monster horse pulling a carriage, running wildly at frightening speeds at the outskirts of Volton, inviting various rumors. Needless to say, we received severe lecturing from the guild personnel, Hans-san. ````````````````````Status Name: Tsubaki ( Takumi Irumas Familiar ) Race: Drake Horse Age: 3 Level: 32 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 300 Magic Power: 110 Strength: 250 Agility: 270 Stamina: 330 Dexterity: 60 Intelligence: 80 Unique Skills Dragon Scales Lv3 ( Up ) Passive Skills High Speed Travel Lv5 ( Up ) Long Distance Travel Lv3 ( Up ) Active Skills Charge Lv3 ( Up ) Presence Detection Lv3 ( Up ) Magic Perception Lv2 ( Up ) *** Chapter 62: Departing for the Royal Capital Chapter 62: Departing for the Royal Capital As we spent our days leveling Tsubaki up and epting requests at the Adventurers Guild, the day of our departure to the royal capital had arrived. We are to assemble at the eastern gate of Volton. Those gathering here were the two carriages of Margrave Volton, three carriages of Papeck Company, and our carriage. There were knights on horseback guarding the circumference of Margrave Voltons extravagant carriage. For the Papeck Company, the adventurer party Lions Fang had epted the escort request. And when they had gathered, a ck and silver carriage pulled by a gigantic horse equipped with ck barding came into view. Oioioi, aint that Dragon Horse a Drake Horse?! Barack-san, the Guild Master of the Adventurers Guild, who came to see off Margrave Volton, froze wide-eyed, mouth agape upon seeing Tsubaki. The leader of the knights of Margrave Volton, Dorn-san, issued orders to protect their masters carriage. But then Papeck-san noticed that I was sitting in the coachmans seat. Takumi-sama! So, this carriage is owned by Takumi-sama. W, what is this, you surprised me! No, Barack-san. I did the familiar registration at the guild, so I believe that the Guild Master not knowing about Tsubaki is the issue here. Guh! Barack-san wasnt able to say anything back to my sound reasoning. So it was Takumi-dono. Nevertheless, this is a marvelous Drake Horse. Even the barding that its wearing is splendid. Thank you very much, Dorn-san. I look forward to working with you starting today. Thereupon, the door with the crest of Margrave Volton opened and the Chambein [1] Xervus-san went down and stood beside the door. Then His Excellency Godwin disembarked from the carriage. Iruma-dono, that was a very shy entrance. Feudal Lord-sama, please pardon this discourteousness. I hurriedly got down from the coachmans seat and got down on my knees. Aaa, its fine its fine. I wasnt particrly criticizing you. I was simply quite envious of such a splendid Dragon Horse and carriage. Isnt that right, Xervus? That is so. Judging by appearances, the barding this Dragon Horse is wearing is undoubtedly adamantite, and the wood used on that carriage is Treant, is it not? I was surprised at Xervus-sans judgment. Adamantite is one thing, but he realized even the Treant Wood. Thats amazing, Xervus-san. You understand it well. Not at all, this is wisdom with age. Takumi-sama! E-excuse me! Could you please borate on the details of that carriage!? As Xeruvs-san and I were talking, Papeck-san interrupted us with a very excited voice. He probably realized the worth of this carriage. Papeck-sans eyes look scary. Ooh, that is good. By all means, inform me as well. As it was Margrave Volton who said that, I couldnt refuse. I understand. I will exin. First, this carriage. As Xervus-san had pointed out, the ceiling, floor, and walls use Treant Wood. And for the framework of the carriage, it uses adamantite alloy for the pipe frame. That frame is reinforced with Elder Treant Wood. The silver panels on the walls surface are mithril alloy, aimed to provide magic resistance and a brilliant appearance. It will be difficult to give a proper exnation of the suspension system, therefore I guide you insidehuh? When I looked around, everyone was white-eyed. P-please wait. Iruma-dono, we were not able to understand even half of what you have said. Xervus-san who was supposed to understand was confused. U-umm, Takumi-sama, you are able to refine adamantite? And able to process it as well? Huh? Did I not mention it to Papeck-san when I went mining for ores? Adamantite alloy of course, Tsubakis armor, and our spears are all adamantite alloy, and we also use it for other things that require toughness. Even though the mithril alloy on this carriage looks like decoration, but the frame, wheel axle, and suspension system use it too. As I exined, the white-eyed Papeck-sans jaw was so agape it looked it it would dislocate. Iruma-dono, this might be discourteous of me, but, the windows on that carriage are ss. Wouldnt it be dangerous if the ss breaks from the vibration? No, this ss was transmuted tempered ss and enchanted with Enhanced Physical Resistance and Self Repair so its safe if its only to that degree. Oh my, you are able to use even Bestowal magic. Afterwards, the reactions of Margrave Volton and Papeck-san when I guided them inside the carriage was amazing. It seems that while this world has items like Magic Bags, the concept of expanding the space inside a carriage was nonexistent. Seeing the interior of the carriage that had a restroom, kitchen, bed, sofa, and table installed, they were speechless. I can not imagine just how much this took. No, there was onlybor costs. I ended up talking to Margrave Volton about the cost of the carriage, but I mined my own ores, the Treant and Elder Treant Wood were items from the subjugation request of the guild, the interior and the magic devices inside are my own work, and I tamed the Drake Horse in the outskirts of the town of Volton. There was a bit of Treant Wood that I bought mixed in, but when I exined it, it looked odd to the eyes of others. Iruma-dono, you have reached the heights of being an artisan despite being so young. No, Xervus-san, that is an exaggeration. No no, I believe I can say Takumi has already passed even aged elves, Even Papeck-san After that, it would be unwise to further dy our departure so, with Margrave Voltons carriage in the lead, the train of carriages began moving towards the royal capital. I received a request from Margrave Volton to make a simr carriage. Moreover, it was 200 tinum coins with them shouldering the material expenses. 2 billion yen just for thebor cost. This much I somehow keep saving up even more money. *** Footnotes:
  1. Changing house superintendent to chambein for Xervus. I just couldnt think of the right word before.
Chapter 63: The Road to the Royal Capital is Far Chapter 63: The Road to the Royal Capital is Far From the west end of Valkyra Kingdom, where Volton is located, to the royal capital Valkyratos is 10 days of travel. Our specially made carriage was pulled by Tsubaki so we could have possibly arrived much faster by ourselves, but as expected, we couldnt do that. Eventually, we will stop by towns 4 times, and either camp or stay in viges on all the other nights until we reach the capital. Papeck-san said that we are likely to camp for around 2 days. Apparently, the reason is that there is no way we can let the Margrave camp, and that nobles have an obligation to spend money in the towns and viges that they pass through. The so-called Noblesse Oblige, Obligations thate with being nobility. Hey Takumi, whats with you and this carriage? Its unfair, its way too different from our carriage! It cant be helped. Lyle-san, you are the escort of the Papeck Company, after all. Our first day ends at a vige in the border of the territory of Margrave Volton. The feudal lord rented the house of the vige mayor to stay in for the night. As for us, given that we have this carriage, staying in an inn is unnecessary, so we rxed on the sofa. And as we were doing so, all members of Heath-sans adventurer party Lions Fang came to visit. Then, Lyle-san, in much admiration, made a fuss inside. Still, being able to make a carriage like this, cant you make a living as a carriage craftsman already? No need, Heath-sama. Takumi-sama already has an ie that can no longer be exhausted. Ah, hey now, Maria! Maria insinuated at my recent ie. And of course, when that happened, this guy became even more bothersome. What did you saaaaAAAAYYYY!? Youre not satisfied with just your pretty ves!? Isnt that unrted? Apparently, Lyle-sans party was going to set up the tents and sleep there for the night. Xervus, what do you think? Yes. He undervalues his worth too much. In the house rented from the vige mayor, Margrave Godwin Volton asked his right-hand man, the chambein Xerves, for his opinion on the evaluation of the self proimed adventurer-cum-artisan, Takumi Iruma. Owing to the hand pump and Purifier MD[1], my domain has changed dramatically. Yes, for it to even result in the prevention of outbreaks of epidemics, just where did he acquire such knowledge? Thanks to the Purifier MD, the town of Volton had be extremely sanitary. And from the collected data, it showed that it is likely rted to the decline in infant mortality rate and lower frequency of epidemics. In addition, the basic types of potions that have been appearing in the market recently were apparently made by Iruma-dono as well. Yeah, and it seems its quantity is considerably limited to keep in bnce with the Pharmacists Guild. Because those potions are items far more effective than the existing potions and can be bought for a cheap price, the survival rate of adventurers had risen and there was an increase in reportsing from the Adventurers Guild. His Majesty is a wise king, however there are many rotten nobles in the royal capital. If we are able to protect Iruma-dono from such riffraffs and bring him back to the Volton domain, His Majesty might grant us something in gratitude. It was quite fortunate that Takuminded in the Volton domain. If this was in Triaria Kingdom or the Divine Empire of Sydnia, Takumis life would have be much different. Even so, that Dragon Horse really surprised me. As expected, that Dragon Horse is likely too big even for Dorn. Even from Dorns perspective, the intimidation level of the Drake Horse that Takumi tamed was too dreadful. Its unknown how much of it is because of the adamantite barding, but if he encountered the Drake Horse known as Tsubaki in the battlefield, he wouldnt hesitate to run away. Moreover, it was too big to ride on. If one were to wear heavy armor and fall, he would certainly die from the height alone. If we were to buy that barding, just how much would it cost? Weapons and armor made of adamantite alloy are yearned for by both knights and adventurers. So the same holds true even for the knight leader of the Volton domain, Dorn, whose sword and shield are made of magic steel. Only a handful of high ranking adventurers and nobles possess mithril alloy or adamantite alloy-made weapons and armor. As such, the armaments of knights are not made of mithril alloy, much less adamantite alloy. Iruma-dono does not seem to understand the worth of equipment made from adamantite and mithril. That may be inevitable. I have received reports that Iruma-dono lived his life in a remote region until he came of age. Although he was brought up to be an artisan that can make even a carriage that skilfully, it would appear that he was not taughtmon sense. As Xervus and Godwin say, Takumi doesnt consider mithril and adamantite to be that rare. There is a reason for the misunderstanding as well. For both mithril and adamantite, the ores themselvese twofold and purchasing it is not expensive, so it is could not be helped if Takumi misunderstood. Another reason for Takumi not appreciating mithril and adamantite very much is because Orichalcum exists. Compared to orichalcum, he judged that they are far easier to obtain. I want to experience the riding quality of that carriage even just once. As you say. Even with the material cost not included in the calction, 200 tinum coins for one would still be a cheap purchase for it. Godwin and Xervus intend to experience thefort of the ride of Takumis carriage during this journey. Additionally, Godwinmissioned for another carriage to be made so he may present it to the King. ***
Footnotes:
    1. Considering how things there are a bunch of things that are technically purifying magic device Ill call the sewer cleaner as Purifier MD [magic device] and the toilet with purifying magic device as Toilet Cleaner MDmaybe. Tentative.
Chapter 64: Territory of Earl Rockford Chapter 64: Territory of Earl Rockford We, a group heading for the royal capital with Margrave Volton, have left the territory of Margrave Volton and have entered the territory of Earl Rockford which is in between the royal capital, which the royal family directly controls, and the territory of Margrave Volton. The groups journey to the royal capital has been favorable. Monsters the likes of Goblin and Mad Dog arent attacking. They do not approach for fear of Tsubaki, the Drake Horse. Passing through viges and towns in the Rockford territory, its capital soon came into view. It is not to the extent of Voltons fortress town, but scale of this town isrge too. Yes, it is next to the royal capital, after all. I hear that its feudal lord, Lord Rockford, is on good terms with Lord Volton. Hee~ Sophia, where did you get that information? While gazing at the town of Rockford in the distance through window inside the carriage, I passed the time chatting idly with Sophia and Maria. I heard about it from Barack-dono and Hans-dono of the Adventurers Guild. Because Lord Rockford gets along with Lord Volton, I heard he is not an arrogant scum of a noble. Maria talked about information from who knows where. ording to our conversations with Papeck-san and Hans-san who are well informed about the circumstances of various countries, many of the nobles of this country are fairly upright people. There are still rotten nobles that the King has yet to purge, but among the countries in this continent, the most upright is Valkyra Kingdom. Noblesse Oblige. It would seem that there are many nobles that try to uphold this duty thates hand in hand with peerage. And were about to visit a ce that consists of those nobles. Before long, we drew nearer the ramparts that were lower than those in Volton. Lord Voltons carriage advanced towards an area separated from the line at the gate. It feels awkward moving past the people standing in the long line beside us. We are treated as a part of Margrave Voltons entourage on this asion, after all. Its a great feeling, isnt it. The petite bourgeois in me feels awkward at the preferential treatment, but Maria is feeling delightful as usual. That brazen spirit of hers is enviable. We were able to enter the gates of Rockford thanks to Margrave Voltons status. If we had done it normally, there might have been a slim chance to do so because of Tsubakis appearance. With Margrave Voltons in the lead, the entourage of carriages advanced to Earl Rockfords estate in the heart of this town. Contrary to Volton, the Rockford estate is not a fortress-like castle. I believe it would be closer to what is called a luxury mansion built on a vast plot ofnd. Its walls are a little high for a mansion, but that is within reason for the residence of a feudal lord. Its really different from the Volton Castle, isnt it? There are numerous high ranking monsters at the border, it is necessary if there everes a time where the castle must house and protect its citizens. You sure know a lot. In the elven country, it is normal to be in proximity of the forest, as such, there are times when monsters overflow from the forest. The feudal lords mansion is built for the popce to have a ce to take refuge in at such times. As expected of Sophia, the daughter of a noble in the elven country, she understands the duties a noble must carry out. I believe this country is considerably better. Im especially grateful to the Volton territory. As well as to the previous president of the Moulin very Company. The earnesty in Sophias words was heavy. Sophia lived for 50 years with a disabled body, not even able to go outside, but she was able to live until now because she made full use of her understanding of the governing policy of each generation of the Margrave of Volton and of the management policies of Moulin-sans grandfather, both of which she is grateful for. Thats right, my vige was in a rural area of Triaria Kingdom, but it was a poor vige with heavy taxation. When I started living with Takumi-sama in the town of Volton, I thought, ah so there are ces like this as well. Marias parents were killed and she herself was sold to ve traders when she was a child. She had experienced hell, but the people of this world are exceedingly resilient and strong willed. As I was talking to the two, we arrived at the Rockford Estate. At the foyer, Earl Rockford, together with his wife and children, came to wee Lord Volton. Its been a long time, Godwin-dono. please rest at ease at our residence today. Aa, how many years has it been? Nice to see you again, Leud-dono. We will be in your care tonight. I think Earl Rockford is approximately the same age as Lord Volton, and is perhaps simrly a military officer like Lord Volton. Civil officials wouldnt bring out that kind of mood. Godwin-dono, we are honored to receive you on your journey to the royal capital. Rod, Emilia, your greetings. Lord Volton, my name is Rod, the eldest son of the Rockford house. Emilia. The elegant Madam Rockford, who is in her mid-30s, gave her greetings to Lord Volton, and a boy around 10 years old and a girl around 5-6 years old followed with their greetings. Madam Rose, you are as beautiful as ever. The two children seem bright as well, the Rockford lineage is surely secure. Godwin-dono, please rx first inside. It has been a while as well, Papeck Company President. You have been quite prosperous as ofte, havent you. There are rooms inside prepared for everyone, as well. Please do not be so reserved and rest yourselves. Completely assuming we were staying at an inn in town, I was a bit bewildered, but we were guided into guest rooms where we will rest for the night. ***
Sphys Note: Thanks for reading~ One of those paragraphs has so many of, to the point I made it into a minigame where How many ofs can I fit into this while still staying urate? sort of thing. lol Not really anything rted to the novel, but do you guys have any good novel /manga / webtoon (jp/kr) rmendations? I like fluffy, cute, funny stuff. Need a bit of a cheer-upper atm. Appreciate it if you share~ Chapter 65: Welcome? Chapter 65: Wee? In the room provided at the Rockford Mansion, the three of us removed our equipment and changed into casual wear. Kon, kon. Coming! It is time for supper, I shall be your guide. A maid arrived to call us, and we were guided to the Rockford Mansionsrge dining room. Takumi-sama, Im getting nervous. Maria, me too. Its the first time Ill have the opportunity to eat at the same table as a noble. Even Im nervous, but for Maria and Sophia, who are ves, to sit at the same table as well, it shows that Lord Rockford[1] isnt very noble-like. There are few in this country, but apparently there are many in other countries that wouldin if a ve ate at the same table as them. Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom have firmly established ve rights, but there are still a few that would do so. Sophia is reallyposed like always. Yeah, as expected of a noble-born. It is not like that. Even I be nerve-racked meeting high ranking nobles. As we were chatting discreetly, Lord Volton, Knight Leader Dorn, Xervus-san, and Papeck-san took their seats. Then Earl Rockford, Madam Rose, Rod-kun, and Emilia-chan followed soon after. The extravagant dinner party started with a toast by Earl Rockford. You are Iruma-dono, who assisted in the great advancement in the Margrave Voltons domain, are you not? I have heard many a story from Lord Godwin. I would very much like for you to have a base in my domain. Hey hey, Leud-dono, stop the headhunting, will you? After the dinner, Lord Rockford brought up a topic with me while we were having after-meal tea. The Toilet Cleaner MD that the Papeck Company had marketed has begun expanding to even my domain. Yes! It is a magnificent item! The moment Lord Rockford brought up the topic regarding the toilet, Madam Rose spoke enthusiastically. And that Purifier MD! Thanks to that, the stench in town has reduced! I found that stench to be highly unpleasant, and I often told my husband to do something to improve on it. So the one who resolved that was you! Madam Roses energy level is quite amazing. Ever since I was in Bohd Vige, I had been using purifying magic for myself, but I learned in Volton that the toilet and sewage situation in this world are bad. Every woman must have had to endured it. This time, your meeting with His Majesty, it is because His Majesty was very pleased with the Purifier MD that he wants to have a word with you, Iruma-dono, thusly summoning you to the royal capital. Mhmm, I wee it greatly. After all, the prosperity of Margrave Voltons domain leads to the flourishing of Earl Rockfords Domain as well. For the Papeck Company to sell their merchandise in the royal capital, they will always pass through the Rockford territory, spending money in its towns and viges. Conversely, the Rockford territory is located in the middle of the trading route ofpanies in the royal capital purchasing merchandise from the Papeck Company at the town of Volton, which stimtes Rockfords economy without them lifting a finger. Yeah. This time as well, the Papeck Company is bringing arge quantity of Toilet Cleaner MD, but these will most likely be sold out immediately. On this asion, the Papeck Company is heading to the royal capital with 2 carriages, and with a number of Magic Bags that they brought, theyve seeded in transporting arge amount of merchandise. Originally, only a few Magic Bags, which are found in dungeons and ruins, appear on the market as extremely expensive items, but a number of these Magic Bags were made and supplied by me. Let us set aside this gentlemans talk. Ladies, Sophia-san and Maria-san, was it not? Madam, we are Takumi-samas ves. Please address us without honorifics. It seems Madam Rose has something to talk about with Sophia and Maria. By no means do youdies look like ves. Those clothes, they are simple but were tailored with awfully lovely cloth. Yes, they look much better than my dress. The clothes Sophia and Maria are wearing were, of course, made from cloth woven from Kaedes Spider Silk. Today, Sophia is wearing a green one-piece dress, and Maria, a red one. Moreover, the form of yourrge bosoms are awfully beautiful, and Im awfully curious about it. But is there a secret to it? If there is, I would by all means like for you to tell me. After the clothes, it seems the beautiful forms of Sophia and Mariasrge bosoms caught Madam Roses eye. In this world, which is simr to the middle ages in Earth, there is no custom for women to wear corsets. Before this, corsets did not exist in this world. Their underwear are trunks which are not at all different from what men wear, and their bosoms are held in ce by sarashi-like items. And so, I made brassieres and panties for Sophia and Maria no, I made it for me. I believe it is only natural to make it for them, especially for the beautiful forms of their breasts. Madam, we are wearing underwear made by Takumi-sama, therefore I believe it is because of that. The moment Sophia answered so, it felt like Madam Roses eyes glinted. Could you exin that matter in more detail? Madam Rose stared at me right in the face. Her gaze is really strong and scary. Even if you say in detail, since Sophia and Marias underwear were either too much or too little for them, I just thought I should I should make something appropriate. Those underwear, would it not be possible to see them? I exchanged nces with Sophia and Maria. Sophia and Maria nodded, so it resulted in them showing Madam Rose their spare underwear. Well then, we shall use a separate room. Sophia-san, Maria-san, lets go! Madam Rose left with Sophia and Maria in tow. Iruma-dono, sorry. Lord Rockford lowered his head apologetically. No, that was something powerful. You understand, huh. A short time afterwards, the door of the dining room suddenly burst open and mmed loudly. Iruma-dono! Those underwear! Those underwear, I too! Barging in from the opened door was Madam Rose. She eximed loudly, drawing closer to me. Rose! Whats wrong!? Youre being discourteous! Dear, be quiet!! yes, dear. It seems it is the women of the Rockford house that hold the power. Iruma-dono, please propagate underwear such as that to the world. In fact, Ill even invest in it! Umm, I think aplete replica will be difficult, but if its something simr then it might be possible even if it isnt done by me. An identical one is impossible? Yes, Sophia and Marias are made of Spider Silk, therefore it would be impossible inrge quantities. I-if thats the case then just my porti``Madam! That is unfair! When Madam Rose insisted that she at least wanted a share for herself, the maids in the Rockford household interjected. Thereafter, the women in the Earl Rockfords household gathered excitedly. Even the husband, Earl Rockford, could not stop Madam Rose and the maids. Iruma-dono, cant you do something? I beg you! Its as you see! Haaa~ An earl was lowering his head and pleading to the petit bourgeois me, theres no way I could refuse. In the end, only after promising that Madam Rose and the maids would be measured by Sophia and Maria, and promising to deliver it immediately afterpletion did Madam Rose and the maids be obedient. *** Footnotes:
  1. It says Volton but Im not sure thats correct. I think it should be Rockford, since theyre the hosts.
Chapter 66: To the Royal Capital Chapter 66: To the Royal Capital Due to Countess Rockford running amok, the dinner party concluded. Haa, Madam Rose was amazing, wasnt she. yes. We took a break in the room provided to us. Although, I think it cant be helped because it makes sense. Saying so, Sophia surmised that there was a reason Madam Rose went on a frenzy over the underwear. The greatest task of those marrying into noble households is to bear sessors. The Rockford household is fortunate that it has an heir, but one son is too few for the nobility in this world. Apparently, even 4-5 is not a lot for an Earl household. And womens underwear in this world are terrible. Then she noticed Sophia and Marias bust lines. Seeing those underwear, she might have had this thought. If I had that underwear, our marital rtions would be harmonious, so it might have been inevitable that Madam Rose became assertive. Moreover, it might be unusual for an Earl, but Lord Rockford said he currently has only one wife. Apparently, there was a second wife, but she passed on early due to an illness, so Madam Rose is the only one. Well, certainly, the underwear I made for Sophia and Maria is the embodiment of my desires. It might be Lord Rockfords hustle too. Sophia and Marias faces turned bright red. In our residence in Volton, Sophia and Maria alternate each night at sharing my bed, but we sleep together while were traveling. I might turn into a monkey sooner orter. Theres no doubt that the underwear I made for them added ir to nights. If thats the case, you will want help, yes? Yes, Rose-sama in particr likes sexy underwear. Examining our underwear, we got detailed requests such as which designs she liked, wanting plentifulces on the fabric, and which colors are good. Its bing apparent that Madam Rose is desperate. Between mens trunks and sexy underwear, men would choose thetter. Its a bit reassuring to know its the same even in this world. The next morning, Earl Rockfords family and maids saw us off at our departure to the royal capital. Needless to say, Madam Rose and the maids emphasized to please do it as soon as possible at that time. Takumi-sama, what did Rose-sama and the maids ask of you?! Well, it isnt much. There is no way that is the case! The eyes of Rose-sama and the maids were sparkling unnaturally. Haa, oh well. While we were camping, Papeck-san persistently What did Madam Rose want?, but, as expected, Im reluctant to show Sophia and Marias underwear to Papeck-san, a man, so I promised to show him a set once Ive made the ones for Madam Rose and the maids. Papeck-san said that, in the future, Papeck Company ns to start up a sewing factory and market silken underwear aimed at nobility. My royalties will be paid once their profits increase, but my assets are already vast. Any more than this, would I still be able to use all of it up? Well, Papeck Company profiting benefits the town of Volton, so I just thought Well, i guess its fine. Looking down from the top of a small hill, the royal capital, Valkyratos, came into view. The royal capital, Valkyratos, had a wondrous view amazing. Yes, what a beautiful city. Wonderful. The castle is floating in water. Sophia, Maria, and I eximed in admiration of the wonderous appearance of Valkyratos. The royal capital, as Maria had said, looked like its floating on water. The city of Valkyratos has ake in its center, and a white walled castle towered in the heart of thatke. The area around theke is encircled by forests, and outside of that are the noble district,mercial district, residential district, and the industrial district positioned in a circr form. And ramparts stretch the outermost circumference of the royal capital. Outside of those ramparts spanned vast fields of wheat. It was clear that monsters in the outskirts of the royal capital are being exterminated. Its amazing. There are no fences around the fields to defend against monsters. No, look closely, Maria. There are low wooden fences. Perhaps its a fence that defend against monsters to the degree of horned rabbits. There are no monster-inhabited areas surrounding area of the royal capital. Conversely, it could be said that its because it is far from monster inhabited areas that the royal capital was built here. I heard that because that dangerous monsters were seldom, there are areas outside the walls of the royal capital that raise livestock. That is unimaginable in Volton. In the early days of Valkyratos, the city was apparently also enclosed in impressive walls. Then, as the country developed, monsters were exterminated, the walls were removed as the city expanded and the current 3 meter tall ramparts werepleted. As we were going down the path to the royal capital, we saw that there were areas outside the walls where tents and worn out huts gathered. There are slums. Yes. There are ces that are quite simr to slums even in the town of Volton, but it was inside. Volton has a few poor areas you can almost call slums. For the royal capital whose poption is iparable to Voltons, having these dark sections growrge might be an inevitable matter. Our train of carriages was able to line up at the gate of the royal capital. What the it seems this line is exclusively for nobles. Certainly, in a ce a little farther from us, there is a line longer than than the one we are at. As expected, its only the royal capital is would have many noblesing in and out. In the end, we were able to enter the royal capital in about an hour. *** Chapter 67: Evening at the Royal Capital Chapter 67: Evening at the Royal Capital Entering the royal capital, Papeck-sans group arranged for us to stay with them at a high-ss inn close to the noble district. Margrave Volton, of course, has his own mansion in the royal capital, so he separated from us in front of the inn. They said my meeting with the King will be in 5 days. The schedule had some leeway in case our travel to the royal capital was dyed. It was exined to me that the meeting wasnt an audience, but rather that the King wanted to meet me privately. I think an audience would be more mentally straining than a meeting, but it will be mentally straining either way. This is theLakeside Hotel. At Papeck-sans guidance, we entered the tall, dignified, quiet-looking building. Kaede and Tsubaki were resting inside the Subspace and the carriage was stored in the Item Box. Please wait for a moment. I will proceed with the check-in. Papeck-san headed to the front desk, and we examined the furnishing of the building. Thank you for waiting. Takumi-sama, your room is at 305. Papeck-san gave me the key. Let us have a briefing session at dinner. I understand. We will see youter then. We went up to the third floor, unlocked the door of room 305 with the key given and entered. It had a spacious living room, two bedrooms, arge bathroom, and a Toilet Cleaner DM. Its a so-called suite. Takumi-sama! Its arge bed! Maria who peeked into the main bedroom was in high spirits. This sofa is veryfortable too, right? Yes, itsfort is simr to the sofa that Takumi-sama made. The carpet is soft too! In her cheerful mood, Maria sat on the sofa vigorously. Starting tomorrow until the day we meet with the king, do you two have anything you want to do? Hmm, lets see. May we take a quick look at a vepany? An unexpected answer came from Sophia. For the time being, can I ask for your reason? Yes, I serve as your guard, Takumi-sama. Maria manages your everyday necessities as well as a rear guard. If it is possible, I would like a worker who can help with your artisanal work. I am in agreement as well. I am only able to help with sewing. Sure, there are plenty of times when I seclude myself in the confines of my workshop, but much of my artisanal type work is because of Norn-samas powers. Also, as an adventurer party, I think 3 people is too little. If it is possible, I would like 1 or 2 more people. Takumi-sama will surely aim to dive into dungeons to collect materials and magic items in the future, wont he? Thats right. For example, if youre nning on mining ores like Orichalcum, the likelihood of finding it in dungeons is high. However, if possible, a female ve please. Sophia agrees with Marias request. Lets be careful when recruiting people. I doubt that there are that many people like you two here in the royal capital, Sophia, Maria. Certainly, the capital has arger poption than Volton, so it likely has plenty of verypanies and ves. But I believe its a mixture of the good and the bad. I can judge things like abilities, but I cant say I have the ability to judge someones character just by looking. Meeting Sophia and Maria at the Moulin very Company was amazing. I was just blessed with good fortune. I think it would be good to consult with Papeck-sama as well. Yeah, lets try during dinner. As Sophia said so, we spent the time rxing until it was time for dinner. Now then Takumi-sama, since we will prepare silk cloth and thread immediately, I would like for you to make different sizes in addition to the ones for Madam Rose. Were drinking tea leisurely after dinner and Papeck-san promptly talked about underwear. I think it would only be possible for ordinary silk to have one enchantment. Sophia and Marias underwear have the Automatic Size Adjustment Automatic Temperature Regtion Anti-fouling Resistance effects bestowed. I think the best I can do with silk as a material will be bestowing one effect, Automatic Size Adjustment. I exined as such. Lets see. About that, for ourpanys production, we can only cope by making different sizes of underwear. If the underwear makes use of Bestowal magic like Takumi-samas, the unit price would rise sharply. In the discussion with Papeck-san, well create 3 bust sizes, forrge busted women, normal, and small, then the rest will be handled by the Papeck Company. Following, Margrave Voltons carriage. I will prepare the Mithril ore, adamantite ore, Treant Wood so it will be ready by tomorrow. I will also arrange for a workshop. I understand. As long as the I have materials, I dont think it will take very long since its the second time Ill make it. Papeck-san also wants a carriage like ours, but unlike Margrave Volton, he said he doesnt have the courage to spend 200 white gold on a carriage without batting an eye. Is it so like or unlike Margrave Volton?? I think 200 gold coins is expensive if you provide your own materials. Also, this is a different topic, but Im thinking of increasing the members of our party. If possible, I want someone who can be both an adventurer party member and an artisan who can help me with my work. Lets see. There certainly are several verypanies in the royal capital, and I am acquainted with them. If it is done, then I also wee Takumis helper and disciple. May I have some time [to search]? Yes, thank you. Receiving a favorable reply from Papeck-san, Im free to roam around the royal capital tomorrow, and Ill manufacture the carriage the day after that, and then work on the underwear as well until my meeting with the King. *** Chapter 68: To the Royal Capital Slavery Company Chapter 68: To the Royal Capital very Company I entrusted Madam Roses underwear to Kaede and Maria, and I will only do the enchantments. Meanwhile, I worked diligently on refining mithril ore and adamantite ore that will be materials for the carriage. Since my skill and job levels increased and the magic power cost lowered too, the refinement of mithril alloy and adamantite alloy for two carriages finished in a day. I started assembling the carriage the next day, but copying something Ive made before was easier than I thought. This might be because of the growth of my skill and job levels. Refining for one day, then manufacturing two carriages in one day. I painted the Valkyra Royal family crest and the Volton crest on the carriages toplete them. Margrave Voltons carriage differs from our carriage by having a crest, but the carriage that will be presented to the royal family, it was painted white. Also, the mithril alloy was not used as a panel, I processed it to look like braids and used it as decorations for the carriage. This is the Palm very Company that I rmend. It is apany that has a longstanding connection to the Moulin very Company, and one that I ce my trust in. The building of the verypany that Papeck-san guided me to with his carriage is twice the size of Moulin very Company in Volton. As we alighted from the carriage, a white-haired gentleman came to meet us. My my, Papeck-dono, I have not seen you for a long time. Burton-dono, it is good to see you again. I shall make introductions. This is Takumi Iruma-sama, an alchemist active in Volton. We are always in Takumi-samas favor. I am Takumi Iruma. Oooh, so you are Iruma-dono. My name is Burton, I take charge of the Palm very Company. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Because I didnt think that someone from a verypany in the royal capital would know my name, my face probably looked so shocked. Hahaha, I am quite informed. You are the key figure in the great advancements at the Papeck Company and Margrave Voltons territory, are you not? Fumu, you seem to have built up a rtionship of mutual trust between those twodies over there, and at present, you are searching for a capable person who will be able to help with your work. This person called Burton is no ordinary person. Just by observing us, he already saw what I wanted. We went inside thepany and were led to the parlor. It has a calming ambiance but the quality furnishing ced casually gives off a luxurious impression. Now then, an assistant for my work would be good, but I dont want it that much. My Alchemist and Smithing work is unique after all. Thats why what I want foremost is a capable person who can be our support as adventurers. In addition, Takumi-samas ves, Miss Sophia and Miss Maria, who are opposed to living underneath the same roof as a male ve, would like for a girl to be introduced, if possible. Hearing my request, Burton-san pondered a bit. very well. At present, there are no Smithing job or nimble-fingered dwarf girls at ourpany. The remaining are humans and beastman tribes, but if for an alchemist, then humans are the only choice, however there are rare races of beastmen tribes that have high aptitude for magic, and we have them but ording to Burton-san, there are practically no dwarven ves being handled. Thats because the dwarven country, Gnomstoll Kingdom is friendly with the countries in the continent, so there are few urrences of war ves. As a race, dwarves aremonly diligent workers, so they seldom fall to debt ves. Race doesnt matter but no criminal ves please. Certainly. Burton listened to my demands, and he said that in the case that the Palm very Company doesnt have the person I want, they will search at otherpanies theyre affiliated with. Please wait for a moment. Saying so, Burton left the parlor. There are illegal ves like Maria in Valkyra Kingdom. Brokers that deal in illegal ves sell kidnapped people in foreign countries so they could not be traced. While the verypanies in Valkyra Kingdom know that those are illegal ves, it is because they are illegal ves that they find it hard to refuse buying them. Thats why I told Burton-san to give priority to the illegal ves. My thoughts are that if that person bes an artisan under me, then she would be able to make a living for herself even after shes been freed. The door audibly opened, and Burton-san came into the room with three ves. My apologies for the wait. The three that followed Burton-san was a teenage human girl, a human woman in her 30s, and thest to arrive was a beastman woman in her 20s. I have chosen ves that serve as your assistant as an alchemist, Takumi-sama. From the left, Ca, an 18 years old human, has the basics as a magic user. Next is also a human, Fran, 32 years old, she was formerly an adventurer and Mage. Last is the Laeva, a 24 years old beastman, in the few beastmen tribes that have magic power, she is from the Foxman tribe which has exceptionally high aptitude for magic. At present, thispany has no illegal ves registered, therefore all of them are debt ves. Burton-san informed me that Ca-san is 80 gold, Fran-san is 1 tinum and 20 gold, and Laeva-san is 1 tinum. 8 million, 12 million, and 10 million yen. I dont think I know how to feel about debt ves that can be sold for those amounts of money in this world, but theres practically nothing I can do as a mere artisan. Burton-san introduced the three, and at this point in time, I have only one possible choice among the options. For the time being, Ill ask everyone about things such as if my aspirations and if me buying them is alright, have them give their unrestrained opinions. Ca-san said since her family is in a vige in the outskirts of the royal capital, she is reluctant to live in the frontier, Volton. For Fran, it was a negative for her to challenge a new thing such as alchemy at her age. Surely it is because of her pride as a Mage. Lastly, Laeva-san, she was sold by her parents. Apparently she lived in a poor beastman settlement, and was sold to keep her family from starvation. Also, shes handicapped starting from her right wrist. It seems she lost it protecting her little brother from a wolf type monster. Ill have Burton-san let me interview Laeva-san. I examined Laeva-san upfront again. This world truly has many beautiful women. The two other women were beautiful at a good level, but Laeva-san is a beauty with a calm presence. The image thates to my mind from a fox was an intense impression, butpletely opposite of that, she was overflowing with gentleness. Her figurees out in a way that shes so thin she looks like shed break. Shes blonde up to her fox ears and fluffy tail, which is white at its tip. I am Takumi Iruma. I am an adventurer and an artisan that makes various things in the town of Volton. If I buy you, Laeva-san, I n on making you my assistant at my workshop in Volton. The adventurer part is not obligatory. if it is work I can do without a right hand, then please. I exined to Laeva-san her daily allowance and payment process, + extra based on her abilities. Iruma-sama, if it is possible, may I send the entirety of my wages to my parents home? Umm, if you do that then you wont be freed no matter much time passes, you know? As a debt ve, if she were to pay back the amount of money I used to purchase her, then she would be released from her ve contract. Its different from Sophia who has problems as an elf and has a ve contract with me to be my guard. And also different from Maria who has no ce to return to. Yes, this country has no discrimination towards race, but for beastwomen like myself, whoe from poor viges and cant even read or write, there is no way to earn money in town aside from going into a brothel. But I epted a ve contract from Burton-sama with the condition that I will not be forced into the sex service. Because I didnt want to sell my body for money Burton-san had agreed to the contract knowing that it would be hard to sell her if the sex service was not possible. That money was able to keep Laeva-sans family out of starvation. But nothing will change if left as it is. Thats why Laeva-san said that with her remittance, her little brother can receive education, breaking their chain of poverty. Takumi-sama, isnt it alright to ept her request? Perhaps if she does her best and acquires skills, her wages would steadily increase, then I believe buying her own freedom would not be just a dream. Sophias opinion got me to agree that that could also be. I myself got arge amount of money before I knew it. I informed Burton-san that Id be buying Laeva-san, paid along with the misceneous fees, then Laeva-san and I were bound by a ve contract.Status Name: Laeva Race: Foxman Age: 20 years old Job: Mage Lv24, Priest Lv2 ( Warrior Lv12 ) Level: 18 Condition: Healthy ( very: Takumi ) Vitality: 180 Magic Power: 210 Strength: 80 Agility: 100 Stamina: 100 Dexterity: 92 Intelligence: 160 Unique Skills Passive Skills Active Skills Staff Technique Lv4 Enemy Search Lv2 Presence Detection Lv2 Stealth Lv2 Magic Perception Lv3 Magic Power Maniption Lv2 Light Attribute Magic Lv1 Dark Attribute Magic Lv2 Fire Attribute Magic Lv3 Sewing Lv3 Cooking Lv3 *** Chapter 69: Shopping at the Royal Capital Chapter 69: Shopping at the Royal Capital I signed a very contract with Laeva, and we decided to go shopping for her daily necessities in Papeck-sans carriage. Beautiful women gather towards Takumi-sama. My~ how enviable. No, Papeck-san, shes an assistant at my workshop. I say that, but Papeck-sans eyes were grinning. Though Sophia and Marias contracts did not include nightly service in their contracts, he seems to have realized that it still happens. I know. Moreover, an increase in productivity at Takumi-samas workshop is the best thing the Papeck Company could ask for. Before long, the carriage stopped. This is a popr clothing store in the royal capital. It will not rival the clothes Sophia-san and Maria-san are wearing, but I think its good to look at the trending designs. Papeck-san noticed that our clothes are made of Spider Silk, but understands that Spider Silk is not something he can securerge amounts of, so he seems to be enduring in that regard. Thats why I dont take Kaede out in front of Papeck-san. As expected of a shop in the royal capital, it had a variety of designs. The shop is divided into haute couture and prt--porter. Im clueless about womens clothing, so Laevas clothing will bepletely dependent on Sophia and Maria. Haa. Papeck-san noticed my involuntary sigh. Takumi-sama, womens shopping takes a long time. When I apany my wife shopping, I could do nothing but endure. I endure enough that I might even acquire the Mental Resistance skill. So its like that. Come to think of it, when I was in Japan, I dont think I ever went shopping with a girl. Not even a year has passed but it feels like quite a long time ago. Bored, I watched people walking by the street of storefront to pass the time. Takumi-sama, thank you for waiting. Yeah, done shopping? After waiting for a time, the girls came out of the store. Yes, well then Papeck-sama, to the next store please. Certainly. Eh?! Sophia and Maria took the dumbfounded me by the arms and pulled me towards the carriage. In a fluster, Laeva subsequently followed behind.. Thereafter, we returned to the inn dead tired after going to who knows how many shops in the area. Fuu~ Im tired~ Youre all okay. right? I flopped onto the sofa, surrendering my back to it. For womens shopping to be this serious. Fufu, Takumi-sama, its to gather the trendy designs. Thats right. Takumi-sama would be happy if our casual wear was stylish, wouldnt he? I wonder, is it good that Sophia and Maria have tendency to lose their reservations these days? U-umm. Laeva seems to want to say something. Whats up, Laeva? U-umm, I, even though Im a ve, is it okay to buy this many clothes for me? Everythings alright, Laevas clothes are a necessity. Our clothes and underwear are all handmade, but I need time to make yours, Laeva. Thats right, you cant live in just the clothes you got from the verypany. Yup, Ill make your underwear with Kaede-chan soon too. Laeva was puzzled when she heard Kaedes name from Maria. Ah, I havent introduced Kaede. I called Kaede out of the Subspace. Whaaat, Master called! Hiiii! Upon seeing Kaedee out of the Subspace, Laevas body froze. Kaede, this girl is Laeva. She will being with us starting today so get along, okay? Youre called Laeva-chan! I am Kaede! Masters familiar! I-I am Laeva. With an Arachnes sudden appearance, Laevas body became all stiff. Its alright, Kaede is a smart and good girl. Thats right Laeva, Kaede-chan is like our little sister. Yes, the clothes and underwear we wear are all made from Kaedes threads. Kaede took her ce on myp and started eating the cookies ced on the living room table. I get the feeling that Kaedes body has gotten bigger recently. Yeah, thats right, I forgot. Extra Heal. EH?! Laevas missing right hand returned to its former state before her very eyes. Since youll be helping me with my work, having one hand will be inconvenient after all. Laeva was dumbfounded, frozen in ce for a while. H-huh? My right hand is here. Yep, its there. Eh, why? Eh? When the panicking Laeva finally understood what happened to her body,rge tear drops poured from her jade green eyes. We talked about a bunch of the things with Laeva once she calmed down. We discussed the necessity tomunicate with Kaede, her division of roles with Sophia and Maria, and what Laevas goals were. U-umm, I still think I should be an adventurer too. Laeva said she wanted to be an adventurer as well like Sophia and Maria. Umm, I dont really mind, but it will be dangerous. Yes, I am prepared. But to be of help to Takumi-sama as an artisan, I think it would be better if my status and magic power are higher. True, its correct that the status enhances when leveling up. If Dexterity and Intelligence increase, it would be helpful when making things. Gaining more magic power is likewise helpful. Then shall we register when wee back to Volton, and level up little by little? Yes! That night, I worried about Laeva and slept in a different room. Giving them the master bedroom, I was alone and I had the three girls endure sleeping cramped together. Tomorrow, I will have to meet the King at the royal capital. Just thinking about it depresses me. I went to sleep to escape reality. *** Chapter 70: Meeting the King Chapter 70: Meeting the King Around the time we finished breakfast, Papeck-san came to pick me up. Sophia and the girls saw me off and I got on Papeck-sans carriage. Takumi-sama, we will join Lord Volton. Also, please rest assured that I will be apanying you to support you. Thank you very much. Papeck-san will being to relieve my tenseness, but as we neared the white-walled royal castle that seemed to float on theke, I wanted to run away in extreme nervousness. To cross the bridge to the castle, the soldier confirmed our identities and other requirements. When we stated that we were here at the Kings behest, he immediately guided us to the ce Lord Volton was waiting at. Oo, Iruma-dono, did you enjoy the royal capital? Yes, were even staying at a high-ss inn, so we were able to spend the timefortably. In the ce that looked like an extravagant conference room, we joined Margrave Volton. Margrave Volton-sama, Ivepleted the two carriages you requested. Ooh, my thanks. Ill present it after our meeting with the His Majesty so Ill leave it to you. Yes, I understand. After that, we talked about what I did these past few days and my purchase of an assistant ve. So you mean to say, the productivity of your workshop will increase more, Iruma-dono? No, I was thinking I might be able to concentrate more on development. Even so, you might produce new products. It is weing to the Volton domain. As we were talking about that, there was an announcement, and a man with a splendid white beard in his 50s at the head, followed by a slender schrly man of the same age and escorted by three knights in full armor entered the room. Since Margrave Volton and Papeck-san stood up, I hurriedly stood up and bowed. Its fine, its fine. I called you specially toe to the royal capital. Its not a formal audience, be at ease. The King prompted us to sit after he sat down himself, so we took our seats. I shall give my name. My name is Lobos Valkyra. The King who governs this country. Next to me is the prime minister of our country, Simon von Portfort. Opposite him is Ghad von Bauer, who is in charge of the Knight order of this country. I am Simon von Portford, the prime minister. Imperial guard of the Knight order, Ghad. Flustered that I forgot my introductions before, I hurriedly stood up and introduced myself. I am the alchemist, Takumi Iruma. Its fine, its fine, lets put aside ranks today. Lord Volton, Papeck-dono, with the delivery of Purifier DMs, the royal capital can finally take a breather. My thanks. No, Your Majesty, the improvement of the hygienic circumstances of the royal capital is urgent business. therefore it does not require your gratitude. Yes, we are a business, so it is not a matter that should receive Your Majestys gratitude. After chatting for a little while with Margrave Volton and Papeck-san, the King faced me. I wish to thank Iruma-dono once more. Not just inside the castle, but the unpleasant smell has almost disappeared from even the royal capital. The princess is overjoyed, even the Queen has said that she must meet Iruma-dono, however I would like you to pardon that it is only us that are here in this meeting. I was perplexed, not understanding the meaning of the Kings I would like you to pardon. Your Majesty, that way of speaking does not transmit to Iruma-dono. Iruma-dono, the meritorious deeds you have aplished is an achievement that ought to be given not only a reward but also an appointment of peerage. However, for the sake of protecting Iruma-dono from the Divine Empire of Sydnia, we must limit it to a private meeting to thank you this time. Thank you very much. I understand that I am receiving the protection of the Valkyra Kingdom. I can only thank you for doing everything you can so that I would not bear the full brunt of it. Hearing my words, Simon-sama nodded. Receiving those words relieves me. However, while that may be true, it cant be nothing. We would like to give you a reward from the treasury, it might be trifling but I would like you to ept it. Ha, thank you very much. Afterwards, our conversation included the discussion regarding the Divine Empire of Sydnia, and talks of exporting the Purifier DM to the ally country Lomaria Kingdom and to the trading country Samandour Kngdom with Papeck-san. Your Majesty, we have prepared to present a specially-made carriage manufactured by Iruma-dono. Hou. Lord Volton, in what way is it special? Ha, it was a carriage made by Iruma-dono and Margrave Volton talked fervently about just how amazing the performance of the carriage that I rodeing to the royal capital. The Kings eyes gradually sparkled, saying that he wants to see it, by all means. Well then Iruma-dono, there is a training grounds that the knights use that is wide enough for even cavalry training. Would that be all right? Yes, thats fine. Ghad-sama specified the location, and we all went to the knights training grounds. Maybe they thought that I needed time to prepare the carriage, but I didnt say that I had the two carriages inside my Item Box. This is the training grounds. Thank you very much. I thanked the knight that guided us, then the moment the knight left, I took out the two carriages. For the time being, they might check the riding quality, so I let Tsubaki out of the Subspace and prepared to tie her to one of the carriages. Burururu There there, youre such a good girl. Tsubaki, who wasnt cared for sinceing to the royal capital, acted like a spoiled child, licking my face, y-biting my hair, and calling out to me. Wha?! T-thats a Drake Horse, isnt it?! When I looked over my shoulder, the King was astonished, Ghad-sama was speechless, and Simon-sama was so surprised that his jaw was hanging open. Umm, this is the carriage we are presenting. No, I am under the impression that that carriage is umon, but is that Dragon Horse Iruma-donos familiar? As expected, only the King had nerves of steel, he recovered quickly and inquired. Yes, she is called Tsubaki. Bururu She is too big for a knight to ride, but if that Drake Horse pulled a carriage, it would be a staggering monster. The revived Ghad looked at Tsubaki from a distance. Tsubaki isnt wearing her barding today, so I think her intensity isnt that much though. For the time being, this carriage likely uses quality materials but is not ostentatious. It suits my liking, considerably so. Your Majesty, how about evaluating this carriage after trying out its riding quality? As you say, well then Iruma-dono, if you please. When Margrave Volton suggested to try out the its riding quality, everyone went inside the carriage. Wha-! What is this!? My word!! I heard voices of surprise at the the erged space inside the carriage, but if its the tier of the royal familys carriage, wouldnt there be magic items like this? I sat down on the coachmans seat and called out to the inside of the carriage, and made Tsubaki start running. After testing out the quality of the carriage for a while, the King and his retainers alighted from the carriage. Iruma-dono! How magnificent! This is the first time Ive hadfort like this inside a carriage. The spaciousness of the interior, the riding quality, a carriage like this, there is none like it in this whole continent. As the King began praising the carriage, Margrave Volton, too, was ted. Afterwards, when I exined the details of the carriage, all three individuals faces cramped. Ghad-sama and Simon-sama said that I should tell them if ever I was in any trouble. Papeck-san said that he will ce an order for two carriages when wee back to Volton. And so, I have safelypleted my affairs at the royal capital. I can finally return to Volton. *** Idle Talk 3: Idle Talk: The Heroes’ Training Idle Talk 3: Idle Talk: The Heroes Training In an wide indoor training area, dull training swords shrilled. The heroes summoned by the Divine Empire of Sydnia, Akira and Yamato, were training with a holy knight as an opponent. Akira, wielding a sword and shield, fights tempestuously and Yamato, equipped with knuckles / knuckle duster, fights employing martial arts in mock battle. Is that all youve got?! Akira-dono! Kuh! Im not done yet! Yamato! Youre neglecting your footwork! Guwaaa! Its been three months since the summoning, they train daily and level up by fighting monsters such as goblins. Akane has a magic type job, so shes on a different training menu and is currently in the library studying spell books. (A long time ago, the Goddess Anat created Humans in her likeness. Thereafter, she created the Beastkin, humans with limbs from beasts, and the Dwarves and Elves, created from fairies, for the Humans to govern.) Akane is reading the origin of this world that the Light God Faith preaches. (What is this? The Light God Faith is more dangerous than I thought.) Akane knows that there are two major religions in this continent. However, information regarding the Genesis Faith, whose chief deity is the Goddess Norn, is exceedingly hard toe by in this country. Once in a while, Akane acquires some from listening to stories from traveling merchants innds near the castle. Discussions from those times seem to advocate that The Genesis Faith says that all races are equally the Goddess Norns children.. For that reason, they say that the countries in this continent, with the exception of Triaria Kingdom and the Divine Empire of Sydnia, have Genesis Faith as their state religion or conform to a simr belief. And it was known fact that these two countries, Triaria and Sydnia, believe in Human Supremacy. We have to escape to Lomaria Kingdom or Valkyra Kingdom somehow. Ive had it with both this smelly town and castle. Akane deres so becauserge towns in Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom have magic devices that purify their sewer system, and the interior of their towns are very clean. She heard from merchants that recently that it has begun spreading to the royal capital of Samandour Kingdom and other countries. With exception to Triaria Kingdom and the Divine Empire of Sydnia, there has been a rapid improvement in sanitary circumstances in recent years, with infant and elderly mortality declining and outbreaks of epidemics bing less likely. This matter is of no surprise to Akane. (Still, I dont get it. A priest stupidly said Light magic is magic granted to the Light God Church, therefore it is outrageous to use it on filth. , but I wonder if he was half asleep.) Akanes indignation is because she knew that the Toilet with Purifier DM is spreading to the general households in Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom. Of course, the Divine Empire of Sydnia does not import it. Akane, who is ustomed to the electronic bidet in Japan, wants to break away from this empire as soon as possible, even if only for the squat toilet situation. Seriously, Im so d I have an aptitude for Light attribute magic. So how are the heroes? Ha. Akira, with the sword, and Yamato, with martial arts, have potential. The Holy Knight Leader Packard answered the question asked by Pope Wyvaal. How about the woman? She has the aptitude for magic jobs, not to mention her potential with Light attribute magic. For that reason, the acquisition of knowledge takes precedence. The Head Magician Homer spoke of Akanes present condition. For a magic user, the umtion of knowledge is helpful in using various magic. It may soon be time to incorporate training in ruins and monster nests. Thats right, we must get the heroes to y an active role in the war with Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom after all. Elizabeth, how is Akira? Fufu, Father, a man of that degree is easy for me to handle. Imperial princess Elizabeth sneered icily. ````````````````````StatusName: Akira Jinguji Race: Human Age: 18 years old Job: Hero Lv1 Level: 10 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 220 Magic Power: 210 Strength: 120 Agility: 110 Stamina: 120 Dexterity: 110 Intelligence: 105 Unique Skills Appraisal Passive Skills Active Skills Swordy Lv2 Shield Technique Lv1 Light Attribute Magic Lv1 Wind Attribute Magic Lv2Status Name: Yamato Taiga Race: Human Age: 18 years old Job: Warrior Lv1 Level: 10 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 260 Magic Power: 105 Strength: 160 Agility: 85 Stamina: 160 Dexterity: 75 Intelligence: 85 Unique Skills Appraisal Passive Skills Active Skills Taijutsu Lv4 Fire Attribute Magic Lv2Status Name: Akane Misato Race: Human Age: 18 years old Job: Priest Lv1 Level: 10 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 160 Magic Power: 260 Strength: 80 Agility: 90 Stamina: 90 Dexterity: 90 Intelligence: 160 Unique Skills Appraisal Divine Oracle ( Concealed ) Passive Skills Active Skills Cane Arts Lv2 Light Attribute Magic Lv3 Water Attribute Magic Lv2 Wind Attribute Magic Lv2 Cooking Lv5 ***
Footnotes:
  1. Wyvaal / Warvaal C Popes name. It was previously written as Warvaal but was changed to Wyvaal in this chapter. Unsure if its a typo or not. Ill change it when author decides to stick to one spelling.
  2. In all other statuses, cooking is ced in the active skills section so Ill add it there for consistency.
Chapter 71: First Winter Chapter 71: First Winter When we came back from the royal capital, winter had already arrived at the town of Volton. Master! Snow is piled up! Yeah, the snow had piled up, huh. Close by, I watched Kaede y in the snow covered garden. Our clothes wont lose to the coldness of winter. The Spider Silk-made clothes and underwear bestowed with Automatic Temperature Regtion isnt influenced by the scorching summer heat nor the freezing winter chill. But Sophia and Maria had a request, they wanted the designs to change with the season. We also have Heater magic devices installed in the house. If its just us, we dont need it, but I have many visitorsing to my house. Designated requests for Basic Potions from Barack-san and Hans-san of the Adventurers Guild, and requests for various things from Papeck-san. Also, about this house, I used to rent it but now I own it. Arge stable was built in the backyard of the mansion which became Tsubakis ce. Laevas attitude towards us when she first came to the house was reserved, but recently, she finally reached the point where she connects with us normally. It seems she remits the entirety of her wages each month. The remittance is then undertaken by the Adventurers Guild for a small handling charge. Sophia and Maria do not ept sries from me. They ept pocket money but they insist that they dont want to be freed so they dont need a sry. I will live much longer than Takumi-sama, so I will live the rest of my life while protecting Takumi-samas grave. Stating so, Sophia says she would serve me until my death. It had been arranged in Sophia and Marias contract that they would be released if I die. I am human just like Takumi-sama, thats why I want to live just one day longer than him, and it would be the greatest if I could have my grave ced right beside Takumi-samas. It seems Maria intends to be spend her whole life close to me too. Laeva was surprised to hear such a conversation between the two. Thus, that Laeva began practicing alchemy in the workshop. Seeing me activate alchemy without chants or alchemy formations with her own eyes seems to have motivated her all of a sudden. However, studying alchemy covers a lot of topics, therefore Laevaes and goes between the workshop and the library. Ancient magic characters and the like are used in transmutation formations and magic circles for attribute magic, so Laeva is now at the phase where she examines them while memorizing the dictionary I made for her. On this asion, Sophia also began acquiring and learning ancient magic characters and ancient elvennguage. It seems she wants to try making magic devices. Also, Maria and Kaede became so focused as they worked hard in making underwear, of which included Sophia and Laevas portions as well. When the underwears that Countess Rockford and her maids ordered were finished by Maria and Kaede and had been sent via the Papeck Company, an excessive remuneration was paid so they hurriedly sent additional underwear. Sure enough, Papeck-san discovered a business opportunity with the underwear. Changing the material to silk, he made consultations about the manufacturing process and design and advanced with preparations to market it at the royal capital. My assets just keep increasing, but I wonder, is this alright? To raise the skill level of my Time-Space attribute magic, I made Magic Bags. Sophia, Maria, Laeva, and Kaede have each already been given Magic Bags for their personal use. Though at a nce, they simply look like a regr leather pouches. I heard from Papeck-san that, the bag, enchanted with Time-Space attribute and bestowed with Space Expansion and Time Suspension, is apparently a magic item that can only be found in ruins and dungeons and that 100 tinum coins is a trivial sum for one piece. So as expected, even Papeck-san didnt say to put the Magic Bag into the market. I was just told to make them as inconspicuous as possible. Margrave Volton and Papeck-san were sold one shoulder bag-type Magic Bag each. The Magic Bags are attached with a small magic crystal imbued with Time Space attribute. Thanks to that Time-Space attribute magic crystal, it is possible to put in and take out itemsrger than the opening of the bag. With the Time-Space attribute magic crystal, even an ordinary person without the aptitude can use it if they charge it with magic power, therefore it can be used by anyone in this world. However, taking security into consideration, I added Magic Power Authentication as a mechanism so people other than the ones registered cant use it. Ah! Its here, its here! ?Snow Crown In winter, it is a medicinal nt whose flowers bloom in environments piled with snow. A rare medicinal nt which can be used as an ingredient for all sorts of intermediate potions. One winter day, in the grasnds near Volton, we were hard at work foraging for materials within the mounds of snow. Master, there are some here toooo! Thank you Kaede. Altogether, we came here to forage. When rare materials are collected, the Foraging skill would improve easily. This is something I was taught by Hans-san of the Adventurers Guild. Bururururu Tsubaki ran around the snow covered grasnds, hunting winter furred Bush Wolves. Since her stress might umtes if shes unable to to run in a vast ce to her hearts content every once in a while, we take her to the grasnds from time to time, even in winter. Wanna stop for today and head home? Yes. Now then, what do we do with the dismantling of the Bush Wolves that Tsubaki hunted? Sophia asked if we were going to dismantle the Bush Wolves here. The Bush Wolfs fur bes pure white in winter. This is popr among the wealthy people and has been requested at the Adventurers Guild. Lets leave the dismantling to the Adventurers Guild. Ill store them in my Item Box. The Bush Wolves brought down by a stab from Tsubakis horn had few injuries and were in good condition so it might be bought for a high price. Its just more money for me though. *** Chapter 72: Alchemist masters Taijutsu? Chapter 72: Alchemist masters Taijutsu?During this season when snow piles up, the amount of work apart from subjugation requests decreases, and adventurers in Volton split into three types. The high ranking adventurers whove saved enough until winter, they spend the majority of their time in leisure in winter; Intermediate level adventurers without an exclusive escort request travel to the warmer towns in the south to look for work; The remaining lower ranking adventures who cant ept escort requests because things like ranks spend winter time doing odd jobs in town to eke out a living. The winter Bush Wolves that Tsubaki hunted is a request that carefree high ranking adventurers ept to kill time in winter. And, as for myself. Guha! Goro, goro Rolling around in the Adventurers Guilds training center is a beginner leather armor-wearing Takumi Iruma. Yes, me. One might ask Why am I rolling in the Adventurers Guilds training room?. That is a matter from 10 days ago when I was delivering potions to the Adventures Guild. I was chatting with Hans-san like always. Because there were few requests in winter, even the Adventurers Guild was deserted. Its really like that, our party doesnt have a true vanguard, so itd be better if I can fight a bit more in front. Well, Im an alchemist so not fighting is also good. I hear you. Alright! Leave it to me! Eh? While Hans-san and I were talking, someone started talking loudly. I already knew whose voice it was, but I didnt want to turn around. The reason why, I had nothing but bad feelings about this. My instincts were ring warning bells. I have to escape immediately. Aint that right! The body is the adventurers asset! The ability to survive no matter what happens is needed, right?! But, Im an alchemist and cksmith. Ha, hahaha. The one who appeared while Hans-san and I were talking, was the Guild Master of the Adventurers Guild in Volton, Barack-san. A former S rank adventurer, he still has a brawny body covered in muscles that would make people question whether he is still in active duty. Like the adventurers, Guild Master is also free. I think this is a good chance to train your body in taijutsu, Takumi-kun. Really, Hans-san, think about someone elses problems! Gashi! Barack-san grabbed me by the nape of my neck and dragged me to the training center. Noooooooooooooo`````!! My screams echoed in the guild. Oraaa! Get back up right away! u I think youve got great status values, but thats all. You dont have the slightest bit of fighting skill or experience. Even if your skill levels are high, you have an overwhelmingck of experience. After that, I got a beat up beginners leather armor from Barack-san. Haa, haa, haa. I adjusted my breathing and confronted Barack-san. My level as well as my status have risen from what it was a year ago, and I think those are not inferior to adventurers. But in front of Barack-san, it feels like theres issues with things like my status values or my skill levels. Fuun! I charged towards Barack-san. I leaped in and unleashed a fist, however Barack-san avoided it, doing a sweep then returned with a counter. Guha! Rolling on the ground, I managed to stand up somehow. Hey hey! Watch my movements closely, feel it! I frantically moved my body to deal with the kick and punch Barack-san let loose. Barack-san simply stepped back and said that. He said that when evading, always dodge to a spot where you can attack easily and spots where an opponent will find tough to attack. Barack-san didnt teach me a decided form. I was just told briefly Watch me and try to steal it!. Am I supposed to desperately watch Barack-sans footwork, and his use of his lower body and upper body? I concentrated on taking in Barack-sans every single move. The Insight skill has leveled up The Evasion skill has leveled up The Body Control skill has leveled up The Taijutsu skill has leveled up Thus, whether or not I was Barack-sans time killer, I ended up working hard and earnestly. I was only chatting with Hans-san, so how did it turn out like this? Alright! Rejoice, Takumi! I will make you a top-ss fighter until spring! Gyaaaaaaaa``!!Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 15 years old Job: Magic Swordsman Lv24, Fighter Lv20 ( Magus Lv14, Magic Bestower Lv42, Carpenter Lv24, Tailor Lv49, Alchemist Lv 79, cksmith Lv76 ) Level: 69 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 738 Magic Power: 950 Strength: 380 Agility: 346 Stamina: 448 Dexterity: 370 Intelligence: 442 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box ( Concealed ) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv3 Insight Lv5 ( Up ) Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Evasion Lv5 ( Up ) Body Control Lv4 ( Up ) Increased Magic Power Recovery Speed Lv1 High-speed Thought Process Lv1 Active Skills Spear Handling Lv7 Axe Technique Lv5 Swordy Lv7 Throwing Lv4 Taijutsu Lv8 ( Up ) Matoujutsu Lv6 ( Up ) Enemy Search Lv5 ( Up ) Presence Detection Lv6 ( Up ) Stealth Lv6 ( Up ) Tame Lv3 ( Up ) Enhanced Physical Abilities Lv5 Magic Perception Lv8 Magic Power Maniption Lv9 Light Attribute Magic L7 Fire Attribute Magic Lv5 Water Attribute Magic Lv5 Wind Attribute Magic Lv6 Earth Attribute Magic Lv8 Ice Attribute Magic Lv5 Lightning Attribute Magic Lv5 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv6 ( Up ) Bestowal Magic Lv8 ( Up ) Alchemy Lv9 Smithing Lv9 Woodworking LV8 ( Up ) Carpentry Lv5 ( Up ) Foraging Lv6 ( Up ) Logging Lv5 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv8 ( Up ) Sewing Lv7 ( Up ) Cooking Lv2 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn ( Concealed ) Familiars Arachne Unique Species ( Kaede ) Drake Horse ( Tsubaki ) Titles Giant Killing *** Chapter 73: Laeva’s Equipment Chapter 73: Laevas Equipment Although I was experiencing grueling training from hell in the Adventurers Guild thanks to Barack-san, everyone spent their time on their respective objectives. Before I knew it, my objective had be mastering taijutsu. ording to Barack-san, my goal is to awaken the advanced skill Fist King Technique from the Taijutsu skill. He also said that there were a handful of people whove awakened to the Fist King Technique in the continent. Naturally, Barack-san has also awakened to the Fist King Technique skill. However, raising the skill level to be someone at Barack-sans ss is apparently very difficult. To resolve that, it seems you need to fight with an opponent who has the same Fist King Technique skill. I wonder what you look for in an alchemist. Sophia aims to learn ancient elvennguage and ancient magic characters. She seems to want to make magic devices. To do that, she has started studying how to draw magic circles that can be called magic device circuits. She already understands the existing magic circles, so shes doing her best to be able to freely construct magic circles in her own way. This is a study she was doing with Laeva. Maria sews diligently with Kaede. They seem addicted to clothing and underwear making. While consulting with Sophia and Laeva, theyre creating various clothing. They became motivated seeing thetest fashion trends in the royal capital. Tsubaki would sometimes go hunting at the grasnds in the outskirts of Volton. Its not just because Tsubaki wants to hunt. Shes aiming to be an evolved being like Kaede, whom had experienced it twice. I havent looked into what the Drake Horses higher species is yet, but I think Tsubaki will achieve her goal in the not-so-distant future. In the warm workshop with Heater MD, Kaede and Maria were making cloth with the thread twisting machine and weaving loom. Sitting next to each other at the table, Laeva and I had a discussion about her equipment. Okay, about what to do with your equipment. Laeva, we still havent decided. My equipment? I have received the magic invocation ring. Naturally, I made and gave a mithril ring for Laevas Mage job. Laeva, youre also registered at the adventurers Guild and have been promoted up to H rank by delivering potions and medicinal nts, but from here on, you understand that the simplest way would be epting subjugation requests, dont you? Yes. Takumis intention is to raise my level, is it not? Yeah, raising your level will also increase your Magic Power, and raising your Intelligence, and Dexterity status values will be useful in various ways too. Also, it would be better to acquire skills and raise skill levels in battle. Understood! Laeva is a pure Mage, but rear guards have nothing to lose in polishing their closebat skills. Should they exhaust they magic power in battle, mages wouldnt be sitting ducks. I exined the importance of closebat skills, and left the choice to Laeva. Umm, if its Cane Arts then I can use it fairly well. So would it be alright to stay with Cane Arts? Right, Laevas Cane Arts skill is at level 4 and is at a sufficient level to be useable. Then your main weapon is a staff, and keep a dagger as your sub weapon. Theres nothing better than getting used to knives and daggers for self defense. Hey, hey, Kaede wants something too~! Umm, can you fight with things other than your threads? Yup, Kaede also uses weapons! Kaede normally fights using her threads which are stronger than adamantite. The attack of something that can freely manipte any number of threads will be dreadful. True, its good if the number of moves Kaede can do besides her threads increases. Got it, Ill try thinking of something. Yaaay~! Thanks Master! First, I thought of making a magic staff for Laeva. Shes already using the magic invocation ring, but she might be able to fight with both magic and her staff. The material used for the staff will, of course, be Elder Treant Wood. Since it has excellent magic power conductivity as well being stronger and more durable than iron, I believe that with its hardness and toughness, it is the best material for a magic staff. Even more, to make it stronger, just like our spearheads, I enveloped the exterior with a thinyer of mithril alloy and carved aplex design on it. The staff was adorned with shiny silver metal and carvings, making it nonslip as well. Laeva, if I bestow a knife or dagger with an attribute, which among the Light, Dark, or Fire attribute is good? In the case of Dark attribute, I cant do it alone and will need your cooperation though. If Light attribute is granted on a weapon, it has a special attack against Undead-type monsters. If its Dark attribute granted with Laevas current skill level, I think it can have attacks with added poison or be a cursed sword that deals mental damage to the cut opponents. Hmm, Dark attribute is fine. I was thinking that it might possibly be good if it can be given confusion or paralysis. Paralysis might be good. Im looking forward to doing things with the Dark attribute so thats enough thinking for Laevas dagger. Now what to do for Kaede, Kaedes lower half is a spiders body while her upper body is no different to a childs. A weapon not toorge and will not be a hindrance to the maniption of her strong threads. It might be difficult to handle, but do you want to try ws? ws~? Yeah, Kaede, you fight by making use of three dimensional aerial maneuvers so ws might be perfect for you. Ok, will try~! Kaede shook her arms as she mimicked using ws. I decided to make a gauntlet that will be ws for Kaede. Since its Kaede, she can smear her own poison on the ws when fighting. Afterwards, I finished Laeva and Kaedes equipment with Laevas help. Although I say Laeva can do it, she has to pour her magic power into Dposition Extraction Synthesis magic circles to support her when she makes mithril and adamantite alloys though. Laevas magic power is definitelycking. But even so, Laeva keeps at it while drinking mana potions. *** Chapter 74: Unknowingly entered the top Chapter 74: Unknowingly entered the topWinter. I spent my time in hand-to-handbat training with Barack-san at the Adventurers Guild, and at some point, Sophia, Maria, and even the rear guard Laeva started participating and it turned into training for our whole party. Ha!Ya!Haa! Intense sounds of weapons and our battle cries reverberated in the training center. Even Laeva, the newest member to join us, who serves as rear guard is making full use of her staff is in an intense mock battle with Sophia and Maria. This winter, Ivee to admire Laeva who is doing her best to raise her level for alchemy by subjugating monsters and is doing this shitty old mans difficult training at the Adventurers Guild. Thanks to that effort, she is manifesting the physical abilities distinctive of beastmen, and her growth might be the best amongst us. Kan! Kyaa! Laevas staff spun midair and she fell on her behind. Are you alright Laeva? Still, youve improved greatly. Sophia, who made her opponents staff fly midair with her spear, extended a helping hand. Haa, haa, yes, thank you very much. Even though it can be said that she has grown the most, her starting line is still different from ours. She hasnt leveled that much this winter, so she has yet to catch up to Sophia and Maria. Nevertheless, Barack-san said that our party is already top ss in Volton. Still, Takumi. Speaking strictly of destructive power, I think your party is at the top in Volton. Please cut it out, Barack-san. I think I had apletely unpleased face. We are a party of Alchemist and cksmith and guards. We registered at the Adventurers Guild so we could collect materials. Even if you say that about your party, all of you can use magic, right? There is no adventurer party like this anywhere. Moreover, those magic arent just Fireballs and those basic stuff, all your members can use intermediate level attribute magic. The Oneechan, Sophia, can even use Spirit magic. So, being at the top shouldnt be strange. In the middle of a break after finishing the mock battle, Barack-san assessed our party. Voltons top party, Heaths bunch, the Lions Fang is a purely physical party. If we consider thebined strength of physical attacks and magic, I think your party would be better when fighting against monsters. Haa~, please give us a break. I train because I dont want to die and I also dontpromise on equipment. Thats all. This is a world where there is a danger of monsters even when going out to forage or mine. Thats why I am desperate. I think that if your party is joined by pure attacker or a tank , it would be the top even in the country Nonono, please give me a break. Ive said that we are not maining as adventurers countless times, but it seems that for Barack-san, its valuable having several high ranking adventurer parties in town. But our adventurer party rank isnt even D rank yet. Given that I am D rank, Sophia and Maria are E rank, Laeva is F rank, our partys rank is E. Nevertheless, I only need to take a promotion exam so Im almost C rank, Sophia and Maria have cleared the D rank promotion requirements. Laeva will be E rank soon too. Doing that, we will immediately be a D rank party. Speaking of D rank parties, its the rank with the most number of adventurers and the rank one would be considered fully fledged. Hey, how about doing an escort request? If youplete the escort request, the Oneechans will all rank up. Hmm, how many days would it take? Well, its at the town of Quilbas so it will be 4 days if using Takumis carriage. Isnt it useless if only our carriage is fast? Ah, no worries. They have a Demon Horse carriage because its the Papeck Company, so its alright. Haa, I guess we could do it. Sophia nodded when I nced at her. I understand. Well ept that request. Ooh, I see, thats good. We have information that in between Volton and Quilbas, there have been a stream of thievesing from the direction of Triaria Kingdom. Heath and the other high ranking parties are unavable. Youve saved me some trouble, if its your party then Papeck Company would have noints either. Wait a minute Barack-san, I didnt hear anything about the thieves. What, you guys have already suppressed thieves before, no? Oof, well, thats true, but` Then theres no problem. Ive somehow been forced into doing the escort request. And theres even information that thieves appear frequently too It will be all right Takumi-sama. Maria, you, and I have gotten stronger since that time, and we have Kaede and Tsubaki as well. Thats right, Takumi-sama. Was my face filled of worry? Sophia and Maria were cheering me up. Takumi-sama, we will win easily against things such as thieves. No, it hasnt been decided that wed encounter them. Even Laeva is saying extreme things. Its gonna be fine. Your ranks are based on the number of requests that youvepleted, but if were talking about your true strength, Takumi and Sophia, whose true strengths are higher than B rank, are more than enough. Maria is a solid C rank. Even Laeva being F rank is because she hasnt been registered for that long. Staying hesitant at this point would definitely be uncool. I am the sole male in this party, after all. If I keep saying only pathetic things then Id exhaust everyones graces. When will the departure be? Assembly will be at the south gate in the morning of the day after tomorrow. Ill process the eptance of the request. And so it has been decided that well leave for another town for the first time in a long time. *** Chapter 75: Food Variation Increases Chapter 75: Food Variation Increases Receiving the details of the request from Barack-san, the Adventurers Guilds Guild Master, we headed towards Quilbas. To conclude, the temte-like thieves did not attack. Our client, Tom-san of the Papeck Company, told the surprised me, Iruma-sama, there are no thieves that would attack a line of carriages led by a Dragon Horse. Ha, haha, thats true. Its as he says, there is no way thieves would attack thergely built intimidating Tsubaki, who has sharp horn and is equipped with ck barding. Adding to that, I dont think thieves would willingly attack a trading unit that has someone who can tame monsters to the Dragon Horses degree. Furthermore, Kaede is merrily humming a song on Tsubakis back. Arachne is well-known to be an upper B rank monster. There probably wouldnt be any whimsical person who would attack a Drake Horse and Arachne. It might be hard to distinguish based on her appearance, but Kaede is a unique species, so it can actually be said that she is a lower A rank monster. Really~ Im so lucky to be guarded by Iruma-samas party. Haa. I was worried because there was information about thieves in between Quilbas and Volton, you know? Tom-san seems to have finally been entrusted with a merchant unit recently. Though its called a merchant unit, its still only small scale, with 2 carriages going to the Quilbas. Tom-san said he stuffed the carriage with hand pumps, Purifier MDs, and daily necessities such as soap and would sell them at Quilbas. The president instructed me to buy and fill the Magic Bag he lent me with solely milk when were returning. Eh! Theres milk?! Yes, it isnt circted much in Volton though. I had never seen milk in the town of Volton. Are there dairy products as well? Yes, what was it called again, ah cheese, was it? It looks like soap. Oooh, theres cheese too! I arrived at this world 1 year ago. Im not the It cant be anything but Japanese food type of person. But the variation of the food of this world is too limited. One of the reasons is because spices are expensive though. But the menu would improve slightly if theres milk and cheese. Tom-san and I had idle chatter like this during our meal at the camp. Master, monsters donte near huh~ Youre right. Kaede was sitting on myp and was poking the campfire, seemingly bored. None of the monsters that enter the scope of our Enemy Searche. Monsters in the direction our carriages are travelling run away too. I wonder if I should make a magic device that would conceal Tsubakis presence. That might do. Kaede can erase her presence, after all. Sophia, who sat next to me to snuggle, said so. Maria and Laeva were sleeping in the carriage. As we took turns to keep watch, morning greeted us uneventfully, and we once again began travelling towards Quilbas. Maybe because Tsubaki was leading, the other Demon Horses ran with peace of mind and we arrived at Quilbas by noon of that day. This is amazing. Thats a tamed wolf, isnt it? What came to our view was a herd of cow-like animals grazing in a vast plot enclosed in fences. Wolf-like monsters were on watch, protecting the cows within. Iter learned from Tom-san that the name of the cows were Milk Buffalos and they produced high quality milk which then yield many of the specialty products of Quilbas. Protecting those Milk Buffalos were the tamed monsters called Hunter Wolves. Ive been told that they are monsters that have mostly been made into familiars. Superior in speed and stamina, they are the ideal monster for protecting these vastnds. Wolf-type monsters are nice too. Ive never had a dog, so a small part of me yearns to have one too. We lined up at the gate and were able to enter Quilbas before the sun set. Iruma-sama, the inn arrangements will be done by us. We will leave on the morning of the day after tomorrow. And so, we can enjoy Quilbas for a whole day tomorrow. When we arrived at the inn that day, I used the Purification magic on everyone since the inn did not have a bath. Its a little early, but lets have dinner downstairs. Yes. The inn in Quilbas served hard bread and cream stew. Ooh, its cream stew. A white soup. How curious. But it has a nice smell, doesnt it? Truly. Maria and Laeva were taking whiffs. Yeah, its delicious. Its true. This is the first time Ive eaten such vor. So goooood! This is really tasty! Compared to the one Ive eaten in Japan, it probably has various points it could improve on, but it is tasty enough to satisfy me. We cant return without buying milk and cheese. This white soup uses milk? Thats right. I dont know if theres fresh cream made from milk, but lets look for some tomorrow. If we do then we can eat this even when we return to Volton, cant we? It seems Maria has taken a liking to cream stew. Laeva is nodding her head and saying uhhuh, so it seems she doesnt dislike it either. Weve decided. Tomorrow, well inquire about the specialty products of Quilbas as we buy all the dairy products we could get our hands on. *** Chapter 76: Intention to improve Takumi’s food Chapter 76: Intention to improve Takumis foodOn the morning the day after arriving to Quilbas, I went out to the town with the girls. Where would you like to look around? Lets go see the market first. We headed to the Quilbas marketce and went around looking at the foodstuff. Takumi-samaaa! They have grilled skewers! Then lets buy one for everybody. Finding Milk Buffalo meat skewers, Maria asked for some. I was also interested, so I decided to buy for everyone, even a portion for Kaede who is currently inn-sitting. Nom, Ta, kumi-sama, that, nom, also, nom, looks good. Maria, dont talk while youre eating, if theres something youll want then well buy it. While stuffing her cheeks full, Maria asked for the next delicious-looking food. Even so, there really are a lot. Yes, there are more varieties of sausage here than in Volton. There were no sausages in the beastman viges. Then why dont we buy all kinds of sausages to take home? Yes! Laevas vige was apparently a poor, scanty vige, and they had no surplus to make preserved food with. Condiments were nearly nonexistent, and theyve only recently learned of vors aside from salt. Still, because I started sending the wages Ive received from Takumi-sama there, Ive received a letter saying that theyre no longer having difficulty over food. I see, what a relief. Wouldnt they be happy if we send household items next time? Youre right. When Ive be able to make magic devices, Ill send them useful magic devices. Then lets send a Purifier DM and hand pump together with your next remittance. Eh, is that alright? You have a little brother, dont you? I think it would definitely be useful for them. Thank you very much. I heard from Laeva that its hard for ind viges to buy salt. Now that she mentions it, Bohd Vige was a marginal vige[1] at first too. After that, we bought and snacked on all sorts of new vegetables, sausage-like processed food, as well as purchased spices and eggs. Even Quilbass staple food is wheat, isnt it? Yes, I believe wheat is the staple wherever you are in Valkyra Kingdom. The staple in my vige was korne[2] flour. Apparently Laevas vige mixes the Korne, an ingredient simr to corn flour, with water and lightly toasts it into torti-like product, and it is their staple food. Lets see, I dont remember it very well, but I think it was wheat bread for us. Maria was sold to the Moulin very Company at a young age so she says her memories are vague. So theres nothing like rice, huh. Rice? If I remember correctly, Samandour Kingdomrgely live off of grain. Eh! It exists! Rice! Even though Im fine without eating Japanese food when staying in a foreign country, its not like I wouldnt eat rice. My sudden outburst surprised Sophia. Y-yes, if I am not mistaken, a part of Lomaria Kingdom cultivates it as well. I believe Valkyra Kingdom does not know how it is eaten therefore it isnt circted here very much. Takumi-sama, this is just a guess, but it might be sold at the Royal Capital. Wha! Shoot! When Maria pointed it out, I was astounded by the possibility. To take a peek at the Royal Capitals marketce. I was dragged around by Sophia and Maria, we even went to clothes shops one after the other and yet I forgot to check out the marketce. I have to do my best to raise the skill level of my Time-Space attribute magic! Do you want to eat rice that much? Sophia was astounded, but it cant be helped. My Time-Space attribute magic is at level 6. Im now able to activate Short Warp instantly and stably. But Im not able to use Long Warp yet. My intuition is telling me that I would definitely be able to do it at level 8 or higher. Among the magic that I written in my research into Time-Space attribute magic in the library, the four I cant use are Long Warp, Dimension Cutter, Gate, Time Operation. If I can use Long Warp or Gate, I can go to the Royal Capital anytime. Takumi-sama! Leaving that aside, isnt this it? Absorbed in my own thoughts, Maria called out to me and pointed at a shop selling milk. Theyve set up not a street stall, but a proper store. R-right, were buying milk and dairy products right now. Distracting myself from my embarrassment, I went binge shopping for milk. If its stored in the Item Box, its freshness is maintained, so theres no problem with buying as much as I could buy. Knowing that it could be used in cooking, the girls did not object. Having the milk store refer us to another shop that deals with cheese, we headed there next. Bloomy rind, fresh, blue mould, semi hard and hard types of cheeses, huh. It looks like theres no washed rind type of cheese. There are various types of cheeses disyed in the cheese shop. We sampled each of them and respectively bought the cheeses that were to our liking.. Sophia and Maria boughtrge quantities of the bloomy rind type and the soft fresh type that had no peculiar odors. Laeva was pleased with the semi hard types and kept bringing some to me. I eat all types so I bought a bit of the blue mold and hard types as well. Really~ Dear customer is buying splendidly~. We are very grateful though, yes. Its because it is Quilbas specialties, after all. Now, theres something Id like to ask, but do you know a shop that sells seasonings and alcohol? For seasonings, if you go all the way to the right, there is a shop near the end. For alcohol, it is three stores next to the aforementioned shop. Thank you. Following the cheese shops owners suggestion, we then bought a variety of items from the liquor store and seasoning shop. Sophia seemed to want to drink wine, so we bought a barrel of wine and ale. Sorry, Sophia. You held back on drinking alcohol, didnt you? It is fine. I understand that Takumi-sama and Maria have just barely reached adulthood, so I thought you didnt know the taste of alcohol. I feel bad for Sophia. I wasnt much of a drinker even in Japan, and sinceing to this world, even though Im considered an adult, I still intuitivelye out as a 15 year old child. From here on, lets try out different kinds of alcohol and find ones we like. Yes. Ah, please let Maria drink as well. Since I didnt drink when I was in my vige too, Id like to try drinking. Okay then, how about everyone drinks a bit during dinner tonight? Yes. After that, we found and bought bacon and ham, then returned to the inn once we were satisfied with the massive amount of groceries we bought. *** Footnotes:
  1. Marginal Vige C ޽缯 (Genkai Shuuraku), literallylimited vige. Its an ongoing problem for Japan, although not particrly the case for the story because, here, it just means a lowly popted vige in a secluded area (I think). More information here.
  2. Its derived from the japanese word for corn, Tomorokoshi then altered to Rokoshin. I want to call it Korne to keep it simr instead of Loco. lol
  3. For information on cheeses, please just google them. Way too many links lol
Chapter 77: Return to Volton Chapter 77: Return to VoltonOn morning after, we joined up with Tom-san and departed for Volton. Iruma-sama, there were rumors that there was a young man buyingrge quantities of items at the marketce. Umm, there were many food that caught our eye. The silver haired youth had taken three beautiful ve girls of the finest quality with him to buy all the things he could get his hands on, said many whose voices wereced with jealousy. Fufu, three beautiful ve girls of the finest quality, he says, Sophia-san. Excluding Takumi-sama who is a man, everyone was praised. Laeva-chan is also a beauty that cant be seen just anywhere either, you know. Maria-san, for someone like myself to bepared to the two of you No no, all three of you are beautiful girls rarely ever seen, so please take care so you dont get caught in any trouble. When Tom-san said that, the faces of all three reddened and cast their eyes away bashfully. Actually, were wearing the overcoat that was endowed with Inhibit Perception and Enhanced Stealth that have presence concealing effects, so I think we can escape before trouble brews. We were making smooth progress towards Volton since our departure from Quilbas. Proceeding the same, our carriage being pulled by Tsubaki is in front, so there were seldom any attacks from monsters and thieves. Why I say seldom is because the asional monster that doesnt understand the difference in power attacks. Well, Kaede instakills them though. Hey hey Master, can I go hunt thieves? When we were camping that day, Kaede came and said that. Will you be okay? Yup, no presence looks strong. If theres someone held captive, call me. Kay, got it! Saying so, Kaede blended into the darkness and vanished. If one has Kaede-chans stealth skill and that overcoats effect, theyll be the greatest assassin, wouldnt they. True, if its Kaede, then she can approach soundlessly and kill instantly, but its still a little worrisome. Iruma-sama, an Arachne is a high ranking monster. Thieves will be no match for her even if they form groups. While I was talking to Sophia about my worrying for Kaede, Tom-san asserted that there was absolutely no problem. Iruma-sama, you bought a massive amount of foodstuff in Quilbas, do you intend to open a restaurant? No, its not as great as opening a restaurant. Its just to try improving our meals. I heard you also bought quite the amount of liquor. This is something I learnedter on, but buying numerous casks of wine and ale is at the degree of pubs. Normally, one would buy a porcin cases worth. Tom-san said that an individual buying casks of several types of wines and ale for personal consumption like us was unheard of. If you dont spend your money in ces like that, it would just umte, wouldnt it. I received arge amount of money from the payment for His Majesty and Margrave Voltons carriages, then lots of tinum coins reached my pockets when sales from the magic bags came. How enviable. Even if I give Sophia and Maria their sries, they just return the full sum, and Laeva remits the full amount of hers. Well, Maria-san is one thing, but Sophia-san staying as Iruma-samas ve would be safer in many ways. Like Tom-san says, in order to protect the Elf Sophia from various troubles, I believe that being my ve is the best option. Stealing anothers ve is a punishable crime. If Sophia wasnt a ve, she would most definitely be taken by a noble or a wealthy merchant against her will. And although Maria is a human, she is a beautiful girl rarely seen in this world that is filled with many beauties. As for Laeva, she is a beautiful beastwoman. They would get involved in many a trouble by simply walking around town if they didnt have their Overcoat of Existence Concealment. Gasa, gasa. After some time passed, Kaede returned. Purification! I cleaned the bloodsoaked Kaede using purifying magic. Im back Master! No one was caught! So I got rid of everyone. I see, good work. So, how many people? Lets see~ I think 15 people. Iruma-sama, those thieves, theyre most likely the thieves that wandered in from Triaria Kingdom. I believe their numbers were around that. It seems that the thieves that Kaede had dispatched matched the thieves from the information. Tom-san, it would be best to clean it up, wouldnt it? Yes. Collecting the guild cards of the thieves, and disposing their bodies is a necessity. Kaede, can you lead me to the thieves hideout? Yup! I have some threads left behind so Ill know soon! The next morning, I along with Kaede and Tom-san headed for the thieves hideout. Sophia and the others were guarding the merchant unit and on standby. This way! The ce Kaede led us to is a cave, that looked like a beare out of it, which had a door forcefully attached to it. There were two thieves on guard duty at the entrance of the cave that had their heads severed. Inside the cave were more corpses with no heads and corpses whose chests were pierced with ws. Tom-san and I collected their guild cards and stripped them of their armors. Did they just arrive? Theres not much loot here. It cant be helped. I used Earth magic to dig a hole, threw the corpses in, and filled the hole back up. We will calcte the thieves possessions and armor and process them once we return to Volton, then payment will be made to Iruma-sama at the Papeck Company. I understand. The post-processing of thieves put us a little behind schedule, but we arrived at Volton before the sun went down. We submitted the proof of requestpletion at the Adventurers Guild. Everyones rank was promoted publicly. *** Chapter 78: Looming Evil Chapter 78: Looming EvilIn the training center of the Adventurers Guild, an intense battle unfolded, and us falling down and crawling on the ground who knows how many times. The battle training was arranged to be for the duration of winter, but for some reason, it continues even in spring. Haa, haa, haa, wh-y is, training, still, ongoing? As always, Barack-san smiled andughed at the question I rolled out well. Thats cuz Im bo`, no, weve already trained this much, wont it be a waste to stop now? Haa, j, just now, you were about to say bored, werent you? Aftering back from Volton, we received our reward for the subjugation of thieves, but Barack-san told us to hurry up rising to B rank. I was told that I, who had tamed the familiars known as Kaede and Tsubaki, being a C rank was a rank fraud. At that time, I was coerced into the continuing the battle training. Sophia and the girls were eager to, so refusing was difficult, and so, here I am, working hard everyday. As it is now spring, adventurers areing back to Volton, so adventurers apart from us could now be seen here and there at the training center. Oy, that person in a mock battle with Strong Arm Barack is the mage brat that came to Voltonst spring, aint it? Yeah, theres no mistaking it with that silver hair. Wait, aint that weird? How is he able to have a mock battle with Strong Arm Barack? No no no, whats with the movement of that female knight ve? Hey, they increased by one. Adventurers make a racket every time they watch our training, but we were involved less than before. Its hard to say that it doesnt happen though. Switching topics, Hans said to hurry up and think of a name for your party and submit it. A party name? like Heath-sans party is the Lions Fang, right? Yeah, all your rankings are rising, and even your party rank is D rank, aint it? As expected, it would be awkward if youre forever nameless. A party name, huh. It never urred to me, but what should we do? Ill discuss it with Sophia and the girls. Aight. Tell Hans when youve decided. Understood. A name for the party? Right, Barack-san told me to. It seems that once we decide, we need to tell Hans-san and register. Returning from the Adventurers Guild, we discussed what Barack-san said about our party name. Now that you mention it, Heath-sans party was the Lions Fang, was it not? Its difficult now that Im thinking about it. Sophia and Maria gave it some thought too. A name like Lions Fang doesnt suit us. In the first ce, our activities as adventurers are a pretext for gathering materials. How doesTakumi-sama and his servants sound? No, just what is that. Marias naming sense is at a negative. Hmm, how about Wings of the Goddess? Wings of Goddess Norn-sama? Thats nice. But Takumi-sama is the leader, so rather than Goddess, wouldnt Wings of Norn be better? Wings of Norn, huh. It might be seen as us picking a fight with the Divine Empire of Sydnia. But it might be alright. And with that, our party name as Wings of Norn has been decided. It would be great if I could be of help to Goddess Norn who had guided me to this world. That night, figures of people dressed in ck crept into Takumis mansion. Using the shadows of night to their advantage, they crossed over the high walls. The figure of one person who made sounds of footsteps suddenly vanished. Disappearing soundlessly, thepanions didnt notice. They infiltrated into the mansion when one more person vanished. This time, they noticed this abnormality but it was already toote. One person, then another had their freedom taken away and vanished. Outside the building, the person takingmand noticed the abnormality in the units performance. A crisis was ongoing. He hurriedly took one step back, then his body could move no further. Guh! The figure of the person clothed in ck groaned and, then and there, vanished. Master, what to do with this? First thing in the morning, Kaede asked me this and pointed at a pile ofrge silk cocoons in the garden. Did you do this, Kaede? Yup,st night, you see, they broke into our house so Kaede caught them. let me check for a bit. When I cut up one of the silk cocoons and peeked inside, an obviously suspicious person covered in ck clothing had broken in. Kaede, are they dead? Hmmm, its temporary death. Ahh, you used a paralytic toxin. No matter how you look at it, they definitely trespassed to kill us. Takumi-sama, what is wrong? Sophia and the girls noticed that something was abnormal and gathered. Once gathered, I exined to contents of the silk cocoons to them. It might be better to ask for assistance from Barack-sama of the Adventurers Guild. Thats right, perhaps this matter should be discussed with even Margrave Volton. Sophia, Maria, can you two make contact with Barack-san? For the time being, Id like you two to always move as a pair no matter where you go. Yes! Sophia and Maria rushed out of the mansion and ran to the guild.Status Name: Kaede (Takumi Irumas Familiar ) Race: Arachne Unique Species Age: 5 Level: 82 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 570 Magic Power: 620 Strength: 530 Agility: 540 Stamina: 374 Dexterity: 528 Intelligence: 320 Unique Skills Spider Thread Creation Passive Skills Poison Resistance Lv7 Paralysis Resistance Lv7y Spatial Understanding Lv7 Insight Lv5 Active Skills Thread Maniption Lv9 Poison Creation Lv7 Presence Detection Lv8 Magic Perception Lv7 Stealth Lv8 Sewing Lv7 *** Sphys note: And so, I will end the year in a small cliff? Can this really be called a cliffhanger? Advanced Happy New Year to everyone! Chapter 79: Zealots Chapter 79: Zealots Sophia and Maria came back with Barack-san around 20 minutester. We have returned. Is it those? Yes, they look like assassins or something, right? Barack-san checked the men dressed in ck. Those ck clothed people were all human men. Takumi, this is turning out to be a bit troubling issue. Well contact the feudal lord immediately, is it alright to leave these guys for a bit? It is fine by me, but a troubling issue? Yeah, extraordinarily so. Barack-san went to Margrave Volton. We stood watch over the ck clothed men and waited. Hey Kaede, can the temporary death on these guys be undone by themselves? Hmmmm, maybe impossible. Its gonna be okay if using Masters detoxification magic. I see, thank you. If thats the case then constant surveince on them is unnecessary. After around 2 hours passed, a carriage with the crest of the Margrave Volton house etched into it with a carriage of knights guarding it, and an escort carriage with infantry guarding it arrived in front of our house. The person who came out of the carriage with the crest of Margrave Volton, was Margrave Volton himself. Iruma-dono, it has been a while. Thank you very much foring personally, Feudal Lord-sama. Dorn-sama as well, it has been a long time. Umu, it has been quite active, hasnt it, Iruma-dono? There are 4 knights to protect Margrave Volton, andmanding them is the Knight Leader Dorn-san. The remaining knights are gathered at the gate of the mansion and are on guard duty. Fumu, isnt that right, Barack-dono? Yes, that was faster than I expected. It seems Margrave Volton and Barack-san had some idea as to who these men could be. At this point, another carriage arrived, and Moulin-san and the Dark magic user who performed contract magic on the girls had stepped out of it. My apologies for our tardiness, Feudal Lord-sama and Barack-dono. None of that, I have just arrived myself. Miss Moulin, can you do it immediately? Yes, certainly. Iruma-sama, may I ask you to detoxify the paralyzing toxin on them? Understood. I casted Cure to detoxify the ck clothed men and, with Moulin-san instructing the dark mage, the men were bound by a ve contract. Iruma-dono, these men shall henceforth be interrogated by us, but may I have your time on another day? Yes, given that they were aiming for us, I am anxious to know who these men are so I will visit. The soldiers that Margrave Volton had brought along had torn apart the silk cocoons and took the assants out. The intruders had been detoxified and ve-bound, but they were still in dead sleep. The soldiers carried the 12 intruders into the escort carriage and brought them to Margrave Voltons castle. The next day, a messenger from Margrave Volton arrived and we went to the Feudal Lords estate. We were shown to a conference room-like ce in that estate. Once I sat with Margrave Volton, Knight Leader Dorn-san, Chambein Xervus-san, and Guild Master Barack-san, Dorn-san began talking. We have learned that the enemies who invaded Takumi-donos mansion yesterday` no, the evening the day beforest is a unit of zealots of the Divine Empire of Sydnia. A zealot unit? It was such a dangerous sounding name that I unintentionally asked again. Their official name is the Kamui unit. They are a unit that works by eliminating those that do not obey the teachings of the Light God Church. Since wepleted the very contracts promptly owing to Irumas assistance, the interrogation went smoothly. The result of the investigation was that the aim of the intruders was, as expected, rted to the Purifier DMs. I hear that Purifier DM has reached not just the entirety of Valkyra Kingdom but even Lomaria Kingdom, Samandour Kingdom, and Gnomstoll Kingdom. By using Light attribute magic to clean filth, as the god unfearing enemy and developer of such a device, I am right at the top of their list. In the olden days, the septic tanks of sewers were cleaned by requesting Priests to use Light magic, but owing to Iruma-donos magic device, the filth is now cleaned before it umtes. Previously, the priests of the Genesis Faith and Light God Faith would take turns using purifying magic. It is likely that the loss of a source of ie is one of the reasons for the violence done this time. Margrave Volton stated that he pays a considerable amount of money to have the filth that has umted in the sewers cleaned. The Genesis Faith operates on the widely gathered donations, so they do not charge a fee, but for the Light God Faith, despite not having a church in Volton, they expressly dispatch priests from the Royal Capital, and those expenses are included in the fee they charge. I could not say that the priests of the Light God Church are not needed here, and it inevitably continued, however, because of Iruma-dono, we no longer need to spend taxes on unnecessary things. Its just that, well, I do not like the Light God Church. These course of events arent happening only in Volton, but continues in the whole of Valkyra Kingdom, as well as Lomaria Kingdom and Samandour Kingdom. That loss of ie has enraged the Light God Church. For the time being, would it be better to go into hiding? I want to escape to a ce that doesnt reach the eyes of the Light God Church. No, Valkyra Kingdom is a country with many believers of the Genesis Faith. The Light God Church is only in the Royal Capital and in the towns of grimy nobles. Lomaria and Samandour are the same, but I can not rmend Triaria Kingdom because the Light God Faith is widespread there. With that in mind, I believe it is safest to stay in this country where the Genesis Faith flourishes in and is proactively supporting Iruma-dono. The Knight Order and Town Garrison will increase patrol, as well as strictly monitor the towns entries and departures. What Margrave Volton said was reasonable. Knight Leader Dorn said they will be more vignt. All thats left is your personal safety while working as an adventurer. No, Barack-san, in a situation like this, wouldnt it be better to stop our activities? What are you bbing? Your party is in the top 5 in Volton. The Adventurers Guild will be troubled. No, we are being targeted, you know. Aint that why Im training you? Its to build up your strength so you can repel the zealots no matter how many times they attack. Ooh, if thats the case, then the Knight Order should be of help as well. We shall assist in training with the sword and spear. Our Knight Order must express our gratitude as well, after all. No, wait, that is` Before I knew it, Barack-san and Knight Leader Dorn were already setting up a training schedule. ording to Knight Leader Dorn, Doganbo-san forges mithril and adamantite equipment cheaply because of me, and that the captain ss within the Knight Order could now obtain mithril alloy equipment. Thanks to that, the number of knights injured during the periodic thinning in the monster nests in the vicinity have decreased. Also, if your party has an attacker or tank, Id say you cant lose to the zealot units. Haa. Ill consult Sophia and the girls about this when I get back. Sydnia really haunts me. ````````````````````Status Name: Tsubaki (Takumi Irumas Familiar) Race: Drake Horse Age: 3 Level: 72 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 420 Magic Power: 190 Strength: 370 Agility: 390 Stamina: 450 Dexterity: 100 Intelligence: 120 Unique Skills Dragon Scales Lv4 ( UP ) Passive Skills High Speed Travel Lv6 ( UP ) Long Distance Travel Lv4 ( UP ) Active Skills Charge Lv5 ( UP ) Presence Detection Lv5 ( UP ) Magic Perception Lv4 ( UP ) *** Footnotes:
  1. Im not sure if I should use zealots or religious fanatics. Though I think zealots (def C a person who is fanatical and upromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals. ) seems kind of fitting..?
Sphys Note: Sorry for the inconvenience caused by the site downtime. Thank you to the readers who notified me of it! The site should bepletely fixed now. Chapter 80: First Party Conference Chapter 80: First Party Conference Returning from Margrave Voltons estate, I called Sophia and the girls to the living room to discuss what well be doing from now on. ``so thats how it is. Ill be strengthening the defenses of this house as well, but I want to hear everyones opinions. I said that it would be dangerous staying with me. Releasing them from their very contracts and leaving is one way to protect them. It seems Margrave Volton and Barack-san will back me up, so I proposed this while keeping that in mind. I have been Takumi-samas guard from the beginning. If there is danger approaching, then it is all the more reason I can not leave your side. Furthermore, my heart and body already belong to Takumi-sama. In life and in death, I will be with you.dered Sophia, in a verypelling tone. My future is being together with Takumi-sama as well. Even if I am freed, I have nowhere to go. I dont want to leave.said Maria, teary-eyed as she stared at me. It has only been several months since I was purchased by Takumi-sama, however my family is not starving because of Takumi-sama. In addition, Ive only just started my studied. I want to create more and more new things with you, Takumi-sama. Laeva said she doesnt want this to stop. Thank you, everyone. Then, lets get stronger so we can get through anything that may happen. Lets do everything that we can. Having confirmed everyones intentions, I decided to make preparations so I can respond to unexpected situations. (Haa, Ive finally got my hands on a lot of cheese and milk, and yet I dont have the time to challenge cooking with it.) So then, what will we do, specifically? Un, we are being trained together by Barack-san, but Knight Leader Dorn-san will take over our sword and spear training. That is very much appreciated. Mock battles between ourselves is fine, but experiencing the Knights swordsmanship and spear handling will be very educational as well. Maria and Laeva will receive training from the people in the Magic Division. I will do my best at both magic and the spear! I will continue to study alchemy for magic and staff arts. Maria and Laeva are brimming with determination. Our equipment, both the weapons and armor, are all good. There is probably no adventurer party with better equipment than us in this continent. Also, this is a precaution for the house, but I n on improving the barrier magic device used in camp so that it would prevent unregistered individuals from trespassing. This time, it just so happened that Kaede noticed the intruders and eliminated them, but it might not be possible for Kaede to deal with it as simply as this time if arge number of people attacked. If it was in a life or death situation, Kaede would likely be alright against a lot of people though. And I believe that our party, Wings of Norn should immediately search for an attacker or tank. Sophia, you think so too? Barack-san and the others gave the same advice. But for me, a man is no good. Likewise, I wouldnt know what to do if there were men aside from Takumi in this house. Does Maria and Laeva hate men? Im currently surrounded by women, I was thinking it would be nice to have a guy friend as well if possible, but if the girls dont like it then theres nothing I can do about it. I, as well, do not want to live under the same roof with men other than Takumi-sama. I got it. Then Ill try my best toe up with something in that way. Sophia, Maria, and Laeva are all in agreement, so lets focus searching for a female. To search for a ve, or search for a solo adventurer. I even consulted with Barack-san about increasing our personnel to strengthen our war potential and repel the zealot units. After the discussion, Maria seems to have gone to the workshop with Kaede to weave and sew. Apparently its to make battle clothing for Laeva. So then, Sophia, a ve really is our first choice, huh. There are adventurers who work alone, however, they do not immediately want for strength of bonds. Oh riiight. We cant build a rtionship of trust immediately? Yes, we are Takumi-samas party members and mistresses, after all. I imagine others cant immediately be familiar with us. I was at a loss when Sophia called herself a mistress. Sophia, wouldnt it be better to release you and get married? that makes me very happy, but I believe we shouldnt while we are still in this situation. If we, Wings of Norn, be well known in this continent, then no one can object. Is that Sophias only reason? Okay, Ill do my best. If possible, rather than as an adventurer, I would like to establish my status as an artisan though.Status Name: Laeva Race: Foxkin Tribe Age: 24 years old Job: Mage Lv32, Priest Lv16 ( Warrior Lv18, Alchemist Lv12 ) Level: 33 Condition: Healthy ( very: Takumi ) Vitality: 225 Magic Power: 255 Strength: 125 Agility: 145 Stamina: 145 Dexterity: 125 Intelligence: 210 Unique Skills Passive Skills Active Skills Staff Arts Lv5 ( Up ) Enemy Search Lv3 ( Up ) Presence Detection Lv3 ( Up ) Stealth Lv3 ( Up) Magic Perception Lv4 ( Up ) Magic Power Maniption Lv3 ( Up ) Light Attribute Magic Lv3 ( Up ) Dark Attribute Magic Lv3 ( Up ) Fire Attribute Magic Lv4 ( Up ) Alchemy Lv3 ( Up ) Sewing Lv3 Cooking Lv3 *** Chapter 81: Fortifying the Mansion’s Defenses[1] Chapter 81: Fortifying the Mansions Defenses[1] Its only been a year since I came to Mildgard, and yet Im now suddenly being targeted by a strange bunch. So, to protect everyone, Im fortifying the defenses of the mansion. Laeva, help me make the barrier magic device. Yes! May I also learn about magic devices? When I called Laeva, Sophia volunteered. Come to think of it, she did say she wanted to learn about magic devices. Then Sophia, you help too. Yes! Moving to the workshop, I had Laeva and Sophia carve the magic circle I drew onto metal tes. Then I made a paste from magic stone powder and poured it into the etched magic circle. Speaking of alchemy, golem is one category of it too, isnt it? It is. But the magic circle etched into the core that controls it is exceedinglyplex, so I have yet to try my hands on it. Laeva brought up the topic of golems, but this is quite a high hurdle. Previously, I had put out a request at the Adventurers Guild to get a golem core so I could examine a golem. The analysis of that golems core controls failed. Itsplexity sets it apart from the levels of magic circles used in alchemy and magic devices. Layers of magic circles were carved into a magic crystal the size of a baseball. Golems that appear as monsters do not move and act particrlyplicatedly. But even so, it was thatplex. That reason is why I postponed my research on golems at the time. Its because of times like these that Golems would be useful though. The Magic Power Maniption of my current self isnt by any means low, but theyered type of magic circle is not something I can restore. I think it would be difficult unless I improve more on the preciseness of my control over magic forms. The golem made by a well-known alchemist could barely perform simple actions, though. Youve got a point. That means we cant use a golem to guard the house. < The Magic Power Maniption skill has leveled up The Magic Form Control skill has been obtained Ah. Magic Power Maniption has maxed out its level and I got the Magic Form Control skill. While we were making magic devices, my Magic Power Maniption skill went up, and I acquired the new skill, Magic Form Control. Congrattions. What sort of skill is Magic Form Control? Hmm, lets see. It feels like I can construct magic forms with more ease than before, I think? I tested it out. I repeatedly tried constructing different kinds of magic chantlessly as Ive been doing before then cancel it before it activates. If I level the Magic Form Control a bit more, then maybe I can hijack a golems core controls. Then let us quickly make these Barrier magic devices. Yes! Sophia and Laeva were enthusiastic too. It seems they want to finish making the Barrier magic devices quickly and research golem cores. In addition to the Barrier magic devices, I decided to enchant the outer walls with magic resistance too. Rather than it being physically destroyed, being attacked with magic and causing a fire is scarier. Once I fortified the mansion, I started with the analysis of the golem core. It would be great to have a golem with the flexibility simr to an AI with a high degree of freedom in movement and independent thinking, but currently, it probably wouldnt be able to do anything apart from registered magic patterns. I prepared plenty of paper and sketch the magic circles that correspond to theponents of theyered type magic circle on it. Then I inserted magic circles with the intention of linking multiple magic circles. Asrge amounts of paper going into the trash from redoing sketches over and over, I designed a magic circle that would be the blueprint. I dont think its something I can finish within a day, but it would be great if it takes form within the year.StatusName: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 16 years old Job: Magic Swordsman Lv28, Fighter Lv36 ( Magus Lv14, Magic Bestower Lv48, Carpenter Lv24, Tailor Lv52, Alchemist Lv82, cksmith Lv78 ) Level: 69 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 740 Magic Power: 956 Strength: 384 Agility: 350 Stamina: 452 Dexterity: 376 Intelligence: 448 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX ( Concealed ) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv3 Insight Lv6 ( UP ) Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Evasion Lv6 ( Up ) Body Control Lv4 Increased Magic Power Recovery Speed Lv1 High-speed Thought Process Lv2 ( Up ) Active Skills Spear Handling Lv8 ( Up ) Axe Technique Lv5 Swordy Lv7 Throwing Lv4 Taijutsu Lv9 ( Up ) Matoujutsu Lv7 ( Up ) Enemy Search Lv5 Presence Detection LV7 ( Up ) Stealth Lv6 Tame Lv3 Enhanced Physical Abilities Lv6 ( Up ) Magic Perception Lv9 ( Up ) Magic Power Maniption Lv10 ( Up ) Magic Form Control Lv1 ( New ) Light Attribute Magic Lv7 Fire Attribute Magic Lv5 Water Attribute Magic Lv5 Wind Attribute Magic Lv6 Earth Attribute Magic Lv8 Ice Attribute Magic Lv5 Lightning Attribute Magic Lv5 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv7 ( Up ) Bestowal Magic Lv8 Alchemy Lv9 Smithing Lv9 Woodworking Lv8 Carpentry Lv5 Foraging Lv6 Logging Lv5 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv8 Sewing Lv7 Cooking Lv2 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn ( Concealed ) Familiars Arachne Unique Species ( Kaede ) Drake Horse ( Tsubaki ) Titles: Giant Killing *** Footnotes:
  1. Raws say roof defenses ݸ, I believe its supposed to be mansion ݷ.
Idle Talk 4: The Cornered Empire Idle Talk 4: The Cornered Empire Approximately two years before the Divine Empire of Sydnia did the hero summoning, Purifier MDs started circting the market at Valkyra Kingdom. That trend started spreading and has circted to many countries in the continent apart from Triaria Kingdom who does not actively trade with Valkyra Kingdom. For the Light God Church`` no. For the Divine Empire of Sydnia, it could not tolerate the profits gained by Valkyra Kingdom from the magic device that uses Light attribute. Light attribute magic is a gift bestowed to them by God. It is, by all rights, uneptable for the priests of the Genesis Faith to use Light magic. How annoying, those damn fanatics in Lomaria Kingdom and Valkyra Kingdom are preaching racial harmony nonsense! Pope Warvaal mmed his fist on the table in anger. Pope-sama, apart from this, the offerings within Valkyra and Lomaria have been catastrophic with the appearance of cheap high quality basic potions in the market. Prime minister Musudan warily revealed the radical decline in offerings. By nature, the cheapness of Genesis Churchs healing of people is evil. To the Light God Church, performing with Light magic bestowed to them by their God for cheap is nothing but evil. Light God Faith is the religion of the Divine Empire of Sydnia and Triaria Kingdom. Moreover, in the capitals of Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, Samandour Kingdom and in the territories of their coborative nobles, they perform recovery magic on the wealthy forrge sums of offerings. Yet despite only few going around, the high quality basic potions that appear on the market have clearly decreased the sum of offerings from two countries, Valkyra and Lomaria. And so, Packard, has there been any contact with the Kamui unit that you sent to Volton which you found suspicious? Sydnias Holy Knight Leader Packard had sent in the Kamui unit, a team established to eliminate the enemies of the Light God Faith, to the Volton territory, which had been identified as the source of the Purifier MD and basic potions. Their objective is, of course, to eliminate the source. The Purifier DM is sold by the Papeck Company in Volton. The potions are sold by the Adventurers Guild and the Papeck Company without encroaching on the profits of the Pharmacists Guild. We sent the Kamui unit to Volton with the instructions to eliminate the source, however, all members had been detained by Margrave Volton. The Kamui unit did notmit suicide? Kamui unit is a zealot unit summoned only to other countries, and failure of their mission equals suicide so no evidence is left behind. Or so it should have been thoroughly ingrained into them. Did they not even have the leeway tomit suicide? It is most likely that they couldnt because of ve contracts. Should that happen, I believe it would be best to assume that our information has been leaked. This has turned into quite the mess. Warvaals expression soured. There, imperial princess Elizabeth started talking. Father, it would be best if we postpone this matter with Valkyra Kingdom for now. I believe that when that contract advances, the war potential of our Divine Empire of Sydnia will increase. Fumu, Homer, what is the progress on that contract? Warvaal asked the head magician Homer regarding the progress of Sydnias top secret behind-the-scenes n. Ha! The restoration of the magic circle found in the ancient ruins of the age of God has almost ended. However, the analysis of the magic circle is impossible. I believe that after it is filled with magic power, we will be able to activate it. So the analysis has failed. Its effect is guaranteed, is it not? Of course, we can only go by the exnations written in the ancient documents, but it is a magic circle that uses such arge amount of magic power, therefore I have no doubt that we will acquire the strength to reign supreme over this continent. Then Homer-dono, how soon could this be realized? Head magician Homer was asked by prime minister Musudan to borate on how long before the n could be executed. Ooh, thats right, we must seek the cooperation of Triaria Kingdom. We need time to prepare as well. Yes, it will take 1.5 to 2 years even if we utilize the Earth Pulse to fill it with magic power. Mu, it will take longer than I had expected. During that time, we can not leave Valkyra to its own devices. Should we dispatch Kamui units and move nobles connected to the Light God Church? Thats right. To investigate the war potential of Valkyra and Lomaria, let us dispatch those that excel as spies from within the Kamui units. With Packard supplementing for Warvaal, they had set Sydnias objectives for the next two years. Two yearster, on therge scale magic circle installed in the temple of the Divine Empire of Sydnia, an otherworld hero summoning was performed. Those summoned were 3 individuals with ck hair and eyes. However, for some reason, the magic form used to construct the magic circle was no longer functional. Homer examined it countless times, but he never figured out the cause. *** Sphys Note: Many people read the fake chapter 81, please read correct chapter 81 again if it was too short. You very likely missed many details. An obvious sign you read the fake is if it does NOT have ament section. Chapter 82: Accelerating Skill Levels Chapter 82: elerating Skill Levels Because I obtained the Magic Form Control skill in the middle of making magic devices, Ive be able to do all things rted to magic better than before. Reduction in the amount of consumed magic power; Increased power; Precise maniption. The benefits of Magic Form Control are extensive. And so I decided to challenge the golem core packed with theyered type magic circle that I had half abandoned. If Iplete a guardian golem for the mansion, the burden on all of us would lessen considerably. Hey Master, cant golems be tamed? Kaedes single sentence made the motivated me halt. umm, I dont know? With Kaedes unexpected remark, my hands suddenly stopped. Can it be tamed? It is inorganic. But if we were to talk about things that cant be tamed, I have tamed a spider type monster. Even more, I tamed a Drake Horse which had no records of being tamed in thest several hundred years. Is it possible? Hey Sophia, what do you think? Hmm. I do not know. Right? When I looked at Maria and Laeva, they shook their heads. Incidentally, are there golems around here? In our vicinity, yes. There are Stone Golems that seldom appear at the west of Forest of Death where we had hunted for Treants when we were travelling to Horuas. Another is at an old dungeon close to Horuas, I hear that the Iron Golems appear near the mines too. So theres a dungeon. From Sophias exnation, there is a ce to the west of the Forest of Death with stray Stone Golems and Iron Golems show up by the dungeon close to Horuas. What to do Barack-san will get mad at us if we go to a dungeon now of all times, wouldnt he? Thats correct. Theres still the issue with the zealots, it would be like expressly saying please attack us. Its just as she says. Youre right. Then Ill challenge the golem core controls while we search for a new party member. Well then, we will continue devoting ourselves to our respective studies. I was told by Sophia that dungeons are a no go, so Ill try making a golem with minimal actions for now. I believe this will certainly be for something. From there, in ce of a natural golems core, I used Extraction and Synthesis to transmute a multitude of magic stones to create baseball sized magic crystals. Apparently only I have made magic crystals of this size in recent years. Of course, Ive made sure no one knows about it. I drew and crammed detailedyered magic circles into thepleted magic crystals. Maybe because the level of Magic Form Control was still low, it took a staggeringly long time and shaved away at my will power. As I wringed out every bit of magic power I had, I continued doing precise work for a long time. The Magic Form Control skill has leveled up As that announcement happened, my work suddenly became easier. The Magic Form Control skill has leveled up The skill, despite being awakened just recently, leveled up fast. But the Alchemy skill which needs 1 more level wont go up. (I wanna go to the dungeon~) This is entirely a hunch but if I can tame a golem, I feel like I can do one or even two version updates on this golem core. Training with Barack-san at the Adventurers Guilds training center, training with Dorn-san and the knights at the Knight Order training grounds, magic training with the Magic Division, and creating a golem core. The days passed hectically and around the time the season marked the start of summer, our mansion had twopleted Stone Golem guards. With repeated trial and error, it had taken me a long time to work on eliminating the bugs, but its thanks to that that Ive been able to develop my Magic Form Control skill quite a bit. Laeva and Sophias Alchemy skill have gone up considerably, and theyre now able to make simple magic devices by themselves. The result of months long of battle training, Sophia, Maria, myself, and Kaedes battle skills have leveled up remarkably. This growth speed surprised Barack-san and Dorn-san. And so, I atst acquired the Fist King Technique skill. even though Im an alchemist. StatusName: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 16 years old Job: Magic Swordsman Lv32, Fighter Lv42 ( Magus Lv16, Magic Bestower Lv52, Carpenter Lv24, Tailor Lv52, Alchemist Lv86, cksmith Lv78 ) Level: 69 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 746 Magic Power: 960 Strength: 388 Agility: 354 Stamina: 458 Dexterity: 380 Intelligence: 452 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX ( Concealed ) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv4 ( Up ) Insight Lv7 ( Up ) Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Evasion Lv7 ( Up ) Body Control Lv6 ( Up ) Increased Magic Power Recovery Speed Lv2 ( Up ) High-Speed Thought Process Lv2 Active Skills Spear Handling Lv8 ( Up ) Axe Technique Lv5 Swordy Lv8 ( Up ) Throwing Lv6 ( Up ) Taijutsu Lv10 ( Up ) Fist King Technique Lv1 ( NEW ) Matoujutsu Lv8 ( Up ) Enemy Search Lv5 Presence Detection Lv8 ( Up ) Stealth Lv6 Tame Lv3 Enhanced Physical Abilities Lv6 ( Up ) Magic Perception Lv9 Magic Power Maniption Lv10 Magic Form Control Lv5 ( Up ) Light Attribute Magic Lv7 Fire Attribute Magic Lv5 Water Attribute Magic Lv6 ( Up ) Wind Attribute Magic Lv6 Earth Attribute Magic Lv8 Ice Attribute Magic Lv6 ( Up ) Lightning Attribute Magic Lv7 ( Up ) Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv7 Bestowal Magic Lv8 Alchemy Lv10 ( Up ) Smithing Lv9 Woodworking Lv8 Carpentry Lv5 Foraging Lv6 Logging Lv5 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv8 Sewing Lv7 Cooking Lv4 ( Up ) Divine Protection of Goddess Norn ( Concealed ) Familiars Arachne Unique Species ( Kaede ) Drake Horse ( Tsubaki ) Titles Giant Killer *** Chapter 83: Stone Golem Chapter 83: Stone Golem Were in a deste ce covered in rocks. So there really are stray golems. It is said that they escape from dungeons. So, to defeat them we must aim for the cores, right? Yes, it is simr to the magic core of Living Armors. The destruction of the core equals the death of the golem. But when its a golem of that size, the supply of magic power from the magic stones it has can only keep powering the core, therefore if you take or destroy those magic stones , the golem will no longer be able to move. We were hiding behind a rock, observing a stone golem over 3 meters tall. As Sophia exined, there were 5 magic stones arranged in a cross-like formation on the Stone Golems chest. The core is supposed to be in the middle of those, but it wasnt on the surface. To find out whether we can tame a golem or not, we went to this location. At first we were nning on trying it on the Iron Golem in the dungeon, but everyone hadmented that a Stone Golem might be more susceptible to influence. For Sophia, this golem is a win. If were talking normal Stone Golems, it is powerful in strength but its movements are dull, however, the golem in our sights doesnt worry about its size and looks to be quite agile. I estimate that the core of that Stone Golem is a vastly superior item. Supposing that Takumi is able to tame it, Im certain it will be a great addition to our battle potential. ording to Sophia, the ss of that Golem is called Ancient Ruin Guardian ss. Upon closer look, the golem feels like it has intelligence, which, excluding myself who is clueless about normal golems, surprised Sophia and Maria. The stone golem in front of us has an appearance simr to a marshmallow man with two long arms and basketball sized fists. If hit by those fists, it wouldnt end with just an apology. I pondered on how I would go about taming it. But that golem, it was likely a genuine guardian protecting ruins somewhere. It has magic stones and patterns engraved in parts of its body. I think thats a possibility. There are ancient ruins whose State Preservation magic was broken and have since decayed, so it might be a guardian that has lost an ancient ruin to protect. When ruins decay, their guardians usually crumble as well, but once in a while, there are irregr beings such as this one that be stray monsters, or so said Sophias grandmother. Takumi-sama, I think you should destroy its limbs using magic first. After that, destroy its face. When Sophia said that, I looked at the Stone Golems head. I dont know those eyes had sensors, but it had two eyes. Those eyes are likely dangerous. Youre right, I have a feeling those are bad, somehow. I think that theres no way that the guardian has only the physical attacks of Stone Golems. Maybesers? Whats the information from the Adventurers Guild? Hans-dono exined that, previously, there was a subjugation request for it, however, it always ended in failure. Not long after, because there wasnt any reports of damage in this area, the request was rescinded. True, this area is and rarely visited even by adventurers. Beep boop beep beep beep Suddenly, we heard soundsing from the Stone Golem and it started approaching us. Wait! I hurriedly stopped the girls from attacking. Its probably alright. Although I was feeling jittery over the 3 meter tall intimidating Stone Golem slowly approaching, I was, for some reason, convinced it was alright. Is taming it possible? not yet. Its faint but I have a feeling that a path connects. The super heavyweight Stone Golem stopped in front of me. And its ping pong-sized blue jewel-like eyes stared at me. (Ah, I think I understand something. This Stone Golem is probably a guardian that protected an ancient ruin that is rted to Goddess Norn-sama. Its responding to the divine protection I got from the Goddess.) For some reason, I was convinced of that. Thereupon a thick path of magic power connected the Stone Golem and myself, and I realized that this Stone Golem was tamed of its own ord. I tamed it. Sophia and the girls froze in front of the Stone Golem. They wouldnt respond to me even when I tried talking to them, just white eyed with mouths agape. Thus, I named this Stone Golem Titan. And then I checked Titans status. However, its current status is that of a Stone Golems. I knew we were connected through taming, but Titans real form is its core. The properties of its body doesnt necessarily have to be stone. Be it iron, mithril, or wood. it doesnt matter. And so, its status values change ording to the materials and size of its body. Titan conveyed its will, desiring a body thats average sized if it could. And so Titans body crumbled, and from within the magic stones on its chest, it transformed into a 120 cm mini Titan. Youll follow us in that size, right? ???????? Afterwards, the girls, whove returned to themselves, and I returned to Volton with Titan. When we return home, I have to go to my workshop and analyze Titans core. If I can use it as a slight reference, then I think Ill be able to upgrade the golems currently protecting our house. ````````````````````Status Name: Titan ( Takumi Irumas Familiar ) Race: Guardian Golem Age: 23,120 Level: 120 Condition: ??? Vitality: 800 Magic Power: 300 Strength: 650 Agility: 280 Stamina: 650 Dexterity: 150 Intelligence: 200 Unique Skills Reformation Lv8 Light of Judgment Lv3 Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv8 Physical Resistance Lv10 Magic Resistance Lv5 Active Skills Taijutsu Lv7 Bludgeon Technique Lv6 Presence Detection Lv5 Magic Perception Lv5 Earth Attribute Magic Lv8 *** Chapter 84: Pondering over Titan’s body Chapter 84: Pondering over Titans body Taking mini Titan back to Volton, I analyzed its core and my thoughts on it are two words. Mhmm. Absolutely impossible. Titans core is a softball sized magic crystalpactly drawn withyered type magic circle. I was able to analyze a part of it, but understanding its entirety would probably take 100-200 years. At any rate, a full copy was impossible. Maybe because its the core of an independent intelligent lifeform capable of thoughts, that should have been as obvious as obvious can get. Master, I wanna be able to talk to Titan-chan! Talk, huh~ It will be hard but Ill think of something. Yaaay! Thank you, Master! After saying so, Kaede ran to mini Titan. Takumi-sama, is it possible to transfer the core? Yeah, thats actually not that difficult. Lets take Titan for instance, stone was the suitable material in its surroundings, but if there was plenty of iron then it would have built a body out of iron. The superiority of Titans core was apparent even when it changed to mini Titan, despite it not choosing its bodys materials. Moreover, it hasplete control in its bodys size and is able to change it of its own free will. When Ipare it to the cores Ive made, Titans core can already be called a life-form. Reading and understanding even just a tiny portion of the magic circle in Titan-chans core is already difficult. Laeva groaned as she stared at my sketch of a small portion ofplex magic circle in Titans core from when I had analyzed it. Cant help it. What I was able to analyze was just a small portion of it, but even then, it was already thisplex. And so, what kind of body does Titan want? Hmm, about that As Sophia asked, what Titan wished of me is a truly a highly difficult request. What it wants is, first, a body slightlyrger than the current mini Titan. And a 2.5 m to 3 mrge Titan body that the mini Titan can dock itself into. Something it can dock into? Thats fairly simple. If mini Titan and therge body are linked, Titan will be able to control therge body. Would it be easier to understand if I said its a container like how the mini Titan is the cores cover? Afterwards, Sophia, Laeva, and I discussed how we would be making Titans body. Therge body will have mithril alloy as the base and will be reinforced with adamantite alloy. Its model might be close to Tetsujin 28-go[1]. Its overall height will 3 m, and its weight will likely be within its limits. Mini Titan spans 1.5 meters. It will have an adamantite alloy skeleton and ted with mithril alloy armor to reinforce it. Mini Titans size of 1.5 meters was the result of taking mini Titansbat potential into consideration, so it is slightlyrger than the current mini Titan. Ill also make armament ns for when it is in mini Titan and jumbo Titan form. Would this be good? I drew a rough sketch of Titans body on paper and showed it to Sophia and Laeva. Lets see. It will be over 3 meters tall and very heavy too, it looks like the consumption of crystals will be immense. For mini Titan-chans model, it isnt that different from the current one so I think it will be alright. Also, we have to decide on things such as how big the magic stones are and how many wed use. When it was a 3 meter Stone Golem, it had a softball-sized core and 5rge magic crystals that supply it with magic power. If you think about it normally, it would probably have insufficient power to move a body made of mithril alloy and adamantite alloy. Maybe if I transmute the magic stones into magic crystals and make them one sizerger, then the magic power it supplies will go up a notch. Then that settles the issue with magic power. For the core, naturally it will be inside the body, but even the magic crystals will be there as well, correct? Yep, thats how itll be. Another issue is that Titan could shoot beams from its eyes when it was a Stone Golem. But with a stone body, the stone has bad magic power conductivity and loss was great, so the beams output couldnt be raised. This time, its only reasonable to be able to fire off beams in both mini Titan form and the united form, but I have to make it possible to regte the output. If left unchanged, when the mithril and adamantite-made body fires a beam, its power is estimated to be too much, so we will make it so that Titan has the freedom over the output. For weapons, Titan has the Bludgeon Technique skill so a mace would be eptable. If its Titan, maybe skill acquisition is also possible if it trains. The sword and halberd are good too, after all. Other than that, if Titan has arge shield, it would be the best Tank. Arge shield might be eptable. If Jumbo Titan is equipped with arge shield, it can probably guard everyone. A mace and arge shield then. Ill give things like swords and halberds[2] some thought Well have the Papeck Company prepare mithril and adamantite ores, yes? Yep, Ill have Laeva help with the refinement, after all. Yes, I will prepare the transmutation circles. Laeva said so then began preparing the transmutation circles. Sophia went out to make an order at the Papeck Company. I want to try going to a mineral dungeon. There might even be orichalcum inside treasure chests, you know? Maria has an interest in dungeons. I am the same. Dungeons are a mysterious space in this world. A mysterious ce where monsters lurk and treasure boxes appear. Dungeon monsters leave magic stones and materials like those talked about in games and novels. Orichalcum, huh. Will the current me be able to work with it? If its Takumi-sama, then it will be all right! I dont think theres anyone else that can work with orichalcum besides Takumi-sama. Nah, youre exaggerating. Though, Im also interested in dungeons. I hear you can get a hold of different of materials, so lets go once things have settled down a bit more. Really?! Then I will look for information about every ce with dungeons! Maria said so and ran out. I said once things calm down though. It seems weve decided to go to a dungeon. I set to work revising the blueprints of Titans body. *** Footnotes:
    1. Image of Tetsujin 28-go
    2. It saidrge shield but I think it should have been halberds
Chapter 85: Titan body is High Performance Chapter 85: Titan body is High Performance To make Titans body, I had Laeva begin with the refinement of the mithril ore while I worked out the details in the design. Once I finish drawing the design, Ill begin refining the mithril and adamantite too. Fuu~~ To think refining mithril ore uses this much magic power. Refining adamantite ore consumes even more magic power, you know. Laeva uses three transmutation circles, Dposition Extraction and Synthesis, and refining mithril ore little by little, but her magic power runs dry. Its painstaking work to draw precise transmutation circles with a special ink mixture with powdered magic stone. The consumption of magic power isrge and Laeva doing the transmutation chantlessly is also difficult. Mini Titan is also in the workshop, toddling around to help move the ores. Mini Titans frame is made up of adamantite alloy. The case for its core, which is in the center of his chest, is made of mithril alloy. Golems, whether they use wood or stone, control their form and movement by permeating the material with their magic power. Thats why all the ces in the body that move need to be connected to the core. If the bodys materials are mithril and adamantite, then its magic conductivity is high, so quick and delicate movement is possiblepared to a body of stone and wood. Even though its a Mini Titan, the weight of its body made of adamantite and mithril alloy is over 200 kg. 5 magic crystals are arranged around its core and is covered by a case. There are mithril alloy wirings all around its eyes so it could fire beams. Alright, what do you think, Titan? About your new body. The, best. Master. Titan answered in an almost electronic voice. Right, another hardship of mine was for him to be able to speak. I somehowpleted it after much trial and error, but Titan still needed to practice speaking. Titan, please check your body then. Ro, ger. Titan left the workshop and began checking his body in the garden. Takumi-sama, what will these chains be used for? Laeva asked, looking at the blueprint. Having finished refining mithril and adamantite ores, we started making therge titan body. Ah, that will be used for a mechanism. Strong adamantite alloy chains ted with mithril alloy. These are for Titans chains when they fly off. Rocket Punch. The chains are for retrieving the fists when they shoot out. Operating the arm is possible if the chain is connected, so it can be used as a wire anchor as well. Originally, shooting a weapon made of a lump of iron at a monster cloaked in magic power wouldnt have much effect on it, but it would if its a fist made of adamantite alloy. If arge-massed fist d in magic power is shot, it could likely even break through dragon scales. What will you be doing with thisrge magic crystal? Laeva was, by no exaggeration, holding an enormous magic crystal the size of a baseball. If this were natural, something of this size would have had to havee from the likes of an old dragon. This one is something I created through by transmutation in alchemy though. Those are for its role as a magic tank, arent it? Two of them, yes. The remaining one will be used for strengthening therge Titan. It is a magic crystal dedicated to an enhancement magic form that will strengthen the main frame and driveponent of therge golem spanning 3 meters high overall, and would not yield to extreme movement. Is there a need to replenish magic power with the magic crystal for a magic tank? I n on constructing a magic form that would absorb mana from the atmosphere. But for now, I estimate it should be able to operate for 3 days on full power. I think thats plenty. Because of its weight, the magic power consumed to operate the Jumbo Titan body is twice more than when it was a Stone Golem. Nevertheless, it is doubled because it isnt just a cluster of metal. With Mini Titans help, Jumbo Titans assembly proceeded smoothly. When Sophia and Laeva gradually became able of using Smithing magic, our work efficiency improved noticeably. I installed a moveable magic jet propeller on its back. Titan, unite with therge body. Roger, Master. The front of therge body opened up and mini Titan fitted itself into the body. When the front hatch closed, both eyes of jumbo Titan lit up, and the 3 meter metal giant slowly started moving. Titan tried all basic movement and was checking for any defects. How is it? Moves easier, than previous, body. I examined both Mini Titan and Jumbo Titans statuses. Its vitality, strength, and stamina values were outrageous.Status Name: Titan ( Takumi Irumas Familiar ) Race: Guardian Golem Age: 23,120 Level: 120 Condition: ??? Vitality: 2,800 Magic Power: 1,500 Strength: 950 Agility: 350 Stamina: 1,250 Dexterity: 150 Intelligence: 200 Unique Skills Reformation Lv8 Light of Judgment Lv3 Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv8 Physical Resistance Lv10 Magic Resistance Lv5 Active Skills Taijutsu Lv7 Bludgeon Technique Lv6 Presence Detection Lv5 Magic Perception Lv5 Earth Attribute Magic Lv8StatusName: Titan ( Takumi Irumas Familiar ) Race: Guardian Golem Age: 23,120 Level: 120 Condition: ??? Vitality: 12,800 Magic Power: 5,500 Strength: 2,800 Agility: 200 Stamina: 12,250 Dexterity: 150 Intelligence: 200 Unique Skills Reformation Lv8 Light of Judgment Lv3 Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv8 Physical Resistance Lv10 Magic Resistance Lv5 Active Skills Taijutsu Lv7 Bludgeon Technique Lv6 Presence Detection Lv5 Magic Perception Lv5 Earth Attribute Magic Lv8 Equipment: Rocket Punch Magic Jet Propeller *** Sphys Note: So, technically this is the end of Volume 2. Its quite abrupt but thats because this is the WN version which should have just kept continuing. Still, thank you for reading Volume 2 of the Greatest Alchemist. As always, Ill be taking a short break at the end of each volume. I have a lot I need to do, but Ill be back soon. Also, like I have said on the update post, because of a few reasons, I will probably be removing all the LN illustrations once I start Volume 3. So do check out Volume 2 Illustrations while its still avable. Password is: supporttheauthor If in case the password does not work for you, try clearing your cache and try again. I heard this works for some people. If it still persists, idk how else to help. Book 2: Illustrations: Book 2: Illustrations: These images are avable for free onAlphapolis. To view the remaining images, please support the author by buyingthe novel, orrenting the chapters on the source site. Cover Character Page Takumi pats Kaede Please buy / rent the novel volume to support the author and have ess to the remaining images. Chapter 86: Dungeon Attempt Chapter 86: Dungeon Attempt The adventurer party Wings of Norn advanced through the dense forest. We are underground but we can see the sky in the forest. Its truly a mysterious ce. Yes, the environment changing when changing floors is nothing unusual, after all. Were in an ancient A rank dungeon in the outskirts of the royal capital in Valkyra Kingdom. Were trying to lure out an attack from the zealots, but above all, we were interested in the dungeons. Dungeon are ranked by degree of difficulty. From S rank, the highest difficulty, to D rank, made use of by average adventurers to earn their daily keep. Of course, the higher the difficulty, the more the materials and items in treasure chests be valuable. And so, having obtained the ultimate tank known as Titan, we came to the A rank dungeon Forest of the Beast King. It was a few days afterpleting Titans bodies. Coming home after finishing training at the Adventurers Guild and at the Knight Orders training facility, I made a proposition to everyone. I n to challenge a dungeon. Umm, I do not mind going to a dungeon, but why so suddenly? We are being targeted by zealots, arent we? If we go to the dungeon, we might be able to lure them out, right? I was thinking we can beat them at their own game if were in a dungeon. So, Takumi-sama. Whats the real reason? Though, the reason I thought up for going to the dungeon didnt work on Sophia. Well, I want to see a dungeon. then please say that. Maria, Laeva, and I would not object. yes. So, that having happened, Maria searched for documents on areas close to the Royal Capital, and we decided to go to the high rank dungeon Forest of the Beast King. We had several reasons for choosing this dungeon, but one of the main reasons is that since its a high rank dungeon, there would be few other adventurers, so the chances of us getting caught into anything would be low. Another reason is that, ording to Barack-san, gauging only by pure fighting strength, my party Wings of Norn ispetent enough to challenge an A rank dungeon, and so he gave us his seal of approval. At any rate, were only at the 5th level but the variety of monsters that have appeared are a lot. Because its a forest dungeon, the variations of beast-type, insect-type, undead-type are aplenty. So thats how it is. Additionally, Orcs and Kobolds also appear. The levels of the monsters arent that high in the first level, so we killed them quickly and looked for the stairs going down, but I think the density of monsters would be hard for a basic adventurer. Zashi! Gyagyagyagya!! Shuba! A Crazy Ape, a strangely long-armed monkey monster, attacked from a treetop. Titan was in front, defending us with his shield, while Kaede intercepted the Crazy Ape with her strong threads. Sophia and I thrust with our spears, while Maria and Laeva fired magic. If its monsters in the 5ish-th level, then it isnt a problem for us. In the next fight, Maria use a spear, Laeva a staff, and Sophia and I will use magic. We have some room to practice our skills. Sophia with the spear, sword, and magic; Maria with the spear and magic; Laeva with the staff and magic; Kaede with the w and threads; Me with the spear, sword, taijutsu and magic. We checked our coordination as we fought in rotations. Fnn! Bagoon! My taijutsu which had awakened to Fist King Technique, together with Body Control skill, and Matoujutsu Skill, make it easy to consign demons to oblivion. Sophias Spirit magic is as cheat-ss as ever. Her swordsmanship and spearmanship, which were polished through practice with the knights, are already close to awakening to a superior skill. Maria and Laevas skills werent up to par yet, but Barack-san said that its only a matter of time before they join the level of first ss adventurers. I realized only recently that the growth speed of my party members, myself included, was abnormal. I think that Goddess Norns divine protection extends its effects to even my party members. Kaede is disying her ability to deal with A rank monsters by herself, and Titan can probably withstand the attacks of a dragon. So this is a boss room, huh. We arrived at the front of an extravagant door on the 10th level. What could the monster inside be? ording to the documents I looked up at the Adventurers Guild reference room and the Volton Library, it seems to have some pattern and was reported to have either an Orc General leading abination of 10 Orc Knights and Orcs, or a superior wolf-type species leading 20 blood wolves. Marias researched information is likely reliable. The lowest level reached in this dungeon, Forest of the Beast King, was the 30th level. Maps and information on boss rooms up till there could be obtained. Regarding the maps, the shallow levels are free, however, there is a fee starting from the 5th level and it gets more expensive the deeper the level. Giii. When we opened the creaky door, ck smoke whirled inside the boss room, and a 3 meterrge Orc General, 3 Orc Knights, and 7 Orcs appeared. Guoooooooo!! The Orc General made a warcry, then attacked together with the Orc Knights and Orcs. Titan! On the Orc General! Sophia and I on the Ork Knights! We leave the rest to you Maria! Kaede! Laeva! Yes! (Okaaay!) All at once, Sophia and I broke into a run towards the Orc Knights. Kaede covered for Maria and Laeva. Stepping heavily, Titan charged. An Orc Knight swung its longsword downward at me. I dodged it calmly and hit its temple with my palm. Bafu!! I used Dposition on the Orc Knights brain, and its body copsed like a puppet whose strings have been cut. Next to me, Sophia swungTempest sideways and the Orc Knights top and lower half were bisected. Maria killed Orcs by swinging Explode, and Laeva burned Orcs to death with Fire Lance. The Orcs approaching the two were cut to bits by Kaede. Gaaaaaaaaaaan!! Titan defended against the Orc Generals sword with his shield. Gobaa!! Arge mace crushed the Orc Generals head from above. So the boss of the 10th level is like this, huh. Well, I cant imagine us losing if it is something to this degree. Takumi-samaaa! Theres a treasure chest! As Sophia and I were discussing our thoughts on the boss battle, Maria informed us that a treasure chest appeared. There were no traps on the treasure box, and there were jewels, gold, and a few magic items of intermediate rarity inside. The magic items are not better than the ones Takumi-sama made. Well, it would probably sell for a high price if we sell it. For our dungeon attempt this time, we n to go up to the 20th level. In the farther levels, the traps be brutal, so we judged that it would be too reckless for us currently. *** Sphys Note: Hi~ Thank you for reading~ So, RL and some preparations took some time, but Im back! As Ive mentioned in the update post, Patreon supporters get actual rewards now! Please make sure youre in a tier so you can receive those rewards~ What are they? Please check them out on my patreon. Supporting is 100% optional, so please dont feel pressured into doing so. p.s. I might have been really hungry when I made this chapter because one of the onomatopoeia said Bagooon!, but I missed the dakuten and read it as Bacoooon!. Lol, I dont even like bacon that much. Idle Talk 05: Idle Talk: Distorting Idle Talk 05: Idle Talk: Distorting Its been half a year since their summoning to Mildgard. Akira, Yamato, and Akane have been growing favorably. Ifpared to the average adventurers and knights in this world, that growth potential is likely eye-opening. In fact, Sydnias Pope Warvaal, as well as the officials of the Light God Faith were observing the summoned heroes with satisfaction. Whatever the case, the heroes are precious personnel that cant be increased. The cause for why the summoning magic circle is nonfunctional is still unknown. Akira-sama, where would you like to have a good time today? Will you go outside? Or stay in your room again? Lets seeee, how about we go to town today? Yeaah! The two young men are being supplied with women. Ecstatic from the cajoling, Akira and Yamato were adeptly being recruited for a war of aggression titled the Holy War. Arent you two even a little bit embarrassed? With cold eyes, Akane reproached Akira[1] and Yamato. Whats this Akane, you want us to have sex with you too? Its an OK anytime for me. Yeah, if Akane asks then Im okay sleeping with her too. Smiling vulgarly, Akira and Yamato looked up and down Akanes body as if they were licking her with their eyes. You guys are disgusting, I dont want to talk to you anymore. From now on, unless its absolutely necessary, dont talk to me! Akane turned her back to them and left. Kukuku, Akanes so touchy. Hehehe, shes probably on her period. The two young men who were college students[2] were methodically being fed unteral information and easy women by Sydnia so the two had easily be the churchs yes-men. It would have been fine if it was just that, but they naturally epted the concept of human supremacy, and although they were supposed to have been summoned to defeat the Demon Lord, they didnt think to question the war of aggression called the Holy War against Valkyra kingdom and Lomaria kingdom. Only Akane, who has been suspicious of Sydnia Empire and the Light God Church since the summoning, was looking for a chance to escape from this country. Henceforth, it was decided that the three heroes would go on an expedition to the dungeon at the area bordering of Lomaria Kingdom and Triaria Kingdom. The n was to train the three heroes thoroughly then, together with Triaria Kingdom, invade Lomaria Kingdom or Valkyra Kingdom. This is terrible, Norn-sama! In the divine realm, an angel came to Norn hurriedly. What is it? Panicking in such a way,pose yourself a little. This is really terrible! You are aware of the deity of the Light God Faith in Sydnia Empire and Triaria Kingdom, are you not? The imaginary one they call Anat, correct? Norn said that worshipping a nonexistent god is amon urrence in this world. It has been a target of worship for many years, and although it still has not gained divinity, it has be an evil spirit. Hmmmm, if its just an evil spirit, then there shouldnt be a problem? As Norn says, it will take many years for an evil spirit to gain divinity. And even if it did gain divinity, growing to a lesser god is its limit. To Norn, Mildgards god of creation, it is no different to trash. It will be lower than even the angel, Norns divine messenger. If this were an ordinary country then there would be no problems. However, this country was the perpetrator of the hero summoning and the foolish country started a war because of their desire to do as they please to the beautiful elves. War may ur in the continent with these countries involved. Haa, that may happen. Even an evil spirit has that much power. It doesnt mean that an evil spirit can personally and directly cause something though. It cant create miracles or give divine blessing either. However, the evil spirit can distort the souls of people and countries that believe in it. Specifically, to gradually distort peoples consciousness to be more belligerent, and more degenerate. Furthermore, it can increase the numbers of powerful monsters. There is also the possibility that harm would befall the whole continent. But I am unable to interfere directly. Mildgard may copse if I were to do that. If Goddess Norn, the god of creation as well as the main deity of the Genesis Faith, personally eliminates the evil spirit, the effect it would have on lower world[3] would be too great. Haa~, thats true. Would you rather reset Mildgard? What are you yapping on about? Why should I, the goddess of creation, imitate a god of destruction? A god of destruction doesnt exist in Mildgard. Dare to say, Norn is both creation and destruction. It is alright, Takumi-kun will definitely do something about it. Ah, Norn-samas favorite child? If I remember correctly, he is the child with a body personally created by Norn-sama, and was even granted excessive divine protection. I am getting the feeling that your manner of speaking was quite thorny, but Takumi-kun was a jackpot, right? Well, I would not deny that. I hope Norn-samas favorite will save the children of Mildgard. Saying so, Norn and the angel peered into the lower world. *** Footnotes:
  1. Author typo: it said Akane instead of Akira.
  2. Author typo: Should be university students, but says high school students.
  3. Should I use lower / mortal world? Since Norn is at the Divine Realm.
Sphys Note: I reaaaally want to beat up Akira and Yamato =w= Just writing down what they say enraged me lol Thank you for reading~ As Ive announcedst chapter, advanced chapters are now avable on Patreon ^^ Chapter 87: 87 Chapter 87: 87 A Sabertooth Drake attacked with its 30 cm long fangs. Its arge lizard spanning a total length close to 5 meters. Although it has Drake in its name, it is not a species of dragon. Gakii! Titan pinned down the Sabertooth Drake with its adamantite alloy-maderge shield and swung his mace on lizards head. Bokku! Zashu! Kaede matched Titans attack, cutting off its tail with her threads. Gyaaaaaaaaaa!! Now! Zashu! From the left and right of Titan who was restraining the enemy, Sophia and I jumped out and cut off the head of the Sabertooth Drake. A short whileter, the Sabertooth Drakes corpse turned into a bead of light and vanished, leaving behind a magic stone and two huge fangs. The density of monsters sure got higher now that its the 19th level. Has no one been here in a long time? At my feet were magic stones and 30 cm huge fangs scattered about. Our encounter rate with monsters has been high sinceing to this floor. From wolf-type to monkey-type monsters, or insect-type monsters like the Huge Mantis, a 2 meter praying mantis, to reptile-type monsters like snakes and lizards. A myriad of monsters have attacked us. Its a high difficulty dungeon, after all. With the exception of adventurers who have an objective, there might not be anyone who would explore to this level. While everyone went to collect the drop items, I checked the map. When the collection finished, we began walking to the probable direction of the stairs leading down. Its been 10 days since we began our exploration in the high difficulty dungeon Forest of the Beast King, and maybe because were exploring at such a high pace, so far, there havent been any attacks from the zealots nor were there any presences tailing us. Kaede and I detect monsters with Enemy Search, and then start fights with preemptive strikes and subjugate them. We explored the 19th level with a Search and Destroy tactic, and finally found the stairs going down. The 20th floor had lesser dragon-types like solo Lesser Wyverns and Lesser Drakes, and since it was a straight path to the boss room, we couldnt avoid battles. When we finally arrived at the entrance of the boss room, we took a break. Takumi-sama, please have some tea. Thank you, Maria. A quick and light meal to soothe our hunger and to prepare ourselves for the boss fight. The strategy is the same as always. Titan will cover the whole area and protect everyone with his big shield. Once we fire our initial volley of magic, Laeva and Maria, you will continue to use long range magic attacks. Kaede, guard them and if there is some leeway, do hit-and-run attacks. And for Sophia and I, well rush in from the left and right like the usual. Is this alright? Everyone nodded. Alright! Lets defeat the boss! Yes! (Okaaay!) Gogogogoooooo!! When we opened the massive doors and entered, from the thick fog appeared a monster over 20 meters long with 4 thick legs, and is covered in scales that would seem to repel half-hearted attacks. Yes, a dragon appeared. Earth Dragon! GUAAAAAAAA````!! The Earth Dragons roar reverberated throughout the vast boss room. Lets do this! Ice Lance! Fire Lance! Rock Lance! Wind Cutter! Spears of ice, fire, and stone, as well as des of wind assailed the Earth Dragon simultaneously. Furthermore, Titan fired aserbeam-like Light of Judgment at it. GYAAAAA The Earth Dragon screamed. Then magic power gathered in its jaws and blew a dragon breath. Titan defended against that breath with hisrge shield. Therge adamantite shield Titan has is not just an ordinaryrge shield. It having physical and magic resistance is a given, and when magic power is circted into it, it is able to put up a physical and magic barrier. Titan protected us from the breath with that. Having finished its breath attack, the Earth Dragon was bewildered when we didnt receive any damage. The fight after that was one-sided. Sophia and I used our magic spears; Titan used Shield Bash on the Earth Dragons head and pursued it with a mace; Kaedes threads obstructed the Earth Dragons movement; Maria and Laeva fired magic when they see an opening. I summoned Tsubaki from the Subspace, and everyone went on the offensive. GYAAAAA```` Roaring its death throes, the Earth Dragonsrge body went down. We did it. Well. Done. Ahh, for us to defeat a dragon-type in such a short amount of time, just what is an artisan? Ah! Please look at this, Takumi-sama! While Titan and Sophia were appreciating our hard work with me, Maria and Laeva pointed at the Earth Dragon. In the spot where the Earth Dragon, which turned into beads of light, had fallen, a shiny silver chest, dragon scales, fangs, and bones, as well as an enormous magic stone remained. Inside the treasure chest were several magic items and ingots, as well as plenty of jewels and gold. A transportation magic circle appeared upon our exit of the boss room, marking the end of our first dungeon exploration.Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 16 years old Job: Magic swordsman Lv52, Fighter Lv50 ( Magus Lv32, Magic Bestower Lv52, Carpenter Lv24, Tailor Lv52, Alchemist Lv86, cksmith Lv78 ) Level: 82 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 820 Magic Power: 1,020 Strength: 440 Agility: 410 Stamina: 510 Dexterity: 440 Intelligence: 520 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX ( Concealed ) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv5 ( UP ) Insight Lv8 ( Up ) Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Evasion Lv8 ( UP ) Body Control Lv7 ( UP ) Increased Magic Power Recovery Speed Lv3 ( UP ) High-speed Thought Process Lv3 ( UP ) Active Skills Spear Handling Lv9 ( UP ) Axe Technique Lv5 Swordy Lv9 ( UP ) Throwing Lv7 ( UP ) Taijutsu Lv10 ( UP ) Fist King Technique Lv3 ( UP ) Matoujutsu Lv9 ( UP ) Enemy Search Lv7 ( UP ) Presence Detection Lv9 ( UP ) Stealth Lv7 ( UP ) Tame Lv3 Enhanced Physical Abilities Lv7 ( UP ) Magic Perception Lv9 Magic Power Maniption Lv10 Magic Form Control Lv6 ( UP ) Light Attribute Magic Lv7 Fire Attribute Magic Lv6 ( UP ) Water Attribute Magic Lv7 ( UP ) Wind Attribute Magic Lv7 ( UP ) Earth Attribute Magic Lv8 Ice Attribute Magic Lv7 ( UP ) Lightning Attribute Magic Lv8 ( UP ) Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv7 Bestowal Magic Lv8 Alchemy Lv10 ( UP ) Smithing Lv9 Woodworking Lv8 Carpentry Lv5 Foraging Lv6 Logging Lv5 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv8 Sewing Lv7 Cooking Lv4 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn ( Concealed ) Familiars Archenie Unique Species ( Kaede ) Drake Horse ( Tsubaki ) Guardian Golem ( Titan ) Titles Giant Killer Dragon yer *** Sphys Note: Chapter 88: Takumi Changes Job to Village Chief? Chapter 88: Takumi Changes Job to Vige Chief? Having finished our first dungeon exploration without being troubled by the Zealots, we returned to Volton. Among the copious amounts of drop items, we sold off the unneeded ones to the Adventurers Guild and the Papeck Company. From the treasure boxes, the jewels didnt interest the girls all too much so we sold about half of them. There were massive amounts of gold coins too, so my fortune increased once again. A short while after, on a day we nned to take slowly, a summons from Margrave Volton arrived. Sorry for calling you out today. Without dy, I have a concern I want to request of you, Iruma-dono. I wonder if you are aware that the southern side of my territory, all the way to Triaria Kingdom, is an undevelopednd uninhabited by people? Yes. If Im not mistaken, since it is a ruined region with many monsters, I hear that it isnd ignored by that Triaria Kingdom. South of Valkyra Kingdom, West of Lomaria Kingdom, North of Triaria Kingdom, there is an undevelopednd surrounded by three countries. On the east side of the continent, from the south of Samandour Kingdom up to the east of Gnomstoll Kingdom, there are almost no undevelopednds that dont belong to any country, however, these savagends enclosed by 3 countries is vacant. In the past, there was a time when Triaria Kingdom invaded to im the territory, but they failed and the country went into decline. This was 600 years ago. Since then, Triaria had been taking its time recovering its national power. And so, while its not like I cant ask others aside from Iruma-dono, may I ask you to pioneer a vige in an area 100 km south of Volton? Umm, didnt I just hear from you, the Feudal Lord, that this is and that no country wants to be involved with, though? When I said that, Margrave Voltonughed. Ive heard the report regarding the outer walls of Bohd Vige. Didnt you create sturdy protective walls in no time? There is a location with a river and a spring 100 km straight south from Volton. I want you to start developing amunity centered on those water holes. As for the monster threats, apparently they think that a sturdy protective wall can be made quickly if its me. The undeveloped area surrounded by those three countries is said to be difficult for armed forces to directly march in. Margrave Volton said that it is a savagend where a few small scale monster nests have umted. Monsters sense human presences and gather towards it. It may be possible for a party of adventurers, but monsters would gather endlessly if an army was marching through. In the past, with Triaria Kingdoms attempt included, there had been no sessful remation of thisnd. Because the monster encounter rate is high, many people are mobilized to build a base, which in turn invites more monsters in. Were they not able to put up a barrier? Iruma-dono, there is no barrier magic user able to put up an extensive barrier. In the time needed to build protective walls, they were unable to withstand the attacks from monsters. Even so, at 150 km south of Volton, perhaps because there are still few monster nests in the area, the number of monsters inhabiting it are not much different from the outskirts of Volton. Then why has it not been used? Honestly speaking, its not worth the cost. That area is undeveloped so if soil is not maintained in good condition, agriculture is not possible. Furthermore, there is no path from Volton to it either. Hearing the detailed discussion, theres more to this conversation. As a matter of fact, Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford shelter the popce that failed in the remation and abandoned their viges within the Valkyra Kingdom. Left as they are, they will all fall into very, so theyre apparently considering the remation of undeveloped areas. They seem to be under the assumption that I might somehow be able to develop the area to one that can pay taxes within three years. The residents of the former pioneering viges are informed that they will be exempt from taxes for three years. However, theyve already failed in creating a remation vige once, therefore it is not possible to entrust it to them as it is. And so, this is where I would like Iruma-donos assistance. When I asked why the remation vige failed, apparently it was that, as hard enough as it is to reimnd, the heavy taxation of foolish nobles had caused it to shut down. In the ce 100 km south of Volton, rather than call it a vige, I would appreciate it if you to make a fort. Triaria Kingdom has a previous offense of going so far as to circumventing through the savagend surrounded by the three countries to invade Yggurle Kingdom, so Margrave Volton stated that there is significance in fortifying their defenses from the south of Valkyra to its west. If its 100 km on a Demon Horse, then information will reach Volton in 1 day. Yeah, if they make a detour to Yggurle Kingdom, they would pass near the nned remation vige. It has significance in surveince too. Also, this is a national project, so a budget will be allotted by His Majesty. The migration and guarding of the pioneering people will be left to us. Theres no way I can decline if theyve nned it this far. From this period until things go, to some extent, as nned, Iruma-dono, you are able tomute to and from your house in Volton with your carriage, no? It is indeed possible for the current Tsubaki. As a matter of fact, after the fight with the Earth Dragon in the dungeon, Tsubaki had reached the max level and has since evolved. That evolved race is Dragon Horse[1], and the intensity and gloss of her scales have improved and are more intense. Her attribute values have increased overall and she has acquired a dragon-like breath of fire. a frontline fortress? Ouh, so you understand. Well, Triaria will not likely invade Valkyra, but our country has diplomatic rtions, as well as trade with Yggurle. Even Triaria will be constrained when our country constructs the fort. I was told that when we enclose it in protective walls andplete the canals and water wells, the pioneering people will be transported. Ah, if possible, please make a sewage system and septic tanks too. The scale of that vige will be for how many people? In the future, we would like 2000 soldiers to be stationed there. Err, thats not a vige, that. If theres 2000 soldiers, with the families of knights and remation people, it would be a legitimate town. Its talk for the future. Please keep that in mind. Haa, then please include road construction work into the budget. Ooh! So youll also undertake the road construction. Alright, a budget will be issued by the Margrave Volton house as well. If all goes ording to n, we must also make a road to Lomaria Kingdom. From the nnednd remation up to the frontier town of Lomaria Kingdom is apparently 300 km in a straight line. Once a highway connects Volton to the reimednd and then to Lomaria Kingdom, it would haverge implications on the military and economy. We must have His Majesty make negotiations with Lomaria Kingdom. The discussion kept getting bigger and bigger. Returning from Margrave Voltons castle, I had the girls listen to todays discussion. It would be work using Earth magic for Takumi-sama and Maria, then myself with Spirit Magic, wouldnt it? Yup. I think Ill have Laeva, Kaede, and Titan be our guards. Master, I too, can manipte earth. It would seem that since Titan was originally a Stone Golem, he can modify and strengthen stone and earth. Is that true? Then work will go well. Although it would be a day trip, it would be better to have food provisions, so Sophia and Maria went shopping. Laeva and I, after scouting the location of the unnecessary rocky mountains in the vicinity, had discussions on the blueprints of the town as we drew it. *** Footnotes:
  1. Regarding Tsubakis evolutions. The former Dragon Horse (oR) that I used as her ssification will now be changed to Ryuuma. The new Dragon Horse (ɥ饴۩`) will be her current race, much like how her old race was Drake Horse (ɥ쥤۩`).
Sphys Note: Thanks for reading! This was a scheduled update, so I cant respond toments immediately. Also, Ill be out of town for the weekend, so next update might be dyed because I cant work on it. See you all next time~ Still about Tsubaki. Nope. She did not turn into a centaur, sorry. XD Chapter 89: The Journey of a Thousand Miles Starts With a Single Step Chapter 89: The Journey of a Thousand Miles Starts With a Single Step Having beenmissioned by Margrave Volton with the establishment of the remation vige, I started by securingrge quantities of stones in preparation for it. While Im getting the stones from the rocky mountains at the savagends, Sophia and Maria started the construction work of the highway with Titan and Laeva guarding them. Working hard as my guard was Kaede. Oooh, youve made considerable progress. You guys sure did your best. Yes, I prepared the terrain with Spirit magic, and Maria worked on the finer details. Takumi-sama, I did my best! Thats amazing, Maria. Good work too, Laeva, Titan. Collecting the stones took me 2 days, and during that time, half of the highway waspleted with Sophia and Marias efforts. Once I joined them, the work speed became much quicker and on the next day, a highway stretching 100 km from the town of Volton waspleted. The width of the road is wide enough thatrge carriages can pass each other by, and the surface was 20 cm thick stone prepared with Earth Magic. Also, that surface was processed to make it difficult to slip on. So its here, huh. Theres definitely a river and a spring. The location we arrived at was a small hill with a copse surrounding it and a flowing river close by. If you look at just this, it would be the ideal location to make a pioneering vige, wouldnt it? The reason Sophia said this was because when weve been using Enemy Search since we arrived and we discovered there were twice the amount of monsters inhabiting herepared to the outskirts of Volton. The density of monsters should have been lower here, but this is low right? Indeed. As one would expect of and untouched by any country. With breaks in between, I made the curtain walls[1] using Earth magic to enclose the town-to-be. Gogogogoooooooo``!! The curtain walls towering at 15 meters with a thickness of 3.5 meters rose, and outside of it, I made a moat 5 meters deep and 10 meters wide. The earth was changed into hard stone, and Harden was applied toplete the strong, high walls. I drank mana potions to replenish my magic power as I single-mindedly built the curtain walls. Maria established districts inside the walls. Connecting to the small hill were main streets going in the four cardinal directions. Tsubaki, who was in high spirits from evolving to a Dragon Horse, went hunting together with Kaede for monsters that drew close. Titan manipted the earth as he built an aqueduct that would draw river water. I finished enclosing the town 2 km east to west and 3 km north to south in 10 days. It took another 3 days to erect two guard towers at each junction of the curtain wall At this point, in no way is it a pioneering vige anymore, but if it is utilized as a fortress, then making it at such a scale from the beginning is worthwhile. The extra 1km on the south side was arranged to be for agricultural use. Having finished the curtain wall, I worked with Maria in the construction of the sewage system and septic tanks, excavation of water wells, as well as digging the waterway for the aqueduct water to flow into the interior of the curtain walls up to the agriculturalnds. I entrusted Laeva with the instation of the magic devices in the septic tanks while I installed the hand pumps on the water wells. Ive built high walls around the small hill, and I n to construct a castle on that hill. Once the first phase of that construction was done, I asked Sophia to go to Volton to start the transfer of the pioneering people. Sophia, can you please go to Margrave Volton to request the transfer of the pioneers? Understood. Sophia got on Tsubaki with Kaede as their guard and headed to Volton. Before the pioneers arrive, I had to make houses using stone. When I finish the houses of the pioneers, I will then build the barracks for the stationed soldiers. I erected the buildings and Laeva installed Toilet Purifier DMs in the houses and barracks. By the time the pioneers, adventurers, and soldiers that will be stationed arrived from Volton, I had just finished clearing the grass and mixing fertilizer made from synthesized monster innards into the soil. Coming in from the drawbridge over the moat, the pioneers, adventurers, and soldiers, all of them were dumbfounded with their jaws dropped. W-what is the meaning of this?! Iruma-dono! Ah, its you, Dorn-san. Everyone of the pioneering people and escorts, thank you for your hard work. Quick to recover, the Knight Leader of Margrave Voltons territory Dorn-san demanded an exnation from me. Yes, first I surrounded it with curtain walls and a moat in preparation for monster attacks, so I think it will be safe unless dragons attack. The curtain walls have beenpleted to some extent, so a castle was built for thend readjustment and administering government affairs. Houses and barracks were constructed for everyone of the pioneers and stationing soldiers. Lastly, the agriculturalnd has been prepared to some extent. Well, the soil in the agriculturalnd is not my specialty, so Ill leave the rest to someone else. Ah, also the sewage system and drainage systems in this town have beenpleted, and each house has a Toilet Purifier DM installed. No no no, please wait, Iruma-dono! This fortress town, in this short amount of time, waspleted by this number of people?! No, its notplete yet. The buildings constructed are minimal, and there are many areas that I want to revise. As expected, the time wasnt enough. We drank mana potions as we worked, but even then, we have our limits. Our levels went up and magic power capacities increased, but making a town in 1 month is still impossible. We went out in rotation to suppress monsters to relieve stress so there just wasnt enough time. No, this is plenty ridiculous. Together with the pioneering vigers, we brought craftsmen and materials for the towns construction. We were surprised by apleted townparable to Volton when we arrived, No, I think it might be stronger than even Volton, the sole fortress town in the bordends of Valkyra Kingdom. It seems we overdid it. Its toote to downsize it now, but its not a bad thing. The eternally noisy pioneers were guided to the houses, and the stationed knights were led to the barracks. Dorn-san, I will guide you to the castle. please do. Dorn-san seems to have abandoned his thoughts. I left the guiding of the pioneers to the girls and showed Dorn-san and a portion of the soldiers to the castle. *** Footnotes:
  1. High walls, curtain walls, etc are types of walls. All of which enclose the castle and the its buildings. More information on them here. In my case, I used curtain walls for the most exterior walls. High walls / castle walls will be for the hill.
Chapter 90: Appearance of a Fortress Town at the South of Volton Chapter 90: Appearance of a Fortress Town at the South of Volton Is this a dream I am seeing? Today, this thought I had who knows how many times just kept getting stronger as I arrived at the site. The moment we, the knights, stationing soldiers, and pioneering vigers, left the south gate of Volton in the early morning, we had our first surprise. Not taking into ount the highway leading to the southeast, a highway leading straight to the south waspleted. It is wide enough for tworge carriages to pass each other by and maybe because of the paved stone, even the shaking of the carriage was slight. Typically, the journey on an unpaved road stretching 100 km isnt too long, but it isnt something that even a Demon Horse could reach in a single day. Though it might be possible if it is the specially-made carriage pulled by Iruma-donos Ryuuma. We had estimated it to take 2 days, but we arrived while the sun was still high. Yes, we were supposed to have arrived at thend intended for the pioneering vige. What is that? I suspected my eyes had gone strange. That had to be the case. What was visible to me was an enormous fortress town protected by high walls that wouldnt lose to the one in Volton. As soon as we approached the castle, my surprise had gotten evenrger. Therey a moat encircling the those high walls. There appears to be an aqueduct drawing water from the river, but it was likely made underground as there was nothing that could be seen above ground. We took the drawbridge at the northern gate. Once we entered the town from there, districts were arranged tidily along the main street and the ground was level. Above the small hill stood a castle surrounded by castle walls. Really, I dont know how many times Ive been surprised. The castle on the hill has a feeling of refinement. One could see it was not just from the beauty of its architecture, but also from its strong appearance. Ah, Knight Leader Dorn-dono. Ou, if it isnt Sylphide-dono. Where could Iruma-dono be? I believe Takumi-sama is at the reimed agriculturalnd. Guided by Sylphide-dono, we saw a splendid agriculturalnd. W-what is the meaning of this! Iruma-dono! Ah, its you, Dorn-san. Everyone of the pioneering people and escorts, thank you for your hard work. Hearing our arrival, Iruma-dono appeared. It seems he was preparing the agriculturalnd. Afterwards he had shown us that the agriculturalnd had apleted irrigation channel. I think the pioneers were more surprised than I am. They hade to thisnd with a grim resolution to prepare their dwellings and till however much of the agriculturalnd in the three years they are exempt from tax. They, who had failed once before, had their backs against the wall. If they were to arrive seeing that their residences wereplete, moreover, to even have a Toilet Purifier DM installed in them. And the agriculturalnd can even be immediately sowed seeds on. Its probably inevitable that theyd be thrown off bnce. thend is ready. Yeah, thend is soft. The water in the irrigation channel is clean too. The pioneering people were excited over the agriculturalnd. They touched the earth directly, unable to ept the reality of it. The children of the pioneers were overjoyed at having been allotted their own houses. Of course they would be. Its likely more fitting to call the dwelling the pioneers had before as shabby huts. And those people had been allotted legitimate stone housing. There is no way they could not be delighted. The pioneers gathered here lost all their possessions because of foolish noblesck of policies. And they werent from just a single pioneering vige. They were an assembly of people herded from three abandoned pioneering viges. The three viges felt resentment towards the nobles thatcked of policies who had shut their viges down, it is likely that nobles that possesspassion, righteousness, morality, wisdom, and honesty such as my master are rare. The pioneering people who had fallen to debt very were saved by Earl Rockford and my Lord. There were no elves, but their races varied from Humans to Beastkin, Dwarves, and a few Devils. Due to the nature of the pioneering vige, many are fundamentally married couples and families, but a few widows exist. I must consult with Iruma-dono regarding the treatment of those individuals. Afterwards, we separated from the pioneering vigers and were shown the barracks, and the soldiers were astonished by the building. The residence of all the soldiers will be expanded in the future, but I believe it can house 1000 people for the time being. The barracks built is arge three-story building where 2-4 people can live together in a room. Several private rooms were made to be assigned to themanding officers. Knight Leader Dorn, isnt this better than the Volton Castle? Yeah, there is no doubt this castle is stronger. And the castle can be used if the residents have to be evacuated. The castle on top of the hill and its walls wereboriously crafted, and the architecture of the castle was unlike what Ive ever seen before. There was no interior design and furnishing, but that is to be expected. I must report this to Godwin-sama immediately. The duties of the governor to be dispatched to this town are too heavy of a burden for a baron. At the very least, they would have to be in the ss of a viscount. Truly, it is a luxury to be able worry about things going too well, isnt it? *** Footnotes:
  1. The Demon Race (Mazoku) will be changed to Devil race. I think its really just confusing in english if there are demon-like monsters and demons as a race.
Chapter 91: A Wedge Town Chapter 91: A Wedge TownKnight Leader Dorn had returned to Volton from escorting the pioneering people to the reimednd, Dorn entered the castle to immediately report to Margrave Volton. Dorn, is the report written here true? Godwin verified with Dorn. That, too, is to be expected. It is because Dorn himself had seen it that it was believable, but having read the report, it couldnt be answered with a simple yes, it is.. The town is smaller than Volton in scale, and yet it is arge enough town that it can be considered a fortress town. Above all, a curtain wall and moat had beenid out. The strength of that towns defenses likely surpasses the town of Volton. Essentially, a fortress city is not a city that can be made to such an extent. But this is if were talking about Earth. For Mildgard where magic exists, as a result of using Earth magic to construct protective walls,rge towns with high popce like the town of Volton exist. But even so, for a town to be nearlyplete in just under a month, it is extremely absurd. Master, I believe going on an inspection once is a necessity. I should start by seeing it with my own eyes, huh. Godwin nodded at the chambein of the Margrave House Xervus suggestion. So, Dorn, how many soldiers would be needed to invade it? if the stationed soldiers number 2000 men like nned, it would be difficult even with 20,000 men. Once Dorn exined that the walls were bestowed with Harden and Magic Resistance, the number he gave out didnt seem all that strange. It takes no less than 10 times the soldiers to invade it or it would be impossible, I see. And if it were just ordinary soldiers, they wouldnt be able to do anything and will just lose. Iruma-dono is not all too aware of armies, but he appears to have imagined a town that could withstand an attack from tens of thousands of monsters. Can it be a wedge? Yes, it can be a wedge. Originally, the goal of a pioneering vige in that area of the savagends is to make a fortress in it in the future to keep an eye on Triaria and act as a wedge. Starting from the vige surrounded by protective walls, a strong fortress would eventually be built. It would baffle Triaria should they invade Valkyra Kingdom and Yggurle Kingdom. And so, as a result of Takumis excessive enthusiasm, Godwin and King Lobos ns could be elerated 10 years forward. I will send a correspondence to His Majesty that it would be better to have an inspectione from royal capital as well. Indeed. Because that town had emerged, it shows the possibility of possessing those savagends. Having said that, Triaria Kingdom must pass through Lomaria Kingdom to attack that town, lest they be dominated by monsters by passing through such savagends. Even they should have learned from their invasion of Yggurle Kingdom 50 years prior. At the time of the invasion at Yggurle Kingdom 50 years ago, Triaria marched through the savagends, and by the time they arrived at Yggurle after much struggle, Triaria had lost no less than 10% of their soldiers overall. As a result of that, they had nearly lost the war with Yggurle. Since then, Triaria had many hardships rebuilding their national power over many long years. Likely even Triaria would not move carelessly. But whether Triaria had abandoned their ambitions or would trigger another re-up, nobody knew. Takumi-sama, I have a small favor to ask. Having finished the construction of the castle and its walls on the hill, I was making revisions in various parts of town when Sophia, who had on a serious expression, came with a request. What is it? A few days ago, Dorn-dono had brought the pioneers, but Takumi-sama, were you aware that there were widows among them? Ah, there might have been a few. No, there is only 1 at present, but she has a slight problem Sophia was being evasive, seemingly hesitant to talk. Upon inquiry, there were apparently three widows, but two of them had been remarried to bachelors among the pioneering people. What is it? Does she not want to be remarried? No, she was the only one young among the three women, and I think they wouldnt have been a good match. Apparently, 2 out of the three were human women in their 40s, and the remaining 1 was a beastwoman in the early half of her 20s. The bachelors among the pioneers were an elderly man whose wife had gone before him, and younger man in his 40s. The stationed soldiers are young, arent they? I have considered that as well, but how about employing her as a maid for the house? was what I was thinking. Certainly, it is unimaginable to remarry so soon after losing her husband. That having been said, here, it is a relentless world for a woman to keep living in by herself. Got it. Ill meet her once. Thank you very much. In one of the rooms in the castle on the hill, I was waiting for the woman Sophia will bring along. Practically speaking, even if I dont work for money anymore, Id still be fine, and Im continuously earning, so I have no objection to employing one or two people. At present, even Maria, who is entrusted with the housework, thought it was a good idea to hire some people because the number of things she does beside housework had increased. Sophia probably felt the same way. Knock, knock. Come in. Excuse us. The door opened and the one who came in was a woman in her mid-20s. Large bright red eyes, chestnut brown hair, a bit shorter than Sophia at approximately 166cm, and had long slender limbs. She has a steep and bulging chest line, a slender waist, and a wide hipline showing her maturity as a woman. And simrly a beastkin like Laeva. The woman, maybe because of the culture of her race, was wearingscivious clothing. Foxkin like Laeva wear clothes simr to Japanese clothing, but the clothes of the woman in front of me had high skin exposure. Wearing a bikini top-like clothing, her cleavage created a deep shadow and seemed like they would spill out at any time. She was wearing a micro miniskirt-like clothing on her lower half, exposing her lovely thighs with no regret. Beastkin tribes have many tribes that wear clothes with high exposure. It might be a normal thing for the people of this world, but when a real bunny girl shows up in front of me, even I, who always sees beauties like Sophia, Maria, and Laeva everyday, couldnt stop my blood pressure from rising. Yes, the beastkin woman is from the Rabbitkin. On her head were two long tawny ears that were slightly darker than her hair. Different from tribes like the Foxkin, Dogkin, Catkin, it seems they have retrogressed and did not have a tail. (Seriously, this world. The ratio of beautiful people here really is high.) Please, take a seat. That woman seems slightly haggard. She probably had hardships from their pioneering vige being deserted. Perhaps her husband dying before her and her anxiety of not being able to see a future have umted. But even these did not undermine her beauty. Once we finished our self-introductions, I had a simple interview with the woman and decided to hire her as a maid. The womans name is Marnie. She is 24 years old and she lost her husband half a year ago. Having no other rtives, she came to this ce with the pioneers, but it seems she didnt have the willpower to cultivate a field and live by herself. That was when Sophia called out to her and offered her a job as a maid while she searches for what she wants to do. Lets see, Marias responsibilities would decrease so I think its alright. Thats right, I have my adventurer work too, so Id be d to receive some help. It seems even Maria is in agreement. Laeva doesnt have time to do housework, so if Takumi-sama and Maria-san are for it, then I support it too. Then hiring her is all right. Also, Takumi-sama, I would like it if Marnie is not entrusted with just help at the house but with your everyday necessities as well. Umm, why? With the intention of securing materials, we ept many requests at the Adventurers Guild. Wouldnt it be dangerous if she were toe along? is what I said. I think it would be tough for Marnie-san to be alone in arge mansion for many days. Ahhh, y-youre right. Marnie-sans husband, who died half a year ago[1], suffered from a serious illness soon after they got married and passed away not even 2 years into the marriage. She did her best to do her ill husbands part in the remation, but her husband passed away from not receiving direct medical treatment and the vige being abandoned, so the thread holding Marnie-san together likely broke from the mental strain. One could say that by the time she realized it, she was here with other pioneering people. Then Marnie-san, please support us by working for our daily necessities. Lets discuss your sry, too. please do. Following Sophias advice, Marnie was hired as a maid. I wonder if its because Sophia was from noble origins that its normal to have a maid constantly wait on us hand and foot. *** Footnotes:
  1. Raws say half a year ago a few paragraphs up, and suddenly 2 months ago hereand Im really not sure which is correct so, to keep it consistent, Ill just keep half a year since it came first.
Chapter 92: Inspection group Chapter 92: Inspection group The pioneering vigers lives had normalized. In a building built by craftsmen within the curtain walls, an inspection group from Volton and the royal capital made a sudden visit to inspect the town. Ah! Margrave Volton, and even Viscount Portfort. I get Margrave Volton, but I was surprised that even the Prime Minister, Viscount Portfort, was here from the royal capital. Iruma-dono, youve made yet another outrageous thing. I said a fort would be great, but I cant call this a fort. They alighted the carriage and I showed them around the town on foot. Magic devices were installed in the septic tanks located throughout the sewers. Thats why, like in the Volton town, theres no unpleasant smell. Even the restrooms in the houses and barracks had been installed with the Toilet Purifier MD. Are the houses sold? Or are they for rent? Like the taxes, theyre loaned free of charge for three years. Would the additional immigrants be provided houses with that Toilet Purifier MD as well? Unlikely, as I will not always be here. Themission I received is almost over, so Im thinking of returning to Volton. Theyve begun sowing seeds in the agriculturalnd and the establishment of inns and businesses within the town are progressing at a quick pace. Even if the number of stationed soldiers increase, an additional barracks was already constructed. You could say my job has ended. Iruma-dono, until a governor has been decided, I can not stop you froming and going between Volton town and this town for now, but we will begin the personnel selection with His Majesty and the bureaucrats when we return, so I would like some of your time. Saying so, Viscount Portfort wanted andmissioned me to work in this town for a little longer. Ah, of course we will give additionalpensation, so dont worry. Naturally, cost of the Toilet Purifier MDs and the magic devices installed in the septic tanks will be paid for. Haa. Margrave Volton talked about money matters, but the present conditions were already beyond my control so I ended up giving a half-hearted reply. Also, before the governor is appointed, its been decided that branches of the Adventurers Guild and Commerce Guild will be established. Wed like for Iruma-dono to consult on the locations and building construction. Eh? Thats surprisingly fast. Viscount Portfort informed me of the establishment of the Adventurers Guild and Commerce Guild had been decided on, but the town has just been made, and yet it would already have those two guilds Certainly, if the poption is slightly above 2,000 people with the stationed soldiers and their families, you could say it is premature, however, this town is already advancing with the eptance of immigrants. In three months, it is estimated to have over 10,000 people. From Viscount Portforts exnation, a highway will be built from this town to Lomaria Kingdom, increasing the trade routes with Lomaria. One could say that several hawkeyedpanies have already been inquiring around about purchasingnd. And the soldiers too, 5,000 of them are expected to be stationed here. And a number of adventurers are expected toe because of the various monsters inhabiting the vicinity this town. Soon, Barack-san, the guild master of the adventurers guild in Volton, wille to inspect the location of the construction of the guild branch and to survey the monsters in the vicinity of the town. Margrave Volton exined that small-scale monster nests are extensively spread out in great numbers. In these savagends, the strength of monsters vary greatly because of their locations, so it is necessary to investigate those areas. Would you like some more tea? There, Marnie and Maria pushed a cart, bringing second helpings of tea. Hm? Iruma-dono, you employed someone new for your house? Knowing the members of my household, Margrave Volton uttered so when he saw Marnie. Yes, shes someone from the pioneers, a widow who had recently lost her husband and chose not to remarry, so I decided to hire her. I see, policies regarding widows is a job for us at the royal capital and feudal lords. In His Majestys ce, I thank you, Iruma-dono. Viscount Portfort, its alright. I just wanted a helping hand for my house. This is about Marnie, but right now shes wearing a ssic maid outfit. For Marnie whose default is high-exposure clothing, its too formal, but since she has more chances ofing out and meeting different people, I made her wear maid clothing for the time being. At any rate, the surprising thing was that she didnt wear underwear. There were many beastkin tribes around Volton, but their clothes werent much different from those of the human race so I was surprised by Marnies daring outfit. When it came to beastkin tribes in rural areas though, it apparently wasnt that unusual. Of course, nowadays she wears the underwear that Kaede and Maria make. There are many things that must be kept secret in iruma-donos household. For that reason, it is likely very difficult to employ people aside from ves, so its better to be proactive when you are able to secure personnel. Fumu, I hear your battle potential is overabundant. As Margrave Volton and Viscount Portfort say, with the exception of ves, its hard for me to choose people to add to my ce. Hiring diligent people who work very hard like Marnie is like a jackpot, something I leave up to fate. Even if you mention our battle potential, were a group of producers. Naturally, I am one, and Sophia has be able to create simple magic devices. Maria and Kaede sew, and Laeva does alchemy and has recently dabbled in smithing. No, I heard from Barack that youre already a top party even in Volton. My word. So Iruma-dono is excellent even as an adventurer. Certainly, to be able to build a town like this in these savagends, one must fight with monsters. How extremely talented you are, its enviable. Being praised excessively by Margrave Volton and Viscount Portfort, I somehow weathered that time of difort. When I finished guiding them around the town and castle, Margrave Volton returned to his town and Viscount Portfort to the royal capital. After the pair returned from the inspection, an influx of people and merchandise actively arrived at the city. I epted amission to construct the building for the Adventurers Guild andpleted a 3-story stone building along the main street. A few days of arranging the interior. and the Adventurers Guild promptly started its operations. During that time, I got amission to construct the building of the Commerce Guild. Business transactions increased, not to the extent of Volton, but it thrived to the extent of the capital of an unskilled earls territory. This town was named Wedgefort. This town is yet unknown to both Triaria Kingdom and the Divine Empire of Sydnia. And so, several monthster, they learned an impregnable fortress had suddenly appeared in these savagends. *** Sphys note: Yay! Its been 1 year since I restarted tranting constantly since myst hiatus. xD Also, Im sick again so there might be dys on the next update. Sorry. Thanks for reading! Chapter 93: Spring of the 3rd Year Chapter 93: Spring of the 3rd Year Two years have passed since I came to Mildgard, and I turned 17. I travel back and forth betwen Volton town and Wedgefort, working hectically. Wedgefort town is bustling with adventurers and merchants, and I hear that the number of stationed soldiers there is close to 3,000. It was like the two years passed by in a sh. Receiving kindness from everyone at Bohd Vige, I was able to prepare myself to live in this world. With the personality and policies of Godwin-sama, the lord ruling Volton, it was a good town easy to live in, and I understood very well that His Majesty is a wise king when he summoned me. I think Norn-san chose to send me to that ce after considering the surrounding environment. These several months, Ive been making an effort to strengthen the Sword of the Absorber that Sophia and I use with the ores and ingots we got from the dungeon during our work breaks. The reason is because the ores and ingots we obtained contain a small amount of orichalcum. But it isnt much though, and not an amount that can be forged into a sword. So I thought to use synthesis topound our swords. ? Absolute Sword (Zekken) Tsukuyomi A magic sword capable of absorbing the magic power of the opponent it cuts. The more magic power it absorbs, the sharper and more powerful it bes. Strong sh Self Repair ?Sacred Sword (Seiken) Amaterasu A magic sword capable of absorbing the magic power of the opponent it cuts. The more magic power it absorbs, the sharper and more powerful it bes. Strong sh Self Repair As a result, the sword bestowed with the Light attribute was the Sacred Sword Amaterasu. It deals tremendous damage to enemies that are unaffected by physical attacks like the undead. The effect of having been transmuted with orichalcum was that it raised the hardness and toughness by several degrees, boasting a cutting edge that would easily cut through adamantite alloy The sword de shines a bright blue, and it was remade with a workmanship that wasnt inferior. Ill have Sophia use this sword. The other one, the Absolute Sword Tsukuyomi, which was bestowed with Dark and Lightning attributes, had be a slightly powerful magic sword. If one is even grazed by this sword, it is able to deal damage to the mind/soul*(?). Furthermore, it adds an extra paralysis with the Lightning attribute. Given that it still has the special characteristic of absorbing magic power, a fiendish magic sword waspleted. I made Marnie-san, who works as a maid, always wear a ssic long skirt maid outfit, but, while this is limited to within our house, its like the bacsh was extreme when she wears her in high-exposure clothes. ording to Laeva, it is a disposition of the Rabbitkin to have a tendency for seeking a partner that is strong, and she intends to make me, a strong male, like her. I should discuss this with Sophia and Maria. Well, I definitely wouldnt be able to keep my reasoning. Sophia started polishing not only her use of the sword and spear, but also her attribute magic and spirit magic, and I think she is the most bnced in the party. Maria has risen to adventurer rank C, but her rank is just the surface as shes obtained the strength of equal to a top adventurer. Her skill at sewing has risen and she and Kaede are responsible for our clothing and underwear. Laeva has improved at alchemy. Shes reached the point where she can transmute chantlessly even if a portion of the transmutation circle is missing. And shes already apprentice level as a magic cksmith. Her current adventurer rank is D. Kaede is still an excellent seamstress and she creates a clothing and underwear with a variety of designs with Maria. It seems she personally epts work from the Papeck Company too. Titanmands the gatekeeper golems and specializes in being our bodyguard. Thanks to Titan, the gatekeeper golems performance has greatly improved. Tsubaki, who has evolved into a Dragon Horse, has no rivals around Volton. Even enemies who are difficult to damage with physical attacks die against the breath that Tsubaki acquired. Her running speed and stamina have improved, extending our area of activity. Andstly, Marnie-san. Compared to the haggard-looking woman she was when she had first arrived, shes now cheerful. She seems to be on good terms with Sophia and the others too. Apparently, shes taking lessons on self-defense dagger techniques and taijutsu from Maria. Once afraid of Kaede, Marnie-san has now opened up to her. And she appeals strongly to me. If a voluptuous woman with a dynamite body appeals to me with a passionate gaze, even I think it would only be a matter of time before the dam of my desires bursts. This is how the turbulent 3rd year started for me.StatusName: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 17 years old [1] Job: Magic Swordsman Lv52, Fighter Lv50 ( Magus Lv38, Magic Bestower Lv62, Carpenter Lv64, Tailor Lv52, Alchemist Lv92, cksmith Lv82 ) Level: 87 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 855 Magic Power: 1,045 Strength: 460 Agility: 430 Stamina: 560 Dexterity: 470 Intelligence: 540 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX ( Concealed ) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv5 Insight Lv8 Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Evasion Lv8 Body Control Lv7 Increased Magic Power Recovery Speed Lv5 ( UP ) High-speed Thought Process Lv4 ( UP ) Active Skills Spear Handling Lv9 Axe Technique Lv5 Swordy Lv9 Throwing Lv7 Taijutsu Lv10 Fist King Technique Lv3 Matoujutsu Lv9 Enemy Search Lv7 Presence Detection Lv9 Stealth Lv7 Taming Lv3 Enhanced Physical Abilities Lv7 Magic Perception Lv9 Magic Power Maniption Lv10 Magic Form Control Lv7 ( UP ) Light Attribute Magic Lv8 ( UP ) Fire Attribute Magic Lv7 ( UP ) Water Attribute Magic Lv8 ( UP ) Wind Attribute Magic Lv7 Earth Attribute Magic Lv10 ( UP ) Ice Attribute Magic Lv7 Lightning Attribute Magic Lv8 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv7 Bestowal Magic Lv8 Alchemy Lv10 Smithing Lv9 Woodworking Lv8 Carpentry Lv8 ( UP ) Foraging Lv6 Logging Lv5 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv8 Sewing Lv7 Cooking Lv4 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn ( Concealed ) Familiars Arachne Unique Species ( Kaede ) Dragon Horse ( Tsubaki ) Guardian Golem ( Titan ) Titles Giant Killing / Killer Dragon yer *** Footnotes:
  1. Status age said Takumis age 16 instead of 17.
Sphys Note: Update regarding pics: decision has been made based onments. Images readily avable in Alphapolis will be linked when appropriate for the chapter / end of the volume. Idle Talk 6: Idle Talk 6: Rehabilitation of the widow, Marnie Idle Talk 6: Idle Talk 6: Rehabilitation of the widow, Marnie I am Marnie of the Rabbitkin Tribe. I lived in an ashen world until recently. When I was 20 years old, I married my husband from a neighboring vige. But it was far from living a happy married life. Cough, cough, sorry Marnie. Please get better soon, okay? My husbands body had been frail since his childhood, and he was bedridden from an illness soon after marrying me. Weve just immigrated to a pioneering vige, so whether I wanted to or not, I had to do all of the physicalbor, such as cultivatingnd and the like, by myself, working myself to the bone. Therein, the vige I had desperately worked in to develop was to be abandoned, not even two years in. We were exempted from tax the first year, but from the second year, were suddenly subjected to heavy poll tax and inflexible tax on the harvest. Of course, there was no way everyone in the vige could pay, and because of the drought that was happening simultaneously, the feudal lord announced the abandonment of the vige. We of the pioneering vige were picked up by Earl Rockford, and people of other pioneering viges who simrly failed were gathered and taken to Margrave Voltons territory. My husband died in his sleep the day after the abandonment of the vige was decided. I lost my meaning and willpower to work. If I was asked whether I liked or loved my husband, I wouldnt know what to answer. Because this is normal for ourmunity. Since I was a child, I taught by my mother and father that the love between a husband and a wife grows as they live together for years as a couple. Father and mother are no longer here either. Even in Lomaria Kingdom and Valkyra Kingdom where there is very little racial discrimination, we are regarded as an inferior race. I do believe that that is exactly what we, the Rabbitkin, are. Beastkin tribes have excellent physical capabilities so many are active as adventurers or soldiers. But that is for the battle-oriented tribes. The Rabbitkin like us are said to not be suited for battle. In fact, in Triaria Kingdom and the Divine Empire of Sydnia, there was apparently a history of the Rabbitkin being traded as pet ves. But even Rabbitkin like us are capable with agriculture. Unfortunately, the pioneering vige where we applied for marriage suddenly failed. We of the abandoned pioneering vige were sent to the capital in the territory of Margrave Volton. The town of Volton had an unbelievable sense of cleanliness. Beastkin have noses sensitive to smells, but there was no unpleasant odor anywhere in town. The town was brimming with liveliness, and pleasant scents that Ive never smelled before wafted from street stalls. There it was exined to us what would happen from here on. By all rights, we who had not been able to pay the taxes had fallen into very. Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford had scooped us up from this. Thats why we intended to follow what were told. Everyone was of the same sentiment. Silence! Listen well to what will be exined from here on! The discussion was that, in a ce 100 km south of Volton, a pioneering vige surrounded by protective walls was under construction. We were told that the walls would bepleted by the time we arrive. There, we would construct a vige that would cultivate newnd. Construction supplies and food until the harvest will be provided by the country. The escorting soldiers are to travel with us to the site and will be stationed there as they are. The people, with exception to myself, rejoiced when told we would be exempt from tax for the first three years. Yes, with exception to myself. For me, I didnt have the willpower to start over from the very beginning in a new ce. With no home to return to and having neither parents nor rtives, I was not able to rejoice with everyone. Thereafter, the pioneers, escort soldiers and knights, wagons loaded with materials, and craftsmen had assembled and departed from Volton town. We had been surprised at that first stage. A highway that extended straight south to the savagends. The road was wide and was paved with a stone-like matter. Thanks to that, our travel on the carriage was very smooth and fast. Then we saw the next surprise in front of us. curtain walls. Was there always a town in such a ce? no way, is that it? The voices of the escort soldiers and knights voices of surprise were audible inside, and we understood when we got closer. Each and every one were jaw-dropped in surprise and had befuddled expressions. Tall curtain walls and deep moat spread and stretched around, it couldnt be called a pioneering vige. It was even more surprising after we crossed over the drawbridge and went through the sturdy-looking gate. The houses meant for us to live in were alreadypleted, and even the agriculturalnd wasplete with a waterwayid out. A splendid castle stood on an area slightly higher in the town; Wide cobblestone roads; Apleted town n, with several buildings already constructed. Afterwards, an indescribable beauty of an elf woman hade out to exin. Knight Leader Dorn-sama who had brought us along until now seemed to know the woman and called out to her. When I took a good look, the woman was a ve.Though she doesnt look like it at all. The clothes the ve was wearing were unimaginably high quality to concealing her figure that had a sword affixed to her hip, which brought about elegance that contributed to her appearing as a knight of noble origin. After Knight Leader Dorn-sama and his troops went to see the town, we the pioneers received an exnation of the residences that will be allotted to us by the elf woman from earlier. Just how many times will we be surprised? Each house was installed with a Toilet Purifier MD. The water wells were attached with a convenient tool known as a hand pump, making it possible for even a child to draw water easily. After that, there was a food distribution, and we received a brief that agriculturalnd will be allocated tomorrow. I learned that Id be assigned a house too spacious for a lone person to live in, and the distribution ofnd will be decided on tomorrow. The next morning, the others had been delighted by the agriculturalnd and immediately began their preparations to sow seeds. But I, a sole woman, might have felt slightly uncertain in that ce. That beautiful elf woman came to greet me. Are you alone? yes, I lost my husband. For some reason, at that time, I told the elf woman, Sophia-san, about my personal history. Since I lost my husband, this is the first time I talked to someone like this. I see. For Marnie-san who is alone, farming would be difficult, wouldnt it? If thats the case, how do you feel about working a different job? a different job? Yes, lets discuss this with my master, Takumi-sama. ording to Sophia-san, her master known as Takumi-sama was, surprisingly, the one who built this town. Takumi-sama is a passionate and excellent artisan who has the trust of the feudal lord. To be able to make a town of this extent, I think excellent doesnt do him justice. Also, I am Takumi-samas guard and assistant. Apart from myself, Takumi-sama has two other ves, but one is a helper and does housework, while the other one is being reared into an artisan. And because we are all adventurers, I was thinking we need someone who is able to attend to Takumi-samas daily necessities and is able to do housework. Housework? Yes. Right now Maria and Takumi-sama prepare the meals, but Maria doesnt just have housework. Just now, I thought I just heard her say that Takumi-sama prepares their meals, but does a master prepare the meals of the ves? Marnie-san, can you cook? Yes, I more or less learned from myte mother. Then theres no problem. The house is not of nobility therefore it isnt formal, and my master, Takumi-sama, is a kind gentleman so I believe it is a good workce. And so, when I was lead into a room to be interviewed by Takumi-sama that same day, my initial thought when I saw him was that he was young. He was the man that the feudal lord trusted to construct this town, so I thought he was much older. If asked, Id say he was 16. He was 8 years younger than me, and a young man whose beauty transcended race. Even though I had just lost my husband recently, there was a silver haired young man in front of me that made me blush. This is also a trait of Beastkin, when a pairless woman has an outstanding man in front of her, she cant help but be attracted to him. Then Marnie-san, please support us by working for our daily necessities. Lets discuss your sry, too. I look forward to working with you. I worked as Takumi-samas maid since that day. Hii`! Im Kaede, lets get along. Im M-marnie. I suppressed the involuntary shriek I almost let out. Kaede who introduced herself has a lower half of arge spider and her upper half is still a young girl, which Iter learned was a monster known as an Archenie. Aside from her, there was also a talking golem made of metal. I was informed that both of them are Takumi-samas familiars. Alrighty then, lets take Marnie-oneechans measurements! Saying so, the beautiful human girl, Maria-chan, and Kaede-chan measured the size of my body. U-umm Dont worry, Kaede-chan and I have to make your clothes and underwear or it wouldnt do, Marnie-san. The size automatically adjusts to some extent because of an enchantment, but its better to get the correct size, after all. There was a variety of words that I didnt understand, but it seems theyll be making my clothes. The sample underwear I was shown was like a very beautiful work of art. It was a waste on a beastkin who grew up in a ruralmunity like me. At that time, when I heard that this underwear and the clothes that everyone wears was made from the thread that Kaede-chan produces, the fear I felt for Kaede-chan lessened. Laeva-chan was a Beastkin like myself, but amongst the Beastkin tribes that had low magic power and were bad at magic, she was from a tribe whose specialty was being exceptional at magic, a beautiful girl of the Foxkin tribe. She is Takumi-samas assistant and was said to be studying alchemy and, most recently, even smithing. Sophia and the two others are Takumis ves, but you wouldnt realize they were unless their ve marks were seen because they live like a family. And it became clear that Sophia-san and Maria-chan alternate sharing a bed with Takumi-sama. I asked Sophia-san if I should also attend to him, but her answer was a NO. Maria and I have given Takumi-sama our hearts and body. Takumi-sama said that it would be okay if we ves were freed, but I still wish for a stronger bond than what we have now. It is likely that Maria feels the same way. Hearing that, I seriously considered bing Takumi-samas ve. I decided to improve myself so that I might receive his affection one day. At that time, as heartless as it seemed, the image of myte husband disappeared from my mind. *** Sphys Note: Thanks for reading~ Still sick but survivingkinda but maybe expect dys? Anywho, got any ideas where I can put the illustrations at? It will definitely not be on this site and imgur / simr image hosting sites. Chapter 94: Emergency Call Chapter 94: Emergency Call Even as the 3rd year rushes in, were still living our day to day lives developing, producing, training, and epting requests over and over again. If I were to say a thing that changed, it would probably be that Marnie started participating in Barack-san and Dorn-sans training. Days passed since then, and I lost to Marnies desires. Theres no way I couldnt respond when she sneaks in at night. Sophia and Maria seemed to have been aplices, and after that, they got along even better. Maybe because of that, Maria said Assassination techniques are indispensable for a maid, and its been decided wed prepare Marnies equipment. Marnie is a typical beastkin, having scant magic power and no aptitude as a mage. Moreover, I heard from somewhere that Rabbitkin were popr as pet ves, but they are not suited for battle. Being in a party with me, who has Norn-samas divine protection, made it slightly better, but even then, she probably wouldnt be a first-ssbatant, and I dont think Marnie wants that either. She has no problem as long as she isnt a hindrance to us. Which is something everyone acknowledges. Marnie-san is simply a maid, so how about a self defense magic item that she can wear on her body? Lets see, her weapon is a knife concealed on her thigh, and her clothing is the Kaede-made maid outfit so its defense is better than inferior armor. Laeva and Maria discussed the equipment Marnie would wear when shees with us. In the garden, Marnie is receiving taijutsu and dagger training from Sophia. When we go out for a request, shell be equipped with a breastte and gauntlets over her maid outfit, so if we reinforce that with the magic item Laeva mentioned, I think shed encounter less danger, even if just a little bit. Then Ill make a barrier type essory, yes? Yup, Ill leave it to you, Laeva. The equipment prepared for Marnie is basically the same as our light armor. Furthermore, its defense was strengthened with the use of an Earth Dragons scale. Sophias Equipment ?Ranma Ryuus Light Armor ( Water Wind Attribute ) Light armor made from mithril alloy that carried Wind and Water attributes and has been reinforced with the scale of an Earth Dragon, crafted by an extraordinary Alchemist and Magic cksmith. ( Magic Attack Resistance ?Physical Attack Resistance ? Wind Magic Resistance ?Water Magic Resistance ? Enhanced Wind Magic ? Enhanced Water Magic ? Enhanced Agility ? Enhanced Magic Power )Automatic Size AdjustmentAutomatic Temperature RegtionEquipment Weight ReductionSelf Repair Marias Equipment ?Endo Ryuus Light ArmorFire Earth Attribute Light armor made from mithril alloy that carried Fire and Earth attributes and has been reinforced with the scale of an Earth Dragon, crafted by an extraordinary Alchemist and Magic cksmith. ( Magic Attack Resistance ?Physical Attack Resistance ? Fire Magic Resistance ?Earth Magic Resistance ? Enhanced Fire Magic ? Enhanced Earth Magic ? Enhanced Attack Power ? Enhanced Defense )Automatic Size AdjustmentAutomatic Temperature RegtionEquipment Weight ReductionSelf Repair My equipment ?Jinrai Ryuus Light ArmorLightning Wind Attribute Light armor made from mithril alloy that carried Wind and Lightning attributes and has been reinforced with the scale of an Earth Dragon, crafted by an extraordinary Alchemist and Magic cksmith. Wind Magic Resistance ? Lightning Magic Resistance? Enhanced Lightning Magic ?Enhanced Wind Magic ? Enhanced Agility [Extra Large] Automatic Size AdjustmentAutomatic Temperature RegtionEquipment Weight ReductionSelf Repair Laevas Equipment ?Kouenryuus Light Armor Fire Light Attribute Light armor made from mithril alloy that carried Fire and Light attributes and has been reinforced with the scale of an Earth Dragon, crafted by an extraordinary Alchemist and Magic cksmith. Light Magic Resistance ? Fire Magic Resistance? Enhanced Light Magic ?Enhanced Fire Magic ? Enhanced Attack Power Automatic Size AdjustmentAutomatic Temperature RegtionEquipment Weight ReductionSelf Repair Marnies Equipment ?Suiryuus Light Armor ( Water Attribute ) Light armor made from mithril alloy that carried Water attribute and has been reinforced with the scale of an Earth Dragon, crafted by an extraordinary Alchemist and Magic cksmith. ( Magic Attack Resistance ?Physical Attack Resistance ? Water Magic Resistance ? Enhanced Wind Magic ? Enhanced Magic Power[1] )Automatic Size AdjustmentAutomatic Temperature RegtionEquipment Weight ReductionSelf Repair The Dragon Scales effect was physical attack resistance and magic attack resistance to everything. Its popr as a material for armor. Fuu, it might be a myth that Rabbitkin are unsuited at fighting. Having finished their training, Sophia and Marnie entered the room. Hee, isnt that great, Marnie-san? Master, please call me Marnie. Marnie and I have already repeated this exchange who knows how many times. Shes older than me, and shes not a ve. We have an employer C employee rtionship so I should add a san, but she just wouldnt ept that. And she calls me Danna-sama[2]. Sure, it isnt unnatural for a maid to call her employer this, but. Early morning the next day, Hans-san of the Adventurers Guild came to visit us at home. Good morning, Hans-san. Whats the matter, for you toe this early? Ah, Takumi-kun, its an emergency summons. An emergency summons? Yes, adventurers of Rank D and higher are practically obligated to enlist. An official announcement of an emergency summons came from the Adventurers Guild, and as part of the main force, Wings of Nornhas to participate. I believe that Barack has the detailed ount at the Guild, so could you prepare your equipment and gather at the guild? But I think you all will have to depart first. Understood. We prepared our equipment and headed to the Adventurers Guild. I had arge stock of food provisions in my item box, so we just did a check on the potions then everyone headed to the guild. Marnie was supposed to stay at the house but she herself said shed go no matter what, so because we didnt have the time, she came along. Marnie, you just became Rank E, so youre not actually eligible. Its because I am Masters maid. I will always be by your side to serve you. The guild hall was packed with adventurers. We followed Hans-san to the guild and after a little bit, Barack-san and Dorn-san came out. Silence! This is an emergency request! An adventurer discovered a swarm of monsters moving towards Wedgefort! It went like this. They said that with the sudden appearance of Wedgefort, arge fortress that radically developed, the monsters, attracted by therge number of people, gathered swarm after swarm and those various monsters moved towards Wedgefort. Its just that they predicted that if we were to ovee this stampede, the monsters in Wedgeforts surroundings would settle down. Thats how it is! D rank adventurers and higher will move to the south gate! Also, Wings of Norn, Lions Fang, and Crimson Rose stay behind! The adventurers each rushed out of the guild. Then, I heard a voice call out to me from behind. Yep, I know this voice. A troublesome one. Ou! Why are there more women now?! Ah, its been a while, Heath-san. Bogah-san, same goes to you. Yaa, youve been quite active, havent ya? been a while. Hold up! Dont ignore me! Ill cry! Alright, I get it, so dont. Lyle-san spit and approached me. Umm, Ill give introductions. This here is Laeva, shes my assistant. In my party, shes a rearguard magic user. And then shes Marnie, my personal maid. Please treat me well. Ou, nice to m` that aint it! A maid!? What the hell!? Youre too noisy, Lyle! When I looked in the direction of the voice, there stood a red haired swordswoman wearing leather armor dyed red. Around her was argely built woman equipped with a sword and arge shield, a ck robed mage, a healer wearing a white hakama, and a female scout equipped with leather armor and daggers on both sides of her hips. Hanh? Tch, so its you, Merilda. What do you mean tch? That handsome-kun is the leader of Wings of Norn, isnt he? Im the leader of Crimson Rose, Merilda, this tanker is Varie, the mage is Sally, the healer is Pa, and the scout is Linda. The ones who called out to Lyle-san was everyone from the Crimson Rose , whose party name was brought up by Barack-san. I see, their name is like that because all members are girls. Im Takumi Iruma. This is Sophia, and next to her is Maria, then Laeva, and Marnie. Fu~n, I certainly get why Lyle would keep yapping. Merilda-san grinned widely and looked at me. Ou! So introductions are over, yeah?! Takumi, with your carriage and Tsubaki, youll reach Wedgefort in a short amount of time. Cuz of that, I want you three teams to go first. Have they been cornered considerably? No, the town probably wouldnt be defeated because of Takumi, but with it being resolved as soon as possible, it would show the durability of Wedgefort throughout the continent. I see, the walls of Wedgefort was indeed made to endure for a little while against a pack of dragon-types. Understood. Shall we head out then? Yeah, we can go out right away. Our preparations are alsoplete too. At this point, Dorn-san approached us. Iruma-dono, the Knight Order will also dispatch two battalions. But preparations will take some time, so Ill leave it to you until then. Yes, Ill do my best. We went to the south gate and I called Tsubaki from the Subspace. I took the carriage out of the Item Box and fastened it to Tsubaki. I had Heath-san and the rest get on and we started heading for Wedgefort at explosive speeds. *** Footnotes:
  1. Raws on LN and WN say attack power but I changed it to magic power because I believe these are typos and the attribute effects I know are Fire is attack power, Water is magic power, Wind is agility, Earth is defense. So it wouldnt make sense for it to have that effect.
  2. Unlike Maria and Sophia who calls Takumi Goshujinsama which is a very formal way of saying Master, Marnie calls him Danna-sama which can be tranted as either Master or Husband. And Marnie is purposefully saying it because of that second meaning.
Sphys Note: I hope this makes up forst weeks short chapter >w< Though, I dont really have control over the length of the chapters lol Also, sorry stuff came up yesterday and I have ns today so the chapter got dyed. Im literally on my way out so hopefully theres no problems. >< Thank you for reading! As for the images, I asked and received your opinions. All (paid) images will stay in Patreon now. The free images will be linked when they apply to the story or at the end of the volume like always. Chapter 95: Runaway Carriage Chapter 95: Runaway Carriage Tsubaki, who already became a Dragon Horse, is wearing herplete armor today. Merilda-san and her party shrunk away from the intensity of it. The three parties squabbled and poked fun at Lyle-san as they got on the carriage. Lets go, Tsubaki! Burururu!! Tsubaki began pulling away from the adventurers gathering by the south gate at explosive speeds. When the carriage started moving, I called Kaede out of the Subspace. Kaede immediately got on Tsubakis back. Inside the carriage at that time, all members of Crimson Rose were frozen stiff in surprise at the spacious living room. W-what is this? Merilda! The interior of the carriage is amazing! More than that, it barely shakes. Uwaa! Its a soft sofa! The members of Crimson Rose were surprised and excited. After all, aside from His Majesty, Margrave Volton, Earl Rockford, and Papeck-san, no one else has this carriage. It was then that Heath-san asked what we would do when we arrive on-site. Okay, lets drop the carriage topic. Have you guys thought of a strategy? Not really. First well just scatter them with magic from inside the running carriage, and then Tsubaki will plunge in. After that, Ill leave Tsubaki and the carriage to Marnie and Kaede, expecting them to annihte indiscriminately. Hm, that certainly cant be called a strategy. Heath, I think what the kids saying isnt wrong. We dont have a speck of coordination, so isnt it better for each party to crush a group of monsters? Heath-sans and my party are acquaintances, but weve never coordinated and fought together. And not even an hour has passed since we met Merilda-sans party. In this situation, we shouldnt be expecting things like coordination. That being the case, Merilda says that it would be better for each party to fight as a unit. you have a point. Here you go, weve brewed some tea. Maria and Marnie brewed and distributed tea to everyone. Even the teacups are somewhat high ss. Its something we made ourselves, so it isnt anything much. Eh?! You made your own teacups? Huh? Our party is fairly famous for artisanry being our main profession in Volton though. Merilda, you might not know this, but Takumi-kun is originally an Alchemist. Sophia-san is Takumi-kuns guard, and apparently Maria-chan and the others are both artisans and adventurers. Hearing that, all of the Crimson Rose looked surprised for the nth time today. W-well, even so, theyre among the top parties in Volton, right? Yeah, thats for sure. We guarantee it. A-ah, then its fine. Merilda-san drank her tea topose herself. A little bit over 2 hours have passed since leaving Volton, the walls of Wedgefort became visible. And surrounding it were monsters, monsters, and monsters. Whats fortunate is that there were few flying type monsters. Arrows rain incessantly from the top of the halls, attacking the monsters, but it was like pouring water on hot stones. Even so, there wasnt even a single crack on Wedgeforts walls. Sally-san [1], its about time we deal a preemptive strike. roger. I called out to Sally, the Crimson Roses mage, so we could deal a preemptive strike. Sophia, Maria, Laeva, and myself, the four of us began our preparations for arge-scale annihtion magic. Thunder Gods Hammer, Thors Hammer! Tornado! Firestorm! Fox Fire Dance! Firestorm A rain of thunder, a winding maelstrom of des of wind, a fiery vortex that engulfs, masses of fox fires[2] scattered, hitting the swarm of monsters as far as the eye can see. When the Firestorm and Tornado united, the fire and des of wind blew violently. There, countless bolts of lightning pierced the ground and ran along it. Thebination magic resulted in arge-scale annihtion magic trampling down the monsters. Go! Tsubaki! Tsubaki sped up and plunged into the monsters. Doga! Baakyaan!! Tsubaki hooked them to her horn, crushed them underfoot, and sent them flying with a ram. Kaedes threads danced freely, mangling the monsters. When Tsubaki did a U-turn, the members of the Lions Fang and Crimson Rose jumped out. We followed after them and charged at the monsters. We wielded the three magic spears. In the space opened from monsters scattering, Titan jumped out from the Subspace. Hisrge shield smashed monsters flying, and the mace he wielded crushed monsters heads. Lions Fang and Crimson Rose already took their respective ces and were each crushing monsters. Sophia changed from her spear to Ranmas Round Shield and Sacred Sword Amaterasu and entered the melee. Maria wielded her me spear Explode and supported Sophia. Every time Explode was swung, the surrounding monsters burned. Laeva did a rapid-fire cast of Fox Fires from the carriages coachman seat. I took out the Ice Spear Ice Bringer, using it to mow down enemies and crush enemies with its butt end. Entrusting myself to the Presence Detection, Insight, and Evasion skills, and while also using the Stealth skill, I avoided attacks and sent them to their deaths. I was supported by the skills Body Control, Taijutsu, and Spear Handling. Unnoticed, I had Ice Bringer in one hand, and invoked Dposition with my other hand and struck monsters with it. I was getting a grasp of the locations and situations Sophia and Maria, Laeva and Marnie, Tsubaki and Kaede were in as I swung the Absolute Sword Tsukuyomi and Ice Bringer. (Just what are those?!) Merilda received a shock when she saw Wings of Norn. Crimson Rose is a B rank party, Wings of Norn is a C rank party. She had no doubt that that the ones with the higher rank were themselves. That was, until this fight began. First, the Ryuuma fires out a breath, its horn pierces, and it kicks monsters around. Riding on its back is an Archenie who mangles monsters with its threads. It was like aical scene. A 3 meter tall metal golem appeared from who knows where and started rampaging. It wasnt a typical golem that moved simply, but was trampling down monsters with Shield Technique and Bludgeon Technique. And the pice de rsistance was Iruma, Sophia, and Marias fighting capabilities. She knew that those movements were highly skilled martial arts. And the weapons they wield are not at allmon and gave off a sense of intimidation. Merilda decided to give up thinking and just face monsters. She could think about it as much as she wantster, after all. *** Footnotes:
  1. Raws said Meri, but the mage is Sally.
  2. Fox fires ( C Kitsunebi) is simr to the Will-of-the-wisp in English.
Chapter 96: Resolved Chapter 96: Resolved The kinds of monsters marching towards Wedgefort varied from the rtively fleet-footed monsters like wolf-types, kobolds, goblins, to slow-footed monsters like orcs, ogres, tri-headed vipers, and bush lizards. I avoided one of the heads of the Tri-headed Viper that was trying to bite my foot while simultaneously trampling on it and invoking Dposition, breaking that one head. The two groaning heads were each lopped off with my sword and spear. Even though an ogre approached the carriage Tsubaki was pulling to attack it, Kaedes invisible tough threads had severed the ogres supposedly tough skin from its bone. A pack of aroused orcs assaulted Sophia and Maria, but Maria brandished her spear and the upper and lower halves of several orcs were separated. Sophia handled her sword and shield freely, as if performing a sword dance as she sentenced the pack of orcs to their deaths. The members of the Crimson Rose were also being attacked by monsters like orcs and goblins, but with the support of the Lions Fang, they safely and steadily defeated them. Together with Titan, we did ap around Wedgefort to clear monsters. Then we went close to the southwest section where the density of monsters was high. Even when Titans opponent was a troll muchrger than him, he trampled it down with overwhelming power. With Titans Shield Bash, orcs became lumps of meat. Titan took some distance from me and attacked with the mace in his right hand. That swing turned the surrounding monsters into minced meat. With my Stealth skill and the effect of the Overcoat of Existence Concealment, I one-sidedly brought down monsters. Two hours have already passed since the fight started and the number of monsters had visibly decreased. The arrows and magic from the walls still continued to attack monsters. I fired magic when I could, charged with my sword and spear, and invoked Dposition with my knees and the soles of my feet. Insight, Presence Detection, Body Control, Evasion, Stealth, and Enhanced Physical Abilities were fully manifested which raising my skill levels. My level went up too, consequently raising my attribute values, so despite going for stronger enemies, the speed in which I exterminate them increased. The Skill Swordy has leveled up The Skill Swordy has awakened the Skill Sword King Technique The Skill Spear Handling has leveled up The Skill Spear Handling has awakened the Skill Spear King Technique When swords shed, heads of monsters would fly and their bodies would copse. The strong smell of blood wafted in the surroundings, and monsters intoxicated by this starteding out. I stored the monster corpses that became obstacles into my Item Box as I went to support Sophia and the others. At that time, with warcries, the adventurers from Volton joined the fray. Now that this has happened, the state of the war instantly tipped to one side, and monsters were even running away. At that point, the drawbridge of Wedgefort lowered and the stationed soldiers made their debut. With it switching to a battle of annihtion, I chose the big game and strong individuals. Because the corpses ofrge monsters were a hindrance, I immediately store them into the Item Box. After that, the first battalion of the Knight Order in Margrave Voltons territory arrived, and ourplete victory had been determined. The adventurers and knights finished off the dying monsters and were starting the cleanup. Apparently, the knights that startedte had been exterminating the monsters flowing to the town of Volton. As Tsubaki ran over the dead corpses, she found me and approached. From Tsubakis back, Kaede leaped towards me. Master! Kaede defeated many monsters! So then I think maybe Im gonna evolve! Ooh, isnt that amazing, Kaede? Ill transfer you to the Subspace immediately, so its okay to rest and take your time evolving inside. I opened the Subspace and the sleepy Kaede entered. Master, Im d youre safe. Marnie came out of the carriage and handed me a water bottle. Thank you, Marnie. Are you okay too? Yes, because Tsubaki-chan and Kaede-chan were here. Takum,i-samaaa! Sophia and Maria returned. Purification! Area High Heal! Cure! I focused on activating purifying magic and cleaned everyones armors and clothing that had been dirtied by the spurts of blood. After that, I used High Heal and Cure to rid them of injuries and toxins. Are the two of you uninjured now? Silence, and then the two hugged me. Yes, we had gotten a few scrapes, but theyve been healed by Takumi-samas magic just now. Im also alright. When I looked around, fights had be sporadic. Before long, cries of victory were raised. Good work. Heath-san and the others called out to us. Judging from their appearances, they had norge injuries. Likewise. Are you hurt? Nah, Crimson Rose had a healer so Im alright. Purification! I casted purifying magic, cleaning everyone off. Thanks. How amazing, you and your party. And you even have a pretty strong golem. The leader of the all-girl party Crimson Rose, Merilda-san, got closer. Arent those in Iruma-sans party the sacred warriors of the Genesis Faith? No, we have no rtion to the Genesis Faith. I believe in Goddess Norn, but were not connected to the church. I wonder if us using Norn-samas name for our party name at our own convenience is unwise. Pa-san, the healer wearing priestess clothing, asked this, but could she have misunderstood us naming ourselves Wings of Norn? No, I believe there is no problem at all. Iruma-sans party name is not bad, but rather gives praise. Conversely, I would worry if one willfully uses it as an advertisement though. I see, then theres no problem if its like that. The Genesis faith, whom worships Norn-sama, offers a variety of conveniences, and they are tolerable to those who use it arbitrarily. Hey! Lets rest at the town! Its probably alright to leave the cleanup to thete knights and adventurers. Weve already worked enough. Lyle-san dragged his feet into the carriage. Haa~ sorry about this, Takumi-kun. Its alright, everyone please get on the carriage too. The sky began turning red and the smell of blood hung in the air. The cleanup probably wouldnt end in 1 or 2 days, but weve definitely worked more than enough. For the time being, our carriage began running towards the lowered drawbridge, so we could rest at Wedgefort. *** Sphys Note [14th March]: Not really good news but Im starting to run a fever (yes, again), so I dont feel well. Just in case, Im informing you all that the next chapter might be dyed. Sorry. That said, the second Current Character Status is linked to next so go right ahead if you wanna read it. Current Character Status 2: Current Character Status 2: Takumi Iruma Originally, he should have been dragged into the hero summoning, but Norn had sent him to Mildgard. Additionally he was sent 3 years before the heroes were summoned. In his time in Japan, he was a sryman in his 40s, but he became a handsome, silver haired 15 year old in Mildgard. This is a special body that was personally made by Goddess Norn, with more blessing than a heros and has quite the cheat abilities hidden within it. The person himself thinks Ill enjoy the slow life as an artisan, but hes already be the top party in Volton. Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 17 years old Job: Magic Swordsman Lv82, Fighter Lv76 ( Magus Lv56, Magic Bestower Lv72, Carpenter Lv54, Tailor Lv62, Alchemist Lv89, cksmith Lv86 ) Level: 112 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 970 Magic Power: 1,200 Strength: 580 Agility: 560 Stamina: 650 Dexterity: 580 Intelligence: 650 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX ( Concealed ) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv6 ( UP ) Insight Lv9 ( UP ) Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Evasion Lv9 ( UP ) Body Control Lv 8 ( UP ) Increased Magic Power Recovery Speed Lv4 ( UP ) High-speed Thought Process Lv4 ( UP ) Active Skills Spear King Technique Lv1 ( A superior skill awakened from the Spear Handling Skill ) Axe Technique Lv5 Sword King Technique Lv1 ( A superior skill awakened from the Swordy Skill ) Throwing Lv8 ( UP ) Taijutsu Lv10 Fist King Technique Lv5 ( UP ) Matoujutsu Lv10 ( UP ) Enemy Search Lv8 ( UP ) Presence Detection Lv9 Stealth Lv8 ( UP ) Taming Lv3 Enhanced Physical Abilities Lv8 ( UP ) Magic Perception Lv9 Magic Power Maniption Lv10 Magic Form Control Lv7 ( UP ) Light Attribute Magic Lv7 Fire Attribute Magic Lv7 ( UP ) Water Attribute Magic Lv7 Wind Attribute Magic Lv7 Earth Attribute Magic Lv8 Ice Attribute Magic Lv7 Lightning Attribute Magic Lv9 ( UP ) Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv7 Bestowal Magic Lv8 Alchemy Lv10 Smithing Lv9 Woodworking Lv8 Carpentry Lv5 Foraging Lv6 Logging Lv5 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv8 Sewing Lv7 Cooking Lv4 Divine Protection of Goddess Norn ( Concealed ) Familiars: Archeni Unique Species ( Kaede ) Dragon Horse ( Tsubaki ) Guardian Golem ( Titan ) Titles: Giant Killer Dragon yer One who has surpassed the flood Sophia Sylphide Born to a low ranking noble household in Yggurle Kingdom, the country of elves. she was a knight that became a prisoner of war in the war between Yggurle Kingdom and Triaria Kingdom 50 years ago. Originally, she was in a position to be exchanged during a prisoner exchange and aspensation, but was sold to Valkyra Kingdom through a broker. As she was already in a state where she was disabled with a leg and arm missing and was cursed to be unable to knead magic power when she was purchased by Moulin very Company, she remained unsold for 50 years despite being a peerless beauty. It is unknown why she was not returned to her country, nor why was sold as a ve. Purchased by Takumi, her missing limbs and ear were restored and the curse dispelled, she pledged her loyalty to him for the rest of his life. Sophias power grows more and more as the battle potential of the party rises. Her loyalty and affection towards Takumi just keeps on rising. Name: Sophia Sylphide Race: Elf Age: 82 years old Job: Spirit Mage Lv89, Knight Lv86 ( Warrior Lv100, Hunter Lv89 ) Level: 102 Condition: Healthy ( very: Takumi ) Vitality: 566 Magic Power: 720 Strength: 406 Agility: 506 Stamina: 450 Dexterity: 340 Intelligence: 510 Unique Skills Spirit Eye Passive Skills Insight Lv6 ( UP ) Evasion Lv4 ( UP ) Body Control Lv3 ( UP ) Active Skills Sword King Technique Lv1 ( A superior skill awakened from the Swordy Skill ) Shield Technique Lv8 ( UP ) Spear Handling Lv9 ( UP ) Archery Lv8 ( UP ) Taijutsu Lv6 ( UP ) Enemy Search Lv7 ( UP ) Presence Detection Lv7 ( UP ) Stealth Lv8 ( UP ) Enhance Physical Abilities Lv6 ( UP ) Magic Perception Lv8 ( UP ) Magic Power Maniption Lv7 ( UP ) Magic Form Control Lv3 ( UP ) Spirit Magic Lv8 Water Attribute Magic Lv7 ( UP ) Wind Attribute Magic Lv8 ( UP ) Maria In her childhood, the vige she lived in was attacked by thieves. The men were killed and women were vited then sold as ves afterwards, and all the children were sold as ves as well. Sold to Moulin very Company through a ve broker, she received education until she reached of age as she waited for the day she would be purchased. Purchased by Takumi who was of the same age, she came to the decision to be this mans ve for the rest of their lives because of his appearance and kindness. It wouldnt be an exaggeration to say that her abilities are already that of a first-ss adventurer. Name: Maria Race: Human Age: 17 years old Job: Combat Maid Lv32, Mage Lv48 ( Warrior Lv100, Thief Lv100, Chef Lv62, Maid Lv60 ) Level: 84 Condition: Healthy ( very: Takumi ) Vitality: 420 Magic Power: 370 Strength: 270 Agility: 360 Stamina: 340 Dexterity: 380 Intelligence: 390 Unique Skills Passive Skills Insight Lv3 ( UP ) Active Skills Spear Handling Lv7 ( UP ) Dagger Technique Lv7 ( UP ) Taiijutsu Lv6 ( UP ) Enemy Search Lv5 ( UP ) Presence Detection Lv5 ( UP ) Stealth Lv6 ( UP ) Enhance Physical Abilities Lv3 ( UP ) Magic Perception Lv5 ( UP ) Magic Power Maniption Lv6 ( UP ) Fire Attribute Magic Lv6 ( UP ) Water Attribute Magic Lv5 ( UP ) Earth Attribute Magic Lv7 ( UP ) Sewing Lv8 ( UP ) Cooking Lv6 ( UP ) Laeva She is a woman from the Foxkin Tribe who lived in a scanty vige, but she lost her hand from the wrist down and let herself fall to very for her family. Rare among the beastkin tribes, the foxkin tribe specialize in magic, and she was weed as Takumis assistant. Name: Laeva Race: Foxkin Age: 21 years old Job: Mage Lv72, Priest Lv48 ( Warrior Lv64, Alchemist Lv36, cksmith Lv24 ) Level: 68 Condition: Healthy ( very: Takumi ) Vitality: 350 Magic Power: 400 Strength: 220 Agility: 240 Stamina: 260 Dexterity: 280 Intelligence: 320 Unique Skills Fox Fire Lv6 ( UP ) Passive Skills Active Skills Staff Technique Lv7 ( UP ) Enemy Search Lv5 ( UP ) Presence Detection Lv6 ( UP ) Stealth Lv5 ( UP ) Magic Perception Lv6 ( UP ) Magic Power Maniption Lv6 ( UP ) Light Attribute Magic Lv5 ( UP ) Dark Attribute Magic Lv5 ( UP ) Fire Attribute Magic Lv7 ( UP ) Alchemy Lv6 ( UP ) Sewing Lv4 ( UP ) Cooking Lv3 Marnie She is a Rabbitkin woman who immigrated to a pioneering vige at the same time as her marriage, but her husband was bedridden with an illness and died. As a result of the vige being abandoned, she were aided by Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford and was migrated to Wedgefort. She became Takumis maid at Sophias referral, and shes reached the point where she would always be at Takumis side as his maid. Because of a Rabbitkins trait, she felt for Takumi, a strong male, and that led to her inclusion in the rotation with Sophia and Maria with the bed sharing. Name: Marnie Race: Rabbitkin Age: 24 years old Job: Warrior Lv22, Thief Lv48 ( Maid Lv54, Chef Lv36 ) Level: 38 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 220 Magic Power: 90 Strength: 120 Agility: 180 Stamina: 160 Dexterity: 190 Intelligence: 160 Unique Skills Passive Skills Active Skills Dagger Technique Lv5 ( UP ) Enemy Search Lv3 ( UP ) Presence Detection Lv4 ( UP ) Stealth Lv3 ( UP ) Magic Perception Lv1 ( UP ) Magic Power Maniption Lv1 ( UP ) Water Attribute Magic Lv2 ( UP ) Earth Attribute Magic Lv2 ( UP ) Sewing Lv2 ( UP ) Cooking Lv4 ( UP ) Kaede A dying Poison Spider that Takumi had discovered near Bohd Vige. She was tamed when Takumi had saved her life. When a path of magic power connected Takumi to it at that time, it evolved into a Killer Spider. After that, she evolved into an Archenie, and at present, shes evolving further. Spider Silk, threads that Kaede produces, has now be an indispensable item to Takumi and his entourage. Name: Kaede ( Takumi Irumas Familiar ) Race: Archenie Unique Species -evolving- Age: 7 (Raw says 5 but everyone else grew up by 2 years so Im adding 2 years) Level: 1 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 750 Magic Power: 820 Strength: 650 Agility: 650 Stamina: 450 Dexterity: 640 Intelligence: 420 Unique Skills Spider Thread Creation Passive Skills Poison Resistance Lv7 Paralysis Resistance Lv7 Spatial Understanding Lv8 ( UP ) Insight Lv7 ( UP ) Active Skills Thread Maniption Lv10 ( UP ) Poison Creation Lv8 ( UP ) Presence Detection Lv9 ( UP ) Magic Perception Lv8 ( UP ) Dark Attribute Magic ( NEW ) Stealth Lv10 ( UP ) Sewing Lv8 ( UP ) Tsubaki A Drake Horse when she was tamed, and after repeated level ups, she evolved into a Dragon Horse. Her body got muchrger and she acquired a Breath. Her running speed and stamina had also risen greatly. Name: Tsubaki ( Takumi Irumas Familiar ) Race: Dragon Horse Age: 5 Level: 20 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 620 Magic Power: 310 Strength: 570 Agility: 560 Stamina: 620 Dexterity: 200 intelligence: 220 Unique Skills Dragon Scales Lv8 ( UP ) Passive Skills High Speed Travel Lv8 ( UP ) Long Distance Travel Lv6 ( UP ) Physical Attack Resistance Lv3 ( UP ) Magic Attack Resistance Lv3 ( UP ) Active Skills Charge Lv8 ( UP ) Presence Detection Lv7 ( UP ) Magic Perception Lv6 ( UP ) Breath Lv4 ( UP ) ```````````````````` Titan A wandering Stone Golem, once a guardian of an ancient ruin. Upon being tamed by Takumi, he had been provided a body made of adamantite alloy and mithril alloy by his master. Name: Titan ( Takumi Irumas Familiar ) Race: Guardian Golem Age: 23,121 Level: 125 Condition: ??? Vitality: 12,820 Magic Power: 5,520 Strength: 2,820 Agility: 230 Stamina: 12,270 Dexterity: 170 Intelligence: 220 Unique Skills Reformation Lv8 Light of Judgment Lv3 Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv8 Physical Resistance Lv10 Magic Resistance Lv6 ( UP ) Active Skills Taijutsu Lv8 ( UP ) Bludgeon Technique Lv8 ( UP ) Shield Technique Lv4 ( UP ) Presence Detection Lv5 Magic Perception Lv5 Earth Attribute Magic Lv8 Equipment Rocket Punch Magic Jet Propeller *** Chapter 97: Wedgefort functions as a wedge Chapter 97: Wedgefort functions as a wedge The swarm of monsters that attacked Wedgefort have mostly been suppressed. The monsters that ran away likely wouldnt approach Wedgefort for a while either. After the battle, we stayed in an inn at Wedgefort and slept like logs until the afternoon the next day. Drastically leveling up, Marnie, whose status values were on the rise, was perplexed by her own change. Wow, its like it isnt me. Its because your level was low before that you instantly level up just by dealing the finishing blow, Marnie. Thats right, with this, you can make progress with dagger training, too. It seems that to Maria, a maid must learn to use assassination techniques at any cost. Just what could Moulin-san have indoctrinated in Maria? For the time being, I was thinking we could rx at Wedgefort, but theres no problem with that, right? Yes, we are in no hurry to ept a request. The requests were pertaining to are not the requests of the Adventurers Guild, but those of the Papeck Company and Margrave Voltons for magic devices and different kinds of potions. Now then, Im hungry so shall we go to the restaurant? Yes. Listen, Heath, I wanna know what type of guy that Takumi is. Mm? About Takumi-kun? I met him maybe around 2 years ago. I first met him when he came with us to Volton from Bohd, a rural vige. At that time, the Papeck Company bought a bunch of things from him. I wonder if he was a cksmith and a pharmacist. A cksmith and pharmacist? He wasnt an adventurer? In the bar next to the inn at Wedgefort, Merilda, the leader of the Crimson Rose was asking Heath, the leader of the Lions Fang, about Takumi. The participation of Takumis group yesterday had been a shock to Merilda. Thats right. But the next time we worked together was when we went hunting for Treants in the outskirts of the Forest of Death, I think. You probably know Doganbo-san, the dwarven cksmith living in Volton. It looked like he was going to dig for ores with Doganbo-san at Horuas, but that was the second time we worked together. Merilda could not believe her ears when she heard from Heath that, at that time, it hadnt even been a year since Takumi registered as an adventurer. Well, Treants are not that difficult of a monster, but they arent something for a newbie to hunt so soon after his registration. Well, Takumi-kun was hunting even in Bohd Vige, so I dont think hes just a newbie. The image of Takumi yesterday was burned into Merildas eyes. Rushing into the middle of the monsters, moving freely as he clutched a spear in one hand and a sword on the other, defeating the monsters. Moreover, she lost sight of the shy and violent Takumi at times during the battle. Suddenly monster blood sprays, then Takumi could be seen at that spot. The next moment, Takumis figure would disappear again. Merilda said that to Heath. Ah, thats probably the Stealth skill, right? If it was the Stealth skill, even Linda, who is a scout in my party, would have noticed, but it likely wasnt Stealth. Maybe, but I think he used a magic item that enhances Stealth. In actuality, its the effect of the cloak that even grants a +Inhibit Perception, but Takumi didnt discuss their equipment to anyone else aside from his household, so there was no way for Heath to have known. A magic item?! Maybe its Takumis own creation. Merilda could understand if it was found from a dungeon treasure chest or at an ancient ruin, but shes never heard of a magic item made by an artisan or an alchemist that has an effect to such a degree. Even if that were so, theres no way hes only been an adventurer for 2 years. Just what is that nonsensical strength? Merilda became an adventurer when she was 15 years old, and A rank is finally within reach after 12 years. It ismon sense in this world that high level adventurers have longer lifespans. If you go by that standard, Merilda is at an age where she still has years of great effort to do to reach that. And the young man known as Takumi Iruma has grown and acquired that strength in 2 years. The healer in Merildas group asked, didnt she? Is he involved with the Genesis Faith. Takumi-kun isnt a liar so its probably different, but I think thats exactly why it wouldnt be strange for him to have powerful divine protection from Goddess Norn. Hearing Heaths conjecture, Merilda ended up agreeing. He has outstanding skills as an artisan that leave nothing to be desired, and has the ability to grow inbat. It certainly seems like he had been blessed with strong divine protection by Goddess Norn. When I think about it that way, I understand. It isnt just that kid either. While the people around him arent at his level, theyre oddly strong enough. Merilda said so herself, recalling once again how absurd they were. You get the idea from his tamed familiars too. Archenie, Dragon Horse, Metal Golem. None of which are monsters normally tamable. Thats why, Merilda, Id like you to keep Takumi-kuns rtion to the Genesis Faith a secret. If its the Genesis Faith, then its still preferable. The problem is the Light God Faith. If the zealots of the Light God Church knew, who knows what theyll do. For adventurers operating in countries aside from Triaria Kingdom and the Divine Empire of Sydnia, they perceive the Light God Faith to be a gathering of avaricious zealots. Merildas party has a beastkinrade. The Light God Faiths treatment of the Beastkin is unforgivable to Merilda. Right, if its the Light God Faith, theyd send assassins. Well, I cant imagine Takumi-kun would die from that though. Haa, wed really like to get that kid to make our equipment too. Yeah, those spears and swords were amazing. Their armors would definitely also have outrageous abilities, right? The two remembered Takumis groups exhibition during the fight yesterday. Cutting tough monsters with no resistance; d in fire; creating storms; freezing monsters. Its as if theyre artifacts. Just how much would it cost to make them? It would probably be expensive even at a friends rate. Drinking since morning, the conversation of the two continued until the afternoon. After leaving his subordinate in charge with the post-processing and returning to Volton, Knight Leader Dorn went to the castle to report to Godwin the following day. This is the quick summary report. We will calcte Wedgeforts defense with this. Godwin looked over the report that Dorn had given. There were no parts in the wall that copsed? There were norge scratches. ording to Takumi-dono, the wall was bestowed with Harden. The surroundings of the wall have been dug up too, not allowing the monsters to invade. Is Wedgefort enough to be a wedge[1]? More than enough. A strong wedge hammered into the buffer zone of three countries known as the savagends. Triaria Kingdom would likely be shocked to know that Wedgeforts defenses had weathered the flood of monsters without any damage. In one room in the royal castle at Tivaal, the royal capital of Triaria Kingdom. Two men were having a private talk there. Is the report of the spy correct? Yes, I have verified it from reports of multiple sources, but it is a fact that arge fortress town was built in that location, moreover, it is also a fact that it overcame arge-scale flood of monsters without any damage. The expression on Mercules, the king of Triaria, who had fallen silent was filled with so much anger that it was easy to understand. Can this town called Wedgefort be assailed? When the Minister of Armed Forces, Vcan, was asked this by King Mercules, he could not voice his opposition. Eventually, he opened his mouth and out came his words. Difficult, no, that would be pretentious. I believe it is impossible. Firstly, marching through the savagends is a suicidal act. If we were to circumvent it, the burden would be too great and unrealistic. We can not march inside Lomaria Kingdom either? If we were to do that, we would be at war with the alliance of Lomaria Kingdom and Valkyra Kingdom. It would be too perilous for our country, which has only just recovered from the liabilities from the war with Yggurle Kingdom 50 years ago. Yes, that is so. A heavy atmosphere circted between the two. However, for such arge fortress city to suddenly appear in a ce like that. With therge flood of monsters on this asion, the monsters in their surroundings would settle down for a while. The matter regarding Wedgefort was taken in by Valkyra Kingdom. Nevertheless, it would likely be impossible for us even if we gather earth magic users. Isnt there a n to recover from this hopeless situation? King Mercules sank into a sea of thoughts. At the Divine Empire of Sydnia, information that held a sense of impending danger was received. In a mere few months, the fortress town Wedgefort waspleted? An impregnable fortress town with a firm foothold in savagends? Pope Warvaal had a dazed expression as he read the report he received. Why Gods work did not ur at our country, but in that of the Genesis Faiths is something I do not understand. Musudan-dono, it is an exaggeration to call it Gods work. They must have mobilized a mass of Earth magic users. Prime Minister Musudans remark on Gods work was remonstrated by Head Magician Homer. That aside, is it not surprising that they resolved the matter of a flood of tens of thousands of monsters with seemingly no damage? Holy Knight Leader Packard learned from the report of a spy that the monsters were eradicated by the reinforcements consisting of adventurers who rushed in from Volton town and knights dispatched by Margrave Volton. He wondered what if it had happened in his own country, and cold sweats ran down his back unceasingly. It is a year until the hero summoning. When that happens, the time wille for the Divine Empire of Sydnia, the Light God Faith, to conquer the continent. The first imperial princess Elizabeth said to have a little bit more patience. Afterwards, when the detailed information came in, they learned that the adventurer party known as Wings of Norn had yed a veryrge role in it. Thus Pope Warvaal and the others had gotten the wrong impression that the Wings of Norn were members of the Genesis Faith and had restrained themselves from carelessly starting a fight. Not sending in more zealots causing Takumis group to be able to have a peaceful time was an ironic result. *** Footnotes:
  1. In case it isnt clear why they ask if Wedgefort is a wedge, a wedge is technically a material having one thick end and tapering to a thin edge, that is driven between two objects or parts of an object to secure or separate them. So you can think of it as something that can stop something from moving, like a door stopper. But it can also be a simple machine that splits things apart, like an axe cutting through a log. In the novels case, Wedgefort is a very strong and secure door stopper against monsters and possible invaders.
Sphys Note: Im grateful to people who point out mistakes, but please dont be rude and usatory about it. Its really demotivating. Im sorry if this ruins anyones day / mood. In any case, lets all just talk about the chapter~ we dont need to be gloomy, Ive vented enough in the previous page! Thank you for reading and for the encouragingments! ^^ Chapter 98: A brief time of peace Chapter 98: A brief time of peace Some time had passed since therge flood of monsters at Wedgefort, and were back in Volton. Actually, we were relieved from duty the day after the flood, but Marnie, whose level had suddenly risen, was eager to go out and Kaede, who had evolved from an Archenie to an Arachne, wanted to check her bodys rhythm, so we went looking for monsters around Wedgefort. Having turned into an Arachne, Kaedes spider lower half had gotten one sizerger, and the appearance of her top half changed from that of a small child to one of a female high school student. Furthermore, she acquired Dark attribute magic, so she seems to be having fun with magic training. Since returning to Volton, we havent attended Barack-sans training at the Adventurers Guild. Currently, we train just by ourselves at the garden at home. Its been a while since weve had nothing to do. Since weve been so busy as ofte, lets rest our bodies. Everyone, we have tea. Marnie and Maria had brewed some tea and brought it here. We baked cookies today. Let me see, yup, the smell of butter is nice. Cookies are tasty! Kaede evolved, but her mental age hasnt changed that much. Well, it cant be helped since its only been 5 or 6 years since she was born.[1] Really though, making butter and cheese had turned out well. Our menu has increased thanks to that. Previously, we enthusiastically boughtrge quantities of things at Quilbas. And from the milk we stored in the Item Box, we had sess in the production of heavy cream, butter, and cheese. To coagte cheese, we would have to use re thates from the abomasum of calves andmbs, but if I remember correctly, I heard that there was re thates from mold[2] used in modern times. For now, we used re retrieved from calves to make our first cheese. Kaede likes pizza! Then how about we make some with everyone again? I made a pizza oven[3] in the backyard to bake pizzas. We use a magic gas burner in the kitchen at the house, but I purposefully made a pizza stove that burns firewood. The smoke would give it a smoky vor, wouldnt it? Still, these cookies are delicious. I wasnt able to eat sweet things back then. I want my brother to taste this, too. Laeva, cookies keep for a long time so wouldnt it be alright to send some? If you like, why not even cast a State Preservation enchantment on the box? Thats right, if thats the case then how about sending a variety of other foodstuff too? Eh!? Is that alright? When Sophia and I said that its alright to send cookies made with plenty of expensive sugar and butter, Laeva was shocked as well as delighted. The cookies can be made by Maria and Marnie, and if the box is enchanted with State Preservation, even you can do it now, right Laeva? Yes! Thank you very much! Leava replied cheerfully, immediately running to the workshop to make a box with State Preservation. What would you like for dinner tonight? Lets see, how about macaroni gratin? Gratin! Kaede likes too! Various kinds of dried pasta are now sold by the Papeck Company. The unit price is cheap so the royalties obviously dont amount to much this time, but we can buy various kinds of pasta so theres no problem. Then Ill help too. Well then, Ill make the sd. Kaede will help too! Everyone aside from Sophia who was bad at cooking and Laeva who secluded herself in the workshop prepared dinner. Dinner that day was Marias baked bread and macaroni gratin with white sauce, and the potato sd Marnie made. Taaasty! H-hot! But its delicious. Kaede and Laeva became ecstatic from eating gratin. Everyone in the house except for Sophia, Kaede and me had a hard time eating. Laevasmunity was still poor, and Maria was from Moulin-sans verypany so I believe it wasnt terrible, but she didnt have extravagant meals. Maybe because they have those reactions that I love eating with everyone. Puhaa, its more delicious having ale cold. Drinking chilled white wine is also delicious. How luxurious. Its like a dream. The ale Im drinking and the white wine Sophia and Marnie are having were chilled with magic. We began making our own ale and wine. Of course, it was made in a short time with Fermentation and Aging magic. But I made, failed, and remade it until I was satisfied with the taste. But Takumi is talented even when making alcohol. No, ale is fermented on the surface so its easy to make the machinery, and as for the wine, the taste still isnt there. Thats not the case. It is not the best wine, but I think it has a vor between first and second ss. Techniques for making alcohol is kept secret even in Mildgard. It is monopolized by a small amount of nobles and the church. Cheap alcohol like ale seem to be made everywhere, but I cant bring myself to drink lukewarm ale. After dinner, I filled the bath with hot water using magic. This is pretty much my job. I made it so that the bath in this mansion is big enough that 5-6 people can enter at one time and still be spacious, and Im in charge of filling it since I have plenty of magic power, and have both the fire and water attribute. Next, please raise your right hand. yeah. Okay, I will wash the left hand. I will wash the back. Yep,tely Ive been taking baths together with Sophia, Maria, and Marnie. Originally it was either Sophia or Maria that entered, but before I knew it, it had been decided that wed enter together since Marnie arrived. Fuu~, baths definitely feel good. Its very luxurious, isnt it? Thats true, except for nobles, there isnt a habit of taking baths. In my vige, the best we could do is bathe in the river. Baths arentmon in this world. There doesnt seem to be anyone like me that would use magic to fill a bath. Theres probably a magic device that would fill and warm the water, but I was told that it would be too expensive that only high ranking nobles could have it. Then how about we make a magic device? Lets see, if that were the case, then the bath can be filled with water even if it isnt Takumi-sama who does it. In the bathtub that had room to fit four peoplefortably, I slowly warmed myself up surrounded by beautiful women and a pretty girl. Please excuse me. Today, the one who entered my room was Sophia. Adding Marnie to the rotation, I had one day off. Thanks to the exceedingly superior body made specially by Goddess Norn, I overdid it today too. *** Footnotes:
  1. Author mistake again. She was 5 when Takumi first got her, and 2 years have passed since then so she should be around 7 years old but I wonder if I should just follow what is written on the raws because the errors typically persist.
  2. General re information and the 4 types can be found here.
  3. An example of a pizza oven here.
Chapter 99: Tremor of Magic Power Chapter 99: Tremor of Magic Power Weing winter in my 3rd yearing to Mildgard, I created a magic device that pours out hot water meant for the masses, and had put it on sale at Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Samandour Kingdom through the Papeck Company. Sales were promising and keeping the price low helped, but regardless of how big the bath is, arge magic stone is necessary, so it hasnt spread to the general public. Reaching a point where we could pause at production, we proactively epted requests at the Adventurers Guild. Thanks to that, everyones guild rank rose, and weve be Voltons top party in both name and reality. In fact, Barack-san has made an approach about a promotion to A rank. However, even Heath-san and the others are B rank, so for me, someone whos been an adventurer for 2 years, to be promoted to A rank would be too conspicuous and goes too far. Thats why I requested to stay at B rank for at least a year. It has been a long time, Takumi-sama. Yes it has, Papeck-san. When we were rxing at Volton, the president of the Papeck Company Papeck-san, whose physique is somewhat better than before, paid us a visit. Papeck-san, its rare for you toe personally. What can I do for you today? Yes, with the sess of Wedgefort town, Valkyra Kingdoms ally Lomaria Kingdom wants a fortress in the savagends and has a request. We will do the fortress? No no, that will result in Valkyra Kingdoms influence bing too strong. An alliance is not one unless it is equal, after all. Themission they want Takumi-sama to ept is a highway from Wedgefort to Lomarias direction that is of the same standard as the highway from Volton to Wedgefort. At present, path from Wedgefort to Lomaria through the savagends is a highway only in name. In reality, its a hairy animal trail. There is quite a distance from Wedgefort to Lomarias side, isnt there? Yes, it is around 300 km to Lomarias border. The fortress Lomaria is constructing is 50 km away from their national border, therefore they would like for Takumi-sama toy down a 250 km highway. Its a considerable distance from Volton, but my Long Warp has improved quite a bit, so it doesnt consume that much magic power if its to Volton and Wedgefort. If we return to the mansion to sleep, we wouldnt have to go out of our way to camp. Thismission is abinedmission of Valkyra Kingdoms royal family, Margrave Volton, Lomaria Kingdom, and the Commerce Guild. I believe this is also the result of the well known reputation of Wings of Norn. Haa, do we really stand out that much? I imagine that your party name, along with the Lions Fang and Crimson Rose, is well known not only in Valkyra Kingdom, but even to the neighboring countries. Thats simply how much youve aplished, after all. Nevertheless, because of the policies of not just the Adventurers Guild but also Margrave Volton to keep Takumi-sama name hidden, I believe that people from other countries have yet to acquire it. The case with Wedgefort seems to have made the reputation of Wings of Norn more popr than I had expected. Themission this time is not for the adventurer party Wings of Norn, but work for a civil contractor. I understand. I ept. Of course if it is a request from the country, even I have no option to refuse. We warped to the outskirts of Wedgefort, then Kaede, Tsubaki, and Titan got out of the Subspace and they guarded us while we worked on the highway. Sophia gave magic power to the Earth Spirit Gnome through Spirit Magic, and it made a roughly straight, wide road. Maria and I paved the highway to finish it. Marnie uses Earth Attribute Magic, but when she, a beastkin, uses magic, her magic power runs out soon after, so I had her take turns with Laeva as a guard. Marnie-san! Finish it! Yes! Bugyaaaa!! Marnie finished off the orc that Laeva weakened. Just after the flood of monsters at Wedgefort, the density of monsters around it was low. Even so, there were many monsters that ran away too, and maybe because our party is an assembly of beautiful women and girls, our encounter rate with excited orcs was high. How about we take this opportunity to exterminate the orcs in the area? I agree. Theyre the enemy of women so I think destroying them is beneficial too. The highway ispacted and leveled, the dirt surface is changed to stone, and paving the highway is beingpleted at our walking speed. On the 10th day of highway construction and monster subjugation, the location of the fortress that Lomaria is constructing came in sight. Weve finally reached it. Coming to this area, there are even fewer monsters. Maria and I were making the road while walking when, at that moment, we felt a fluctuation of magic power from far away. Wha!? What was that just now!? Eh?! Master! I sensed some gross magic power! Maybe it was because everyone in our party was proficient in Magic Perception that we felt it. And I realized the source of this fluctuation of magic power. (Theres only one thing that would require enough magic power to affect the whole continent. These days, Ive been having too much happiness with Sophia and everyone everyday so I got careless. Today three years ago was the day I arrived at Mildgard. Correct, this is the day the Divine Empire of Sydnia summoned the heroes. Im confident that what we felt just now was definitely the effect of activating the forbidden magic of hero summoning. And I somewhat understand why Norn-sama added an amendment so that this magic could never again be activated in this world. In addition to the act of kidnapping beings from another world, this magic brings about a strain to this world too. *** Chapter 100: Countermeasure meeting Chapter 100: Countermeasure meeting Having finished the highway from Wedgefort to Lomarias fortress, we returned to our mansion in Volton. I had Sophia and the others gather to talk about the fluctuation of magic power that happened when we were almost done with the highway construction. Sophia, Maria, Laeva, Marnie, I want you to swear to never tell anyone what Im about to say. Certainly. I am Takumis ve, I would not disobey Takumi-samas wishes. Thats right. Sophia-san and I are the same. Regarding Sophia and Maria, I trust that they wouldnt betray me even if I release them from very. Me too, I am much too indebted to Takumi-sama that it couldnt be put into words, so I would never tell anyone. I wouldnt talk even if I am tortured. No, if youre tortured, you can talk. I retorted Laevas extreme remark. I want her to take care of herself more than keep the secret. I am the only one that isnt a ve of MasterHusband. Therefore, may I ask you to make me your ve too, Takumi-sama? No no no, you dont owe me anything so you will not be a ve. I could see from Marnies eyes that her request wasnt a joke. It looked like she said it in earnest. No, Takumi-sama, I dont think it is bad. Marnie-san is a Rabbitkin. The Rabbitkin is a race prized by nobles and wealthy merchants as pet ves. It appears that the Rabbitkin, whom arecking inbat ability as Beastkin, arergely targeted in ve hunts. Despite thew and the doctrine of the Genesis faith prohibiting the discrimination and illegal very of Beastkin, and there are a few in this country and at Lomaria Kingdom, I believe that bing Takumis ve is an option to guarantee Marnies safety. Sophia jumped in with that rmendation. Injuring or stealing anothers ve without reason. This is apparently a crime sentenceable with severe punishment even if one is a noble. I think that until Takumi-sama has the influence and power to go even against a high-ranking noble, this is necessary. But Maria, if I had to say, then Id want to set everyone free though. Of course, that is under the assumption that everyone would be at my side just as we are now. For the time being, I had everyone give up on the matter with Marnie bing a ve so we could continue the discussion. When we were almost done with the highway construction just recently, everyone sensed the fluctuation of magic power, right? Has an urrence like that happened until now? Everyone exchanged nces at my question and shook their heads. No. I am but a fledgling that hasnt yet lived for 100 years, but I imagine that an urrence like that has never happened until now. If the elf Sophia says that then Im sure that was the hero summoning done by the Divine Empire of Sydnia. What Im gonna talk about from here on might sound preposterous and unbelievable, but Id like you to listen to everything first, and then decide. I started talking about my arrival to this world from the very beginning. I was a human living in a worldpletely different from this one, where monsters didnt exist and had no magic. Dragged into the hero summoning and losing my body, Goddess Norn had picked me up and brought me to her sanctuary. After that, I received artisanal skills from Goddess Norn, and descended to Mildgard in Goddess Norns specially made body 3 years prior to the summoning. Thereafter, I came to Volton town from Bohd Vige. Sophia, Maria, and Kaede know what happened after that. Wha?! So Takumi-sama was a divine messenger sent by Goddess Norn-sama?! Sophia barely gave a response and the other three were speechless and wide-eyed in surprise. The hero summoning itself is impermissible to Norn-sama, so she made it so that it would never activate again. No doubt. For a summoning magic to cause a fluctuation of magic power that could be sensed far distanced from Sydnia, just how much of a negative influence it would be to this world, I dont know. Hold up, Sophia-san, didnt you ept that way too fast? T-thats right! Hes Norn-samas messenger, you know!? Maria and Laeva have rebooted already, but Marnie hasnte back yet. No, Maria, Laeva. I received artisanal abilities from Goddess Norn with the intention of living peacefully in this world. Norn-sama even said that she doesnt mind me living as I please. Leaving that aside, Sydnia summoning heroes is a problem in itself. It is, indeed. Sophia seems to have understood what I wanted to say. In this world, it is easy to understand that there is no enemy to mankind like those known as a Demon LordMaou. The DevilsMazoku are simply a race just like Humans and Elves are. Controlling monsters, it doesnt happen. Rather, DevilsMazoku are a harmless race that live in small groups. With all that, what is the meaning in expressly summoning heroes? The cost of using forbidden magic just to exterminate monsters doesnt fit. They intend to start a war with other countries, dont they? Fighting power of a scale to start a war is impossible no matter how many heroes there are. I think its about terrorism, but A Light God Faith propaganda? Possibly. There would likely be a number of people that would be deceive by the jarring words of heroes. The radical zealots of the Light God Faith seem to love singing to the tune of a holy war, too. I felt really displeased with the likelihood of what Sophia said turning into reality being high. Even on Earth, be it in the past and present, theres been no end to strife rted to religion. Especially when the number of people lessens, the more radical they be. I have no intention of concerning myself with war and religion, but I have a debt of gratitude towards Goddess Norn who had given me a second life. Above all, Margrave Volton and His Majesty are here and have warmly received someone like myself into the country. I dont want this country to beid to waste. Thats right, we dont have to be in the forefront, but I want us to do what we can. I have the strength so its not that big a deal, but I wouldnt just stay silent and watch if everybodys peaceful lives were threatened either. But what will Sydnia do? Basically taking a waiting stance is vexing. If I can, I dont want to fight people from the same ce as me though. It is likely that Japanese youth were summoned. I just wish that those Japanese, summoned as heroes, would act rationally. *** Sphys Note: Thanks for reading! Weve reached 100 (106 + s, but whos counting right?)! I fell asleep before I could set the scheduled post. Woops? xD Well, I woke up just now in a panic and hurried to make the post. lol Ah~ way to go for the 100th Sphy facepalm. xD Anywho~ I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Im heading back to sleep~ Chapter 101: Get Stronger Chapter 101: Get Stronger We decided on one n. Lets get stronger so we cant lose to anyone! Yes! (Kaaay!) Going by my conjecture, we discussed that, whether Sydnia uses the armed might of the heroes for acts of terrorism or the zealots actively starting a propaganda with the heroes, we will get stronger so that we can adapt and respond to the situation when they target Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom. One is to raise our guild ranks. Once we be A rank and above, with just that, we cant be taken lightly, and our influence and freedom of action increases. At present, the number of adventurers A rank and above in this continent does not exceed 50. There appear to be 2 S rank adventurers. I am currently B rank, Sophia is likewise B rank, Maria rose to C rank, and even Laeva has risen to D rank. Marnie is E rank, but because her rank is low, I think it would be quick to raise. Our goal is to each raise our ranks by one. Another is that because Im bound to many royalties contracts, my presence at the Papeck Company and even the Commerce Guild continues to grow, so I thought I should also increase my influence on the economic front. In rtion to the nobility, I think I have no choice but to believe in Margrave Volton, Earl Rockford, and His Majesty the King. And when ites to getting stronger quickly, theres only one thing to do. Zuba! Zashu! Takumi-sama! Leave it to me! Zuba! Right now were at the Forest of Death, a monster nest inhabited by strong monsters, close to Volton. We entered from the outer edge we went to before and were subjugating monsters that attack. If A rank monsters appear more frequently the farther in we go, then even we who find it difficult to level up can level up plenty. Supa! Supa! Doza! Unnoticed, Kaedes threads severed the heads and limbs of the Ork Knights and the Orc General. I advanced first as the scout, and behind me were Sophia and Maria. Marnie, Laeva, Kaede were to move freely to hit and run. Titan was stationed at the rear. This was our formation as we walked through the forest that had low visibility. A 2 meter tall,rgely-built Crazy Ape swooped down from the treetop. With my Enemy Search skill and Presence Detection skill at high levels, as well as having the Insight skill, the surprise attack didnt work on me. I moved half a step back, and in a circr motion, dodged, drawing out the Absolute Sword Tsukuyomi to attack, cutting the Crazy Ape right in half. Master! If you cut it right in half, we cant sell the fur, you know. Ah! So thats how it is. Sorry, Kaede. Were at a spot not that far from the outer edge yet so its probably alright to lose focus. Getting surprised will be dangerous soon, so lets move while using the Stealth skill. Yes! (Okaay!) We used the skill, and with the effect of the Overcoat of Existence Concealment, the monsters were prevented from taking the initiative. Conversely, we could go on the preemptive, so from here, Marnies skills and level were trained as she hunts for monsters in a search and destroy tactic. The status system of this world is one where you wont die if the damage you receive is still within the range of your vitality (HP). Even so, you will die soon after if your head or heart is crushed, but you can be saved if you still have some vitality remaining and are healed with advanced recovery magic and advanced potions. Thats why, were increasing everyones Vitality by raising our levels to prepare for that time, should we ever need it. On Earth, the side that hasrger numbers wins the war. Its not as if A small army destroys therge army doesnt happen either, but there have been exaggeratedly written texts in history since the ancient times, so theres no authenticity with regards to the numbers. But this world is a world where a single hero can defeat arge army. Thats probably why those like Sydnia would recklessly perform things like hero summonings. Though Marnie, who has the lowest level among us, is a Rabbitkin not suited forbat, shes had remarkable growth since learning the Stealth skill. No way, does the effects of the divine protection I received from Norn-sama extends to even my party members? was something I didnt yet realize at this time. Sure, I did think that Maria and Laevas growths were those of geniuses and I thought, Huh, my chances of meeting those kinds of people are kinda high., but it was a little bitter that I realize that it was, in fact, the effect of the divine protection I received. We sent monsters to their deaths before the monsters could perceive us. As the sole member that isnt concealed by the overcoat, Titan returned to the Subspace. Were the perfect assassins, slicing monsters throats and making their heads fall. Fuu, how about we end things here and return for the day? I agree, even Takumi-sama and myself whove reached Lv100 rose by a few levels, so let us finish here today. Ive also reached 100, you know. And so, the ones who crossed Lv100 are 3 people, Sophia, Maria, and myself. Laeva is already 80, and Marnie is over 60, so weve done more than enough today. At this pace, everyone will be able to reach Lv100 before long. Yes, when that happens, unless it is something too great, we can get out of various traps and predicaments we may get caught in. So that I will not drag Master down, I will devote myself to this even more. Today, the red eyes of Marnie, the one who leveled the most, were sparkling and showing her eagerness. Even if the current Marnie was attacked by a ve-hunting thief, she could probably turn the tables on them. Now then, well transfer close to Volton, so everyonee closer. They dont particrly need to cling to me, but Sophia, Maria, Laeva, and Marnie embraced me tightly. Even Kaede, who can go into the Subspace, was clinging to me. Lets go! The next second, we transferred to an area where Volton town could be seen. We then walked and passed through the gate, then at the Adventurers Guild, we looked if there were requests for material delivery. If there were, we then ept the requests, and if there arent, we sell the materials. Thanking the gatekeeper golems, we returned to the mansion and everyone entered the bath. Maria, Marnie, and I made dinner. Once we finished the meal, we entered our bedrooms to get ready for an early day tomorrow. Even so, the rotation seems to be absolute. Its Marnie tonight. *** Chapter 102: The Heroes of the Light God Faith Chapter 102: The Heroes of the Light God Faith Were making progress with our n to raise our strength. We spent everyday busily, like with the manufacturing and development of magic devices, and production of various potions and development of advanced potions. On one such day, when we turned up at the Adventurers Guild, Hans-san said that a notification arrived to all branches stating that the Divine Empire of Sydnia performed a hero summoning. Apparently there were 3 people, a pair of young boys and a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. Has the Light God Faith said anything? Yep, theyve been saying how theyre the mightiest of all the countries for having summoned heroes, and the Light God Churches in Lomaria Kingdom and Valkyra Kingdom seem to be making rounds. A propaganda, isnt it? The Light God Faith wouldnt miss this opportunity to increase their influence in Valkyra and Lomaria, now would they? Wouldnt that be impossible since theyre racist? I think theyre that foolish to not understand that though. It appears the Light God Church ns to use the the heroes as publicity for a while. I imagine theyve probably just been summoned and are currently in the middle of being brainwashed since theyre young and naive. Theyll probably start moving for real once the heroes have been fully trained as weapons of war. After all, the heroes were like nuclear bombs and Sydnia had theunch codes. I still didnt know at this time that the heroes, who didnt receive Goddess Norns divine protection, were frankly not all that. But, I did gain something too. It was said that the 3 people summoned were two boys and a girl, but they didnt seem to be the Japanese with ck hair and eyes. Did Goddess Norn make a mistake when she told me theyd also be Japanese or did Sydnia lie? Takumi-kun has a connection to the zealots of the Light God Faith but Im not that worried since youve caught them once. Theylle to the royal capital of Valkyra, right? They probably will. Our country has few believers of the Light God Faith, after all. There will naturally be fewer believers of the Light God Faith in multiracial countries like Valkyra, Lomaria, and Samandour. The royal capital of each country has a church of the Light God Faith, but there werent that many other cities that had it. For feudal lords, theyd either simrly be human supremacists or theyre a greedy bunch that got money when a church of the Light God Faith was erected in theirnd. Moving along, there is a designated request from the Papeck Company for Takumi-kuns party as they always do because the Papeck Company loves Takumi-kun so much. Escort a merchant unit until the capital, but this request can serve as Maria-kun and Laeva-kuns rank up exam. Also, the Volton branch has rmended Takumi-kun and Sophia-kun to A rank, so if it is approved, you will publicly rank up to A rank at the the guild at the royal capital And so, its a nominated request, but what will you do? Id really rather not go to the royal capital right now, but okay. Tch, cant this carriage stop shaking? My butt hurts a lot. Akira Jinguji spouted abusivenguage. Still sore from yesterday? Lol A muscr young man with short ck hair, Yamato Taiga, answered thus. Akane Misato looked at them with cold eyes. (Ive just about had it with these two monkeys.) The young people summoned to Mildgard through the hero summoning were given the task of going to each nation as an advert to acquire believers and make a glorified request forrge sums of offerings because Sydnia has nothing better to do. Were going to Valkyra Kingdom after this, so there will be beastkin and elves, right? I really want some new pets. Thats what I hear. Im definitely gonna get a bunnygirl. We can do things like that right? Were heroes lol. Thats right, were even over level 30, so were already among the top ss adventurers. A little bit more and no one can match us in this continent. Akanes eyes grew even colder at the remarks of Akira and Yamato who unceasingly grew more arrogant, and her feelings of wanting to leave this ce strengthened. Akane, you should get some boytoys too. Or me. Ill satisfy you so much youll never wanna stop, iykwim SNAP Akanes face showed such an enraged expression, her hands shook and she decided she no longer cared. She stood up in the carriage. What are you do`` sh She used Light magic to blind everyone in the carriage. While everyone was stunned, she took Akiras sword and stabbed Yamato in the chest. Yamato was shocked beyond belief at the sensation of the sword piercing his chest that he couldnt make anything more than a gurgled sound before hey limp. Akane quickly moved towards Akira with the sword still in her hand. YOU. FILTHY. WORTHLESS. PIG. The hatred and disdain in her voice was so palpable, Akira stiffened. He never thought that this kind girl would ever be able to talk like this. Akane did not stop and she proceeded to stab his lower extremity. The f``` DID YOU SERIOUSLY THINK Stab. Next were his arms that tried to stop her. GAAAAAH! Stop! You bi` THAT I WOULD EVER sh.And then his legs. LIKE SOMEONE AS DISGUSTING AS YOU!? ARRRGH! you c-crazy bitch. Just wait till I get hea` Stab. She didnt stop. GAAAAAH. sh. Stab. sh. After what felt like an eternity, silence descended. Bloodied bodiesy strewn in the carriage. I was going to escape but I realized leaving dogs like you to be stronger will be bad for everyone. Akane looked at the bodies of her former ssmates. She got along well with them when they were still on Earth, but this world had changed them, forming a crack in the bond they had, with the divide only growingrger as time passed. Sydnia had tainted them so much she could no longer see a hint of their former selves, and it made her heart ache. (The root of all this is Sydnia. The evil that they are must be stopped.) Witnessing the violent act done by her master Lulu, Akanes exclusive maid, was speechless. She had witnessed Akane grow increasingly hateful of the two and the country during the months she had been in Sydnia. But she didnt expect that their remarks would cause her master to snap, or that she would be capable of this. Lulu was overwhelmed withplicated thoughts and feelings. What should she do now? (I had a feeling something good will happen at Valkyra Kingdom. But maybe, this is better.) I need to leave now, will youe with me, Lulu? Following her rage instead of the Divine Oracle she received from Norn-sama whom the Genesis Faith worships, Akane destroyed the entire plot of the story. Previous | TOC | Next Hey, you got pranked! Click Next to get the real chapter! Sphys Note: Thanks for reading and Happy April Fools Day! Granted, its still march for most of the world, but its april here now, so thats all that matters! Perks of being in an earlier time zone is people arent prepared yet when you make a prank chapter xD In any case, despite it not being a custom where Im from, I reaaally wanted to do an AFD chapter because my friend said shes releasing one on her site and encouraged me to do the same. lol Sorry if you didnt enjoy it or find it entertaining. The real chapter can be found by clicking Next. P.S. This AFD chapter gave me the opportunity to stab the two fools. Oh the satisfaction. P.S.S. Apparently many people dont read my notes and didnt realize this was a fake chapter. xD Please read my ramblings sometimes! Chapter 103: 103: The Heroes are Misguided Brats Chapter 103: 103: The Heroes are Misguided Brats When we finally arrived at the royal capital, we separated from the merchant unit and headed to the Adventurers Guild to submit the proof of requestpletion. Congrattions. Takumi-sama and Sophia-san have ranked up to A rank, Maria-san to B rank, Laeva-san to C rank, and Marnie-san to D rank. Please look after your guild cards. Thank you. Receiving the reward for the escort request, our guild cards were updated and we were congratted. Then, when we moved to the check the request board, it happened. The area around the guilds entrance got noisy, and when I turned to look, young people with ck hair and eyes wearing shy silver and sparkly armor, entered the guild with their attendants. Not wanting to get involved, I walked towards the request board, and Sophia and the girls followed. Toe across them in a ce like this, how unlucky of us. Those two boys and one girl are unmistakably Japanese. Yes, the heroes summoned by Sydnia. Oi, look! Its an elf! Amazing! Ooh! Akira, theres rabbit ears and fox ears over there! They talked in loud voices and I could hear their footstepsing closer. Ah, these guys are no good. Oi! You over there! Haa, so troublesome. As someone who had been dragged into their hero summoning and essentially dying, I dont remember being called you. What do you think youre doing ignoring me!? Haa~, can I help you? I looked in the direction of the fool who addresses another in a manner thats too loud and oppressive. Youve got some fine women with you, dontcha? Ill buy them from you. Thats right! Well buy your ves. I refuse. Well then, if that is all then please excuse us. Its gotten troublesome so I signaled to the girls with my eyes that were leaving the guild. I told you to wait, didnt I!? Dont think you can get away scot-free if you defy us! Be quiet and sell those girls to us! Thats right! If you dont want to get hurt, then do as we say! You guys! Stop it! Have you gone mad?! Dont disgrace yourselves acting like this! Shut up! Akane, you keep quiet! Fine jewels like these are hard to find even in Sydnia. Theyll be happier being our ves than with that guy! The girl told the idiot duo blurting out thug-like lines to stop, but the two smiled vulgarly. It hasnt even been a year since these guys were summoned to Mildgard, so what happened to make these boys like this? One is handsome and the other looks like a cool athlete, however, their faces that were probably popr in Japan havepletely changed to evil ones. Thank you very much, but we do not wish to be separated from our master. Sophias cold eyes aimed at the boys, as she said it clearly. While ring at them with simrly cold eyes, Maria, Laeva, and Marnie nodded. Well, thats how it is, so please excuse us. When we said that and passed the boys, one of them got violent. Dont go disobeying me! Shouting so, he drew the resplendent sword on his hip, targeting me. Bam! This guy, not hesitating like Japanese would, came at me with intent to kill. That had truly surprised me, but with my current self that had improved my passive skills like Insight, it wasnt a surprise attack at all. He was too slow to draw his sword and I had more than enough room to deal with it. I struck the t of the sword and invoked Dposition on it. The next instant, the expensive-looking sword broke right in half from base. Gacha! Ugh! I avoided the short haired youth attacking from my blind spot, throwing him down at the same time. Wha?! My holy sword! Guh, you bastaaaard No, that wasnt a holy sword, right? I analyzed it when I used dposition, and I found out it was just a magic iron sword. Y, YOU! What did you do! To defy the heroes of Sydnia, dont think youre The young man couldnt continue his sentence. Surrounded by adventurers in the guild, he received the blood thirst of many. Do you know the meaning when you draw your sword and attack someone in the Adventurers Guild? Having reasonably lost my cool, I red at the boys with a bit of blood thirst. You might be something at Sydnia, but the Adventurers Guild is an independent organization in the continent! You might be some church official, but youre turning all of us into enemies, yeah?! Ou! You drew your sword in the Adventurers Guild! Bastard, you wontin even if we hand over to the garrison, wont ya?! Moreover, you must be wrong in the head to pick a fight with the A rank leader of Wings of Norn! The surrounding adventurers hurled angry shouts at the boys. Tch! Dont think youre getting away with going against the Light God Faith! The two boys and their attendants left the Adventurers Guild to escape. Everyone, my apologies. The girl left behind and her Catkin girl attendant apologized. No, you dont have to apologize. When I said that, maybe the anger of the surrounding adventurers lessened as they dispersed, going to the bar or the request board. When we started heading out of the guild, the girl called out to us. Umm, may I please have your name? I am Akane Misato. Leader of the Wings of Norn, Takumi Iruma. Surprised to hear my name, I gestured with my index finger to my lips before she could raise her voice. If you need me for something, we n to stay at the Lakeside Hotel so, do it then. I said that to the girl and left the guild. Arriving at the royal capital of Valkyra Kingdom, we were captivated when we saw the magical spectacle of the castle seemingly floating on theke. Afterwards, we went to the Light God Church to give our greetings, then Akira and Yamato started talking about wanting to explore the town. It would be a source of trouble if the two went alone, so Lulu and I went out to town with them. The royal capital of Valkyra Kingdom was very clean. I couldnt smell the awful stench that has been tormenting me sinceing to this world. I heard this country began poprizing the Purifier MD. Akira and Yamato said they wanted to go to the Adventurers Guild. That reeks only of trouble. Sure enough, the two were guilty of it as soon as they entered the guild. Oi, look! Its an elf! Amazing! Ooh! Akira, theres rabbit ears and fox ears over there! There, a well featured silver-haired young man, a peerless beauty of an elf the likes that cant be seen on earth, a red-haired beautiful girl, a Foxkin beautiful girl, and a voluptuous Rabbitkin beauty could be found. After that, the idiot duo had been awful. Thats because he suddenly drew a sword and shed at someone. Nevertheless, the silver haired young man, I dont know what he did, but Akiras sword was destroyed. He even threw down Yamato, who took a swing, easily. The idiot duo were enraged, but they turned meek when they noticed the seething adventurers in the immediate area had surrounded them. When the idiot duo gave a parting threat and stormed out of the guild, I apologized to the silver haired young man. There, I introduced myself and he also gave his name, but I almost eximed in my surprise. Takumi Iruma. His appearance had no Japanese traits, but he had a Japanese name Ive never heard elsewhere in this world. They were apparently staying at the high ss inn, Lakeside Hotel. I decided to sneak away from the church and meet him. My Divine Oracle skill supported me on this. *** Chapter 104: 104: Circumstances of the Hero Chapter 104: 104: Circumstances of the Hero After the trouble at the Adventurers Guild, we arrived at the Lakeside Hotel. Unfortunately, there was no other avable room but their best room, though our current selves had enough money to stay there for even a few years. Even so, Sydnias heroes were vulgar people, werent they? Yeah. They stared at us with their lecherous eyes. Thats right. They were particrly eyeing Sophia-san and Marnie-san like theyd taste them. uu, just remembering it disgusts me. The only one alright to look at us is MasterHusband. Sophia was disappointed at the heroes, Maria and Laeva remembered their unpleasant stares, and Marnie had goosebumps when she remembered. Master, those heroes are from the same ce as Master, right? Havinge out of the Subspace, Kaede ate sweets and rxed as she asked. Yeah, its disappointing. Even if the girl called Akane is different, those two are impossible. I wonder if theyre aware theyre being called crooked heroes. Having the backing of a religious organization, how can they act like thugs? But theyre touring each nation as part of the Light God Faiths propaganda, arent they? Sophia asked strangely. Thats right. Theyll likely be the at the head. Indeed. In the first ce, in countries like this where a variety of races live, the majority would not support the Human Supremacy doctrine that the Light God Faith sings praises of. Only Sydnia and Triaria would. Of course, the Elven country and Dwarven country have no church. When we were rxing, we were informed of a visitor. Its probably the girl called Akane from a while ago. The ones who entered after knocking on the door were the youngdy known as Akane and the 10 year old Catkin girl attendant that we had encountered at the Adventurers Guild. The Catkin attendant was naturally a ve of Sydnia, but she didnt have a ve mark but was affixed with a ve cor. The difference between the ve mark and the ve cor is that the ve mark is a very contract based on thews of that country used to bind a ve. There is no life-threatening punishment even if an act vites the contract. On the other hand, if an order is defied or if the contract is vited, the ve cor tightens and takes the life of the ve. It is only used for criminal ves in this country. For Sydnia, it seems it is standard to attach a ve cor to all ves aside from the human race. Wee, this way please. Marnie, who is wearing a maid outfit, led the youngdy who calls herself Akane to the sofa. I will introduce myself once more. I am Akane Misato ߥ, no, Misato Akane_ . This isfrank of me to ask, however, Takumi Iruma-san, you dont look Japanese, but are you a descendant of a Japanese ancestor summoned in the past? The youngdy in front of me asked with a serious expression. She gazed at me intently with her eyes that seemed to hold a strong will. And this goes the same for the other two, but theyre handsome men and a beautiful woman that are the very picture of heroes and heroines. Id be very d if this information isnt leaked to Sydnia. I will not tell Sydnia! Well, they already sent assassins to me, though. I am Japanese. No, it might be more urate to say I wasJapanese. I was a sryman in my 40s that was dragged into your hero summoning and had lost my life. Eh?! She couldnt believe the silver-haired me who didnt look Japanese. The truth is that Goddess had kindly picked up my soul, which was destined to die. This body was also something that Norn-sama had prepared. Akane was at a loss for words when she heard that I was dragged into their hero summoning and had lost my life. Umm, are you alright? yes, umm sorry. No, you dont have to apologize. The wrong one is Sydnia who had used the hero summoning, a forbidden magic. After that, Akane-san talked about matters after the hero summoning. No matter how she thought of it, theres no way she could understand the Light God Faiths doctrine on human supremacy and oppression of ves excepting Humans. Mazoku being just one of the things, but she seems to have done her investigation and learned that the humans werent necessarily in confrontation with them. At that point in time, Akane-san understood that they were simply summoned to be tools of war. But Akira and Yamato have beenpletely tainted, those two think theyre allowed to do anything. But, to kill people without hesitation Well, were dyed in a sinful way in this world. Still, its disconcerting how, not even a year having passed here, high school boys in Japan had been able to assault someone without any hesitation. When I asked Akane-san about this, it seemed she didnt know either. Theyve always been the type to easily get carried away, but its like theyve lost all restraint sinceing to this world. Hmmm, well, leaving that aside. Was there something you wanted to talk about with me as someone from the same ce? Right. Was there something she wanted to talk to me about that she even went out of her way to go to the inn were staying? Iruma-san, please help Lulu and I! When Akane said that, she got off the sofa and kneeled on the floor, bowing. The so-called Dogeza[1]. The Catkin attendant called Lulu imitated Akane-san. No, please stop with the dogeza! Among the three summoned, only she realized the ulterior motives of Sydnia and was waiting for an opportunity to escape. Moreover, for those two to not notice is strange, but my heart is not hard enough to abandon these two girls. Dispel Kacha, the ve cor on the Catkin attendant made a sound and fell. ?! The cor! The cor is off! Eh!? Tears welled as Lulu-chan touched her neck. Akane-san was surprised and looked at me. Its better that that cor is removed. Th-thank you very much! I assumed it likely had good-for-nothing conditions on it, so I judged that it would be better to remove that ve cor. Like shed be strangled if she leaves a fixed range. For now until things settle down, it would be better if youre at the house I have in Volton town. Thats true. I believe it would give peace of mind since Titan is also there. Master, Kaede will also return to the house? Hiiih! Seeing the Arachne Kaede, Lulu let out a small scream. Even though Kaede has always been in this room, Lulu must have been so tense that she didnt notice. Dont worry. Kaede is my familiar so shes apanion. After that, I took Akane-san and Lulu-chan to Volton and entrusted them to Titan and Kaede[2], then I teleported back to the royal capital. (Now then, I have another job to do.) I wore the Overcoat of Existence Concealment, activated the Stealth skill and snuck into the Light God Church in the royal capital, left a parting gift for the hero party, and returned to Sophia and the others. Theyre temporarily sheltered at my home, but I think I should ask for the cooperation of people like Margrave Volton. My house is already being monitored by the zealots, after all. Im sure that right about now, the church officials were moving about in immense confusion. *** Footnotes:
  1. Dogeza C kneeling directly on the ground and bowing to prostrate oneself. It can be for pleading, asking for forgiveness, or respect. Example here. Now, these next examples are more..desperateLOLso to say. Attack Evasion |Ultimate dogeza (has to be one of my favorites).
  2. Typo. Says Akane instead of Kaede.
Sphys Note: Thanks for reading~ Since many of us are rmended to stay at home, heres something for everyone to enjoy passing the time for FREE. BOOKWALKER and J Novel Club are giving everyone ess to 50+ officially tranted LNs [english] for the entire month of April through the BOOKWALKER app. Its avable on IOS and Android app stores. Of course, not everything is free but it does still offer a wide variety of stories. So, do check it out in your devices app store if youre interested. (They also have it on web browser, but I prefer reading on my device). Anyway, Ive got this annoying headache that wont go away right now. So yeah, might be even less responsive. Stil, lets all try to stay good and healthy. >w< Chapter 105: 105: Religious Conflict Chapter 105: 105: Religious Conflict Inside the extravagant church of the Light God Faith in Valkyratos, the angry voice of a minister[1] resounded. What do you mean?! M-my apologies! The Light God Church in Valkyra Kingdoms capital was in turmoil. Of course they would be. One of the heroes they summoned after umting magic power for a long time, and even sacrificing who knows how many humans for, had vanished. They knew that she went out with her maid. There were people monitoring Akane to strangle the cute beastkin attendant wearing a ve cor, assigned to her should the girls stray too far from a church priest. They were around 10 in number. The entire surveince personnel lost contact and did not return. The church had fallen into a panic. These surveince personnel were dealt with by Kaede in secret. They disappeared from the royal capital, not knowing who killed them. Was this the doing of the Genesis Faith?! Compose yourself! A young priest showed his bare animosity of the Genesis Faith to the minister. He was remonstrated by the minister. Oi oi, why is everyone all panicked? Akira and Yamato came upon seeing the church staff moving around in a fluster. Ooh, Akira-dono and Yamato-dono, the whereabouts of Akane-dono is unknown. Might you know where she could be? Wha! That bitch Akane ran away?! Tch, I was nning on making her my woman someday but she ran away. Yamato and Akira concluded that Akane ran away. Akira was aiming for Akane. Akane measures up to the standard of this world where many beautifuldies and pretty girls existed. When they went to the same high school, they were a little bit closer, but since the summoning, theyve been in opposition many times. The problems were practically all from Akira and Yamatos side, but they themselves do not realize this. Yeah, cuz shes got a nice bod. Totally, I wanted to have a taste. We will do a search in Valkyra Kingdoms capital, therefore, Hero-samas, please return to Sydnia momentarily. What about you gonna do about the trip to Lomaria? Please return momentarily since we will reexamine matters, including the escorts, and I expect it to be after that. Dammit, I wanted to get that assholes elf ve. The rabbit woman was sexy too. Akira and Yamato seem to have forgotten that they were dealt with easily and Akiras sword being cut. Originally, they should have been a bit more decent. But unlike Akane, why did the personalities of the two change so much? That is rted to the level of their Light Attribute Magic. Having been suspicious of Sydnia ever since they were summoned, Akane used purifying magic even on her daily meals and water. Akira also has the Light Attribute Magic skill, but he preferred training with the sword and did not raise the skill level of his Light Attribute Magic. And even if he could use purifying magic, he probably wouldnt use it on his food and drinks. Yes, Sydnia dilutes a substance simr to narcotic drugs and mixes it into the heroes meals. Furthermore, with thought guidance, they made the heroes into puppets that would ept instructions from the Light God Faith unconditionally. The miscalction of the Light God Church was that, because Akane did not show a rebellious attitude in her everyday behavior and conduct, they did not doubt that she was under their control, like Akira and Yamato were. As expected, Valkyra Kingdom is a fairly troublesome country. Yes, a country that recognizes beasts and long-ears as people, I question their sanity. The priests and minister who separated from Akira and Yamato were feeling restless that the heroes were not too effective as missionaries. Additionally, they concluded the main cause to be that this country and Lomaria have adopted policies on racial harmony. To the priests and minister of Sydnia, Beastkin, Elves, and Dwarves are not people. Nevertheless, they do not antagonize Dwarves outwardly because dwarves possess smithing technology. Sydnia would be troubled if they could not trade in quality weapons and armor. Thats the only reason. Moreover, that annoying adventurer party called Wings of Norn seems to be throwing its weight around. To have that heathen goddess name, it seems those guys are the ones that spread around those purifying magic devices. Given the mysterious disappearance of the Kamui unit, they likely have assassination skills. Or they hired a remarkable guard. It might possibly be both. ording to the report, the party leader and the long-eared woman have been promoted to A rank. Their lowest rank is said to be D rank, so it would be better to take their substantial abilities into consideration for the ns from here on. The Light God Faith came to the conclusion that the propagation of their faith was unfavorable in ces apart from Sydnia and Triaria because there is an issue with the poption of races aside from the human kind, like the beastkin. For the war against the Genesis Faith, and the war against subhumans. We must make haste. What if Triaria Kingdom seeded the invasion of Yggurle 50, no, 53 years ago? I cant help but have such thoughts. The war Sophia participated in 50 years ago was officially a war of aggression between Triaria and Yggurle, but naturally, Sydnia was moving behind the scenes. In that war, we had been too hasty. Without preparation, an absurd enforcement of a long march through the savagends was done to circumvented Valkyra and Lomaria. We must reflect on this. I heard that Valkyra and Lomaria have begun construction of forts in the savagends. That is slightly incorrect. Lomaria has what could be called a fort close to their national border, however, Valkyra Kingdom had built a fortress city that can repulse tens of thousands of troops. Wha! Is that true?! When ites to minister-ss church officials of the Light God Faith, various information gathered. The fight between the fortress town Wedgefort and the tens of thousands of monsters was already known. And the obtained information was even detailed to some extent. An adequate analysis showed that it would likely be difficult for the entire army of Triaria to fell Wedgefort if they were to try. The face of the priest turned pale hearing that. Of course it would. Sydnia does not have territorial greed, but they find it uneptable for a country that encourages policies on racial harmony to build up its strength. That is because it leads to the decline of the Light God Church. Valkyra and Lomaria have begun to develop the savagends which was essentiallynd riddled with countless numbers of small scale monster nests. This remation of the savagends overflowing with monster nests was a feat no one had previously seeded in doing over a period of many years. The city wedged into the wilderness, Wedgefort, had shocked the Light God Faith. Is there a possibility that the savagends would be developed? Not in its entirety, but a trade route to Lomaria and a trade route to Samandour that does not pass through Triaria might possibly be opened soon. Wha?! Isnt that serious!? At present, for Samandour thats at the south of the continent and Valkyra to trade, there is a need to pass through Triaria. The savagends on the west side of Triaria are too dangerous to be trade routes, but it would be different if more fortress cities like Wedgefort are built. And this is uneptable to both Triaria and Sydnia. Well, it likely wouldnt happen anytime soon. For now, we must return to the imperial capital with the heroes and report to the Pope. Everything elsees after that. The minister assigned personnel to search for Akane and hurried their preparation to return to the imperial capital. *** Footnotes:
  1. ˾ C Dont know what to trante it to other than minister since Ive previously tranted to priest. Im not knowledgeable on religious ranks and googling it didnt help me, because it said priests and ministers are in different religions and its more of an umbre term so theres no ranking. But for the sake of the story, the church rankings so far from lowest to highest are priest minister pope.
Chapter 106: Treatment of the summoned Hero Chapter 106: Treatment of the summoned Hero On the way back to Volton, inside the carriage pulled by Tsubaki, we were having a discussion regarding how to treat Akane-san. We would have teleported back if it werent for a request, but we still wanted to avoid suspicion by returning too soon after an escort request. If we were to consider the security between taking shelter at Margrave Voltons castle and my house, it would definitely be thetter. Indeed. The performance of the security golems has greatly improved thanks to Titan, and when Kaede is at the mansion, intruders and the like cant slip through. No one can escape Kaedes threads, after all! Certainly, because of Titan, the AI of the security golems have developed remarkably. Two golems are stationed at the gate, and another two go around on patrol. Together, the four golems protect the mansion. When Kaede is at the mansion, she encloses the mansion grounds with her threads to make a boundary. Few monsters can avoid this boundary. Also, given that Marnie-san and I are Beastkins, we have good ears and noses. Thats right, the Rabbitkin are primarily a timid race, so we wouldnt miss trespassers because of ourrge ears. Furthermore, when Laeva and Marnie are at the mansion, they could detect intruders with their sharp senses, characteristic of Beastkins. Living in Margrave Voltons castle would likely be stressful, too. Living in a castle is a high hurdle for a Japanese person. Although Margrave Volton is a friendly person, it would cause mental tension even then. The current Akane-san cant protect herself, can she? It would be desirable for her current level to double, at the very least. Its the same for the two other heroes; Their levels were low and it didnt seem like their status growth was being amplified by divine protection. Going by levels, their current strength is around the same as those of a full fledged adventurer, but thats it. Its probably at the level where one could or couldnt reach C rank. When I said that to everyone, Sophia and the girls denied it. Takumi-sama, thats different. Takumi-sama is extraordinary, but the people you acknowledge aspanions and your familiars level up and gain skills easier. Furthermore, even our growth rate isnt normal. All things considered, I believe that this effect of the divine protection is also allowed because of Goddess Norn-samas favor. Thats right, Master, even a Rabbitkin like myself, who was looked down on by other Beastkin, had grown to a level where I can pass as a full-fledged adventurer. In return for being poor at magic, the Beastkin boast exceptional physical abilities. And ording to Marnie, among them were the Rabbitkin, exceedingly agile but are much weaker than even average Humans in strength, and even more so to other Beastkin, so they are a race looked down on. Instead, the Rabbitkin, both male and female, are exceedingly attractive in appearance. Although, Beastkin do not regard appearances highly. In any case, Marnies growth is not normal either. Marnie is a beautiful woman in the eyes of any race and she has a dynamite body, so I thought it would be useful for self-defense, but her abilities have grown to be those of a full-fledged adventurer. But that didnt mean she wants to fight proactively. It seems she wants to be my personal guard, like Sophia. Lulu-chan is there too. Lulu-chan, huh Yes, the 10 year old Catkin girl, Lulu-chan, was a ve since her parents generation in Sydnia. To Sydnia, if the parents are ves, their children automatically be ves too. A way to protect her from the zealots is necessary. Still a child, Lulu-can who hasnt received any sort ofbat training had be a traitor to the Light God Faith. Shed be helpless if she was attacked. To be protected by his Majesty is another way. Indeed, his Majesty would likely protect Akane-san and Lulu-chan. But that would be no different from being confined in a castle. Inside the carriagefortably pulled by Tsubaki, a definite answer couldnt be found in our discussion. Religion is so troubling. Troubling? Seemingly curious, Sophia asked me. Yeah, be it with the Genesis Faith or with the Light God Faith, I think there is no problem believing in a god if it can give you peace of mind. But Humans are not the only ones that live in this world. At that point, the Light God Faith and I are ipatible. However, to Sydnia and Triaria, the way of thinking that the other countries and I have are tainted by teachings of heresy and are therefore bad. We have our justice, and they have theirs. I believe that Justice is something that changes depending on where you stand. When ites to religion, though theyre the minority, the people with radical ideologiese out when they cant make concessions to each others views. Because they are only the minority, they are united. Yes, and they be even more radical. Like the zealots of the Light God Faith targeting us called the Light God Faiths Kamui Unit. So then you are saying that if our actions are in ordance with Kamui, it would be us moving on Gods behalf. I dont believe that the entire staff in the Genesis Faiths church are righteous. It is an organization, so I imagine people be corrupt if theye together. Conversely, I do not think that all priests of the Light God Faith are bad. With exception to the radical zealots, the only thing that I think the Light God Faith must change is their doctrine on Human supremacy. If it wasnt for that, there wouldnt be a problem even if they worship idols of gods other than Norn-sama. Indeed, if its just believing in another god, there wouldnt be a problem if it supports the peoples hearts. Human supremacy is where we are in conflict. At the end of the day, its really that. In the doctrines of the Light God Faith, God first created the sea, the earth, and sky. Then, onnd, God created Humans in his likeness, and prepared nts and animals for their nourishment. Later on, a wicked god manifested and created monsters and fairies. Then Beastkin were born from animals beasts, and Elves and Dwarves were born from fairies. The Light God Faith truly believe that the races aside from Human race are beings created by the wicked god, and it was the Humans God-given mission to control and rule over the other races. In the Genesis Faith, after Goddess Norn created the world, she gave birth to Humans who have average abilities, Beastkin who excel physically, Elves who have high affinity with spirits, Dwarves who are stubborn and dexterous with their fingers, and Mazoku who have high aptitude for magic. Goddess Norns miscalction was likely the outbreak of monsters as a result of having created a world where magic power exists. There seem to have been various causes for the monster outbreak. Animals and insects that changed after growing up in ces with dense magic power. Ghosts exposed to magic power, generating undead monsters. Magic cores created from magic power condensing and binding to inorganic materials, turning into golems. idental opening of a dimensional tear bringing forth demon-type monsters. Under the influence of evil spirits, monsters such as Goblins, Orcs, Ogres, Trolls were created. Monster nests,nd indelibly stained with thick magic power, were also a miscalction of Goddess Norn. In monster nests, magic power umtes so monsters spring forth. Furthermore, the with high reproductive capabilities of monsters, the speed of their propagation is quick, making monster extermination difficult. When a lot of monsters live in it, thatnd is affected by even more magic power. The history of mankind in this world is a history filled with battles to clean up monster nests and expand inhabitablend. Takumi-sama, lets make Overcoats of Existence Concealment for two first. Youre right. We also have to help them learn the Stealth skill. I think its the simplest countermeasure. Before long, the town of Volton came into view in the distance. *** Chapter 107: Liberation Chapter 107: Liberation When we finally reached Volton and returned to the house, we were greeted by Titan, Akane-san, and Lulu-chan. Were back. Was your stayfortable? Yes, we were able to pass the time pleasantly. Lets discuss Akane-san and Lulu-chans circumstances from now on tomorrow. yes, please do. P-please! Akane-san and Lulu-chan bowed deeply. We took turns taking baths, and I called Sophia and the others to the living room afterwards. I had something I wanted to suggest to them. As a matter of fact, Sophia and I have been promoted to A rank adventurers. So I was thinking it would be fine now and made up my mind. Wouldnt it alright to release Sophia, Maria, Laeva from the very contracts now? The moment I said that, theplexion of the three quickly paled. would we be leaving Takumi-samas side? When Sophia asked in a quivering voice, I realized my words werecking. Oh, dont get me wrong. I want Sophia and Maria to always stay by my side. Your liberation is a different story. Our adventurer ranks were already raised to A rank. With this, even nobles cant approach and involve themselves you girls so willy-nilly. Laeva too, I want you to stay as my assistant. The faces of the girls were evidently relieved when I said so. So thats how it was. Certainly, I myself have be a high rank adventurer, therefore I can defend myself on the various matters that I had to shoulder for being an elf. Still, is there a need to go out of your way to release us? To say a need, huh. Marnie isnt a ve, is she? I was thinking that, if possible, Id like for Sophia and Maria to be on the same position too. I feel the same way. To me, Sophia-san is the first wife, Maria-san is the second wife, and I am supposed to be the mistress. F-first wife?! Me, the second wife!?! Sophia and Marias faces turned bright red. Laeva, too. The money youd be able to send would increase, to the point where you can call them to Volton, right? youre right. Thats good idea! Ive already decided to always be Takumi-samas assistant. But it never urred to me to send my family here! That being the case, do you understand? It wouldnt make sense for Sophia and Maria to be my ves, right? I wish youd continue to support me as my partners. And Id be in trouble if Laeva isnt my assistant, after all. Partners I will continue to do my best as Takumi-samas assistant. Please treat me well. While Sophia and Maria were in a trance, Laeva smiled and responded. Dispel!Dispel!Dispel! At once, the ve contracts of the three were dispelled. The ve contract magic is ssified as a curse. Therefore, the Light Attribute magic Dispel can undo the curse. Conversely, ve contract magic is magic that sets contracts and release with the Dark Attribute. Sophia, Maria, and Laevas ve crest vanished the same time the curse was dispelled. Un, it seems it was dispelled properly. Takumi-sama, please treat me well from here on. Takumi-sama, please take care of me after this. Takumi-sama, Ill work even harder than before. Fufu, what a relief. Un, treat me well like always. With this, theres no more ves in our house, but it seems it would take Lulu-chan a while to get used to such a life. I can imagine how ves, and the children as small as her, were treated in Sydnia, but theres little we could do. How is it? Have you settled into the life here? The morning after returning to Volton from the royal capital, I had a discussion with Akane-san and Lulu-chan regarding what would happen from here on in the living room. Yes. Because of the Toilet Purifier MD and therge bathroom with a magic device that produces hot water, I kept getting surprised. I see, thats good then. U-umm, is it alright for me to not be wearing a cor? Lulu, who had been a ve ever since she was born, seems to have been greatly perplexed at her sudden newfound freedom. Its fine. Lulu-chan isnt a ve anymore. Nheless, it doesnt mean that youll be thrown out. Lulu-chan, lets search for the future you wish for with everyone, alright? y-yes. It cant be helped that her response wascking any real feelings. Shes still only a 10 year old child, after all. And so, its not like Akane-san has officially defected from Sydnia, but I think you should talk to the King of this country. Because of that, I n to exin the situation to Margrave Volton, and have Margave Volton report it to his Majesty. the king and the nobles of this country, Valkyra Kingdom, are trustworthy? Akane-san anxiously asked a part of what worries her. I understand that anxiety well. If I didnt meet Margrave Volton and his Majesty personally, Id probably hesitate after being told that too. Its true that there are many good-for-nothing nobles, but at least I think Margrave Volton and his Majesty the King are alright. Iruma-san, youve met his Majesty the King? That Purifier MD is something I made, and its because of that that his Majesty summoned me. For the meritorious deed of keeping towns sanitary, I earned the opportunity to meet him and received a mary reward. The nobles Im acquainted with are Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford, but both of them are friendly so I think you dont have to worry. When I said so, Sophia and Maria nodded. Of course, I believe that the safest ce to hide in is at my house for now, so that wouldnt change, but this matter might be an issue between countries, after all. I understand. Please help us. P, please help us! Un, dont worry. Its alright to leave it to me. I told Akane-san and Lulu-chan, who were bowing side-by-side, that theres no need to worry. Maybe, if its Margrave Volton and his Majesty, theyd do well. Without dy, I made an appointment with Margrave Volton. *** Chapter 108: Takumi brings in trouble Chapter 108: Takumi brings in trouble By way of chambein Xervus-san, I booked an appointment with Margrave Volton, and its been 5 days since then. It was bad timing. Margrave Volton had business at the royal capital and I only received a reply yesterday when he came back to town. I was waiting in the reception office with Sophia when Margrave Volton and chambein Xervus-san came in. Its been a while, Iruma-dono. Yes it has, Margrave Volton-sama. I dont mind if you call me Lord Volton like usual or Lord Godwin. So, I heard that todays discussion is private so I cleared the room, but what is it about? The ever frank Margrave Volton sat in front of me, and a smiling Xervus-san stood diagonally behind him. Yes, the truth is that the other day, I went to the royal capital with the Adventurer Guilds escort request. Ou, I heard about it, Iruma-dono! So you were promoted to A rank. Being promoted to A rank in this short a time is a new record, you know. Master, you must not interrupt Iruma-dono. Ah, yeah, sorry. Continue. Xervus-san cautioned that the discussion was derailing greatly. Yes, in the Adventurers Guild at the capital, the heroes of Sydnia gotinvolved picked a fight with me. There, I exined in detail of what happened to Margrave Volton. Fumu, that trouble ended, right? Theres a different problem, isnt there? I nodded and began talking about Akane-san. To tell you the truth, among those heroes, the one that didnt get involved in the incident came to me for protection, so I am sheltering that person and her young beastkin maid. I kept the fact that one of the reasons I am sheltering Akane-san is because shes from the same ce as me. oh lord, I heard the hero summoning was good, but is that not an abduction from another world? Furthermore, the reason was for them to be pawns of war, that rotten Sydnia. I also have a problem with the hero summoning. However, the two remaining heroes, I dont know whats wrong with them, but they seem to have been brainwashedpletely by Sydnia and tainted with the doctrine on Human supremacy. So, for them to quarrel with Iruma-dono, how were the heroes strength? Margrave Volton asked about the issue with the heroes strengths. It may have been because of the magic form of the summoning magic circle, their growth capability is better than the average persons, but even so, it didnt feel exceptional. Their levels are still low, so I dont think those two have the strength the overturn the state of a war. How is their growth speed? A year hasnt passed yet since their summoning, right? It is rtively fast, but I think my Maria and Laeva are faster. However, I expect that with another 2 years, theyll be A rank adventurers. There are only a handful of A rank adventurers in this world, but they have the ability to reach it if they train desperately for 2 years. Its not thatplicated to reach the level of those handful of people if they train diligently because, in one world out of many, they already are 3 people selected from over 7 billion people living there. Either theyll be A rank in 3 years, or they arent enough of a threat. The way Margrave Volton took it was different from me who took it more heavily. Even in Volton, which is known as an adventurer town, excluding Sophia and myself, there are only 5 A rank adventurers. 3 among them are Heath-san and his bunch, so A rank adventurers are understood to be valuable. Actually, Sophia and I greatly exceed the limits of A rank adventurers in level. Heath-san and the others who were promoted to A rank a step earlier than us are at around Lv70. Moreover, the growth values of their status can be as much as 3 for each level up, but their ability growth is as little as 0 C 1. Mine grows from as little as 3 to as much as 5, while the girls grow in the range of 2 C 4. Theres a big change in our statuses with each level up. Furthermore, with arge correction to our skill growth, we dont actually fit into the framework of the A rank. Well, I dont think theres anything wrong being too vignt. There are zealots in Sydnia, so we can only pray that neither they nor the heroes ever attack the Genesis Faith or hunt the other races. that is indeed worrying. Frankly, its not just in our country. The church officials of the Genesis Faith in Samandour Kingdom have apparently been attacked several times. The criminals were unknown but Was it the fanatics of Light God Faith, the Kamui unit? That might almost certainly be the case. ording to the information Margrave Volton had gotten hold of, even Samandour Kingdom, a region of the Genesis Faith where many beastkin reside, was attacked. Many citizens had been caught in it and there was a great number of casualties. Akane-san will be much safer in Volton than the royal capital, wouldnt she? Yeah, I will inform his Majesty, but for the meantime, I will have to trouble you to be her guard, Iruma-dono. That would be much more secure than sheltering them poorly at my castle or at the royal castle. Indeed. Ill strengthen the security system of the mansion. I leave it to you. She was forcibly taken from a different world and separated from her parents and siblings. That heroine likely needs care, too. Do take care of her with Sophia-dono and the others. Understood. In this meeting, its been decided that Akane-san will be living in my mansion for a while so that Sydnia doesnt find out. As for me, I was thinking this is might be nice to take them to Bohd Vige on this asion. In any case, I need to arrange Akane-sans defense setup and Lulu-chans treatment. *** Chapter 109: It’s been a while, Bohd Village Chapter 109: Its been a while, Bohd Vige Tsubaki advanced to the north on a furrowed road. I wonder if Vanga-san and Martha-san are doing well. Is Bobon-san making a hand pump? Takumi-sama, you seem very happy. I am. Theyre the people who took care of me before I met you guys, after all. Master! Kaede also excited to meet Martha-san! Oh right, I met Kaede near Bohd Vige. But they might not immediately realize its you when they see the you now, Kaede. Muu~~! Kaede was all sullen, but the Kaede during that time in Bohd vige was a monster spider I found from who knows where. The only thing that remained is the leaf pattern on her spider body. Kaede was popr with the vige wives, so their impression of her might be strong. You met Papeck-dono there, didnt you? Un, the Papeck Company isrge now, but I first met him when he came to do his periodic peddling so he wouldnt forget his initial resolution. From Bohd vige to Volton town was 3 days on a carriage pulled by a normal horse, but its possible to arrive in 1 day on the carriage pulled by Tsubaki. But the sun is setting so were stopping to camp for the night before arriving to Bohd Vige. Although I say its a camp since we take turns keeping watch, we sleep inside the carriage so its not strictly a camp. Sleeping on a soft bed aint camping! as Lyle-san would say. its an amazing carriage. Whats pulling it isnt a horse anymore though. Its my first time seeing a Dragon Horse. To Akane-san and Lulu-chan, our carriage and the Dragon Horse Tsubaki seemed to have been surprising. We searched for a spot to camp in before the sun setpletely, then Maria and I started preparing dinner. Eh?! Iruma-san will cook? Eh? Is it that surprising? Akane-san was surprised, but Im an artisan, and cooking is also a creation. I might not have said this to you, Akane-san, but my primary jobs are Alchemist and cksmith, and there are others but theyre also production jobs. Sewing and cooking are about making things, too. No, an A rank adventurer with production jobs is strange. When Akane-san said so, Lulu-chan nodded in agreement. Is it that strange? Maria and I divided the work as we cooked; We quickly made food. Todays menu is beef stew. Well, its not your regr beef though, its the meat of a ck Buffalo. Age[1] magic was used on the meat. The vor changedpletely with this. In reality, stews take a long time, but that, too, was shortened by magic and all the cooking was finished in an hour. S, so delicious! Akane-san eximed and was moved to tears, while Lulu-chans hands didnt stop moving as she ate the beef stew silently. When camping, we could only eat dried meats and hard bread soaked in water. Thats normal. I think our camp is just special. When eating at a normal camp, meals are oftentimes dried meats and hard bread devoid of any moisture. We have the Item Box and the Magic Bag I created, so we can stock up on foodstuff. Furthermore, the carriage has a kitchen installed into it, so we can have meals no different from the ones we have at the mansion. Even I can understand their surprise. In the first ce, this carriage is also strange. Why is the interior so spacious? Theres arge bed, a living room, a kitchen, and even a toilet and a shower! Thats because the carriage has space expansion. The exceedinglyfortable carriage made her remember her camps so far. Normally there are no toilets so picking flowers[2]is a must when during breaks. Frankly, I could teleport everyone if its only as far as Bohd vige, but Tsubaki would sulk if we teleport too much, so we travelled by carriage this time. The smell of human waste was horrible even in Sydnias Holy City. The restrooms in the castle reeked, I couldnt take baths everyday, and the food was mostly salty Akane-sansints were endless. Its true that when I first arrived at Volton, I remember being disgusted by the smell that wafted in the city. The smell of the town had me beat too, you know. I couldnt bear it anymore so I made the Purifier MD and the Toilet Purifier MD. Thats just it, Iruma-san is so unfair! To have made a pleasant environment like this by yourself It seems like until the modern-age-Japan-raised Akane-san was able to use Purification, it was agonizing to go to the restroom. Still, I couldnt openly use purifying magic to remove the filth. Since Sydnia, the Light God Faith, deres that Light Attribute magic is a sacred magic bestowed to them by God, the purification of filth is fundamentally prohibited. Of course, they have taken measures to embargo the Purifier MD and the like. The exception is when priests periodically purify the umted filth at towns, in exchange forrge sums of remuneration. Previously, their priests took turns with those from the Genesis Faith to do the purification even in the royal capitals of Valkyra and Lomaria, but with the poprization the Purifier MD I made, theyve lost that job now. Well, I think the extent of using purifying magic to clean bodies and even rooms and foodstuff is something only we would do though. Well, Ive always been an artisan since I was in Bohd vige, and creating things was my job. Even so, when I was in Bohd vige, I used purifying magic on myself. But when I first arrived at Volton, I immediately thought to make the magic devices. By the way, Takumi-sama, how long will we be staying in Bohd Vige? We delivered arger quantity of products to the Papeck Company in advance though, so a short while will be alright. I gave it a little bit of thought when Laeva asked how many days were staying. Margrave Volton said it would be alright if we rx and take it easy while they were gathering information. Maybe around 10 days. In that case, its okay. as distasteful as this is to ask, are Iruma-san and everyone terrifyingly rich people? Your house is a mansion, you own this carriage, and above all, Sophia-san and the others were bought as ves, werent they? y-yeah, well, I guess I have a lot of money. I bought Sophia and Maria to be my bodyguard and have someone I could leave the management of the house and other things to, and Laeva is my assistant at alchemy and smithing. Marnie isnt a ve. But Takumi-sama being a rich person is true. The sum from even just the royalties is nothing to sneeze at. Thought so. Sophia confirmed it and, for some reason, glowered at Akane-san. Akane-san, were a B rank party. Even with just the rewards from being adventurers, a mansion of that size is reasonable. We had almost no freedom since being summoned, so I couldnt trust in Sydnia from the beginning. I tried gathering all kinds of information though, like how Sydnias organization was shady, and there was nothing about their way of thinking that I could ept I guess a lot of things had piled up in her. I couldnt follow up very well for Akane-san, who looked to be in pain. I was just lucky. Norn-sama was overly protective of me, and everyone good to me when I arrived at Bohd Vige. Akane-san and the others were still senior high school students[3]. How much grief is it to be forcefully separated from ones parents and siblings? I was an unsessful sryman in my 40s whose parents had already passed and had no siblings, so I couldnt share that type of grief. I think my mental structure changed when I came here to Mildgard in this body. Thats why although I had feelings of aversion, I wasnt in disarray the first time I killed thieves and bandits. I changed so much from my time in Japan and I was scared of myself, but I adapted surprisingly fast. Inparison, I think Akane-san is at a level where she has to get physiological counseling if she were in Japan. We left early the next morning and reached the vicinity of Bohd vige still in the morning. Ah! Akane-san, who was gazing outside the carriage, looked forward and eximed. That is Bohd vige. What came into view was a vige within nature. It was Bohd vige, greatly expandedpared to when I was there. *** Footnotes:
  1. Aging / Curing meat info.
  2. Picking flowers C going to the restroom.
  3. Author keeps saying SHS, even though he first said theyre enrolled uni students so I guess thats what they are now. I wont make footnotes on this anymore.
Chapter 110: Banquet (1) Chapter 110: Banquet (1) As we got closer, the panoramic scene of Bohd Vige came into view. The size of the town seemed to have gotten twicerger than when I left 3 years ago. New protective walls were built in addition to the ones I made. Wha?! Mo, MONSTER!!! The gatekeepers legs failed at the sight of Tsubakisrge body equipped with her intimidating armor. When I made Tsubaki stop in front of the gate, people from the vige came gathering at the gate to see if there was something going on. Ah! Aint that Takumi!? Guys! Takumi came back! Ooo! It really is Takumi! Here I was, wondering who came riding that amazing carriage. Takumi returned! Takumi! Ah! Vanga-san! As I sat on the coachmans seat. I heard a nostalgic voice. It was the hunter, Vanga-sans. Martha-san approached too. I got off the carriage, delighted at my reunion with Vanga-san and Martha-san. I was looking forward to the passionate bearhug-like embrace from Martha-san. So how is it, Takumi? The vige got a lot bigger, didnt it? A sewer system was also established, right? Yeah, we got various purifying magic devices that Takumi made, and the number of people also suddenly increased in Bohd vige, after all. We couldnt leave vige how it was before. Ou! The carriage would be an obstacle if its left in a ce like this! Takumi, bring it in quickly! Oh right! We left your cabin alone, so park the carriage there! Eh?! The cabin is still there? I was told that the cabin I used when I was under the care of the vige was left as is. Thats because Takumi is the benefactor of this vige. We left it so you coulde back whenever you wanted. Hey! How long will you dilly dally there?! Tonight will be a banquet! Ooo! Ya got that right! Alright! Im gonna hunt some game! Vanga-san and the others dispersed from the gate front to prepare for a banquet. Takumi-sama, youre loved by everyone, huh. Yeah, they really received me well. Now then, lets move Tsubaki to the cabin. I moved Tsubaki in the direction of the cabin. Its not yet paved, but even the road had be clean and wide. The number of houses had doubled, and stores and workshops also lined the streets. In just 3 years, this development had been boosted by Margrave Voltons support and the investment of the Papeck Company. its only been 3 years, but Ive missed it a lot. I stopped the carriage by the cabin and looked at my former dwelling once more. Its small, but its a well maintained building. Oh, Laeva, you get it? Even so, when I was in Bohd vige, there were still only few things I could do, so that might have been my limits at the time. I called Kaede and mini Titan from the Subspace. Master, Kaede will go hunting too! Then, can you please go with her, Sophia? Kaede knows this area well. Yes. Got it, Master! Sophia-ane, lets go! When Sophia and Kaede left to go hunt, Maria and Marnie cleaned the cabin, and Laeva began to inspect the cabin. Akane-san and Lulu-chan can rest in the cabin. Lulu will clean too! Lulu-chan said so and ran to where Maria and Marnie were. Then shall we go in? Yes. The bed remained in the cabin, but since I brought the furniture with me before, I took out a table and chairs equal to our numbers. Please sit, Ill brew some tea immediately. Okay, did you live here? Akane-san looked around inside the cabin curiously. They began living at the castle the moment they were summoned, so a small cabin like this was probably novel to her. Even in Japan, it was probably an environment high school students in the city wouldnt connect with. Yep, the ce Inded in here in this world was a meadow a few days walk from this ce. The first people I came into contact with here were the people of Bohd vige. Then I was given permission to use this cabin, and I spent my time smithing and making potions here. While watching Maria, Marnie, and Lulu-chan clean the interior of the cabin, I first cleaned the kitchen with purifying magic and boiled some water. Takumi-sama, are we staying in this cabin tonight? No, I think the carriage is fine. As one would expect, its impossible for everyone to stay in the cabin. Sophia, Maria, Marnie and I can sleep in the cabin, but for Akane-san, Lulu-chan, and Laeva, it would be too direct and embarrassing. Because its a tiny cabin, the cleaning finished easily, so Maria and the others drank tea and rested as well. They said there would be a banquet, but we should offer the meat in our Magic Bags, right? Youre right. Ill also offer the meat I have stocked up in my Item Box. After everyone drank their tea, we went to the vige za and offered to help prepare for the banquet.Takumi-chan is such a smooth operator, huh. All your women are beautiful arent they? N-no, Martha-san. Not all of them. Oh? Then that means that some of them are, right? A`, uu, well, yes. When we went to the za, Martha-san found me and teased me regarding Sophia-san and the girls. Whats this, whats this, Martha, whats going on? Ah, this is bad, the wives have gathered. No, nothing. Well, listen here~ Didnt Takumi-chan bring these beauty-sans? Yep, the wives mobbed and teased me. It was then that Sophia and Kaede came back. Martha-san and the others froze when they saw Kaede. Ah, wee back Kaede, Sophia. Were back Master, we hunted a lot of prey, you know? We have returned. Eh! Youre Kaede-chan, right? Eh, now that you mention it, her lower half is a spider. Martha-san, long time no seeee. Oh my! Youve be so cute! After that, Kaede was surrounded by the wives and they were being affectionate with her. They definitely wanted her threads. See? Sure enough, Kaede was kidnapped. Now then, shall we dismantle them? as you say. After that, everyone but Kaede went ahead and dismantled the prey Sophia and Kaede hunted. As for Titan, I had him go out and check if there were any abnormalities around the vige. Sophia and Kaede had brought back a lot of prey. The carcasses, majority of which were de Deer and Horned Rabbits, Rock Birds, Big Boar, and the like from this area, stored in the Magic Bag were dismantled, and the meat on their bones were sliced up. As the dismantling progressed smoothly, I began preparing to cook. There were a lot of people, so I wanted to cook something as simple as possible. If its barbequing, I can marinate and grill it. I made a stove for grilling with Earth magic. I received some wood and transmuted them into charcoal. I also quickly made a grill with my stocked iron ore using Alchemy, Earth magic, and Smithing magic. As expected of Takumi-sama. Your mastery of chantless Alchemy and Smithing magic is amazing! Well, its thanks to Norn-sama. Laeva had also been able to activate Alchemy chantlessly recently, but its still limited to simple alchemy. Mine was a result of the Norn-samas favoritism, so I was feeling guilty towards Laeva. Vanga-san also returned with some game and the entire vige prepared for the feast. With the sun setting and the bonfire zing, the banquet began. *** Chapter 111: Banquet (2) Chapter 111: Banquet (2) The banquet, which started with the setting sun, became lively as everyone in the vige participated. Of course, about half the people here were people I dont know, but in this world where theres little entertainment, everyone dly joins in when theres a feast. Entertainment, huh, maybe I should give it a bit of thought. Ou, Takumi, rumor has it that you handle mithril, not to mention adamantite. Also, that Ryuumas armor is adamantite, right? Yes, our armor also uses mithril and adamantite. With an ale in hand, Bobon-san started talking to me. Is that so? Id also forge if Id got ingots of em mithril and adamantite though. Hey, between you and me, could ya lend me some? Maybe just an ingots worth[1] The furnace in Bobon-sans workshop would only barely be able to handle, after all. Ooh, Im grateful. Drink,e on keep on drinking! In a good mood knowing hed get his hands on an ingot, Bobon-san offered me an ale, but that ale is the alcohol I provided. Ale sure is good if its chilled. Yeah, it goes well with the grilled meat. This sauce is tasty. With ales in hand, the vige men bit into the one grilled meat after the other. Tasty meat! Fruit water is so sweeeet~! Sho gwooood! The small children were enjoying the barbeque too. There are more children now than when I lived here. This is a good thing for the vige. The previous Bohd vige was in a state where it could be called a marginal vige. It had no future if left as it was; Just awaiting the day it bes a deserted vige. Its a lively vige. Sophia sat beside me, smiling as she watched as the lively vigers made merry. A mere 3 years ago, there were few people, and they werent as lively. The viges economy began turning around ever since the construction of the hand pump manufacturing workshop. The young couples also increased. The number of small children will likely also increase. Even so, increasing by another 100 people might be their limit. Itd be good if they can develop theirnd size, but there is no merit in making this ce into a big town. On the other hand, there is the demerit of losing rare medicinal nts disseminated around Bohd vige. A multitude of medicinal nts grow in this area. An Adventurer guild branch as a counteraction against thieves would be desirable, wouldnt it? Thats right. There are few strong monsters in this area so its the thieves and bandits that they must be vignt of. The wealthier Bohd vige gets, the higher the likelihood theyd be targeted by thieves and bandits. How about using golems? Indeed. The performance of the security golems did improve thanks to Titan. If those golems have a simr performance to the security golems protecting my mansion at Volton, theyd be able to suppress things if its at the degree of an ogre. Furthermore, if theyre equipped with a shield and a sword or mace, their fighting strength would increase even more. Ah, you two are being all flirty in a ce like this~ Owaa! Akane-san tottered closer to the spot Sophia and I were talking at and then she leaned on us. Wanting to ask for help, my eyes searched for Lulu-chan, but she was having fun at the barbeque with the vige children. I gave up and kept Akane-sanpany. Akane-san, are you drunk? Im not drunk~ No, youre hammered, arent you? Its a good vige~. I wish I was also summoned to this vige~ Can you drink water? Dwont neeed iit~ Takumi-sama, I will put Akane-san to bed. Imm shtiill driiinkiiing~ Sophia took Akane-san to the carriage. To drink more than she could handle, her stress must have piled up. Did Sydnia support the heroes minds? Those two were irritating, but maybe their environment was bad. She fell asleep immediately. Sophia, who took Akane away, came back. As I thought, it would be better if I take care of Akane-san, right? Probably. Akane-san seems like she might break if she was at Margrave Voltons or at the royal capital. Right? Lets support her so she can slowly adapt to this world. I think that would be good for Lulu-chan too. Incidentally, when I looked up, the starry sky that seemed like it would fall at any moment shined. How long did I gaze at that starry sky? The starry sky at Mildgards night sky was iparably more beautiful to the starry sky my grandfather showed me in the countryside when I was young. And when I gazed at the starry sky again, I realized yet again that this is not Earth. Two blue moons,rge and small, were suspending on the west of the sky. Few stars could be seen on the western part of the sky because of the light of those moons. Even I couldnt afford to admire the moon and stars. I think I might have not had the mentalposure to notice it, either. Even though Ive camped many times under the moonlight, I had not noticed how beautiful the starry sky was. I really am d that we went to Bohd vige at this time. At that moment, Sophia held my hand gently. The bewilderment of having been thrown into this world all of a sudden was too much for Takumi-samas heart, wasnt it? Please do not worry. I will always be by your side. thank you, Sophia. Im counting on you. I held Sophias hand back. Sophia has been released from very too, so it would be better for her to return home once. Its not as if she could never return home ever again, like me. Sophia, would you like to return to your country? When I asked that, Sophia slowly shook her head. No. I certainly do have feelings of wanting to see Mother, however, they would have already assumed Im dead, wouldnt they? I see. But if we have the chance, lets consider going to Yggurle Kingdom. okay. Fuu, its a vige in such a remote region, but its a plentiful vige. Marnie, whose face was dyed slightly red, sat on the opposite side of Sophia. Marnie, your vige wasnt like this? Master, Bohd vige is special. My vige was poor and it could barely pay the annual head tax. Thats why we ced our hopes on the pioneering vige, but Marnie volunteered for the remation vige and it failed. Aaa! Thats unfair! Just when things were close to bing gloomy, Maria turned up feeling slightly drunk. Then she sat cross-legged on my thighs. Uwoah! Hehehe She instinctively looked at Marnie, and together theyughed. Its a good night, isnt it? Yes. The banquet at Bohd vige was an enjoyable night for us. And the mor of the vigers continuedte into the night, with men who drank themselves to sleep scattered here and there. *** Footnotes:
  1. That much is unreasonable is what was actually said but it wouldnt make sense in english with the next lines.
Chapter 112: After the Banquet Chapter 112: After the Banquet On the morning after the banquet, the drunk passed out men sprawled all over the za looked like heaps of corpses. These men were dragged back home by their wives. We withdrew from the banquette into the night, but it was a rare entertainment for everyone in the vige, so they seem to have enjoyed themselves well into the morning. While brushing my teeth outside the carriage, I watched Vanga-san being forced along by Martha-san. G, good morning. Urp. Morning. Are you okay? Got a hangover? Who came out of the carriage unsteadily was Akane-san. She looks like shes suffering from a hangover. Should I bring out some medicine? Uuoh,st night, did I say anything weird? Un, its alright. Ho, t-then thats fine. A, awawa, g-good morning! Lulu-chan, good morning. Did you sleep well? Lulu-chan woke up in a fluster. Yesterday, she seemed to have been having fun with the vige children. She was probably so hyped up until night that she went to bedte and overslept. Y-yes, I ended up wakingte. Im sorry! Its okay, its okay. Everyone woke upte today, after all. I told Lulu-chan, who kept bowing her head in apology, toe eat breakfast. Lulu-chan hasnt yet broken out of the customs and values of her ve life in Sydnia. Thats why we must gradually limatize her. I went back into the carriage and ate breakfast with everyone at the table. Todays breakfast was made by Maria and Marnie. It was a simply bacon, eggs, sd, bread, and soup, but it was more of a luxurious breakfast in this world. Truthfully, I wanted coffee after the meal, but thats impossible right now so Im enduring. Even though Lulu-chan disyed her opposition to eating at the same table with us at first, shes now able to eat with us. She eats silently, but its clear to see from her happily wagging tail that she was enjoying it. Now then, what are your ns for the day? As we were drinking tea and rxing after having finished breakfast, Sophia asked for todays ns. I didnt have anything nned specifically so I gave it a little bit of thought. Incidentally, Akanes hangover was fixed when I casted Cure magic on her and she drank hangover medicine. Ive already achieved my goal of meeting with Vanga-san and Martha-san, so I think Ill spend my time leisurelyter. Thats why, you girls can spend your time freely if you have something you want to do. Kaede is requested by Martha-san and the others. A-ah, dont over do it. It would appear Kaede was being asked for thread by the vige wives. I will forage medicinal herbs before touching up the cabin. Thats alright, but bring Titan as your guard. Laeva decided to collect medicinal herbs around Bohd vige. Maria and Marnie, is there anything you want to do? We n to go hunting around Bohd vige together with Akane-san and Lulu-chan. I looked at Akane-san and she nodded. I wanted to be taught by Maria-san and Marnie-san on how to hunt. Un, there are few dangerous monsters in this area so its alright. An irregr mighte out once in a while, but itll be fine if Maria is there. I already know that Sophia will stay by my side without her saying anything. Sophia and I both understand that so theres no need to ask her. That day, I gave Bobon-san a small portion of mithril and adamantite, then I expanded the protective walls of the vige. Compared to the walls of Wedgefort, the scale of these protective walls can be done even in my spare time. Afterwards, when Laeva returned from her herb gathering, together we began to renovate the cabin rather than reinforcing it. An extra cabin where Akane-san and Lulu-chan could stay was added to the small cabin where our party would stay. Takumi-sama, this is already a reconstruction. Yeah, thats what I was thinking too. The cabin had a lot of ground, so we ended up getting carried away. The original model of the cabin is gone. How about having some lunch after we finish up the interior? Yes. That day in Bohd vige, where time flowed slowly, passed even slower. Because of the banquet yesterday, the hungover men got out of bed in the afternoon and finished the minimum amount of work required before returning home to sleep again. Although Bohd had considerable development, the vige still had no bar. They were keenly aware of how much alcohol was stocked in the small stores and in the vige. Thats why, with us bringing inrge amounts of ale and wine to yesterdays banquet, they couldnt control themselves. Were back! We have returned. Maria, Marnie, Akane-san, and Lulu-chan came back from their hunt. Caught some prey? Yes, its all Horned Rabbits though. Maria took out Horned Rabbits one after the other from her Magic Bag. Ooh, thats a lot. Lets all dismantle them. We divided the Horned Rabbits to ten per person and began preparing dinner. U-umm, would it be alright if you could teach me how to cook as well? Yes, of course. Then how about we make Horned Rabbit stew together? Ill make the sd then. I will be making grilled horned rabbit skewers, so may I ask you to take out some soy sauce please, Master Husband? Will soy sauce, sugar, and mirin be okay? It seems Marnie will be skewering the horned rabbits and then grilling them. The meat of a horned rabbit has a simr texture to chicken so it would go well. When dinner wasplete, Kaede finally came back. Master! So pooooped~! She plopped on my back and embraced me. Good job. Martha-san and the vige wives demanded threads from you. huh? Uh huh~ We dont know when youll be back again they said, and stuck to Kaede really stubbornly. What is Kaede-chans thread? While I was gently stroking Kaedes head, Akane-sans curiosity had been piqued by the thread. Spider Silk is the highest ss fiber in this world. In particr, Kaede can produce threads varying in properties like strength, thickness, and sticity, and she also weaves stretchable cloth so its in great demand here and there. Does that mean all of Iruma-san and everyones clothes are` Yup, its all Kaedes spider silk. Akane-sans eyes sparkled. I learned from our conversation that the clothes we were wearing, from the materials to the design, had caught her eye ever since we were in Volton. All of our underwear are like that too. M, me too, may I have some too?! Akane-san took Marias hand when she mentioned underwear, appealing that she wanted them for herself too. The underwear Akane-san was wearing in Japan had already disintegrated, and she despaired at the underwear sold in this world. After that, when she learned that the girls underwear were just like those sold in Japan and that they werent inferior, it seemed like a force made her prostate herself to Kaede and Maria. Far from inferior, they were applied with various enchantments, so they were far more efficient than the underwear in Japan. In the end, Akane-san and Lulu-chans underwear would be made starting tomorrow while they discuss designs and color. At dinner, Vanga-sans family came and everyone enjoyed dinner together. The second night at Bohd Vige went far into the night. *** Chapter 113: Security System of Bohd Village Chapter 113: Security System of Bohd Vige Because I nned to stay at Bohd Vige for 10 days, I decided to use this chance to strengthen the security system of the vige. The protective walls had already been extended and strengthened as part of that. I n to make security golems with Laeva today. Indeed, a vige living abundantly in a remote region is rare, therefore it might perhaps be an easy target for thieves and bandits. Master, Kaede will rest in Subspace today. Un, you must be tired. Rest well. Then maybe I should ask Titan to make a stone oven so I can bake some pizza. Pizza! You eat pizza? Hearing Maria say the word pizza, Akane-sans eyes sparkled. I wonder if she didnt get to eat anything decent in Sydnia. She has extreme reactions when ites to food. Then how about Marnie-san, Akane-san, and I make pizza? Lulu will help too. If I make a stone oven, the vigers can probably use it too. Now then, how many do we need? Wouldnt two at the gate be alright? right, the vige is small so two would be enough, huh. Laeva and I packed the golems that will be used for security with all sorts of specifications. The golems size, materials, equipment, and AIs capabilities. Lets make it 2m 50cm tall, with an adamantite alloy skeleton and magic steel exterior. Their equipment will be a spear and arge shield, correct? These security golems will prioritize protection so therge shields are a must. The weapon with long reach could be a spear. Lets not go with a spear but an axe-like spear, the halberd. Another choice would be to carry a long mace. Quite fiendish, isnt it? Right? 2m 50cm bodies brandishing a halberd and long mace. Just by imagining it makes me not wanna fight it. It will need arge magic stone, wouldnt it? No, we need them to absorb magic power from the surroundings automatically, so we have to process magic crystals. One magic crystal for the magic power tank battery and one to be used by the golem, so two? No, I want two for the magic power tank. As we continued without idle hands, we worked on the finer specifications. If these two are here, wouldnt they be alright even against the likes of ogres? Pretty much. The objective is around that. thieves and bandits will be pitiful. It would certainly be overkill. Will a Rocket Punch like Titans be added? No, lets leave out anyplicated mechanisms. We cant do maintenance, after all. The truth is that I want to fit in a projectile weapon, but Ill have to pass because I cante to do maintenance either. I actually also wanted to equip them with controble magic jet thruster that Titan is equipped with, but I cant maintain these either so I gave up. Its a genuine stone oven. Theres one in the garden of the mansion as well. Titan built the stone oven with Earth magic. At that time, Laeva was called in to transmute it so that the stone oven can withstand high temperatures. Laeva-sans alchemy is amazing. Its still not enough whenpared to Takumi-samas alchemy. But I am Takumi-samas assistant, so Takumi-sama would be disappointed in me if I cant do something of this extent. Once Laeva nimbly finished transmuting the stone oven to withstand high temperatures like fire bricks do, she returned to golem making. Now then, lets make pizza dough. Yes. Maria and Marnie were given their individual magic bags. Inside it were lots of food, equipment, and materials stored away. Maria took out wheat flour from the Magic Bag and they began making the dough. Akane-san and Lulu-chan were also happily kneading the dough together, seemingly having fun. The fermentation time of dry yeast would quickly be reduced with alchemy, so they discussed what toppings to put as they worked. . Because they started working on a table outside the cabin, the stone oven that suddenly crafted was discovered by the vige wives and it was decided that we would be having lunch together with Martha-san and the other wives. The vige men left for work, so todays lunch would be an all-girls + me gathering. Having received thread from Kaede yesterday, each of the wives had brought produce, like vegetables or wheat, with them when they came. The wives mored as the food came on tes. Laeva and I stopped working on the golems momentarily and made tables and chairs with the remaining wood. The vige wives that came were not a lot but the furniture was not enough. Even so, not all the wives are here, but they might increase. The ones gathered here today are the wives and children I was acquainted with during my time here. Takumi-chan, sorry about this~ For you to feed us something rare. Right right, this is my first time eating this. Its alright. Even when we return to Volton, please feel free to use this stone oven. We exined how the stone oven is used with a demonstration. Since Im trying to make other things at the same time as the pizza to show everyone how to cook in a stone oven, theyll probably be able to use it properly even after weve returned home. After the lively lunch, Laeva and I went back to making the security golems. That being said, we work in the widened cabin so we simply went back inside. Wepleted the skeleton and exterior that day, and the remaining work was pushed to tomorrow. Engraving the core takes considerable time even for me. As we passed the time in Bohd vige, not knowing if were on vacation or if were working, Sydnia was looking for the runaway hero. And the Kamui unit and the intelligence unit were receiving false eye witness reports in towns and viges in various countries. This was set up by Margrave Volton and his Majesty, which had caused chaos in Sydnia where they couldnt receive urate information. As a result, Sydnia would have had to dispatch many personnel all over the continent, and that led to them effectively abandoning the hero pursuit. *** Chapter 114: Return to Volton Chapter 114: Return to Volton Given that Laeva and I were being particr making it, Bohd viges security golems took 4 days toplete. If other people heard that, they would be surprised it took only 4 days, but the two of us used Alchemy and Smithing Magic, and with Titans assistance, two golems in 4 days took a long time. The security golems are already guarding the vige gate. Because of these security golems, this small Bohd vige had obtained defenses excessively disproportionate to their means. On the remaining days, I began developing a magic device that would change Akane-sans appearance. Margrave Volton and his Majesty were spearheading the disturbance of Sydnia, but I had the idea that she should look like a different person even if she was seen. Even with just the hair color changed, her presence would change considerably. Thats right. If her face is changed, even we wouldnt know who she is. U-umm. As Laeva and I were discussing the specifications of the transfiguration magic device, the concerned party Akane-san called out to us, seemingly wanting to say something. Umm, can I be a beastkin or an elf too? Hmmm, youd stand out even more. Yes. Thats the reason we waited until we were A rank adventurers to be released. Well, I had no qualms with being Takumi-samas ve indefinitely though. Oh right, there was even a war that stared because elves were targeted. It was Triaria Kingdom. The sole country in this continent that the Divine Empire of Sydnia is friendly with. Yup, being human is good. Its okay to change only your hair and eye color. Afterwards, at Akane-sans request, I would develop a magic tool that would change her hair to blonde and eyes to green like Sophias. So, a ring, a bracelet, or a pendant. Which would be good? If shes always wearing it, I think the only option is a ring. Pendants and bracelets are removed when we take baths. Akane-san is a rear guard, so an essory wouldnt get in the way during a fight, but I wonder if a ring is good enough to not mind wearing it continuously. The magic device to be given to Akane-san will be in the form of a ring. Its material will be mithril alloy, and with the use of a small magic crystal, an illusion magic will activate continuously through her residual magic power. When the ring type magic device was handed to Akane-san, it was strange that she was somehow more delighted than I expected, but if shes happy then thats good. Kaede, Marnie, Akane-san, and Lulu-chan actively thinned out the monsters around the vige. This was to increase Lulu-chans level, while simultaneously exterminating the goblins and kobolds that multiply easily. To Kaede, Marnie, and Akane-san, the monsters in this area wouldnt increase their levels considerably, so their tactic seemed to have been giving Lulu-chan the final hit. Kaede apparently intends to take Lulu-chan to monster nests around Volton when we return. Make sure toe back! I was hugging Martha-san. Our 10 day stay ended, and at the gate of Bohd vige, the vigers came to see us off. Yes, Ill definitely be back. Oo, Takumis cabi` it cant be called a cabin anymore, huh. That house will always be yours. Thank you very much, Vanga-san. Kaede-chan too, you must definitelye back! The vige wives made a passionate and heartfelt appeal to Kaede, but knowing that they were after her thread, Kaede drew back a little. Well then, Vanga-san, Martha-san, Bobon-san, everyone in the vige, thank you very much. We will definitelye back. Stay well until then. Pulling the carriage, Tsubaki began running. The people of Bohd Vige waved their hands until we left and couldnt see us anymore. Theyre truly a good vige. Right? I was really relieved that I arrived at Bohd vige when I first arrived at this world. As she watched us move farther away from Bohd vige, Akane-san said so earnestly. She had immediately perceived the evil intentions of the pope of Sydnia upon her summoning. After that and until her escape, Lulu-chan was the only thing maintaining the bnce of Akane-sans heart. Compared to that, I was blessed with people around me, and I thanked Goddess Norn-sama for it once again. The 10 days in Bohd vige was a refreshing vacation for everyone thanks to the genial vigers. *** Sphys Note: There may be dys in updates. Reason had been stated in update post. Also, sorry it was short. I have no control over length of chapters. Chapter 115 Chapter 115Chapter 115: Irreversible Scene of Carnage Two heroes remained in the Divine Empire of Sydnia. Akira and Yamato were pleased by the recent rise of their statuses. Theres no problem even without Akane. Yeah, the us nowadays are the strongest. In actuality, Akira and Yamatos levels went up, and their statuses were increasing. At the same time, a transformation of minds urred. This phenomenon was happening throughout the Holy City, so when Pope Warvaal and Imperial Princess Elizabeths own minds started being out of ce from their personalities, no one thought it to be strange.Also, the reason for Akira and Yamatos rapid increase of levels was an issue. The pair, together with Kamui, started an atrocity in the name of persecuting criminal ves, as well as entering Samandour Kingdom illegally, attacking two viges there and massacring them. They no longer had the ethics and moral views of a modern day Japanese, and even in the world known as Mildgard, they had degraded to mere criminals. Its not known if the minds of the two heroes would be upstanding the instant their brainwashinges undone, but they have stepped into a ce they cante back from. They ruthlessly fired magic and swung their swords at the vigers trying to escape. The massacre of vigers regardless of their gender and age was filled with insanity. Elizabeth, how are the heroes? Yes father, they are building their strength favorably. As of recent, they have been doing interpersonal training fights while cleansing[1] the pagans.Pope Warvaal asked his daughter, the First Imperial Princess Elizabeth, about Akira and Yamatos condition after Akane escaped. Then, can they move the cleansing of pagans to Valkyra or Lomaria Kingdom? Let us see. In both Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom, there are S rank adventurers. For the current heroes, it would still be too much for them. I see. Indeed, not a year has passed since the summoning of the heroes. As expected it would be too premature for the heroes to take on S rank adventurers. In this continent, there are currently 3 S rank adventurers in existence. 1 in Valkyra, 1 in Lomaria, and 1 in Gnomstoll. Sydnia and Triaria have war potentialparable to A rank adventurers, but at the same time, there is arge divide between the A ranked and the S ranked. It is unimaginable on Earth, but in Mildgard where status and levels exist, a single S rank adventurer is a being capable of influencing the state of a war. If we are to carry out a pagan cleansing in Valkyra or Lomaria, we have no choice but to pretend to act as thieves and bandits. Our Light God Faith could not imitate mere thieves and bandits, could it? In Samandour, their raiding and ughtering of the innocent vige was no different from the conduct of thieves and bandits, but to Warvaal, the events in Samandour had already forgotten. At that point in time, Warvaal and Elizabeth were not sane, but no one noticed. Warvaal and Elizabeth discussed what country the next pagan cleansing, which would ordinarily be seen as an act of terrorism, would take ce in. The Divine Empire of Sydnia is no longer a religious state, and reduced to being a monster nest.At the castle seemingly floating on theke in the royal capital of Valkyra Kingdom. In one of the rooms of that strong and beautiful castle was a man whose be furrowed from the report he received. That man was this countrys king, Lobos Valkyra. Prime Minister Simon von Portfort was reporting information that came in from the intelligence division. Knight Leader Ghad von Bauer who was likewise sitting next to him could not conceal the anger in his masculine face. huu, what is the Light God Church thinking? King Lobos sighed deeply. The information Simon brought was about the violence caused by Kamui and the heroes in Samandour Kingdom. Ournd and Lomaria Kingdom are considered very likely targets as well, therefore I believe we must solidify the information sharing with Lomaria Kingdom and reinforce the patrolling security at viges and towns. Fumu, preventing illegal immigrantspletely is difficult, however we must cooperate with the Adventurers Guild to reinforce the security per vige. Simon and Ghad both understood thatpletely preventing the terrorists from entering the country was impossible. Thats because theres no way they could police the entire border. Furthermore, the information on the monsters activity in the surroundings of Sydnia and Triaria that was reported to Lobos held a sense of impending crisis, and an even further detailed report was being gathered. Shall we appropriate a special budget? Hm? Appropriate a budget? Simon, what will be of the money? Your Majesty, how about consulting with Iruma-dono? As your Majesty knows, Iruma-dono is currently protecting the hero who fled from Sydnia. As part of sheltering that hero, we manipted information in the continent. During that time, Iruma-dono took refuge in a small vige by the border, Bohd vige. We were informed by the intelligence division that, there, Takumi-dono had constructed golems for security.Only a few days have passed since Takumi stationed security golems at Bohd vige and that information had already reached Simon. Are they identical to the golems protecting Iruma-donos mansion at Volton? Yes, they likely have performance of the same level. Only, given that it is impossible to budget stationing golems at all viges and towns where soldiers are insufficient, I am of the opinion that there is a necessity for us to have Iruma-dono to devise another method besides the golems. Let us turn the reserve knights to security patrol. Anything is better than nothing. Fumu. well then Simon, consult Iruma-dono for countermeasures immediately. Ghad, intensify Knight Orders surveince on the Light God Church.Ha! Contrary to Takumis desire to live peacefully, the world involves Takumi. *** Footnotes:
  1. The word they use is actually more on repel or expel rather than cleanse.
Sphys Note: Thank you for waiting patiently~ It took a few days to get things working stably. The site should have a lot less downtimes now (if any, and hopefully no more suspension issues), though a few changes have been made. -Most of it is back of the house stuff, so its mostly me who has to get used to it (I actually had to edit this twice for that very reason). -I am unsure if wordpress followers and email subscribers will still get a post notification (please tell me if you did). -Finally, its here! My favorite feature in any site Dark. Mode. I wont be blinded by my own site anymore xD [Mobile users might need to ess the menu dropdown to click icon] -Comments can now be upvoted/downvoted, sorted, subscribed to, and images should show up. Yourment should be approved automatically if you use the same email as before. -More things may be added, who knows. P.S. some testing during upload days to make sure the site can handle the iing traffic without slowdown. Gotta iron out those kinks. Chapter 116: 116: Large orders going every which way Chapter 116: 116: Large orders going every which way A few days after returning from Bohd vige, we made Akane-sans armor and Lulu-chan changed into the maid uniform made from Kaedes Spider Silk. Maria and Laevapleted requests everyday to increase Marnies rank, as well for Akane-san and Lulu-chan who hadnt registered at the Adventurers Guild until now. It was also to raise the levels of the two who were no longer able to in the areas around Bohd vige. On a day we thought our daily lives would continue with nothing happening, Prime Minister Simon-sama expressly visited me from the royal capital of Valkyra Kingdom. I came here today because I have a matter I must request of you, Iruma-dono. Once he was let into the mansion and sitting on the sofa in the living room, Simon-sama exined his reason for suddenlying here. A request? Umu, I came to Volton with a request not many people should be involved in. That is a matter about me that you dont want the world to know about, is it? As an A rank adventurer, Iruma-dono might not need to be secret any longer, but Iruma-dono as an artisan must be kept concealed. His Majesty, Margrave Volton, and Simon-sama have made it difficult identify the person who made the Purifier MD. Nevertheless, the zealots had targeted and attacked me, but it didnt mean that they were sure it was me when they did. They are people who persecute when in doubt. A troublesome matter had urred, hasnt there? From there, the matter shocked not only me, but also Akane-san. Someone had attacked a vige of believers of the Genesis Faith in Samandour Kingdom, ughtering men and women of all ages. From the traces and modus operandi, the culprits were deduced to be the zealots of the Divine Empire of Sydnia and two heroes. It cant be, those two doing such a thing Iruma-dono, you had an argument with Sydnias heroes in the royal capital, didnt you? I didnt have sentiments for the change of the two until quite recently. Not really, but what is their purpose for doing something like that? Iruma-dono, as far as the Light God Faith is concerned, simply mentioning the Genesis Faith is a sin. Furthermore, when ites to Beastkin and the like whom they say are below domestic animals, they likely believe the persecution of heretics to be just. Ridiculous Akira and Yamato have The shock Akane-san, who was their ssmate at the same school, had received was even greater than mine when we heard the story. And so, this is about the consultation. I was wondering if it would be possible for you to mass produce the security golems youve made in Bohd Vige, Iruma-dono. Eh, you are already aware of that? It was surprising that, even though it happened just recently, it had already reached the ears of Simon-sama, the royal capitals prime minister. It does not have to be in the caliber of the golems of Bohd Vige and golems protecting Iruma-donos mansion, but we are in need of performance that would buy time for the people time to evacuate. you are well informed. He even knows about the golems in my house. I would greatly appreciate it if you have other ideas besides the golems. As one would expect, the number of golems needed for all viges and towns would be too great even if they are mass produced. Because even the country and the royal family have a budget. Hence we would like for you to devise a method to protect the people of our country from zealots and evil doers. Even so, we arent telling you that you must do so without fail. I just thought that you might think of something we havent. After that , I gave it some thought. Distributing a magic item that would form a magic barrier to everyone is unrealistic. It would be my own creation, but originally it would be a magic device that could only be obtained as a drop item in dungeons or an artifact from ruins. It would be too unreasonable to distribute it to all vigers. For our party, I tried to make the best equipment I could at that time without restraint, but equipment for the entire nation is still financially and workably improbable. By the way, how many golems should we make? Wed like 100 of them. Well collect as much of the materials as we can, however, for what is insufficient, we would like for you to gather it by cing requests out at the Adventurers Guild. In rtion to the cost, separating the price of the materials, we wish to request the price of each golem unit to be at 50 gold. 5 million yen to simply create a golem and inscribe a magic form, huh. Is 5 million solely for thebor expensive? Or cheap? I never sold a golem so I dont know. Understood. Regarding the magic device besides the golem, Ill give it some thought after this. So I can begin the golem production, please prepare ores, ingots, and magic stones. For the magic stones, it doesnt matter what size it is as long as it isnt a scrap magic stone so please gather some. Ooh, Im truly grateful that you ept. Simon-sama took my hand with both of his and shook it up and down. However, they are golems simply for defense. Will it be alright if I configure it so that it cant be used for war? Certainly. Please create golems specialized in protection. I felt relieved hearing that. If the 100 golems that I make are used for war, they would be immense war potential. Supposing one golem is equivalent to over 20 average soldiers, then the golems could fight against 2,000 soldiers. If the golems were to fight together, the oue would likely improve. A delivery date couldnt be set, but it would be toote if harm breaks out, so Laeva and I began manufacturing the 100 security golems with the materials we have on hand. *** Sphys Note: Thanks for reading! Please tell me if email subs / wordpress followers still dont receive notifications. I cant do much about WPF but I might be able to add a new email subscription. Chapter 117: Not a Machine Empire Chapter 117: Not a Machine Empire In my mansion at the town of Volton, massive quantities of materials were brought in and Laeva and I were single-mindedly transmuting them in the workshop. Theyre 2.5m long and simr to the golems of Bohd Vige. We created one golem-controlling core and made identical copies intently. Since its the economical version, the frame and exterior were uniformly magic steel. Magic iron ore and ingots were brought in for that purpose and we repeatedly used Extraction and Synthesis on the ores. A massive amount of ingots, enough that the floor seems like it would give out, was created. will these ingots be good enough? Yes, shall we take a short break? Definitely, that was mentally exhausting. Since it was mentally straining to repeat the same process over and over, and because the ingots werepleted, we decided to take a break for one day. Our Skill levels and Job levels steadily rose, but repeating the same process was boring, wasnt it? So true. I love working and creating things, but definitely not this. Even if we were manufacturing simr golems, Id have liked to make each golems different from the other. Starting the next day, if I was making the frames, Laeva would making the exteriors, and if I am making the exteriors, Laeva would make the frames so we wouldnt get sick of it as we manufactured the golems. Titan would sometimes help us with the masses of golem production. Do you have any ideas for a magic device aside from the golem? I havent quite thought of anything. What about you, Laeva? If distributing to individuals is improbable, how about establishing a magic device that generates a barrier at the churches of the viges and towns? Thats possible. While the security golems buy time, they activate the barrier magic device and take refuge in the church. For the deployment of security golems, one per vige and two per town would be good. If there are many zealots, it might be difficult to even buy time. Golems and barriers. Ill think of other ideas besides these. Youre right. I will think a bit more too. We used Synthesis on the magic stones, transmuting them intorge magic stones. Furthermore, we enhanced the purity and processed them into magic crystals. These will be used as cores and magic power tanksbattery . Thepletely assembled golems are stored in my Item Box after I check their movements. As one would expect, theres no ce to put a hundred golems in the mansion. What will we do about the enchantments? Guh! I was trying not to think about that. More or less, I n to enchant them with Magic Resistance, Physical Resistance, and Self Repair. Whenever I think about how I need to enchant 100 golems, I be depressed. Though the economical security golems have physical resistance even without the enchantment, it doesnt have magic resistance so enchantments are necessary. It would be difficult to make it so they can use magic like Titan, wouldnt it? Titan is a special guardian core. He skillfully controls earth magic, and he develops. Master, if limited, magic, is it possible? Its certainly possible. Nevertheless, it can only shoot preprogrammed simple magic. But doing that for a hundred of them would go over the budget. Actually, the reason I wont employ long-distance armaments on the security golems is because they are not able to performplex situational assessment of their surroundings like Titan could. If theirpanions and protectee are caught up in it, they wouldnt discern it. If its with melee weapons, it wouldnt be difficult to program it so they would only attack hostile forces so the protectees are not caught in it, but when ites to long-range armaments, one must calcte the line of fire and even its aftereffects, so it is impossible for golems aside from Titan at present. Well, it doesnt mean Ive given up on it, though. Speaking of weapons, are the armaments of the economical golems stillrge shields and halberds? Yep, therge shield is indispensable. Im still at a loss regarding the weapon, but long weapons are probably okay. A spear, halberd, wooden pole, scorpion [1], bardiche. Hmm, should we still go for the halberd? If were to assume the battle will be outside, how about we go for a long-handled spear or a halberd? Down to the hilt it will be all Magic Steel, correct? Thats the n. Its for a golem so being a bit heavy wouldnt be a problem. Once we finished the 100 economical security golems, we then started on the armaments. At times, I alternated what I was making with Laevas. Then 10 days since starting the golem production, wepleted the 100 shields and 100 halberds.Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 17 years old Job: Magic Swordsman Lv88, Fighter Lv80 ( Magus Lv64, Magic Bestower Lv82, Carpenter Lv58, Tailor Lv68, Alchemist Lv94, cksmith Lv92 ) Level: 117 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 995 Magic Power: 1,225 Strength: 600 Agility: 585 Stamina: 670 Dexterity: 600 Intelligence: 625 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX ( Concealed ) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv7 ( Up ) Insight Lv9 Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Evasion Lv9 Body Control Lv8 Increased Magic Power Recovery Speed Lv5 ( Up ) High Speed Thought Process Lv5 ( Up ) Active Skills Spear King Technique Lv3 ( Up ) Axe Technique Lv5 Sword King Technique Lv1 ( Up ) [2] Throwing Lv8 Taijutsu Lv10 Fist King Technique Lv6 ( Up ) Matoujutsu Lv10 Enemy Search Lv8 Presence Detection Lv9 Stealth Lv9 ( Up ) Taming Lv3 Enhance Physical Abilities Lv8 Magic Perception Lv9 Magic Power Maniption Lv10 Magic Form Control Lv8 ( Up ) Light Attribute Magic Lv8 ( Up ) Fire Attribute Magic Lv8 ( Up ) Water Attribute Magic Lv8 ( Up ) Wind Attribute Magic Lv8 ( Up ) Earth Attribute Magic Lv9 ( Up ) Ice Attribute Magic Lv8 ( Up ) Lightning Attribute Magic Lv9 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv8 ( Up ) Bestowal Magic Lv9 ( Up ) Alchemy Lv10 Smithing Lv10 ( Up ) Woodworking Lv8 Carpentry ( Up ) Foraging Lv7 ( Up ) Logging Lv5 Dismantling Lv6 ( Up ) Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv8 Sewing Lv7 Cooking Lv5 ( Up ) Divine Protection of Goddess Norn ( Concealed ) Familiars Arachne Unique Species ( Kaede ) Dragon Horse ( Tsubaki ) Guardian Golem ( Titan ) Titles Giant Killer Dragon yer One who has surpassed the flood *** Footnotes:
  1. I guess a scorpion whip? Example here. If you know Ivy from Soulcalibur, it would be like that, too.
  2. Authors status copy pasta was a bit outdated. Fixed a few minor stuff. Not gonna tinker with skill levels because I dont know how much its grown. Im obligated to at least point out the biggest error being the Sword King, though. It said (Up) but didnt move from Lv1.
Sphys Note: Hi and thanks for reading~ I tried adding a new email subscription. Hopefully it works properly. >< Chapter 118: Excellent Luck? Chapter 118: Excellent Luck? After adding Akane-san and Lulu-chan as members to our party, Wings of Norn , we headed towards the vige close to the national border at the south of Valkyra Kingdom. Margrave Volton was charged with the delivery of the security golems to the viges and towns in the outskirts of the Volton territory. And our party, which had epted the nominated request, is in the carriage pulled by Tsubaki, who is running the route from the southern tip of Valkyra to the eastern national border. The reason everyone, including Akane-san, is here is because Akane-sans hair and eye color have been changed and it is much safer to stay with us rather than leaving just her and Lulu-chan at the mansion at Volton. Im witnessing it but it really is fast. Well, she did run slowly when we went to Bohd. When we went to Bohd Vige, we knew both the distance and approximate duration of the trip so we took it slow, but as one would expect, to move through the route marked from the south of Valkyra to the eastern border this time, Tsubaki has to run fairly seriously. Tsubaki looks delighted going for a long run for the first time in a long while too. S-so thats how it is. Despite the paths not being paved nor straight like the roads in Japan, our carriage barely shook. And feeling great, Tsubaki increased her speed too. Sophia examines the map we received from Prime Minister Simon-sama and directs us through the most efficient route as our navigator. Kaede is at her usual spot on Tsubakis back. If its Kaede, no matter how fast or violent the shaking gets, with the grip of her 8 legs and maniption of thread, I have no worries of her falling off. Maria teaches Lulu-chan how to sew. The state of the underwear in this world had, thanks to our dissemination of Earths underwear through the Papeck Company, spread to the wealthy anddies of the night, and the fashion boomed. Akane-san has said that her topmost worry when she came to this world was the underwear. Thats why when she realized that Sophia and the girls were wearing underwear found in Japan like it was nothing, she vigorously prostrated herself in front of Maria and begged her to make some. It seems Akane didnt have much talent for sewing, so Lulu-chan was learning how to sew from Maria in her ce. In the carriage, Laeva makes low grade potions to distribute to each vige. This is the request that Adventurer Guild Master Barack-san had asked; For us to supply 10 low grade potions to viges without pharmacists and priests as decided by the country. Since Akane-san and Lulu-chans ranks have gone up after registering as adventurers, I expect the contributions from thisrge a request will raise their ranks in one fell swoop. We are heading to viges and towns on the route to install the security golems and Barrier MD and exin how to operate them, ask for the signature of the person in charge like vige mayor and governors, then move on to the next destination. Ooh, I see it. That vige is South Boron, isnt it? While small, it does have a church. The vige at the southernmost tip is finally in sight. It wasnt all smooth sailing until now. When we were installing security golems at viges and towns, the number of times that the lord who owns the town appeared with soldiers to seize the security golems wasnt just once. Of course, expecting such incidents, we showed the Kings decree and refused, but there were foolish nobles who resorted to violence even then. They probably thought theyd steal the economical security golem now and manage somehow or other afterwards. Taking care not to kill those guys, we took them down. I then opened a gate to the royal capital. The Knight Order led by Knight Leader Ghad-sama arrested the lord first then the soldiers and brought them to the royal capital. Having predicted such a situation, those with the authority tomand the security golems were our party, Prime Minister Simon-sama, Knight Leader Ghad-sama, and His Majesty. And the only exceptions were establishingmand authority for the Volton border territory to Margrave Volton, and the Rockford Earldom to Earl Rockford. I dont know the other nobles. After all, I cant evaluate the people I havent met. Finally arriving at the entrance of the vige, Sophia and I paid a visit to the vige mayor. My word, the vige will be granted a golem? Yes, its a golem that will fundamentally protect the vige from monsters and hostile forces such as thieves. It would prevent the invasion of thieves who have guild cards from the Adventurers Guild, and even if the thieves dont have guild cards, the golem has instructions to suppress them when they act violently inside the vige. Without question, monsters are beings that cant enter, but it isnt like that for people. On that point, I consulted with Barack-san and the guild card apparently notes criminal records as titles. That information emits waves of magic power. Golems are able to sense andprehend this so that people with criminal records are unable to enter the vige. Its just that when ites to first time offenders and those without guild cards, the golem falls short, but Simon-sama said that the present golem is the best we can do and so supplementing with personnel is still necessary. However, a system that shows criminal records in titles is frightening. Though it might be a principle of this world that Norn-sama created. Nevertheless, the negative titles like criminal records are recorded with a special magic wavelength in the guild cards issued by the Adventurers Guild and the Commerce Guild. Its thanks to that that the security golems are able to sense it. Also, since were installing a Barrier MD in the church, please establish it as the evacuation shelter and let the vigers know. Y-yes, thank you very much. With the vige mayors permission, I installed the security golem at the entrance of the vige and started it up. Afterwards, I installed the magic device at the church, and when I was lecturing the resident priest on how to use the magic device, a telepathicmunication from Kaede came through. ( Master! A group is nearing this vige! ) ( How many? ) ( 20 people, theyre getting closer to surround the vige! ) ( Alright, Kaede, you block them if they invade the vige! Well be there soon. ) Sophia! Thieves! Were intercepting! Yes! Giving Sophia simple instructions, we rushed out of the church and ran to the carriage. Maria, Laeva, thieves! Akane-san and Lulu-chan, be on standby behind the golem. If those guys get through, please take care of them! Titan! I called Titan from the Subspace. Titan and Maria, Sophia and Laeva, suppress the thieves in two-man cells, Ill around in a search and destroy tactic! Yes! (Yes. Master.) Everyone leapt out of the carriage with their respective weapons. They were already caught in my Presence Detection. Comrades, that is our next target. Purge the heretics to your hearts content. Men in ck clothing nodded their heads in silence, lining up to disperse around the vige. They tried to rush out simultaneously at the leaders signal. Gyaa``! Guh! Ugh! Did something happen? The leader was confused. As soon as he gave the signal to attack, hisrades copsed. The mans eyes couldnt see anything, but before his confusion could subside, not even a single one of hisrades participating in the attack was left standing. Wha! What is happening! Almighty One! God will not do anything for you guys. Who is there?! Hearing the voice of a young man behind him, the man hurriedly turned around, but the mans consciousness fell into darkness at that instant. Is anyone injured? I returned to where everyone was while carrying the leader on my shoulder. We, together with Kaede, were wearing Overcoats of Existence Concealment and had learnt the Stealth skill. Thanks to the overcoats Inhibit Perception and Stealth skill effect increasing enchantments, the assants had lost their lives before almost noticing us. No, everyone is safe. Are you keeping that man alive? Everyone came to me. Titan went around to collect the assants. They need 1 person to interrogate, after all. Ill hand him over to Ghad-sama at the royal capital. Saying so, I then teleported to the royal capital. ording to Ghad-sama, since the zealots wouldnt talk when they are in an interrogation, the man will be interrogated once he is enved. I quickly handed the man over to Ghad-sama and returned to everyone. *** Sphys Note: Thank you for reading. Discord is now public. https://discord.gg/4PRMjwH to join. Im not really active in chatting because Im extremely shy. >< But you are free to join. Discus, share stuff, or report site problems. Please make sure to read the rules, theyre very concise. Chapter 119: 119: Trembling Heart Chapter 119: 119: Trembling Heart Whether our luck was good or bad, we were in the vige by chance when an attack by the zealots happened. Well, the vigers were undoubtedly lucky though. However, it seems the stimuli was too strong for Akane-san. It was probably her first time seeing people kill each other right in front of her eyes when we killed the assants, aside from the leader, with no questions asked. Akane-sama, what is the matter? N-nothing. Im a-alright. Lulu-chan was worried for Akane-san whose face paled from the shock she received. Killing thieves and bandits without question ismon sense to Lulu-chan, so it didnt look like she understands why Akane received arge shock. At most, she was probably thought along the lines of Maybe she felt unpleasant from seeing the corpses.. So the stimuli really was too strong for Akane-san, huh. As she was forcibly summoned from a peaceful world, I believe that adapting to this world right away is difficult. Showing mercy to thieves is impossible in this world. The victims would increase just by overlooking them. In that case, one might think that arresting them would be good enough, but its less difficult to kill an opponent with weapons and uses magic than catching them. Our party could have caught all of them, but it was too much of a risk and we didnt feel the need to, as theyve already ughtered arge number of innocent people. We didnt feel there was any meaning in keeping them alive aside from gathering intelligence. However, I can say this because I am a personpletely different from when I was Japanese. Even so, when I killed a thief for the first time, it was quite a lot for me. If one thinks about it that way, isnt it a big deal that Akane-san stopped at just turning pale? I approached Akane-san, asking if shes alright. Its alright to rest in the carriage if you arent feeling good. its fine. Akane-san shook her head. I know that even if we keep them alive here and arrest them, the attackers will be sentenced to death. Thats themon practice in this world. You dont have to force yourself to ept it. Living as a person of this world in both body and mind was difficult even for me in the beginning. I do think that there are only a handful of people living in this world who wish to harm others. But to live as an adventurer, this is unavoidable. Thats how it is. Thats why I tried to be an artisan, but Ive reached the level I can be called a full-fledged adventurer, so its something I couldnt help but do. When I said that about myself, Lulu-chan consoled me and Akane-sans countenance looked slightly better. Akane-san understands it in her head. If she says naive things to them, its the weak that will cry in the end. Weve also learned of the atrocities happened in Samandour Kingdom. Japanese ethics detest the offense, but not the offender. There are those that say so too. But Akane-san knows that this wouldnt not apply for this world. Akane-san, why dont you try thinking about living as something other than adventurers? Thank you very much. But, Im alright now. Since Akane-san was behaving bravely, I left the follow-up to Lulu-chan. There were zero victims because we were here, but I cant guarantee that it will be zero with just the security golem and Barrier MD. If there had been victims in the vige, Akane-sans shock would likely be muchrger. The request isnt over just yet, but it might be better if you think about it a little bit more. Takumi-sama, Ive finished installing the Barrier MD. I have also finished exining how it is used to the priest in charge and the vige mayor. Thank you, Laeva. Laeva came back after activating the security golem, checking it, and installing the Barrier MD. Well be going around towns and viges while running along to the eastern border, but lets think a bit more for an idea for magic devices when were inside the carriage. Youre right, we were lucky this time, but supposing we werent here when the attack happened, there would have been a few victims. Takumi-sama, Laeva, let us head to the next vige first. Please talk inside the carriage. Un, got it, Sophia. Tsubaki ran at oundish speeds once we got on. Having encountered the attackers, were travelled to next town in a rush to install security golems and Barrier MDs. We advanced, from the southern end of Valkyra Kingdom to the eastern end while following the national border. It was estimated to take several months, but the entire journey will end in one month thanks to Tsubaki. During the travel, Akane-san asked questions about the time we suppressed the attackers at the previous vige. Umm, when Iruma-san and everyone killed the attackers, I couldnt see everyone but Ah, Akane-san couldnt see, huh. Akane-san, all of us are wearing the same overcoat. Maria proudly held up overcoat to show it. Now that you mention it, you are. Fufu, you thought it was in, didnt you? The truth is, this overcoat is super high performance. Maria gave an exnation of the overcoat were all wearing. Enhancing the Inhibit Perception and Stealth skills? Right, weve all acquired the Stealth skill. Not at Kaede-chan and Takumi-samas level, but me, Laeva-chan, Marnie-san are practicing the Stealth skill. Yes, thats why we can one-sidedly defeat enemies without being noticed. U-um, may I ask you to make one for Lulu-chan and I? Of course, Ill get them ready. I think Akane-san needs not just the transfiguration magic device, but also the Overcoat of Existence Concealment too, after all. Lulu will also receive one?! We also smiled when Lulu-chan, whos gotten more cheerful recently, was delighted. And so, while thinking up ideas for magic devices, we set up security golems and Barrier MDs in viges and towns along the national border. *** Sphys Note: Thanks for reading. Ill be removing the email subscription since its more trouble than its worth at this point xD I dont know why it wont work. So, Im sorry to those who subbed there. Ill delete the info stored xD For updates, I might just go with discord, so do join if you like. /invite/4PRMjwH Chapter 120: Akane heads forward Chapter 120: Akane heads forward We installed security golems and Barrier MDs in towns and viges as we ran along the national border of Valkyra Kingdom. And it seems there was a change in Akane-sans heart. Inside the carriage, she single-mindedly practiced Light attribute magic. Light attribute magic includes healing magic, purifying magic, barrier magic, and unique holy magic. As there are plenty of types she can practice even inside the carriage, Akane-san would drink the basic mana potions she received from Laeva whenever her magic power depletes, then she resumes her training once more. Her goal is to master the Light Attribute Magic skill and acquire the skills Magic Perception, Magic Power Maniption, and Magic Form Control. Apparently, Akane-san aims to be a rear guard job that depends on healing magic. Only, for the effect of the Overcoat of Existence Concealment to manifest fully, the Stealth skill is necessary, so she trains with Kaede when were camping. Since Akane-san possesses 3 attributes, she receives training from Sophia for Water and Wind attribute magic. As for Lulu-chan, she trains one-on-one with Marnie, a beastkin simrly unsuited to magic. As the sun began setting, we, who werent able to reach our next destination, prepared to make camp for the nth time. Akane-san and Lulu-chan train hard even during these pauses. Urp, mana potions really do fill up stomachs, dont they? You got that right. When I was using alchemy and smithing magic, I worked as my stomach got so bloated too. Since Akane-san was patting her stomach as she drank the mana potion Laeva made, it seemed she didnt feel well. Be careful not to drink mana potions in too short an interval so it its efficacy doesnt drop. Mana potion and heal potion arent very effective when drank consecutively. It is essential to have a standard interval. Maria and Marnie prepared bread and stew, and everyone had dinner around the campfire. Uuu, I wanna eat but my belly is so full of mana potiooons~ You should eat even if just a little bit, Nom, nom, ish tashty. Akane-sans stomach was full from drinking too many mana potions, and Lulu-chan greedily devoured the soft bread. Until Lulu-chan came to our ce, she never had eaten anything aside from hard, tasteless rye bread. For the town of Volton and the royal capital, bread that uses natural yeast has started to be themonce, so we normally eat soft, white, leavened bread. Still, Valkyra Kingdom is far more advanced than Sydnia, isnt it? Dahsh chruew. Lulu-chan, your food isnt gonna disappear if you dont hurry so eat slowly. Akane-san, it isnt that Valkyra is advanced. Sydnia is cautious of new things. Not just with magic devices, but even those rting to food. In Sydnia, natural yeast is a banned item because of the Light God Faith. Their rejection towards things they cant exin is strong. Leaving aside from cases of banning things for religious reasons like with the purifying magic tool, the country isnt open-minded about anything. In Sydnia, the only vor in food is the saltiness. Youve got that right. Thats because the standard vor of this worlds cuisine is salty. After all, they dont make stock out of chicken bones and scrap meat. Ham and bacon are things Ive only been able to eat sinceing to Volton, too. Akane-san, bacon was poprized by Takumi-sama, you know. Sausages exist in this world, but ham and bacon didnt. And the culture of using stockdashiisntpletely non-existent. In Samandour Kingdom, fish found in coastal waters are cut open then dried, bing goods traded with other countries. A meal from toasting and boiling those dried fish in water to make soup is popr with adventurers when theyre camping. Theres even slow cooked meat dishes, so it is understood that the vor soaks into the meat as it cooks and the soupes out as stock. Only, it isnt known that there is synergy when the umamiponents, glutamic acid and inosinic acid, multiply, thereby increasing the vor.[1] As a result, the delicious meals of this world are entirely the result of coincidence. Then soy sauce, miso, ketchup, and mayonnaise were all made by Takumi-san too, right? Well, I guess. Mayonnaise is alright if the eggs are purified with magic and if you have oil and vinegar. The fermentation of soy sauce and miso were dependent on magic. Milk and cheese can be obtained in the town, Quilbas. While it isnt perfect, if there are soybeans and oats, it isnt that difficult to make soy sauce and miso. With my Appraisal and Alchemy, I failed several times, but it didnt take that much time toplete them. With these, were now able to draw out the umami from the inosinic acid of animals products and the glutamic acid of soy sauce and tomatoes, and cook. Since I asked Papeck-san to import rice from Samandour Kingdom, that should be arriving very soon. Theres rice?! As expected, Akane-san really got into it when rice was mentioned. I remember how I, too, couldnt calm my excitement for some time when I heard from Papeck-san[2] that Samandour produces rice. I also jumped in delight when I heard it from Papeck-san. I immediately had the Papeck Company import it. Good job, Iruma-san! Right? Now it it would be great if I can get my hands on kombu, but the question would be if my body can digest seaweed. Well, it should be fine if its dashi, though. Digest seaweed? Ah, the only ones who can digest seaweed are the Japanese. In Earth, the only ones who have an enteric bacteria capable of digesting seaweed were the Japanese[3]. Heee~, youre very knowledgeable. Akane-san gazed at me in respect, but Im just a sryman in his 40s whos stocked up on various misceneous information. Would it be better if I study up on cooking too? Youre free to do so if you wish to. I basically like to cook. Maria likes to sew, so I think its good if everyone does what they enjoy. Each of us has a policy of doing what we ourselves want to do. Sophia always apanies me as my bodyguard. Maria sews and cooks, while Laeva is doing her best at things focusing on alchemy and smithing right now. Marnie generally does housework and is, for some reason, proactive with nightly duties. It would be great if Akane-san and Lulu-chan find things they want to do, too. Its alright to take your time discovering what you want to do. Youre right, thank you. Akane-san, who turned into a beautiful blonde girl with the Transformation MD, appears to have resolved to keep on living in this world with her feet firmly on the ground. *** Footnotes:
  1. Added a few words to make things smoother in english. + More info on umami here.
  2. I was pretty sure it was from Sophia during one of their meetings, not Papeck
  3. A more detailed exnation here.
Chapter 121: Hint Chapter 121: Hint The journey on the carriage pulled by Tsubaki continues. Given how we could teleport to the mansion in Volton at any time, we dont actually need to camp. There hasnt been a trace of attackers, but since Valkyra Kingdom doesnt share borders with Divine Empire of Sydnia, the harm might havee to Lomaria Kingdom. His Majesty was said to have alerted Lomaria Kingdom, but I imagine its impossible for every vige and town to be vignt in this current situation. Akane-san had be cheerful, as if she had ovee something. Oh, right. I have to address her as Akane without any honorifics. As Ive been calling her Akane-san and her calling me Iruma-san all this time, Ive been told we should mutually drop the honorifics. It might not look awkward since we appear to be the same age, but for my 40s sryman self, addressing a female high school student without honorifics reeks of a crime. Around the time the end of the request to install security golems and Barrier MD approached, Laeva and I were still racking our brains inside the carriage. A strong barrier that obstructs the intrusion of unregistered individuals is possible, correct? Its possible, but that would turn the ins and outs of viges and towns into a downright mess. It would end up limiting theing and going of peddlers and adventurers. How about requesting his Majesty to establish a vignte corps at viges and towns? Sophia, I dont think a vignte corps can arrest the zealots and heroes. I shook my head at Sophias suggestion. The zealots are like guys that have screws missing from their heads, but as one might expect from them conducting themselves as Kamui, many of them have topnotch abilities. I exined that hasty preparations will only increase the damages. If only theres one Kaede in every vige, theyd be able to prevent any invasion. Master, Arachne same as Kaede are rare, you know~ Haha, youre right. ording to monster ranks, Kaede has be an S rank Monster. Since shes also a unique species, her rank is essentially S+. If a monster like that were in great numbers, the people would have long been exterminated from this continent. There would be an effect even if Takumi-sama just prepares equipment, though. Marnie, there isnt enough of a budget to simply give out Takumi-samas equipment for free. With just the security golems from this time, it already makes me wonder Will the coffers of the kingdom be alright? Right, its different from MasterHusbandworking for free. As Maria said, Marnie agreed that that was the case. Having lived in a small settlement, she isnt quite aware of the value of weapons and armor. Im reluctant with simply working, but whats scarier is for the equipment to enter the ck market. If its equipment made by Takumi-sama, even a sword or spear forged with an ordinary metal would sell for a good price, after all. Hee~ so the equipment Takumi makes is that amazing. Wait, is the price of the light armor I received very high, Sophia-san? I believe it would be best not to ask. I had given Akane and Lulu-chan light armors simr to everyones, but it seems they didnt realize the value of those armors. Originally provided a robe and iron breastte by Sydnia, Akane couldnt imagine the price of the armor which used extravagant materials, like mithril alloy, spider silk, dragon scales, and adamantite alloy for reinforcement, that she couldnt imagine the cost of. For their selling price, even I dont know how much it should be set at. Its t-that expensive. Hmmm, rather than expensive, its probably something that cant be bought with a pile of money. It cant be bought, huh~ In any case, Takumi-sama doesnt restrain himself, so the first armors he made were transmuted and reinforced with orichalcum. Hearing Sophia and Laevas discussion, Akanes face increasingly grew cramp. In my point of view, the materials such as ores came from our own efforts with mining and finding treasure chests in dungeons, and we hunt the monster materials ourselves too. Thats why, since we didnt spend money, I dont know nor can say its value. umm, is it, by any chance, national treasure ss? Lets see, in Yggurle Kingdoms national treasury, there wasnt one of this ss. When Sophia implicitly stated that it was above national treasure ss, it caused Akane to gaze into the distance, deciding that she didnt hear this conversation. After installing the protective measures in a number of viges and towns, I wondered how the interrogation of the assant leader was going, so I teleported to the royal capital and asked Prime Minister Simon. A transmutation in magic power? Umu, to be more urate, we sensed a very small amount of miasma. ?! miasma? Apparently, the interrogation that happened until the ve contract was performed did not end well. Apart from saying that he was a believer of the Light God Faith, they could not find out the contents of his directive nor the organization he belonged to. The moment they tried prying information out of the man forcibly with the ve contract, he died. It was likely that they had conducted some sort of sorcery beforehand. That aside, there was miasma. It was something impossible for a normal human. Miasma is said to be malicious magic power, but in reality, it isnt clearly known. There is a possibility that the miasma raises the physical abilities of those people. It appeared theyre resistant to pain and were able to move exceeding their bodies limits. When I heard that, I wondered if it was some kind of nasty drug. I dont know if it is a kind of curse, but if theyre enveloped in even a miniscule amount of miasma, then I might be able to develop a magic device along those lines. I see, a magic device that senses miasma, huh. If it can sense minute amounts of miasma, it would also lead to the prevention of monster invasions. Very well, Iruma-dono, immediately upon thepletion of the currentmission, please undertake the development of the magic device. If it is that magic device, it might be possible to distribute it as a set with the Barrier MD to even Lomaria Kingdom. Understood. In my discussion with Simon-sama, I am to undertake the development of a new magic device. And so, to finish the instation of the security golems and Barrier MDs quickly, I teleported back to everyone. *** Chapter 122: Miasma Contamination Chapter 122: Miasma Contamination Getting a hint from my conversation with Prime Minister Simon, I immediately went into the development of the new magic device. First of all, what is miasma? I only know it to be something that feels unpleasant. In the first ce, as a Rabbitkin, I am not able to sense the magic power affected by miasma. Even so, I think Marnie-san can probably understand the unpleasant feeling if its strong miasma. Even Sophia, an elf proficient in magic, said she didnt know it that well. To Marnie, a Beastkin weak in magic, even sensing it is difficult. However, Laeva said that, since Beastkin have a keen intuition, theyll be able to sense it if the miasma is strong. In the end, monsters possess magic power more or less affected by miasma. And strong monsters appear in monster nests dense in miasma. Yes, on the other hand, since towns and viges are built on purifiednds, there are no urrences of monsters in those settlements even if the density of magic power is slightly high. One might ask If thend of the monster nest is purified, would the threat of monsters decrease?, but to purify thend of the magic power and miasma clinging to it, strong purifying magic is necessary. and that method is already more than a man can bear. So, I was thinking, if the zealots have a miniscule amount of miasma in their magic power, cant that be sensed? Sensing not the wavelength of the magic power but the miasma? Laeva pondered over it with a difficult expression. That, too, cant be helped. We dont understand miasma itself, and yet were talking about making a magic device that can sense it. Its no good until we can detect even the weak miasma, so well have to purify the settlements before that, huh. Lets finish this request quickly and return to Volton. Laevas eyes gleamed at the development of a new magic device. Yep, doing new things is fun, isnt it? Sounds of training spears cutting through air swooshed. Then a series of nging from spears colliding resounded on the grasnds. Quick lunges unleashed in session, the spearheads cleaved. Early in the morning after a night of camping, Sophia and I had a mock battle. Training my production type skills is a given, but when all is said and done, I still continue mybat training everyday. Spear, sword, closebat, its not just my bodyguard, Sophia, who participates in the training. Maria, Laeva, Marnie, Kaede, Akane, and Lulu-chan. Everyone does. So Tsubaki could run at considerable speeds, we seldom took opportunities to fight with monsters during this mission. With such a reason, training was mock battles focused on working to master the techniques each person wishes to. Ive watched them so many times so I am aware of it, but both Takumi and Sophia-san really are ridiculously strong. Being an artisan as his main profession is a scam with this, isnt it? Watching our mock battle, Akane said so with a sigh mixed in. Im unwilling to say that, but in reality, I am without a doubt top ss in Volton, so Im not going to refute it. Now then, even though there are few viges and towns remaining, lets do our best to finish it quickly. Yes We finished the instation of the security golems and Barrier MD in approximately one month. The rewards from the Royal Family and Margrave Volton, the Adventurers Guild, and feudal lords of each territory will be paid separately at the counter of the Adventurers Guild. That amount of money was way too much, and I think it wouldnt be good if too much money gathered at one person, so the money was donated to the orphanages and Genesis churches in Valkyra Kingdom. It couldnt be in the category of personal assets anymore. With this, we can finally devote ourselves to the development. Akane-san and Lulu-chan had been promoted 2 ranks up too. With the mission request this time, Akane, Lulu-chan, Laeva, and Marnies adventurer ranks had risen. Akane and Lulu-chans ranks, which were lower than their abilities, had been promoted 2 ranks. This was because Barack-san wanted to prevent our party rank from lowering. Then Marnie-san and I will be cleaning the mansion. Lulu will help too! Thanks, lets go then, Lulu-chan. Maria took Marnie and Lulu-chan along to clean the mansion that had been neglected. Takumi-sama, Im off to deliver potions in bulk at the Papeck Company. Then I will apany Laeva as her escort. Saying so, Laeva and Akane headed to the Papeck Company to make a delivery. Kaede had also disappeared to check the grounds of the mansion. Now then, maybe I should prepare for the development in the workshop. Entering the workshop and heading to the table, I thought of a mechanism to sense miasma. First of all, miniscule amounts of miasma are actually pretty much everywhere. After monsters pass by, an undetectably small trace of magic power is left behind. Of course, that magic power is encroached by a little bit of miasma. However, that amount is too minute to be sensed. Theres also no meaning in making a magic device that detects that. What I must definitely make is a magic device that senses the extremely small levels of miasma that zealots are enveloped by. In the first ce, to afflict people with miasma, just what is Sydnia doing? It was so absurd I ended up muttering to myself. In the settlements that have churches, that tiny bit of miasma is purified at the heart of the church. Even without the purification, the miasma would disperse if its very little, so it has no effect on people. For the magic power of those guys called the Kamui unit of the religious state to have traces of miasma, I ended up doubting whether or not the Light God Church has the ability to purify miasma. I have returned! Wee back, Laeva. How about the two of us try toe up with a miasma sensing magic device then? Yes, lets do our best! Laeva, who went to deliver potions in bulk to the Papeck Company, hade to the workshop. First we did repeated trial and error on the table in order to find a breakthrough on each point. Yet to grasp a clue, we tackled a project that I couldnt see thepleted form of for the first time in a while. *** Chapter 123: Out to do fieldwork Chapter 123: Out to do fieldwork 3 days aftering back to Volton Town, the miasma sensing magic device have yet to bepleted. Rather, it hasnt progressed by even 1 mm. There are several problems. Theres no miasma in Volton. Kaede, Tsubaki, and Titan who are monsters dont have that miasma tainted magic power. Whether that is because the disposition of their magic power changed when I tamed them, or if its because theyre not afflicted with miasma that they became my familiars, I dont know. Thats why, since there reasonably isnt any miasma at my mansion, we decided to go out for fieldwork. If magic power is thick in monster nests, itd probably be ideal for researching miasma. From Volton, we headed to a ce in the direction of Wedgefort where theres a small monster nest. Despite going to a monster nest where monsters run rampant, everyone was in a pic-y mood. We made packed lunchboxes. Also, having been a ve since she was born, Lulu-chan was excited for her first pic. Well, its not a pic though. Takumi-sama, let the two of us do our best at fieldwork. right. Only Laeva and I were in work mode though. Maria and Akane were having fun chatting with Lulu-chan. Since theres ake by the small monster nest were going to, theyre apparently going to go fishing. I think the fish theyll catch are probably not normal, but since monsters have a tendency to be delicious, theyre raring to go. Theyll probably be fine if Kaede and Maria are there. The duty of being Laeva and my guards were undertaken by Sophia and Titan. Well, regarding Sophia, she rarely ever separates from me. Waaa~~! So pretty! I could hear Lulu-chans spirited voice. Although theke isnt that big, it had a really beautiful scenery. If it wasnt close to a monster nest, it wouldnt be strange if it became a scenic tourist attraction. Tsubaki, unfastened from the carriage, was all carefree by thekeshore. Few monsters in this monster nest would dare approach the Dragon Horse Tsubaki. Moving without feeling his weight, the 3 meter tall Titan was patrolling our surroundings to suppresses the monsters. Sophia was devoted to guarding diagonally behind me. In the monster nest where magic power`` or maybe I should call it manamagic source`` where mana is dense, its difficult to specify a location where miasma is thick. Mana, is it? Its a nice name. Isnt there miasma everywhere? Well, thats how it is though. We could sense magic power with the Magic Perception skill. Since Sophias and mine was high, were able to identify an individual by their magic power to some extent, and could measure a monsters strength. And so, we were being careful of the magic powers we sensed were different from peoples magic power. Because we could vaguely perceive the unpleasant magic power we call miasma, we have no option aside from this. Will we catch Horned Rabbits? We could. Catching Goblins and Orcs has never crossed my mind, but its tolerable if its Horned Rabbits. Orcs stink but orc meat is delicious so the Adventurers Guild buys the meat. However, goblins are only stinky, and aside from its magic stone, it has no useful parts. Thats why Ive never considered catching it willingly. Alright, lets catch and examine Horned Rabbits. True, I have a feeling its better to examine the conditions in surroundings with no miasma. Laeva and I searched for Horned Rabbits. The horned rabbit is a monster thats aplenty everywhere, so we found some after a little bit of searching. Having caught them without killing them, we joined back up with Maria and the others who where having a pic by theke. Oh, Takumi, youve investigated enough already? Yeah, we caught horned rabbits, so well bring them to the workshop to examine them. Ahh, so you didnt catch them to eat them. When Laeva and I returned to where everyone was shortly after, Akane asked about the Horned Rabbits she saw us carrying. Kaedeee! Please tie these horned rabbit up so it cant run away! Okaay! Leave it to meee! Kaede nimbly spun her threads on the caught rabbits. After that, Marnie prepared lunch and called us. Master, let us have lunch. Roger, wereing. Carrying the rabbit tied up in Kaedes thread, we moved to the spot where the table and chairs wereid out. Sandwiches, beverages, and grilled fish caught from theke were served. With a face full of smiles, Lulu-chan started the conversation. Takumi-sama! I caught lots of fish! Thats amazing, Lulu-chan. Was fishing fun? Yes! It was my first time fishing! Catching lots is really fun! Since everyone was at the table and Lulu-chan didnt seem like she could wait anymore, we decided to eat lunch without dy. Itadakimasu. Itadakimasu! Theres a Barrier MD installed just in case, but I asked Titan, who doesnt need to eat, to watch our surroundings, so were enjoying our lunch under the blue sky. To have a pic in a monster nest, others would question our sanity, but thanks to Tsubakis presence, Titans patrol, and the threads Kaede hadid out, monsters wouldnt approach. Well, even if theye out, the monsters in this monster nest dont stand a chance against us, so we could eat lunch at ease. That day, we took a small break after lunch before heading back to Volton. Having returned to Volton, Laeva and I immediately made a cage for the horned rabbits and began our observation. Bringing the miasma afflicted monster into the town with no miasma was the right decision. When Laeva and I focused, we were able distinctly sense the miasma. So we could reproduce this in a magic device, days of repeated trial and error continued for a short while. *** Chapter 124: Completion of the Magic Device Chapter 124: Completion of the Magic Device The development of Miasma Sensor MD has entered its climax. Light attribute magic was useful for sensing miasma. Since miasma can be purified with the Light attribute magic Purification, it is also possible to utilize the properties of the Light attribute to sense miasma. All thats left is to pair it with the Barrier MD and itsplete, isnt it? This took longer than I expected. While the other members were epting requests at the Adventurers Guild and training hard, Laeva and I were secluded in the workshop. Akane and Lulu-chan were being taught how to sew by Maria and Kaede. They apparently wanted to make their own underwear. For Akane who is Japanese, she seems to have some reluctance in having someone make her underwear even if its between women. Lulu-chan said she genuinely wants to improve her needlework. If its arge town, multiple Barrier MDs must be linked or it wouldnt work. Indeed. Even in viges, one appears to be unreasonable if itsrge. If we use arge magic crystal, the coverage with one magic device seems achievable on a vige, even if its a little bit wider. But if we use arge magic crystal, the cost would be too high. The Barrier MD that Takumi-sama made canst several months even on a trash magic stone, which is its selling point, after all. The scope of the barrier is small, but the current Barrier MD operates on even a goblins scrap magic stone. In terms of cost, its better to keep the level of the magic stone required low. However, since this magic device isnt targeted towards individuals, I believe that it would be better to pursue performance over cost. The magic stones are an issue, but theres also an issue with the precision of sensing miasma. The Miasma Sensor MD is more or lessplete, but we have to decide at what amount of miasma the Barrier MD would activate at. If we set it to pick up even a small amount of miasma, it would likely malfunction repeatedly. Nevertheless, setting the sensor too insensitively and it would overlook the zealots, and that would defeat its purpose. Thats why we must keep adjusting it while looking for the best configuration. Yes! With thepletion in sight, I decided to take a stroll in town for a change of pace. I invited Laeva but she stayed at the house and is studying alchemy. A truly diligent girl. Apanying me on my left and a step behind is, as if a matter of course, Sophia. She said she would act as my escort at all times. Its been a long time since weve been out with just the two of us, hasnt it Sophia? Yes, the people at our home increased, after all. Wearing our Overcoats of Existence Concealment, and with its Inhibit Perception enchantment and Enhanced Stealth skill effect, even if I walk together with Sophia, a peerless beauty, there was no one that turned their gazes towards us. And seemingly happy since its been a long time since we went out as just the two of us, Sophia was walking closer to me than usual. Which reminds me, I never took you girls out on a date. Thats because Maria and I were ves. Sophia blushed, casting her eyes downward at just the right angle. Shes quite daring in bed at night, but Sophia is surprisingly innocent at other things. After the two of us wandered around in town, we showed up at the Adventurers Guild. Caught by Hans-san, we acquired information that monsters might be activetely. And one more, I was told information that might be rted to me. In Lomaria Kingdom, theres apparently been another vige that was annihted. It was clearly not damage done by monsters. the zealots of the Light God Faith? Well, theres no one else, is there? I could feel my blood rushing in anger. How can they do such inhumane things just because they believe in different gods? But when Iposed myself and thought about it, there were plenty of disputes whose cause was religion since the olden days even on Earth. When I recall that it was normal for sects even in the same religion oppose each other, I realized that it wasnt just this world that was strange. I understand it, but whether I can or cant ept that is another story. I dont think you can export the security golems to other countries, but there might have been inquiries from Lomaria and Samandour, the countries were friendly with, regarding the Barrier MD. I understand. At present, a new Barrier MD is under development, so I think the number of victims will decrease if that ispleted. Ooh, thats very wee. Since Hans-san is aware that miasma was detected from the magic power of the zealots, I exined that an item, which can automatically activate the Barrier MD when it senses the presence of a fixed amount of miasma, is under development and will bepleted in a few more days. Does that magic device require Takumi-kun to install it? No. I had to go because the activation of the security golems required my involvement, but the instation of the Barrier MD and Miasma Sensor MD is simple so it doesnt need to be me. That being the case, we might order a number of those to diffuse through the towns and viges in Valkyra Kingdom. I will make a report to Guild Master and Margrave Volton. For the budget, I think well probably discuss it with His Majesty. Illplete it as soon as possible, and after testing to make sure there are no defects, Ill prepare for mass production. Please do. I think Lomaria and Samandour would probably want it too. Understood. Ill do my best. Leaving the Adventurers Guild, I continued my stroll with Sophia. From my conversation with Hans-san, I had feelings of impatience but I went out for a change of pace, so I decided to have fun with Sophia today. We peeked into various stores, buying and eating sweets, enjoying ourselves, then returned to the mansion at dusk. The Miasma Sensor MD and the Barrier MD that it links to werepleted 3 dayster. To check if there were defects, I used the captive Horned Rabbits and other monsters in an experiment. Inspecting the effects on the corpses of the monsters, there were no major defects. It was after another 3 days to get to preparing for production. *** Chapter 125: Sophia’s Return Home Chapter 125: Sophias Return Home The production of the Miasma Sensor MD and the Linking Barrier MD was doing well, and unlike the golems, we were even able to make an amount to provide samples to other countries in a short amount of time. Margrave Volton heard that the magic device capable of sensing miasma waspleted. Hemissioned for the same number that was made for the activated security golems that would immediately be installed in towns and viges, and weve finished making and delivering of the products. Although the problem hasnt been solved, our job is over for now and I decided to ask Sophia something that has been on my mind for a while now. Hey Sophia, since youre no longer a ve, havent you ever thought of returning to your country once? When everyone was rxing and sitting on the living room sofa, I daringly tried asking Sophia. Thinking for a bit, Sophia began talking about the reason why she lived in the Moulin very Company for 50 years. Takumi-sama, you have spoken of how I am of a household of Chevalier[1], and that I am a knight that served in the war of aggression against Triaria Kingdom, did you not? Yeah, at that time, I believed that it was normal for there to be talks of freeing the prisoners through a prisoner exchange and postwar preparations. Furthermore, Sophia, you hold a Chevaliers peerage, so theres no way your house would have forsaken you, is what I thought, so I felt something was out of ce. I think Takumi-samas cognition is correct. Sophias story from that point was unexpected. Sophia being sold to the Moulin very Company was said to have partly been the intention of her home. And that it wasnt out of ill intention. In those days, there had been a request from a viscount household to pursue me. Huh? Your household is of Chevalier peerage too, right? Arent your court ranks too far apart if its a viscount? Is that a normal thing in Yggurle Kingdom? In marriages between fellow nobles of Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom, it could be calledmon practice to be within two court ranks of each other[2]. In recent years, there seems to be a trend of not regarding the partners court rank in Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom, but I have heard that Yggurle Kingdom and Triaria Kingdom are strict in that regard. Yes. That is why the viscount household pursued me as a mistress. Wait wait, isnt that rude? Even though youre of Chevalier peerage, to not even be a concubine but a mistress is Yes, normally it would be an impossibly discourteous discussion even for Yggurle Kingdom. Furthermore, the other partys age is over 650 years old, and his legal wife and concubines sum up to 15 people, as well as already having 5 mistresses. Hearing that, our jaws dropped. I had the image of elves being herbivores, but isnt that an old mans habit of being an energetic carnivore? Sure, Sophia isnt the lively type of elf, but shes a boing boing elf, so are the elves of this world like that? No, that viscount is an abnormal among the elves. Sophia said so, probably having guessed what I was thinking. Since the average elf was an herbivore like I had imagined, the country probably has a policy to curb the depoption, and the poption appears to have finally stabilized. When Sophia became a prisoner of war, her father seems to have moved quickly, making a request to the previous president of the Moulin very Company to shelter Sophia as a ve. And in 50-100 years, the Viscount will be closer to the end of his lifespan, he probably wouldnt pursue her as a mistress. In the first ce, the cause of Sophias seriously injury and bing a prisoner of war was of a sealing curse inflicted by a subject employed by the Viscount who is supposed to be an ally. After Sophia bes a prisoner of war, the viscount had nned for his son to sell her to a verypany, and then buy her himself afterwards. That was where Sophias father and the former president of the Moulin very Company took the initiative, seemingly preempting the verypany that the viscounts son had a deal with from buying Sophia. Since this is what she heard from Moulin-san, it is probably the truth. You couldnt simply refuse that Viscount? Yes, that viscount is a noblesse de robe, but since he is a shrewd man with both power and economic clout, he could easily crush a household like mine. Listening up to that point, I suddenly wondered. Huh? Then how did I buy you? You could have refused, and surely you would have been freed by the contract if you waited another 50 years, wouldnt you? At that time, Sophia was certainly disabled and she couldnt use attribute magic and spirit magic because of the curse, but she is a peerless beauty even without those. There were probably rich men who would pay someone a lot of money to cure her disability. However, Sophia wouldnt be sold to anyone other than the person she recognizes. as per the contract with the formerpany president. Thats right, shes so beautiful and has an outstanding figure that it doesnt matter if shes disabled or anything. There likely were rich men who would be fine paying any price for her. Yes, that was because when I took one look at Takumi-sama, I intuitively thought this is the person. And that intuition was not incorrect. Sophia gazed at me with a passionate look. Since there was no way I wouldnt know its meaning, I knew my face grew hot. I, I see, thanks. So Sophia, you want to go back to your mothend and see your family, dont you? Yes, I have feelings of wanting to see my Father, Mother, and younger brother once. Sophias father seems to have understood that Sophias body had been injured to the point of being disabled and had even been afflicted with a curse. Only, from the viscounts standpoint, Sophia had been considered killed in action. That being the case, even the viscount would have given up. And Sophia said she wanted to inform her parents, who probably would have been having hardships saving money for 50-100 years to buy her back from the Moulin very Company, that she is now well. I have to confirm just in case, but, Sophia, will you stay by my side as my guard from here on too? Naturally. Be it as your guard, or as yourpanion at night, I will not leave your side, Takumi-sama. If you tell me that with a serious expression, Ill get embarrassed. In the end, we all decided to go to Yggurle Kingdom. I want Sophia to meet her family, and Im also interested in the elven country. The elves in Mildgard live insrly in a location surrounded by trees, just like I had imagined. The name of Yggurle Kingdoms royal capital is Yggdrasil. It is said to be a city built beside the World Tree which reaches the heavens as its name reputes it to be. Given that that World Tree can be seen from the town of Volton, its enormity is understood as it towers over its surroundings and pierces the clouds. Indeed, it would be alright if I return home now. Both Takumi-sama and I are A rank adventurers, not even nobles woulde forth high-handedly. ording to Sophia, although Yggurle Kingdom is not bound by an alliance with Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Samandour Kingdom, they have established a trade and anti-war agreement. However, the Elven race have professed that they are the most excellent of races. That was bound to conflict with Triaria Kingdom. Although it is not simr to the doctrine of human supremacy where other races arepletely uneptable, there are those that have adopted the attitude of looking down on the other races. Well, if they dont cause harm to others just because they are of a different races, then its fine. I will protect Takumi-sama with this body of mine. Yup, Im counting on you. After that, we had fun discussing things like What preparations do we need to make? What will we do for the souvenirs for Sophias family?. *** Footnotes: 1. I had previously tranted Sophias rank as Knight but considering how often the word knight is used, I decided to change the court rank Knight to Chevalier. 2. Knight is 3 ranks below Viscount Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial,_royal_and_noble_ranks Chapter 126: The Sylphide Household Chapter 126: The Sylphide Household A road wide enough for two carriages stretched directly through the sea of thick trees that towered over its surrounding. The road beyond was dotted with various towns and viges, bothrge and small. This is the Yggurle Kingdom, founded by Elves, the forest people. Sophia A beautiful elf woman muttered one word seemingly forlorn. Her long beautiful golden hair, green eyes, and face resembled Sophias so much that one would wonder if they were sisters. That too is only natural as that womans name is Freesia von Sylphide, Sophias mother. As it might be expected from a race known as the Elves, her appearance is youthful, and she could pass as Sophias sister. There, a male elf approached and embraced Freesias arms. Were you thinking of Sophia again? Dear, what could Sophia be doing? I want to go meet her with these legs of mine right now. Sorry, I am nothing but disappointing The mans name is Dante von Sylphide. Sophias father holds Chevalier peerage and governs two small viges. The Sylphide family are not Chevaliers with administrative or judicial power[1] , but Knights in charge of small territories. After the war 50 years prior, Dante became a Chevalier with rights to session, but that conversely bound Dante. I heard that Sophia lost her hand and foot. Shes so pitiful, having such a disabled body for 50 years. I heard she lost her magic because of a curse. Ironically, it is fortunate how, because of that, Viscount Hordia lost interest in her, but its aplicated feeling. Dante initially consulted with his old friend, the president of Moulin very Company, and promised to buy Sophia once the excitement subsides. ording to Moulin, Sophia cant be a sex ve no matter how beautiful she is because of thews of Valkyra Kingdom do not permit it. Furthermore, because of the disabilities and curse she has, he said theres no worry of her being sold to anyone else. And even if there was customer who still wants to buy her, they promised not to sell Sophia if she didnt give the final OK. Only, the territory Dante acquired, no matter how small it might be, had brought forth a duty to its citizens. The Sylphide family, who acquired the territory of Chevalier Sylphide which could not be called prosperous by any standard, couldnt work out the capital needed to buy back Sophia. Even so, theyre still saving up money from that little amount, but at this pace, they dont know how many hundreds of years it would take. Supposing we were able to buy her back, what would happen to her lost arm, leg, and ear? She is still our daughter before marriage. There wouldnt be anyone who would buy that girl because of the curse and her disabilities. Moreover, its arge sum even with that condition. However, thatrge sum has also ricocheted back onto us. There is just one person in Yggurle Kingdom who can restore lost limbs. Only the third princess, the Light attribute magic user, Mmir. Our Chevalier rank could not request such a personage for healing. A panacea can be made from the dew and leaves of the World Tree, but there is no pharmacist to create it. Yggurle Kingdoms Pharmacist Guild has eagerly challenged the refinement of the panacea, but only two vials, reserved from 1000 years ago, are being handed down by the royal family. Frankly, Panacea can not be made with the medicinal production of the pharmacists. It is the Alchemists field of expertise, but an Alchemists Guild does not exist in Yggurle Kingdom. To Yggurle Kingdom, the knowledge of science and chemistry required by alchemists is taboo. Actually, more than one millennia ago, there was a time when alchemy was popr even in Yggurle Kingdom, but that, too, was lost in the present. For the elves with a short-sighted faith towards Spirits, Alchemist appears to be a job theyre ipatible with. I didnt mean for her to be a knight Dante drilled the way of the sword and bow into Sophia since her childhood. At that time, her younger brother Darphy hadnt yet been born, and he trained his daughter who said she wanted to be a knight like her father. And for his daughter Sophia who was an extremely talented child, Dante had also be engrossed in training her. As they thought about Sophia whos been gone for 50 years, the house had gonepletely dark. Even among the elves who are said to have finer appearances, she was the especially beautiful daughter they raised proudly. For that reason, they were told by the Viscount to hand her over to be his mistress too, but Dante had many worries over who his daughter would be happy with. I am back! The cheerful voice that announced his return was Darphy, who was still a small child when he was separated from Sophia, dressed in knights armor. Wee home, Darphy. Yeah, wee back Darphy. Father, Mother, were you thinking of Elder Sister again? Darphy was in disbelief, shrugging in dismay. To the young Darphy, his memory of his sister, Sophia, was faint. 50 years isnt long for elves. Even so, for Darphy who was but a young child, 50 years was enough time for his faint memory of his sister to fade away. I think its better for both Father and Mother to forget about Elder Sister now. Its been 50 years, and if I had be a prisoner of the enemy, I wouldmit suicide. Darphy! Darphy, the cause for Sophia falling into the enemys hands is because of the sealing curse ced on her by the subordinate of the viscount who was supposed to be her ally. It was not Sophias fault by any means. Freesia eximed and Dante defended Sophia, but it didnt reach Darphys heart. Darphy disliked his sister Sophia who had disappeared 50 years ago. The eldest son of the Chevalier Sylphide family made great efforts by himself. But when he enrolled at the Chivalric Order at the royal capital, there were many that members that would reminisce of his genius sister. In the Chivalric Order of the long-lived elves, many that remained were associates of Sophia during the time she was enrolled. They would talk to Darphy[2] about how brave Sophia was or how much she rescued her allies in the war with Triaria Kingdom. (Im sick of it. It would be better if Nee-san just dies.) Andter on Darphy also learned from the staff of the viscount that the aforementioned Viscount Hordia coveted his sister, that she was sold to a foreign verypany as a result of that. When Darphy heard that his sister had fallen to very, she was as good as dead to him. She didnt be the mistress of Viscount Hordia, but the thought of being purchased as a ve of a lowly Human disgusted him. He was right because she was bought by a human. Her rtionship with Takumi is between man and woman, though. A war that began for selfish reasons had warped the heart of a very young elven child, driving him to detest the sister he loved. *** Footnotes:
  1. I guess these roles will be simr to noblesse de robe and maybe noblesse de militaire / dpe for the other?
  2. Likely typo, raws said Dante, but prolly Darphy.
Chapter 127: Homecoming Preparations Chapter 127: Homing Preparations What souvenirs would be good, I wonder? I imagine an essory made by Takumi-sama would please even the elves. Having settled on Sophias homing, we were preparing for the journey and souvenirs for her family. Since Yggurle Kingdom and Valkyra Kingdom have a diplomatic rtionship, it would not be difficult for us adventurers to enter. There would be no problems for you either, Sophia? my associates from my time with the Chivalric Order will perhaps be in the royal capital, therefore I imagine it will be fine so long as we do not approach the royal capital. Well Sophia, you are no longer a ve, so I suppose itll be fine even if you meet your associates. There would likely be problems if we entered Yggurle Kingdom with Sophia still a ve, but Sophia, not to mention Maria and Laeva, have already been freed. Seeing their fellow countryman treated as a ve wouldnt give a good impression, much less if they knew that it is Sophia, a talented person who participated in the war as a knight of Yggurle Kingdom. It could be the worst of troubles. The rest is simply hoping that that viscount has somehow died. I dont know about that. He would be approximately 700 years old if hes currently alive, but an elfs lifespan is 800-1000 years, therefore the likelihood that he is alive is quite high. Nevertheless, a 700 year old would still be an elderly person, so I believe he would no longer continue meddling with me now. It would be great if that were the case. I was a bit surprised hearing the elves lifespan, but in Mildgard, it ismon sense to say that even a normal human can live a longer life if they raise their levels. The youthful-looking guild master of the Adventurers Guild, Barack-san, is over 60 years old, but his appearance and abilities show no signs of declining. It seems there are few humans whove exceeded Lv100 like myself, though it wouldnt be unusual, even for a human, to live for over 200 years. Takumi-sama, I think it will be alright. Both Sophia-san and Takumi-sama are A rank adventurers, you know? I am B rank, and Laeva is C rank. It couldnt be helped since Marnie and Akane-chan registered as adventureste, but even our party has been raised to B rank, so, odds are, not even a high ranking noble can be unreasonable towards us. What the optimistic Maria said isnt wrong either. An S rank adventurer is extraordinary, however, an A rank adventurer also possesses power close to that. Even if the other party is a high-ranking noble, the adventurer can not be looked down upon. That is because war is not simply numbers = strength in Mildgard. It is reasonable to perceive one great person (Eiyuu) reversing the state of war. What Earth would call a great warrior indicates a strong person out of the norm, but in Mildgard, it is a great person (eiyuu) who can defeat a thousand men alone. An A rank adventurer signifies a person is of that level. In truth, Im not confident I can fight a thousand people, but in the perception of the world, Sophias and my A rank are said to be like that. Well, were going to a foreign country, so there is a need to do a delivery of goods to the Papeck Company ahead of time, correct? Un, we have to stock up even on the Miasma Sensor MD and the Barrier MD to some extent and deliver it to Margrave Volton. Laeva stated we must deliver somewhatrger quantities of various types of potions and magic devices. Then I will replenish our food and seasonings with Maria-san. Saying so, Marnie left with Maria to go to the market. ording to Sophia, Yggurle Kingdom had little variety in seasoning, and there were many elves that werent particr over their food either, so she said it would be best to do well with our food preparations. Sophia said that, maybe because elves have long lifespans, there are many entrics. Majority of the elves are not fixated on eating because many of them find it troublesome toe up with meals for every day of their long lives. There are, however, entric elves that exist and there are those who are obsessed with the pursuit of food. They search for food that the world has never eaten. Sophias acquaintance apparently has a friend who was crazy about the cuisine of strangebinations.. Besides this, individuals research magic for the entirety of their long lives, or spend their lives on woodcraft, and the like. Sophia could say that there were many elves seeking for ways to waste time. Would it be alright if I made an essory? I believe Mother would be happy with it. If thats the case, would Status Abnormality Resistance to poison or paralysis and Magic Resistance enchantments be good? Many walk in the forest so Status Abnormality Resistance will be appreciated. Since Sophia gave her stamp of approval, I made a mythril alloy essory. The design of the 2 cm wide mythril alloy bracelet were engravings of flowers and leaves in the image of an elf. There, small magic crystals of the water, earth, wind, and fire attributes were iid. Since the final product was well received by the girls, it would be great if Sophias mother would be pleased with it too. Until our departure, all thats left to do is to coop up in the workshop with Laeva to make potions that we would deliver ahead of schedule. In the meantime, Akane and Lulu-chan epted requests with Marnie so they could raise their ranks even a little bit. They were apanied by Titan and Kaede as their escorts, so theyll be fine even against lesser dragons. And so, with our preparationsplete, we embarked on our first trip to a foreign country. *** Chapter 128: To Yggurle Kingdom Chapter 128: To Yggurle Kingdom The carriage pulled by Tsubaki was moving slower than usual on the highway. Yggurle Kingdom is situated to the northwest of Valkyra Kingdom, but they do not share national borders. Savagends stretch out between the two countries. Thanks to that and the highway being unmaintained, it had been difficult for Tsubaki to pull the carriage. Even so, it still differed from the speed of a carriage pulled by amon Demon Horse. At any rate, the suspension of this carriage sets it apart from the carriages of this world. The quality of the ride is exceptional as well. If we continue to travel at this speed, how long would it take? Lets see, I believe we are likely to arrive at the national border of Yggurle Kingdom in 2 days. Sophia and I, sitting on the coachmans seat, were chatting idly as the carriage ran. Kaede was in her usual spot on Tsubakis back. Although Yggurle Kingdom has diplomatic rtions with other countries apart from the Divine Empire of Sydnia and Triaria Kingdom,merce isnt that frequent. Whether this is because elves are an unsociable race or not, tradingpanies are also limited, so the highway in the savagends could barely be recognized as a road. Even so, this cant be called a highway. this path is not much better than an animal trail. my apologies. Elves are a secr race so trade is minimal, as such, the maintenance of the highway cant be done. Elves being a seclusive race is well known in Mildgard. ording to Sophia, although they would not treat the other races as livestock like the human supremacy doctrines would, the elves consider themselves to be the most excellent of races. In itself, I dont think its a bad thing to be proud of your own race, but many elves appear to have a tendency of looking down on beings aside from themselves. Some of them, like Sophia, are unprejudiced towards the other race, and others are sociable, but the elves that leave Yggurle Kingdom and move about in the outside world are the minority. Then we might not be very wee. My father is of Chevalier peerage, so we are not that different frommoners. I have a younger brother who is the heir, but I hope he didnt have hardships in the 50 years I was unable to return. Sophia appears to have a younger brother called Darphy. 50 years have passed, so he has surely be a splendid knight. ording to Sophia, he hasnt turned 60 years old. The race known as elves grow no different from the other races until they are around 20, but they age at an exceedingly slow rate from there until they are around 500 years old. Since Sophias younger brother is 60 years old, as an elf, it could be said that he had simply moved on from being a boy to a young man. For a 60 year old to be a youth, you can really feel the difference in races. Humans and beastkin have simr lifespans, after all. We have a simr lifespan to MasterHusband, but Sophia will be lonely when shes the only one left. The air in the carriage turned a bit solemn when Marnie said so. Ah` Im s-sorry, Sophia-san. mm-mm, dont worry. You all and Takumi-sama have high levels, so you have longer livespared to normal people, and afterwards, I will protect everyones graves. Sophia. The difference in Sophias race and ours is something we cant ovee. Because of thisrge difference in lifespans, elves avoid vowing to other races. Thats because there will always be one person left behind. At first, Sophia was apparently going to follomit suicide immediately after I die. But she knew I wouldnt want that. The answer she got after worrying over this was to spend the rest of her life protecting our graves. I know that following my master to the grave would sadden Takumi-sama, but my feelings still waver even now. Ill live as long as I can. Yes, please do. For Sophias sake too, I intend to level up as much as possible to live even just 1 year longer. It was 4 days to cross Valkyra Kingdoms borders. At about the distance of 2 days of Tsubaki running seriously, the faint silhouette of a forest came into view in front of us. How amazing That forest is the national border of Yggurle Kingdom. The forest visible in the distance is muchrger than the Forest of Death. Fuah~ A big treeee! Riding on Tsubakis back, Kaede raised her voice in excitement. Yes, much farther in the forest towered a gigantic tree. YggdrasilWorld Tree was visible in the mist. But its strange. Yggdrasil is that big of a tree, and yet we didnt notice it until at this distance. That is because of a barrier that covers the entirety of Yggurle Kingdom. you can cover that range with a barrier? I was lost for words at Sophias exnation. A barrier that can encapste a country was beyond my imagination. How can I form a barrier that would span such a vast range? I cant even consider the mechanics of how to maintain it. The carriage pulled by Tsubaki drew closer to the thick and lush forest of the elves. *** Sphys Note: This chapter made me sad. Chapter 129: Forest of the Elves Chapter 129: Forest of the Elves We continued on the highway straight through Yggurle Kingdoms national border, an overgrown forest filled with all kinds of thick-trunked trees. Unreachable by the rays of sunlight, the road was dim and had be a green carpet except for the wheel tracks of carriages. Is there a process to enter this ce? Yes, but it will be fine now that I am here. On the outer edge of the forest, we have a reason for stopping. We cant enter Yggurle Kingdom thats enshrouded by the barrier just like that. Sophia appealed to the spirits, and we received permission to pass the barrier. It is alright now. Let us be on our way. When the carriage moved at Sophias signal, I felt a sensation of passing through a thin film, and we were able to go through the barrier. Akane was surprised by the sensation of passing through the barrier. !! That just now was the feeling of moving across the barrier, wasnt it? It ispletely different from the barrier Takumi puts up, but I get that its a strong barrier. Triaria started a war with a country that had a barrier of this magnitude erected? Takumi-sama, this barrier is not absolute either. The barrier breaks when it receives damage beyond its limits. Once the barrier breaks, it takes a long time to repair the barrier once more. The start of the war for Triaria Kingdoms invasion 50 years ago was sending a mage units to destroy this barrier. Yggurle Kingdom had chosen to meet the enemy outside of the barrier, and both armies squared off in the savagends. The result was that Yggurle repelled Triaria, but the damage on Yggurle had also been great. For Triaria, this war had several objectives. Aside from securing beautiful elven ves, it was to seize materials from Yggradsil, the World Tree that towered in the royal capital of Yggurle. You can collect rare materials from Yggdrasil? It is the World Tree, after all. As we traversed the highway in the dim forest, I learned of the war 50 years ago from Sophia. One of Triarias objectives that I felt was weak was their said motive of wanting elven ves. Thus, as expected, Triarias true desire was the World Tree. Various materials can be procured from the World Tree. Be that as it may, given how we must request the World Tree to bequeath us with a small portion, it is immensely valuable. Hee~ YggdrasilWorld Tree has the materials for the ultimate cure-all referred to as the Elixir[1]. Elixir can cure all diseases, restore any damage at once, and dispel any curse. It is known as a panacea that could heal a severely injured person on the verge of death, but its existence is equal to that of a legend. To the avaricious nobles of Triaria, the cure-all Elixir and the life-extending Amrita were items they so desperately desired. The recipe of the elixir is lost, but, as they are, the dew and leaves of the World Tree are still on par with advanced medicine. Amazing, as expected of something called the World Tree. In addition to the Elixir, the World Tree also has materials for a medicine with a humorousamusingeffect of lengthening lifespans known as the Amrita. Besides these, a staff made the branch of the World Tree is regarded as the best staff for individuals who use magic. Even among the elves of Yggurle, there are few individuals who are recognized by the World Tree and possess a staff. Recognized by the World Tree? I was stuck on the Sophias phrasing that I had to ask. Yes, the staff of the World Tree can only be equipped by individuals deemed eptable by the World Tree. So the World Tree has a will. Just as I learned of a fantasy-like story, something that wasnt monsters was caught in my detection range. are we being watched? They took a set distance from the carriage pulled by Tsubaki, and were maintaining that distance. They are the border patrol of Yggurle. It is their job to be vignt towards individuals thate from the outside. They would not be on guard until this point if it were fellow country men, but in the cases of other races passing through the barrier, they raise their vignce by two levels. As Sophia was exining so, the pursuing presences went away. Huh? It is likely that they had confirmed the presence of a fellow countryman, and judged that there are no issues. They would have already confirmed by way of the Spirits that I, an elf, am together with you, and have ascertained that I am not a ve. They can judge from that distance that you are not a ve? Yes, though it was by way of the Spirits. Theyve always been watching Kaede, you know! Ah, are Arachnes conspicuous? Yes, it is a monster of a level that could annihte a town by itself. When applying monster ranks, Kaede, a unique species of Arachne, has already exceeded S rank. Since she is a cmity-ss monster, I could see why the border patrol of Yggurle was being vignt. Even so, Spirits, huh. It certainly feels like there are many things flying around. Is this the presence of the spirits? We might not be able to move freely. Indeed. Ostensibly, moving independently is not censured. However, you would secretly be monitored. Well, I cant do anything about that so I gave up. They cant afford to not be vignt of a foreigner who has tamed an Arachne and is riding on a carriage pulled by a Dragon Horse. Which reminds me, were inside the barrier but there are presences of monsters. Yes, the barrier is a barrier that protects the country from foreign races and strong monsters; Therefore, low ranked monsters live inside the barrier. We were travelling along the highway surrounded by the forest, but it seems I wasnt mistaken in sensing the presences of monsters far away. While we were chatting idly, the forest of a myriad of trees suddenly opened up, and a settlement or a farm vige came into view. This seems to be the territory of the Chevalier Sylphide, situated at the border of Yggurle. When I was in Yggurle Kingdom, we lived in the royal capital as chevaliers, but I heard from Moulin-sama that they had been conferred territory after the war 50 years ago. Sophias return home was not at nostalgic royal capital, but at a tranquil farm shes visiting for the first time. *** Footnotes:
  1. They spell Elixir in Japan as ꥯ` or ꥯ` but it basically means the same thing.
Chapter 130: Reunion Chapter 130: Reunion As we reached a vige Elves live in within the Sylphide territory, we were in admiration of its view. As expected of Elves. They use Spirit magic for agriculture. Indeed. I was born and raised in the royal capital, so I am not too well informed, but it ismon practice for Elves to water and harvest with Spirit magic. The Sylphide household was granted territory after Sophia had be a ve. Even though it was a territory of two viges, as far as we could see, it seems the territory is being managed well. The field crops are plentiful, the golden wheat fields bathing in the sunlight were swaying from the wind. It wasnt just wheat fields inside the vige, there were various crops and fruit trees being cultivated. Sophia mentioned that many of the crops are harvested quickly with the help of the Spirits. The vigers doing farmwork were ncing at us repeatedly and looking away. Half of them were observing us, who were different from the merchant units and peddlers from other countries, with inquisitive eyes. The other half were looking only at the Elf, Sophia, who is joined by humans and beastkin. Considering that this vige, home to the mansion of the feudal lord of the Sylphide house, was located close to the forest of the national border, it likely wasnt appointed a responsible post. Since the scale of the vige is small, it doesnt have much of a poption either. I could imagine that the tax revenue would be strainedpared to the time they were Chevaliers in the royal capital. While I was brooding, Sophia pointed to one building. That is likely the mansion of the Lord. That 3-story building was certainlyrger than the surrounding houses; It was at a level that could barely be called a mansion. If I had to judge from theplicated expression on Sophias face, it was likely that this mansion theyre living in had fallen considerably in the rankspared to the one they lived in at the royal capital. Fue~ Amazing~! But its wonderful view. Truly. Witnessing Elves do farmwork with magic, Lulu-chan eximed and Marnie was astonished. In front of our eyes, Elves were watering crops with Spirit Magic. Whether or not watering nts with magic is normal for them, I couldnt find an irrigation channel used in normal fields. They rely on magic for just about everything, dont they? Many Elves have low physical abilities, after all. Individuals that be knights, such as myself, are the exception. The Elven race has high affinity for forests, so there are people with the aptitude to be Hunters and Knights like Sophia, and there are many pure Mage types. Yggurle Kingdom is a country of forests andkes. There are countless spirits; Fire spirits, Wind spirits, Earth spirits, Water spirits, Tree spirits, Light spirits, Dark spirits, Great Spirits of their respective attributes and their followers. As such, the influence of Spirits is strong in this country, and it isnt unusual for Spirit magic to be used in farmwork and public works. As we listened to Sophias exnation, the carriage pulled by Tsubaki slowly advanced towards the Feudal Lords mansion. Its a secret that, as we drew closer and examined the mansion, I thought that our mansion in Volton was much bigger. Is it a bit antiquated? It was built approximately 50 years ago, however it does not seem as though the maintenance on it had been scrupulous. When we got within the vicinity of the Feudal Lords mansion, we discovered that the building had shown its age considerably. This might have been because, in addition to his original job as the lord of thend, the Feudal Lord had to do farmwork and monster subjugation himself. Ah, someone came out. Could they be Sophias mother and father? !, Whether or not it was because they noticed a carriage approaching, a pair of elves, a man and a woman, came out of the mansion. As it might be expected of an elf, seeing the face of the woman, I would have believed it if she said she was Sophias sister. Its unquestionable that they are rted to Sophia, and they were, without a doubt, Sophias parents. `````````````````````` That day, Dante and Freesia, who were at the mansion, had been informed of something unbelievable by the spirits. Their daughter Sophia, who had be a prisoner of war and sold as a ve to the Moulin very Company afterwards, hade home. Ah! Dear! Sophia is! Y-yeah, this isnt a dream, right? Dante and Freesia hurriedly ran out of the mansion. What they saw there caused them to go wide eyed and stiffen. That too is to be expected, as they saw a carriage pulled by a Dragon Horse theyve never seen before approaching. But the next instant, Dante and Freesias faces overflowed with joy. S-Sophia. The coachman clutching the reigns of the carriage was the child the two could only see in their dreams, Sophia. `````````````````````` Sophia! The male and female elves that came out of the mansion were calling out Sophias name and rushing over. Sophia jumped down from the coachmans seat, running to the pair. Father! Mother! Gasshi.The trio embraced each other tightly. Led by a man in his prime, who came out of the mansion and was probably a servant, we moved the carriage. Good for you, Sophia-san. yeah. Maria, who lost both her parents, was lonely, but she congratted Sophia, who reunited with her parents, happily. I gently held Maria in my arms as we watched over Sophia. Beside us, a simrly lonely Akane was watching the parent-child reunion enviously. Marnie and Lulu-chan nestled close to Akane tofort her. Akane left behind her parents in our previous world when she was forcibly summoned here. She herself likely understands that the probability of her returning home is low. Thats why I think her loneliness worsened all the more. Unlike me who lost my body when I came to this world, she feels she cant give up. I wish I could analyze the summoning circle and send her home if its possible, though. Laeva, whose family is well, and Kaede, who doesnt know what family feels like, were smiling as they watched Sophia and her family rejoicing at their reunion. *** Chapter 131: A Moment’s Gathering Chapter 131: A Moments Gathering In the emotional reunion, Sophias and her parents faces crumpled as they shed tears of joy. Father, Mother, I will introduce the master I serve and mypanions that are like family. A-ah, pardon me. It is our first time meeting. I am Dante von Sylphide, a Chevalier. Beside me is my wife, Freesia. Since an aged elf whose age is unknown introduced himself as Sophias father, Dante-san, and his wife as Freesia-san, we promptly introduced ourselves too. I am d to meet you, I am always indebted to Sophia. I am Takumi Iruma, and I work as an Alchemist at Volton in Valkyra Kingdom. She is Maria, and beside her are Akane, the Foxkin Laeva, the Rabbitkin Marnie, the Catkin Lulu-chan, and my Arachne familiar, Kaede. The moment I introduced Kaede, startled expressions surfaced from Dante-san and Freesia-san. They had not noticed Kaede until I introduced her. Though this was because Kaede erased her presence, it might have been inevitable that the bodies of the two stiffened after suddenly being faced with a cmity ss monster all of sudden. Father, Mother, Kaede is our belovedpanion. There is nothing to be afraid of. Is t-that so. Dear, shall we bring them into the mansion first? Y-youre right, Takumi-dono, though it may not be grand, I wee everyone to our mansion. Pleasee in. Yes, then we will graciously ept your offer. Prompted by a servant of the Sylphide family, we were led into the mansion. I would once more like to thank you for saving Sophia. Having been guided into the mansion, we were thanked again by Dante-san once everyone sat down. He saw that Sophia was already freed from very. Above all, he could see that his daughters body, which he had been informed of being disabled, had returned to its previous state. That made Dante bow deeply to me. Not at all. Sophia always saves me as my bodyguard, after all. Father, I, personally, wished to be bought by Takumi-sama. Afterwards, not only did he correct the disabilities of my body, he also dispelled the sealing curse. I would like to reciprocate the kindness I have received with this body of mine for the rest of my life. Fumu, well said. Iruma-dono, please treat my daughter well. Dante-san bowed and Freesia-san, who was sitting beside him, followed and bowed her head as well. Since I was thinking of a way to say that Sophia muste back with us, I was surprised and ended up asking them less formally. Eh, is that okay? Ha ha ha. Humans and beastkin might not understand the feeling, however, we elves are long-lived. 100-200 years isnt that long for us. Fufu, the Sylphide House has an heir as well, therefore I wish for Sophia to live freely. I was asking for their permission to allow Sophia to live with us, but Dante-san and Freesia-san had permitted it too quickly and too easily. Speaking of heir, is Darphy well? Aah, Darphy is doing his best at the royal capitals Chivalric Order. He returns once in a while to show his face, but he seems to be doing well. If I had known that Sophia woulde back, I would have called Darphy too. So Darphy had joined the Chivalric Order as well. He has grown up, hasnt he The impression Sophia had of him as a younger brother no longer remained. To an elf, 50 years is a short time, but it was a long enough time for a small elven child to be an adult. Is there a reason you came home at this time, Sophia? Yes. At this time, Takumi and I have be A rank adventurers. Maria is B rank. Laeva, Marnie, Akane, and Lulu-chan would rise to B rank as well. Our party rank has be B rank, and weve obtained strength that wouldnt simply yield to outside pressure. As such, wevee to Yggurle Kingdom to meet Father and Mother. W-what, Sophia, you are an A rank adventurer? Oh my, how amazing, Sophia. Dante-san said that Sophias younger brother called Darphy is a knight at the royal capitals Chivalric Order. I was informed that this was necessary to seed as the next chevalier. As they drank tea, the parent-child conversation between Sophia, Dante-san, and Freesia-san did not cease. As if to fill up the 50 year gap. Are you able to take it slow? No, we n to return in 2-3 days. I returned this time to let Father and Mother know that I am safe. I would like for Mother and Father to feel at ease because I am in the town of Volton, and that from the next time onwards, we will visit once in a while. right, it is not too far if it is at Volton, so we can see you when we want to see you. Yes, we were also aware that you were in Volton but had not thought to meet you. Now, Sophia is a free woman, after all. Moreover, we do not know who the offender who inflicted the sealing curse on Sophia which caused her to receive serious injuries and fall into very is. It is much safer in Volton than it is in Yggurle Kingdom. Dante-san was talking about was the war 50 years ago where Sophia was heavily injured and fell into very. The sealing curse was a chance for her to fall into the enemys hands at the time. Dante-san spectes that she was cursed by an ancient elven magic device. It is likely that the magic device was used during a fight so I would not notice. I dare say it was someone from the side of Yggurle Kingdom. Being cursed by her allies was beyond Sophias imagination, so she doesnt know who did it. Well, lets end that conversation there then, Freesia. Very well. Everyone, please stay at our mansion today. Thank you very much. That day, it was arranged so that we would stay in Sophias parents home. *** Chapter 132: Warm Welcome Chapter 132: Warm Wee In the Sylphide House, a feast was arranged for dinner. Since there were many of us, I offered the ingredients from my Item Box. Takumi-sama, I will lend a hand with cooking too. Ah, I will help too. Lulu too. I will help with the cooking as well. The Sylphide family doesnt have an exclusive chef. A maid only in name and Freesia take on the preparation of meals. Seeing this, Maria, Akane, Lulu-chan, and Marnie said they would help. And so, I handed over arge amount of monster meats and stocked up ingredient stored in my Item Box. Seasonings in particr; It seems like they only use herbs and salt, so I gave Maria the soup stock I prepared when I had time. Meat, vegetables, oil, eggs, salt, pepper, soup stock, and the herbs prepared by Freesia-san. Yep. No problems here. I had the image that Elves were vegetarians, but Sophia generally likes meat. In the first ce, Elves are famous for being excellent hunters of the forest, so of course they would eat the meat of their spoils. MasterHusband, I was thinking of making a bouibaisse. Okay, Ill bring it out so you guys heat it up. I took out the pre-made bouibaisse from the Item Box and gave it to Marnie. Meat dishes, fish dishes, sd, appetizers, and soup; All thats left is dessert. Sophia, Ill prepare the dessert. Takumi-sama will? Un, its simple, after all. Saying so, I headed to the Sylphide familys kitchen. Dante-san looked surprised, but it isnt that oundish if he think about it normally. Sophia, Iruma-dono appears to have gone to the kitchen. Yes, Takumi-sama has the Cooking skill, so he cooks together with Maria-san and Marnie-san. Actually, the only members that dont have the cooking skill are Sophia and Kaede. Sylphide familys dining room is just big enough for everyone to sit in, but it was an enjoyable dinner with delicious food and elven specialty wine. Un, its delicious. Thank you very much. As expected of the vegetables grown by elves. The elven specialty wine is delicious too. Kaede thinks meat is delishh~! I gave my impression on the food that Maria and the girls made, while Kaede gobbled the meat as always. However, Dante-san and Freesia-san ate the food without saying a single word. Worried, Maria timidly asked them for their thoughts. U-umm, was it not to your liking? , i-its splendid! Very delicious! I have never eaten food like this! Fervently saying so, they then resumed eating with great enthusiasm. Un, it looks like it is to their liking so I guess thats okay. And dessert came after dinner. Uu! T-this is! C-cold! And sweet! Iruma-dono! W-what in heavens is t-this cold confectionary!? Father, and Mother too, please calm down. This is something that Takumi-sama made with Maria and the girls and had preserved with Storage Magic. It is called Ice Cream. Ice cream. In the outside world[1], cold sweet confectioneries such as this exist. Ice cream, sherbets, pudding, and pancakes regrlye up to the dining table at our mansion, and we told Dante-san and Freesia-san that this is just at our house, but they were too engrossed with eating the ice cream that they heard none of it. That night, from the window of the room I was assigned to, I gazed at the outside scenery illuminated by moonlight. Maybe I was able to sense things because I had the Magic Perception Skill, I could feel a lot of presences that seemed like they were floating around me. are these spirits? Takumi-sama seems to be liked by the spirits. A voice came from behind me, who was muttering to myself. The one who entered my room was Sophia. Youre alright not spending time alone with your parents? Yes, I am already an adult, and we can meet if we want to meet from now onwards, after all. When Sophia approached my side, she quietly snuggled up to me and we gazed at the scenery outside together. The Sylphide territory located at in the bordends of Yggurle Kingdom, with only 2 small viges, was by no means prosperous, but I felt the time pass very pleasantly. To Sophia who was born and raised in the royal capital, it might have been a new ce, but I think returning to her mothend and to her parents side had brought about a good effect in her heart. *** Footnotes: 1. This can also be tranted as another world or outside world Sphys Note: And so, this is the second to thest chapter of the volume. That means, next chapter is the end of Volume 3. ? Chapter 133: Bewilderment of Yggurle Kingdom Chapter 133: Bewilderment of Yggurle Kingdom Not much time passed before the royal castle of Yggurle Kingdom was informed of Takumi and hispanions visit to Sophias parents home. First, theyve been informed that the Dragon Horse Tsubaki and the Arachne Kaede who was said to be over S rank`` races which had no documentation of ever being tamed in the long-lived elves records`` had been tamed. Especially the Arachne Kaede, as it was not possible to predict how much damage it could inflict in Yggurle Kingdom where there are many forests. The people in the royal castle of Yggule were racking their brains on how to deal with Takumis group. Viscount Hordia who disyed his prowess in logistical support by leveraging his assets in the war 50 years ago, had risen to an Earl. The King intends to give consideration to Earl Hordia, formerly Viscount Hordia, whoes from a prestigious noble family with a long history. Forselty van Yggurle He has reigned over Yggule Kingdom as its king for over 200 years. Among the insr elves, he is said to be a wise king who promoted trading with Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom, and brought prosperity to Yggurle Kingdom. Your Majesty, what shall you do to the people who appeared at the Sylphide territory? I will do nothing. The daughter simply returned home. It was an aged elf who inquired of Forselty. From the appearance of the aged elf, he is presumably over 700 years old. The man talking to Forselty was the prime minster of Yggurle Kingdom, Balza. A man who supported the kingdom for a long time. Our country does not prohibit the entry of adventurers. There is no action required from us. Well, that is so, however the return of Miss Sophia is slightly troubling Viscount` no, Earl Hordia, is it? Having aged much, he is still after that Sophia? If I remember rightly, that Sophia receiving serious injuries and bing a prisoner during thest war was the deed of Earl Hordia. Yes, as one would expect, there was no evidence that remained, thus he could not be held ountable. Furthermore, Miss Sophia receiving such a serious injury to the point she had be disabled was likely outside of Earl Hordias calctions. Owing to that, Miss Sophia must have been spared. That man is lustful, dissimr to elves. Yes, had Miss Sophia been in perfect health, I assume he would locate her no matter which verypany she was hidden in. Due to their longevity, the elven race has a low birthrate. Individuals advanced in age still full of carnal desire like Earl Hordia are few. Royalty and high ranking nobility have a duty to marry several wives, but elves that surround themselves with not just several wives but even mistresses like Earl Hordia likely did not exist. Still, is that old person truly an elf? Wasnt he an orc mistaken for our kind? Pfft, Your Majesty, it would be a problem if you were to say such things to retainers. Balza, youughed too. Haa, but the question is who cured the disabilities and dispelled the curse of Lord Sylphides daughter, Miss Sophia. Individuals from a foreign country who can cure physical defect aside from our countrys treasure, Mimir-sama are,, that one certainly is a problem. To supplement, dispelling the Curse of Sealing is possible but not simple for anyone aside from Mimir. Those in Yggurle can be counted with one hand. That much is because Yggurle Kingdom is the country of elves proficient in magic, but that number of people is unimaginable in Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom. One could also assert that it cant be done by quasi-priests of the Divine Empire of Sydnia. By the time the information reaches Earl Hordia, Miss Sophia would be returning to Valkyra Kingdom. It wouldnt be a trouble. And, there is. Miss Sophias master not only cured her physical disabilities and dispelled her curse, I heard he even released her from very. He is quite the personage. Yes, and he also possesses the ability to make an arachne his familiar. Our country must keep a watchful eye. Having already caught hold of some information on Takumi, the intelligence division of Yggurle Kingdom appears to be excellent. Theyve grasped that Sophias disabilities were healed, and that she was released from very. As well as Kaedes existence, an Arachne Unique Species which is a monster that has exceeded S rank. We can only pray that Earl Hordia does not do anything unnecessary. Yes, truly Three days after Takumi and hispanions visit to the Chevalier Sylphide territory, they were on their way home. It was then that a rumor had reached the ears of a certain man. In a gorgeous mansion set up in one plot in the noble district of the royal capital was Earl Hordia whom had risen in rank from Viscount. In the master bedroom decorated by gaudy ornaments, an elderly man with an appearance of a deteriorating elf was yelling loudly at his subordinates. His body, which grew ck from habitual overindulgence and extravagance, shook as he scolded his subordinates. Why had you not brought her here!? I`, we, when the information reached us, they had already crossed the border Then locate her and bring her here! Bang! Earl Hordia mmed on his desk and continued scolding his subordinates. The information from the subordinate stated that Sophias disability was fixed, and that the Curse of Sealing was also dispelled. The fact is that the beautiful Sophia from 50 years ago had been brought back; Earl Hordia will not hesitate. Master, Miss Sophia had once been bought as a ve. More so after that, it appears shes serving a human now. It would be difficult to persuade her Are you a fool?! Who said to persuade her! I said to bring her here! Bring her here even if you must abduct her! However, they have already set out to return to their country and have left the country. Furthermore, the creature pulling their carriage is a Ryuuma. It is not difficult, but impossible to reach them in the savagends. Earl Hordia fell into a fit of rage at his subordinate who onlymented negatively. Take her even if you must chase them to the ends of the earth! Y-yes, I will make preparations immediately. Earl Hordia saw off his flustered, departing subordinate with a scowl. The subordinate had issued instructions to the dark guild theyre connected to in Valkyra Kingdom. Given how elves mobilizing in a foreign country would be too conspicuous, they always make use of the dark guilds of different races for their dirty work. This elderly man did not realize. The strength of the A rank adventurer. The significance of a monster exceeding S rank having been tamed. Regarding Earl Hordia who had lived only within the small world known as Yggurle Kingdom, he would realize that his long life was of no use whatsoever in the outside world. *** Sphys Note: And so, that marks the end of Volume 3. I will take this time to take my usual break. Ill be back in 1 week / 2 updates worth of a break, thening on 3rd update (July 13-14 depending on where you are) for the start of Volume 4. ? p.s. IMO facts about Kaede are not really a secret at this point considering they never tried to hide it. lol Chapter 134: Monarch of Skulls Chapter 134: Monarch of Skulls While we were on our way back to Volton from Sophias parents home, Sophia suddenly stopped the carriage. Hm? Whats wrong, Sophia? Something feels like its calling out to me. Its a very weak response, but it seems to be requesting to be saved. I dont quite understand. It seems Sophia doesnt understand it well either. Sophia says that she thinks that whats asking for help isnt a person. But we have to go if it shes bothered by it. Then lets go if youre worried. If theres nothing there then its fine. If theres something thats asking for help then wouldnt it be good if we could help? Yes, thank you very much. We went off the road, altering our course and heading to the west. Travelling about 50 Km off the path, it smelled faintly of sea water. Were close to the sea? Does that means were at the western end of the continent? Ah, that is the ce. Sophia, who held the reins, turned the carriage to a location that could be considered a vige or a town from long past. That ce had buildings which had already weathered with only their ruins remaining, a spring around 50 meters in diameter, and a river that flows out towards the sea. Water continues to gush forth even now, as the spring doesnt seem to have petered out. However, this is. It became a monster nest[1]. Right. With the extremely stagnant air and thick miasma, Im confident that, among the monster nests that riddle these savagends, the density of miasma here is particrly high. I cant see monsters in this concentrated miasma. Which means, Everyone! Prepare for battle!! I jumped out of the carriage and hurriedly unfastened Tsubaki. Sophia and the girls leapt off the carriage with weapons in hand and were being vignt. Akane, Marnie, cover Lulu-chan! When I yelled that out, from the surface of the ruins, out came Zombies, Ghouls, and Skeletons. Yes, thats the reason why we couldnt see monsters in the monster nest filled with so much dense miasma. This is the town of the deceased, a monster nest ruled by the undead. Purification! Akane, Laeva and I simultaneously casted purifying magic. The Zombies, Ghouls, and Skeletons crumbled on the spot and only their magic stones remained. However, individuals that could withstand purifying magic persisted. Skeleton Knights and Skeleton Generals showed resistance to purifying magic. Sophia and Maria dealt the final blows on them with magic. ǣգ```` The air trembled at the audible roar. Inside the army of the deceased, towering 3 meters tall and wearing ck armor, the Monarch of Skulls manifested. !! A Skeleton King! Buy me just 5 seconds! The Skeleton King summoned its followers one by one. Akane and Laeva defeated the looming swarm of undead with Area Heal, while Sophia and Maria shot at the ones in disarray with magic. From the Subspace, arge metal body used the Magic Jet Propeller on its back to elerate and mmed into a Skeleton General at intense speeds. Turning a Skeleton General into bits with a strong Shield Bash, Titan began pulverizing the surrounding Skeletons. Kaede manipted her threads, tearing the armors of the Skeleton Knights and Generals to pieces. Tsubaki rammed the Skeletons and buried them with her hooves. With maces, Marnie and Lulu-chan fought the Skeletons. Since a mace would be more effective on Skeletons than a dagger, Lulu-chan, with her tiny body, brandished the mace she wasnt ustomed to. Holy Barrier, Sanctuary Field!! I released a wide area purifying magic of the Light Attribute. The entire ruins was wrapped in purifying light. Lower ranking Skeletons and Skeleton Soldiers vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving only magic stones. The Skeleton Knights and Generals did not disappear but their movements were dulled, and my party could deal with them easily. The Light Attribute Magic Skill has leveled up The Magic Form Control Skill has leveled up As I heard messages of several skills leveling up, I took out the ice spear Ice Bringer from my Item Box, then broke into a run towards the Skeleton King. ǣգ```` Inside the Sanctuary Field, the Skeleton King shrieked agonizingly. Titan and Kaede opened a path. There, I swung Ice Bringer, routing the Skeleton Knights and General as I ran to the Monarch of Skulls, the Skeleton King. Mowing them down, stabbing them, and smashing them. Mixing up the Ice Bringer with taijutsu, I defeated the Skeleton Knights and General. The Spear King Technique Skill has leveled up The Fist King Technique Skill has leveled up I made free use of Insight, Presence Detection, and Evade skills to dodge the sword and spears of the slowly approaching Knights and Generals as I defeat them. The Insight Skill has leveled up The Presence Detection Skill has leveled up The Evade Skill has leveled up Requirements have been met. The Minds Eye Skill has been obtained I had be able to follow every single movement of the surrounding enemies quite clearly. The speed of my advance was elerating quickly. Gaki!! My drawn Ice Bringer and the Skeleton Kingsrge sword caused sparks as they shed. A long time since Ist fought with a clearly superior enemy, I resolved myself to use everything Ive got. The curtains on the fierce battle between Monarch of Skulls and I, rise. *** Footnotes: 1. Author Typo: Wrote ħR C makagami C magic mirror, should have been ħ C makyou C monster nest Chapter 135: Spirit Tree Chapter 135: Spirit Tree Skeleton King maniptes its 3m+ frame faster than I imagined, and its swings were like a gale. Thanks to the Insight, Presence Detection, and Evasion skills maxing out and obtaining the Minds Eye skill, I could evade the tempestuous attacks of the Skeleton King and strike with Ice Bringer. The Skeleton Knights and Skeleton Generals who served the Skeleton King were taken on by Kaede and Titan. Sophia and the girls were annihting the Skeleton Knights who couldnt move well in the Sanctuary Field. The Skeleton King needs to be defeated before the Sanctuary Field disappears. I enveloped my whole body in magic power more powerfully. Whatever the material of armor that is, the jet-ck armor of the Skeleton King disys umon defensive power. Nevertheless, the movements of the Skeleton King were gradually worsening. The joints I stabbed were starting to freeze. I quickly moved in and mmed my left palm on the knee of the Skeleton King. Bakyan! The armor on its knee broke into very small pieces. I activated Dposition with my left palm, destroying the armor. I quickly slipped by its side, looked back and struck the exposed knee with Ice Bringer. Thrown off bnce, the Skeleton King copsed and the earth shook. Going around before the Skeleton King could get up, I overloaded the heel of my palm with as much magic power as I could and released it on the face of the Skeleton King. Activating Dposition, its head crumbled. The arms and legs of the Skeleton King, who was trying to get up, then lost strength, and it copsed then and there. When the Skeleton King was defeated, the summoned lost strength, and when the light of the Sanctuary Field disappeared, all that remained were magic stones and armors scattered about. Are you unhurt? Im okay. Good work. Is everyone alright? The girls rushed to my side. Lulu-chan, you okay too? Yes! I leveled up lots! Magic stone aside, theres a lot of armor left behind too. Akane surveyed the surroundings, confirming that the Skeleton Knights and Generals dropped weapons and armor. How about we collect the magic stones and the seemingly usable weapons and armor? Roger! Yes. Akane and Laeva retrieved the magic stones and equipment. Sophia removed the armor of the Skeleton King, taking out arge magic stone. Takumi-sama, what was asking for our help was this. Aside from the magic stone, Sophia held out something that appeared to be a ping-pong sized nt seed. A seed of something? It says its the seed of the World Tree. Could Sophia hear the voice of the seed? The seed she held out was apparently the seed of the World Tree. The World Tree? What is the World Trees seed in a ce like this? The World Tree, Yggdrasil, purifies the earth through the Earth Pulse. However, Yggdrasil, which is in Yggurle Kingdom, can not purify the Earth Pulse and the earth alone. It is impossible topletely purify this world where people and monsters inhabit, but without the World Tree, this world would be engulfed by monster nests. Therefore the World Tree produces a seed, which is a branch of itself, known as a Spirit Tree. It would seem that the abnormally strong Skeleton King took the World Trees seed into itself and evolved abnormally. I had won because I was inside the Sanctuary Field, but the thought that if had this not been an undead, but rather a different monster of the same rank made a cold sweat run down my back. Why did the Skeleton King absorb the seed of the World Tree? That we dont know. Originally, the World Tree bears peach-like fruits, and the seeds within are strictly managed by Yggurle Kingdom. So then, does this World Tree seed want us to do something? Yes, it says it wants to be nted in thisnd. However, it would like for us to share magic power of the Light attribute with it. For it to bud, it apparently needs Light attribute magic power. It originally didnt need it, but having been taken in by the Skeleton King, it had weakened from its strength being stolen and it was difficult for it to bud. With that being the case, Akane, Laeva, and I injected Light attribute magic power into the seed of the World Tree.Status Name: Takumi Iruma Race: Human Age: 17 years old Job: Magic Swordsman Lv88, Fighter Lv92 ( Magus Lv56, Magic Bestower Lv72, Carpenter Lv58, Tailor Lv68, Alchemist Lv96, cksmith Lv89 ) Level: 122 Condition: Healthy Vitality: 1,020 Magic Power: 1,250 Strength: 620 Agility: 600 Stamina: 700 Dexterity: 620 Intelligence: 700 Unique Skills Appraisal EX Item Box EX ( Concealed ) Passive Skills Superhuman Strength Lv7 ( Up ) Insight Lv10 ( Up ) Poison Resistance Lv2 Paralysis Resistance Lv2 Evasion Lv10 ( Up ) Minds Eye Lv1 ( New ) Body Control Lv9 ( Up ) Increased Magic Power Recovery Speed Lv5 ( Up ) High-speed Thought Process Lv5 Active Skills Spear King Technique Lv 3 ( Superior Skill awakened from Spear Handling Skill) Axe Technique Lv5 Sword King Technique Lv1 ( Superior Skill awakened from Swordy skill ) Throwing Lv8 Taijutsu Lv10 Fist King Technique Lv6 ( Up ) Matoujutsu Lv10 Enemy Search Lv9 ( Up ) Presence Detection Lv10 Stealth Lv9 ( Up ) Taming Lv3 Enhanced Physical Abilities Lv8 ( Up ) Magic Perception Lv9 Magic Power Maniption Lv10 Magic Form Control Lv8 ( Up ) Light Attribute Magic Lv9 ( Up ) Fire Attribute Magic Lv8 ( Up ) Water Attribute Magic Lv7 Wind Attribute Magic Lv7 Earth Attribute Magic Lv8 Ice Attribute Magic Lv7 Lightning Attribute Magic Lv9 Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv7 Bestowal Magic Lv8 Alchemy Lv10 Smithing Lv9 Woodworking Lv8 Carpentry Lv5 Foraging Lv6 Logging Lv5 Dismantling Lv4 Mining Lv4 Metalworking Lv8 Sewing Lv7 Cooking Lv4 Divine protection of Goddess Norn ( Concealed ) Familiars Arachne Unique Species ( Kaede ) Dragon Horse ( Tsubaki ) Guardian Golem ( Titan ) Titles Giant Killer Dragon yer One who has surpassed the flood *** Footnotes: 1. A few lines added to make the conversation better. 2. Some status information were outdated and have since been changed (not all though, since I cant really give urate information). Chapter 136.1 Chapter 136.1 I started charging the World Tree seed with magic power first. The World Tree seed was like a dry sponge absorbing water as it continuously sucked up my magic power. this is quite tough. Although Ive thankfully recovered magic power thanks to drinking mana potions after the fight, it seems even after absorbing almost all of the magic power that I, someone confident in the amount of magic power I possess, have. Then Im next. I leveled up considerably, so my magic power increased by a lot. Akane took the World Tree seed from my hand, and started to pour magic power into it just like I did. uu, its still not enough? Then its my turn next. Even when Akane loaded it up to her limit, the World Tree seed still wanted more magic power. Laeva then started her turn. Ah! The magic power is overflowing, Any more than this and it wouldnt absorb it. A short time had passed since Laeva began charging it with magic power, the World Tree seed stopped absorbing. It seems that was enough. Next, it says it wants to be sown near the spring. Afterwards, we nted the World Tree seed into the spot Sophia had indicated. It would be better to water it, right? Magically conjured water loaded with magic power gently watered the soil covering it. For some reason, my intuition tells me that it would be better to do that. This water isnt foul, but its not clean either, is it? With the defeat of the Skeleton King and its underlings, as well as the Zombies and Ghouls, and the purifying abilities of Sanctuary Field and the Purification spell, thisnd had be pure, which was unthinkable in the savagends dotted with monster nests. I drank mana potion and rested a little bit, then invoked Sanctuary Field to epass the spring. And so, the spring turned perfectly clear and pure. As I thought, it looks like it was polluted by miasma. The World Tree seed will likely bud easily now. Then while practicing our Light attribute magic, well purify this surrounding area, wont we? Having seen me purify the spring water, Akane apanied Laeva and began purifying the faint remains of miasma. Now then, the retrieval of magic stones and drop items seems to have finished, so I was thinking wed go back to Volton once Akane and Laeva purification finishes, but at that time, there were signs of something moving, and I looked around. Wha?! The World Tree seed that I nted just a while ago had already sprouted. Furthermore, it had grown 1 meter in height right before my very eyes, and it even had 20 lush green leaves. The World Tree grows this fast? N-no, I have heard that it grows fast innd abundant in magic power, but growing this much is unheard of. After that, by way of Sophia, the Spirit Tree ne World Tree seed (the tree grown from Yggrdasils seed, apparently called the Spirit Tree) had a request. It wants to enclose the surroundings in a Holy Barrier with the Spirit Tree and the spring at the center. And so, Laeva and I split up, creating 100 pieces of disposable 1 meter stone piles using Earth magic. Then with the heaps of magic stones from the Skeleton Knights, we engraved the piles with Holy Barrier magic. We hammered them down in a circr formation with the Spirit Tree in the center. For a tree to push us around The Spirit Tree has arms for pushing?[1] At the few words I grumbled, Lulu-chan asked curiously. Having finished hammering in all 100 stakes, we immediately went back and made camp, then departed for Volton early morning the next day. Incidentally, the Spirit Tree that was 1m yesterday has now grown to 2m. 3 days after returning to Volton, we went back to the Spirit Tree once more. This time, instead of the disposable Holy Barrier, we created a continuously operating Barrier MD that automatically absorbs magic power from the surroundings. The stone stakes embedded with magic stones previously installed are designed simply, and we had promised to make thatnd uninvadable from here on. ( A promise with a tree. If other people heard that, theyd suspect Im wrong in the head. ) That ce was originally one of the monster nests that dotted the savagends. Even though the dense mana (magic source) had been purified with the Holy Barrier and Sanctuary Field, time will pass and miasma will begin to seep again. Should the Spirit Tree growrge, thend and its surroundings will be purified, so magic devices that would continuously purify that ce are necessary until then. Before we reached the spring where the Spirit Tree was, I, with my mouth agape, had to ask about the scenery. huh, this was the ce from the other day, right? yes, I am quite certain that this is the location of the tree and spring. The reason I inadvertently asked for Sophias confirmation was because the Spirit Tree had grown close to 10m in height and its trunk had grown so thick I couldnt put my arms around it. The Spirit Tree wasnt the only thing surprising. The ground that couldnt grow weeds now had lush grass sprouting over its entire surface. The carriage stopped and we approached the Spirit Tree. Hey, it feels cleaner, but Im not imagining that, am I? Yes, its as if were in a sanctuary. Thatnd centered around the Spirit Tree had be full of pure magic power that seems like it could annihte weak Ghosts and Zombies in an instant. I have a feeling that the atmosphere here is purer than the church in Volton. Akane, you think so too? Its just one tree, but the Spirit Tree is such an important thing. No Takumi-sama, I believe the Spirit Tree alone could not turn it into a sanctuary-like ce in such a short time. I dare say that the effects of the Sanctuary Field during the fight with the undead and the disposable Holy Barrier MD afterwards were enormous. The significance of a monster nest bing a sanctuary is something I dont know, nor do I need to understand. At the start, I had decided to install Holy Barrier MDs in thisnd. This time it will be one set of 6 magic devices. With Laevas cooperation, we installed the magic devices In the shape of a hexagram. Oooii~! Is your set up okaaay!? Yeees! Preparations are okaaay! Laeva and I proceeded with starting up the magic devices, and when thest magic device was activated, a hexagram of light stood out from the ground with the Spirit Tree in the middle. The light soon vanished, and I checked if the barrier had activated. The Holy Barrier stretched across thend in a circr form with a 200m radius from the Spirit Tree that was at its center. This barrier would not directly prevent the invasion of monsters aside from the undead. Its a magic device that makes an environment that monsters would avoid by purifying thend that had been a monster nest filled with mana and miasma, consequently changing thend to be one that monsters would find hard to approach. Alright! With this, the chances of it being invaded would probably decrease. It feels like sacred space, but even though the miasma is gone, its still a monster nest with dense mana, isnt it? With the work of installing the magic devices over, Laeva came over and asked the question that was on her mind. Thats right, its definitely a monster nest. Thats why it wouldnt be a barrier to monsters that dont avoid the Light attribute. Only, there are also cases of monsters who dont need miasma that can coexist with people. Representatives of those are Demon Horses and Ryuumas like Tsubaki. Kaede, a unique species of Arachne, is a monster that prefers miasma, but the moment she was connected to me by a path of magic power as my familiar, that disposition changed. ͣ 󣿡 Youre right, I dont want monsters to damage the precious Spirit Tree. Can I leave it to you? У 塣 Since Titan hade to rmend stone golems to protect this ce, I decided to entrust Titan with it, including the creation of the golems. The golems that Titan make can only act on simple orders and work, but assigning them to protect this ce is enough. Titan created 4 stone golems and deployed them in the 4 cardinal directions with the Spirit Tree in the center. With this, if everything is normal then the Spirit Tree wont be damaged. And so, we discovered the World Tree seed from the chance encounter with the Skeleton King and purified thend that the Spirit Tree would grow in afterwards. However, we hadnt imagined at this time that thisnd would give rise to discord among a portion of the elves. *** Footnotes: 1. The previous sentence is actually ʹ롱 which uses a word with chin , and it means to boss someone around by using their chin to point.And so Lulu-chan asks if the Spirit Tree has a chin, but that wouldnt really make sense in english. Important C Sphys Note: Early chapter today because I have to sleep early. For the next 3-5 days, Ill be at a different city for a bunch of medical procedures (I wont go into detail about it), and so I most likely cant post updates during this time. I dont want to dy chapters again since I already made you all wait, so Ill at least still try. I hope to have your understanding on this. Thank you ? Chapter 136.2: Paradise of the Spirits Chapter 136.2: Paradise of the Spirits We regrly visit the location of the Spirit Tree, which grew from the World Tree seed. Sophia listens to the requests of the Spirit Tree and we continue to help do those requests. On one asion, it wanted soil from Volton, and we nted arge amount of that soil around the Spirit Tree. On another asion, it wanted the fallen leaves of a forest and told us to mix those leaves with the soil. It felt like weve be farmers. We travel from Volton to the site by teleportation. It seems that there are elves that wouldnt find it funny that a Spirit Tree growing outside Yggurle Kingdom. As much as possible., Sophia wanted us to travel by teleportation so we dont show our movements. Tsubaki runs around freely to reduce her stress once we arrive. Still, not even 10 days has passed and yet, its amazing. Indeed. I suppose you could say its as expected of the Spirit Tree. That aside, Takumi-sama, the Spirit Tree requests magic power today as well. Having be a den of the undead, with its acrid spring water, withered trees, and barren soil where even weeds did not grow, thatnd now has clear spring water, a green carpet spanning the interior of the barrier, and young trees that had grown before we knew it. Above all, the Spirit Tree has grown to adapt to this world, much to my delight. Spirit Tree is already over 20m tall and its trunk is likely 1m in diameter. I approached the Spirit Tree and ced my hand on it, and pouring my magic power into it. This has already be a daily routine. Sophia said this was also the request of the Spirit Tree, and it continues to request things from Sophia. For it to grow quickly in this harsh environment, you could say its necessary and we couldnt refuse. While taking turns with Sophia, we poured in loads of magic power. When I poured in the magic power, multicolored flowers began blooming in the carpet of greens surrounding the Spirit Tree. Wha!? My surprise continues. It was like I could see faint lights of a variety of colors fluttering around like they were dancing. are those Spirits? Yes, Spirits of various attributes have gathered. Majority are lower ss spirits with no will, but spirits that possess wills are likely to increase as time passes. My unintentional mumbles were confirmed by Sophia. There were apparently no Spirits in the corruptednd that was encroached by miasma and turned into a den of the undead. Even the Wind Spirits that fly freely around Mildgard do not approachnds overflowing with miasma. I had purified thatnd, clean water surged from the purified spring, andstly, the Spirit Tree that grew from the World Tree seed purified the ley lines. Thanks to that, it had be a ce where spirits such as Water Spirits, Wind Spirits, Earth Spirits, nt Spirits, Light Spirits, and Dark Spirits gather. I can feel a lot of presences, but Sophia, since you can see Spirits, you can probably see them bustling about. Yes, the Spirits are flying about, seemingly very happy. Contrary to those words, Sophias countenance wasnt bright. Whats wrong? It might genuinely be unfavorable if Yggurle Kingdom sees this. Hm? Setting aside the fact that Skeleton King took the World Tree seed to thisnd, Sophia says that there are many elves that could not permit a Spirit Tree to be outside of Yggurle Kingdom. As to why, its because the World Tree seeds seldom sprout within Yggurle. Increasing the Spirit Trees encourages the growth of Spirits in Yggurle Kingdom. The said growth of spirits would lead to the increasing the national power of the country. Thats why Yggurle Kingdoms royal family even performs a ceremony every year and sows the World Tree seed, but those mostly do not sprout. Considering all that, this World Tree seed sprouted easily. Moreover, its already a huge tree. Thats how it is. It had been weak since we took it out of the Skeleton King so it needed to absorb magic power, but its getting bigger day by day at an abnormal speed. As I was thinking so, I gazed at my surroundings and a mysterious spectacle unfolded. Rain-like water sprinkled the entire surface of bloomed flowers and grass. Lulu-chan ran around happily, but Akane was ck-jawed in surprise. Hey, is that also the work of spirits? Yes, an intermediate Water Spirit provides the nts with water. Spirits of the wind carry the seeds; Spirits of the water and of the earth raise them. Thisnd can be the paradise of Spiritsor rather, it wouldnt be an exaggeration to say it already is. Is it bad for Spirit Tree to be in a location unrted to Yggurle Kingdom? About that, even by the World Tree, theres no water,nd, and air as clean as what is in thisnd. It would be bad if this is found. It seems the environment surrounding the World Tree has been deteriorating for several hundred years. If the flower could no longer bloom, the flower that cant bloom loses its ability to make fruits. In recent years, even if a ceremony is performed, the harvested World Tree seeds have been running low. I wonder if a Concealment Barrier MD is necessary. It would be better to prepare it. Since this day, I got stuck with producing a magic device that would hide this ce. Thats not all, the requests from the Spirit Tree werent stopping. Such things as Purify a wider scope ofnd or collect seeds, and of course, there are requests to nt various trees too. Since I cant refuse when Sophia asks, I do everything the Spirit Tree says in the end. And by the time two months pass, in thend at the western edge of the continent, a paradise for Spirits that no one knows about waspleted. *** Chapter 137: Manifestation Chapter 137: Manifestation At the time the movements of Sydnia in Valkyra and Lomaria quieted down, we still made regr visits to the Spirit Tree. That ce that centers around the Spirit Tree changed in appearance with each passing day. The main actor, the Spirit Tree, has already grown into such a huge tree that youd have to look up. It uses twoyers of concealment, Concealer MD and Perception Inhibitor MD, so the outside doesnt perceive the location. Furthermore, creating simple Stone Golems from a rocky mountain, I assembled a file of troops and brought them to that location of the Spirit Tree. I then removed their cores to use the stones. I changed the form of the stone with Earth magic and Alchemy, and after guaranteeing its strength, I constructed a stone house. Digging out a cer with Earth magic, I established a Transfer Gate, connecting it to Volton so we cane freely anytime. Of course, in terms of security, weve registered our magic power so others cant use the gate. The house made of stone was constructed with Laevas help. It uses tempered ss-like wings of the Great Armored Dragonfly that boast its strength for windows. The interior uses Treant Wood extravagantly, affixed on walls, floors, and furniture like tables and chairs. We wont live here so this much is probably enough. No, its more than enough, I believe. When I said such as I looked at the stone house that wasnt different from the mansion in Volton, Sophia looked astounded as she retorted that I overdid it. In a short amount of time, the exterior of stone house built with free use of magic was covered in an ivy-like nt before we knew it, and it melded together with the surroundingndscape. While Sophia and I were looking at thepleted house, Sophia suddenly started running towards the spring in a panic. ! Takumi-sama! Its a sign of a high rank spirit! ?! A high rank spirit? Unable to understand what she meant, I followed after Sophia. Catching up to Sophia, we finally reached the spring filled with clean water, when water whirled in the center of the spring and began to well up. Since I couldnt sense danger even with Insight Skill, so I decided to watch the development with Sophia. Before long, the figure of a person began forming in the swelling water. And what materialized was a beautiful woman wearing a blue dress who appeared to be in her mid-20s, with blue hair that reached until her waist, and unworldly good looks. That woman walked over the water as if she were gliding as she approached. Wha! a high Water Spirit! Sophia was so surprised, she froze. I am the Water Spirit, Undine. What is your name? Takumi Iruma. The being Sophia called a high water spirit, who seemed like she were gliding over the water, came before me and talked to me. Asked for my name, I gave my name to the being called a high spirit despite my nervousness. So youre called Takumi. Thank you for saving the Spirit Tree. Not only did you save the World Tree seed seized by the undead, you even helped it to bud. N-not at all, its all because Sophia heard the voice of the World Tree seed. Even so, you cleansed thisnd overflowing with miasma and the spring water that had been corrupted. Changing thisnd into a sanctuary overflowing with sacred magic power was your influence, you know. The High Water Spirit smiled at me proudly. U-Undine?! Great Water Spirit-sama!! Hearing the name Undine, the frozen Sophia fell to her knees and bowed there and then. Might you be Sophia? You may greet me normally. You helped the Spirit Tree as well, thank you. Y-your words are more than I deserve, this is too great an honor. Our other members watching the sudden manifestation of the Great Water Spirit Undine at a distance. So, I have something to talk about with Takumi therefore I made an appearance in this ce. Is it a request? A request from a high ranking entity called a Great Spirit, I readied myself for what kind it would be. There is no need to be that on guard. I would like for you to continue continue doing the requests of the Spirit Tree for a while longer. Undines request was that she wanted our cooperation to make thisnd a true sanctuary. Aside from the location of the World Tree in Yggurle Kingdom,nd where the Great Spirits like Undine can manifest apparently do not exist. The vicinity of the World Tree is a prominent environment dense in magic power and spirit energy. However, the pride of the elves is high and their disposition of scorning the other races in the shadows is hated by the Great Spirits. And so, they have not manifested for several hundred years. We know that the elves honor us spirits. Nevertheless, we spirits exist/live together in Mildgard. The influence of the several hundred years that the Great Spirits did not manifest was enormous. Monster nests spread, and the unpurified miasma ruinednds. Land where people can live in are few in this continent. Undine said that the speed in whichnd is purified and reimed, and the speed in which miasma overflows and monster nests expand are somehow bnced, but the current situation is one where it is unknown when that bnce will break. And so, a sanctuary carries significance. A sanctuary will be made here, and we Great Spirits will manifest. At first the sanctuarys influence would affect thend around the sanctuary, but its influence would eventually expand to the entire continent. When I asked in what way, it was exined that when the bnce of Mildgard tilts to the negative energy, the monster nests erge, while monsters increase and be stronger. Conversely, the sanctuary where the Great Spirits live in would turn Mildgards energy to a positive, then monster nests and would reduce and strong monsters would lessen. If its for the sake of the people of this continent, I am willing to cooperate. However, Undine-sama, will you live in thesends too? You can call me Undine. Thats right, I will live in that spring. Thisnd will soon be bustling too. Though spirits with the ability to manifest are few, from the way Undine was talking, theyre probably going to increase from here on. The reason being that I was told to construct a smithing workshop. Thisnd gathers Water, Earth, Wind, nt, Light, and Dark Spirits, but Fire Spirits are few. It seems Undine wants a ce where the Great Spirits of other attributes are able to manifest. At least Great Spirits of three attributes are the condition for a sanctuary. The current state of this ce is apparently Sanctuary ( Provisional ). As a result, in addition to the Spirit Trees, we will run about to meet the requests from Undine. *** Chapter 138: One Great Spirit After The Other Chapter 138: One Great Spirit After The Other Since Laeva and I built the smithing workshop that Undine requested, the workshop and furnace had already been prepared. A few days after the workshop was built, an unusual phenomenon happened to the Spirit Tree. A significant presence travelled to the Spirit Tree, and a beautiful woman came out from its thick trunk. Wearing a tawny dress with leaves twined around, the long vibrant green haired beautiful woman, who appears to be the same age as Undine, was clearly not a person. My, if it isnt Dryas. There is no need to worry, she is the Tree Spirit Dryas. Has it been hundreds of years since weve met outside of the Spirit World, I wonder. When we were being cautious of the woman who came out of the Spirit Tree, Undine appeared and informed us of who the woman was. The Great Tree Spirit Dryas. Undine said that since the Spirit Tree was in thisnd, if she could manifest, it wouldnt be strange for the next to manifest to be Dryas. Uuunngghh, ahhhh~ its been a while since I manifested~ Dryas stretched and smiled at us. Dyras gives the impression of a sexy oneesan. Dryas, its been a long time. Oh, Undine, has it been hundreds of years? It hasnt been a long time. Still, for our first manifestation in a while to not be in thend governed by the elves, its quite ironic, isnt it? Indeed, the elves, who live by borrowing the power of the spirits, are lessening their show of respect for the Spirits, after all. Takumi-chan right? Thank you for nurturing the Spirit Tree. N-no, I only did what I could. Dyras who had been talking to Undine thanked me. This ce, where the undead once strode, is now a carpet of greenery with varicolored blooming flowers, and a small copse made up of all kinds of trees we nted across the spring waspleted too. As thisnd seemed to have be an environment Dryas found easy to manifest in, Dryas and Undine said it was only a matter of time before the Great Wind Spirit Sylph, who was the origin of Sophias family name, to manifest. That fact became a reality two days after Dryas appeared. When Titan and I were asked by Undine to dig around the sanctuary to enclose it, a gentle wind swirled softly, blowing petals up, and from inside that, a beautiful floating girl who appeared to be in her mid-teens with seemingly transparent light blue hair fluttering came into view. Uun! Sylph has arriiiiiiived! The girls energetic voice echoed. Really, calm yourself a little, Sylph. Yeah~ You dont settle no matter how much time passes~ There, Undine and Dryas appeared, chiding Sylph. We could do nothing but be bbergasted as we couldnt follow the situation. Nevertheless, only Sophia was deeply moved, going down on her knees and offering a prayer. What is this! Isnt this ce amazing!? Mmmm, pleasant wind blows! Its goodnd, isnt it? The water is clean too. Oh, flowers and all kinds of trees grow healthy too. If Im here with Undine and Dryas, it means its going to be a sanctuary soon! The Great Wind Spirit called Sylph noticed Sophia on her knees offering a prayer to her. Oh, you are, mhmm mhmm, ah` the Sylphide familys daughter. I knew there were elves who used my name as their family name. Did Sylph hear the story from the Lesser and Intermediate Wind Spirits around? Sylph seemed to know about Sophias family. It is a great honor to meet you for the first time. My name is Sophia, the eldest daughter of the Sylphide family. Right, youre called Sophia. You dont have to be that formal. Sylph cheerfully started conversing with the nervous Sophia. She really gives the impression of a lively girl, and she talks to Sophia as if she wereing across a friend. I, who was still watching the scene nkly, was instructed by Undine to continue digging around. Hey hey Takumi, I will make a water canal after you dig around, so finish it quickly. Thats right~ Takumi-chan. When the water canal isplete, the greenery will extend to the surroundingnd, you know. yes, I understand. It seems this ditch will be a water canal. I was told that the canal water would continue to maintain its state without stagnation with Undines powers, and the greenery around the canal would spread. The range of the Holy Barrier has already been greatly expanded, with each expansion adding more magic devices. Concealer MD and Perception Inhibitor MD were the same. Nevertheless, when it officially bes a sanctuary, even without the magic devices, it seems it would be a simr range to the current extensive range of the Holy Barrier, and Undine and Dryas want to bring it to that state quick. Initially, it was supposed to be a small range with the Spirit Tree at its center, and yet before we knew it, it had be something big. Its in the savagends so theres no one there, but it was already too much for 4 Stone Golems to defend. Though Undine said that this was not at all a problem. There are 3 Great Spirits here, it will be alright even if a swarm of dragonse. And both Sylph and Dryas agreed. Would this be called the fearsome might of the Great Spirits? With the Spirit Tree at its heart, thend within was fencing in a 500 meter boundary by a water canal on one side, and a prairie of greens was starting to spread out on the other side. One day, a short grandpa appeared beside the Spirit Tree. Ho ho ho, whatfortablend. It pleases me. I will dwell here as well. Saying so, the grandpa who arbitrarily began living in the house of stone we made was, ording to Undine, the Great Earth Spirit Gnome. And immediately following Gnomes arrival, a fire lizard manifested in the furnace of the smithing workshop. The fire is so small. You guys, use fire more! The fire lizard who said such to us was the Great Fire Spirit Smander. With the four elements, Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, as well as Tree, 5 Great Spirits are present. Beginning with Undine, everyone gathered at the Spirit Tree and lined up to form a pentagram with the Spirit Tree at its center. The next instant, Undine and the Great Spirits magic power swelled, and I witnessed thend be covered in sacred energy. ording to Undine, this was the first time in 1000 years that a sanctuary was formed in this world. *** Chapter 139: Assembling Spirits, Departing Spirits Chapter 139: Assembling Spirits, Departing Spirits One day, an abnormal situation urred simultaneously in various ces in Yggurle Kingdom. This was the sharp drop in the numbers of the countless spirits that existed within the nation. There are still countless numbers of spirits gathered around the World Tree, but the decrease in spirits could clearly be seen in other ces. The elves residing in Yggurle Kingdom were confused, and even when they tried asked the spirits for the reason, they didnt hear a definite answer. In Yggule, there are no more Elven Spirit Mages with contracts to the Great Spirits either. Consequently, there should be no one who realized that a Spirit Tree was growing outside of Yggurle and that it had be a sanctuary. The World Tree and the Spirit Tree are frankly All is One, One is All existences. Within Yggurle, the Spirit Trees that grew from World Tree seeds amount to three. The royal family, in the extensive history of the kingdom, has not been able to add more Spirit Trees besides those three trees. And when this new Spirit Tree was born, the World Tree and the three Spirit Trees in Yggurle had connected to it through the ley lines. In fact, at this point in time, the World Tree has handed over the fruits to the Spirit Tree in the sanctuary, and has stopped bearing fruit itself, but that matter is something Yggurle will notice only in the future. However, an excellent Spirit Mage will eventually notice. A location outside of Yggurle where spirits are able to gather, and many elves would run about, desperate to locate it. Forselty van Yggurle had received a report from Prime Minister Balza about the abnormal event that had suddenly urred within the Kingdom. Fumu, a sharp drop aside from the contract spirits, huh this is a first. Yes, I believe it is the first time in the long history of Yggurle Kingdom. Forselty brooded with a grave expression. Balza too, as there was no way to do anything, he could do nothing aside from collect information. Father, I have returned. There came a beautiful elven woman who wore a captivating air of dignity. Forseltys third daughter, the third royal princess of Yggurle Kingdom who uses light attribute magic, Mimir, hade back from assessing the state of Yggdrasil. So, how was it, Mimir? yes, the spirits were flying about as per usual around Yggradasils surroundings. Fu~mu, your Majesty, do you happen to know the cause? No, the records of our royal family had nothing such as this written within it. Father, the condition of Yggrdasil was that it had regained the vigor it had lost in recent years. As Mimir had reported, under the effects of having been linked to the Spirit Tree in the Sanctuary through the ley lines, the World Tree (Yggdrasil) had grown in strength. To substantiate this, the barrier covering Yggurle Kingdom had strengthened. Mimir-sama, not even you had discovered the cause? I listen to the voices of the spirits, however, they do not get to the root of the matter. My apologies. N-no, not at all. Mimir-sama, you have been more helpful to Yggurle Kingdom than ever. Balza hurriedly assuaged Mimir who talked apologetically for having been unable to learn of the cause from the Spirits. In actuality, the voices of the Lesser and Intermediate Spirits are unclear when they talk, and the best they can do is convey loose intention. It had taken one month before the excellent spirit mages in the country and Mimir arrived at a hypothesis for the cause of the sharp drop in spirits. Balza, have you found out the cause? The decline in spirits within Yggurle Kingdom had caused its citizens anxiety. Forselty needed to take control of the situation as soon as possible. Beside Prime Minister Balza was the Third Princess Mimir, but her expression was not well. Yes. While it is not definite, as a result of collectingrge amounts of information, and though we are not aware of how it happened, a World Tree seed brought out of Yggurle Kingdom must have sprouted and be a Spirit Tree. Wha!? Forselty receiving a shock was deserved. Theyve held ceremonies for many years, and yet they were unable to promote the growth of a Spirit Tree from the World Tree seed. Then to be told that a Spirit Tree exists outside of the country. I dare say it is the truth. When we summarized the stories of the spirits, the World Tree seed sprouted and had be a Spirit Tree, and the spirits have gathered there. No, wait, Balza. Having recovered from his shock, Forselty called Balza to a halt. I am aware that Spirits gather at Spirit Trees. However, is it not strange for the spirits within our kingdom to decrease to such an extent and head to that Spirit Tree? The World Tree is here. Forselty refuted Balza by applying his ownmon sense. Your Majesty, you must have forgotten. The World Tree is anAll is One, One is All being. What do you mean? Speaking in extremes, if a recement for the Yggdrasil in the royal capital of our kingdom appears, that Spirit Tree could be the World Tree. Your Majesty, it would not take its ce immediately. Forselty seemed like he would faint from too much shock. Seeing this, Balza hurriedly made a follow up. But even then, it had only softened the Forseltys shock by a little bit. Pinpoint the location of the Spirit Tree. Find it at all costs. By your will. After that day, the spirit mages of Yggurle Kingdom dispersed to look for the Spirit Tree outside of their country. As if to sneer at the Forselty and the officials of Yggurle Kingdom, who had thought theyd immediately discover it, the location of the Spirit Tree wasnt found. When they finally found a suspicious location, two months had already passed. Youve found it, Balza!? Your Majesty, we have found a mysterious ce, however it is not clear if the Spirit Tree is in thatnd. Hm? What do you mean? Frankly, the spirit mages who went out for the investigation could not approach the location. What do you mean by couldnt approach? So Balza told Forselty that the spirit mages were unable to the enter the ce they discovered, but theyve confirmed that spirits could. How could that be? Are you saying that the spirits can enter the ce that we Elves are unable to? Yes. Furthermore, I have received a report that strong sacred magic power could be felt from thatnd. Please let me investigate. At that moment, Mimir had volunteered. Princess, that ce is in the savagends. It is far too dangerous for the royal princess to go to. It will be fine. Despite all things, I am a spirit mage. fumu, Bring the royal guards from the Chivalric Order alongside you as your escorts. The worst wouldnt happen with that. Indeed. The princess may discover something too. Maybe, if it was Yggurle Kingdoms treasure, an excellent spirit mage known as the Saint, Mimir. Forselty and Balza decided to send Mimir out with the royal guards of the Chivalric Order as her guards. *** Chapter 140: 140: The Rejecting Sanctuary Chapter 140: 140: The Rejecting SanctuaryWhen Mimirs party finally arrived at the location of the Spirit Tree, a curious spectacle stretched out. A green, grass covered in suddenly spread out from the wastnd where even grass did not grow. However, even though the scouts of the Chivalric Order headed towards it, they couldnt move past that point. This, of course, is natural, as the area beyond this is where the security barrier of the Great Spirits was erected. That barrier is iparably stronger than the barrier erected over Yggurle Kingdom. . This is, a Spirits barrier. As an excellent Spirit Mage, Mimir was able to sense the Spirits powers from the boundary. As such, she was bewildered. Why are the Spirits rejecting elves? Princess, we are still unable to advance further. A returning knight reported to Mimir. I will try to proceed. That is uneptable. We are unsure of what is there. Its dangerous! The knight hurriedly dissuaded her, but Mimir vaguely felt that she herself could go beyond this point. This is a Spirits barrier. It is not dangerous. Even so. The likelihood that I, too, will be obstructed by the barrier is high. Let us try what we are able to. Mimir instructed the knights to wait up to one day at the maximum should she be able to cross the barrier, and alone, she began to walk. Oh my, could that be a guest, I wonder. It would be fine if it is this child, is it not? It seems so~ Ill notify Takumi-chan~ The beautiful-type Undine and the amorous-type Dryas perceived Mimir approaching from outside the barrier. Ah! Princess! Mimir understood she passed through the barrier. The next instant, an unbelievable sight spread out before her very eyes. Mimir stood stock still, speechless. What filled her view was a surface carpeted entirely by greenery filled with flowers of various colors. And what her nation had been looking for, the Spirit Tree which towered approximately 50 meters high. Beside it was a spring filled with clean water, and opposite of it was a lush thicket of trees. Then she noticed a house made of stone. Tables and chairs were set up on its yard, and there were people drinking tea there. A Human silver haired young man, Beastkin women and girl, a Human red haired young woman, and one Elven woman. That much would have been within Mimirs range of tolerability. But in that ce, two women and one young girl, one aged man of small stature, and one red skinned young man were present, all clearly not people. I-it cant be, it is the Great Spirit-samas. Mimir approached with an unsteady step. Smiling, Undine ushers her in. Wee. To ournd. A-are you Undine-sama? and beside you is Dryas-sama, over there are Sylph-sama, Gnome-sama, and Smander-sama, the Great Spirits Seeing and meeting the Great Spirits, she kneeled immediately. This, too, was inevitable. There were no Elves residing in the present Yggurle Kingdom that have caught a glimpse of the manifested Great Spirits. Marnie, prepare a seat. Yes, Sylph-sama. Marnie brought out one chair from inside the house. Elven miss, take a seat. Y-yes, please excuse my discourtesy. As told by Dryas, Mimir stood up nervously and sat on the chair that Marnie had prepared. So, how may we help the elven miss? Y-yes, u-umm, we were searching for the cause of masses of Spirits leaving Yggurle Kingdom, and we had then determined that a Spirit Tree exists outside of the country. However, not even Spirit Mages were able to enter thisnd That is so, this is not thend of Elves. It would be worrying if people could enter as they please, as such, we Great Spirits had formed a barrier. Mimir was perplexed by Undines words. To Mimir, who believed that the Elves exist together with Spirits, it felt as though they were rejected by the Spirits. Today, when I was doing civil engineering work by the request of the Great Spirits and the Spirit Tree, I was informed by Dryas that someone from outside the barrier had paid a visit. Its an young Elvendy. Undine had said shed let just one person pass the barrier, so lets have some tea and wait. Hee~ its rare to have visitors. We arranged a table and chairs in front of the mansion made of stone, and waited for the person who passed through the barrier. The person who came through the barrier was an elven youngdy wearing a beautiful dress. Shes apparently the Royal Princess of Yggurle Kingdom. I havent heard how she came to this ce, but she knew that the Spirit Tree was the cause. You Elves might be misunderstanding, but both the World Tree and the spirits are not the Elves. Eh! Hold on, Sylph, be a bit kinder. Hearing Sylphs remark, Elf Princess-sama was brought to tears. Its fine, there are many Elves that have been misunderstanding this recently. Sylph, there is a way to say it a bit kinder, so please. What kind ofnd is this? Thisnd overflowing with sacred energy, where the Great Spirits manifested, is? Ah, this girl recovers fast. This is the Spirit Sanctuary. Wha!! Why?! Why this ce and not Yggurle Kingdom? Mimir had received quite the shock from the spirits rejection of the Elves and couldnt agree to the Sanctuary being anywhere but in her country. With a weeping expression, she made an appeal to Undine and Sylph. We dont have a particr reason. Yes, if I had to say, then because the World Tree seed was coincidentally here and Takumi coincidentally purified thisnd, the Spirit Tree was provided an environment it could grow in. That is all. Indeed, if I had to add another reason, differing from the Elves who prepared environments where Great Spirits like us could manifest in, Takumi worked without calcting the profits and loss. No, I remember being ordered to do various work though. It somehow felt like Undine and the Great Spirits were being cold to the Elf Princess. Mimir increasingly grew teary eyed. To begin with, Spirits do not consider the Elves as unconditional allies simply because Elves just happen to have the aptitude for Spirit Magic. Ah, please stop already. Smanders statement seems to have finished Mimir off. Ovee with surprise, she had turned white, you know? Seeing the terrible treatment of the Royal Princess of her mothend in front of her, Sophia seems to have chosen to be one with the air. Shes been erasing her presence since a while ago. As for the result, the Royal Princess Mimir of Yggurle Kingdom was informed that individuals without permission, no matter who they may be, will not be able to enter thisnd which is a Spirit Sanctuary that centers around the Spirit Tree. Furthermore, Mimir believed that the fact that the only beings allowed free entry are Humans, Beastkin, and monster subordinates was definitely not something she could report back to her country. She knew that it was a fact that would be difficult for the proud Elves, who frequently look down on other races, to ept. How should I report this to father The retreating figure of Mimir, who was trudging her way back out of the sanctuary alone, seemed awfully sad. *** Chapter 141: 141: Shock traveling to the Elf Country Chapter 141: 141: Shock traveling to the Elf Country Seeing the strangely glum Third Princess Mimire out of the ce with a barrier that barred entry, the escorting knights rushed over. Princess! Are you all right?! Please hasten the preparations to return. Yes, princess? Were returning to our country. Mimir said only that, leaving the knights baffled as she boarded the carriage. The perplexed knights reluctantly started their preparations to return, and the carriage Mimir was on headed back to Yggurle Kingdom. The carriage carrying Mimir hurried to the royal capital. The escorting knights were unable to ask Mimir, who wasnt in her usual mood, what she had seen inside the barrier. Passing through towns and viges without stopping, it was on the third day after leaving the sanctuary that Mimirs troupe finally arrived at the royal capital. Even the familiar World Tree piercing the clouds was aponent that increased the current Mimirs worries. The Great Spirits have stated that the World Tree was not an absolute existence. As such, if the hubris of the elves continues to when the Spirit Tree growsrge, there is a possibility that the World Tree could be a Spirit Tree and the Spirit Tree takes the ce of the World Tree. The World Tree Yggdrasil and the Spirits were existences that were inseparable with Yggurle Kingdom. Even as they drew closer to the white royal castle near the World Tree, Mimir didnt feel relief in her return. After this, her dejection grew as she must report to her father, the King. Before long, the carriage carrying Mimir led by the Chivalric Order had arrived, and she prepared for an audience with the King. Forselty had changed the location for Mimirs report. Not an audience, but a private meeting of three people, the King, Mimir, and Prime Minister Balza in the council chamber. They had to prevent information leaks as best they could, as there was a possibility of the nobles behaving recklessly in fear of the information Mimir had brought back. Father, I have returned. Mimir, firstly, your efforts have been appreciated. Well then, Princess, have you found the Spirit Tree? Impatient, Balza asked Mimir. Father, a World Tree Spirit had sprouted and grown into a splendid Spirit Tree. Princess, you were able to enter the barrier?! It was a ce that Spirit Mages sent out to scout were unable to enter. Balza raised a loud voice as the ce they thought the Spirit Tree would be in really did have it, and Mimir had entered that barrier-like thing that was formed over that ce. I believe saying that I entered is wrong. I was simply allowed toe inside by chance, and I do not know if I would be able enter that ce once more. Forselty and Balza were puzzled by Mimirs words. Mimir, what do you mean you were allowed in? I received a report that thend where the Spirit Tree began growing was the savagends. By your phrasing, are you saying that you were able to pass through the barrier with someones permission? Forselty had been given a report stating that no one was able to invade thend the Spirit Tree had begun growing in. They just heard that, in that ce, Mimir did not enter with her abilities, but entered after being given permission by someone. It is just as I have said. The barrier formed over thatnd is much more sophisticated than the barrier covering Yggurle Kingdom. If we were to invade it, it would be impossible even after a thousand years. Wha?! Our nations barrier is the fruit of our ancestral Elven technology made by utilizing the powers of the World Tree and the Spirits. There is nothing more sophisticated than that barrier. Mimir calmly observed the figure of her agitated father. Even her father, Yggurle Kingdoms King, said he would use Spirits. Even though the Elves could only use Spirit Magic because the Spirits assist them Elves are able to hear the voice of Spirits. They are able to recognize those existences, but it has been several hundred years since an Elf had seen a manifested Spirit. Father, a being higher than the Elves hadid out the barrier with the Spirit Tree at its center. Borrowing the power of the World Tree and Spirits, 10-odd Elves hold a ceremony to form the barrier of Yggurle Kingdom. However, the barrier Mimir had felt was formed with the cooperation of the manifested Great Spirits, as such, it is naturally a barrier of a different dimension. Actually, it was not with just by the power of the Great Spirits, but also the effect of Takumis groups thorough purification of thend, the Holy Barrier MD, Perception Inhibitor MD. With these effectsing together, it was a far more secure and sophisticated barrier than the one formed over the entire Yggurle Kingdom, but the Great Spirits were not kind enough to exin that. Forselty and Balza were unable to think of an existence superior to the Elves. It was hubris thinking, but this is the Elfs typical thoughts. A being superior to Elves, you say who is it? In thatnd, I had been given the opportunity to meet the Great Spirits of the Five Pirs. The Great Spirits-samas have manifested in thatnd. Wha Forselty and Balza disyed shocked expressions. Though Elves were supposed to coexist with Spirits, theyre unable to acknowledge the existences of manifested Spirits in their heads. The manifested Great Water Spirit Undine-sama, Great Wind Spirit Sylph-sama, Great Earth Spirit Gnome-sama, Great Fire Spirit Smander-sama, Great Tree Spirit Dryas-sama have made thatnd a sanctuary, with the Spirit Tree at its heart. Thatnd overflowing with miasma, once one of the monster nests over riddled the savagends, has now be a ce filled with sacred energy, clean water and air, with Spirits flitting about. Forselty and Balzas understanding could no longer catch up. Originally, Elves exist alongside the Spirits, however, even if they were told that a Great Spirit had manifested, it wouldmonly be taken as too unbelievable. Listen, Mimir. Lets say the sanctuary of the Spirit Tree is true. Is it alright for you to say that a World Tree seed was brought to thatnd and had coincidentally sprouted, and as a result, the Great Spirits had manifested and created a sanctuary? Your Majesty, if the Spirit Tree exists, and the spirits created the sanctuary, would it be an exaggeration to call it our territory? Fumu, you could say that. If we consider it as increasing our territory in the savagends, it would lessen the Spirits within our country in the short run, but it would be a positive in the long run. Mimirs head suddenly ached. How would you govern a ce no one could enter? Before that, do you now only consider Spirits as tools to be used? Fuu, Father, Balza, how do you n on entering that ce? Undine-sama and the Great Spirits are by no means the ally of the Elves. Mimir sighed, and ryed the Great Spirits words verbatim. The faces of the King and Prime Minster paled before her very eyes. The rtionship of Elves and Spirits is nothing more than the Elves coincidentally having the ability to hear the voices of the Spirits and the Spirits helping them out. What do you mean? Mimir, the World Tree is not an absolute existence? Y-your Majesty, the barrier of Yggurle Kingdom isrgely due to the powers of the World Tree and Spirits. At this rate, the barrier would disappear. To say nothing of the barrier, the leaves and dew of the World Tree are ingredients for advanced potions and had be a main export in trade with other countries. When the pair finally realized the gravity of the situation the Elves were currently in, Mimir had felt depressed. (Ah, we Elves are receiving punishment for living arrogantly, arent we?) Mimir knew of the depravity of the Elven nobility. Virtuous nobility existed among them, but there were many high ranking noble houses with no interest in anything but factional rivalries and amassing wealth. (Above all, the inclination to scorn other races is, s, almost within all elves.) Mimir, the recovery magic user known as the Saint, had many requests for healing from many nations. However, she was also aware that they charge arge sum doing so. As she didnt warn them not to do that, it might as well be hermitting the same offense. In the end, at the request of the King and the Prime Minister who could not ept the facts, Mimir is to head to the Sanctuary once more, and negotiate with the Great Spirits. Leaving what to negotiate to someone elsepletely, Mimir wondered if this country would really be alright. *** Chapter 142: 142: There Is A Fat Pig Among The Elves Chapter 142: 142: There Is A Fat Pig Among The Elves Among the information Mimir had brought back, there was reportedly one Elven woman allowed entry into the Sanctuary. Earl Hordias persistence was considerable as he had tied that Elf to Sophia. He immediately dispatched a scouting partyprising of 20 subordinates. `````````````````````````````` Haa, Im an Alchemist and cksmith though. Diligently working on the waterway and moat of the Sanctuary, it felt like I changed job to construction worker. Whats wrong? Alchemists and construction worker are no different. Its easy to live in the Sanctuary because of Takumi-chan, so keep at it. Undine and Dryas worked me hard. Sylph selfishly made Lulu-chan her ymate, and Gnome makes Marne massage his shoulders. Smander confined Laeva to the Smithing Workshop. Im sorry for Sophia and Maria, but they had to take care of the Spirit Tree. The question Does the Spirit Tree need assistance? still stands though. Akane is taking lessons on sewing from Kaede. This ce is rich in nt based materials, andbining that with Kaedes threads, they weaved and dyed various textures of cloth. Dont say youre worn out. Its thanks to Takumi that the Sanctuary has extended considerably. About that, its good that thend has spread out, but will the barrier be alright? The remark Undine made about the widening of the Sanctuary made me question if the barrier would be alright. As to why, the size of the barrier I put up with magic devices at the start and the current size of the Sanctuary is over 4 timesrger than before. Its alright, even though we may appear this way, we are the Great Spirits. Shes right, Takumi-chan. If the Spirit Tree grows to the same level of the World Tree, it would be easy to cover a country of that size with a barrier~ Undine and Dryasughed away my worries. Its good if itll be alright, but that and me working hard every day on civil engineering work are unrted. These days, weve been living 50-50 in our house in Volton and our house here. Takumi, you are the apostle of Norn-sama, arent you? We are simr to Norn-samas subordinates so arent werades? I think cooperating is only natural though. Eh! I am Norn-samas apostle?! Sure Ive received various good things to the point that its overprotective but ah, crap! Saying that much, starting from Sophia and Maria, everyone aside from Kaede and Titan looked at me with surprised expressions. Oh, was everyone unaware? Someone like Takumi whos reached the strongest ss while saying hes an artisan couldnt be normal. He has the strong divine protection of Norn-sama. Undine said so, but everyones train of thoughts were shorting out from too much shock. Haa, this chance is just right, so Ill exin my circumstances to everyone. I talked about reincarnating when we were protecting Akane, but I had shared my life story with Sophia and the girls obliquely. It seems they had a hard time believing it. Well, the Great Spirits words have more credibility than my words. Even then, I dont know if Im an apostle or not, but I knew I was not normal. Sophia and Maria seemed to have always thought it was strange that their growth capabilities were abnormally high. They had taken it as the divine protection of Goddess Norn I had extends to even mypanions. I know that Takumi had to reincarnate because of us, but I couldnt have imagined that Norn-samas divine protection would affect us that strongly. I apologize to Takumi-sama, however, about the absurd magic form for the Hero Summoning Magic, it is thanks to that that we are where we are now, so for that matter alone, I am thankful to Sydnia. Thats really true. Had Takumi-sama not bought both Sophia-san and I, I dont know what would have happened to us. Sophia and Maria were thankful to Norn-sama for reincarnating me at that time. If the timing had been off by a couple of years, both Sophia and Maria likely wouldnt have bepanions. It seems that girl hase back to that ce again. What will we do? Undine informed us that the Elf Princess-sama she that had been invited inside the barrier the other day hade again. Since there would be no harm if its just her, Ill requested that she be let in. Wouldnt it be alright if we let her pass? Very well. She has escort knights too, though we will only let the girl pass. We had arranged tables and chairs in our mansions garden, and there, we drank tea while waiting. About Undine and Great Spirits, they can eat and drink even though theyre Spirits. It had been a long time since theyst manifested, so they seem to look forward to the food. A short while after Undine said that, and the girl we met a few days ago came. ```````````````````````````` Mimir immediately understood that she was being beckoned over to the Spirit Tree of the Sanctuary. The escorts were obstructed by the barrier, unable to advance, and only she could walk forward. The scenery changedpletely when she passed through the barrier. From outside the barrier, only a dreary scenery where not even a de of grass could grow could be seen. The moment she entered the barrier, therge Spirit Tree had leapt into her view. There was a spring filled with clear water, a carpet of greenery blooming with various flowers, and a thicket with all sorts of vegetation behind the spring. On the table and chairs in the garden of the stone house creeping with green ivy, she was able to confirm that the Great Spirits and a human young man were drinking tea. Mimir gulped in tension, and resolved herself to walk. At that time, in a ce far from Mimirs escort knights, there was a group attempting to invade the Sanctuary. Tch, the Spirits are useless. The visible scenery is probably an illusion, but can this strong,plex barrier be destroyed? Hiding their faces using masks and uniformly wearing ck clothes, the group was the ndestine task force of Earl Hordia, instructed to abduct Sophia through sheer strength. When the unit does work behind the scenes, it seems they understand that Earl Hordia house is up to no good, but no one couldin about the rough use of force with Earl Hordias bribe this time. Everyoneunch attack magic! At the male leadersmand, various attack magic were fired at the barrier. There were only Elves with high aptitude with magic, and a multitude of fairly high-powered magic had hit the barrier, but all of it had disappeared before the barrier. Tch, Spirit Magic wont activate! The impatient ruffians were a unit that had performed plenty of Earl Hordias dirty jobs, but as one would expect, they were unable to do anything against the barrier formed by the Great Spirits no matter how much time had passed. Immediately afterwards, a phenomenon urred where the people of Earl Hordias household had all lost the use of Spirit Magic. Flustered by the losing their hearing for the spirits voices, the people had begged Earl Hordia in tears, but Earl Hordia himself had long since not cared even if he couldnt hear the Spirits voice, and had responded with What of it?. Having lost the ability to hear voice of the Spirits, Earl Hordia would be ridiculed as an Orc hiding in the skin of an Elf. *** Chapter 143: The Relationship of Elves and Spirits Chapter 143: The Rtionship of Elves and SpiritsKnowing there was a group trying to enter the barrier by attacking it from the outside, the Spirits and I had paid them no attention and faced Yggurle Kingdoms Third Princess Mimir across the table. Please, let us talk while having tea. T-thank you very much. Maria made tea for everyone. Fuu~ how delicious. Maria is skillful at brewing tea. Youre right~ Thank you very much, Undine-sama, Dyras-sama. Since everyone was taking a break, I had asked Princess Mimir for the important matter she had returned here for. If I didnt, she would be unable to speak from the tension. So, how may we help you today? Y-yes. At present, the Spirits in Yggurle Kingdom are decreasing. Furthermore, individuals lost the ability to hear the voice of the Spirits and are unable to use Spirit Magic. As such, this may be a truly impudent request, however, please stop taking any more Spirits than this from Yggurle Kingdom. And I would like to ask if there is a method the individuals whove lost the ability to use Spirit Magic could somehow do? Though she looked bitter, Mimir had earnestly appealed the words that the King and the Prime Minister had probably told her. My, how unfortunate. The Spirits gather here because this is afortable ce. We do not take them here. Also, they lost the ability to use Spirit Magic? Is that not the result of having been had been careless with their interaction with the Spirits and continuing to use them like tools? Now now, Undine-sama, the Princess might have been told to say that. Fufu, in any case, hasnt the Elf King spoken of this Sanctuary being his territory? Did Dryas words had hit its mark? Mimirsplexion had turned pale. Since she looked too pitiful, I addressed her kindly. Princess-sama, this ce isnt owned by anyone. If Im forced to say, then this is thend of the Spirits and the Spirit Tree. Thisnd was a monster nest in the miasma-encroached savagends that was purified by us, and was coincidentally made into a sanctuary because the Spirits liked it. As people that could hear the voice of the Spirits, you understand, dont you? Yes, I understand. However, when the King was told that the World Tree might be reced, he was unable to make calm judgments. Haa~ We said that the World Tree might be reced, but it will not happen anytime soon. I expect this Spirit Tree will not grow to the size of the World Tree for another 100-200 years. When Undine said so, the expression of the Princess didnt look well. To the elves, 100-200 years likely isnt considered long. Undine, we must say that the World Tree will be reced at the current situation. Girl, do not misunderstand that it is a decided fact. Eh?! Hearing Dryas remark, the downcast Princess face raised. Undine and Dryas had reassured that her that the World Tree in Yggurle Kingdom and Spirit Tree in thisnd taking its ce is not set in stone. On the other hand, she was informed that if the Elves continue to treat the Spirits as tools, it would happen in the not so distant future. Even so, theplexion of the Princess was still poor. Father and the Prime Minister, however, have settled with stating that if it is and that the Spirits and a Spirit Tree are concerned with, then thatnd is the territory of Yggurle Kingdom. The nobles living in the avaricious royal capital are much worse. Are you under the impression that Yggurle Kingdom will dispatch an army? Since I have warned them, I imagine they would not do so immediately, however there is a possibility that the personal armies of the nobles would dispatch their troops to the Sanctuary. Differing from the barrier in Yggurle Kingdom, the barrier here is not something that will break to powerful attacks, though. It would be easy for our God to shatter, but it would be impossible for people. Haa~ If Yggurle Kingdom dispatches troops, this ce would be exposed to other countries as well, wouldnt it? I was worried about that. Even now, there were fools who exhausted their magic power were sitting outside the barrier, and we were able to confirm this in Sylphs monitor-like powers. My image of Elves seems to have crumbled. Triaria Kingdom seems like it would be making a move again. Sophia didnt hide her disgust as she said the name of the country that seemed like it be the first to send troops. Since they desperately want a base in these savagends, Triaria Kingdom will surely send out troops. As it is close to both Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom, Triaria might dispatch troops to the savagends and not be silent, and shes getting a headache just thinking about it. Many countries would station troops in the vicinity of the Sanctuary. Quit it. Undine had said so teasingly, but just imagining it wears me out. What could I say to Father and the Prime Minister? Jeez, I feel like running away to this ce. If its only you and an attending maid, would you like toe in and out? You would not treat us Spirits as tools, correct? W-would that be alright?! I have a bad feeling about this, somehow. My trouble sensor was sounding out. Sure enough, Dryas looked at me smilingly and started saying outrageous things. Then Takumi-chan, one additional mansion please. Additional? One house for us spirits to live in, and one hose for the Princess toe stay in. I will be building two? Just when I thought I could finally research potions with materials given by the Spirit Tree, its another carpentry job. Takumi-sama is a carpenter? No, Im an Alchemist and at times a cksmith. So the Princess wouldnt misunderstand, I corrected her at the speed of sound. Isnt that fine? If you build two houses, well give you mithril ore to use for your transmutation pedestal Gnome will. Haa~, I understand. In this ce where materials obtainable from the Spirit Tree were in their best condition, I had intended on creating a variety of potions. Since the rank of the potion transmuted are affected by even the temperature whenbining materials, a transmutation circle was necessary. A transmutation pedestal is arge table made of a mythril alloy nk affixed onto a stand, on which Ill draw a transmutation circle. Only Laeva and I were eager to do these minute works. We have patience, after all. The size and number of rooms can be the identical to Takumis house. By a Japanese standards, they had demanded what would normally be a house that be in the category of ptial residences. Are the Spirits free? Or is it because they are free that they are Spirits? The Princess has no antagonistic feelings towards Yggurle, but she had decided not to report to the King and the Prime Minister that she was basically given permission to enter the Sanctuary. About the bunch that attacked the barrier from the outside using magic, they were being investigated by Sylphs subordinates. We had just nted a seed, but is it just me or had it turned into something earth-shatteringly important? *** Chapter 144: The Expanding Barrier and Sanctuary Chapter 144: The Expanding Barrier and Sanctuary The unit that Earl Hordia dispatched had left, and Princess Mimir temporarily returned to the royal capital. Answering the request of the Great Spirits, I ended up constructing the mansion of the Spirits in the area close to the spring which was near the Spirit Tree. In addition to that, Ive decided to build the house Princess Mimir would be staying in on the opposite side of our house. In terms of their locations, the Spirits Mansion was closest to the spring, then our house was a little distance away, and the mansion that Princess Mimir would be staying in would be constructed farthest away from the spring. Haa, the trivial interior design can be left to someone else, right? Yes, but the bed will be fluffy, wouldnt it? I also want a fluffy bed~ I can sleep on anything. A hard bed would be sufficient for me. It can be dangerous if I suddenly burn up, so a stone bed would be good. Undine and Dryas wanted fluffy ones, Sylph wasnt picky, and Gnome wanted a hard one. Hes old so could his hips be hurting? Lastly, Smander wanted a bed made of stone. Haa, the Great Spirits are self indulgent. Leaving behind the mansion construction, I had tried asking about what was on my mind. In doing so, Undine had a look of someone whose hidden prank had been exposed. That aside, didnt the size of the Sanctuary randomly grow wider? Oh, you knew. As a matter of fact, if it is simply by extent, it is already wider than the town of Volton, The west side had extended 200m further, including the sea. The north, south, and east have also expanded. I was absolutely shocked. It had spread so much in that time. We teleport to the Sanctuary mansion when we go to here so we didnt realize. Huh?! As I said, the barrier expands that much. Is that alright? Expanding that much. Its fine, it will not overrule the barriers of countries such as Yggurle. Still, arent the strengths of the barriers different? Since the barrier has the power of us Great Spirits and your magic devices, that much is simple. Lets just give up. This is in the savagends and no one owns it. A monster nest overflowing with undead had just be a sacrednd. Yup, lets think that. I stopped thinking and went back to doing construction. If I think about it, Id lose. Once the mansions areplete, the interior design and furniture have to be made. Kaede and Maria made the bed sheets and the curtains. Since Lulu-chan and Marnie could sew too, the only ones with nothing but fighting potential were Sophia and Akane. Since the mansions were constructed and the interior design and furnishing werepleted to some extent, I decided to take a look around this Sanctuary once. Guided by Undine and Dryas, I headed seaward first. From the Spirit Tree to the sandy beachside, it was about a 20 minute walk. The pure white sandy beach, with the contrasting blue sea was exceedingly beautiful. How beautiful. Thats right~ Once it gets a little bit hotter, you cane take a swim~ Dryas winked. When the voluptuously beautiful oneesan Dryas winks, her destructive power is staggering. I hurriedly changed the subject. Well, isnt it a thing where youre not supposed to go close to the sea because it has powerful monsters? I mentioned that the barrier extends 200m seaward, didnt I? Ah, I see, then it seems everyone will be able to go to the beach. The northern bank of the beach also has a rock face, it seems Id be able to enjoy fishing. After that, I went to see the northern side. On the northern side, there is a thicket slightly north of the spring, and small birds seem to live there for some reason. Small birdse and live here, huh. Thats right, without any monsters, its paradise for harmless small animals. Sylph had brought them here. Takumi-chan, look at your feet. Medicinal nts are abound~ I looked when Dryas told me to, and sure enough, I was able to find even rare medicinal herbs. Amazing, rare nts are growing normally. There are rare water nts in the spring too, you know. You can check itter. Undine said so, seeminglypeting. Afterwards, I visited the southern side, and there was a slightly elevated mountain there. It was iprehensible. For a mountain to be created all of a sudden. It looks like Gnome did his best. Yes, he said it would be an excellent ore deposit~ Haha, the Great Spirits sure have some unbelievable powers. Moving on, we headed to the east side, and there was a meadow there. The thicket in the north is Dryas, the spring in the middle is Undines, the mountain containing an ore deposit in the south was Gnomes, and the meadow in the east is Sylphs. These locations showed the strong influence of the Great Spirits. Or rather than saying that, it would be better to say that their respective followers manage each location together. I looked around and made my way back to the mansion built on the open area in the middle. Its way too big, Undine. Its around the size of a small country. Better too big than too small. Undine said something absurd. Its expanded this much, I wonder if the Inhibit Perception MD and Concealer MD I made still work. Compared to its original size, it was 10 timesrger than before. Hmm, it doesnt cover it entirely. Even so, it is able to cover approximately 70% of it. Its amazing. What did the Great Spirits want to do with thisnd? Could it be to make a country for Spirits? I couldnt see it, but I could sense lots of spirits in thisnd. I tried asking Undine what they wanted to do with Sanctuary. From thisnd, we want to adjust the bnce of the continent, which had copsed. ording to Undine, people risked their lives to increase livablend and purified the reimed monster nests. But this progressed slowly. The threat of monsters was one reason, but after people gather in countries, fellow countries and fellow people fight each other. Blood flows in war, and the miasma in monster nests spread. They purify and corrupt at the same time. The Spirit Tree in this Sanctuary is purifying the Earth Pulse. Slowly, we would like for the Spirit Trees to increase within the continent and purify it. Particrly since I had thoroughly cleansed thisnd, Undine said that if coupled with the Spirit Trees power, in 300 years, it might be able to cleanse the savagends from the southwest to the northeast sections of the continent. As expected, spirits have no concept of lifespans. They dont feel 300 years is long. Ill help with what I could. *** Chapter 145: 145: Sanctuary Capriccio Chapter 145: 145: Sanctuary Caprio By teleporting between the gates in the basements of our Volton mansion and Sanctuary mansion, were able to develop the Sanctuary without anyone knowing. Once were done with development, Laeva and I go into potion research. This was difficult. The order of mixing things, quantity, and temperature when mixing. That while redrawing transmutation circles many times over, we did trial and error repeatedly, looking for a near optimal process. Of course, because the transmutation circles were all written by hand, Laeva and I were starting to have tendonitis. Hey Takumi-sama, what is everyone else doing? Hm, Sophia is talking to the Great Spirits, Kaede and Maria are making swimsuits for everyone, Akane seems to be taking lessons on how to cook from Lulu-chan and Marnie. Even aftering to the Sanctuary, the rhythm of our lives didnt change. Having breakfast after training first thing in the morning, then we each do the things we want to do. Regarding the training everyday, the dilemma of whether an artisan needs to dobat training or not is something I have. Swimsuits, huh. Im getting more and more excited to swim at the beach. Its so tempting. Sophia-san and Marnie-san have said theyd go the sexy route. Hou, Im looking forward to it. My upper lip inadvertently stretched. [1] Since Princess Mimirs return, the nobles of Yggurle Kingdom had dispatched troops several times. Especially persistent were the individuals from the Earl Hordia household, who had lost the use of Spirit Magic. The territory-less nobles de robe Earl Hordia has no personal army. Few knights and soldiers were under his employ and for that reason, he sent people from mercenary guilds and dark guilds to the Sanctuary. He states that his reason is not out of desire for the Sanctuary but to obtain Sophia, unlike the King, Prime Minister, and high ranking nobles. However, the movements of Yggurle Kingdom are, of course, known by other countries, and Triaria Kingdom has dispatched troops for reconnaissance. Since there was a cease-fire agreement[2], they had taken their distance from the armies of the nobles of Yggurle Kingdom and have started their investigation on the Sanctuary. When that happened, it had led to Valkyra Kingdom who is near the Sanctuary, and its ally Lomaria Kingdom andstly, even Samandour Kingdom, which is facing the sea at the south of the continent, dispatch reconnaissance teams. The armies of 5 countries have established garrisons at the outer edge of the Sanctuary. These armies procure their food supplies from the fortress town in the savagends, Wedgefort, so Wedgefort was booming. Despite being outside of the barrier, the dested savagends on outer edge of the Sanctuary where each army garrison was established had visibly be a green grasnd from the sacred magic power and energy that leaked out. That is one of the reasons why the personnel from each army stay here. When armies from multiple countries are stationed like this, problems caused by the small monster nests that dotted the savagends appear. Ah, this is an Iron Golem. While everyone was eating lunch, Sylph suddenly sensed a monster approaching the Sanctuary. To be more urate, its not approaching the Sanctuary, but rather, it is drawn towards the people stationed on the outer edge. Does it seem like the troops would get injured? Hmmm, they wont be annihted, but the damage might be close to that. Haa~, Im busy with all kinds of things though. Shall I apany you? Ill help. Sophia and Akane had asked me, who rose from my seat reluctantly, but because theres something I wanted to try if my opponent was an Iron Golem, I said Id go out with Titan and Kaede. Yes, the stationed troops draw in monsters from time to time. I leave the monsters be if the they can handle it, but if it seems like the damage would be huge, I deal with it secretly before ites close like today. I would like to prevent blood from flowing in the surroundings of the Sanctuary that we painstakingly purified. I wore my Overcoat of Existence Concealment, erased my presence, and ran off towards the location of the Iron Golem that Sylph had detected. Having erased my presence and supplemented by the effect of the overcoat, there was no one among the stationed troops that could detect me. Slipping through the barrier without anyone noticing, I soon arrived at my destination and I could see something of the same size as Titaning closer. Kaede and Titan came out of the Subspace and the Iron Golem perceived our presences too. It sped up its approach. Master, cut it up with Kaedes threads? No, just restraining it is good enough. I have something I want to try. Titan too, just stopping its movement will suffice. ң ͣ. When the Iron Golem got into proximity, its movements stopped all of a sudden. Restrained by Kaedes threads, the Iron Golem was brought to a standstill before my eyes. Furthermore, Titan maneuvered behind the Iron Golem and shut out its movements with a full nelson. I approached the Iron Golem from the front and hit it with the palm of my hand. Of course, it wasnt just a normal palm strike. This time I didnt useDposition but Synthesis. The ck luster of the Iron Golems body turned red. Each time the Iron Golem struggled, it made creaking sounds and there was something that peeled from its body and dropped bit by bit. Changing the location of my palm strikes several times, the movements of the Iron Golem soon stopped. Even when Titan and Kaede undid their restraints, the Iron Golem was unable to move. Just to make sure, Titan hit it with a finishing strike before it could recover, and the Iron Golem copsed as if crumbling to pieces. Master, the color of the Iron Golem changed. Thats the color of rust. As expected, it seems an Iron Golems movements stop when its entire body rusts. Kaede[3] picked up the golem core from the copsed Iron Golem and brought it back What I used on the Iron Golem today was not the dposition of the iron, but transmuting with iron with oxygen that can be found anywhere. It might not be effective against magic metals, but it was effective against the Iron Golem. The Iron Golem which changed into iron oxide had copsed just trying to move its body, and as a result, was unable to do anything. Its a skill that would be effective against Living Armor and Duhan. Wouldnt it be effective on the equipped armor and weapons that people use? Well, it would, but almost all armaments can be cut up by the weapons we have. Originally, forcibly transmuting to interfere with an opponents magic power would be extremely difficult. Compared to forcefully using Dposition on a monsters brain, binding oxygen to the golems body is far more difficult. Yep, I know that its just hard to use so Ill take that as a good thing. Still, its absolutely woeful how whenever a slightly more powerful monsteres, one of us has to deal with it. Id have toe up with something. It would be great if the stationed troops leave, but theyll stay here for a while. *** Footnotes: 1. Imagine it kinda like the duck face but not as obnoxious. Or if youre trying to hold a pencil on your upper lip but without the pencil. 2. Correct me if Im wrong but this isnt the case ording to earlier chapters. 3. Typo. Raws said Akane instead of Kaede. Chapter 146: Those That Slip Through, And Those Repelled. Chapter 146: Those That Slip Through, And Those Repelled. During the time I was busy with living a double life in Volton, on one such day by the Spirit Tree in the Sanctuary, Yggurle Kingdoms Princess Mimir arrived with a maid after a long while. Yggurle Kingdoms King and Prime Minister have somehow given up on thisnd, but the information had already been disseminated to the nobles within the country. There are also others aware of the Spirit Tree, adventurers and illegal organizations dreaming to strike it big were eyeing thisnd. The materials of the World Tree are strictly managed by Yggurle Kingdom and arent distributed generally. And going by this fact, if they get their hands on the materials of the Spirit Tree, it is unknown just how high that could be sold for. It was truly a nectar that attracts the avaricious. The troops of various countries were still stationed on the outer edge of the Sanctuary. No country has, of course, made any aplishments, and there were countries that wanted to withdraw on the mary front, but its be a game of chicken with other countries. Though, thanks to that, Wedgefort is receiving the benefits. On one such day, something that stumped us on a decision had appeared outside of the Sanctuary. Undine had noticed beings approaching the outer edge. How troubling. This was unforeseen. H~mm, it doesnt seem like theyre bad children~ About that, you guys know? We are still the Great Spirits, you know. Besides, matters rted to the good and evil in people can be left to Nyx and I. Bad people cant enter the Sanctuary. The ones who took over the selection of individuals who could enter the Sanctuary after Sylph were the two pirs Light Spirit Selene and the Dark Spirit Nyx who had just manifested just the other day. Selene is a beautiful woman with characteristically glittering lovely blonde hair, and Nyx had the appearance of a refreshing youngdy with beautiful ck hair. With them, the existing Great Spirits in this Sanctuary were now seven pirs. ording to Undine, the manifestation of this many Great Spirits has no historic precedence. Selene and Nyx are spirits that specialize in sensing the good and evil within people so its fine to leave it to them. Well then, let them in for now. Since Undine has given them her stamp of approval, weve decided to meet them first. Still, its good how they managed to arrive here safely. I will prepare food. Then I will lend a hand as well. Lulu will help too! When Maria stood up to prepare some food, Marnie and Lulu-chan followed to help. The figures that could be seen outside of the outer section of the Sanctuary were 10-odd children of Human and Beastkin descent. The eldest being around 12 to the youngest being 4-5 years old, they were scraggly children wearing worn out clothes. Coming from a regional town of Valkyra Kingdom, they were children who came after hearing a rumor about the Sanctuary. As orphaned and abandoned children, they lived desperately in the slums of a regional city that had no orphanage. Now, there were rumors on the street saying that the Sanctuary being a paradise-like ce. Just hold on! Were almost there! The older kids were piggybacking the younger kids while encouraging those around them. The kids were gauche children who lived in the slums without, unusually, having gotten involved in crime. The older children protected the younger children with all their might, living with their shoulders huddled together. Hearing the talks about the Sanctuary where the Spirit Tree was at such a time, the kids felt hope as they would die in that town at that rate if they didnt go. After that, they somehow managed to prepare preserved food and headed for the Sanctuary. To the fortune of the children, the path was cleared of monsters thanks to the the troops of Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom passing by, and they barely managed to reach the Sanctuary. Oniichan, my feet hurt nya~ You can do it, Sara! Its already in front of us! The little Catkin girl called Sara walked desperately so she wouldnt fall behind everyone. The moment the 12 walking children passed the barrier, the short lush grass of the grasnds underfoot had changed, the gigantic Spirit Tree, a clear water-filled spring, a thicket on the rich grasnds, and three erected mansions had barged themselves into the kids views. You must be tired. You did your best getting here safely. You must be hungry. Come this way. The children, stiffened by the sudden change of scenery, were met by Akane. ```````````````````````````` My name is Wappa. Im just a Catkin probably turning 12 years old. Why I say probably is because I cant remember the exact date I was born. We lived in an abandoned building no one else would live in at a regional town in Valkyra Kingdom. That was a ce where children who had lost their parents and those who had been abandoned by their parents lived. I am the eldest there, and even though its just to getting a little something, I did chores to earn money everyday so the smaller children could eat. But I knew that if this kept going on, everyone is just waiting to die. At that time, I had heard rumors around town that the Sanctuary of the Spirit Tree had appeared in the savagends. We had bet ourst hope on that Sanctuary of the Spirit Tree. I had thought to move to another town or vige, but no matter where we go, there would be children with no rtives. So we thought we had no ce we belong. Oniichan, my feet hurt nya~ You can do it, Sara! Its already in front of us! My little sister is only 6 years old. She walked her hardest with her little feet so she wouldnt be left behind by everyone. Colette, a Human girl the same age as me, was walking with her 5 year old sister on her back. The 5 year old Shirona was too young to walk the whole way. At that moment, all of a sudden, I thought it felt like I passed through something and in the next second, the scenery that appeared before our very eyes made our feet stop. We saw a dreary scenery just a while ago, but a blooming flower-filled greenery is suddenly in front of our eyes. At that time, a female voice greeted us, and a pretty Oneesan was in front of us before we even noticed. You must be tired. You did your besting here safely. You must be hungry. Come this way. That voice pervaded our splintered hearts, and before we knew it, everyone started crying. When we were living in the slums, no matter how hard it was, no matter how hungry I was, I didnt cry. But that me now had tears along my cheeks. Embracing Sara and leading the other small children by the hand, we were taken to a mansion. Ah, Im d to be alive. ```````````````````````````` Well, Im beat. Its fine, Takumi. Those children were raised in an environment where it couldnt be helped if they go astray, and yet have miraculously grown to be pure and upright. yes, theyre very good children. I think its a miracle how the thinning children wearing visibly worn out clothes managed to arrive at the Sanctuary. Selene and Nyx said it would be fine and let them pass, so it would probably be alright for me to do what I can. Maria, give the kids a bath when theyre done eating. We dont have clothes their size, but could you girls do something with the clothes that had been prepared for Lulu? Master, Kaede will make clothes for everyone right away! Lulu will help too! Kaede said shed make the clothes for the kids and Lulu-chans tail shook in eagerness as she would help too. Un, then could I ask you to do so too? Leave it to me! (Please) In any case, I had to discuss this with Undine and the Great Spirits. We cant afford for anything malicious to ever live in this Sanctuary. The purification of the Earth Pulse is progressing thanks to the Spirit Tree, but that might hinder it. It might be better to prepare a ce for people to live in by the sea. Un, that is eptable. Since we cant throw those kids out, I agreed to Undines suggestion. Ill have to do my best with carpentry work again. *** Chapter 147: Dealing with the Orphans Chapter 147: Dealing with the Orphans Unable to turn away the kids that risked their lives toe to the Sanctuary, and also for the Great Spirits who had epted them, I had to think of the kids futures. Kaede and Maria were busy making clothes for the kids. The older kids helped while being taught. Marnie and Lulu-chan were upied with makingrge amounts of food. Laeva was busy with smithing and alchemy. Especially so because transmuting advanced potions without a transmutation circle was challenging. The only ones free were Sophia and Akane, but they seem to be busy helping the Great Spirits? ͣ 壬 䣬 壬 󣮡 Mm, right. As a result, Titan and I built houses with Earth Magic. One would have been enough for those kids, but Undine says that we will need a number of them so I was told to make a lot. The location chosen was an open lot ofnd slightly seaward from center. Frankly, I had nned on leaving the children in an orphanage in Volton, but the Great Spirits, for some reason, opposed it. Building a one-story house made of stone was no longer that difficult. If I split the work with Titan, it wouldnt take that long to create enough houses for argish vige. We had put off adding the interior, windows, and furniture though. Since a river flows from the spring to the sea, they wouldnt be troubled for water, but just in case, I dug a well and established a sewer system and septic tanks as well as installed Toilet Purifier MDs to prevent the pollution of the Sanctuary. For starters, well do the windows and furniture tomorrow. 죬 塢 ͣ򣮡 Yep, gotcha. Since it would be dangerous if the kids fall into the well, I had installed a hand pump from the start. I had also prepared a field close to the constructed house. I want the kids to work together to do the farm work. Id be happy if the eldest ones, Wappa and Colette-chan, rise up and lead the younger children. When I came back to the area by our house, the tiny Catkin girl Sara and human little girl Shirona were ying around and chasing a butterfly. It brings a smile to my face just seeing the small children frolic with their short legs. When they had struggled to reach the Sanctuary, they were unable to move from hunger and fatigue. But, maybe because of the kids amazing vitality, once they had been given food, cleaned in baths, and properly rested, they had grown healthy in a few days. Being simrly Catkin, Lulu-chan was proactive with the care of the kids. Lulu-chan had been a ve the moment she was born, so she must have considered the circumstances of the kids. Ah! Takumi-samnya! Takumi-sama! Sara-chan and Shirona-chan, who were having a fun time chasing around a butterfly, saw me and rushed over in a trot. I caught Sara-chan and Shirona-chan who had leaped and were falling onto their knees, holding them on each arm. (If theyve gotten this attached, theres no way I could abandon them) When the older kids like Wappa and Colette and younger kids like Sara-chan and Shirona-chan were being given three delicious meals a day and a warm bed to sleep in, of course theyd grow emotionally attached to us. The other kids had also be cheerful. At first, they couldnt evenugh nervously, but slowly they started disying smiles on their faces. Wappa and the kids were settling in, beginning their life in their new home. They did their best to prepare the food with Maria and Marnies help. They cultivated the field and raised birds simr to chickens, even starting egg production. Since we werent always going to be in this Sanctuary, weve discussed and arranged it so the kids could have a fulfilling life. During the time were not around, Undine and the other Great Spirits watched over the kids. For Shirona-chan and Sara-chan who are still dependent on others, I discussed with Undine and the others how the kids need to be by someone. If possible, Id like for them to be in the care of an adult, but even though it could be said that theyre not at the center of the Sanctuary, they are normally able toe and go to area where Great Spirits house, my house, and the house the Princess Mimir lodges in when shees over are. It was still difficult selecting people though. Around one month since the different nations had stationed their troops on the outer edge of the Sanctuary, Wappa and the kids have also gotten used to the life here, and working the fields had been well thanks to Dryas. Little Sara-chan and Shirona-chan were also helping the best they could. Private armies of avaricious nobles try attacking the barrier almost on a daily basis, but of course, no results came out of it. On one such day, there was a family that passed through the barrier. Rather than saying they passed through the barrier, Undine and the others had allowed them through. Theyre not Catkin, are they? Yes, they are the Fairykind Cat Sith[1]. What came in were bipedal cats. There were two 140cm adults(?), and two small children. I dont know what their ages are, but I think theyre spouses and children. Their finger and body structure doesnt seem to be different from a persons. I couldnt help but remember the cat wearing long boots.[2] The father-like Cat Sith walked up to me in a waddle, fell on both his knees and bowed. Please, we implore nyou. Please nyallow us parents and children stay here. Please nya. Pease, nya. The mother and children stood by the father. It looks as if I made the Cat Siths kneel in front of me. Please raise your heads. The fact that you are able to pass through the barrier to this Sanctuary means that the Great Spirits had deemed you eptable. Please be at ease. For now, well prepare a warm meal for you. Marnie, Maria, could you do that please? Yes. Well then, everyone head this way please. Marnie and Maria ushered the Cat Sith family. Hey, what are the Fairykind? They arergely bound together with Elves and Dwarves, however, the Cat Sith are more close to fairies than them, and they are a rare species few in numbers in this continent too. ording to Undine, the Cat Sith are not as powerful as the Elves and Dwarves. They seem to be a quiet and docile race, and their numbers are said to be decreasing in recent years. Certainly, I havent seen them even in Volton. They are fundamentally a race that make small settlements and live in hiding. Still, it appears thatnds they can live in with peace of mind are scarce. The connection between the spirits and fairies is strong, and Undine had said that she wants to shelter the virtuous Cat Sith. I have no objections to sheltering the Cat Sith pursuing a ce to live in. Actually, since I could ask them to take care of Wappa and the kids, the Cat Sith couple are a godsend. However, this small current turning into arge muddy stream was something I couldnt imagine at the time. *** Footnotes: 1. Cat Sith C /cat-sith-celtic-mythology/ 2. Puss in boots reference Chapter 148: The Fairykind assemble Chapter 148: The Fairykind assemble Undine, were you the one that casted Inhibit Perception on the Fairykind? It wasnt me. It was us! Since the Cat Sith family came to the Sanctuary, two more Cat Sith families had taken refuge here. No matter how I think of it, they couldnt have passed through the barrier without being noticed by the stationing troops, and yet the troops didnt show any indication of it. So when I asked Undine about it, the Great Wind Spirit Sylph and Great Light Spirit Selene said it was their doing. The children of the Fairykind have a strong connection to us. Especially since there are no bad children among the Cat Sith so its alright. No, I dont have a problem with it. But just how long will I be building houses, was what I was thinking. Yes, at the Great Spirits instructions, I had expanded the area by kids house on the western side. Right now there are more houses here now than in a poor vige. A public bathhouse will be built upon taking the hygienic environment of the kids into ount. The members of first Cat Sith family that reached the Sanctuary were the father Mabbo, mother Poporo, 7 year old elder sister Miri, and 5 year old little sister L. They have be familiar with the first sheltered kids, and Mabbo-san and Poporo-san cared for Wappa and the kids. Then, a bearded old man with a beer barrel-shaped body passed through the barrier and entered the sanctuary. Wha?! Doganbo-san! Why are you here?! Right, carrying arge bag and plenty of luggage on both hands, it was the cksmith from Volton, Doganbo-san. Whats this, so you really were involved in this, Takumi. I will be living here! No, I dont get what you mean though. I heard from the fire spirits that the Great Fire Spirit and the Great Earth Spirit are here. So, as a Dwarf, I must have my workshop here. It seems its not only the Elves but also the Dwarves that can hear the voices of the Spirits. Dwarves have a high affinity with Earth spirits and Fire spirits, and many of them work as cksmiths and Miners. Doganbo-san apparently heard about this ce from a Fire Spirit too. Afterwards, meeting Smander and Gnome, Doganbo-san was so moved that he kneeled and cried, and the Great Spirits were taken aback. That night, Doganbo-san and I were soaking in an open air bath and Doganbo-san asked for something unreasonable. Fuu~ as expected, with the manifestation of Great Fire Spirit-sama, arent the hot springs amazing? The workshop furnace has Smander-samas divine protection, and theres even a mine managed by the Gnome-sama in the south. Its a Dwarfs paradise. Well, that surprised me too though. I think its normal to be surprised when a mountain rises unnoticed. Even this hot spring, it wasrgely because of Smander and Gnomes powers. I have a feeling that the Great Spirits have lost all self control uponing here. The thicket in the north managed by Dryas has already be a dense forest on the inside. And so, Takumi when soaking in the bath like this, theres somethingcking, aint there? Somethingcking? Its that! A cold ale after a bath! Thanks to the chilled ale you poprized in Volton, its made me want to drink a cold ale after baths. It cant be helped since Dwarves have a fondness for alcohol. Then Ill get some in Volton. No, its not that. Brew alcohol in this Sanctuary! eh? Hearing about that, the Dwarves were apparently versed in the alcohol brewing. If its the top fermented ale, then it would be rtively easy to do, but I dont understand the taste of whiskey and wine too well. I only drank beer in Japan. Since Doganbo-san said he would make a distiller, I had to make a brewing workshop. As to why, Undine and others were inplete agreement when it came to alcohol brewing, and Undine, Dryas, and Gnome said they would work together to make an orchard for the wine making. I think wine and whiskey cant be made in a year or two though. Alcohol, huh~ I look forward to it. I wish to drink strong spirits (alcohol). Smander, who transformed into a humanoid, and Gnome were also soaking in the hot springs while talking about alcohol. Still, doesnt everyone drink at home every night? Wouldnt it be good if you didnt need to buy alcohol in Volton? Right, every night, the Great Spirits drink copious amounts of alcohol that I supply. Im not convinced. I finish my work at Volton quickly, construct houses and fields in the Sanctuary, and resupply the daily necessities and provisions of the kids and Cat Siths. Undine had said that the Spirit Tree is supplying its materials and Dryas offering the rare materials from the thicket and forest she manages to me, so am I not making a profit? And that its just as she says, but I have a feeling Im just being pushed around. After taking a bath, I had a cold drink and talked to Sophia and the girls about the days events in the living room of our house. Hey, Sophia. What could the Great Spirits be doing? Could they be using me to do something in the Sanctuary? I tried asking Sophia, an elf with high affinity with Spirits and a user of Spirit Magic. I understand that the Spirits wanted to make a Sanctuary centered around the Spirit Tree, but I dont know their goal. Slightly troubled, Sophia looked hesitant to talk as she ryed her guess. By way of purifying thend, I believe that theirrgest objective is the expansion of peoples living space in this continent. Their safeguarding of children and the Fairykind certainly is unusual for the spirits who live as they please though, so I do not know. Hmm, expanding the livable areas by purifying monster nests is good, but they arent doing this in the savagends unrted to any existing nation because they intend to make a Spirit-oriented country, right? Spirits have no need for a country, so I do not think that is the case. However, their intention might be to create a vessel for the oppressed people. Reflecting on that, I then stopped thinking about it. It might not be possible to understand the ideals of the inhuman Spirits. Still, Doganbo-san hade here, so it wouldnt end here, would it? Yes, its unclear how many coulde out of the barrier, however, I imagine that the flow of the Fairykind and oppressed Beastkins heading towards the Sanctuary can not be stopped. It was a course of events that anyone could grasp. First, Elves who lived outside of Yggurle Kingdom headed for the Sanctuary. Next, children from crowded orphanages risked their lives and went for the Sanctuary. Miraculously, the people advancing through the perilous savagends had not been attacked by monsters or thieves. It was as if the Spirits were watching over them. *** Chapter 149: The Intent of Respective Countries Chapter 149: The Intent of Respective CountriesTowering high, a white walled royal castle seemingly floated on theke at the heart of the royal capital of Valkyra Kingdom, Valkyratos. Within it, Valkyra Kingdoms King Lobos, Prime Minister Simon, and Knight Leader Ghad were having a confidential discussion. Matters particrly important to the country were discussed by these three so that other nobles could not interfere. And so, are you certain that a World Tree seed had sprouted in the savagends and is growing up as the World Tree seedling? Your Majesty, it is not a World Tree seedling, it is called a Spirit Tree. Its location is by the west coast, close to the west of Wedgefort. It appears that the location, which was previously a monster nest, had been covered by a barrier that does not allow entry. It was reported to Lobos that what was once a barrier that covered only a small vige is now a barrier with a scope that could even cover the entire royal capital, and that no one is able to see what was within. Soldiers from Valkyra were also dispatched to scout, but, of course, since they couldnt enter the barrier, they could not advance with their investigation. If the Spirit Treees into their possession, their gains would be immeasurable. Currently, materials for all kinds of advanced potions were difficult to obtain in ces aside frombyrinths. Until now, they could only obtain materials from Yggurle Kingdom in small quantities, and at irregr intervals. It isnt unjustifiable for any country to extend its feelers. That didnt change for Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom, and theyve dispatched soldiers and established garrisons on the site. Furthermore, not only Triaria Kingdom and the Divine Empire of Sydnia, but even Samandour Kingdom, which was located at the southern portion of the continent, had sent out reconnaissance teams. The only country to not mobilize is the Dwarven country, Gnomstoll Kingdom. Thats probably because only Dwarves were there. They have no interests aside from mining, smithing, metal working, and alcohol. Still, a portion of the Elves and the troops of Triaria Kingdom attack the barrier, but it seems they have had no results. Elves likely want to say that the Spirit Tree is theirs. It is agreed upon by the nations that the rights over the savagends is to whoever reims thend, and they seem to be in a hurry. Still, Simon-dono, who could it be that put a barrier over thend that is said to have that Spirit Tree ? Knight Commander Ghad raised the innocent question towards Prime Minister Simon. No country in this continent has received a report of any individual being able to cross the barrier. Barriers are not something that generate naturally, after all. In the information I have acquired from my elven connections, it was because the Spirits have manifested. I have not heard of Spirits manifesting. Is that true? Your Majesty, even the Elves are unable to enter the barrier. There wouldnt be any confirmation. Simon-dono, supposing that the Spirits did manifest, do you know what the spirits could be attempting to do in thatnd? Simon shook his head at Ghads inquiry. Matters like the Spirits intentions are not something that I, nothing more than a mere human, could understand. The only fact before our eyes is that the miasma of the monster nest had been purified and it had changed to and overflowing with sacred energy. Yggurle Kingdom is iming ownership. If they are able to prove this, the savagends would increase their territory by a size equal to a small country. Also, Your Majesty, strange information around the barrier hade in. Strange? Yes, we have confirmed that there are childrening from a town in a territory of our country that are heading towards the barrier. Simon was reporting that a groupprised of orphaned children were heading to the barrier. Why are those children going towards the barrier? If they lost their parents, wouldnt they be living in an orphanage? Did they sneak away? Your Majesty, not all towns have an orphanage. The report I received on the investigation of the childrens identities were that they lived in a town without an orphanage, and likely without anyone to depend on, they were simply waiting for death. I do not know what their motive for going to the barrier is, but when they approached the barrier, they suddenly disappeared. Simon had reported that there were no traces of being attacked by monsters, nor were there any corpses discovered. If the children passed through the barrier, they cant live there alone. Lobos had given Simon instructions to investigate the town in that territory. The bordends are exposed to plenty of monster threats, and there were many children that, inevitably, lose their parents. Orphanages were supposed to be the minimum safety, but there were a number of feudal lords that did not implement this. Hemented the fact that the children went to the barrier was a consequence of his efforts not being enough. Simon, keep a watchful eye on the individuals that approach the barrier. Yes, I will convey it so. Lobos had assessed that the barrier over thatnd was not made only by the Spirits powers. If he investigates that, he would naturally be able to see it as a whole. When many countries were deploying troops to the ce where the Spirit Tree was, only the Divine Empire of Sydnia had sent a sorry excuse of a reconnaissance team. Originally, purifiednd would be something any country would desire oh so desperately, but only this nations circumstance was different. The main forces of the Holy Knight Order find it difficult to approach the barrier. Pope Warvaal and four people, Prime Minister Musudan, Head Magician Homer, Sydnias Holy Knight Commander Packard, and Imperial Princess Elizabeth, were having a private discussion. And so, thatnd which rejects us is overflowing with evil? Yes, Pope-sama. It would be difficult for the Holy Knight Order to approach. As Packard had reported, even the most rank and file soldiers have a tendency to dislike approaching the barrier. That is because, the closer they are to the heart of the Divine Empire of Sydnia, the more they are encroached by miasma. The people themselves are not aware that theyve been encroached by it though. Father, would it not be alright for the Divine Empire of Sydnia to leave those savagends be? you are correct, it is quite distant, and much like the materials of the Spirit Tree, there is nothing impossible for us to procure. Warvaal agreed to Elizabeths proposition. From the start, in this nation where there were many users of Light Attribute Magic, the Pharmacist Guilds abilities were not effective. There was little meaning in pursuing savagends located too far west from the center of the continent. Indeed. It would be best for us to avoid showy movements because we are building our strengths. And, theres that. With low grade potions appearing on the market for cheap prices in Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom, it was difficult to securerge sums of offerings using recovery magic. Furthermore, the propagation of the Light God Faith is not advancing, so a reorganization is urgent business. Well, maintain a watch over the movement of each country. Understood. Elizabeth and the others nodded at Pope Warvaals request then returned to their respective tasks. Those at the heart of the Divine Empire of Sydnia, Pope Warvaal and his subordinates, were not aware that they have already changed to existences that avoid purend. They did not realize that the heart of their empire was a pollutednd that contravenes with sacrednd. *** Chapter 150: A Day In the Peaceful Sanctuary Chapter 150: A Day In the Peaceful Sanctuary A small spotted Cat Sith was eating sweets on myp. She is the 5 year old younger sister of the first Cat Sith family that came to the Sanctuary, L. At first, L had a fear of strangers, but she soon got along with Wappa and the kids as well as be familiar with us. Particrly, tiniest L hade together with the Catkin Wappas younger sister Sara and the Human Colettes younger sister Shirona and were often stuck by my side. Theyve gotten quite attached. Delicimeows, I have not eaten sweets this tasty nya! Now now, the area around your mouth is getting dirty. L was single-mindedly eating cream puffs while on myp. Shirona and Sara were also seated at the table, and likewise engrossed in eating cream puffs. Since I couldnt find vani beans for the choux pastry and custard cream, I felt it wasnt very good, but its started bing popr with the Spirits, starting from Undine, and with Sophia, Kaede, and the girls. Takumi-shama. L will help, so L wants to eat meowr tasty sweets! Hmm~, then Ill have to think of something again. Sara too, Sara also wants to eat nya! Shirona also wants sweets! I get it. Sara and Shirona had also pleaded, wanting to eat more sweets. Even though they were in the middle of eating it right now. In this world, given how a sugar-like item can be collected from dungeons aside from a nt simr to sugarcane, sugar can be procured. But theres no mistaking its high price. We stock up onrge quantities of ingredients and seasonings, but the Great Tree Spirit Dyras, Great Earth Spirit Gnome, Great Water Spirit Undine, and Great Light Spirit Selene have begun growing sugarcane. Naturally, the reason is so we would make sweets. Only Gnome wants us to use it for alcohol, it seems. Ive also noticed him giving Doganbo-san some sort of instructions. L is so happy nya~ Sara is lucky to eat food 3 times a day until Sara is full nya~ Shirona is happy to sleep in a soft bed! The words that came from the hearts of the little children had once again made me feel the harshness of this world. To these kids, being able to eat everyday is happiness, and sleeping on a soft bed is an extravagance. Various crops were being grown in the fields of the Sanctuary. Sylph transports seeds with the wind, and Dryas brings seeds from who knows where. In addition, an orchard is being built. The Great Spirits were pleased by Maria and Marnies meals and confections that they ended up cooperating to keep the soil in good condition. Since his arrival, Doganbo-san had been enthusiastic in coborating with Gnome and Smander to in the alcohol brewing. The Cat Siths Mabbo-san and Poporo-san have also be familiar with the Great Spirits and spent their days happily. Theyre also proactive with caring for Wappa and the kids. Shironas older sister Colette and Ls older sister Miri and mother Poporo-san were taking sewing lessons from Kaede and making their own clothes. This, despite Miri being only 7 years old. Apparently, in themon needy household, they start helping out their family from the age of 5. Alright, today Ill help with the crops too! Woohoo! With L on my shoulders and holding Sara and Shirona on each hand, we went to the ce with the orchard. The surprising thing about the newly built orchard was that it was already possible to harvest fruits. This was thanks to the persistence of the Great Tree Spirit Dryas, Great Water Spirit Undine, and Great Light Spirit Selene. Theyre crazy about desserts made from fruits and if I had to say, then they used their power for their benefit. Because of that, I saw Gnome making soil for the orchard. Grapes, apples, figs, peaches, oranges. This orchard doesnt make sense! What doesnt~? Is something wrong nya? Looks tasty~! I had unintentionally retorted at the fact that the trees bore fruit regardless of the season, but L and the girls didnt know this. Fufu, here, you are able to harvest all year round. There, Dryas appeared. All year round you say, wouldnt that be unreasonable on thend? Its alright. This Sanctuary has the Spirit Tree and the Great Earth Spirit Gnome, you know. And if I, the authority on vegetation, am here, its inevitable that the fields and orchard will turn out this way. Puffing her chest with pride, Dryas asserted so with a self-satisfied look on her face. By the way, in the fields, the grains can soon be harvested. Well, I understand fruit trees not being forced, but wheat is reaped when harvesting, right? And you can nt it again immediately afterwards? If we did that, the vigor of thend would soon be dry up. I remember being asked by Gnome to catch small fish in the sea and turn them into fertilizer. So, I asked Dryas Wouldnt the nutrients of thend becking if we harvest year round?, and she said`` A bit of fertilizer is necessary for each harvest. But thisnd is filled with the power of us Great Spirits, so it is mostly fine. so anything goes. One of the reasons Dryas and the others made the fields and orchard is apparently to shelter the Fairykind that live quietly in hiding, like the Cat Siths. And aside from the Fairykind, they also want to save orphans, like Wappa and the children. The Spirits are fundamentally good beings, so it cant be helped that they wish for such. There are apparently spirits that have been encroached by miasma and have turned into evil spirits who enjoy evil, but they normallye to their natural end with time. And that said, please make more buildings for dwelling. I dont know what you mean by that said, but I just have to add more buildings, right? I couldnt do anything about Dryas sudden request so I just gave up. Im sure the number of people would increase even more from here on. I want an upright adult ally. *** Footnotes: 1. Lots of typos. L was Lulu, and Shirona was Sara. Sphys Note: Hello. My modem died for some reason so Ill need to wait until my ISP can rece it, which might take some time. I apologize but please expect dys. Chapter 151: The Beer Barrel Types Chapter 151: The Beer Barrel Types We were busy leading double lives in Volton and the Sanctuary. Today like most days we headed to the Sanctuary, when I had thought to go to the ce the kids and the Cat Siths live, but a building I dont remember was under construction. At the heart of the construction was the Dwarven cksmith, Doganbo-san. But simr beer-barrel figures had increased by 3 people? Was the foundation workpleted by Gnome? He seemed like he was giving instructions to Doganbo-san and the other Dwarves like a site foreman. The building is a fairlyrge, simple warehouse-like structure. Hey Gnome, what are you building? Oh, Takumi? We have taken this plot. This area will be used for alcohol brewing. When I asked Gnome who was acting as the foreman, he said that they were constructing a building for making alcohol. Mm, well, thats alright since Ive heard about it vaguely, but why did the Dwarves increase? Listen Takumi, dont make light of the Dwarves. You see, Dwarves would suddenly appear out of nowhere and gather at the ce where there is a possibility of making the best alcohol. What the hell, thats scary. Maybe because I was thinking that, Gnome hurriedly made a follow up. Nay, be at ease. Strange fellows wouldnt pass through the barrier of the Sanctuary. I think those whoe to savagends in the western edge of the continent just for alcohol are plenty weird though. Whatre ya bbin on about, alcohol is most important. Thats right, Takumi, dont you want to drink alcohol of potent spirits? Haa, the Dwarves love for drinking might be the influence of the spirits they worship. Even Smander cut in. So, what alcohol are you making? First of all, ale is fundamental, then distilled liquors made from grain, potatoes, and sugarcane, then winees after. Again, it seems theyre nning on making various things. Wine is probably something Undine and Dryas want to drink. Since I dont drink alcohol that much, I dont understand their enthusiasm towards alcohol. Even if I do drink, its only beer. In this world, distilled liquors have yet to appear, but during my discussions on alcohol brewing with Gnome, I talked about information from my faint memories. There, I decided to make a distilling machine, but I dont understand the passion of an alcohol lover. Doganbo-san and the Dwarven craftsmen(?) were constructing the building for alcohol making at a quick pace. Since Gnome was assisting with Earth Magic, they mightplete it in 3 days. They said they would gather materials after that. It seems I was underestimating the beer-barrel figures. With Gnomes leadership, the alcohol brewing equipment had been installed the next day, and the beer barreled figures increased again. Furthermore, there were spouses and families mixed in this time. Wha, how? Its our sixth sense. Itd be troubling if you underestimate us Dwarves love towards alcohol, you know. Doganbo-san said so with pride, but I dont think its something to boast about. Still, the number of people who could take care of Wappa and the kids has increased thanks to that. Thats the only thing I consider to be good. With the Great Spirits doing as they please, the Dwarves increased, but it seems that they were more or less selected. The children already fit in and join in on working the fields. On one such day, Yggurle Kingdoms Third Princess Mimir hade, taking along a mother elf and her two children to the Sanctuary with a request to let them live here. The stationing troops of each country did not notice that the Princess entourage had entered the Sanctuary barrier. With the magic of the Great Spirits, their figures had been concealed and their presence erased. Disparity of wealth exists even in Yggurle Kingdom. Given how there were plenty of nobles from ancient times, that disparity might even be more extreme than in other countries. Her husband was a great hunter but he died from an illness recently, and my contracted spirit came saying that it wanted me to help the two children in trouble. However, Princess Mimir had no authority to hire people. Orphanages exist even in Yggurle Kingdom, but it couldnt shelter both the parent and children. She had thought to mediate work in the royal pce, but it would be difficult to take the children. And so what you came up with was the Sanctuary? Is it not allowed? With the Princess asking with upturned eyes, and a request from Sylph and Dryas, I didnt think I could say anything but yes. In the first ce, I thought that the masters of this Sanctuary are the Great Spirits, but for some reason, the Great Spirits have a conspicuous behavior of giving me the right to decide. Well, well have them help with the orchard work. Lets have the children consult the Dwarf and Cat Sith wives. Thank you very much. The relieved Princess Mimir then grumbled about Yggurle Kingdom. Yggurle Kingdom is the only Elven country, and many of the nobles from ancient times continue to be distinguished families. Furthermore, there were many pointlessly conceited elves who think themselves to be superior to other races. But there was a portion of the Elven nobility that has a tendency to look down on the poor despite being fellow Elves. Princess Mimir looked sorrowful as she exined. Even though she was revered as the Saint in her country, she was tormented by the feeling of powerlessness everyday. We will, to some extent, ept people in poverty as long as they are not criminals. Still, not too many. Is that true?! Thank you very much. With this, we will be able to aid the children from crowded orphanages and the poverty-stricken widows caused by the war 50 years ago. Although theyre Fairykin, would it be fine if the number of people increase too much? I asked Undine, who just so happened to be near. I was just thinking of that too. Takumi, please build a church of the Genesis Faith in the center of the Sanctuary. We could tell Mimir to prepare a priest. Will that be alright? Yes, well then, a splendid church please. It seems I mustbuild a splendid church. I wonder if I could get Doganbo-san to help. *** Chapter 152: Producing Alcohol with Magic Chapter 152: Producing Alcohol with Magic The Elven mother, Melty-san, began managing the Sanctuary Orchard, and her two children, the sisters Mnie and Malorie, help with the grape harvest too. It was at that time. Absurdities from Undine and Dryas were waved at me. Takumi, please make some wine. Because I want to drink it soon, Takumi, make it using magic. I was dumbfounded for a moment from sudden selfishness thrust upon me by two of the Great Spirits. Well, I can reduce the fermentation time with magic, but in the end, the natural yeast has to take its natural course. Which yeast could give the wine good vor, that I dont know. Even so, youre okay with that? Right, transmuting the raw materials and shortening the time for making wine is possible with alchemy, but the taste is a different issue. We will manage so it will be fine. We have wine that has taken ample time as well. Thats fine then, I guess. You want to drink that bad, huh. Obviously. Youre making wine from the grapes grown in the sanctuary. It will, without fail, have a special taste, so Im looking forward to it. Although that contained her feelings, the crops and fruits grown in the Sanctuary were all remarkably delicious. They were definitely not normal produce. Actually, I cant rmend making wine with magic. Although the first reason is that I wouldnt know the vor of the wine, the process of the yeast and sugar turning into alcohol is a mixture of multipleplex reactions that give the wine its vor. My knowledge and experience is overwhelminglycking to recreate that with magic. Well, the typical fermentation can be entrusted to someone, so its fine as long as I make a portion for Undine and Dryas right? So you understand it well. Truly a good child you are, Takumi. Its regrettable you are a human. As I listened to Undines strangepliment, I thought about the tools Id need. A wooden cask is essential. I needed to make arge cask for the fermentation. A wine pressing machine is also necessary. I thought about this and that in my head and Undine hurried me into making the wine with magic. In any case, were short of hands if were gonna tackle genuine alcohol production, so I decided to put the thinking on hold. Yes yes, I get it~ Having the neer elven family` Melty-san, Mnie, and Malorie` assist me, we harvested grapes. We squeezed the gathered grapes using a hurriedly made press machine. Can I do this right~ I cant help but worry~ I transmuted the juice of the pressed grapes, breaking down the sugar and altering it with by invokingFermentation. The grape juice in the container was engulfed in light. h-how is it? Should I strain it with a cloth? Just in case, I strained in a cloth once I was sure the reactions were over. Normally it would lie idle in the cask, wouldnt it? What reactions could be happening in the maturation? I think it could be reproduced with alchemy, but I dont get it so its impossible. I stored it in several casks, and ced them inside a maturation warehouse. And there, not only Undine, but Sylph, Dryas, Gnome, Smander, and even Selene and Nyx came rushing in. So? Is it done? No, I cant mature it, so I dont know the taste. Leave the maturation to me. There is nothing rting to water that I cant do! Brimming with confidence, Undines chest swelled in pride. When Undine waved her arm towards the lined up casks, the wine casks were wrapped in light blue light. The maturation should beplete with this. Lets see, we should sample it. Since Gnome said to give him a drink quickly, I opened one cask. mm, its better than I expected. Oh my, isnt it quite delicious? As expected of the Sanctuary grapes. Its good, but itscking in alcohol content for me. Its tasty, isnt it? Indeed. Fumu, Takumi, make additional wine quickly. It seems its popr with Undine and the Great Spirits. But a request to make more wine came in from Gnome at the satisfactory impressions. I havent even tasted it. No one was listening to me anymore. Tch, the habit of the spirits. Arent they just drunkards? Haa, lets go make casks. I gave up. Leaving the Great Spirits whove begun merrymaking in that spot, I returning to my house to make casks. I need to return to Volton temporarily to stock up on the wood that Id use for casks. If I recall correctly, wine casks use oak wood. I used the established transfer gate, teleporting to the basement of my house in Volton. I then climbed the stairs to the first floor and entered that room. Mypanion as usual is Sophia. Even though Sophia had been released from very, she is obstinate about continuing to be my escort. Though one of the reasons is that shes bad at cooking and sewing, it seems she doesnt want to give up the duty of being my guard to other people. If it isnt Takumi-sama. It has been a while. When Sophia and I were walking around in town, I was greeted by a person I know well. Ah, Papeck-san, its nice to see you again. Thomas-san, you look well too. Takumi-sama, you seem quite active a well. The ones who greeted me were the president and head clerk of one of thepanies in Volton, Papeck-san and Thomas-san, who were curiously in a walk. I met them when I came to Volton and had been in their care, buttely Ive been so busy that weve had few chances to meet. So, the two of you went out today? Yes, I just wanted a little bit of wood. Oh my, if Takumi-sama wants some wood then wouldnt it be Treant Wood? If my memory serves me right, did you not hunt for arge amount of Treant Wood yourself? It seems Papeck-san remembers the time we went hunting for Treants in the outer edges of the Forest of Death, but Ive used all of it on making furniture and buildings in the Sanctuary. No, I want oak wood today. Oh, oak wood, is it? Though impolite of me, may I ask you to tell me what it would be used for? Yes, Im not making anything particrly different. I just want to make casks, after all. Hearing my answer, it felt like Papeck-sans eyes shined. Takumi-sama, are you aware that even though it is called oak wood, there are types? Eh! There isnt just one type of oak wood? Who would have thought that there were various types of the same tree, I never would have guessed. Yes, the ce they are taken from are different. The oak woods obtainable in Volton are three types; White Oak, Cecil Oak, and Common Oak. Afterwards, Papeck-san walked together with us to a lumber dealer while exining the different types of oak wood. ?White Oak Having few leaks, it is the most stable cask material among the three types. It has little tannin, and is well known for having plenty of vanillin and oakctone (sweet). ?Cecil Oak It has rtively few tannin, andparatively more oakctone ponent for the aroma of whiskey and the like). Rich in aromaticponents such as polyphenol, it is well bnced. ?Common Oak It is rich in tannin and polyphenol, and has especially small amounts of vanillin and oakctone. I question why Papeck-san came along with us, but his extensive knowledge had been a surprise as we walked, and we arrived at thergest lumber dealer in Volton town. Papeck-san had definitely sniffed something out. *** Footnotes: 1. In case you get isekai-ed with alchemy skills, be prepared with this in depth exnation on wine making! A small thing to note as well, from my searching, an easy way to remember the terms is that Maturation = wine processes before being bottled; Aging = time after being bottled. Most of the terms here can easily be googled for more information. please refer to Scathesment for a bit of info Chapter 153: Merchants are scary Chapter 153: Merchants are scary Looking at it, having arrived at a lumber dealer in Volton`which was our goal` is great, but for some reason, Papeck-san was beside us and Thomas-san was slightly behind us. (Hey, about Papeck-san, I have a feeling hes sniffed something out.) (Is it not likely that he had vaguely realized the purpose of the Oak Wood?) Now then, Takumi-sama, this store is one that I am acquainted with, as such, I will guide you. As Sophia and I were whispering, Papeck-san took the lead to show us around the store. My my, for the president of the Papeck Company toe himself, what business do you have with us today? Ah, shopkeeper. Takumi-sama here wishes for Oak Wood, therefore Ivee to show him. Oh my, then I shall guide you. The shopkeeper of the lumber dealer was overly courteous towards us, who had been guided personally by the president of the Papeck Company which had grown into arge, well establishedpany. There, I was shown the three types of Oak Wood that I heard from Papeck-san, but I couldnt decide which one would be good. Which do you think is good? My apologies. Despite being an elf, I am not well informed on the varieties of trees I had assumed that forest dwellers known as Elves would know more about it than I would, but when I asked Sophia, she said that since she had spent all her time training with a sword and bow, her knowledge on trees and vegetation were only to the level of knowing their names. It cant be helped. Lets just buy all three types of Oak Wood. We can only try them out. Indeed. It might be better to have an acquaintance of mine in Yggurle Kingdom provide techniques once as well. Sophias acquaintance is apparently an Elf with experience in wine making. With the graces from the World Tree and the Spirits, Yggurle Kingdom was abound with crops and fruit trees, so naturally they produced wine from grapes. Yggurle Kingdoms wine is famed as a high ss item in the continent. Still, for now lets buy the three kinds and return home. Excuse meee! In the end, I purchased a good amount of the three kinds of Oak Wood. Takumi-sama, would you like to have some tea? Please, if you have the time, doe by thepany. Eh, well, then, we will be intruding. When I thought to go home after having finished our shopping, Papeck-san who had observed our purchase had invited me for tea. It probably wouldnt be just about tea, but I am indebted to Papeck-san so its hard to refuse. Once we were shown into the parlor room, rested and drinking tea, Papeck-san had asked about the Oak Wood. Takumi-sama, does the fact that you have procuredrge quantities of Oak Wood mean that you making an attempt in wine making? I could feel how frightening the human known as the President of a sessfulpany was through Papeck-sans excessively urate deduction. Well, I dont intend to start a business with it, but its true that I want cask materials for wine making. Ooh, so you also experienced in wine making. By all means, we would like for you to discuss it with the Papeck Company. When I talked about wine making, Papeck-san hade offering a business deal with a face full of smiles. No, Papeck-san. I am an amateur in alcohol brewing. Furthermore, the amount were making is minute as well, so I think its an amount impossible to wholesale to arge firm like the Papeck Companys. Not at all, I would be overjoyed if there were many, however, even a small amount can still be traded. Above all, Takumi-sama, you have been the driving force in the great advances of the Papeck Company through your numerous inventions and potions. I dont think it would be normal wine. Actually, what Papeck-san was saying is about half right. I wasnt aware because I didnt know the taste of the alcohol, but the wine I made in a rushed method that could even be said to be cutting corners was actually in the level of first ss goods in this world. I think thats to be expected of the natural yeast and grapes grown in the Sanctuary though. Wines produced and aged by the specialists might be the pride of the heavens. And I think Papeck-san is vaguely convinced that I am connected to the Sanctuary. A merchants intuition is fearsome. haa, even if I hand some over, it would only be a small amount. Yes, I would not mind even if it is but single cask. Wine making likely takes time, so even if only a small quantity, please sell some to us once the final product isplete. please wait without expectations. I had no choice but to say so. Ya see, Papeck-san looked really desperate. When I thought aboutter, alcohol brewing in Japan and even in Europe during the olden days was a hidden craft. Its hidden even in this world, so wine is inevitably a luxury item. Nevertheless, since ale, with its uplicated method, is made in various ces, the masses are able to get a hold of it cheaply. On our way back from the Papeck Company, I thought to go to church. Oh right, lets try asking Norn-sama if theres anything we can do about maturation magic. Eh! Norn-sama?! Sophia looked at me incredulously. Of course she would. It would be sphemous if the God of Creation is asked something like that. But if its Norn-sama, then I think it would be fine. We immediately dropped by the church in Volton. Entering the church, we mixed in with other people praying. (Norn-sama, please tell me. Is there a way to mature wine with magic? Even a hint is fine so I could make the wine that the Spirits have asked me to make, so please teach me.) Really, Takumi-kun, just when I thought its been a while, its not something you ask the Creation God. Good grief. Immediately after I started praying, I hear Norn-samas voice inside my head. Wine maturing, you say. Sheesh, what do you think of gods? Well, fine, Ill tell you if you offer me delicious wine. (I will! By all means, please let me offer it to you.) In the first ce, Takumi-kun, you have the Time-Space Attribute, dont you? You also have the Subspace for the familiars. Make a Subspace for maturing wine, then elerate the flow of time. It uses more magic power, so its a method that I dont think anyone but you can do though, Takumi-kun. (Thank you very much, Norn-sama!) Then I look forward to the wine youll offer. Norn-samas voice faded away. I rose from my praying stance. Fuu. Were you able to receive the oracle of Norn-sama? No, Norn-sama will get mad if we call stuff like this an oracle, you know. Well, she did tell me the solution. I want to try it out right away so shall we return to the Sanctuary? Yes. Unfamiliar with the taste of delicious wine, I could only pray I make something decent. Id likely be scolded by Norn-sama if the wine I offer is unpleasant. *** Chapter 154: It seems it’s delicious Chapter 154: It seems its delicious About the oue, the creation of the Aging Subspace at Norn-samas advice was rtively simple. I made the Subspace, a separate space from where Kaede, Titan, and Tsubaki stay, then I crammed the wine we produced there and elerated time to advance three years per hour. As Norn-sama had said, its magic that has considerably bad energy efficiency, one hour almost bottomed out my magic power. In order to see how long wine needs to age, I prepared 4 types that progressed three year, six year, ten year, and fifteen year over several days. Now then, I had asked Undine and the Great Spirits to evaluate it but. Kyahahaha! So deli~cious! Hey! Gnome! Keep it down! Kyahahaha! It had be a banquet for the Great Spirits. Taking four casks out was a mistake. Even Spirits get drunk. Spirits have said that they are fundamentally alright without eating, that its a kind of entertainment. Nevertheless, it seems the wine is delicious and are more or less to their liking, but the ones over six years were favorable. Apparently, the decade old ones are good, but it takes 3 days to elerate it by that much. It wouldnt take as many days if I drink mana potions, but Im still of the opinion that I dont want to make this my job. Among our members, I had Sophia and Marnie sample them too. And I also had Melty-san, the elf I asked to manage the orchard, taste it. The result was that the Sanctuary grape wine had received an assessment of tasting like heaven. Takumi-sama, its extremely appetizing. I have never drank wine this delicious. I dont understand the vor of the wine but it is very tasty. True, its really good. No, Akane, you cant drink right? Before I knew it, even Akane was trying it out. What are you saying? Im already a respectable adult in this world. Now that you mention it, youre right. In this world, a 15 year old is already legally an adult. Akane said shes already 19, so this is fine. I was, one way or another, sessful in making wine, but Doganbo-san and the Dwarves want to drink alcohol of much higher spirits than wine and were burning with passion to distill whiskey. In my eyes though, the Dwarves liked the wine and drank a staggering amount, so the fact that I was relieved is a secret. Still, that perception made me realize that I was naive, and not even much time had passed. I was definitely the one who told them of distilled spirits starting with whiskey, but in terms of aging, I had forgotten that whiskey is a liquor that needs to mature more than wine. Should I make do with an unaged aquavit? Aquavit[1] is a distition of potatoes that turn into sugars through fermentation. This is a distilled liquor that gets its vor from a distite of herbs. Its supposed to be liquor that isnt cask aged. Afterwards, I had the the Cat Siths Mappo-san and Poporo-san and the other Cat Sith couples try the wine I made but they were so moved at being able to drink wine for the first time. Takumi-sama, this is my first time drinking nya! So tasty nya! Thats true nya! Wine is delicious nya! The Cat Siths unanimously praising the wine highly made me happy. Takumi-shama~! Takumi-nii~chan! Cat Sith L and Catkin Saras little catgirlbination had found and jumped at me. I held the pair up in my arms. Then the little human girl, Shirona, clung to my thigh. Shirona too~! Then Shirona will piggyback, okay? I turned around and Shirona jumped on and clung onto my back. Takumi-shama, does wine taste good nya? Its a grown ups drink so its too early for you girls. Do you want to drink apple juice? I wanna drink! Sara also wants nya! Shirona too~! Alright, then Ill prepare it. There were apple-like fruits in the orchard. It looks like an apple to me, but in the orchard here in the Sanctuary, it bears fruit regardless of the season. Also, because I dont know its name in this world, I called it an apple. Melty-san, who manages the orchard, is drinking wine, so I asked Marnie and Maria to pick some apples. I squeezed apple juice for everyone. This apple juice is the best Ive drank, even after including my previous life. Its refined sweetness thoroughly in bnce with the sourness is exquisite, and while its a given for the children, Akane and Lulu-chan were also surprised when they drank it. Even Kaede, who normally doesnt eat much vegetables and fruits, had taken a liking to the apple juice. Taaaasty nya~!! So gooo~ood! L, Sara, and Shirona had faces full of smiles as they gulped down the apple juice. We normally use sugar and honey in our daily lives, but both of those are very expensive luxury items. To L and the kids who had led impoverished lives, they rarely ate sweet fruits. Afterwards, Wappa, Colette and the other kids were treated with apple juice, and we had promised to let them eat dessert made with these fruits next time. Dezart is food nya? A monsters name nya? Only, I couldnt make L and Sara understand the word dessert. *** Footnotes: 1. Aquavit information here. Chapter 155: It Would Seem They Want Grains Chapter 155: It Would Seem They Want Grains This is bad! Takumi! The moment I got up the stairs from the basement of the Sanctuary mansion with the Transfer Gate and went out, Doganbo-san, with his short legs and looking like he was at his wits end, ran up noisily and jolted me. Wai- Please wait! Whats wrong? What happened? The distition machine and building are done, and theres a surplus of casks made by you. But, but, we forgot the ingredient, barley! My body lost its strength when I heard that. You didnt prepare it, did you Of course I wouldnt, I came here with luggage in one hand. The only things I brought were work tools. Well, I had thought that would be the case, but the Dwarves had increased by another 3, havent they? Theyre the same too, arent they? Yeah, Gotton and the others. They journeyed over a great distance toe here. Like myself, they had only brought their work tools and camping equipment. Haa, but it would be difficult to have a grain field so soon. Cuz, theres not enough people. Even Gnomes assistance has its limits. In the first ce, to have made distition machines and constructed an alcohol brewing workshop without ingredients, how careless of us. Moreover, I dont have knowledge on whiskey either. Scotch whiskey came from barley, was it? I dont get it at all. It cant be anything but grain native to the Sanctuary, right? Of course! Gnome-sama and Smander-sama will drink the alcohol, you know. For starters, well try it to the extent of the number of people here right now, but please dont expect too much. That having been said, the grain field to be used for alcohol brewing requires a considerable size ofnd. At present, a field was created in a spot from the center to the western side close to the housing where children and the Cat Sith live. The grain being grown is wheat, but there was no surplus for alcohol brewing because it is being used for bread. Should we make it up to the mine in the south? At present, the most ideal location for fieldwork is the eastern grasnd area, but its close to the stationed troops of various countries so Id want to avoid that. Thanks to the Perception Inhibitor MD and the barrier of the Great Spirits, I dont think theyd notice it as long as we dont make a racket too close to them though. Alrighty, would 4 blocks with 100sqm be okay? Ou, well ask Dryas and Sylph for the seeds, so well be starting with these. Then Ill till the field, the rest will be up to you, Gnome. Umu, leave it to me. I put my hand on the ground, poured arge amount of magic power into it and activated Earth magic. Gogogogo`` The earth rumbled audibly and the ground undted, tilling it into a soft steaming 100sqmnd. Uwaaa~! Amazing nya~! L will be a mage too~! Sara will be mage too~! Shirona too! Shirona too! Seeing the field tilled in an instant, the little girl trio, L, Sara, and Shirona, were hopping about in excitement. Hearing that I would till the fields today, the trio hade to watch. Its different for the Human Shirona, but the Catkin Sara is of a race that is bad with magic. L is a Cat Sith Fairykin, so she has high affinity with magic and she is even capable of using Spirit Magic. But since Sara would be pitiful in this case, Ill teach her some simple and day to day life magic she could use. Even as a Beastkin, if she practices from her current age, shed probably be able to use useful magic ordinarily. Even when I began moving to a different section to till it, L and the girls ran around the already tilled field. Is it alright even if I buy the seeds? Dryas and Sylph intend to use their retainers to collect it, but there is no issue with purchasing the seeds themselves. It only bes a special grain when its grown in this Sanctuary. While I was tilling the remaining three sections with magic, I asked Gnome about todays ns. Its fine even if I leave it to Dryas and Sylph, but buying it is faster, after all. Still, it would be suspicious if I start in agriculture though. Cant we rely on your spirit retainers for the farm work, Gnome? Impossible. We Spirits are fundamentally free, after all. Furthermore, with the Spirit Tree and us Spirits powers, the crops and fruits taken from thisnd be special. Well, you have a point. Manpower is of no concern. The free Dwarves areing to gather. Granted, the only ones who can pass the Sanctuary Barrier are the upright ones. Rather, why do theye arbitrarily? I couldnt help but wonder how they know toe to thisnd in the western end of the continent. But the reason for that is but a simple story. What are you saying, the Dwarves are Fairykin. Of course theyd hear it from the voices of the Spirits. Ah, right After which, even the Elves increased before we had realized. Somehow the Fairykin were gathering. I might have to build housing again. Additional drainages, septic tanks, and purifying magic devices would be needed too. Im really thankful for the abundance of clean water. I wonder why, but be it in Volton or in the Sanctuary, my work increases one way or another. *** Chapter 156: Mission to Samandour Kingdom Chapter 156: Mission to Samandour Kingdom After I made the barley field that Doganbo-san, the Dwarves, and Gnome had asked me to, I left the seed sowing to them. Garagaragara. If I had to say where I am right now, Im sitting on the coachmans seat of the carriage that Tsubaki is pulling. The carriage is roaring noisily through a trackless path at abnormal speeds. If it werent for Tsubaki and the repeatedly magically remodeled carriage, it wouldnt be rideable at all. This happened when I went to the Sanctuary three days ago. While I was doing farmwork and storehouse and house construction at the Spirits behest as always, an urgent request came from Undine. Could you save those with a connection to my retainers? Umm, this is a bit too sudden, I dont understand what you mean. Here in Mildgard, in addition to the Elves, Dwarves, Cat Siths, there are races also known as Fairykin that have a deep connection with us Spirits. The little ones asking for Takumis help are also Fairykin, but as you know from seeing the Cat Siths, the Fairykin races apart the ones who that have their own countries, like the Elven country Yggurle Kingdom and the Dwarven country Gnomstoll Kingdom, are often given unfair treatment. In my talk with Undine, she wants me to go to the sea close to Samandour Kingdom to meet some people to protect them. And those Fairykin protectees were fish people, the Mermaids. If they are fish people, cant they travel by swimming to the sea west of the Sanctuary? Impossible. The waters epassed by this Sanctuarys barrier are safe because monsters dont approach, but there are plenty of strong sea monsters outside the barrier. Recently, the barrier on the seaward side has expanded, covering a 500m range from the coast. She said thats where the mermaids will be sheltered. Still, I had to ask Undine if the lower halves of the mermaids would be an issue. Rather than the lower halves of men and women, theirs were of fish, so wouldntnd travel be difficult? But wouldnt and route be challenging? If the mermaids lower halves are always that of a fish, then I would have thought of a different method. The Mermaid race are able to humanify their lower halves. The gills on their necks can be changed to that of a humans, so they will be fine even in a human town. When I thought about it more after that, I realized that the only route we could choose is through savagends dotted with monster nests. That it isnt a road, now is it? The trackless path can be traversed by Tsubaki and the Takumi-made carriage she pulls, couldnt it? The area between Valkyra Kingdom and Samandour Kingdom was Triaria Kingdom. Theres no way we could cut across an enemy nation so boldly. Inevitably, the only route we could take is by going southeast through the savagends from the Sanctuary. Around how many Mermaids will board my carriage? We will only shelter the little ones in an emergency, so that ridiculous carriage will suffice. Actually, if I establish a base in Samandour Kingdom and install a gate there, I wouldnt need to think about the number of people, but it doesnt feel right to suddenly set up a base in a country Ive never been to before. ording to Undine, the Mermaids we need to shelter this time have been living in a cove which was deteriorating. Monsters were increasing, to the point that there were some strong monsters appearing too. Hearing this through her Water Spirit retainers, Undine proposed to migrate them in the Sanctuary seas. She said that there were 10 people to be sheltered, all female. Or rather, the Mermaid race is entirely female. Eh? Mermaids propagate by receiving the seed of other races. The humanoid monster known as Sahagin exists, but that one ispletely a monster, and they were apparentlypletely different from the Mermaid, which are Fairykin. Mermaids apparently give birth to girls 100% of the time. Ill set aside why I have to go, but it seems it cant be done in 3-4 days so Ill make preparations. If its Tsubaki then wouldnt you arrive in 5 days? If its a 10 day round trip, then I dont think your work at the Sanctuary would pile up that much either. Work will pile up once Ie back. Isnt there an option for someone to do it in my ce? That having happened, we prepared provisions and silently departed the Sanctuary. The stationing troops didnt notice us. As expected of the magic of the Great Spirits. I also installed magic devices with a concealing effect on the carriage, but the effect from only that is weak, after all. This time, Laeva is staying at home. I entrusted the wholesale production of potions to the Papeck Company, and the alcohol brewing equipment like the Dwarves distillers and pressing machines in the Sanctuary to her. Also, the members this time are usual members although its not just us. Nya~! So fast nya~, Takumi-oniichan! Rock Paper Scissors! Youll face that way nya! [1] Ah! You lost! Sara-chans win! The frolicking little girls and uneasy older brother and sister. The Cat Sith sisters Miri and L. The Catkin siblings, Wappa and Sara. The Human sisters, Colette and Shirona. The three sets of older siblings and younger sisters hade along. In this harsh world, travelling is impossible formoners. Thats why I understand the the delight and the bewilderment of these kids. When they heard from L that we were going to Samandour Kingdom, they demanded toe. I ended up saying OK as a reward for the kids doing their best at their usual work. When stared at by moist, round, cute eyes, one just cant say no, right? Tsubaki advanced through the undeveloped, trackless path, but maybe because her level increased, her speed and stamina have improved considerably, so it seems wed arrive earlier than nned. *** Footnotes 1. Jankenpon! Achimuite hoi! C its just like rock paper scissors, but with a twist to win. Example here. Chapter 157: Spectacular View of the Table Mountains Chapter 157: Spectacr View of the Table Mountains By two thirds of our journey to Samandour Kingdom, nearing its national border, we could see the Table Mountains towering high on the left. so those Table Mountains were in the savagends. Indeed. At elevations of over 1000m, the Table Mountains have summits that stretches out as t and level ground, but there apparently isnt anyone who has climbed to those summits. When I was in nk amazement at seeing several table mountains lined up, Sophia courteously exined. Funya~! So big~! Weird meowntain! The top is t nya~! Woow~! How do I climb that? Ah, its really great. The trios eyes were sparkling as they viewed the table mountains for the first time. Whenpared to the existing 3000m teau, the Guiana Hignds, I wonder if these are a reduced version of the ce. But I havent seen the actual Guiana Hignds, so the seeing the table mountain scenery to my left is more than enough to move me. When a different world is this formidable, I suddenly want to question Norn-sama for nearly an hour about what makes up the continent, like the Table Mountains in this ce. If there are waterfalls here, then Ill call it Angel Fall. The Table Mountains ascent is 1000m perpendicrly. Climbing up to the top is probably impossible for the people of this world. That would be different if there are races that can fly in the air though. The forest at the foot of the mountain is deeply concentrated with mana, there is no doubt it had be a monster nest. It became evident there were many monster presences when we did a wide area presence search. Do adventurers note this far to explore? I dont believe so. Given how the monster nests here are small and there are monster nests of a simr scale much closer to town, I cant imagine why they would purposefully cross the national border toe to a small monster nest. Sure, itd different if they knew summit of the Table Mountains have a lot of valuable materials or rare monsters, but it would take 5 days on a normal carriage from Samandour Kingdoms national border. Adventurers would not go to a monster nest inconveniently distant from towns and viges with Adventurers Guilds unless there is much to do. In my case, the fact that the summit of the Table Mountains are a ce that people have not tread upon attracts me, but if I think about it properly, there is a great amount of untroddennd in this world. I realize yet again the minuteness of the living areas of people. Passing by the Table Mountains, we ran for a little while and finally arrived close to the national border of Samandour Kingdom. So we wouldnt pass through themon route Triaria Kingdom does, we limited our stay at viges and towns to a minimum, while Sophia listens to the voice of the Spirits as we headed for the coast where the mermaids we were going to shelter are. Samandour Kingdom is a prosperous trading nation located on the southern end of the continent. It is said to be a prosperous country where many of the sea monsters wererge and powerful, has a fishing industry in the shallow coastal waters, as well as makes and trades salt. Since it is popr for trading with other countries in the continent, various races intermingle. Because of this, I heard there wasnt much racial discrimination. Because it is in the southern end of the continent, it is much warmer than Valkyra Kingdom which is north from the center, and has a grain-producing region that exports wheat within the continent. Maybe because it is rich without warring unlike Triaria Kingdom which is proactive in the expansion of its territory, Samandour Kingdom has connections to every country through trade. When we entered Samandour Kingdom, as expected we couldnt go at speeds that we did in the savagends, but even so,pared to normal carriages, Tsubakis speed and stamina are still in a different league. Even our meals, since we can finish it inside the space-erged carriage, we continued moving unless we were camping or lodging in towns and viges. Im the driver most of the time, but when Maria and Akane take a turn, I kill time by ying with L, Sara, and Shirona. Takumi-oniichan, this country is warm nya. Its kinda hot nya. It might be a little warm for L and Sara. Its just right for Shirona! The little girl trio have taken their spots, sitting on myp. L, get down from Takumi-oniichan nya. Dont wannya! Miri-oneechan can also sit on Takumi-oniichansp nya! The older Cat Sith sister, Miri, warned L, but L wasnt paying her any mind. Wappa and Colette also cautioned their little sisters Sara and Shirona, but it doesnt seem to be showing any effect on the little girl trio. Its a bit hot when young children whose body temperature is high cling to me, but since the three are in a good mood, its fine. Karikarikari. Inside the carriage, the sound of pencils scribbling on paper was audible. Hmmm~, its hard Wappa was staring at the numerical calction written down in the paper. Miri and Colette were silently working out the problem. During this trip, the three elder siblings, Wappa, Collete and Miri, were taking reading, writing, and calction lessons from us. If they know how to read, write, and calcte and they think they want to live outside the Sanctuary in the future, it would be easier for them to get a variety of jobs. At any rate, this worlds literacy rate is low, if one can calcte with the four rules of arithmetic, I heard theyd be in great demand in ces likepanies, the Commerce Guild, and government offices. Of course, having been raised in the slums and in their short lives, Wappa and the kids were unable to read, write, or calcte. Its only natural since no one was there to teach them, and just surviving everyday was the best they could do. Three days after entering Samandour Kingdom, being guided by the spirits, we arrived at the coast where the mermaids lived in hiding. *** Chapter 158: Though the Mermaids were protected Chapter 158: Though the Mermaids were protectedAs we kept cutting across Samandour Kingdom, it soon began smelling like salt water. The west of the Sanctuary also faces the sea, but its like the south sea has a somewhat sweet, tropical scent. The seaaa nyaaa~~!! Mister Sun is so briiight nya~! Howaaa~ lots of water~ The little girl trio cheered in excitement when they saw the sea from the carriage. Uwaa, cool. so big. Its blue, vast, and pretty. It seems that even Wappa, Colette, and Miri were impressed seeing the sea for the first time. Takumi-sama, it seems we are steadily getting closer. Got it, I think well be fine since we can activate Perception Inhibitor MD, but lets be careful so we arent noticed. Just as I was took over as the driver, the Wind Spirit told us through Sophia that were close to cove where the mermaid protectees were. The location the Spirits guided us to was a small cove. The mermaids likely came here after escaping from monsters. This is already in the border regions of Samandour Kingdom, a ce where there were no viges or towns close by. Originally, they would live close to where people inhabit so they could find a male to pair with, but with the recent monster activity, they had to escape to this small cove. Maybe because its a ce untouched by human hands, the cove was really beautiful. With directions from Sophia who could hear the voice of the Spirits, we walked closer to the waters edge. Leaving the little sister trio ying by the ebbing and flowing waves to Wappa, Colette, and Miri, we waited for the mermaids to make their appearance. There were several responses in Kaedes and my wide-range Presence Detection. Master, it looks like the mermaids are here. Yep, theyve arrived. One by one, twelve long green and light blue haired mermaids, the elder half being in their 30s and the younger half as young as 5-6 years old, emerged from within the sea and approached us. When the mermaids reached shallow waters, they transformed into humans and walked with two legs. Yup, the mermaids were very stimting. Their upper halves were concealed in tube top-like swimwear while their lower halves were stark naked. K-kaede, prepare clothing for a lot of people urgently! Roger, Master. Kaede distributed one piece dresses to the mermaids for the time being. A mermaid who appears to be in her mid-twenties approached me. We heard the story from the Water Spirit-samas. I am Fluna of the Mermaid Race. My name is Takumi. At the Great Water Spirit Undines request, wevee to protect youdies. Thank you very much. Recently, the monster activity in the vicinity of this sea has be ferocious. Theyve driven us out of the ce we live in, and it is difficult to say that this cove is safe either, as such, we have had to depend upon the Water Spirit-samas for help. Everyone looked thin when I took a better look. They probably couldnt fish normally because of the impact of the active monsters. Fluna-san, we will send everyone to a safe sea so please dont worry. Thank you very much. Master Husband, why dont we prepare a meal for everyone? Youre right. Fluna-san, is there food that you and the mermaids cant eat? No, its fine, be it meat or vegetables. Marnie had proposed to have a meal with the mermaid protectees. She probably noticed the grumbling stomachs of the young mermaids. When I asked Marnie and Maria to prepare the food, I perceived arge response in the direction of the open seas. thats huge. Un, something really big ising. Both my Enemy Search skill and Kaede, who is best when ites to enemy perception among us, sensed it. Sophia, evacuate all the mermaids to Tsubakis carriage! Ha! Fluna-san! Everyone! Hurry this way! Sophia guided the clueless mermaids to shelter. Our group had already switched to battle stances. Its not a monster thats in this shallow cove. Did it think there was a lot of prey here? I took out Ice Bringer from the my Item Box and waited. Havinge back, Sophia readied Tempest and Maria took out Explode; The three of us were ready to fight. Marnie took a bow in her hands, and Akane prepared her magic. Lulu-chan was made toe with Fluna-san and the mermaids. Zazazazaazaza`````````!! We began hearing the sounds ofrge waves. This cove is supposedly shallow, so it should show up any time now. Its here!! Zaabaaaaaaaaan!! The open-mouthed gigantic figure that appeared from the sea had a serpentine body with dorsal and pectoral fins, with a probable overall length of over 30 meters. A Sea Serpent. The Sea Serpent is a lesser dragon species like the wyvern, but because of itsrge body and the fact that fighting in sea is difficult, it is often treated as a higher middle rank monster. Whether or not it sniffed out the scent of the mermaids or us, it raised its enormous sickle-shaped neck and attacked with itsrge open mouth. *** Chapter 159 Chapter 159Chapter Title Our response to therge Sea Serpent that came from the sea was fast. Maria borrowed power from her Fire Magic Spear to lob ten-odd boosted Fire Lances towards the Sea Serpent. Connecting to this, Akane and I shot Fire Lances at the same ce. As therge zing white spears of fire pierced into the Sea Serpent, a thundering roar urred alongside a steam explosion caused by the Fire Lances. ǣ٣```` The Sea Serpent screeched, its gigantic body rising to the surface from the st. Titansrge, ck, lustrous body came flying out of the Subspace. Doshu!! Titans fists shot out in high speed, its chains entwining itself around the Sea Serpent. The Magic Jet Propeller on his back roared as he pulled the Sea Serpent out of the water. Kaedes threads twined around thended Sea Serpent. Master, I want stakes! Gotcha! At Kaedes request, I hammered stakes around thended Sea Serpent using Earth magic. Kaede sewed the Sea Serpent onto the stakes with her threads. Seeing the Sea Serpent tied down onto the earth, just like the protagonist of Gullivers Travels, Fluna and the Mermaids were astonished. Well of course they would be. To the mermaids,ing across a Sea Serpent equals everyones deaths, after all. Something Iter heard from Fluna-san was that adult mermaids are capable of running away from the Sea Serpent. However, for Fluna-sans group who had taken along the children, someone would likely fall prey to the monster. Fished out from water, the pitiful Sea Serpent was bound to thend without being able to do anything and could only twitch the tip of its tail. Now then, how about we have L and the kids throw stones at it? Will we raise their levels? Yeah, this is the perfect opponent. Fluna-san and the mermaids will attack next. It would also be a bonus if they raised their level for the long carriage travel ahead. It looks like Sophia understood what I wanted to do by not finishing off the Sea Serpent. If Wappa, Colette, and Miris levels increase, their work at the Sanctuary would be easier. Ooi! Come here everyone! I called out for the kids toe over. In front of the gigantic Sea Serpent, L and the kids were scared as they clung to my back. Even so, as their curiosity was irrepressible, their heads sneaking a peek every so often was adorable to watch. Takumi-shama, its a big snake nya. Scary face nya. What will you do, Takumi-oniichan? Although L, Sara, and Shirona were all hiding behind me, they couldnt stop looking at the scary thing. Wappa and the older kids cautiously approached. What are we doing, Takumi-oniichan? Everyone, try throwing stones, Throw stones? Is doing that safe? Wappa, Colette, and Miri picked up stones. Nya! Ei! Einya! The stones the kids threw hit the Sea Serpent, but its tough scales obstructed them and were ineffective. Well, of course it wouldnt. The little sister trio copied their elder siblings and were having fun throwing stones, but I took out my ice spear, Ice Bringer, once more and called L. L,e here. Nya, its nyat scary? I waited beside the Sea Serpent and L approached while still being vignt. I made L hold the spear, then I supported her hands and prompted her to stab the Sea Serpent. Ei! As expected of the ice magic spear, Ice Bringer. Although it could be said that I was supporting her hand, it went through quickly. Now then, Sarae here next. Sara is nyext! Supporting her hand, I poured magic power into the ice magic spear, and when Sara stabbed it, the ce it was stabbed in started to freeze. Next is Shirona! Taking Saras ce, Shirona then stabbed the Sea Serpent with the spear in her hand. Next were the elder siblings, and afterwards were Fluna-san and the mermaids. By the time they finished, half of the Sea Serpentsrge body was covered in ice. Ill leave the finishing blows to Akane and Lulu-chan. Leave it to me. Y-yes, understood nya. I handed over the Ice Bringer to Akane, and Lulu-chan took the gale spear, Tempest, from Sophia, then matching their timing, the pair loaded the spears with magic power and stabbed the monster. ǣ٣ Raising its death throes, the Sea Serpent died. funya. Hya. The kids became dizzy and seemingly intoxicated when their levels suddenly rose. It was a phenomenon where a body is unable to keep up with the sudden increase in status. Theyd recover if they rest for a bit. When I looked around, apart from our party members, everyone was slumped on the floor. Okay, lets dismantle the Sea Serpent. That Sea Serpent, could it be delicious, Master? Lulu will also help nya. If its dismantling then I can do it. Kaede and Lulu-chan immediately said theyd help me with the Sea Serpent dismantling, so Kaede began collecting the threads and Lulu started peeling the scales. Though shes not good at cooking, Sophia can help with the dismantling, so she began processing therge body. Its exactly noon, so how about we do a barbeque? Then I will make preparations. Ah, Ill help out too, so Takumi-sama, please take out the portable grill[1]. Having obtained ingredients and saying that we should have lunch, Maria and Marnie began preparing for a barbeque. Cutting up the Sea Serpent meat, I ced it on the BBQ grill we use for camping. Although the seasonings were only salt and pepper, the Sea Serpent is still a species of dragons, so it was still exquisite even with just those. Hagu, hagu Good~ So good! L and Wappa sank their teeth into the meat in a daze. Having been able to eat proper meals sinceing to the Sanctuary, Wappa and the kids who had been underweight now had figures of plump children. Even so, Dragon type meat was still a first for the mouths of the Cat Sith and Catkin. It is not like the Earth Dragon, is it? Yes, the fat is quite light. Sophia said that the Elves would prefer Sea Serpent more, so we decided to bring the meat back as a souvenir for Princess Mimir. In any case, we cant eat all of it so well store the rest in the item box. Fluna-san and the mermaids ate the meat of the monster that always targeted them with great joy. They munched on the grilled meat with such vigor, it was as if they havent eaten for some time. When we return to the Sanctuary, it would be a good idea to have another barbeque with Undine and the others. *** Footnotes: 1. It says gas burner / portable cooking stove, but for this scene, lets go with grill. Chapter 160: Considering Transportation Methods Chapter 160: Considering Transportation Methods It is quite a distance from the south end of Samandour Kingdom to the western end of the continent. If Im being honest, I want to teleport back, but theres too many of us so thats not possible. Taking this into consideration, Id have liked to establish a Gate, but it would be better if Im a little bit more prudent in having a base at Samandour Kingdom. When I questioned Fluna-san in detail, there were several more groups of mermaids living in the southern area of the ocean. However, they have no interaction with Fluna-sans group and were apparentlyrge groups. Still, any group would be troubled by the brutal activity of monsters. Arent thererge ships that wouldnt lose to monsters? In Samandour Kingdom, there appear to be small trading ships that go to a small continent in the south where Devils(Mazoku) live. As expected, Sophia is well informed. The three countries in this continent that face the ocean are Samandour Kingdom, Gnomstoll Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom. However, the seaside of Gnomstoll Kingdom is a sheer cliff face with no port. Yggurle Kingdom faces the northern sea, but as it could barely be used for salt-making, it isnt a terrain that was suited for a port. In this continent, only Samandour Kingdoms southern seas had several ports and their trade with the continent of the Devils (Mazoku) is said to be profitable. If Im not mistaken, the seas to the west of the Sanctuary seems like a ce that could be a port, right? Yes, there should be a bay with deep waters on the southwest side. If I remember right, theres a spot south of the ce I think could be for salt-making that looked like it could be used for a port. If it were before the Sanctuary was made, it couldnt be a port because of the monsters, but since its inside the barrier now, it might be alright to make a port with a shipbuilding dock. Cant we make a ship that wouldnt lose to monsters? aside from Sea Serpents, the ocean is inhabited byrge monsters like Krakens and Sea Dragons. As such, I think the performance were looking for is different from Samandour Kingdom who has been operating ships by continuously searching for routes with few monsters for many years. There are apparentlyrge ships called a Magic Propelled Ships in this world. However, it was an immenselyrge amount for onepany to purchase, and in Samandour Kingdom, they have a system of joint investment by utilizing the countrys subsidiary aid. I observed the mermaids huddling together inside the space expanded carriage. Should we set up a base in Samandour Kingdom? Or should we make a magic ship ourselves? I couldnt decide. It looks like if I use short warp several times over then rest when my magic power dries up, our journey back to the Sanctuary would take half the time. Should I try consulting Gnome and Smander about ship building? Indeed. The Sanctuarys southern mine is under the control of Gnome-sama. It would be good to ask about what ores could be mined. Entrusting the driving to Sophia, I was dead tired inside the carriage. As expected, transporting a carriage filled with this many people is tough, despite only being short distances. And using the time to recover my magic power, I think about structure and propulsion mechanism of a ship. This worlds magic ships use the concept of blowing wind magic into the affixed sail as the propulsive power. Screw propellers havent been invented. It would be great if I could make a controble screw propeller, but in this world, the propulsion mechanism is a turbine, simr to the gas turbine engine of the Aegis-ss cruisers, that uses magic. The ships armor cant be average either. I think modern battleships were designed to defend against bombings and control damage by keeping injuries down. If I had to say, this worlds magic ships might be close to the heavy armored battleships of the Pacific War (1941-1945) era. As I pondered over the ships structure and propulsion mechanism, its like I had already settled with building the ship, but I cant help it, I always want to make something since Im an artisan. The construction ofrge ships in the Sanctuary would intensify the countries aggression for it if they find out. As I thought, the Sanctuary has Perception Inhibitor MD and the Great Spirits barrier, so they cant infiltrate the Sanctuary, much less confirm what is inside, but thats not possible for arge ship. Indeed. I believe that the Perception Inhibitor MD is somewhat effective, but it would be difficult to conceal arge ship cutting through waves. I know, right? But would it be enough for avoiding monsters? When we return, Ill discuss and design therge ship with Laeva and Doganbo-san. Whether or not it would be possible to materialize it is something well think about afterwards. Since Im saying wed build argebat vessel in this continent where battleships do not exist, it would be necessary to ask various people for advice. At any rate, I was wondering if I could build it because, while Ive ridden ferry-type ships, Ive only seen destroyers from afar, but I have a feeling that I could probably make it somehow, thanks to my rising level, growing status, and various skills groups. Im now looking forward to going back to the Sanctuary. *** Chapter 161: The unknowingly increasing inhabitants and the start of the design Chapter 161: The unknowingly increasing inhabitants and the start of the design On our journey to protect the mermaids in Samandour Kingdom, the return trip is half the timepared to the outbound trip. When we arrived at the Sanctuary, the kids all ran back home. Theyd probably talk about the trip and the Sea Serpent. I hope it would be a good experience for the kids. Ah, Takumi, youvee back. Wee back~ Yep, Im back. Undine. Undine had greeted me in a light tone, but I could see the Elves and Dwarves working hectically. they increased? Sorry, though its not like you mind much. Those children were oppressed in Yggurle Kingdom, and I had invited them. Sylph came flying to Undines side, informing me of the reason why the Elves increased. Ou, youre back. I asked my apprenticeship senior toe here, but you wont mind, right? Ah, yes. Ou, youre Takumi? Im Gn. Ill be in your care here too. In return, you can call me for anything. I can do anything, from smithing to carpentry, metalworking, and even leather processing. A Dwarf older than Doganbo-san pounded my shoulder and gave his greetings. It was at a level that would break a normal person. Afterwards, Doganbo-san informed me of the reason why the Dwarves had increased. This time, the new Dwarves in the Sanctuary were all considerably skilled as they had once been apprentices brought up to be craftsmen. Still, they desire to live the remainder of their lives doing what they like. When the rumors spread of the Sanctuary, thend of the Spirits, they wanted to live the rest of their lives in thend where the Great Spirits live. One of the Dwarves that arrived to the Sanctuary this time was Gn-san, the senior of Doganbo-san, is said to be known as Godcraft in Gnomstoll Kingdom. With the increase of the Dwarves, the alcohol brewing seemed to be making progress. Not that it really concerns me though. Since the Elves also increased, the orchard and wine making has been left to them. Its all about alcohol. For some reason, everyone is enthusiastic about drinking. Since that probably came from the Great Spirits, it couldnt be helped so I give up. The Elves increased by twelve people, and the Dwarves by five. Once merged with Doganbo-san and those after him, there was a total of nine Dwarves, while the Elves, including Melty-san and her kids, numbered at fifteen. And from there, including the Cat Siths, its be the scale of a small vige. Well, the increase in skilled Dwarves is a godsend to me so this is good. I can get them to help me design the ship. So, Undine, what about the Mermaids that live in different waters from the ones we sheltered this time? hm~m, it seems theres monster activity everywhere. Damages done by ferocious monsters are already emerging. Id like for Takumi to save them if possible, but as you would expect, making numerous round trips would be difficult. ording to Undine, damages incurred by monsters whove be active have already been turning up. She wants to protect those Mermaids, but she thinks itd be hard to physically transport them here. The Mermaids living in the southern oceans of Samandour Kingdom numbered roughly two hundred individuals. The Mermaids residing in the ocean close to the Sanctuary are being guided by the Water Spirits. The current Sanctuary has spread its barrier quite far on the seaward side too, it wouldnt pose a problem even if several hundred Mermaids migrate there. Thats our reason, but the ocean in the southern continent is far from safe, so I would like to protect them. I dont know if I can do it, but Ill try giving it some thought. Thank you, Takumi. Normally,pensation is needed when making a request from Spirits, but I will be in your debt. I will help you if you need help someday, Takumi. Greeting Laeva who stayed at home, I then received a report on the delivery of potions and the like. Maria, Marnie, and Lulu-chan went to clean the house that had been left unattended during our absence. Afterwards, Doganbo-san, Gn-san, Gnome, Undine, Laeva, and I gathered at our workshop to discuss the ship. Even though I didnt need an escort, Sophia being by my side had be the norm. So what did you want to talk about? Its quite rare for you to call even Gnome and me. Yeah, its about the Mermaids you had talked about, Undine. I was thinking of making a ship that could carry two hundred people, but what do you think? My, so youre thinking about it so soon. Undine took my hand, shaking it around in delight. Hmm, a ship that wouldnt lose to therge monsters inhabiting the ocean, huh. Thats a difficult problem, isnt it, Gn-niisan? Whatre you sayin. Its becauseits difficult that its interesting. Doganbo-san folded his arms, pondering over it, but Gn-sans eyes sparkled, seemingly full of eagerness. So, itll be quite arge ship, but Id like to start the designing immediately. I gave an itemized list of things we need to consider, like the size of the ship, the development of the propulsion system and controble pitch propeller (CPP), the armor of the hull, and armaments. What is a controble pitch propeller!? I talked about the mechanism and purpose of the CPP. By the gods! A ship that travels without using sails! Takumi, give me a rough blueprint of the CPP! And can you let me and Gn-niisan do it? I will make the finer and detailedponents in necessary parts, so may I leave the rest to you? Leave it to me! Doganbo-san pounded on his chest. Listen Takumi, the southern mine will cover the magic iron and mithril. The adamantite and orichalcum are still scare and have some ways to go. Then should we use magic steel and mithril alloy for the hull? Takumi-sama, when considering magic resistance, I believe it would be better to attach monster materials for the hulls armor. Indeed so. Then wouldnt it be excellent if we use a Sea Dragons leather and scale? I think its size would be more than enough too. Is there even a Sea Dragon close by? When we were talking about monster materials for the armor, Undine asked what we think of Sea Dragons. Sea Dragons are gigantic aquatic dragon type monsters whose length goes over 100m. The Sea Serpent we defeated is like a baby inparison as it has a remarkable difference with its status as a dragon. Will that be alright? Sure, I have no objections to the armor of the hull if its a Sea Dragon, but its a Sea Dragon, you know? Leave it to me, it is for my retainers this time. I will cooperate. Sophia, you understand, dont you? Eh, y-yes. I will do my best. It seems Undine will disy the power of a Great Spirit with Sophias Spirit Magic. If thats the case, well have no problems even if we hunt Sea Dragons. Shes a Great Spirit, after all. Then well be attaching the Sea Dragons leather and scales on the exterior of the hull. Well also use its bones and magic stone. Also, I think we can also use the Sea Serpent materials for the interior and part of the exterior. Ah, we do also have a Sea Serpent. Afterwards, when I talked about the harbor and shipbuilding dock with Gnome, he said that he will have these constructed by the Dwarves with free hands. Please make the the shipbuilding dockrge. Fumu, entrust it to me. Gnome immediately got off his seat and left. Now then, about the design of the ship We started on the design of therge ship. Humans, Dwarves, Beastkins, Elves, and Spirits have joined forces and the n to make a ship that wouldnt lose to the menace of monsters of the ocean has begun. *** Chapter 162: No, I really think that’s impossible Chapter 162: No, I really think thats impossible Starting the design of therge ship, I concentrated drawing the n. Doganbo-san and Gn-san went to collect ores from the mine in the south. There were many things that were necessary to n out for the ships exterior, controble pitch propeller (CPP), and magic turbine. Additionally, including the nning, the construction of therge ship will take time. Thats why we have to do it alongside our other projects in the Sanctuary. Aside from the ship construction, I was busy with house construction, field clearing, infrastructure maintenance, and alcohol brewing. Then Undine, together with Sylph, called me who was stuck to a desk. I found it. Well lead you from here on Takumi, Sophia, then Kaede-chan should be on standby in Takumis Subspace. Sylph can carry two people. You found a Sea Dragon? Thats right, I was thinking that it will take an instant for Sophia to bring it down using me with Spirit Magic, but Takumi will be essential in the recovery and have Kaede-chan secure it just in case. Now then, lets go quickly! Ah, yeah, well get ready immediately. You dont need to prepare. Okay, lets go! Undine forcibly got me off the desk, then Sylph covered Sophia and I in a swirl of wind. The moment after I thought my body was floating, I shot up towards the sky with intense momentum. The mysterious thing was that I couldnt feel any wind pressure. It seems Sylph was protecting us with wind. Upon reaching several hundred meters high in altitude, we were momentarily suspended, then once again elerating at intense speeds but horizontally this time. Uwaaaaaaa``!! The ce we arrived at after an hour was a 360 view of ocean as far as the eye can see. Have Kaede-chan on standby. Ah, yeah. As Undine had instructed, I let Kaede out of the Subspace. Uwaa~! Were above the sea~! Now then, well pull the Sea Dragon up. Sophia, please. Yes. Kaede gazed at the ocean excitedly. Undine called out to Sophia. Sophia ryed an image to Undine and transferred magic power, activating Spirit Magic. Spirit magic is about to demonstrate its tremendous power with its users mental image and the Spirits status. And I was witnessing the absurdity of Spirit Magic that borrowed the power of a Great Spirit to be exact. From the ocean, a gigantic dragon spanning over 100 meters wasunched up into the sky. Kaede, threads! Takumi, use Lightning magic on the Sea Dragon! Sophia! Give your image to Sylph! When Undine eximed, Kaede shot her threads towards the Sea Dragon, preventing it from falling back into the ocean once it was defeated. I fired Lightning magic at the monster to stall its movements for even just a moment. For a moment, the Sea Dragon convulses and stops moving. Then Sophia gave her mental image and magic power to Sylph, and an enormous de of wind had cleaved through what were the supposedly strong scales of the Sea Dragon with no resistance, just like a hot knife through butter. Heh?! Takumi! Retrieve it! O-okay! Instructions to make a quick retrieval came flying in from Undine to me, who was dumbfounded by the fact that the Sea Dragon we didnt know whether or not we could defeat was defeated in an instant, and I hurriedly collected it and put it in my Item Box. I was surprised that a Sea Dragon of this size could fit in my Item Box, but the absurdity of the Spirit Magic that borrowed the power of a Great Spirit sent chills down my spine. Still. As expected, I dont know what to think of killing a Sea Dragon so simply. Its fine, to a Great Spirit, dragons and goblins arent much different. Still, stop treating it like that. The Sea Dragon, a creature in the upper ranks among the dragon species, looked so pitiful. It somehow felt like a wine and dine, but it raised Sophia, Kaede, and my level well. Now then, were returning. Sylph, please. Leave it to me! Wai, slowly! Uwaaaaaaa``!! Sophia and I were on the ground exhausted when we returned to the Sanctuary. We didnt feel wind pressure, but that was too fast, Sylph. It was also troublesome after that. Its great that we were able to hunt the Sea Dragon, but dismantling a gigantic monster over 100 m long was too much for just us. I conscripted Titan to assist in the mass production of golems, and we somehow managed to get it done with additional help from Doganbo-san and the Dwarves, the Elves managing the orchard and wine making, and the small-bodied Cat Siths. Though, actually, the ships design isnt finished yet so the dismantle parts will stay put in my item box for now. The Sea Dragon was being disassembled on the beach west of the Sanctuary. Though the older kids like Wappa and Colette were feeling frightened, the younger kids like L, Sara, and Shirona squirmed close to the Sea Dragon and excitedly tapping itsrge body. Afterwards, as if par for the course, we had a barbeque. It was more sessful than the Sea Serpent barbeque we had just recently. It seems dragon species taste much better the higher the status. The Elven parents and children were also happy eating it. Fluna-san said she had mixed feelings about the reversal of having a scrumptious meal made of Sea Dragon, a monster which had been hunting them before. Doganbo-san, Gn-san, and the Dwarves were responsible for mining ores in addition to the alcohol brewing. We obtained Sea Dragon scales, leather, and bone. We need to secure Treant Wood too, but the crucial design was a considerably high hurdle we couldnt progress through. The Controble Pitch Propeller and Magic Turbine in particr were making smokee out of my head. *** Chapter 163: I can’t devote myself to designing Chapter 163: I cant devote myself to designing Now then, the ship I have in mind is an extrarge warship spanning 100m in length, 18m in width,rger than even the Carrack or Galleon,rge ships from the age of exploration, as well as the ships in this world by a wide margin. The overall design, unlike the warships of this world, is supposed to be SF-like, but I was fixated on adding a stern tower. I think the people from my generation in my previous world would understand, but a certain space pirates space battleship had a stern tower like that of a Galleon even though it was a space battleship[1]. I loved that ship that had a Jolly Rodger. Well, the ship Ill make cant fly in the sky though. As for the design of the ship, it was a pleasant miscalction that Gn-san was a first-ss shipbuilder. Apparently, Samandour Kingdoms Magic Ship is his work. It was but a godsend that I consulted Gn-san at the start, though I couldnt get the Great Spirits to concentrate. The Spirits do as they please. Hey hey, Takumi, there are kids heading for the Sanctuary. I think they wontst even 2 days in the savagends, so pick them up please. see? Its the usual thing you sprung on me, Sylph, but Haa, well, I know I have to go though. Where are they? The fact that the Great Spirit Sylph had asked me to protect them means that those children are qualified to enter the Sanctuary. If so then I wont hesitate. At any rate, for them to head to the sanctuary by even passing through the dangerous savagends The life of the street children in this world is severe. I cant possibly not want to protect children abandoned by their parents, lord, and country. We need a n to prevent children like these from running to crime, rather, we should protect them from being victimized. I hastily put on my usual overcoat, leaving the Sanctuary together with Sophia while being guided by Sylph. With high Stealth skills and wearing Overcoats of Existence Concealment with Inhibit Perception and Enhanced Stealth effects, we were undetected by the troops stationed in the outer edge of the Sanctuary. In fact, when we activated the presence-erasing Stealth skill and with the effect of the overcoats this time, the soldiers didnt perceive us. When we take the kids back, well return by teleportation so theres no need to worry. Having left the sanctuary, we repeatedly used Short Warp and, with Sylph guiding us, rushed to the ce where the kids were at. 10 children were walking on the grassy ins of the savagends. Every child was skin and bones, wearing tattered clothes, and didnt even have any footwear. The eldest is Tom. He is a 12 year old boy, with a 7 year old younger brother and 5 year old younger sister, Rod and Julie. The three siblings worked together to live. When their parents were alive, they were still okay even though they were poor. That went amiss when their father was killed when he had been attacked by thieves. Their mother worked without sparing time for sleep to raise their 3 children left behind. Having worked too hard, she eventually harmed her health and contracted a disease. The repeatedly overworked mother soon lost her life. Tom wasnt permitted to grieve the loss of both his parents. He worked earnestly for cheap wages, doing odd jobs in town like carrying baggage to support Rod and Julie. Driven out of the home they lived in, they snuck into abandoned buildings and lived there. The children here were all street children with simr circumstances. As the eldest, Tom became their leader and they helped each other to live, but that life has its limits too. Do your best guys! Carrying Julie on his back, he called out to the other children to encourage them. 5 year old Julie was exhausted, and Tom was carrying her. One reason why Tom is making a desperate wager of heading to the Sanctuary is because of Julies illness. He heard rumors about the Sanctuary at such a time. Tom had no choice but to hang onto that. Although he was tried persuading the street children he was taking care of that he wanted to take them along but it was a dangerous journey that he didnt know if they would reach, the children wanted to go together. After all, the children realize that if they stay behind, what awaits them are only starvation, cold, and death. Crossing the national border, their first two days were miraculously uneventful and they were able to make progress. But the childrens feet were slowly reaching their limit. It was at such a moment. Approaching Toms group in the grasnds, a pack of Forest Wolves attacked. Ah! Everybody! RUUUUN!! Uwaaaaaa!! Kyaaaaa``!! The Forest Wolves were surrounding their prey, as if to torment them. Their rank was low for monsters and even a novice adventurer party could defeat them, but to the children, this situation warranted hopelessness. Ack! His frantically running little brother, Rod, had tripped on his own foot and fell. Thinking it was over, Tom embraced Julie tightly and shut his eyes. The children around him were overwhelmed with fear and clung onto Tom. And yetnothing. Tom, wondering why they havent been attacked no matter how much time passed, timidly opened his eyes, and he couldnt help but be ovee with surprise at the scene before him. The pack of Forest Wolves that attacked them were defeated, not a single one remaining. You alright? Fue?! As Tom was dumbfounded, someone suddenly called to him and he let out a weird sound in surprise. When he turned his gaze towards it, there was a kind-looking silver haired oniisan and a very beautiful elf oneesan smiling. Haa, Im d we made it. When Sophia and I ran to the actual location at Sylphs guidance, the kids had been surrounded by Forest Wolves that were just about to attack. I hurriedly covered the children with an attributeless Barrier magic. When Sophia confirmed this, she instakilled the monsters by using Wind Cutter simultaneously. It would have been good if we rescued them a little bit earlier. If we had, then the kids wouldnt have felt afraid. I saw Sylph when I was thinking such, and she had an expression that said we saved them so isnt that a relief?. Well, its out of the question now. Sophia and I approached the kids and, as best we could to not scare them, called out to them gently. You alright? Fue?! The boy was surprised. He was carrying a small girl on his back, but the girl was dead tired. When I used the recovery magic Heal and Cure several times, herplexion improved. Is anyone injured? U-um, thank you for saving us. Even so, it would be difficult if situations like this increase. Theres no way we could respond to all of these, and its unsettling to think that children yed by the Spirits might appear. Takumi-sama, the children seem to be weakened, how about we take them back first? Ah, un, youre right. As I was brooding, Sophia urged me to teleport them. Yup, shes not wrong. Taking the kids, I teleported to the Sanctuary. *** Footnotes:
  1. Reference to Space Pirate Captain Harlocks ship, Arcadia. Image here.
  2. I added the line And yetnothing. because I really thought it was missing something without that.
Chapter 164: First Spirit Conference Chapter 164: First Spirit Conference After we came back to the Sanctuary via teleportation and cared for the weakened kids `` with the girl named Julie doing well and no longer sick``, we decided to have a conference with the Great Spirits. I think that at this rate, peopleing for the Sanctuary would increase endlessly. We were lucky enough to be able to save the kids this time but Passing through the savagends riddled with many small monster nests, a person would be fortunate to arrive at the Sanctuary. Exhausting their strength on the way and falling prey to monsters, individuals unable to reach the Sanctuary would likely appear too. When I pointed this out, Undine also seemed to be of the same opinion that the current trend is not good. Certainly, that is so. The half-baked stationed soldiers are also a hindrance. We have to think of something. To me, I do not think that there are enough Dwarves that have gathered. After all, we are making alcohol. Gnome had said that there werent enough Dwarves, and we cant deny that. For some reason though, no matter how far they are, they still catch wind of this ce. The Dwarves will be fine. I imagine theyll kick around any monsters by themselves as theye here. And in the first ce, people who were not guided to the Sanctuary cante. Then Elves will be fine as well. Princess Mimir is also there, and Yggurle Kingdom should have plenty of orphanages. Well, even then, that kingdom also has families like Meltys that cant survive there. Sylph was giving a nonchnt OK to leaving the Elves be. Sure theyll be fine if they use Spirit Magic, but I think an unlucky family could still fall prey to monsters. Before that, why did the Sanctuary expand this much? What? You dont even know why? It has been decided, hasnt it? Ask the spirits. Sylph and Gnome had faces saying How is it that you do not know this?. Well, thats because, normally, the only ones who can hear the voices of the Spirits were the Fairykin like Dwarves and Elves. Wappa, Colette, and the kids are Catkins and Humans though. Those children are the children from towns in remote regions of countries that we know have stationed their troops here, arent they? Really, those children truly are lucky. Still, Sylph, you say lucky, well it really is a relief though. Haa, we cant stop rumors about the Sanctuary from leaking out, can we? Jeez, its time, lets make a town. Undine started spouting crazy things. And just when I thought that, Dryas dropped a bomb. Listen Takumi, this is hard to say, but my dependents had also increased..? Eh? Your dependents, Dryas? Yes, the Faeries are already working in the orchard. F-faeries?! A F-faery? [1] Elves, Dwarves, Cat Siths, and Mermaids are Fairykin, arent they? Why are you all flustered about Faeries now? Dryas quip was urate. Still, Faeries are those tiny ones with small wings, arent they? ording to Dryas, because of their appearance, nobles and wealthy merchants were interested in keeping the Faeries as pets, and there was a time in the past where the Faeries had been over-hunted. Thats why Dryas said she wants to shelter them in the Sanctuary. Then, unnecessarily rash people wouldnt be let into the Sanctuary, right? Yes, so why dont we reveal the fact that The Great Spirits have manifested, evil people will not be able to pass the barrier of the Sanctuary to Valkyra and Lomaria? Yggurle has Princess Mimir who knows the true state of affairs of the Sanctuary. Samandour is some distance away so it would be fine to put them on hold. Also, its fine to disregard Triaria, isnt it? Undine said that if the various countries were informed about the Sanctuary to some extent, the annoying stationed soldiers might withdraw. Thats overly optimistic though. Incidentally, Great Light Spirit Selene and Great Dark Spirit Nyx did not participate in this meeting. They basically spend their time doing as they please, Selene basking in the sun and Nyx sleeping in her room. Then, for now lets focus on sheltering distressed children. If theyre adults without any issues like the Elf Melty-san, the Cat Siths Mapo-san and Poporo-san, then wed like them toe for the childrens sake as well. In the end, were leaving things as is. They said not to worry about the Fairykin. This doesnt mean that there are no evil people among the Fairykin though. That lecherous Elf aiming for Sophia is still continuing to make futile efforts to go through or destroy the barrier. Well, while it is a matter of course, the Fairykin qualified to enter the Sanctuary, and connected to the Great Spirits, wouldntmit misdeeds. In the first ce, the Great Spirits have a unified opinion about those who cant hear the voice of the Spirits, even if they are Fairykin. The beings known as the Great Spirits are objects of worship simr to gods, especially so to the Fairykin. Sophia is better now, but at first, her attitude was stiff towards Sylph and Undine. Shes still slightly nervous though. For the person on Valkyras side, I gave that persons name. Should I try talking to Lord Volton? That might be a good idea. If its Margrave Volton, you will likely have an upright discussion. It wouldnt be with the so-called royal faction, but their connections are deep. My work just keeps increasing. The stationed troops of various countries didnt notice, but the Sanctuary is gradually spreading out. Right now, it is four times the size of the town of Volton. The soldiers havent realized that theyre slowly being moved outward. The Great Spirits seem to want to make thisnd into a small country in the future. They show no signs of reining in their tendencies. Also, I think we should call Princess Mimir to discuss this together, so we will call her here. summoning the princess of a country. Well, lets just go with Its the Great Spirits so it cant be helped. Nevertheless, I have a feeling that this discussion is getting bigger and bigger. I wonder if a Spirit King or something woulde out and govern thisnd. To be negotiating with a high ranking noble I just want to concentrate on making the ship *** Footnotes:
  1. Dryas and Takumis first uses kana(ե`), second uses kanji(). I think Ill use Faerie to differentiate with Fairykin (N).
Chapter 165: Can’t you do something about it? Chapter 165: Cant you do something about it? From the Gate in the Sanctuary Mansions basement, I teleported to the Gate installed in the basement of the Volton Mansion. I immediately made an appointment with Margrave Volton, getting a promise to meet. Haa, no matter how I think about it, this isnt my job, is it? Still, the Great Spirits do not have contact with Human countries. They are free, after all. At my grumbling, Sophia implicitly stated that it couldnt be helped. Even so, I think the Elves would be suitable as the Spirits representative though. From the worst of the impressions that they have of the Elves, such as with Earl Hordia, I doubt the Great Spirits would negotiate with other countries through the Yggurle Kingdom as their mediator. Haa, thats the noble obsessed with you, right? Though Yggurle Kingdom doesnt have soldiers stationed on the outer edge of the Sanctuary, he continues to send in private armies. The troops stationed just outside the of the Sanctuary were there for investigative purposes, but Sophia said that the sole group continuing to attack the barrier pointlessly was the private army dispatched by the porcine noble, Earl Hordia. Anyway, Margrave Volton-sama and Earl Rockford-samas towns have orphanages, so the children were from other territories, werent they? Indeed. Our goal is to have Margrave Volton appeal to the King to make aw obligating the establishment of orphanages. Both Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford were devoted to tackling the poverty within their territories. Even so, it is currently difficult to counteract the growing slum district. This time, only Sophia and I came to Volton. I have asked our remaining members to look after the neer Mermaids and the recently rescued kids, Toms bunch. Were walking towards the white castle in the middle of the town where the Margrave lives. It would typically be a good idea to take the carriage, but our carriage is way too conspicuous. Though, rather than the carriage, its Tsubaki who has too much presence, so using the carriage to move around town is troublesome. She is too intimidating. Sophia and I were gestured into the parlor room, and as we were waiting, Margrave Volton entered with Chambein Xervus-san and Knight Leader Dorn-san in tow. Long time no see Iruma-dono, youve been quite busy as ofte, havent you? Thank you for taking the time to meet with us today. So, is it about the Divine Empire of Sydnia? Owing to the Barrier MD that Iruma-dono supplies, attacks by those people have been reduced to zero. You have my gratitude. Just when I thought I havent heard anything about the zealots of Sydnia recently, they inform me that the damages done to Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom have practically stopped urring. The Light God Faith too. Their believers have been decreasing in our country, Lomaria, and now even Samandour. Theyve been quiettely. I see. Well, todays matter is different though. Margrave Volton had apparently assumed that Sophia and I came to talk about the zealots that acted violently for a period of time. Though I was indeed curious about that too. Well, I would like to ask you for something different today Un, so it was a separate matter. Yes, umm, Lord Godwin, are you aware of thend covered by a barrier southwest of the continent from Volton. Of course Margrave Volton would know about it, but I wanted to clue him in, so I tried asking him that. Margrave Volton and Knight Leader Dorn-sans faces then soured. Ah, so Iruma-dono knows of it as well. Haa, actually troops from our country, Lomaria, and even Triaria have thoroughly investigated it, but we only know that it is said to be simr to the barrier of Yggurle. That barrier cant be passed through nor destroyed. There are rumors among the Fairykin, the Elves and Dwarves, that it was a Spirit Trees sanctuary, but only to that extent. Our territory has dispatched soldiers, but military expenditures will be absurd if this is prolonged. Margrave Voltonined about the stationing expenses of an unprogressing investigation. Actually, about that From there, I talked about the facts regarding the Spirit Tree in that ce. That I was involved in the sprouting of the Spirit Tree. The sequence of events, starting from how the Undead that took the World Tree seed was defeated, the nting of seed, and the Spirits request to take care of it. How, during that course of events, thend encroached by miasma was purified. My word! That barrier was ced by Iruma-dono?! No, the current barrier is something that waster put up by the Great Spirits. My barrier also still works, but its fine even if I dont say that, right? The Great Spirits that have now manifested are the pirs of Water, Fire, Wind, Earth, Tree, Light, and Dark. Thus, the Sanctuary was created with the Spirit Tree at its center, and a strong barrier was raised. Iruma-dono, you seem awfully knowledgeable, do you know what is inside the barrier? Of course hed think that. I cant deceive him, huh. Haa, well, I can freely enter the barrier. What?! The trio, Margrave Volton, Xervus-san, and Dorn-san, were surprised and their mouths hung wide open. Right? Of course theyd be surprised if I say it that simply. And they had just mentioned the cost of stationing troops there too. Margrave Volton held his forehead, looking up to the heavens. fumu, well, that ce is in the savagends, therefore it is fine no matter what Iruma-dono does there. Fumu, is that not so, Xervus? Yes, as it isnd that does not belong to any country, there is no issue. yes. Wedgefort town is an example. Anyone can reim the savagends, as they have the freedom to do so. Fumu, and, that is how it is, Iruma-dono. The savagends are littered with small monster nests. No country had been able to reim it, that is why it is the savagends. As such, I believe it is not a problem. Well, I would have liked it if you had reported it much sooner, but that is just my opinion. I am very sorry. Margrave Volton told me to hurry and report to the royal capital. Lord Godwin, actually, todays discussion starts here. Theres still more Margrave Voltons face showed that he was worn out. Yes, actually I had talked about how the children, who lost their parents from towns without orphanages, heard rumors of the Sanctuary. Prepared to lose their lives, they passed through the savagends and reached the Sanctuary. After that, I mentioned the oppressed Fairykin, who capable of hearing the Spirits voices, that headed to the same ce the orphans went to. I also told them that, at present, there is a hurdle known as the Great Spirits assessment which must be passed to be able to cross the barrier. It was very fortunate that we safely sheltered the kids, but from here on, I cant imagine we would be able to rescue all of them. The current Sanctuary also has the rare Fairykin, the Cat Siths and Faeries, so I conveyed the policy of not being able to enter and leave normally. certainly, free entry and exit is risky. Indeed. There are likely individuals who hunt Cat Siths and Faeries even among the citizens of our country, which is open minded towards the various races. how about this? Establish gateways in Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, Yggurle Kingdom, Samandour Kingdom. Dorn-san had proposed we make gateways to manage the entry and exits of the barrier. Fumu, that might be possible. Wedgefort and that ce arent too far from each other. We can use it as a stopover. It is necessary to make it well known that only those deemed eptable by the Great Spirits may pass through the barrier. Rash children must be prevented from entering the savagends and losing their lives. Margrave Volton and Xervus-san already epted the matters regarding the Sanctuary and have now begun talking about how it would concern them. umm. Ah, sorry. In any case, this matter must be discussed with the King, and the Kingdoms of Lomaria, Samandour, and Yggurle. Hearing of Fairykins stories about the Spirit Tree, there will be a portion of each country that move to their desires for the materials, after all. Your Excellency, a unit from our army will patrol around the Sanctuary and Wedgefort. Then I will inquire as to which of the noble families have not established orphanages. Dorn-san promised to patrol the savagends. This will reduce the number of children of Valkyra Kingdom heading to the Sanctuary from being stranded or attacked by monsters. Xervus-san said he would investigate the noble families and towns without orphanages in Valkyra Kingdom. Iruma-dono, we must have a talk with the King. So that really is how it would be. Im not a noble or anything, so why? Why do I get dragged into these things? Sheesh, Ill end up half thinking its a curse. *** Chapter 166: Trial and Error Chapter 166: Trial and Error Havinge out about the Sanctuary to Margrave Volton, Ive been feeling somewhat light these days, concentrating on the ship making. I can concentrate. The ships body was making progress, but I worked with the Dwarves on the n for the Controble Pitch Propeller and Magic Turbine. Controble Pitch Propeller (henceforth CPP) is a rotating screw propeller which enables forward and reverse movement. It is technology that is normally installed into modern destroyers andrge warships. However, while I know its general mechanism, its difficult to design it from scratch. I want to be able toplete it with the cooperation of Gn-san and the Dwarves somehow. Fumu, I understand that the screw rotates something and gains propulsive power. The so called CPP switches from forward and reverse by altering the direction of the rotation. Fu~mu, Ill reflect on this properly. Gn-san raised his voice in admiration as I made a simple diagram and exined it, but I just happened to like the military types in my previous life a bit. Thats why the ship that came to mind, at first, was the Atago ss destroyer. I was thinking we need to make models and test the Magic Turbine and CPP screw. Ah, I am also of the same thought. I also want to verify the shape and number of propellers. We must also include the analysis of the rotation method of the propellers. Ou! Leave it to us! Thumping his chest with his brawny arm, Gn-san took over the model creation and testing. Gn-san grabbed the theoretical blueprint and walked to the workshop the Dwarves built for themselves in quick steps. I went into designing the ships main body. Actually, for making the ships body, I was thinking of adopting methods uniquely applying to this world. The structure is rtively simple to try, and the creation method will be Alchemy, which is from my main Job. Im nning on calcting and preparing the needed materials, then build the majority of the hull with alchemy. The interior and stern of the ship will be worked on manually by the Dwarves, but Ive chosen to process the finer parts and Sea Dragon materials with alchemy too. The development of the CPP is a difficult voyage. For the propeller to rotate, I need to test various things, like hydraulics, No attribute magic, and Wind attribute magic. I even made a pool for testing, testing tiny model ships repeatedly. I repeatedly made designs and prototypes for peripherals, such as a method to steer and control the output of power. Takumi, lets use mithril conducting wires for the CPPs power and control. Mithril is abundantly yielded from Gnome-samas mine and he had given his seal of approval. Steering, Magic Turbines power control, CPPs operation, I want all of these to be manageable from the pilothouse with mithril wiring. Right. Apass is also essential in the pilothouse. Gn-san decided to put everything rted to handling the ship into the pilothouse, and I asked him about the CPP tests. Are the tests doing well? The mechanism for rotating the propeller and the controlling magic form are alright. However, we must still verify the optimal shape and number of propellers. I have no clue about shapes and numbers of propellers used in the screw, so Gn-san has been producing and testing various types. Ooh, as expected. Please continue. Umu, I got you. Has ore mining been alright? Yeah, its doing well. My brethren have increase, after all. Eh? They increased? What, you havent noticed? The Dwarves have increased by 5 again since thest time. All of them are skillful craftsmen. Gn-san says its really natural that the Dwarves have increased. Having been surprised so much, Ivee to feel okay with anything already. Takumi-samaa! Would it be alright if I go shopping with Akane-san and Lulu-chan in Volton? Laeva, who was entrusted with the production of goods to be sold to Papeck Company, turned up at workshop with her ears aflit. Yup, careful where you go. Ah, its alright if you bring along Fluna-san and the Mermaids if they want to go. Ooh, that is a good idea. The Mermaids have few belongings, so that would be perfect. Then Akane and Lulu-chan called Laeva. Laeva, lets go quickly. We have a lot to do today. Yes, understood. Well then, take care and have a good day. Were off! See youter. Akane waved, then walking to the mansion basement where the Gate is established. Laeva hurried out of the workshop to ask Fluna-san and the Mermaids. The Gate is an improved version of the Time-Space magics Long Distance Transfer magic device, and it is avable to even individuals that do not have the Time-Space attribute. Of course, it has a specification where unauthorized people cant use it because of the magic power authentication, but by holding hands with authorized people like Laeva, Fluna-san and the others could also teleport using the Gate. Wappa, Colette, and the kids had also been brought to Volton a few times, having them help with the shopping. Haa, I want to go out and take a break too, but Undine said to do this as soon as possible. Indeed. We want to shelter the Mermaids from the south of the continent as soon as possible, after all. Lets do our best, Takumi-sama. I dont know if Sophia was consoling me or if she was encouraging me when I grumbled idly, but she called out to me. Were in the Sanctuary workshop so I dont need guarding, but Sophia never leaves my side. Youre right. Ill keep at it! With my discussions with Gn-san about the design, the ship eventually became 100m long and 20m wide. It needed many moreponents that needed to be designed apart from the engine and the CPP, and those blueprints need to bepleted. This is the consequence of my choice not to use sails though. The specifications of facilities that could be built at ater date, like various interior designs, dining halls, bathrooms, hatches, etc, were to be discussed with Sophia, Marnie, and the others. Wanting personal rooms, or wanting a full bath and not just a shower in their room. Anytime there was a request, the blueprints increase. Im having fun nning as I imagine a variety of things though. *** Chapter 167: Hull Construction Chapter 167: Hull Construction The ship building is entering its climax. That said, nothings taken form yet though. The ores acquired from the mine Gnome manages at the south of the Sanctuary are aplenty, and curiously enough, because the Great Earth Spirit Gnome and the numerous Earth Spirits that congregate here, the ore veins wouldnt be exhausted. Thanks to that, the amount of ore needed to build the ship that the Dwarves and I are working on together had been mined. The CPP will use adamantite alloy in consideration of the strength of the shaft. The material for the propeller also needs to be strong, so it would likewise be adamantite alloy. Gnome and Titan cooperated to construct the shipbuilding dock. In that dock, Laeva and I drew an enormous magic circle. I thought Id challenge myself by transmuting a fusion of metals and the Sea Dragons bones, scales, and skin using alchemy. Ive never used alchemy in this big of a scale so Im anxious about its sess, but theres a probability that it would. The synthesis of metals and dragon materials will be carried out with the assistance of the magic circle, and the ships form and structure will be made based on the image thats been burned into my brain. There were many types of materials to be used, and in order to reform the alloys used depending on the position, the size of the magic circle had inevitably be enormous. Takumi-sama, my inspection was okay! Thanks! Its okay here too! With papers with the magic circle drawn on it in hand, Laeva and I checked if the 30m-ish magic circle had any mistakes. We took our time drawing it out, but especially so as we were being very scrupulous with the check. If a magic circle of a scale thisrge had a mistake, in the worst case, it would be a matter of my life and death. It would be better if the magic form doesnt activate, but if the magic form runs wild and forcibly causes it to activate, it would absorb my magic power and even use my life force to activate the form when my magic power runs dry. To make a ship of this scale with alchemy, the probability of failure = death is high. Be careful not to erase the magic circle! I will! When its the usual alchemy that uses a small magic circle, I dont fuss too much when cing materials, but since theres a lot of materials this time, and theyre heavy to boot, we prepared a table to ce the materials on so the magic circle wouldnt be erased. Using the Item Box, Iid down the materials. I calcted how much materials are needed and stacked them up, but as one would expect, doing it in one go is scary, so I did a test using a 1/50 scale prior to this. From there, I calcted and prepared the amount needed as precisely as I possibly could. Gn-san and I tested the 1/50th scale model against tsunamis and the like many times in the pool, and it had gone through many detailed form revisions until the final form and size of the ship was decided on. An array of materials was carefully stacked high. Once all the final checks were done, I confirmed if I had prepared mana potions and the Sea Serpents magic stone for when Im running out of magic power. Alright! Everyone move back! Laeva and Gn-san who assisted me with the work had distanced themselves from the magic circle. Only Sophia is behind me on the off chance that something does happen to me. Okay! Im doing it! I palmed the ground with one hand, preparing to pour magic power into the magic circle. I imagined a precise mental image of the blueprint that I had drilled in my head at the same time. Fuu alright! I began pouring magic power into the magic circle, causing light to rise from the 30m wide diagram. Then, while holding a clear image in my head, I invoked Alchemy. Kuh! The consumption of magic power was staggering. I hurriedly drank a mana potion and held the magic stone. The materials stacked like a mountain started being wrapped in light, and a torrent of light soon swallowed all of the materials. The materials floated, swirling above the magic circle, turning into a gigantic cocoon of light. Drawing from the magic stone, and replenishing with mana potions, I concentrated magic power into theplete magic form. Once the magic stone ran out of magic power, my magic power steadily left me. The swirling cocoon of light slowly changed form. The contours of the light began taking the form of a ship. When it became a 100m long, 20m wide gigantic ship, the light grew even brighter, then it turned into a bead of light, vanishing into the empty sky. After the light disappeared, it revealed a gigantic ship tinged with the same blue of the Sea Dragon scales. The moment I confirmed that the ships construction was a sess, my consciousness faded away due to exhausting my magic power. *** Chapter 168: Stern Tower Construction Chapter 168: Stern Tower Construction When I came to, I was on my bed in my room in the mansion at the Sanctuary. Are you awake? Y-yeah, were you by my side the entire time, Sophia? How long was I out? One night. One night has passed since you created the ship with alchemy, and it is now morning. I see. Then how is the ship? If my memory serves me right, I think I made a blue hull. Im pretty sure that I lost consciousness after I inspected thepleted blue hull. Do not worry. Gn-san also did an inspection, and it was made ording to the blueprint. I see, thats a relief. I got up from the bed and stretched. My body is still a bit sluggish, but aside from that, there were no problems. Im hungry. Marnie and Maria are preparing it. Will you eat at the dining room? Or should it be brought here? Lets eat at the dining room. When I went to the dining room, everyone looked relieved. I felt guilty since I seem to have worried them a lot. Dont overwork yourself, okay? I was so worried. Sorry, sorry. Ive worried Akane and Lulu-chan too. I apologized to Akane who was already seated and Lulu-chan whose hands stopped serving. Takumi-sama, please take your seat quickly. Are you fine with ck tea, MasterHusband? Yeah, Maria, Marnie, sorry for worrying you too. Marnie and Maria, who prepared my meal, were relieved after confirming I was alright. Laeva, how was work? Nom, yes, Gn-san and Doganbo-san are in the middle of working on setting up the stern tower. Laeva informed me as she stuffed her cheeks with food. Hey, whats a stern tower? Akane, do you know what a Galleon is? Its like the building that has the captains cabin in that galleons ship. Hmm, I dont really get it. It seems the high schooler Akane doesnt know understand what the galleon stern is even though I exined. Though, I didnt get it from the galleon either, I imitated it from a certain space pirates ship, after all. That space pirate is something Akanes generation would know even less[1]. Weve stocked up on Treant Wood and then well just buy whatscking from the Papeck Company. ording to the blueprint, the n is to set up a captains cabin and private rooms with restrooms, bathrooms, beds for ourpanions in the stern tower. Ill help with the ships hold,rge public bathroom, and guestrooms, but Ill have to make the Magic Turbine and propellers before that. Weve already brought the materials into the engine room. Its been decided that the Magic Turbine and the CPPs fins, which had been prototyped multiple times, will be made with alchemy. Laeva informed me that the materials had been prepared. Even so, please rest for 2-3 more day. Ah, yeah, Ill do that. Sophia told me to rest. Itd probably be best to be obedient here. Having rested properly for 3 days, I came to the shipbuilding dock. Good work. Are things going well? Ou, your bodys alright now? The stern tower is as you see, the pirs and beams are finished. I asked Gn-san, whomands the Dwarves, about the progress. Then Ill help process the wood boards too. Yeah, Im counting on you. Undine-sama is rushing for thepletion of the ship. Is that so? Sorry about that, I even rested for 3 days. Whatcha ya sayin? You made a ship this enormous with alchemy, it would have taken us half a year, you know? Theyd be able to make it in half a year Dwarves are amazing. The stern tower construction is advancing at a quick pace with the Dwarves and Dryas help. The handling of the wood was done by the Elves, wasnt it? Yes, as we are woodworkers, we are pleased to be of help. Isnt that right, Rosalie? Yes, if our abilities can be useful to everyone, how can we not be d, Vaudeville? Theplex and delicate carvings on the stern tower were done by new residents of the Sanctuary, the spouses Rosalie and Vaudeville. In Yggurle Kingdom, they mainly did woodworking and carvings. While being coached by Vaudeville-san and Rosalie-san, I also started sculpting the stern tower. Gn-san and the Dwarves have applied strengthening enchantments to the already durable Treant Wood. Instead of window ss, the wings of a monster known as the Great Armored Dragonfly were used as windows and were given enchantments with Physical and Magic resistance. Furniture like tables, sofas, and chairs, as well as interior designs like carpets and curtains were being made by Kaede and Maria. With the help of the Dwarves and Elves, the stern tower waspleted in 10 days. In my spare time during the construction of the stern tower, I transmuted two shafts for the CPP screw and the Magic Turbine. The bridges pilothouse is done. Afterwards, when I thought that the ship could go on its maiden voyage once wey treant wood on the deck, build the ships hold, therge public bath, and guest cabins, I realized I forgot something important. We didnt think of any weapons We built a strong ship because sea monsters are gigantic and powerful, but I forgot toe up with the crucial weapons. *** Footnotes: 1. Space Pirate Harlock was a manga series that ran from 1977-1979 and anime was on 1978-1979. Chapter 169: Maiden Voyage Chapter 169: Maiden Voyage Just when I thought the ship was close topletion, I realized that I had forgotten the armaments which could be said to be indispensable in this world. The main point is that these aquatic monsters are strong at Water magic, right? Undineunched a Sea Dragon out of the water and Sylph finished it off some time ago though. True, but the Fire attribute is unreasonable at sea and Earth attribute would also be difficult. Many of the aquatic monsters are weak to the Lightning attribute, but in any case, there are few magic effective against underwater monsters. Undine also thought that it was difficult. Wouldnt it better to strengthen our defenses rather than offense like this? Through barriers? I nodded to Laevas question. A device that forms a barrier in an emergency might be essential. If were talking about an underwater attack, then a torpedo? Its risky to limit the attacks to only be underwater though. Then again, currently the chances of anti-surface battles are low, or rather the possibility has eternally been zero. After all, there shouldnt be any battleships that exist, aside from the one Im building. if its Dark attribute magic then the waters influence would be minute. The Great Dark Spirit Nyx informed me in a whisper. I see, Dark attribute magic might be possible. Also, while its power lowers a little, the influence of water is less on attributeless magic. Undine informed me that attributeless magic isnt affected by water very much. Though when she mentioned attributeless magic, Ive only ever used it for Shield and the like so I didnt know how I would go about it. The result of the discussion was that we basically focused on defense and would try various of armaments. The first equipment is the Dark Cannon, a cannon-shaped magic device that shoots an enhanced Dark Lance, installed on the deck of the ship. We simrly installed an attributeless Mana Cannon on the bow. I installed a device that would generate a barrier that focuses on the bilge, but Gn-san is confident with the strength of the ships hull and said it could stop even a Sea Dragons attack. Full speed ahead! Full speed ahead nya! In the pilothouse, the Catkin siblings Wappa and Sara threw their right hand out and shouted. The Cat Sith sisters Miri and L simrly eximed. Additionally, the Human sisters Shirona and Colette, Elves Melty and her daughters eyes were sparkled at the exciting scenery on the bridge. The Magic Turbine which receives power from a gigantic magic crystal began running. This ship uses several enormous magic crystals. These 1 meter magic crystals were something I synthesized with alchemy. Two to power the Magic Turbine, one for the armaments, one for the barrier, and one for the facilities. To synthesize a total of five magic crystals, our entire party went hunting in the small monster nests surrounding the Sanctuary solely to gather magic stones. In the port built with Gnomes help, the mooredrgest ship in this world had set sail. Reaching the open ocean, the ship gradually increased its speed as it headed south. Umu, even with the waves of the open ocean, the swaying is practically suppressed. Its well done. Yeah. Even if a stormes, the surrounding waves will be negated by the barrier. On the bridge with his thick arms folded, a satisfied smile appeared on Gn-sans face. As one of the people in charge of this ships construction, he said that it was his duty to apany the ship on its maiden voyage. Takumi, lets increase the speed and check the power consumption. Roger. I increased the output of the Magic Turbine, raising the speed. Passing 10 knots (approx. 18.5km/h), 20 knots (approx 37.0km/h), 30 knots (approx. 55.6km/h), the ship cruised at speeds close to 40 knots (approx. 74.1km/h). As I praised myself internally for this gigantic ship being able to cruise at 40 knots, I examined the power consumption. The amount consumed by 40 knots is a lot. Decreasing to 30 knots. At a cruising speed of 30 knots, the magic power consumed and the magic power saved by the Magic Collector are equal. Fumu, we need to verify whether the Magic Turbines consumption is good, or if the Magic Collectors performance is good. Although the magic power from the enormous magic crystals powers everything in the ship, we introduced a system that replenishes the power of the magic crystal by collecting the mana in the atmosphere. It looks like the power absorption and consumption of 30 knot cruising speeds bnce out. 30 knots on water is quite fast. It cant drive automatically, so Gn-san and I alternate taking the wheel as we head south of the continent. Really, it would be great if it had an autonomous thoughtputer like the ship that a certain space pirate rode in. Well, that one was more like a Friend, though. Still, its not like theres absolutely no way to do it. Titan is a special existence, so something of that extent is impossible, but with the use of a golem core, a ship capable of listening to simplemands might be possible. I wonder if it would be okay if we make improvements on the ship, as well as the equipment, bit by bit. Yeah, a ship of this sort is a first for me too. Well have to make improvements as well as fix problems. I was worried about monsters, but when a giant shark-like monster hurled itself at the ship and bit at it, it didnt amount to anything against the barrier and the ship was undisturbed. The ship cut through the waves, continuing in the dark waters once the sun had set. Maybe from too much excitement, the kids were tired and already sleeping. Fluna-san apanied us as the Mermaids negotiator, but shes swimming in therge public bath right now. I imagine our members are rxing on the sofa in the captains cabin at the stern tower. The only ones in the pilothouse on the bridge were Gn-san, Sophia, and me. But this was too boring. I need to implement automatic driving as soon as possible. *** Chapter 170: A Violent Earthquake travels to Samandour Kingdom Chapter 170: A Violent Earthquake travels to Samandour Kingdom The voyage to protect the Mermaids in the south of the continent was progressing smoothly, and at Fluna-sans directions, we were approaching the area where the Mermaids are hiding. During the voyage, we encountered monstersrge and small, but most of them ran away due to the size of the ship. A portion of the enormous shark-type monsters often attacked, but their corpses floated to the surface after colliding with the ship repeatedly. These ferocious monsters truly stump me. Also, I discovered a problem while voyaging. That istoo much free time. At least I, personally, dont know what to do with my free time as we cruise in open ocean with its unchanging scenery. Gn and I were on the helm in the pilothouse, and even if that wasnt the case, Wappa and the kids yed a game of tag inside the vast ship. Maybe I should have made a recreation room. In my previous life, I think the the ferry I once boarded had a recreation room and game arcade. Although, making arge public bath was the correct choice. Everyone, more so the kids, had fun in the spacious bath. After a few boring days, we went around the areas of the ocean south of Samandour Kingdom where the mermaids lived. Fluna-san became our point of contact. We had her say If you so desire, why not migrate to safe seas west of the Sanctuary?. Surprisingly, every group of mermaids wished to migrate. It was the same for us as well, any group would be scared to live in these waters where monster have increased and be more ferocious. All the Mermaids said that if there are safe dwellings, they certainly wish to be taken along. I see, as expected, they were quite cornered. Thats why Undine hurried us. Yes, many of the girls who couldnt catch prey are in poor health, and I imagine they couldnt even have a day where they could sleep without risking their lives. The sheltered mermaids slept like logs after being given food. It must have been a long time since theyst slept in a safe ce without needing to be vignt. Having been able to shelter the mermaids of the southern continent safely, we headed back to the Sanctuary feeling relieved, but it was only a bitter that we realized that we hadnt gone so far as to consider that our gigantic sail-less ship could be seen by surrounding countries, such as Samandour Kingdom. In an especially extravagant room in the royal castle of Samandour Kingdom, a man of excellent physique in his prime was sitting on a high ss chair and drinking wine. And then, loud footsteps could be heard from the hallway and knocking resounded from the door to the Kings room. Enter. Your Majesty! This is a serious matter! What is this, youre a boisterous one, Monterey. The sweaty man with a thin, balding head is the Samandour Kingdoms Prime Minister, Monterey. The seemingly annoyed man whose private time was interrupted was this nations King Valdebeut. The ruler of the Samandour Kingdom, a nation ofmerce which had entered into diplomatic rtionships with all countries` Valkyra, Lomaria, Triaria, Sydnia, Yggurle, and Gnomstoll Kingdom` and profits from trade, Valdebeut. With the withdrawal of the Light God Faith in Valkyra and Lomaria, this is the only country on the continent that has around the same number of churches of the Light God Faith and the Genesis Faith. So what is it!? Here, thiste at night!? Your Majesty! This is not the time to be calm! A huge ship without sails appeared in the southern seas! What absurdity is this? There are many sea monsters that arerge there, furthermore, I heard that they have been more ferocious recently. And youre saying arge ship is in such a sea? It couldnt be helped that Valdebeut doubted Montereys words. Fishing boats and transport ships for trading exist in Samandour Kingdom too. However, any boat would use a magic device to avoid monsters, and small boats would travel in shallow waters where gigantic monsters would find hard to approach. Of course, that goes for sailing ships too. A few magic ships exist, but the best it could do is make use of the sailing ships sails supported by Wind magic. Your Majesty, that enormous ship moves even without sails, and its materials have been deemed to not be of wood. ording to the Shadows report, Mega Sharks rammed themselves onto the ship and had no effect, conversely, the Mega Sharks seemed to have floated on the seas surface. Wha?! You said a Mega Shark, right!? Is that not a ferocious monster over 10 meters long?! In the harbors located in Samandour Kingdom, Mega Sharks are called Demons of the Sea. They are monsters that have sunk several ships to their watery graves. Krakens, Sea Dragons, and Sea Serpents seldom appear in shallow waters, but Mega Sharks would seek prey in shores of sandy beaches without hesitation. Which countrys ship is it? For what reason did it appear in Samandour? Its nationality is unknown. The Kingdoms Valkyra, Lomaria, and the Sydnia Empire arendlocked countries. And for Yggurle Kingdom, it is difficult to imagine Elves leaving by way of ocean. Although the likeliest possibility is Gnomstoll Kingdom, they do not have a location to construct a harbor. Gnomstolls side is a sheer cliff. Even so, isnt it feasible for the Dwarves to construct a harbor through force? How many years would it take to mobilize a mass of excellent earth mages to. Nevertheless, they certainly are the most likely to have. Dispatch additional Shadows to Gnomstoll Kingdom. Yes, by your will. Monterey left at a quick pace. Alone once more in his room, Valdebeut swirled the ss in his hand, but he rapidly sobered up. Samandour Kingdom faces the vast ocean in the south, if the gigantic ship capable of disregarding monsters invades, the nation might possibly be invaded easily. On this continent where navies do not exist, it was inevitable that Valdebeut envisioned a future of being one-sidedly trampled upon. *** Chapter 171: Shock travels across the world Chapter 171: Shock travels across the world The shock from the appearance of the gigantic sail-less ship on the coast of Samandour Kingdom travelled not only in Samandour Kingdom, but to the entire continent. Of course it would. If there was a ship that wouldnt lose to the menace of monsters, expanding to different continents would be feasible. Evenndlocked countries would go so far as to forcibly possess a harbor in savagends in their desire for that ship. And the information regarding the gigantic sail-less ship brought back by the intelligence division was earth shattering to the nation of craftsmen which boasts their technological strengths as the best in the continent, Gnomstoll Kingdom. Convinced that Dwarven craftsmen had something to do with that ship, Gnomstoll immediately gave amand to investigate all workshops in the country. However, even when they investigated all of the workshops, they couldnt gather even a fragment of information rting to the ship. How is it that we are unable to gather information? Your Majesty, we will broaden our search to even the retired craftsmen. Althoughrger than a Dwarf, with thick limbs, an impressive beard, and a beer-barrel shaped physique, he is rightly a Dwarf. This countrys king, Austen[1], is also an excellent cksmith. And he had the skill to be called a master craftsman. However, he hasnt set foot in the castle workshop these several years, nor has he personally examined the state of the city workshops. As such, he had missed the chance to hear the voice of the Earth and Fire Spirits. And more shock traveled to the center of Gnomstoll Kingdom. Although retired, the craftsmen such as Gnomstolls most valued individual, the famed Godcraft, Gn, disappeared. Where did Gn-dono go!? Ha, in line with this, we have acquired information from many craftsmen during the investigation. And?! The retired veteran craftsmen vanished from the country. The reason they disappeared from their workshops was soon discovered. They heard the voice of the Spirits? Should that not have been normal for us Dwarves? However, Your Majesty, have you heard the Spirit-samas voices recently? Now that I think about it, I had not made my way to a workshop in recent years, but how is this rted? Yes, many of the citizens have heard the Spirit-samas. Its details are that, at the western end of this continent, the Great Spirits of seven attributes ` fire, water, wind, earth, tree, light, darkness ` manifested in the vast stretch of savagends, which had be a Sanctuary centered around a Spirit Tree. By God! Austens face was truly dyed in shock. In Austens memory, even in Yggurle Kingdoms lengthy history, the manifestation of the Great Spirits is something could be counted in one hand. Furthermore, there had been no records written of it thesest several hundred years. Even more, the thing known as a Sanctuary should have been an earthly paradise in concept. Gnomstoll[2] Kingdoms King Austen was not the only one shocked. There is one more individual greatly perplexed by the report he had received. is the information from Lord Godwin the truth? There is no reason for Margrave Volton to expressly give such a preposterous lie. The investigation on thatnd is not done only by our country. With the information from Lord Godwin, I could understand why our reconnaissance team could not show results. If the Great Spirits made a Sanctuary centering around the Spirit Tree, I could also understand that barrier. The man supporting his head in his hands was Valkyra Kingdoms King Lobos Valkyra. The individual calmly reporting information from Margrave Volton to the King was Prime Minister Simon von Portfort. The great man d in knight armor that instructed the scouting unit to upy the Sanctuary to investigate it was the Knight Commander Ghad von Bauer. The information brought by Margrave Volton was a matter that Valkyra Kingdoms three central figures had cleared the room for, leaving only the minimum escorts. However, with how Iruma-dono is concerned Your Majesty, though Iruma-dono is an adventurer, he has taken up residence in Volton. There is no doubt he is a person of our nation. Given how adventurers travel and work unbarred by countries in the continent, they do not pay taxes to the country. In exchange, the country levies a fixed percentage from the rewards received by the adventures in the Adventurers Guild. There are adventurers that travel all over the continent as well, but they were the minority. Since adventurers mostly establish their base and work in their mothend, it isnt necessarily a mistake for Prime Minister Simon to treat them as their nations citizens. Moreover, the Sanctuary is located closest to Valkyra Kingdom. With thepleted Wedgefort town, Valkyra Kingdom grew even closer in distance to the Sanctuary. It is likely that asserting ownership of the Sanctuary is impossible, but it would be desirable to conduct trade with it somehow. Materials from the Spirit Tree and the Sanctuary would be something that the country, and even Pharmacists and Commerce Guild would desire so desperately, after all. Still, ording to the report from Margrave Volton, it would seem that not just anyone can pass through the Sanctuarys barrier. Indeed, there are apparently plenty of Fairykin unable to enter as well. In the report, the private armies dispatched by the nobles of Yggurle Kingdom tried desperately to pass through the barrier, but neither were they unable to pass through the barrier nor break it. Yet they continue to struggle futilely even now. That information was corroborated by the reports from scouts dispatched by Valkyra Kingdom. Would Iruma-dono be able to make the esteemed Great Spirits kindly assent to negotiating? Then, we must bear that in mind in the negotiations. Your Majesty, will we be increasing the stationing soldiers? Increasing them would be overly hasty. It would be provoking Lomaria and Triaria. Ghad proposed to increase the troops stationed by the Sanctuary. They might be able to have effective control over the surroundings of the Sanctuary if things go well, but Lobos denied it. They dont have to worry about Lomaria, but if they increase their stationed troops, it might cause needless trouble with Triaria. Hed like to avoid military conflict near the Sanctuary. Simon, send a letter to King Lomaria. To King Yggurle as well? Yeah, but by no means will you send one to Triaria or Sydnia. Understood, then I shall coordinate an urgent conference for three countries. Depending on the situation, I think we should involve Samandour as well, but they are quite a distance from the Sanctuary. Furthermore, as Samandour is a nation that has diplomatic rtions with Triaria and Sydnia, it would be better to hold a conference with Lomaria and Yggurle first to prevent information from circting to the Triaria and Sydnia. The discussion between the King, Prime Minister, and Knight Commander had developed into a tri-nation conference. The central figures of Yggurle Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom, who had been brought a conference request from Valkyra Kingdom about information on the Sanctuary, were assailed by frustration and bewilderment as to how Valkyra Kingdom obtained information about the Sanctuary. As a result, there was a surge of intelligence units from various countries sent to Valkyra Kingdom. *** Footnotes: 1. In the LN, kings name is Govan/Goban 2. Typo, said Yggurle not Gnomstoll Chapter 172: Tri-Nation Conference Chapter 172: Tri-Nation Conference In the royal castle boasting a history of thousands of years under a titanic tree that pierces the heavens, King Forselty mentioned Valkyra Kingdoms proposal for a tri-nation conference to Princess Mimir. Listen, Mimir, do you know why Valkyra Kingdom, which cant hear the voices of the Spirits, learned of information inside the Sanctuary? Given how Mimir is the only individual in Yggurle Kingdom that could meddle inside the Sanctuary, Forselty was baffled as to why Valkyra Kingdom proposed a conference regarding the Sanctuary. Moreover, the contents of the letter speak of grasping information within the Sanctuary. Despite this, Forselty himself has not gained much information from Mimir. It might have been inevitable that Forselty was reproachful towards Mimir, his daughter. Who knows, I find it difficult to ascertain. Father, I have nothing to say with matters regarding the Sanctuary. If the esteemed Great Spirits say that I could talk to you about it, then that would be different. Forseltys expression turned miserable at Mimirs indifferent attitude. It would seem that Elven king, who is over 500 years old, is weak against his youngest daughter. Kuh! Mimir had turned cold after going to the Sanctuary. And so, will you ept the conference, Father? Haa, I have no choice. We have the World Tree, as such, we are not charmed by the Sanctuary in terms of materials, however, I can not bear the Great Spirits being in and that disregards interactions with Elves. Mimir grimaced at Forseltys manner of speaking, but to Forselty, other than interacting with the Great Spirits, he had no interest in the Sanctuary. Mimir was convinced that Forselty would likely never be able to pass through the Sanctuary barrier. The tri-nation conference that Valkyra Kingdom osted will take ce in the town closest to the Sanctuary, Wedgefort. The conference was coincidentally attended by the prime ministers of each country, signifying the importance of the matters concerning the Sanctuary to their respective countries. The conference was progressing courtly, the three countries have made several agreements. The three prime ministers ` Simon[1] of Valkyra Kingdom, Balza of Yggure Kingdom, and Drehd of Lomaria Kingdom ` representing their countries are holding a meeting regarding their handling of the Sanctuary hereafter behind closed doors so as to not leak out information to Triaria Kingdom and the Divine Empire of Sydnia. Presently, there are limited individuals capable of passing the Sanctuary barrier. Whether or not they are nobles, or even the king, those not deemed eptable by the Great Spirits will not be allowed entry. Conversely, I have information that they are epting children unable to subsist even in the slums. In light of this, any country assuming the Sanctuary is their own is the height of folly, and my country believes it to be advisable to build a loose and amicable rtionship. Valkyra Kingdoms Prime Minister Simon stated his opinion on what stance these countries should be taking in their involvement with the current Sanctuary from here on. I am curious where you got the information that those Great Spirit-samas see through the qualifications of a person to let them through the barrier, however, children of the poor from our nation had been protected too, among other things. It would be beneficial if we are able to have many fruitful transactions. Lomaria Kingdoms Prime Minister Drehd nced at Simon as he said it. Certainly, I, too, would by all means like to know how Valkyra Kingdom, which has few Dwarves and Elves, knows much of the circumstances of the Great Spirits and the interior of the Sanctuary. Well, our Yggurle Kingdom has different reasons from Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom, as we do not require the materials of the Spirit Tree. However, we the Elves who have been receiving most of Spirits blessings can not be unassociated with thend the Great Spirits have manifested in. Yggurle Kingdoms Prime Minister Balza stated that what his country desires is not the materials from the Spirit Tree, but rather a rtionship with the Great Spirits. We would be d if you could be a little bit more amodating with the World Trees materials. Indeed. Those materials are rare in my country, and the Pharmacists Guild andrgepanies buy all of it immediately when ites. No, no, the materials of the World Tree are scarce even in our own country. As such, it is inevitable that the portion sold to other countries is even lesser. Both Simon and Drehd are aware that the truth was that Balza and the Elves want to im the rights of the Sanctuary though. However, the two had the shared information from Takumi that no one could enter the Sanctuary without the Great Spirits permission, even if they are Elves. For that reason, the Elven country likely intends to deepen their rtionship with the Great Spirits and slowly im the rights of the Sanctuary. Balza didnt notice the two other prime ministers were looking at him coldly. Now, this is a proposition, but what do you think of establishing a town adjacent to the Sanctuary? hmm, what of the territorial rights? Indeed. Simons proposal was the establishment of a town neighboring the Sanctuary. Currently, the closest town to the Sanctuary is the recently established fortress town in the savagends, Wedgefort. A town possessed by Valkyra Kingdom. As for the savagends dotted with monster nests, due to thepletion of Wedgefort that boasts of its impregnable walls, a change urred in the savagends west of the continent. With the influence of the Sanctuary, thend surrounding it is being purified even if its a monster nest with thick mana, and cleannd is expanding. We thought it would be beneficial for the three countries to establish a town that they wouldnt im as their own there. Are you saying that we should build a neutral town that would be a hub of the Sanctuary, Wedgefort from Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingodm? I see, nobles andrgepanies that are unable to enter the Sanctuary can take action in that city then. Building a town close to the Sanctuary was not a bad idea for any of the three countries. Frankly, the three all very much want it to be part of their territories, but they knew that too much greed would be a bad move. And they began talking about a provision for the poor to get rid of the recklessness of the children as Takumi had wanted, considering towns and viges above a certain size to be obligated to establish an orphanage, and arranging for a border patrol to protect people heading to the savagends. Afterwards, the conference continued quietly. As per the agreement of the three nations, they will cooperate in the establishment of a town on the east side of the Sanctuary, then do things such as construct embassies in that town. However, they didnt talk about what to do about the contact for the Sanctuarys side on this asion. However, Prime Ministers Drehd and Balza were confident that Valkyras side has connections on the Sanctuarys side. Balza, in particr, knows that Princess Mimir from their country could enter and exit the Sanctuary, but she couldnt be relied on to do that. The princess dered that she would not act for her country, after all. Balza also thought that this could not be helped. To the Elves whom are Fairykin, the Great Spirits are being that take precedence over a country. The finer work-level decisions will be done at ater date in Wedgefort again, and the tri-nation conference that day ended. *** Footnotes: 1. Typo. Author wrote Simon as Monterey for a lot of the chapters C fixed in LN. Chapter 173 Chapter 173 We returned to the Sanctuary after sheltering the Mermaids from Samandour Kingdom. They numbered slightly over 200 people. The Sanctuary barrier had expanded greatly, which of course extended seaward as well. Its radius is now 15km and what was previously 200m from the beach is now over 800m within the barriers range. The stationing soldiers of various countries were gradually being moved by Gnome so that they wouldnt notice, but as expected, it seems they have. That said, they still cant do anything about it. The Mermaids houses were under construction near the beach, and I think theyd be able to fish and whatnot in safe waters that monsters wouldnt approach. The Sanctuary barrier blocks monsters but lets fish pass through. The sea that predators cant approach had be a bountiful fishing ground. Dwarves also increased, with some being retired craftsmen and their spouses, and were working energetically. It doesnt feel like theyre past their years because, although not to the extent of the Elves, the Dwarves were also a race of longevity. The Elves multiplied as well. I am told that Princess Mimir brings along young families that want to immigrate from Yggurle Kingdom. Iter heard Dont mind it from Undine and Sylph. Itll probably be fine if the they were people that have passed the Great Spirits check. Im not the supervisor of the Sanctuary though. And even the Cat Siths had increased. It seems the Cat Siths of this continent were heading to the Sanctuary. ording to the Great Dark Spirit Nyx, the race known as Cat Sith were virtuous and gentle, so they had no choice but to live in hiding in this world. Thats why basically all Cat Siths will be epted, is what I was told. Still, as I said, I am not the Sanctuarys supervisor though. Of course, I wouldnt be. If people continue to increase, Ill have to think of a way to maintain the order in the Sanctuary. Its already the size of a big town. I came and went from Volton and the Sanctuary, continuing a busy lifestyle for some days. And so, this is a rare asion that Im walking alone in town. Zashu Guh. Intense pain ran from my side. Hearing continuous sounds of cutting wind, I endured the pain and jumped sideways. The next instant, a drawn sword glistened in the spot my neck was at. The pursuing sword tip shaved at my upper arm. I took quite arge distance to reorganize myself for a moment. Kyaaaaaa!! Screams were raised from the surroundings at the criminal act done in broad daylight. I promptly used chantless Heal several times. I then dodged the sword that chased after me, but my bodys movements were strange. It felt numb and I was hit with dizziness. (Whats this? My wound should have been healedpoison!?) I hurriedly cast detoxification magic on myself, and just to be sure, I also used purification magic. Once the numbness and dizziness subsided, only now did I have the room to check the assant. The assant was a man wearing normal clothes youd find anywhere. Not even an adventurers clothing, nor the clothing of the zealots, his clothes looked like amon vigers clothing. However, the speed at which he wields his sword was unnaturally fast and sharp for his poor skills. Who are you? So I could calm down, I tried asking for his identity since I didnt have anything to lose, but the assant stayed silent and kept on waving his sword. In fear of the assant brandishing his sword in town, the surrounding people began fleeing. The assants body bnce and weight transfer were all over the ce but the speed of his swings didnt fall as he continued iling the poison-coated sword at me. While avoiding the sword he shed diagonally from his shoulder, I closing in on my opponent then I swept my left hand towards his sword-wielding hand to repel it, and from there, with flowing movements, I drove my elbow into his sr plexus. Guu! The assants body bent at the hips like a less than (<) symbol, making a small groan and copsed. Fuu. Letting out an involuntary breath, I approached the copsed and unmoving assant while remaining vignt. It was then that the towns patrolling soldiers ran up. Ah, if it isnt Iruma-dono! Wha?! Youve been injured! Are you alright?! Coincidentally, the leading soldier was a knight Im acquainted with. If I remember correctly, weve talked several times at Margrave Voltons ce. He was surprised seeing my bloodstained shirt. No, my wounds are alright now. When I was walking in town, I was caught by surprise but I immediately used recovery magic. Such misfortune. Captain! Mm, did something happen? When I was talking to my acquaintance knight, the voice of the knight who went to arrest the fallen assant called him. No, this man who assaulted Iruma-dono is already dead. Eh?! My attack shouldnt have been that strong though We approached to check on the fallen assant and sure enough, he was no longer breathing. As I was in town, I didnt use my sword or spear to figure out the connections behind the attack, so I intended to go easy with a non-lethal attack. A quick on-the-spot examination showed that the muscle and bones on the mans entire body was tattered beyond the damage my attack had dealt. If we consider the poison-coated sword he was using, there is no doubt that it was a crime targeting Iruma-dono. What we are unaware of is the why his body is all tattered though It certainly felt out of ce. His swordsmanship skill and body skills were bad, and yet his sword speed was pointed and his movements were fast. I then tried remembering the assants movements, but I could imagine that the burden on his body was great from his irregr movements. But could a human move beyond their bodys limits? And above all, had this been a first-ss warrior that took me by surprise, would I have been fine? When I thought so, I felt a cold and unpleasant sweat run down my back. Iruma-dono, please follow us to the Orders station for the detailed ount for now. It would also be necessary to investigate this attacker fully. Yes, I understand. I headed to the Knight Orders station in Volton town. The result of examining the attackers body was that he didnt have anything rting to his background in his possession. We dont even know if he was a citizen of Valkyra Kingdom. If he was a citizen of another country, he should have had identification papers, and yet he only had a little bit of money and the poison-coated sword so we didnt learn anything. It seems the poison was also unique. Because I had resistance to poison and status abnormalities, I had enough time to cast detoxification magic. It would have been checkmate if I didnt have Light attribute magic. The mans cause of death was spected to be damage caused by the continuous movements that exceeded his limits. His entire muscr system sustained damages, and many of his parts brutally snapped apart. The bones of his hands and feet were in tatters. Iruma-dono, we will investigate a bit more on the mans corpse, but perhaps nothing more will emerge. We will provide an escort until you reach your mansion today, so please wait a while. Thank you very much. I likely wouldnt be attacked multiple times in one day so I thought that a guard would be unnecessary, but I quietly epted their good will. The thought that Sophia and the girls would probably be worried left me dejected. We didnt discover a single thing about the attacker either. The only thing I know is that it was an attack that targeted me. With a knight on either side, I returned to my Volton mansion from the Knight Orders station. Seeing the torn and blood-stained shirt, as if a matter of course, I was surrounded by Sophia and the girls. It was a storm of scoldings. it wasnt even my fault. Afterwards, I was prohibited from going out alone for a while. ***Chapter title Assant Chapter 174: Scolding Takumi Chapter 174: Scolding TakumiRight now, I am surrounded by everyone in the mansion living room. Yep, Im being surrounded. Takumi-sama, am I not your escort? Even if you say it is the town of Volton, I find going out by yourself to be a problem. yes. Right, even if the zealots have been quiet recently, Takumi, you are being targeted while Lulu and I are hidden, wasnt that too careless of you? yes. Master, at least Kaede should be on standby in the Subspace. MasterHusband, your body is not just your own. yes. Yep, its scolding time from Sophia, Akane, Kaede, and Marnie. When I returned wearing a bloodstained shirt, I went through surging waves of questioning, and even after exining the details of the attack, I was sentenced to scoldings for a long time. And I had to do it in seiza. There shouldnt have been anything like seiza in this world, but when Akane said Takumi, seiza!, I ended up in seiza from a conditioned reflex. However, rather than me being careless, it was true that I had an opening this time, so in the middle of it all, I resigned myself to epting sermons from everyone. Haa, well, its good that Im safe, but I wonder if I should move around with Akane who can use Light attribute magic I dont mind going with you, but I am not as much of abat-type like Sophia is, so I feel like it would turn out to be the opposite where Takumi would have to protect me. Mm, thats true. Ah, about that, if its poison then you have resistance, and you can manage using detoxification magic by yourself somehow. Moreover, I believe Akane is well enough to fight. After all, she is a hero. When I tried to give a weak rebuttal to the overprotective Sophia, she red at me so sharp I could almost hear it. Sophia is scary. After two full hours of sermons in seiza, I, like a newborn fawn from the trembling of my legs, was finally allowed to sit on the sofa. Haa, that was merciless. Hmm? Y-ya know, I meant the attack by the assant. That so? Then its fine. Theres no way I could feel at ease with Akanes pointed gaze. Yep, lets just not think about the attacker. Still, what force could have sent the assant, I wonder Yeah, we cant say for sure that its the Divine Empire of Sydnia either. Sophia reflected on the backer of the attack. Akane seems to have considered the country she escaped from first, but felt something to be out of ce. Its the same for me. Sydnias zealots were different, and my intuition is saying that it isnt rted to religion. Though I cant say it for certain, I have a hunch that its in a different direction. The zealot units of the Divine Empire of Sydnias Light God Faith. While at minute quantities, I felt miasma from them. However, I didnt feel miasma at all from the attacker this time. Even so, just that doesnt mean that the Divine Empire of Sydnia is not involved. When I talked about what I sensed from the attacker, ament came from Akane that denying it based on the impression I had from the attacker was weak reasoning. Thats true, then how about we think if there are people who consider me to be a hindrance or have a strong resentment for me? Yeah, first of all would be the Light God Church of the Divine Empire of Sydnia. I imagine Triaria Kingdom does not find Wedgefort to be agreeable. After all, we are people that blocked their invasion route to Yggurle Kingdom. Akane and Sophia named the Divine Empire of Sydnia and Triaria Kingdom. Even within Valkyra Kingdom, excepting noble houses like Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford, I think there are also nobles that dont think too nicely of Takumi-sama. I cant say there are none. As Maria had said, within Valkyra Kingdom, there were many nobles and merchants that learned of me before we realized. I had nned on not standing out, but Sophia and Maria said that couldnt be the case after my audience with the King. Furthermore, it was impossible to conceal the fact that we subdued the flood of monsters that came to Wedgefort after its construction. Even earlier than that, with the Purifier MD, Toilet MD, and Handpump, there is no way they wouldnt have noticed MasterHusband. W-well, I guess yeah. Even Marnie was astonished, saying How carefree can you be?. At any rate, even though his battle type skills were crude, his speed and power were abnormally high. It would be dangerous if a first ss user had that mysterious power up. Yeah, its just as Sophia says. And that assant died, didnt he? Did you find out anything from the corpse? Sophia had the same impression I had from the assant. Even now, my back still stiffens from the thought. Then Akane asked if we checked the assants body. Thats what we did, but the assant himself didnt have the air of an adventurer and looked like a regr person. Aside from the sword, he had no equipment. Then I hit him in the torso with my elbow while holding back, but in the end, he died. After that, we did a quick examination on his corpse in the Orders station, and the bones and muscles in his entire body were tattered and crumbling. A person that isnt even a warrior destroyed himself by going beyond his limits? It may or may not have been self destruction, but he was moving until he fell. Asked by Akane, I recalled the situation at the time while trying to think if there had been anything strange. Thinking back on it, the sword swing speed and my reaction speed was not something to panic about whenpared to my mock battles with mypanions, and once I calmed down, I could cope with it even while humming. I was careless to have been taken by surprise, and myck of actual experience in interpersonal fights hade back to bite me. Forcefully lifting the limiter of a persons body. Perhaps it was something like that. Though, whether it is with drugs or magic, I dont know If its magic, it would already be a type of curse. A murder machine that moves until their own body is destroyed. Taking that into consideration, Triaria Kingdom and crime syndicates became options as well. In any case, since our information is too little, after we talked about a lot of things, the oue was that we could only be more careful for our own safety. If I think of who is suspicious, Sydnia, Triaria, factions within this country, or those that could employ criminal syndicates and the like, Id end up suspecting everyone. Haa, jeez, I want to stay in the Sanctuary and go into retirement. *** Chapter 175: Moonlight Owl Chapter 175: Moonlight Owl In the border of Triaria Kingdom lies arge city. A deserted pub exists in the slums there. In the cer of that pub, three men were having a private talk under an overhanging dimmp. so, what I am saying is, the dispatch failed. We can try again, but the target would be wary. Itd be better to not do anything now and wait for things to cool. Fumu, it would seem the target is stronger than expected. So, how were the effects of the drug? The person who received the report from the subordinate-like individual was a seemingly kindhearted slim man in his prime who had the presence of a president of apany somewhere. This man is the boss of the dark guild Moonlight Owl. The dark guild Moonlight Owl is a gigantic criminal syndicate rooted in this continent. Its headquarters is in this city located at the border of the Triaria Kingdom. Compared to the three kingdoms Valkyra, Lomaria, and Samandour, the nobles corruption runs deep within Triaria Kingdom, having more work for criminal syndicates like the Moonlight Owl and their connections with the nobles are thick. A dark guild is an illegal criminal syndicate. Assassinations, drugs, thievery, illegal very, robbery[1], they are an organization that move secretly in the shadows of this continent. The effects of the drug were tremendous, but the guinea pigs body was unable to endure it. Since it is a precious sample, we had intended to retrieving the corpse that had been brought to the station of Margrave Voltons Knight Order, but unfortunately, there were no knights in Margrave Voltons territory that would fall for money. As such, we have given up on the retrieval. As if expecting it, the boss nodded at the report of the man with an owl tattoo on his upper arm. Well, that cant be helped. Now leaving that aside, itd be unreasonable unless we ask the client for a fee increase. Thats right. I did not see it firsthand, but I can say the targets abilities exceed our guess. Waiting diagonally behind the boss is a man acting as both the boss guard and advisor. He was in his mid-thirties, with a well trained body covered in scars and sharp, raptor-like eyes. We had rushed the test of the drug too much that our investigation on the target was inadequate. Even so, one of the primary factors we failed is that the investigation had been difficult because the target this time is elusive. The guinea pigs faculty were also mediocre, but the range of increase in faculty was extreme. The duration of the effect must be verified. The guinea pig died by destroying himself, didnt he? Despite the failure of the request, the boss attitude as he listens to the report of his subordinate was rtively calm. To him, thepletion of the drug was more important than the client this time. Yes, the direct cause was the targets counterattack, but the guinea pig had reached his limit by the time he fell. The fact that the guinea pigs corpses muscles and bones were tattered was the only information they grasped. After the guinea pig was defeated, organization members mixed in with the curious onlookers listened in on the conversation between the Knight Order who rushed in and Takumi who was the target. The issue of the drug is that the user abuses their body to surpass their limits, so there is an issue with using it on anyone but disposable personnel. Moreover, first ss swordsmen and warriors do not want a radical increase in physical abilities. Rather, if they are unable to control their body, they would feel weakened instead. In actuality, they would likely be swept along by their own body. So those areas need to be improved on. Extending the duration of the drugs effect and weakening the impact it has on the body? Yes, well start the next experiment. Upon saying so, the man who reported to the boss left the cer. If the drug is perfected, Triaria would probably want it. Yeah, well sell it as high as possible. Those guys are getting poor recently. And we the Moonlight Owl would use it in disputes with enemy organizations. We wont sell it to the Divine Empire of Sydnia? When the guard mentioned the Divine Empire of Sydnia, the boss face directly soured. Im not having anything to do with those wackos crazed about their strange god whove been violent everywhere. Theyre doing their own research to make their own insane fighters. Theyre madder than us. I see, no curse befalls those that dont interfere with a god, isnt it? Then, I will contact this times client that gathering information on the target will take time. If theyin, I will demand an increase in the request fee. Fumu, then Ill leave it to you. The dark guild Moonlight Owl. They only targeted Takumi at the request of a noble, but in the near future, the fate of their organization would surelye to an end. The fact that Takumi incurred injuries in thetest attack angered Sophia and the girls more than Takumi had ever imagined. Furthermore, since the sword was coated with poison that was most certainly fatal, the women who love Takumi dearly had united, determined to crush the offenderspletely. *** Footnotes: 1. Theres a difference between robbery and thievery. Information here. 2. A proverb simr to Better to let sleeping dogs lie. Chapter 176: Women’s Wrath Chapter 176: Womens Wrath A few days passed after repelling the attacker. I entered the shipbuilding dock in the Sanctuary and began making the improvements. This time, Ill only be doing simple improvements like furnishing it with detailed upholstery and magic devices, but its hard because the ship is gigantic. Refurbishing the ship isnt my only job though. Because the Mermaids increased by over 200, its absolutely necessary to construct their dwellings. They can go onnd even though theyre called Mermaids and they said theyd be d to live by the seaside, so were building the Mermaids residential area by the seaside with the Dwarves help. Its the Sanctuary, so Ill be safe even without Sophia guarding me, so I was in full operation by my lonesome. However, it would seem that Sophia and the girls were holding a meetingprising the female group which included the Great Spirits. And I dont know what the meeting is about. They didnt tell me. We would like to discuss how to deal with the attack on Takumi-sama the other day, as well as predicting threats in the future. On arge table situated in the garden of Takumis mansion in the Sanctuary, Sophia started the meeting after confirming that everyone was present. I believe that we were also careless because we let Takumi-sama by himself saying it was in Volton city. Yeah, they struck at the opportunity when Sophia who was always by his side was not there. In response, Akane took the fact that the incident happened on the rare chance that he went out alone gravely. In actuality, the assant attacking Takumi when he was alone was entirely a coincidence, but Sophia and the girls, who had no way of confirming this, had concluded that it happened because Takumi was alone. I heard the circumstances in detail, and it is probably a type of drug. I believe it is safe to conclude that it is not magic, curses included. If Undine-sama says so then it is certain. That being the case, regarding the origin of the drug, I think it would be impossible to investigate it at this point in time. Sophia and the girls believed that if a Great Spirit says it isnt a type of magic or curse, then it almost cant be wrong. There are magic spells that could strengthen physical abilities, but Undine says that it is hard to imagine a magic that could be kept up even as the movements tear muscles apart and causeplex fractures on bones. She said that magic cant be maintained with intense pain. So its drugs, that means it is a considerablyrge organization. Laeva doesnt know all the recipes as a pharmacist, but even so, she looks over the drugs that appear in the societys markets. Of course, she hasnt heard of a drug that can remove the limiter of a person so their body can move past its limits. And that means its a new drug, but even the Pharmacists Guild continues to research the new drug for a long time, even 10 years, for it to beplete. Also, it takes arge amount of money to develop. I see, it would be impossible unless its a country or an organization with a lot of power. Moreover, if a country is doing it, that means that the country is remorseless, capable of conducting cruel experiments on live humans and considers the assant as disposable. Sophia and Akane understood and agreed. It wasnt only the drug. The sword the assant who attacked Takumi-sama used was smeared with poison. Furthermore, it was a unique poison, and it would have been lethal if not for Takumi-samas resistance. It was a poison Laeva doesnt know about? Akane-san, there are many things that even I dont know about. Poison. Right, they did use poison. Did somethinge to mind? Akane asked when Sophia reacted to the word poison. Countries have dark sides too, and their organizations would also handle poison. However, there is one more type of organization that specializes in using poison in their jobs. Its the Dark Guilds, isnt it Sophia-san? Thats correct, Maria. Hearing this, Sylph brooded. I will ask the Wind Spirits to collect information. Then I will request the Tree Spirits to try gathering information as well. When Sylph mentioned that she would use her familiar spirits to collect information, Dryas also undertook the information gathering using her Tree Spirit familiars. We will have them ept punishment for harming Takumi, the Protector of the Spirit Tree, Friend of the Great Spirits, Keeper of the Sanctuary, and Guider of the Fairykin. Undine dered so in apelling tone. If Takumi had been here, hed be fine with the friend of the Great Spirit, but he would probably be bewildered as to when he became the protector of the Spirit Tree, keeper of the Sanctuary, and guider of the Fairykin. Those guys who hurt Master are unforgivable. Yes, I can not pardon those after Masters (Husband) life. When Kaede and Marnie said so, Sophia, Maria, Akane, and Laeva agreed. Then well annihte them as soon as we find them! Ooou````!! The women rallied at Undines spurring shout. The attack on Takumi in Volton sparked the wrath of not only those tied together with him in body and mind` Sophia, Maria, and Marnie`, but also Laeva, Akane, Lulu, and the familiar, Kaede. Furthermore, the injuries sustained by Takumi, the man who made the Spirit Tree sprout, built up the foundation of the Sanctuary, and the guardian of their followers, had angered the Great Spirits as well. This was the moment that the future of the Dark Guild Moonlight Owl , which boasts being one of thergest in the continent, was sealed. *** Chapter 177: The Retaliation Commences Chapter 177: The Retaliation Commences Why? I wonder to myself why things turned out this way. Right now, I am touring therge cities in Valkyra Kingdom. Were going around the country through Tsubaki and my teleportation magic. The start of this was when Sophia and the girls talked about eradicating the people who attacked me. Including Undine and the Great Spirits, our girl group apparently held an emergency meeting and decided to retaliate against the opposing force. Without dy, Sylph made use of her Wind Spirit retainers, Dryas asked the cooperation of the Tree Spirits, and even Gnome used his Earth Spirit retainers for intelligence gathering. As a result, they seemed to have identified the organization that attacked me, and Sylph says shes sure this is probably it. When I saidNo, probably wont cut it, she replied with Theres no problem being wrong with a criminal syndicate, you know.. Watching that exchange, Sophia and the girls were of same opinion and nodding. And we arrive at the present. That criminal syndicate appears to have bases set up extensively in Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, Samandour Kingdom, and Triaria Kingdom. Even the Spirits didnt discover the headquarters, so they decided we would go around and crush the bases inside Valkyra Kingdom. This organization looks like it has extremely inhumane upations, like thievery, murder, uwful human trafficking. Have I been dyed by this world too? I wasnt unsettled getting rid of them. If they are left to do as they please, good people would only meet harm. Promptly deciding what is evil ismon sense in this world, but as someone whos beginning to ept that, I feel my views on ethics and morality as a Japanese is bing exceedingly weak. Unlike me whose body changed from my previous life, it feels like Akane, a normal high school student, is adapting much faster. Women are so resilient. There is a bar in the outskirts of a slum in a city in Valkyra Kingdom. This bar where no respectable person approached is one of the bases of the dark guild Moonlight Owl. The dark guild Moonlight Owl is an organization that has bases all over the continent and works regardless of its legality or illegality. That was one of the bases that suddenly became the hunted. In the corner of an alleyway darkened by the set sun, I was asked to appraise the people entering and exiting the bar found by the Wind Spirits. I dont usually appraise people. Its not like I could just see the persons status values even if I appraise them. Id only be able to see the name, race, level, job, and titles of a person who doesnt purposely show their status. Since I cant see the skills a person possesses, Ive never had to use it on people[1]. My appraisal is very useful on things though. What I found out was that everyone who entered the bar had murderer and rapist in their titles. It was definitely the gathering spot of the criminal syndicate. Itd be strange if 100% of the people in a bar are criminals, after all. Once it became known that everyone there was found to be guilty, Kaede soundlessly headed to the bar under the cover of darkness. Maria followed to back up Kaede. Kaede and Maria were wearing Overcoats of Existence Concealment which had two enchantments, Inhibit Perception and Enhanced Stealth skill, so if they erased their presence, they wouldnt be discovered first. Inside the bar that had less than 10 people, Kaedes threads danced soundlessly. The men were restrained in an instant, unable to let out even a peep. Kaedes paralytic poison deprived their bodies of freedom. As a result, I shuttled the men from the bar that was dominated in less than 5 minutes by Kaedes threads to a temporary basement built in the outskirts of Volton city. Sophia had said This is surely the organization that attacked Takumi-sama, but it is necessary to investigate the background of the incident. The members of the criminal syndicate that were sent to the Knight Orders station were apparently interrogated relentlessly by the contact on Margrave Voltons side and Sophia and the girls. As I was asked not to be near there, I worked hard in the development of the Sanctuary. The syndicate bases were going around crushing are of the dark guild called Moonlight Owl, and theyre said to be thergest dark guild in the continent. Margrave Volton said that His Majesty wants to take this opportunity to eradicate the influence of Moonlight Owl within Valkyra Kingdom with the intention to inspect the documents like the ledgers left in the bases to crack down on the nobles andpanies involved in crimes. From the day we demolished the first base, all bases of the Moonlight Owlin Valkyra Kingdom were destroyed within one month. The headquarters of Moonlight Owl in a border region of Triaria Kingdom was slow to realize the development within Valkyra Kingdom and ended up losing their position in Valkyra Kingdom. The boss of Moonlight Owl , unable to grasp what happened at the beginning, had sent subordinates to their bases in Valkyra Kingdom many times, but all of them had been apprehended by Valkyra Kingdoms intelligence division whom had been monitoring the already exposed bases. Even so, he never thought that the impetus for all this was triggering Sophia and the girls wrath after Takumi was attacked. *** Footnotes: 1. How could he have seen the skills of Sophia and Maria back then, then? Chapter 178: Boss of the Owls Chapter 178: Boss of the Owls In the headquarters of a dark guild in the border region of Triaria Kingdom, leaning on a chair with a look of disappointment was the boss that leads the criminal syndicate Moonlight Owl. There was a peculiarity on the ears of the man called Forbach. They were long, pointed ears different from those of a humans. Yes, Forbach, the bossmanding the Moonlight Owls, is an elf. From his appearance which looks to be in his prime, it could be surmised that he is far from being 100 years old. Sighing, he put on the ring that had been ced on the table and his characteristically long ears changed its shape to that of a humans. For the elf Forbach to lead as the boss of a dark guild in the human supremacist nation Triaria Kingdom, it was necessary for him to falsify his race with an Illusion Ring. Having been exiled as a criminal in Yggurle Kingdom, Forbach used the Illusion Ring to falsify his race and ran to Triaria Kingdoms underworld. And for many months and years after that, he trudged on muddy waters as he steadily climbed to the top. In the process of rising in the underworld, Forbach had gotten involved with every possible kind of criminal act. Having continued to fight in the forefront for many years, Forbachs elven-like body was covered in an armor of muscle. In exchange, Forbach lost the voice of the Spirits. He had lost Spirit Magic, which is the elves strongest asset. Spending his long elven life with violence, Forbach had built up the dark guild Moonlight Owl as the continents top organization. Moonlight Owl gains ie through every possible criminal act, but a chief factor of those earnings are drugs. As they handle production to sale, they used it on the assant that attacked Takumi with the aim of improving on the drug that would increase a bodys capabilities dramatically. Developed over several years through repeated human experimentation, the drug which causes the user to be numb to pain as they continue moving until they self-destruct was a failure. No matter how many disposable people they have, if it was known that consuming that drug causes death, even the tip of the members would run away if they knew theyre disposable.Kon kon Hearing a knock on the door, Forbach gave permission to enter the room. Boss, about the stop ofmunication from the bases in Valkyra Kingdom, all members might have been arrested. All of them, you must be kidding. Are you saying that they raided all of the bases? Lets say that is the case, do you think it is possible for all members to have been arrested? The information reported to Forbach was utterly imusible. Valkyra Kingdom has been having several booming fiefs recently, and that went hand in hand with profiting from work behind the scenes. Spending copious amounts of time and money on the bases they use in a country for all of it to be exposed was truly beyond Forbachs imagination. I had some people go there but only five out of thirty men hade back. I was told that the hideouts were being guarded by garrisons of Valkyra Kingdom. And the ones unable to return? The intelligence division of the country have set a around the bases and all persons moving suspiciously were arrested. Damn it, just how much time and money do you think it took to make that many bases in Valkyra?! The usuallyposed Forbach mmed on his desk in rage. Still, why did Valkyra Kingdom begin cracking down on the dark guild so proactively, to the point that one might say it was all of a sudden? Forbach couldnt understand. was it the failure to assassinate that youngster? What came to mind was the reversal during the assassination job on a young man in Volton city. Forbach remembered that the client should have been a noble simrly from Valkyra Kingdom. He epted the job so the assassination could also serve as a test for the drug, but the target was stronger than expected and Valkyra Kingdom ended up securing the corpse of the assant as well as the sword coated with special poison. Are you making progress with that mission? Were in the middle of reinvestigating the targets data again, but were unable to gather information because the target is elusive and now weve also lost the bases Continue gathering information on the target even if you have to increase the number of people. Also, find out why this happened to all the bases at this time. Yessir! The guardsman left the room. Forbach leaned on the back of his chair and closed his eyes. He supposed that the attack on the young man and the recent base crushing incident are not directly rted. The assassination attempt on a lone young man who isnt even a noble wouldnt have led to the shut down of all their bases in Valkyra Kingdom. The result of the simple investigation on the targeted young man is that he is an excellent magic device craftsman. Those magic devices had drastically improved Valkyra Kingdoms sanitary circumstance and the economy is booming. Just that wouldnt have led to the destruction of all the bases. Forbach descends into thoughts of bewilderment as he couldnt reach an answer. There was no way the organization would have ever realized that this series of events was started because of Sophia and the womens anger towards the organizations assassination attempt on Takumi. *** Chapter 179: The observation group passes by Chapter 179: The observation group passes by Because of the girls wrath, all dark guild bases within Valkyra Kingdom had been crushed and their members apprehended. 10 days after, based on the interrogations and investigations done all over by the Knight Order and Intelligence division, they figured out that the bases were used by the dark guild known as Moonlight Owl. The activities of the Moonlight Owl became clear after that, and that brought about mayhem within Valkyra Kingdom. It hade to light that the dark guild and several noble houses were connected. The King, Prime Minister, Knight Commander, Minister of Armed Forces, and Minister of Finance were moving about without sleep for several days. There was no issue dealing with the noble houses with connections to the dark guild that were low in ranking. However, some among them were even Earls that hold administrative and judicial positions so the royal pce was in turmoil. The houses that couldnt simply be removed were obligated to retire the head of their household and fined heavily. As for the truly unpardonable houses, the head of their household are subjected to death by hanging and their possessions seized. For that reason, we had more free time than the three countries, but its been decided that they would observe the Sanctuary. They dont know whether they would be able to pass through the barrier or not until that timees. The representatives of the countries were told this, but theres no way no one would be able to go in, right? The representatives of Valkyra are Prime Minister Simon[1] and Margrave Godwin Volton. Coming from Yggurle Kingdom are Prime Minister Balza and Princess Mimir. Meanwhile Prime Minister Drehd and King Lomaria hade to personally represent Lomaria Kingdom. The party first observed the outer edge of the Sanctuary. They discussed the location of the city-to-be and its scale. Such as how far the construction should be from the Sanctuary, or what materials and personnel should be allocated by which country. They also discussed things like the space and location of each countrys embassy in detail. Hooh, are the Spirit Tree and the Great Spirits Sanctuary ahead? It does not look like there is anything there. How terrifying, this barrier of the Great Spirits. King Lomaria, for you to havee personally What, I would like to know even a fragment of the secret to the rapid expansion of Valkyra Kingdom. Valkyra Kingdoms Prime Minister Simon started a conversation with King Lomaria who had been looking in the direction of the erected barrier. King Lomaria looked towards Princess Mimir and, as she is the only one among them that knows what is inside the Sanctuary, asked her for information on it. Princess Mimir, do you perhaps know what is within the Sanctuary? Yes, as I was fortunate to receive the favor of the Great Spirits, yes, it has been well. Hou, how enviable. Although its for an observation, it isnt known if everyone could enter the Sanctuary. They heard beforehand that the escorting knights have almost no chance. Princess Mimir only had her usualdy attendant to apany her. Your Majesty, we are almost there. Ou, I see. However, not using a carriage is difficult. Simon-dono, Godwin-dono, Balza-dono. Especially Princess Mimir, is it not? Princess Mimir, who always entered the Sanctuary in a carriage, is walking on foot with everyone this time. Please be at ease. The carriage awaits us in a ce past the barrier. Mimirs soledy attendant drove the carriage past the barrier and was on standby. Mimir didnt think that the escorting knights of the King and Prime Ministers of each country could pass through the barrier with them. Thats why she expected that her carriage would be plenty. Hence why theyre on foot at first. If they were on the carriage, it might turn into a disaster when theyre repelled by the barrier. Well then, let us be on our way. Princess Mimir led the way, while King Lomaria and the other representatives followed. They began walking in a line to pass through the barrier. Sure enough, the knights were obstructed by the barrier. At Undine and the Great Spirits discretion, individuals possessing weapons were repelled. Actually, among the escorting knights, there were those qualified to enter the barrier, but all the knights were barred entry to the Sanctuary this time. When they passed through the barrier, the gigantic Spirit Tree naturally pervaded their sights. Theres still some distance to go, but aside from Mimir and her attendant, the representatives were all in nk amazement at the size of the Spirit Tree. When the Elves that immigrated started taking care of the Spirit Tree, it grew evenrger. The representatives boarded the awaiting carriage in the eastern grasnds. The carriage ran across the terrain. Not long after they saw the forest and copses, they arrived at the heart of the Sanctuary. was this truly the barren savagends? It is overflowing with pure energy. King Lomaria murmured at what came into view, and Prime Minister Drehd expressed surprise regarding the overflowing pure energy. Unlike their expectations, this environment was not a forest-type monster nest, it was true wilderness. As a matter of fact, from the moment they stepped past the barrier, the scenery had changedpletely. An expanse of lush grasnds then further ahead were knolls covered in blooming flowers in various colors, and when they arrived at the heart of the Sanctuary, there was a spring filled with clean water and near it towered the gigantic Spirit Tree. What was most surprising were the two splendid mansions erected there. King Lomaria had surmised that the mansions standing at the heart of the Sanctuary were the mansions of the individuals governing this Sanctuary. Since Princess Mimir knows that the mansion is owned by Takumis group, she wasposed. But Prime Minister Simon and Margrave Volton, who guessed it was Takumis, actually saw it, they were once again made to realize that he is an important figure to this Sanctuary. A mansion built slightly farther away is one I am renting personally. Therefore let us rest momentarily before the observation. My word! You also have a mansion, Princess? Balza, please stop. When Princess Mimir was about to lead them to the mansion she personally stays in, Yggurle Kingdoms Prime Minister Balza was astonished that their princess had already secured a foothold in the Sanctuary, growing jubnt as he was one step ahead of the other countries. Despite Takumis mansion weighing on the minds of the observation party, at Princess Mimirs lead, they headed for her mansion. *** Footnotes: 1. Typo, Simon is still written as Monterey. Chapter 180: Found Chapter 180: Found After having a break and drinking the tea brewed by the attendant at Princess Mimirs mansion, the observation party immediately boarded the carriage to observe the Sanctuary. The northern side has an orchard as well as a forest and thickets with various medicinal nts, therefore I will guide you to the west and south sides. Princess Mimir gave an exnation in the carriage. Because the carriage might not be able to travel in the north and the east is where they had passed through, they will only tour the west and south. The vige in the west where the Cat Siths and the children reside came into view. The number of Human and Beastkin children increased in the vige. They were toiling in the fields with the Cat Siths. Watching the children and Cat Siths inhabiting the continually expanding vige, King Lomaria asked Princess Mimir. Every child is smiling. Were all these children sheltered in the Sanctuary? Indeed. These are the children that the Great Spirits had picked up. The children looked happy working. Little children were ying in the vicinity. Theirplexion looked very healthy too. King Lomaria and Valkyra Prime Minister Simon observed this withplex expressions. Margrave Volton had established orphanages in every town or vige in his territory, but he knew that in the territories of other noble houses, there were many that didnt, so he felt the same. They left the vige and approached the sea. And this time, a settlement with many erected houses close to the coast came into view. They were able to see some mermaids fishing in the sea. They also grasped that the numbers were quite high within that settlement. That settlement is the ce where the sheltered Mermaids live. I believe that they number nearly 250 as of now. Mermaids, huh, this ce has nothing but rare races. Your Majesty, it is difficult for these rare races to subsist in the outside world. Surprised by the rarely seen races, King Lomaria and Prime Minister Drehd thought about the currently existing harsh life of the rare species in their own country, deciding to reexamine the present state of these races there when they return. They headed south from the Mermaid settlement. From the sandy white beach, it became more and more rocky until finally, they arrived at a ce with an artificial port. There, the gazes of the observation party moved from the carriage to the coastline, and they all froze, wide-eyed and mouths hanging. An enormous shipbuilding dock built on the harbor and a gigantic sail-less metal ship was moored there. Seeing the gigantic ship that exceeds this worldsmon sense with their own eyes, the people who could be said to be at the top of their countries couldnt hold back the cold sweat that ran down their backs. Im so d that my country does not face the ocean. If this can trade by way of sea which hasnt been feasible until now, I would definitely want this ship Prime Minister Simon who didnt know of the existence of the gigantic ship was relieved by the fact there was no immediate threat on Valkyra Kingdom, while Lomaria Kingdoms Prime Minister Drehd made a remark regarding its usefulness in trade. Thendlocked Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom didnt feel directly threatened, even so, they still couldnt help but dread the technological strength of being capable of creating the gigantic ship. The carriage ran south for a while from the port and the shipbuilding dock, and this time the mining area that the Great Earth Spirit Gnome and Great Fire Spirit Smander manage could be seen. Princess Mimir, this is? King Lomaria, this is thend that the Great Earth Spirit Gnome-sama and the Great Fire Spirit Smander-sama had created. I do not know it in detail, however they are able to mine various metals. The plentiful ore deposit had many potential spots for open air mining and the Dwarves were hard at work there right now. The Dwarves ages are hard to estimate, but am I the only one that sees more of the aged ones rather than young ones? Simon-dono, it appears that way to me too. Even in Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom which have adopted the principle of racial harmony, Dwarven craftsmen arent that many. A few oddballs live inrge towns and at the royal capital, but not many Dwarves live outside the Dwarven nation, Gnomstoll Kingdom. There were at least 30 Dwarves working at the mine as far as Margrave Volton and Prime Minister Simon could see. Aside from them, there were also Dwarves in breweries and shipbuilding dock, so their numbers were no less than 100. There are currently over 500 individuals living in this Sanctuary. The cultivation of farnd is progressing quickly as well, and owing to Great Tree Spirit Dryas-sama and her retainers, there is no food insecurity at present. I believe it would not take that long to be arge city, no, a small country. it would already be much better to consider associating with this ce as a country, wouldnt it? If that is the case, we would like for you to trade Spirit Tree materials, rare medicinal nts and such with our country. When Princess Mimir exined the current situation of the Sanctuary, Simon and Drehd started changing their thoughts to building a rtionship that involves trading with their country. Well then, now that you have examined the Sanctuary, let us continue the discussion in my mansion. Princess Mimir instructed the attendant driving the carriage to return. Now then, would it not pose a problem for the city the three countries will establish to be 10km east of the Sanctuary? The Sanctuarys barrier will not extend that far so it will be no issue. At Princess Mimirs reception room, the country representatives` the Prime Ministers and the King himself` were nervous as they faced Undine, the Great Water Spirit. As the representative of the Great Spirits, she appeared before the country representatives. Great Spirit-sama, would you be able to trade in Spirit Tree materials and rare medicinal nts to our country? Great Spirit-sama, if it is by any chance possible, may we ask you to sell Spirit Tree materials and rare medicinal nts that could be made into high grade potions? Valkyra Kingdoms Simon and Lomaria Kingdoms Drehd timidly sounded Undine out for the purchase of materials. Lets see, Mimirs ce has the World Tree so they wouldnt need the Spirit Trees materials, would they? H~mm, the Spirit Tree is still young so the amount would be little, but if you are fine with that, how about bartering food, seasonings, and building materials for it? Yes, that is of course wee. Our country also agrees to those terms, and we would like it if we could discuss the exchange rate separately. Our Yggurle Kingdom hade only to dere that we are not hostile against the Great Spirit-samas. You Elves and we Spirits have maintained a close connection for a long time. However, there are also Elves that sit cross-legged[1], and dont naturally show respect. Yggurle Kingdoms Prime Minister Balza was afraid that if he loses his hearing for the Spirits voices, he would lose Spirit Magic. Actually, even at this time, soldiers and mercenaries sent by a certain carnivorous elderly elf are searching for a way to pass through the barrier. T-that is please pardon us. Even His Majesty is unable to hold that mans reins, and Yggurle Kingdom is struggling against him too Balza was sweating and making excuses about Earl Hordia. At first, Earl Hordia struggled to hide his affiliation to the soldiers and mercenaries at the barrier, but now, he is brazen and doesnt hide it as the private army of the House of Earl Hordia attack the barrier and attempt to lift the magic form. Well, there are fools in any country. Next time, you all will be allowed to bring one civil official with experience, as well as an attendant and two knight escorts to pass through the Sanctuarys barrier. Undine-sama, will it be alright for a knight to pass through? Princess Mimir asked in concern for the inhabitants of the Sanctuary when Undine gave two knight escorts to apany them. Its fine. If its that amount of knights, then Takumi and the others will be able to deal anything that happens. Undine-sama, what is a Takumi? Hearing the name Takumiing from Undines mouth and then once more from King Lomaria, Margrave Volton and Simon grimaced. While thinking unpleasant thoughts about the unfettered remark of the Great Spirit, Margrave Volton decided to give up because continuing to hide matters about Takumi is impossible anyway. As her cheeks grew stiff, Princess Mimir believed in her heart that she had erred by Takumi, who is in a neighboring mansion. *** Footnotes: 1. In Japan, when sitting on a chair, it is impolite to cross your legs. Whenever youre talking to someone who you dont know well or who is senior to you, you should basically not cross your legs. A discussion about it vs other cultures here. 2. Title is actually: Takumi, found. Chapter 181: Keeper of the Sanctuary Chapter 181: Keeper of the Sanctuary Since I heard from Margrave Volton that the observation party of three nations would visit the Sanctuary this day, I confined myself to the mansion obediently. Apparently, the three countries held a conference in Wedgefort after I told Margrave Volton about the Sanctuary. After that, I made Princess Mimir the point of contact for today, but Im also hiding because I dont want to stand out. Well, the mansion is in the best location in the Sanctuary so I know its kinda impossible to continue hiding, but Id like to refrain from meeting the big shots of the three countries. Since I was doing things like making potions, thinking up weapons or magic devices to equip the Magic Ship with in the mansion workshop with Laeva, I didnt get bored. By the afternoon, I was rxing in the living room with Sophia, enjoying cookies and tea made by Maria when Lulu-chan, who is wrapped in ck maid clothes, informed me of a visitor. Takumi-sama, Princess Mimir-sama ising. Mimir-sama? Huh? Shes a member of the observation group today, isnt she? I headed to the foyer to greet her, and when I opened the door, there were people I recognize and people I dont that were staring at me from behind Mimir. U-umm, Princess Mimir, this is the heck? Please forgive me, Takumi-sama. As I was freaking out, Princess Mimir lowered her head very deeply and apologized to me. Now now, I thoughtlessly mentioned Takumis name. Mimir didnt do wrong. Undine When Undine didnt look even the slightest bit guilty, I ended up suspecting whether this was on purpose or not. So this mansion really was Iruma-donos mansion. Does this mean that Iruma-dono is in an important position in this Sanctuary? Margrave Volton-sama, Simon-sama, no, Im not in an important position here. You dont have to try to deceive them anymore. Yes, Takumi is called the Keeper of this Sanctuary, or the Protector of the Sanctuary and Guardian of the Spirit Tree. What on earth!? Wait, Undine! I told Margrave Volton that I was deeply involved with the Sanctuary, in a position that coulde in and out of the barrier, but I didnt expect Undine to put things that bluntly. Every member of the observation party aside from Princess Mimir was surprised. Of course they would be. I am a person of dubious origins and the Sanctuary is a ce full of sacred magic power that appeared in the savagends in western end of the continent which all nations were paying attention to. Then they were told by Great Spirit that a youngster like myself was the keeper and protector of such a ce. Takumi, why dont we have some tea in the garden? Listen here, Undine. Hoh, that sounds nice. May we join you as well? Undine proposed to have some tea in our favorite spot in the Sanctuary where there are tables and chairs with a view of the spring and the Spirit Tree. I dont know who it was, but when I was about to object, the man who, at a nce, exuded an aura of importance had agreed. Fuu~, Lulu-chans brewed tea is delicious. Youre right. The cookies made by Maria are also tasty. So true. delicious. Despite the heaviness of the mood which was making my stomach hurt, not only Undine but Sylph, Dryas, Selene, and even the elusive Nyx were drinking tea nonchntly. To the left and right behind me, Sophia and Titan were standing guard, giving rise to a bizarre atmosphere in this ce. Guarding me from behind as my attendant despite being the eldest daughter of the Chevalier Sylphide family and a peerless beauty even among the Elves, Sophia. And the 3 meter tall Adamantite Alloy Guardian Golem, Titan. Seeing Sophia and Titan protect me, even Margrave Volton who I am friendly with had stiff cheeks. After that, I got a self-introduction from the man with a strange aura. Who would have thought the King Lomaria himself woulde as part of the observation party. Is it fine for both the king and the prime minister to leave their country? And then, despite being my acquaintances, the prime minister of Valkyra Kingdom and Margrave Volton introduced themselves and greeted me, andstly the prime minister of Yggurle Kingdom did the did the same. Iruma-dono, for you to drink normally with the Great Spirits, I wonder, what is your rtionship with them? U-umm When I was at a loss on how to exin, Undine cut in. Ill introduce you properly. Takumi is the Guardian of the Spirit Tree, Keeper of the Sanctuary[1], Protector of the Sanctuary, and there are many other names, but you understand, dont you? Wha?! The Keeper of the Sanctuary is not an Elf, but an ordinary Human?! Prime Minister Balza of Yggurle Kingdom, the elven country, looked shocked as he asked. Princess! Were you aware of this?! Balza, Spirits are not just the power of the elves. The Spirits are here for the sake of the world. Our Spirit Magic is merely borrowing their power. Despite this, if I had imparted the fact that Takumi-sama is the keeper of the Sanctuary to the country, fools such as Earl Hordia would surely invade. That moment would be the moment Yggurle Kingdom would lose the protection of the Spirits. I will take this opportunity to give you advice. It would be in your best interest to not think of attacking this Sanctuary as a country or try to bring Takumi into your country. When Princess Mimir told Balza not to get the wrong idea, Undine drove her point into the representatives of various countries. A dream-likend unexposed to the threat of monsters, thieves, and war, with crops growing bountifully and resources aplenty. For the people of their respective countries, it was something they oh so desperately want, but the Sanctuary is a ce where the Great Spirits control who cane in and out of the barrier. Even if they know that there is no way for one country to obtain this eden right now, they likely couldnt give up. Everyone aside from Yggurle Kingdoms prime minister sank into silence. After that, in the delicate mood, while consistently talking harmlessly and inoffensively, we talked a bit about the agreement for establishment of a town close to the Sanctuary. And so, the first Sanctuary observation finished and the observation party was sent back using Princess Mimirs carriage. *** Footnotes: 1. I think this might have been a typo, raws said Spirit Tree instead of Sanctuary. Both work, but Ill put in Sanctuary for consistency. Chapter 182: Leading To Chapter 182: Leading To In a solemn church with stained ss and sculptures, the leader of a religious organization in extravagant clothing and a man who took up the position known as Pope, Warvaal was talking to a beautiful woman in private. Well then Elizabeth, how was the drug from the dark guild? Yes Father, the drug sold by the dark guild Moonlight Owl is undoubtedly a powerful medicine like they had exined. However, should we reduce the dosage, it could be used on a believer if their body is d in a certain amount of holy energy. Pope Warvaals conversation partner is his daughter, First Imperial Princess Elizabeth. Shemands the Kamui unit to punish the pagans and heretics of the rival gods. The management of Jinguji Akira and Taiga Yamato, two of the summoned heroes, is also Elizabeths job. And the intelligence division of the Kamui unit that Elizabeth leads made contact with the dark guild. That dark guild, Moonlight Owl, sold them the drug that raises a bodys physical capabilities abnormally. Capable of making a soldier fight without feeling pain, that drug currently has many demerits, but the result of their experimentation shows that if they reduce the dosage on a person d in dense holy energy, it wouldnt lead to the breakdown of their body. The holy energy they are covered by is actually miasma, but as they are worshipers of an evil spirit, it could technically be called holy energy. The miasma-encroached Kamui unit (Zealots) have now devolved into beings closer to monsters. Theyvee to have sturdy bodies that can effectively consume a small dose of the physical ability-enhancing drug that the Moonlight Owl supplied. Fumu, then it appears to be useful. Could you tell them we will buy all they have? Yes, since I feel it requires a slight bit more improvement for the heroes to use it, I will convey to them to continue improving the drug. Lately, the movements of the Divine Empire of Sydnia, or rather, the Light God Church have been difficult to state. Things were not going well for Kamuis mission against subhumans and heretics. An unusual Barrier MD has appeared on the market, and for some reason, it targeted the Kamui unit of the Light God Faith and repelled them. Its not as though they couldnt forcibly tear down the barrier, but the damages to their troops were many. Therefore, their enactment of divine punishment towards Lomaria Kindom and Valkyra Kingdom was put on hold. Because of this, disputes have be violent in the borders of Samandour Kingdom and Gnomstoll Kingdom. However, invading Gnomstoll Kingdom which practically only has Dwarves has been difficult, moreover, as warriors, the brawny Dwarves are formidable enemies for the Kamui unit. And for Samandour, because it is a trading nation, there were many high ranking adventurers and the links of the countrys soldiers were tight knit, Sydnia could not unt their Gods majesty as they please. The Divine Empire of Syndia is the smallest in size among the countries in this continent, so the believers of their creed were also smaller inparison to the believers of the Genesis Faith. As such, increasing the members of the Holy Knight Order and Kamui unit was urgent business. Nevertheless, for some reason, the hero summoning magic circle had be impossible to use. As a result of a variety of inspections, they learned that the magic form would never again activate. The reasoning was unknown, however. So how are the heroes? Yes, if we look at it from the standards of the Holy Knight Order and Kamui unit, theyre already nearing the top ss. As proactive as they are with training, they also actively participate in handing down divine punishment on heretics. Fumu, things are quite favorable. They do not have a close rtionship with the dark guild Moonlight Owl whose headquarters are located in the outskirts of Triaria Kingdom, however, they have been asking the guild to do their dirty work over many years. Despite being iplete, the boss there had approached them with an interesting drug. These recent years, the believers d in holy energy have begun increasing, their physical capabilities were rising and their stamina have increased to the point it could no longer bepared to before. The supply of drugs from the Moonlight Owl marked the time of their religions propagation in the continent, and to Warvaal, it was truly a godsend. So, what about the Divine Empire of Sydnia? Sir, the Pope has decided to buy the medicine. But they said to continue improving it. In the cer of a building in a town in the borders of Triaria Kingdom, two men stood under an illuminating magic device. Hmm, they said to improve it, but we wouldnt have had it hard if it was that simple. Even so, because the Light God Churchs purchase, the drug wasnt for nothing. Aside from narcotics, it would be another mainstay for us. Fumu, that drug lets call it Demonicine[1]. It would sell even more if its as addictive as narcotics. Well, we need to think about how to improve on that too. A messenger from the noble that requested Takumis assassination was pressing them about it, but the target was extremely elusive, and his actions were unpredictable. Because of this, the guild wanted a substantial retainer fee. It wasnt too much, but Forbach judged that the targets abilities werent worth the current pay. Leave the target be for now. Prioritize improving the drug and increasing production. True, that target doesnt seem to be in Volton all the time, so thats good idea. Unlike his appearance, the guard covered in armor-like muscles with scars all over his body has actually been in the intelligence faction supporting Forbach as his right hand man for many years . By supplying Demonicine to the Light God Church, theMoonlight Owl had given birth to the wars between the countries with creed on racial harmony and Human supremacist countries. *** Footnotes: 1. ħa- Mayaku / sort of a y on words with a Mayaku which means narcotics/opium/drugs etc. Cant really trante it into english well. 2. Also, the contradiction between what they said before and now about associating with Sydnia lol Sphys Note: And so, this is the end of Volume 4. Thank you very much for reading! As always, now that I have finished a volume, I will have a week off updates, and will be back 3 updates from now. Chapter 183: Scolding the Great Spirits Chapter 183: Scolding the Great Spirits The day after the observation party visited the Sanctuary, Iined to Undine. That was unfair, Undine. I didnt want the countries higher ups to know about me. Oh, didnt the people from Valkyra know anyway? Then wouldnt it have only been a matter of time before the other countries knew even if I had stayed silent? Myint didnt concern Undine in the slightest. Sure, I knew that if I built the mansion at the heart of the Sanctuary, I would sooner orter be exposed, but I wanted to be excused from meeting the higher ups of the countries so suddenly. Because of that, King Lomaria learned what I look like, and Yggurle Kingdoms Prime Minister was ring at me or something. He definitely didnt like the fact that Undine said that I was the Protector of the Spirit Tree and the Keeper of the Sanctuary. Should I leave the elf alone? Haa, Undine and Sylph are one thing, but I would have liked it if Dryas stopped them. I wanted Dryas, who seemed to be the one withmon sense(?) among the Great Spirits, to stop Undine and Sylph, but. Right, it might be a bit inconvenient outside the Sanctuary. It might be slightly troublesome in Volton Town, but there would be no problem if you are in the Sanctuary, no? Just as Undine says, a surge of merchants and noblesing to the mansion in Volton would be frightening. Moreover, I had only just recently been attacked by an assant, and I have a feeling this would create more cause to target me. Since that attack, with walks in Volton being a matter of course, Sophia positively never left my side, even when in the safety of the Sanctuary. Kaede had even strung up a thread barrier. And Titan is always on standby within the Subspace. Haa~ Ill refrain from going out in Volton. Isnt that just perfect? Id like to ask you toplete the construction of residences and facilities. the Purifier MD and Toilet Purifier MD havepletely been out of my own pockets though. Dont be so stingy. Takumi, you have a lot of money, dont you? Undine proposed that it was the perfect time toplete the Sanctuary, and it looks like Sylph thinks that I will do anything out of the goodness of my heart. The Spirits are too free willed. Protesting to Undine and the Great Spirits was like pushing against a curtain, a waste of effort and has no effect. And then, maybe because she thought I was pitiful, Dryas gave me a fascinating proposition. Now now, Takumi. In return for that, I will give something that Takumi desires. Something I desire? Yes, rice is probably this, isnt it? A sheaf with a ripe ear of rice appeared from Dryas hand. Ah!! RICE!! It will be equitable with this, wouldnt it? You wanted this rice and soybeans, didnt you? And koji[1], was it? That thing is necessary to make miso and shoyu(?), isnt it? With my power, producing fermented food is easy, you know. Hahaa~, Dryas-sama! I will work like a cart horse! Knowing that I could make the rice, shoyu, and miso that my heart desires, my spirits were as high as the heavens. I hadnt known that Dryas governed over fermentation as well. Because I didnt concern myself with the Dwarves alcohol brewing, I thought yeast wasnt her area of expertise. In this Sanctuary, Dryas power holds arge position in rtion to food. Starting from the orchard, rare medicinal nts, grains, vegetables, and the like. The fieldsnd and water were influenced by Gnome and Undine, while light and darkness were influenced by Selene and Nyx, so it isnt just Dryas, but when ites to food, Dryas blessings were exponentially higher. If rice, shoyu, and miso are produced here, I might not be able to disobey them anymore. Fufu, the working Elves have increased, as such, you may leave the rice and soybeans to them. Thank you, Dryas. Well then, dismissed. Just as the problem was solved, Undine and Sylph closed the conversation and left. Well, I guess its alright if theres hope to make rice, shoyu, and miso. Are rice(?), shoyu(?), and miso(?) that delicious? Sophia who had been refraining herself by my side the entire time asked in wonder. Seeing me in unusually high spirits at being able to reproduce Japanese food had perplexed her. To me, theyrefort food. Ah, I see, of course it would be. Elves likely also have theirfort food. She understood with my exnation. Actually, I got the Mermaids to get Kombu (I think its kombu) and Iwashi (its taste is simr to iwashi too). The dashi issue has also been cleared. Kombu and iwashi looks and tastes like the original so I called them that, but the people of this world dont eat things like kombu and they only use small fish like iwashi as fertilizer. I hadnt been able toin to Undine and Sylph properly, but, well, its fine. *** Footnotes: 1. Koji exined here. If you are interested in other the ingredients, google-sensei can help~ 2. I will probably switch around with the name of ingredients that are moremon like soy sauce in the future. Products distinctly from Japan like miso and kombu will be kept with Japanese names. Sphys Note: Thank you for patiently waiting! Weve now started Volume 5, and finally, Takumi gets a reward for all hes done for the Sanctuary~ Chapter 184: Chapter 184: There are four seasons in this world. The season now is spring, a splendid fully blooming cherry blossom tree standing in the garden of my mansion in the Sanctuary showcased its light pink flowers. Spears strike at the petals falling down. The trajectory of the swings urately aimed at the small targets swaying irregrly. Each time, a small petal would split into two. Ei! Honya! Nya Nya! The Cat Sith sisters Miri and L imitated our spear swings using sticks. Besides them, the Catkin siblings Wappa and Sara and the Human sisters Colette and Shirona had likewise picked up sticks for spears and have been learning by imitating our morning training for some time now. After morning training, I recalled yesterdays events while sparring with Sophia and talked with unbelievable delight. Oh gracious Dryas. To be able to grow rice seeds regardless of seasons! Its called a rice paddy because it is flooded with water, is it? From the center of the Sanctuary to the east side, a paddy field was made in a day with Dryas, Gnome, and Undines powers. The ground was plowed and leveled with magic. Once the ground was prepped to be paddy fields, Gnome adjusted the soil to be suitable for raising rice. Then Undine filled it with water. Iid out a channel from the river to the paddies. Dryas nted the seedlings that everyone contributed to raising. It wasnt just me and myrades either. The Cat Sith families Mabbo, Poporo, Miri, and L, the Catkin siblings Wappa and Sara, Human sisters Colette and Shirona, Elven family Melty, Mnie, and Malorie, the Dwarves Doganbo-san and Gn-san all helped too. Doganbo-san and Gn-san, you too? Im really d youre helping, but why? I heard that rice can be used for alcohol too. If so then we have no choice but to help. I wonder what alcohol made from rice would taste like. Im excited. I shouldnt have asked. The fresh and green paddies before my eyes right now will undoubtedly sparkle like gold in 10 days. Dryas exined that she wouldnt shorten the growth time every time with her power, and starting from early summer, she would leave it to nature. The soybean fields are doing well too. If I leave it to Dryas and Gnome, I dont have to be concerned about the obstacle of repeated cultivation. With this, making miso and shoyu became a reality. Im so lucky that koji was within Dryas field of expertise. This worlds food is enough, I dont need Japanese food. I want to scold my past self for such thoughts. A miso warehouse and a shoyu warehouse are under construction, but therge casks were wine casks that were reappropriated. The Dwarves and Elves cooperated when told that it was for new seasonings. In this Sanctuary, spices starting from herbs to capsicums, peppers, and Japanese peppers can easily be obtained because of Dryas. However, these spices are raremodities outside of the Sanctuary and theyre expensive as a result, so restaurants and the like in town basically just use salt for seasoning. These are things that everyone can obtain in the Sanctuary, so I imagine everyone has grown to have a discriminating pte, unable to have a return to the olden days of having only salt and a few herbs. So when I told them Id be making a new seasoning, everyone unanimously cooperated. Since there is wine in this world, wine vinegar also exists. But I also want rice vinegar. We make use of oil that is simr to olive oil too. Still, we havent gotten to making oil yet, so we have to buy it at nearby towns for the time being. Well consider it if the people here increase more. And, par for the course, sake distition was spearheaded by Doganbo-san and Gn-san. And so, the kinds of alcohol made in the Sanctuary will be 4 with wine, whiskey, ale, and now sake. It seems theyll be able to make distilled liquors from sugarcane and sweet potatoes before long. Well, Im not too familiar with the taste because I only drink ale, wine and the like, so I think its fine if Doganbo-san and the drinkers do as they please. In the 10 days for the rice nts to ripen (which is just too fast no matter how I think about it, hence why I cant help but feel weird about it), I made the thousand tooth thresher and rice polishing magic device. The mechanism of the thousand tooth thresher was simple, but I made several prototypes of the rice polisher so it would be a magic device that can remove the hull of the threshed rice and blow it away with Wind magic, and also get rid of the rice bran. Id like to test them after the rice harvest so I can perfect the magic device. Everyone looked at me strangely as I gleefully worked on the thousand tooth thresher and Rice Polisher MD, but this is the one thing I cant help myself with. *** Footnotes: 1. A thresher removes the grain or seed from the chaff/stalk/straw. It looks like this or this. Chapter 185: The Beginning of the Tri-nation Joint Venture Chapter 185: The Beginning of the Tri-nation Joint Venture While I was rejoicing over the ripening of the ears of rice, the joint venture of the three nations, Valkyra, Lomaria, and Yggurle, had begun. Mobilizing a mass of mage users specializing in Earth Attribute from the three nations, theyve begun constructing a highway from Wedgefort to the Sanctuary and as well as the foundation works of the town. Each nation dispatched their knights, suppressing the monsters in the vicinity with their might so as to not hinder the construction. The three nations each provide 1/3 of the funds to begin the establishment of the town in the savagends. Small they may be, monster nests dotted the savagends in great numbers. Although strong monsters rarelye out of them, it doesnt mean there are no monsters living in the savagends but outside the monster nests. As such, from time to time, Kaede and Tsubaki would thin out the monsters without being discovered by the knights. This joint undertaking seems to have significance as it would stimte the participating countries economy. Because the creation of a town is a public works project, arge amount of money will shift. Building materials such as stone and wood have been ordered equally from the three countriespanies, and the moment the safety of theborers was guaranteed, they continued to gather from the three countries. The gathered people have already made a workers settlement, as well as a garrison for the knights, thus creating a town of temporary cabins and many tents. Merchants also gather where people gather, and so countless of them have already gathered to do business with the knights andborers. They have a n for the highway to be up to the Sanctuary, arent they a bit too rash? Now now, I understand what youre saying Takumi, but those people are also desperate, so it cant be helped. Like Yggurle Kingdom, they are nning on a highway from their country to here. When I said it with a slight frown, Undine showed her understanding of the three nations frantess. Still, its only been a couple of days since the observation party returned and the eagerness of the three countries to have secured and mobilized this many people makes me draw back a little. We erased our presence as we watched the many, many people working. Specifically highway and the high walls that would be the ramparts of the town that were beingpleted at a quick pace with Earth Magic. They have mobilized many mages that use Earth attribute magic, havent they? Yes, the Elves are also invoking Spirit Magic, so it appears that the three countries have brought their own people. In Yggurle Kingdoms case, there is a mage division that specializes in Earth attribute and Wind attribute Spirit Magic. While I was watching them build high walls and a moat with interest, Undine informed me that Spirit Magic was also being utilized. Hearing this, Sophia said that Yggurle Kingdoms mage division was likely deployed. Actually, I understood just by observing that Earth attribute Spirit Magic is incredibly powerful. If were to talk about the efficiency and power in terms of magic power, thenmon attribute magic wouldnt be a match for Spirit magic. Its not that attribute magic is weak, but when use magic of the same might, Spirit magic is overwhelmingly more economical. When I made Wedgeforts ramparts, I used Earth magic as if magic power was water, but it was nonsensical. Sophia only had aptitude for the Water and Wind attributes, nor could she borrow the strength of Gnome with Spirit magic, so she continued to be my escort while I made the walls, but if she had been able to help with Spirit magic, I think things would have been much easier. Takumi-sama, the number of people with the aptitude for the Earth attribute in the Mage division of Yggurle Kingdom are few, therefore, I believe that it bnces out with the two other countries. I see, Dwarves are morepatible with Gnome and Smander than Elves too. The town under construction is not a halfway point with Wedgefort, but half a days walking distance from the Sanctuary. I feel its a little too close. Hey Undine, would it be better if we made high walls in the Sanctuary too? H~mm, it isnt necessary to make the Sanctuary a fortress city, but I agree to covering it with a bulwark. I believe it would be effective for making the Sanctuary known from here onwards. it is our duty to assert the demarcation line, isnt it? Of course it is. As long as we the Great Spirits who have no lifespan and the Spirit Tree are here, this barrier will not lose even to an Ancient Dragon. Well, the Ancient Dragon is already a being close to Spirits, so it would not be hostile to us and the Spirit Tree. Better yet, it might evene greet us soon. Before I knew it, Sylph spoke of something terrifying. Ive heard that Ancient Dragons have a different status from things like Sea Dragons. Western dragons and eastern dragons[1] are clearly different. The strength of such a being is entirely different. Well, it falls inparison to us Great Spirits though. that doesnt give me peace of mind though. Its fine, there are no bad little ones right now. Undine told me it would be alright when I was not reassured by Sylphs words, but she then said right now. You said Right now, which means there were bad ones before. It was a long, long time ago. At that time, Sylph manifested and defeated it. Yep yep, it was 1 hit with a Wind de, you know. Takumi-sama, I believe this is only natural for the Great Spirits. The Ancient Dragons scales that had excellent physical defense and magic defense was done in in one hit. The Great Spirits are amazing. To Sophia, it was only natural. Now now, dont space out, youll make the bulwark, wont you? Ah, yeah, youre right. Okay, tell me where to build it. Leave it to me! At the end of the day, I went around the Sanctuary to determine the area to be enclosed by the walls. Ill have Maria and Titan who can use Earth attribute magic help out. *** Footnotes: 1. and o are both read as Ryuu, which means Dragon. I think the author meant it as something like Western dragons(o) [think Fafnir] and eastern dragons () [think Shenron] to differentiate body shapes. Chapter 186: Building Walls Chapter 186: Building Walls With Undine and Sylphs encouragements, weve decided to build a wall around the Sanctuary. Maria, Titan, and I were working together to build an 8m tall, 1m wide wall with a moat on the outside. gogogogogogooooo``!! The ground rose, taking the form of a wall, and the soil changed to stone. Since the wall will epass the surrounding of the Sanctuary by a wide margin, its range was many times more than the tri-nation coborative town and Wedgefort. Cant Gnome lend a hand with this? Fufu, Gnome is upied with alcohol. Undine who was watching us make the bulwark informed us where Gnome was. But Undine likewise wants to drink alcohol, so she wouldnt tell Gnome anything. Its not like its apetition with the tri-nations town construction, but I ended uppeting a bit. Okay! Lets finish this in 10 days! Yes, Ill do my best! ң ͣ. Three people(?) began building a wall with the same image in mind. Our escorts were Sophia and Akane, while Kaede mounted Tsubaki and were going around suppressing the monsters in the surroundings. Since there werent many monsters thate out of monster nests, nor did monsters which like miasma especially draw near the Sanctuary, Kaede[1] ran around the vast savagends with Tsubaki and went hunting for meat for the people of the Sanctuary. Yahooooo!! Holding onto Tsubakis back with her 8 spider legs so she wouldnt be thrown off, Kaede manipted numerous threads to cut up monsters and secure the defeated ones. Even now, theyre running around my vicinity looking like theyre having fun. Yup, it does look like fun. The tri-nation coborative town was progressing at an unbelievable pace. It was like the countries earnestness was visible. Afterwards, wepleted the bulwark, constructed houses in the Sanctuary, established water and sewer systems, cultivated farnd, put in waterways and preparing several reservoirs. I was working just like a workhorse. During that time, civil officials from each country visited several times for trade. Naturally, Undine and the Great Spirits barred the escorting soldiers entry to the Sanctuary, allowing only the government officials with the role of negotiator through. Undine, the Sanctuarys contact, and Melty-san, the Elf in charge of the orchard and forests medicinal nts, were present for the purchase of medicinal nts and the Spirit Tree materials. We received payment of an equivalent value in money, food, and building materials. I didnt involve myself with that as much as possible. Talking with the higher ups of the countries was already stressful enough. Boss, we got information on the savagends. and? In a dark cer, the boss of Moonlight Owl, Forbach, received a report from a subordinate. Having grasped that Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, Yggurle Kingdom were acting suspiciously in the savagends, Forbach dispatched subordinates to those countries, with the exception of Yggurle Kingdom, and collected information. It would seem the three countries are constructing a new fortress city west of Wedgefort. Theyve already gotten a mass of construction materials, Earth mages, craftsmen, and knights that suppress the surrounding monsters. West of Wedgefort? What would that fortress city signify? Maybe not so for one country, but for three countries to unite I could notprehend what that means. That area is dotted with many small monster nests, so it shouldnt be worth the cost for any country and it has been untouched for many years. Forbach feels something is out of ce with the involvement of Yggurle Kingdom, his homnd. As to why, he cant believe that Yggurle Kingdom who truly thinks that Elves are superior beings is joining hands with Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom, nations which uphold racial harmony, to carry out one venture. Ah Boss, that reminds me, it seems that there are rumors of a paradise on the western end of the continent going around in the towns and viges of Lomaria and Valkyra near the savagends. Its apparently a paradise protected by a barrier that criminals cant enter. Also poor people like street children and the racially discriminated seem to risk their lives and head west. a barrier, huh. To Forbach, when barriers are mentioned, he recalls therge-scale barrier covering his homnd. The barrier of his homnd that would never let him pass through ever again. Shango, gather information on that paradise. That barrier might be rted to Yggurle Kingdom. They might not be connected, but get people to the Light God Faith and Samandour too. Yggurle Kingdom might beplicated, but I will try to gather information through merchants somehow. As for the church officials, they will do anything for money. Saying so, the male subordinate left the cer to issue orders. The newly built Wedgefort does not have any dark guild bases at present. For some reason, its management is strict, the inspection of entries and exits of the town are also rigorous, and they thoroughly crack down on criminals. Its probably precisely because its a new town that this is possible. Margrave Volton, who governs Volton town which is a ce dark guilds have difficulty moving in, has entrusted the town to someone. The base shutdown within Valkyra Kingdom might have some connection. Ill definitely make them pay for the bases. Forbach spected that the main constituent for the three nations joint venture was Valkyra Kingdom. The shutdown of their bases likely also had some sort of connection to what was in the west. It was Forbachs mistaken reasoning, but as a result, the dark guilds in the continent took notice of the savagends. *** Footnotes: 1.Typo: Raw says Akane instead of Kaede. Chapter 187: Homesickness Chapter 187: Homesickness The day has finallye. The drooping ears of rice have turned golden. Yes, thanks to Dryas-sensei, the rice had ripened in a mere 10 days. The Sanctuary walls are still underway, but rice is way more important so this was inevitable. Now, lets harvest! Ooou``! The children that shouted while raising sickles custom-made by Doganbo-san for children were L, Sara, and Shirona, the little girl group. As Cat Sith, Catkin, and Human, they were of different races but they are the little sister group that gets along well. Miri, Wappa, and Colette, the elder sibling group were also helping out. Master! Kaede will do the sheafing, okay? Thank you, Kaede. Kaede will tie up the bundles of rice that well harvest with her own thread. And there was a person here that was so happy she was brought to tears. its rice, Ill be able to eat rice. Good on you, Akane-sama. Thanks Lulu, lets do our best to harvesting the rice. Yeah nya! Akane, a Japanese girl abducted to this world, was unable to have a decent meal in the Divine Empire of Sydnia. Since living with us, shes been able to eat delicious food, but as expected, there wasnt Japanese food. Since the paddy field itself wasnt that vast, with the Elf Melty-san and her children helping, harvesting came to an end rtively quickly. In reality, the grains should be sun dried, but I asked Sylph to dehydrate it. After threshing and polishing, I saw the shiny white rice, and in the several years that Ive lived here, it was only then that it struck home. Just like Akane, my eyes watered as I stared at the white, polished rice. Takumi, make miso and shoyu! Ah, yeah, I wouldve even if you werent so desperate. Itd be a prototype but I think itll be passable thanks to Dryas. We have kombu and niboshi too! Yup, we dont have katsuobushi though. For this day, I ran about to secure ingredients. Natto bacteria for sake brewing is a powerful enemy so I havent made it, but for the side dishes that could be used with rice, I requested the Mermaids for fish, and I asked Melty-san, the manager of crops that could be used as spices and condiments, for various items. Takumi, youll be the one to make things today right? What are you making? H~mm, how does nizakana, pork shogayaki(it isnt pork though), and miso soup sound? The best! If we had tsukemono and green tea, Id have nothing more I could say. Akanes head seems to already be filled with rice and matching side dishes. We dont have tsukemono, but theres green tea, you know? Really?! The types of green tea and ck tea are the same, after all. Woohoo! Lulu! Lets go ask Dryas-san for ginger! Okay nya! Akane ran to Dryas with Lulu-chan. Oh how desperate she is. I understand her feelings though. I made a hagama[1] solely for cooking rice. I washed the rice and used the water from the Spirit spring to cook it. Im using a wild boar monster in ce of pork, but itll probably alright. I didnt cook much in my old world so I cant do anything other than the simple stuff. I dont know if the shogayaki will taste as I imagined. Soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and the ginger that Akane received from Dryas. I think the sauce tastes something like this. Marnie, Maria, and Lulu-chan who typically made our everyday meals were beside me watching me make the food. Tasting the miso and shoyu, I consulted the three. I might be able to eat the food the trio would make with miso and shoyu. Hey hey, Ill help with the miso soup! Maybe because she couldnt endure it anymore, Akane began helping. Eventually, Maria and the other two helped. The pork shogayaki, red rockfish nitsuke, miso soup were done. On todays table, since people aside from my party, namely the Great Spirits, the children who helped with the harvest, and Melty-san and her children, were to be seated, the table was extended and chairs were added. Itadakimasu! Itadakimasu. I tried a sip of the miso soup. Yup, it turned out good. Ill give the taste of miso a passing mark too. So good. Then I took a mouthful of rice. Takumi-sama, are you alright? Ah, yeah, I-Im fine. Unknowingly, tears ran down my cheek. Having worried Sophia, I grew embarrassed. When I nced at Akane, she was shedding tears while gulping down the rice. Takumi-sama, its tasty nya. My cheeksll fall off nya. So goo~ood! It looks like the its well received by the little girl trio. Everyone said that both the pork shogayaki and the rockfish nitsuke were delicious. Gnome had especially enjoyed Japanese food and he said that from now on, hed like us to make it once in a while. It was highly rated by the Great Spirits. In a good mood, I used the rice bran to start making takuan and tsukemono. I wonder if I could ask Dryas to make sticky rice too. Yup, my dreams are expanding, huh. *** Footnotes: 1. Hagama C traditional rice cooker made of cast iron with a wooden lid. Example here. 2. Most foodstuff mentioned here aremon enough, or easy to find on google. ? Chapter 188: The northern forest is vast Chapter 188: The northern forest is vast The poprity of rice fairly good, and its been decided that the paddy fields will be used continually to make more. The day after I was deeply moved by being able to eat rice and miso soup after a long time, I went back to wall duty. For some reason, Maria said that she and Marnie would do research on the uses of soy sauce and miso, and she left. In doing so, Titan and I were left to do the work, but when Titan uses Earth magic continuously, he doesnt need to be charged but it does take time for him to recover magic power. He also served as my escort, and in the end, I did most of the work. Starting wall construction from the south east side, I worked on extending the bulwark to epass the barrier to the north, but I noticed something weird after a number of days. So, while it isnt that she apanies me all the time, since Undine was here, I asked her. Listen, Ive gone north quite a bit but I havent reached it, did it by any chance get bigger again? Oh, you finally realized. The east nearly didnt change so it was difficult to notice, wasnt it? Wha, that means Fufu, the positions of the east and south are fixed, while the north and west expand. Perhaps because youre building a wall, this will be thest. I cant trust the words of the whimsical Great Spirits even one bit. Now now, Takumi, youre also to me for this. Im also to me? You made our tongues learn of delicious alcohol, cooking, as well as desert, didnt you? It had enthused Dryas, and she raised all sorts of fruit trees and spices. Just recently, she said shed have a hand in a type of mushroom called a shiitake(?) that you talked about. I kinda understand her reason, but theres one thing that I absolutely have to ask. The Spirit Tree isnt at the center anymore if the north and west expanded, is that gonna be okay? It was a miscalction, a miscalction. Its pretty much in the middle so its fine. If anything, it wouldnt matter even if it was on the edge of the Sanctuary, but wouldnt that be inconvenient in many ways? a reason like that ording to what Ive heard, the northern area is filled with copses and a forest aside from the orchard, but those have apparently expanded. We are considering introducing non-monster beasts. A wealthy forest needs a food chain. In Undines exnation, theyre bringing in small animals such as mice and rabbits, and those that prey upon them such as raptors, and they would like it to someday be a plentiful forest where deer, wolves, and bears live in. Naturally, we would make sure they do not damage the orchard and center of the Sanctuary. As I listened without stopping my hands from building the bulwark, I asked about one thing that worried me. Hey Undine, wouldnt animals evolve into monsters in this mana densend? I would not say it is impossible, but since it is inside the Sanctuary which had purified the miasma, I believe it is nothing to worry about. Besides, it would be better if hunting is possible inside the Sanctuary, no? From the perspective of guaranteeing meat for consumption, would our reliance to trade be risky? Organizations like an Adventurers Guild are impossible in the Sanctuary. Sure, the Elven immigrants have been increasing recently for some reason, so it might be okay to leave the hunt to them The Elven country and Human country are no different in that their structures force the vulnerable people, like Melty-sans family were, out. Additionally, the Great Spirits are here. The Elven immigrants would naturally increase. Gogogogo``!! The walls rose one by one, and a moat was dug up outside it. Excluding the western sea, the three cardinal directions were enclosed by walls, and I praised myself forpleting it in 10 days. And so, Ivee to the northern forest to inspect it at Dryas guidance. Watch your step, okay? So you dont stomp on the precious medicinal herbs. Ah, yeah, but if you bring in animals, wouldnt they eat the nts? There are animals that do eat nts, but they wouldnt eat the rare medicinal ones. Theyre bitter. As we continued inward, the scenery changed to a forest that seemed like it came out of Princess Mononoke[1]. This is the innermost part of the forest, you can see many nt Spirits, right? See, you say. I am not an elf, so I know theres a lot of them but This ce does not only have nt Spirits, wateres out of the spring so there are many Water Spirits too, and many Wind Spirits frolic on the trees. There are Earth, Light, and Dark Spirits as well huh? Fufu, yes, earth, light, darkness, everyone is needed for an abundant forest. If the forest is managed by Dryas, I have nothing to say. Nature is important, and if the ecosystem is managed by the Spirits, I think that that too is another form of nature. Spirits are beings of nature, after all. Afterwards, Dryas and I discussed what animals would be introduced into the forest. Insects that would not harm the forest are essential, she said. Butterflies are beautiful, but itsrva is harmful. Its a different story in this forest. Larva eat leaves, but they eat the leaves that had better fallen off. No way, the caterpirs prune? Primitive living things that live within the Sanctuary arergely affected by the sacred magic power of the Sanctuary. They receive the sentiments of the Spirits. Dryas insisted that the trees that would have died in my previous life will be fine as long as they are in the forest of this Sanctuary. As a result of my discussion with Dyras, its been decided that we would travel to capture animals and release them into the forest one time. The first candidate is the ce we saw en route to Samandour Kingdom, the Table Mountains. It would seem that without the hand of man, its a treasure trove of rare nts, animals, and monsters. Im looking forward to it now. *** Footnotes: 1. Princess Mononoke is a Studio Ghibli film, I highly rmend it. Chapter 189: Table Mountains, again Chapter 189: Table Mountains, again Since we only passed by the Table Mountains before, we decided to investigate it at least once. Riding the carriage Tsubaki pulls for the first time in a while, we headed south at full speed. Traveling with us were our usual members and Sylph and Dryas. We didnt bring the pipsqueaks this time. In the first ce, wed be exploring monster nests, so of course we couldnt take them along. At such a time, having something on her mind this entire time, Sophia asked a fundamental question. The Table Mountains are fine, but how would we climb that high, vertical mountain? A reasonable question. Itll be okay, Ill go up alone then teleport you guys. As you would expect, the only one who would really be able to climb that would be Kaede, after all. Yep, Ill make footholds using attributeless magic Shield, while using Wind magic concurrently, otherwise I think it would be impossible to climb. Finally, the Table Mountains which was over 1000m high in elevation and the vast forest at its foot came into view on the left side. This is probably the biggest monster nest in the western savagends. To pass through the forest, Tsubaki returned to the Subspace because her body is toorge, the carriage was stored in the Item Box, and everyone checked their equipment. My weapon will be the Zekken[1] for the first time in a long while. Sophia is equipped with her sword and circle shield, Maria with her usual spear, Kaede is at the lead with her ws, Marnie with twin daggers, and Laeva with her staff that can be used as a spear as well. Akane who seems to be devoted to being a rear guard is equipped with a staff, and Lulu-chan is wearing a breastte over her maid clothes and has a war hammer modelled after a mop. With everyone wearing their respective mithril alloy-made armor and matching overcoats, our preparations areplete and we pushed through the forest as we headed for the Table Mountains. Because Kaede would instakill assailing monsters with her threads and ws, we typically dont get a chance. Master, the monsters in this forest are not so strong, huh. Whenpared to Kaede, majority of the monsters are small fries, so that cant be helped. Still, there are many monsters that I have never seen before living in this monster nest. Rather than the new monsters, its tiring to walk in this difficult terrain. As Sophia was taking note of the types and characteristics of the monsters we encounter, Akane said she was tired with a fed up expression. And true enough, a primeval forest that no man has set foot in made it feel as if the distance to the Table Mountains was more than double of what it actually is. Thus far, weve been catching small animals, and small, seemingly harmless monsters and bugs and stowing them in a newly made subspace, and once were back in the Sanctuary, it might be a good idea to make a smaller wall inside the bulwark to protect the small animals. If we release the rabbit-type animals and monsters and wolf-like monsters and animals to prey on them in the eastern grasnds, it might make for a functional food chain. When we do so, it would be necessary to make walls for the residential areas as well. But getting the bnce right will probably be challenging. If the forest and copses take damage, we would have failed. Master, do we catch the monkey monsters? No, it would be bad if they break into the orchard and fields so Ill have to think about it the monkey-types. Deer and deer-type monsters feed on sprouts and tree bark, causing it injury. Would they not invade the orchard and fields? Sophia, when ites to deer, both monster and animal are excellent as meat. The Elves have increased, so once we release the wolf-type monsters, their numbers would be regted and I think it would be alright. Dryas and Sylph could probably also help with managing their numbers. Creating a natural ecosystem was difficult for human hands. But we have the Spirits (Great Spirits included) living in the Sanctuary. There is also the Spirit Tree that brings harmony just by being there. Furthermore, the Faeries, Elves, and Cat Siths were protectors of nature. It was at this point that a floating Sylph appeared. I explored the forest, but it looks like its mostly safe with the exception of goblins and orcs. Are the bugs also okay? H~mm, I think theyre generally safe except for ants, but well only go for butterflies and the like this time. If its things like butterflies then small birds can eat both thervae and adult form, after all. And bees, you can make the Elves do the beekeeping. Then well need small birds too, wont we? Master, leave the small birds to Kaede! Youre right, Kaedes so great, catching small birds is a simple feat if its you, Kaede. Ehehehe`` When I caressed Kaedes head in a grand manner, she was extremely happy though abash. Afterwards, we continued safely through the dense forest. If we headed straight for the Table Mountains, we would have probably reached it in 2 days, but we did extensive research of the forest at the foot of the mountains as if we were biologists. It was not just animals and monsters either, we found plenty of new nts as well, so we had Dryas check them. She would exin each time as we travel, so we ended taking a whopping 4 days, double of what we had scheduled. *** Footnotes: 1. Typo. Raw says Sword of the Absorber, but those swords were actually already upgraded to Absolute Sword (Zekken) for Takumi and Sacred Sword (Seiken) for Sophia in Chapter 93. Chapter 190: The summit is otherworldly Chapter 190: The summit is otherworldly It really is suspended in the clouds. Will you really be alright on your own? Itll be fine, Ill be back soon. Having finally reached the base of the Table Mountains, we gazed at the summit from the bottom of the steep, vertical cliff. Alright, see ya! Telling everyone so, I made very small horizontal magic barriers Shield, stepping on them to soar up high. Gain distance with short range teleport and wind supported jumps at times, I steadily rushed up the hill. I had climbed 1000m in height within 5 minutes. The spectacle spreading before my eyes ispletely different from the surface, the many puddles of water within the grasnds mirrored the clouds and the gigantic boulders scattered about were covered in moss. There were no tall trees, just shrubs that Ive never seen before. As expected, being 1000m higher, of course the environment would change. Oh, I have to pick everyone up. I teleported to the bottom of Table Mountains, and Kaede jumped on me. Master! Master, that was so coooool! You went bounce bounce bounce to the sky! Its barrier magic, so I think youd be able to do it if you practice, Kaede. And you also have your threads too. Kaede will practice! Okay. Now then, everyone, hold onto me. Yes. Upon confirming that everyone was in contact with my body, I teleported to the summit of Table Mountains. Fuu, as expected, when teleporting everyone in one go, the magic power consumed was too extreme. how lovely. Its such a beautiful scenery, isnt it? True, its fairytale-like. You wouldnt think this is a monster nest. Howaa~ So amazing nya~ Ooh, there are nts Ive never seen before! With teleportation, the scene before their eyes suddenly changed, and thendscape of the summit of Table Mountains impressed Sophia and the girls. Maria, Marnie, and Akanes eyes were sparkling, while Lulu-chan seemed delighted. Only one person said something different, but its a very Laeva thing to say. The multiple puddles mirroring the blue sky are springs welling up, and theyre shallow in depth. There are small fish. These fish might not exist in the Sanctuary. Owaa! Undine! Dont show up so suddenly. As I was muttering to myself as I gazed at the water, a voice suddenly came from behind me, and when I turned around, Undine showed up. I would like it if she didnt just slip past my Presence Detection. After that, I began discussing the bnce of the Sanctuarys ecosystem with the Great Spirits Dryas, Sylph, Undine, and Selene. Well exclude the flora and fauna that can only live on high ground, right? There appear to be various types of birds, and the little ones look like theyd be fine even in the Sanctuary. They wouldnt do bad either. I would like us to be careful with the waterways, reservoir, and the Spirit Spring for the time being. If possible, it should be small fish and aquatic bugs in the waterways and reservoir at the start. Perhaps because the food is limited, there are only small rabbit and mouse-type animals and monsters. They have not been encroached by too much miasma, as such, I believe they would be gentle in disposition if they live in the Sanctuary. It looks like Undine and the others are selecting monsters and animals to take back. Hey Selene. Theyll bee gentler if they live in the Sanctuary? Among the monsters, if herbivorous monsters were cleansed of miasma, they would not proactively attack people. Hee~ I remember being attacked by Horned Rabbits. Horned Rabbits are carnivorous, after all. Even so, I dont think it would go into that much of a frenzy if its inside the Sanctuary, so besides being a carnivore, it wouldnt be too aggressive. so they really were carnivores. Dryas began collecting seeds and bulbs by influencing nts that can be grown even in the Sanctuary. Sylph said shed catch small birds and flew away. How free they are. I already knew this, but the Spirits really do as they like. We looked for a ce to camp in, then set up our tents. Once we were settled, we would explore the top of Table Mountains. We talked about thoroughly investigating thisnd, which may very well be a ce that no man has ever set foot in. Laeva had be engrossed in cultivating samples. Apart from making things, she has a strong spirit of inquiry. She happily took notes while foraging nts. Preparing food was entrusted to Maria and Marnie, leaving Akane and Lulu-chan with them as their escorts, and the remaining members explored the area surrounding the campsite. Because this ce is the way it is, there doesnt seem to berge animals and monsters, huh? Indeed. There are small birds, animals, and monsters. On the predator side, there are birds of prey. The ground probably elevated with tectonic shifts. For the remaining small animals and monsters to survive, they probably had to develop characteristics unique to this ce. Theres the question of whether the evolution of living beings in this world is the same as on Earth, but at the very least, the flora, fauna, and monsters in this ce clearly have different characteristics from those at the base of the Table Mountains. The n is to spend two days exploring thend, as well as catching living beings and foraging nts. Lets give it our all tomorrow onwards! *** Chapter 191: Biotope Chapter 191: Biotope As we explored the summit of the Table Mountains, we collected enough information to make a field guide. I steadily grew enthralled, and I assembled nts and animals in my head, feeling the urge to make arge-scale biotope. Dryas seems to have focused on collecting aquatic nts and endemic species of flowers. Sylph caught pairs of various types of small birds and ced them in hurriedly-made cages. Undine ced various types of aquatic bugs and small fish in a prepared fish tank, which was then stored in my Subspace. The Item Box cant store living things, so I ended up building another subspace separate from the one Kaede and Tsubaki live in. Laeva foraged for all sorts of medicinal nts. Since these were nts never before seen, she trembled in excitement at the various experiments and verification shed do. There was something strange that happened with Kaede. Shes being followed by small spiders. Theyre that highly intelligent? Even if they are monsters, it was still a bit off. Master, Kaede made followers! Y-yeah, so it was that. Will you be taking those spiders back home with us? Yup! I see. Ha, haha, I wonder if thisll be fine. Its okay! Kaede will train them properly! Yep, spiders are said to be useful insects, arent they? This will be okay, right? There were about 10 small fist-sized spiders riding on Kaedes spider back. And, for some reason, they were waving a foreleg as if they were greeting me. Theyre of the Flower Spider type. They camouge themselves on flowers to catch their prey. Theyre all different colors but were of the same type, and their color changes depending on the flower they mimic. take proper care of them. Leave it to Kaede, Master! I can do nothing but entrust it to Kaede. Shes in a good mood so Ill take it as a good thing. Undine brought aquatic nts, small fish simr to the Japanese medaka, and shrimp into the fish tank. Theres no worry for parasites, she said. And what baffled me the most was the diligent person who never left my side as my escort. Yep, a raptor was resting on Sophias arm. She was satisfied with the eagle-like monster with a wingspan over 2m wide perched on her arm. Sophia, that, whats with that? Yes, I have seeded in taming it. She said so filled with pride and a face full of smiles. ording to Sophia, it was a monster known as a Thunder Eagle. Just as its name entails, its a monster said to be able to manipte lightning. When asked, Sophia said she was envious of me making Kaede and Tsubaki into familiars. Well, if you tamed it, then I have no qualms about it, Sophia. Thank you very much. During my discussion with Sophia, I learned that the Thunder Eagle is a C rank monster, but as it was a seldom seen monster, its apparently a rarity. Even in this world, the nobles indulge in falconry, so they tame raptor-type monsters. And among the monsters handled in such a manner, the Thunder Eagle is one they would spend a fortune for. That fact that we now have another thing that would make nobles target us is something I would never say. Hey, what do we do about mouse-types? H~mm, mice multiply explosively, so if left as they are, it is likely that they would go out of the forest and damage the orchard and fields. Lets go with squirrel-types. Well, wouldnt it be fine even if we do it at another time? We dont have to do things all at once. Thats true too. When I asked about introducing mouse-types to be prey for the raptors, she was worried about something. Then because Sylph gave some rare advice, we decided to do it next time. Should we give the meat of the monsters we hunted to Sophias Thunder Eagle? Id like to prevent the rare small birds from being preyed upon. We began the our withdrawal operation, foraging nts and catching animals, and checking the monsters conditions as we stow them away into the subspace. Well then,e closer! Were going! I teleported to the base of Table Mountains. From here, well leave the monster nest forest, but the reason we purposefully didnt teleport and are walking out is to catch the animals and forage the nts that we had our eyes on. Since it would take time to catch, forage, and then return to the Sanctuary, we decided to do these on our way back. It was at this point that we caught the squirrels. The Great Spirits and I had decided that the deer and wild boar will be for next time. Thus our first flora and fauna acquisition operation for the Sanctuarys forest and grasnds has ended. Im sure the Great Spirits will make me go out again. Releasing animals and monsters in the forest and grasnds is fine, but Id like to increase number of people who would manage the forest and grasnds. I strongly do. *** Chapter 192: The Sanctuary brimming with life Chapter 192: The Sanctuary brimming with lifeAfter returning from Table Mountains, we released the small fish, aquatic nts, and aquatic bugs into the reservoir and the waterway, and let the rabbits loose in the grasnds. Squirrels, small birds, and reptiles were released into the forest and copses. In addition, worms and insects such as earthworms, centipedes, and beetlerva have been released all over the vastnd, from the grasnds to the forests and copses. Kaede seems to have let her underlings do as they please within the Sanctuary. The strength of the low and mid rank Spirits defending the Sanctuary is stronger than you thought, isnt it? If its like this, the forest and grasnds wouldnt be ruined even if the nts and animals multiply. If you really think about it, as we Great Spirits have manifested, even an absurd matter would be alright, wouldnt it? What you just said, I would have liked it if you said it sooner. Undine stated such while we were checking the state of the Sanctuary which had begun increasing in lifeforms, but if that had been the case, I could have brought them in without worrying about all sorts of things. After that, we released various kinds of birds, mice, snakes, horned rabbits caught from the forests and ins in the savagends into the Sanctuary. The Elven people have been told that they could hunt rabbits too if they get the OK from the Spirits. At the top of the food chain in the current forest is the Thunder Eagle. Butterflies fluttered about on blooming flowers of various colors that were also the dwelling of the Faeries. Then we released carnivorous monsters, such as Wild Cats and Green Foxes, into the grasnds and forest. ording to Dryas and Undine,nd is encroached by miasma by the activity of monsters and henceforth turns into a monster nest. However, the Sanctuary has a high purification ability. Far from encroaching thend, the monsters are even purified, so the aggressiveness of monsters is suppressed. Even so, it does not mean that it is absolutely safe, so doplete simple barriers over the residential areas, okay? Yep, well, I was already thinking of doing that much anyway. Even though its a deer monster, the de Deer is dangerous, so well be letting loose the slightly smaller Trihorn Deer. Once they multiply a bit, wed have to consider catching a monster that preys on the Trihorn Deer. Deer deforestation had be a problem in Japan, but Dryas said that her familial spirits have high forest restoration capabilities so it would be fine. If so, we dont need a monster that preys on Trihorn Deer? That would go against natures providence. Ah, yeah, right. The captive pair of Trihorn Deer jumped out of the Subspace and ran away. The deer-type monsters will suffice for now. About the birds, we will adjust the Sanctuarys barrier so they may pass, so I believe they would increase naturally. Dryas and Sylph said that we could stop catching and releasing monsters, nts, and animals into the Sanctuary for now. But even bird-type monsters would be dangerous if something like Sophias tamed Thunder Eaglees, you know. We wont let monsters pass even if they are birds. Isnt that obvious? Yeah, youre right. My bad. Sylph looked at me like I was awfully stupid. Id get it if it came from Undine or Dryas, but when Sylph says it, I cant ept it. Now that hunting is possible in the forest and copses, the Beastkin and Elves are delighted. The fact that meat can now be secured from within the Sanctuary is a big deal. With dwarven-crafted bows, the people specialized at hunting in forests and grasnds emerged. Since Mermaids fish, the Elves and Beastkin hunt, adding that to fact that the farming is doing well, it would be best to build a storehouse for food reserves. And so, while doing residential construction, waterway and sewer establishment,nd cultivation and irrigation servicing, as well as road maintenance in the Sanctuary like always, I had a thought. Because Kaede and Sophia have tamed spiders and eagle monsters, wouldnt it be good if I was able to tame a monster that can manage the grasnds and the forest? Well, Kaedes might not have been tamed though. It slipped my mind, but Kaede herself is a monster. I wonder if a wolf-type monster would be good. Why this all of a sudden? Sophia asked about my sudden unrted mumblings during construction work. Err, I was just thinking, wouldnt it be a great idea if I could tame a familiar that I could leave the management of the forest and grasnds to? Wolves in particr would act with a pack, be they monsters or beasts. If I tame an alpha male, itd be the same as getting a whole pack. Well, certainly, a wolf-type monster will be more than enough to deal with the rabbit and deer-type monsters currently in the Sanctuary, so I do believe it is a good idea, however my Gloam is here. So you named it Gloam, huh. That Thunder Eagle of yours. Still, wouldnt it be too much for Gloam, one bird, to do? And the time it would be with you would decrease too. That wont do. Let us tame wolf monsters. It feels like Sophias character is wavering. Oh well, time to go look for a wolf. *** Chapter 193: A New Familiar Chapter 193: A New Familiar The role of finding an alpha male wolf-type monster was undertaken by the Wind Spirits. Their toll is my magic power. Apparently, for reasons I do not know, its delicious. And so, information rting to a wolf monster came from the Wind Spirits. Without dy its been decided that some people would go. Besides myself and my usual escort Sophia, the members today are: Akane, who says she has always wanted to have a dog ever since she was in Japan, and Lulu-chan, Akanes attendant. A wolf monster is different from a dog, you know. And were not going to buy a pet. I know. But wolves are from the same family, right? I want to cuddle with it! Akanes nasal breathing was very rough as she said strange things. Now that I think about it, there was a time when I saw her be disliked when she tried touching Lulu and Laevas ears and tails. Itll be our first time going to the monster nest so we couldnt teleport. So this time as well, Tsubakis carriage ran at explosive speeds in the savagends. Inside the carriage, I opened the topic of Akanes excitement with her. Umm, by any chance, do you n on taming a wolf monster, Akane? Thats right! Cuz~ Takumi, you have Kaede, Tsubaki, and Titan, dont you? Even Sophia managed to tame a Thunder Eagle, isnt that too enviable?! Akane-sama, your true intentions are leaking nya. Akane seems to be envious of Sophia who has tamed a Thunder Eagle which she named Gloam and is affectionate with. ording to Kaede, monsters do not have feelings. They can interpret words, thats why theyre cute. Listen, youre aware that you wont know whether you can or cant tame it, right? I know that! Thats why Im gonna ask Kaede-chan to help me! Familiars would not make contracts with just anyone. Theres alsopatibility with the target monster, so if Akane does not have the quality to tame it, it would be impossible no matter what. No matter how I think about it, theres no chance I wouldnt be able to do it. Akane was already thinking up names and was muttering all sorts of them. Haa, this time I think I should focus on support. As she listening to the voice of the Spirits, Sophia acted as our navigator, and the monster nest we arrived at was a grasnd-type monster nest. Kaede, if we find the wolf monsters, can you catch the whole pack including the boss? No worries. Leave it to me, Master! Please, Kaede-chan. Akane was desperate. Its not a pet though~ Ah, found it. At that moment, Kaede seemed to have found the wolf monsters. How many pack members? 5 weaklings and an average boss. Kaedes average is probably around a C rank. I also perceived presences close to the direction Kaede had pointed to. Kaede was smiling. It looks like shes already done setting up her silk trap. The monsters closed in enough that they could be seen. 5 Shadow Wolves and thats a Luna Wolf. Sophia told us what the approaching monsters were. Just like the shadow in its name, the Shadow Wolves have jet ck fur. The Luna Wolf leading them has shiny silver fur. Akanes eyes were crazed. Perhaps it was to her liking. The Shadow Wolves growled, but more than anything, therge Luna Wolf was calm. The moment they attacked us, they were already caught in Kaedes threads. The Shadow Wolves growled loudly and viciously. As expected, the Shadow Wolves just growled. Primarily, wolves dont bark like dogs. This is the same even for wolf monsters, and they only use it tomunicate with theirpanions. Akane, why not give it a try once? Id try my best even if you dont tell me to! Akane approached the Luna Wolf that couldnt move. Whether it was Akanes desperation or enthusiasm, I dont know, but the Luna Wolf acted as if it were scared. Well, maybe it was taken aback by her. Akane and the Luna Wolf red at each other. The already close to surrendering Luna Wolf looked away. You, surrender to me! Youre already mine! Aaaaaah, it looks like shes tamed it. The Luna Wolf had bepletely obedient. The Shadow Wolves also became docile. I guess that was a sess. at any rate, isnt it huge? Right, even though the Shadow Wolves feelrger than the normal wolf, the Luna Wolf is bigger than the lions and tigers I remember in my past life. What!? Youve got a problem with my Ferryl?! Ah, the taming seeded. So youre giving it the name Ferryl, huh. nope, Im notining. It was then that Kaede rescinded her threads, and restoring her erased presence and suppressed magic power. Because it would be an annoyance if other monsterse, I cut off the effect of the Overcoat of Existence Concealment and released slightly coercive magic power so I could make my presence known rather than erase it. In doing so, I knew that the monster presences that I sensed became more distant. Still, it looks like just that much is already inexcusable. Kyan, kyan. As soon as we did, the foolish Shadow Wolves and even the Luna Wolf posed submissively, exposing their stomach to Kaede and I. Wa-wait! Why is Ferryl showing its stomach too?! Im its master, arent I?! Akane-sama, please calm down! Lulu-chan pacified Akane who was getting agitated. Exchanging looks, Kaede and I erased our presence and suppressed our magic power. Kuuu~~n I wonder if theyre scared. Master, it cant be helped. These guys are weak, so its normal for them to be scared of Master and Kaede. Monster ranks were arbitrarily set by people, but they were surprisingly urate estimations of monsters statuses. And a Luna Wolf is C rank, while Kaede is above S rank. There is a clear difference in strength even with just one rank different, so for Ferryl and the Shadow Wolves, Kaede is probably a being that they must never oppose. Ive instructed Ferryl tomand the Shadow Wolves. Particrly a strict warning to not attack the people of the Sanctuary. Takumi, could you transport them with Subspace? Sure sure. When I opened the entrance to the Subspace I used during the time I created the biotope, the Shadow Wolves entered the Subspace at Akanesmand. Huh? Ferryl isnt entering the Subspace? Its fine if it enters the carriage, right? Err, the carriage is spacious so its fine, but were teleporting back, you know. now then, lets go back with teleportation. Yup, lets go. Passing on a retort at Akanes grand gloss-over, we teleported on the spot and returned to the Sanctuary. *** Chapter 194: Laeva’s pet Chapter 194: Laevas pet This is unfair! With fox ears twitching and a tail puffed up, it seems shes mad. If Sophia-san and Akane-sans turns hade, shouldnt the next be Laevas?![1] Yep, now that Sophia and Akane had gained familiars, sheined that she most definitely wanted a familiar herself. But Laeva, arent you busy? This and that are different! Laeva, who would routinely sell potions she produces by the bulk to the Papeck Company, also has her own study and training so shes probably the busiest among us. With those being the case, I said that a familiar might be impossible for her, but that seems to have flipped some sort of switch in her. As if she changed into a different person, the usually meek Laeva fiercely insisted on it. Haa~ I guess it cant be helped. Do you already have a monster youd like to have? Fu fu fu, youve done well to ask. Laeva likes cats. Cats? Even though youre a fox? Wait, thats not it, its a monster, right? She doesnt want to raise a regr cat, right? When I asked her about that once more, apparently arge leopard or tiger would be good. Now then, let us be on our way! Wait a minute, Ferryl is Akanes wolf, but I want to see its condition. Then Laeva will be be waiting in the mansion. I await your hasty return! Ah, yeah, okay, Ill be back soon. Having lost to Laevas pressure, I hurriedly went around on Tsubaki to check how skillful the Shadow Wolves and Ferryl are. At present, a significant amount of rabbit, deer, and boar monsters as well as normal animals live in the Sanctuary. As a result of numerous catch and releases, their numbers have increased quite a bit in the forest and thickets in the north and the grasnds in the east. The squirrel and mouse-type animals and monsters inhabit the forest and thickets in multitudes. Owls and falcons that prey upon them also nest within the forest. The Shadow Wolves led by Ferryl are making thatrge expanse ofnd the ce they hunt. If Im remembering right, a wolfs turf is incredibly wide even on Earth, wasnt it? Still, a few more predators might be necessary. Sophias Thunder Eagle is also here, but I should consider Laevas request to be a godsend as well. Takumi, I appreciate your efforts. Quit it Sylph, when you say that, I cant agree with it somehow. Youre number 1 at bringing trouble. Ho ho ho, the Great Spirits are selfish, you see. Well, even so, having received help from Sylphs familial spirits, I cant say that so strongly. Takumi-sama, Wind Spirits are fundamentally free beings. Yeah, youre right. I know that all too deeply in my heart, Sophia. Hey, how long do you n on chattering? Were going! While Sylph and I were chatting with the monster nest right in front of us, Laeva became impatient and starting tugging at my sleeve. Okay! Okay! Todays members are, of course Sophia, the capture specialist Kaede, Laeva, andstly, Sylph. As you might have expected, Akane said that she had no time to go with people to tame their familiars over and over. I dont think shes in a position to say that, but as it is pointless to say anything, I gave up on telling off the slovenly-faced, Ferryl-cuddling Akane. Ah, its in that area. Sylph pointed to the location of the monster that her familial spirits had told her. Then shall we get going? Well catch it quickly, Master. We erased our presence and walked to the location of the monster. Todays monster nest is a thick forest. We could sense monster presences every which way, but Sophia, Laeva, and I advanced without being detected. As for the stealth-specialist Kaede, she seems like shed be able to approach the target monster even while humming. She would probably be found out if she really does sing and hum though. Kaede soundlessly moved between the trees. I relied on the presence to take Laeva and Sophia towards the monster. Hmm, well, how about this? Uoo! Its so cute! its cute? When we reached the site, a cocoon-like thing was dangling around before our eyes. With Kaedes threads wrapped all around it with only its head exposed. It was hanging on a tree, but even so, the monster growled without concealing its hostility. It seems to be a monster called a Serval. Takumi-sama! Laeva has taken a liking to this little one! Okay, then it would be better to intimidate it a bit at the start. Well wait until you can tame it so its fine even if you dont rush. Ill do my best! A Serval is arge cat monster with a slim figure meant for speed. It also understood that the cat lover Laeva had a different look in her eyes. Since Servals are monsters that make forests their turf, it would be perfect in the Sanctuary, wouldnt it? Thats right. Ferryl and the wolves marked a vast expanse of the grasnds as their territory, but they only cover the area around the copses. After that, although Laeva had a somewhat hard time taming the Serval, she safely made it her familiar. Seru-chan[2], fufu, youre the best! so she named it Seru-chan. its surprising just how she used it without changing a thing. Well, Laeva looks happy so I think its fine. However. Although we had intended for the Serval to make the forest its territory, Laeva had it wait by her side constantly. Thanks to that, Kaede has to do the culling until we procure a monster that can be at the top of the forests food chain. *** Footnotes: 1. Note: Laeva addresses herself using her name. 2. = Serval, = Seru. Technically she just shorted Serval, which is read Serubaru in Japanese, but I wanted to make it a little bit more of a nickname. I also would typically change the name/spelling of things in this novel to differentiate it with Earths counterpart, but Seruval sounds weird to me. Chapter 195: Takumi makes a musical instrument Chapter 195: Takumi makes a musical instrument One day, while the preparation of the forest and grasnd environments of the Sanctuary were still ongoing, the development of the Sanctuary is still the same as ever, but now that itse to a point where I could take time off, I thought I should make something a bit different from the usual. I shouldnt use a magic device to reverberate sound. Gathering a variety of trees, I tried making several types. Im making necks, heads, bodies, the essories. What I was thinking of making are musical instruments. Among them is the guitar, my only hobby in my previous life. For electric guitars though, its impossible to recreate pickups and the like without magic devices, and I have to make an amplifier magic device too. Thats why Im making an acoustic guitar first. The strings were several types that I had asked Kaede to make. Id like to try making a bass and a piano next time so it would be best to have all sorts of string. While I was working alone in the Sanctuary workshop, Sylph suddenly came out of nowhere and looked about. I swear, this Great Spirit is the embodiment of curiosity. Hey Takumi, is that a lute? Hm? Ah, Sylph. This is an acoustic guitar. Acoustic guitar? Ill let you hear it when its done. Really? Im excited to hear it. After saying so, she left all of a sudden. I put it together, tuned it, and tested it out by ying a song. Naturally, because I didnt know the songs of this world, I of course yed the songs I liked in my past life. Its been a while so my fingers didnt move well at first, but maybe because this body is much more excellent, I was able to y better than in my previous life before long. When I was ying American folk style and UK guitar songs, this time, Smander came all of a sudden and said to make an instrument that can make louder sounds. Music is a st! (No, that should be Art is a st![1]. Not that this world would get that reference though.) Now then, what instrument is loud? With Doganbo-sans help, I made a drum set. And so, after showing the simple 8-beat and 16-beat rhythm, Smander seemed to have taken a liking to it and demanding to make a room for practicing. Hey, go make an environment where we dont have to worry about our surroundings. Thats fine and all, but it would be better for music to be enjoyed with everyone. Practice is for that very reason, isnt it?! Mm, thats true. I reluctantly constructed a building that includes a soundproof rooms for music practice. I had a feeling were going to need it anyway. So you can y music instruments too, huh Sophia? Yes, though it was only to a degree, I had taken lessons as a show of nobility. Takumi, make a music instrument for me too. Ive been practicing the piano since I was 3 years old. Laeva also learned it in the vige. Maybe because I built an exclusive building, Sophia, Akane, and even Laeva requested that I make them each an instrument. Sophia had apparently taken lessons for an instrument which, if I had to name something it was simr to in my old life, is close to a r. Akane said piano, but making that is a high hurdle. I have a grasp on its structure to a degree, but not in detail. While thinking about what I should do, I found out that instruments simr to pianos exist in this world too. They have fewer keys, and there are a few differences, but I promised to make a piano by referencing those. Laeva said she learned to y by using a bow on a four string instrument which her people use during feasts and ceremonies. If so, then maybe itll be alright if she practices a vi or a cello. Of course, Laeva will assist as well. Ill be counting on you. As expected, reproducing the piano took the most time. Because of that, I think I was able to get Akanes understanding. With such thoughts, my work had further increased. Hey, Takumi. You should build a hall. A hall? Yes, with things like music instruments, we can y for everyone there, right? By any chance, you mean a concert hall? There arent that many Sanctuary inhabitants, so theres more than enough space in the central area, no? I mean, theres a lot of space bu` wait, youre serious? Well then, Ill leave it you. I have to practice, after all. Stating her will, Akane then left with Lulu-chan. Well then, as I will be consulting with the Great Spirits regarding where to build the hall, I shall entrust the materials and such with you. Saying so, Sophia cheerfully went on her way to prepare. My intentions were cast aside. ͣ 죮 Titan, I know. I know that, but still. When I was constructing a music-specialized hall, the golem Titan consoled me. Already in despair, I began constructing the extravagant concert hall. The image I have in mind is the Pu de Msica Catna of Spain[2]. Filling that hall with stained ss is impossible timewise, but I think Ill be able to make do with the exterior and the sounds. Midway through, the Dwarves were amused by the shaping, and as they were vying with each other, it waspleted at an unbelievable speed thanks to magic and man power. Leave the exterior carvings and ornaments to us! Doganbo-san directed the dwarves and undertook thepletion of the exterior. And Ipleted the r, cello, and vi and handed them over to Sophia and Laeva. The Sanctuary is currently in an unprecedented music boom. The musical instruments originally from this world are few in variety, such as percussion instruments, lutes, and stringed instruments yed with a bow. The single newest instrument created with thetest technology is the piano-like instrument. It has 50 keys, a far cry from the 7 1/4 octave of the 88 keys. The reason I was able make it to the level that Akane would be content with despite the hardships was because I was stimted by everyones music fever. There have been many requests for musical instruments from the residents, I divided the work with Laeva and, for a while, I had changed job to an instrument craftsman. Cuz, I didnt know Elves loved music. Takumi, do a concert! You always appear without warning, Sylph. Little ones ying musical instruments are increasing, and the Sanctuary needs amusement, you know. Indeed Takumi-sama, I agree with Sylph-samas idea. Like always, Sylph abruptly suggested we hold a concert. And Sophia supports this. Yup, she wants her own performance to be heard, huh. What will we do about theposition? There are ssics from ages past that can be taught, and youve yed all sorts of things on the guitar, right Takumi? Ive never heard such tunes. Thats why we should leave theposition to Takumi. No no no, I cant produce sheet music. Dont we have an expert? Muu~~ When I said it would be impossible if they allocate even the music to me, Sylphs cheeks puffed in displeasure. Takumi-sama, there are band maestros[3] in Yggurle Kingdom. Naturally, there should beposers as well, so what if we request a coboration? Thats it! Theres no Elf that would refuse a request from us Great Spirits! Uwaa, so youre gonna use your standing to force them intoing. If this is settled then Ill call them! As soon as Sylph said this, she disappeared. shes gone, will this be alright? Maestros are employed by the country, arent they? It will be fine. I believe that even royalty would not be able to refuse Sylph-samas request. Now then, I have practice as well. Saying so, Sophia cheerfully headed into a soundproof room designed for music practice. Leaving me behind all by myself. *** Footnotes: 1. Referencing Deidara and his catchphrase Geijutsu ha bakuhatsu da! / Art is a st!. 2. A real music hall. This blog post should show it in detail. Its really a work of art. 3. Are all master musicians maestros? Im clueless about music. Chapter 196: The Maestros have come Chapter 196: The Maestros havee Ohhh, my gosh. How magnificent. For a paradise like this to be in this world. Three Elves trembling with emotion shed tears upon seeing the concert hall and rehearsal building and were offering prayers to the Spirit Tree. who are these? They are famed maestros in Yggurle Kingdom who were summoned by the familial wind spirits at Sylph-samas instruction. Even you know them, Sophia? Yes, they are Pacherbal-dono, Chupan-dono, and Beethoban-dono. whats with those knockoffposer names? Is something strange? No, its just me. As we observed the three, they finished praying and rushed over to us. You are the custodian of the Sanctuary, are you not!? What a wonderful concert hall and rehearsal facility! Why, why had you not called us sooner!? Pacher! Thats not all! There are numerous instruments we do not know! Howe you not invite us sooner!? Chupin! The instruments are one thing, but listen to the music theyre ying! What have we Elves been doing for the thousands of years?! Wait! Please calm yourselves! Managing to calm the three overly excited Elven maestros down, I requested that they provide the musical arrangement and scores. Also, the song theyre excited about is the rock arrangement of Pachelbels Canon yed on the Magic Guitar, a reproduction of the electric guitar and, for some reason, its popr with Elves. As expected, rock is still in its early days, and the Elves listened to the original and began practicing to copy it by ear. Caught in the moment, I taught them the melody of the famous part of Beethovens Ninth Symphony, vaguely saying that it was a song that everyone sings at the end of the year. Were the lyrics German? I dont know. And the jewel in the crown was Akane. As it might be expected from someone who requested for a piano, she knows a number ofpositions and ssical music. Shes started rehearsing things like Chopins Minute Waltz, Liszts La Campane and Liebestr?ume, to the point shes already requested for another piano to be made. As such, the Sanctuary is now overflowing with people rehearsing with musical instruments and choral music. And so, regarding my request, I am unable to read sheet music, much less write it. I would like to ask everyone to include the arrangeme`Naturally we will do it! The Elven maestros hungrily epted. ording to what I heard, the sheet music is simr to those found on Earth. However, the musical symbols are slightly different, so I asked Akane to fix those parts. Time is being wasted, hence we shall start immediately! Just as I thought they were being all fidgety, the three maestros left half running towards the rehearsal facility. they were quite desperate huh. Now then, I have rehearsal as well so excuse me. Saying so, Sophia excitedly returned to the Sanctuary mansion. Sophia has a room in the rehearsal facility for her personal use, and on crowded days such as today, she goes out of her way to practice in an erected soundproof barrier in the mansion. But to Laeva and I, it was the beginning of dizzyingly hectic days. It was then that we heard the footsteps attacking a weakened enemy. Takumi, violins, violins. Youre not making violins, stop making vis and cellos. Whats with you, prodding at me out of the blue. The concertmaster is invariably the first violin! Akane came with the three Elven maestros and demanded to make violins. So I tried asking her the question I had in mind. But if I made violins, wouldnt performing be difficult? Dont make light of the Recital Skill. Takumi, you understand the skill system of this world, dont you? youre right. Shes exactly right. I can easily create musical instruments with my imagination because of my maxed out Woodworking Skill and Metalworking Skill. I remember how it was for me before, I just yed the guitar and I obtained the Recital Skill at a decent level. Iruma-dono, please respond to Akane-donos request. The violin is by all means necessary. Still, Akane. Will you be organizing an orchestra? Isnt that impossible? Its impossible with how things are right now. But dont worry. Sophia changed from the r to an oboe, and thecking instruments will be Takumis and Laevas. An oboe? When and who made that? Please forgive me. Well, if its not me, then it can only be Laeva. I wouldnt me her though. Thats why Ill be asking you to create the additional instrument. If you cant do it then the arrangements cant progress. Please! After saying all the things they wanted to say, Akane and the maestros left. Whats with that. Certainly, when ites to orchestras, there are various formations, and there should be 2 of each flute, oboe, r, and bassoon. Also 2 of each horn, trumpet, and trombone, I think. Then a timpani, the 1st violin, 2nd violin, vi, cello, kontrabass. Looks like were going to die of overwork. This is because Takumi-sama made a guitar. Mm, thank you for your very urate analysis. Yes, I am getting my just deserts. *** Chapter 197: The singing voice of the Spirits Chapter 197: The singing voice of the Spirits Ive been instructed to make as many instruments as possible to form a full orchestra, as well as expand the rehearsal facility. By who? Everyone. What even is an oboe? What is a bassoon supposed to sound like? I do know the general shape of woodwind instruments though. Things like the trumpet and trombone were made partially or entirely made with alchemy, so although I had to tweak those several times, I didnt have too much troublepleting them. However, take the trumpet for example, only the mouthpiece is made of brass and the sound varies depending on the material of the body. Creating the instruments Ive seen in my old world from Akanes crappy blueprints and sketches was really tough. Even now, Im still not confident its correct. Also, there were more Elves that have had music training than I expected. Perhaps another blessing of the skill system, the Recital Skill doesnt choose instruments. Speaking in extremes, if you can y the piano well, then you can y the trumpet well too. The Recital Skill is a cheat-ss skill. Only, leveling up the skill is hard. And there are many individuals among the long-living Elven race that have spend several decades polishing their skills, so there are plenty of people with high Recital skill. They are able to adapt to the new instruments too. Wait, that aside, the Sanctuarys inhabitants increased this much before we realized. Yes, the Spirits are gathering the poverty-stricken and suffering individuals especially in Yggurle Kingdom and immigrating them to the Sanctuary. Mimir-sama is the person supervising this. Mimir-sama, you say? Is it alright for the princess to help the citizens of her own country escape? Yes, it is at the Great Spirits discretion after all. Haa, so thats why the Elves increased. Right now, Im inside the concert hall listening to the orchestras performance while checking the acoustics of the hall. Being told by Sylph that only the best acoustics would be eptable, I listened to the orchestra y over and over again from various areas in the hall. This concert hall has 3000 seats, including box and balcony seats. In the beginning, when I was hesitant to reproduce the stained ss dome ceiling of the Pu de Msica Catna with its degree of difficulty, Great Wind Spirit Sylph and Great Light Spirit Selene half coerced me into it. So, having changed my mind because doing it manually would be unreasonable, I made a miniature stained ss ceiling using alchemy. After that, I experimented on the miniature version plenty, like adjusting the tint and revising the patterns, taking on the challenge. We received a message from Doganbo-san that the exterior sculptures will take 2-3 more days toplete. Then maybe the concert will be around 5 days after. No, guests from the three countries will arrive in 10 days, so it will be after that. since when did we have guests? It feels like this is bing more and more serious. Will the guests be higherups? And so, 10 dayster, visitors` along with their attendants, escorts, and the carriage drivers` began making their appearance at the Sanctuarys concert hall. The first to arrive was Lobos Valkyra. The King of Valkyra Kingdom himself, his escort Knight Order Commander Ghad Von Bauer, and Margrave Godwin von Volton. The three were permitted entry into the Sanctuary. The next toe was Forselty van Yggurle. Yggurle Kingdoms King was shown around by Princess Mimir, the third princess who has a mansion in the Sanctuary. Thest to arrive was Hellmuth Lumen Lomaria. Lomaria Kingdoms King and Prime Minister Drehd made their appearance. I was watching that lineup from afar. Is it fine for the kings of three countries to leave with that few escorts? Outside the Sanctuary, the countries knights and escorting soldiers are stationed. Inside, there are no individuals with evil intentions as they would have been unable to pass the barrier. Even Sophia didnt imagine that the kings themselves woulde though, so she seemed somewhat perplexed as well. Leaving that aside for something more fundamental, why were guests of honor invited to the inaugural concert of the concert hall? I let them know. When I asked the thing I thought was strange to Sophia who was beside me, the answer came from a different direction. Sylph answered boastfully, but why she is boasting, I dont know. I told Mimir that were having a concert so it would be fine even if she invites her parents. When she did, it seems her father got in contact with the other countries. Still, Mimirs father is Yggurle Kingdoms king. Thats right, so? no, its nothing. Yep, I dont stand a chance against the whimsical Great Wind Spirit. Its more constructive to just give up and ept the situation. Meanwhile, the Sanctuary residents have also gathered at the concert hall. The guests of honors from the three countries are at veranda box seats and the residents are in general admission seats. The Cat Sith spouses Mabbo and Poporo led their children L and Miri in. L waved her hand at me excitedly when she saw me. The Catkin siblings, Wappa and Sara, were also here. The Human sisters, Colette and Shirona, were behaving in their seats. The Elven family, mother Melty and sisters Mnie and Malorie, appear to be participating as performers. The eyes of the people who migrated during the early days of the Sanctuary were sparkling at this new amusement. The kings of each country seem to have unending interest for the worlds first concert hall, a structure overflowing with artistry. Seeing the sculptures and ornaments inside the hall, and therge stained ss ceiling, they looked absolutely astonished and impressed. The guest seating was filled, and amidst the murmuring, the performers appeared on stage and begantheir preparations. Thest to make his entrance was the eldest Elven maestro, Beethoban. He bowed to the audience then faced the orchestra and raised the conductors baton above his head. Beginning from Elven ssics, it then shifted to orchestral arrangements of the widely known tunes of this world. Then Canon was performed. It was followed by Ode to Joy which was when beautiful women dressed up came out and began singing alongside the performance of the orchestra. The beautiful women were the Mermaids whose specialty is singing. And then, a mysterious noise began blending in with the mermaids singing. From the stained ss-covered ceiling, lights of all sorts of color started bing visible. The mysterious sound eventually filled the hall with music. the singing of the Spirits. When I muttered this, Sylph and Undine who were seated at the same box nodded their heads in affirmation. Rainbow-colored lights danced within the hall. The singing of the Spirits was in harmony with the orchestras ying and the mermaids singing. The magical lights and torrent of sounds blessed everyone, be they Human, Elf, Dwarf, Beastkin, Mermaid, or Cat Sith. Outside the concert hall, the Spirits danced boisterously around the Spirit Tree. The uproar that began from me making a guitar in my free time came to an end in this manner. After this, the maestros of the three countries longed to study in the Sanctuary, and the new instruments and tunes spread out within the continent, but thats a different story. *** Chapter 198: Traces of the dream Chapter 198: Traces of the dream Its the day after the dream-like event. Im in the bed in the mansion within the Sanctuary this morning. Master(Husband), there is a visitor who requested to meet with you. What would you like to do? The person who gently stirred me awake was the Rabbitkin Marnie who had just finished preparing breakfast and thought that it was about time to wake me. As she was as seductive as ever, I woke up clearheaded. Visitors? The Elven meastros and Mimir-sama. In the afternoon, Margrave Volton said he would like to make a visit. The maestros, they were the ones who cried out loud in the concert, werent they? Yes. After the concert ended yesterday, the standing ovation continued for a good while. During that, arge number of people were moved to tears. Especially those Elven maestros, their faces crumpled as they wailed. All in all, it was definitely a magical spectacle and a wonderful performance. Oh, Iruma-dono. My apology for making youe out of your way. I apologize foring early in the morning. When I went to the reception room on the first floor after having finished preparing, Mimir-sama and the elven maestros far older than me stood up with faces full of smiles. Good morning. Yesterdays performance was magnificent. I was deeply moved. Thank you very much. Nay, please let us thank you. At first, since it was the words of the Spirit-samas, we had partly thought it was unavoidable. However, to have been able toe to this Sanctuary, experience new instruments and music, and receive the blessings of the Spirits at our performance, all of this was because of Iruma-dono. No, I just helped out after all. Thereupon, in truth, we have a request for Takumi-dono. A request? I shall exin from here. When I asked the maestros, Princess Mimir began to speak as their representative. The concert yesterday was splendid. I too was unable to contain how deeply moved I was and shed tears. So I had a thought. I would like for mother to hear it as well. What Mimir said was within my expectations. Actually, I would have liked to send the orchestra to their country, but a facility like our concert hall doesnt exist in this world. On the other hand, this Sanctuary has a high hurdle known as the barrier. With that being the case, they said they would like for me to permit the propagation of the instruments and musicalpositions. I wouldnt mind it that much, but what would you do about the instruments? Yes, that is the thing Right, the instruments that the orchestra uses were made by Laeva, the Dwarves, and myself, but Laeva and I made arge majority of it. Im getting a bad premonition. Just when I felt as such, the words I feared were spoken by Princess Mimirs mouth. We would like for enough instruments to form three orchestras. Nay, Princess. In order to rear performers, much more would be necessary. Indeed. Iruma-dono, we would by all means like for you to assist in impassioning the people of Yggurle Kingdom with the magnificence of music. That is right. In particr, first and foremost, we desire the piano and violin. I dont remember who is who among the three elven maestros, but they interrupted Princess Mimir and said they wanted a great deal of instruments. Furthermore, we would also like to discus the rights to the tunes that Iruma-dono and Akane-sama have imparted with us. Hee~ so you have proper rights when ites to music. Yes, the Commerce Guild is very fastidious in that regard. Still, Akane, who had taught the maestros song after song, had sama added to her name and has been receiving treatment akin to worship from them. Please wait a moment. No matter how you put it, that many instruments is impossible for us. Yes, yes, indeed it is. Iruma-dono, despite being a master artisan, as well as an outstanding Alchemist, creating all the instruments using alchemy would be unreasonable, while on the other hand, creating a number manually would be an enormous undertaking. As such, if we may ask you to create several samples of brass musical instruments such as the trumpet and trombone using your alchemy, as well as preparepleted woodwind instruments and spare essories, we would entrust the production to our countries craftsmen and cksmiths. In other words, theyre saying they want samples of the instruments, but even then, the burden on me is still enormous. Please, we beseech you. We would like to propagate the instruments andpositions in this continent. Haa, still, its not that easy. Especially the piano, that takes a lot of time and work to make. The piano is amazing! Oooh, that instrument is superb! Its range is extensive and its potential is infinite! No, I didnt ask After all that, as someone who cant refuse, I ended up promising to make the instruments. We settled on the price to be paid by Yggurle Kingdom. And the important matter that Margrave Volton came to visit me for in the afternoon was the same, to sell the music sheets and instruments to Valkyra Kingdom. Apparently, theyve asked those Elven maestros for coaching. And, obviously, there was also a request from Lomaria Kingdom too. Master(husband), please do your best. Marnie, wheres Sophia? Everyone is practicing. An escort isnt necessary inside the Sanctuary, but even Sophia is caught up in the dream known as music. It hit me again that this is a world with few pleasures. And, for some reason, my work increased again. *** Chapter 199: The completed town in the savage lands Chapter 199: Thepleted town in the savagends Its been a few days since the concert took ce in the Sanctuary concert hall. The music mania of the Sanctuarys citizens continues to heat up, and Laeva and I are as busy as ever. Takumi-shamaaa! Takumi-oniichaaan! Oniichaaan! Cat Sith sisters Miri and L, Catkin siblings Wappa and Sara, Human sisters Colette and Shirona ran to me while I was resting in the mansion garden. The little girl trio jumped at me and clung on. Whats up guys? You see, L wants to y music nya. Sara too, Sara too! Shirona wants to y the piano. The trio rubbed their head on me and pleaded. Wappa, you guys too? Yup, I think that thing called a trumpet looks cool. Miri likes the violin nya. I want to try all sorts of them. It looks like the older siblings have awakened to music too. If these kids ask me, theres no way I can say no, right? Okay. Ill make instruments for you guys. Yaaay! Thank you! Im so happy-nya! Oniichan, I love you! Yaaay! Yaaay! L jumping for joy and Saras tail was swinging. With their goal achieved, the kids ran away in satisfaction. Your work has increased again, hasnt it, Master(husband)? You didnt have to say it, Marnie. Marnie let out a chuckle as she poured me another serving of tea. Then, I asked Marnie something that suddenly came to mind. Hey Marnie. About Beastkin kids, do they have a school they attend? I know that Wappa and the kids werent in an environment where they could go to school in. But, I wondered if Beastkin at a normal standing do about schools. In Volton, Im pretty sure there are schools. Beastkin living in viges and small settlements do not have the opportunity to study in school. As such, apart from the children of merchants, nearly all the children are unable to read, write, and calcte. It would be better to teach them literacy and calction, huh. Maybe we should also build a school in the Sanctuary too. The children in the Sanctuary have increased as well, I believe a school would be gratefully epted. We have so muchnd, so should we make one? Wait no, we dont have a teacher. The residents of the Sanctuary have increased considerably, but theres still too muchnd. Reserving space for building a school is no issue. If I get the help of the Dwarves for the school buildings, it can be finished in no time. But we dont have a teacher that could teach students. I dont want to hire from the three nations too much, but its not good to be biased with any one country either, right? As you say. As it is, the members of the orchestra are mostly Elves and the conductors are also Elven maestros. As they have been drifting farther from Yggurle Kingdoms lead, the other two countries likely do not find it pleasing. Come to think of it, what do you feel about the town east of the Sanctuary being constructed by the three nations? Ive heard that the construction of the tri-nation cooperative, while not like Wedgefort, was progressing at a considerably fast pace. I heard it waspleted a few days prior. At present, they are holding meetings everyday, such as appointing the representative of each country, and selecting the name of the town. Still, as you would expect from mobilizing multitudes of Earth mages, it waspleted fast. Built to the east of the Sanctuary by Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom is a town meant to connect with the Sanctuary of the Great Spirits. I learned that this town is establishing embassies of the three countries, branches ofrgepanies, and branches of various guilds. The Papeck Company seems to have opened a branch as well. Uwaa, Papeck-san, he said to sell him a small bulk of wine, didnt he? If its wine, it appears they are now able brew a stable amount, so would it not be alright if it were a small quantity? The Dwarves appear to prefer stronger alcohol like whiskey. Then Ill have to show up at one point. Indeed, I believe that would be good. In the end, because I was busy crafting the instruments, our field trip to the town will happen 10 dayster. The town built east of the Sanctuary is close enough that it can be walked within a day. While small, the fortress town is surrounded by ramparts, because I think they had no choice considering how it is located in the savagends that is dotted with monster nests. Outside the walls, a farnd surrounded by a fence to ward off monsters was built, and we could already see many farmers working there. Around that area were the knights of the three nations and adventurers exterminating monsters. Its a townparable to Wedgefort, huh. Its likely because Elven Spirit Mages also participated in the construction. Today, the only one with me is Sophia. Everyone else is doing what they like at the Sanctuary. Laeva is working though. After observing the exterior, we purposely entered the town from the east gate. I thought it would be too conspicuous if we entered the town from the Sanctuary side. Inside, the embassies and constes of each nation and various guild branches were lined up on the wide stone-paved main street. hey, you recognize this? Yes, its just like Wedgefort, isnt it? It would seems the towns design was taken after Wedgeforts. Sure, Wedgefort is a town I made from the ground up, so I do think its a well made town. Now then, how about we take a stroll while we search for the Papeck Company? Very well. Sophia and I wandered the town bustling with merchants, adventurers, knights, soldiers, and craftsmen from the three country as we made our way to the Papeck Company. *** Chapter 200: Let’s make a school Chapter 200: Lets make a school Located in the best district near the main street. It seems the Papeck Company is amazing, huh? In recent years, it has made great strides, after all. About that, could it be Yes, I believe it isrgely influenced by you, Takumi-sama. So it really is that. I feel anxious with strangers, so I didnt actively make deals with merchants beside Papeck-san. When we entered the Papaeck Companys building, the voice of a person I knew well had greeted us. Ouh, Iruma-sama. Wee to our branch store. Eh!? Papeck-san! So you hade to this town too. Yes, it would appear that the president of the Papeck Company had personallye to theunch of his branch store. That is because this is a town where many of thergepanies of various countries are establishing branches, as such, I too must make an effort. Is that so? If you are busy, should Ie at a different time? No no, I have something I would like to discuss with Iruma-sama as well. ording to Papeck-san, the people frompanies all over want to be apany handpicked to open a business in the Sanctuary. Right now, while I think it isnt necessary to suddenly change the bartering system of the self-sufficient Sanctuary, I do believe we will have to introduce a mary economy sooner orter. As self-sufficiency had be possible, there were few things that the Sanctuary would like to purchase outside so that would end up being a disproportionate trade, but that would probably improve gradually. But Papeck-san. I think bing a merchant qualified to enter the Sanctuary would be a high hurdle. Please leave such matters to me. We pay close attention to thetest information regarding the personnel selection. If Papeck-san says so, then Ill believe in him. Still, about Valkyra Kingdomspanies, I think theres a lot of them even though only the bigpanies are present, but how are things that side? Yes, actually, we appealed for the government to invest, and advise thepanies within the country to contribute a fixed sum. So as to not havepanies profit solely, we proposed that His Majesty shouldunch apany that would act as the exclusive point of contact, and the Prime Minister has been making tangible advancements to do so. I see, a scheme to prevent only randompanies from profiting. I think thats a good idea. As expected of Papeck-san, heys the groundwork cautiously. After that, we talked about the possibility of selling alcohol, if only a small amount. Oh yeah, Papeck-san. Do you happen to know a teacher that can educate children with literacy and calction? Hou, will you build a school? Yes, the kids sheltered in the Sanctuary are all from poor ces without schools. Fumu, education certainly is important, and they may turn out to be people that work in the stores in the Sanctuary in the future. Papeck-san crossed his arms and rubbed his chin as he thought it over. He seems to be doing all sorts of simtions in his head. Pan Papeck-san pped. Understood. I will search in every country with exception to the Divine Empire of Sydnia and Triaria Kingdom. Please do. It seems Papeck-san will purposefully search for capable people without being shackled by nationality. If its like that, then itd probably be fine if we proceed with the construction of the school. Please leave it to me. Thank you very much. I had asked Papeck-san for teachers for literacy and calction and, as it wouldnt be problem if it was one or two, a magic teacher. I earnestly requested that he prioritize personality. After leaving the Papeck Company, we strolled around town before returning to the Sanctuary. Now then, is it fine for the construction site to be here? It has been decided that the school will be built in the western section of the center. cing both my hands on the ground. I called to mind a precise image and invoked Earth magic. Gogogogogoooo``!! I neatly prepared the soil of the space for things like the school building and the sports ground, then I hardened the ground in the area where the school building would be. I took the stones collected from the savagends out of the Item Box where it had been stored in. Its possible to construct things directly from the ground, but it would make a basement proportionate to the building above if I do that. The school building doesnt need a basement, so I prepared the stone separately this time. Using the stacked stones as material, I etched the blueprint into my brain and, with a concrete image in mind, I activated Earth magic. Gogogogooooo``!! A staggering amount of magic power slipped out of my body. It took less than a minute toplete a three story school building. Additionally, I continued to make arge quantity of window ss with alchemy. As I was installing the ss into the windows, I applied strengthening enchantments to it so it wouldnt break. Ipleted the exterior of the school, and I got the Dwarves to help out with the interior. For the interior, because it is the ce where children would study, the floor and walls were affixed with wooden nks. The task of creating simple[1] wooden desks and chairs was divided among them. While Laeva and the Dwarves were working on those, I did nothing but make nails out of iron ingots in the workshop. I used alchemy to remove the impurities and added carbon to make steel. Once I got the steel into the shape on nails, it wasplete. After the interior is finished, well make the lighting equipment for the ssrooms. In this world, the Lamp MDs made are only for a portion of the wealthy, but in the Sanctuary, every household have Lamp MDs and a Toilet Purifier MD. Thats why the school will naturally have Lamp MDs and Toilet Purifier MDs installed. On that subject, the residential houses do not have baths. Instead, they use public bathhouses segregated for men and for women. And so, even though we havent found teachers yet, a legitimate school waspleted in the Sanctuary. *** Footnotes: 1. Raw says ץ, but I think its a typo for ץ which means simple. Sphys Note: Wow, were actually now at 200. Thank you for reading this far with me, and I hope we can all finish this~ Chapter 201: Shops and Sentinels Chapter 201: Shops and Sentinels The school waspleted only in its shell. After that, Papeck-san set foot into the Sanctuary for the first time. Ou, so that is the Spirit Tree. how magnificent. And for some reason, he shed a flood of tears. Papeck-san had taken several people with him. He said they were people representing thepanies of various countries and the countries government officials. Actually, opening arge number of stores in the Sanctuary was a no go from the Great Spirits. Apparently, having less ces for the Spirits to monitor is better. And so, Papeck-san and the others decided to open department and supermarket-like stores. Today, they came to inspect the site where those would be constructed. The new shops that would be built will not only sell their merchandise, but also buy the grains and fruit grown by the residents, the salt and seafood caught by the mermaids, gradually introducing a mary economy. Ooh, so it will be here, close to the residential area and not too distant from the center. No qualms about the space as well. Upon seeing thend intended for the construction that I guided them to, Papeck-san and the other visitors talked about all sorts of things. Thats how it will be. You will have to rely on the Sanctuary Dwarves for the construction of the buildings. The craftsmen from outside are restricted from passing through the barrier, after all. Thats right. However, we will make arrangements to deliver materials and the furniture to be used in the stores. It would be appreciated if you could collect gathered materials ced directly outside of the barrier. Understood. Thank you for preparing the building materials. Then, after confirming several things in advance, Papeck-san and the others left and went back to the town east of the Sanctuary. It was then that Undine located me and came. Takumi, so business will now be possible in the Sanctuary. Ha, ahh, its you Undine. Thats right. They cant always just barter is what I was thinking. We are of the same opinion. Since I got the OK from Undine, maybe I should go all out in promoting the industry. Also, I feel a disturbance slightly to the middle of the continent. The barrier of the Sanctuary will be fine as long as it isnt too much, but perhaps you should give some thought as to what it could be. Should Ipensate it with sentinel golems, like those protecting my mansion in Volton? Ill leave that matter to you. Once she said all that, Undine went back. I tried asking Sophia if she thinks we need golems to protect the Sanctuary. Do you think it would be a good idea if I made golems as insurance? Yes, Undine-sama had stated that it would be best to have it prepared as a contingency. Moreover, while the Sanctuary is protected by the barrier, creating golems would also have significance as support for the town to the east of the Sanctuary, so it wouldnt be futile now would it? I see, it could be used as reinforcement for that town. Taking that into consideration, maybe I should try steering my thoughts to creating arger number of fast-travelling golems. Since Im making golems for the first time in a long while, Ill try making various types of golems in addition to security golems simr to the ones in my mansion in Volton. Cooping myself up in the workshop, I drew up designs. From time to time, Kaede would peek in. She call out to me delightedly during one of her visits. Waa! Master! Are you making Kaedes golem subordinates? Eh!? Ah, yeah, subordinates. Thats right. It wasnt designed to be Kaedes subordinates, but I cant say that now. Well, Kaede always does her best, so if I think of it as a reward, I can gift her a subordinate golem army. Yeah, Ill just think of it like that. The design she saw in my hand illustrated a golem with the upper half of a knight and the lower half of a spider. It wouldnt be able to attack like Kaedes threads could, but Ill equip it with a Wire Attack and a long distance needle shooting attack apparatus. The reason its lower half will be a spiders is so it would be able to run stably even when confronted with bad roads. Actually, at first, I nned for it to be a Centaur-type golem, with its lower half being a horses. The concept I have for it is a fast moving golem, after all. But rather than 4 legs, 8 legs would be more stable. For the time being, Ill make a centaur-type horse too. Whether its lower half is that of a spider or a horse, I want the man-type knight upper body to be equipped with a simple spear and shield. Using its speed for Lance Charge and its Shield Charge to capitalize on its metal bodys weight, I want those to be its weapons. Aside from the fast moving golem, Ill also design a heavy armor golem specialized in defense. Having learned of the turbulent presence in the middle of the continent from Undine, I for some reason thought of the attacker that the the dark guild sent even though it should bepletely unrted. That drug which makes it possible for the user to move beyond their limits with their sense of pain numbed and their fear of self destruction lost. Imagining that drug falling into the hands of the zealots in the middle of the continent, my back suddenly felt cold and I shuddered. I suddenly feel somewhat anxious. Takumi-sama, Laeva had reflected a little as well. Hmm? High powered golems are valuable. However, even if the performance of a golem is equal to that of a stray, if their numbers arerge enough then they would still be useful. There is power in numbers. Oh, ohhh, cant deny that. Fortunately, the mine of this Sanctuary has plenty of iron ore that can be collected. I will make plenty of Stone Golems and Iron Golems. Ah, yeah, mhmm, Ill leave it to you. Laeva, who was in the same workshop, drafted her own special way to defend this area, so I decided to leave it to her. To a soldier, even the abilities of a stray golem could be a sufficient threat. As such, the golems I make will conversely be few but extravagant. For the body, I had intended on using chromium molybdenum steel and tungsten alloy, but when I considered the magic resistance on its exterior, I decided to mix in just a little bit of mithril and made it a type of mithril alloy. On top of which, if I te it with more mithril, its magic resistance would increase considerably. Despite the familiar materials being plentiful because of the expansion done by the three countries which focused on the outskirts of the Sanctuary and their subsequent joint exploitation of the savagends, something urged me to hasten the development of the golems. *** Chapter 202: Golem Corps Chapter 202: Golem Corps Having begun making golems, what I will be focusing on in the golems this time is the performance of the golem cores. I still cant make a golem of the same caliber as Titan, but Ill be drawing a magic form with the aim of having a flexible AI, to a degree. The types of golem that Ill make are: Polypod-type Golem (Spider) Polypod-type Golem (Scorpion) Equestrian-type Golem (Centaur) Normal Knight-type Golem Heavy Knight-type Golem The addition of the Scorpion Polypod-type Golem is partly because of the inclusion of the spider-type that would be Kaedes subordinates. The upper half of the scorpion-type was simr to the spider-type, but its lower half will have 6 legs and 2 pincer arms, and it has a tail with a poison stinger. It might be the golem with the most ways to attack. The Heavy Knight-type Golem specializes in defense, equipped with arge shield, heavy mace, and a bulky armor. Takumi-sama, will there be no archers? Hm? Archers? Yes, if there are golems of the heavy knight-type, normal knight-type, and equestrian-type, I simply thought that it would be adequate to have an archer-type golem as well. I tried considering what Sophia said. Certainly, if I look at it as an army, a way to attack long range is essential, and even in Japans Warring States period, the era prior to the application of guns, many casualties of the war were attributed to bows. Right, our means to attack long range iscking. Indeed. If possible, I believe it would be beneficial to have a means to attack long range. Thank you, Sophia. Ill try nning it out right away. Being told about methods for long range attack by Sophia, the first things I associated with it were sniper rifles and assault rifle. Gunpowder can be made with alchemy. The detonator and cartridge were the same. As Ive already made chromium molybdenum steel with alchemy, the gun barrel could be cast from that using Smithing Magic. But its impossible for me to make masses of firearms by myself. Also, Id like to avoid introducing gunpowder, which has not discovered it yet, to this world, if only for my mental health. Once a monster rises above a certain rank, it wouldnt receive much damage if the attack isnt incorporated with magic power. Indeed. That is why we Elves shoot arrows d in magic power and attribute magic. With that being the case, firing lead balls wouldnt be applicable for anything but weak monsters. Magic devices that shoots out attribute magic already exists in this world, if Im not mistaken. One is therge-ish magic crystal iyed into the tip of a staff. It must have been a very expensive magic device that fires the magic contained in the magic crystal etched with magic forms. Even though I can make magic crystals myself, procuring arge amount of magic stones that would serve as materials for it is a big ordeal. At first, I considered weapons that fire magic attacks like the ones equipped on the magic ship, but I realized that while it was fine to prepare ample magic crystals for the armaments of a gigantic ship despite being somewhat massive, its wrong topare it to providing golems with weapons that must be portable. Furthermore, the ship is equipped with a magic device that replenishes magic power from the mana in the atmosphere back into the magic crystals. An attack by means of magic consumes a lot of magic power. A way to consume less magic power huh as expected, arrows carried by Wind magic might be realistic. Thats correct. Wind magic and bows have good affinity, after all. The method of circting magic power through the arrow is unusable when the arrowhead is made of iron, therefore we Elves use a technique by dding an arrow in magic power to increase its piercing strength known as Piercing Shot. Then Ill prepare a magic device for the right hand of the archer-type golem to cast that magic. Then I suddenly remembered a weapon in Japan. Called Hazuyari[1], it is a bow with a spearhead fastened at its tip. If it was just in its in form, Id have worries about the strength when using the spear, but that can be resolved by the materials and magic that exist in this world. Itll suffice if we procure masses of ready-made arrows from Papeck-san. Polypod-type Golem (Scorpion) C 1 Equestrian-type Golem (Centaur) C 4 Normal Knight-type Golem C 4 Heavy Knight-type Golem C 2 Archer-type Golem C 4 This will be one toon and I decided that the polypod-type golem will be the leader. Four toons is apany, fourpanies is a battalion, and right now my objective is to make a battalion-sized golem corps. 240 golems huh. Once we include the equipment into the count, the sighs really will begin to spill out. A 240 golem corps? Im certain that would be a spectacle. It would be apany if it was a troop of 240 humans though. Well, these are golems, after all. If possible, Id like to make a division and brigade-sized golem unit. I dont know why, but my intuition is telling me to prepare. Whether this is because of the Insight Skill or a supernatural-like foreboding, I dont know. Its not like it would be any trouble even if we over-prepare, so Ive decided to act based on my intuition. With Laeva and the Dwarves help, I made all sorts of golems. To fight against threats that may eventuallye. *** Footnotes: 1. example of the bow: Single de here, possible variation here. 2. Spider polypod golem missing from the toon count. Chapter 203: Reclaiming the savage lands Chapter 203: Reiming the savagends Frightened by something, I continued to make golems. It was then that a proposal came from Dryas and Undine. Reim the savagends? Yes, since the three countries found out about the Sanctuary, the other countries would also know, wouldnt they? As the town to the east of the Sanctuary has beenpleted, the establishment of the main road will move forward, so during that, I was thinking the surroundings of the Sanctuary canrgely be reimed. The flowing river needs to be altered greatly, but the savagends have several rivers that run through it and there is argeke where the spring water gushes forth. If Undine and I cooperate, it would be possible to change wastnds into forests and grasnds. Remation huh I considered what Dryas and Undine mentioned. The remainder of the current savagends in the west of the continent connects Yggurle Kingdom, Valkyra Kingdom, and Lomaria Kingdom by a highway that starts from Wedgefort, and the monsters in that area started being exterminated. Monster nests still dot thend even now. Within that, there is a motion for the three countries to deal with the numerous Undead-type monster nests which dont have materials with much profit. Would it be possible to construct a fort in the area between Wedgefort and the new town? Titan and I can build the towns container. This time, we can even get the Dwarves and Elves in the Sanctuary to help out. But people who would inhabit it probably wouldnt gather immediately. If thats the case, I thought that it would be nice if forts are built to surround the town already present and cultivate the farnd within. Whatever the case, well have to ask for coordination between the people involved. Well then, we will be going. Eh, w-wait! Saying just that, Undine and Dryas went back. It had been splendidly pushed onto you. can I not be the one to talk to the higher ups of the three countries? For starters, how about consulting with Margrave Volton-sama? As for the Trination, I believe that they would wee defense for their new town. The vast savagends that fill the west of the continent will connect the new nearlyplete fortress town of Lomaria Kingdom, to Wedgefort and then to the town east of the Sanctuary via a highway. If that line is reimed until Yggurle Kingdom to the north, it would beparable in size to Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom. Within that expanse, the remaining small monster nests were simr to the nests that exist within Lomaria and Valkyra, so they werent too much of an obstacle. It would be different story if the monster nests were of the same ss as the Forest of Death though. Situated in the border region of Valkyra Kingdom, Volton is bustling with people as it nowadays acts as the entry point to the Sanctuary from within the country. Nervous, I stood in front of the castle` the Margravial residence of the Lord of this fief` which is located in the heart of the town that could be called my base. Haa, this kind of thing isnt my job. Well, it would be a source of trouble to reim the savagends without giving notice to the three countries, after all. Yeah, Im aware of that, Sophia. If it was done before Wedgefort and the Sanctuary, anyone could reim the savagends and no country would say anything about it though. The ns to reim it had been at a standstill. Nowadays, no country dared to reim the savagends. 50 years ago, Triaria Kingdom suffered damages from monsters during their march through the savagends to invade Yggure Kingdom, which could be said to have resulted to their defeat at the war with Yggurle Kingdom. When we visited Margrave Voltons castle, the Chambein Xervus-san greeted us. My, my, Iruma-dono. You are very much wee. I will guide you to Master immediately, so pleasee this way. Im sorry for troubling you. Sophia and I were guided to the reception office where we would wait for Margrave Volton. After entering the room and waiting for a little while, the door opened and Margrave Volton entered. Ooh, Iruma-dono, trade with the Sanctuary is starting gradually and every country is grateful for it. In addition, the new instruments and music seem to be spreading tremendously. Thats great, isnt it? Hmm? Could it be a different matter? Yes, actually I talked about the turbulent presence in the middle of the continent that Undine and the Great Spirits told me about. Hearing the words middle of the continent, Margrave Volton tantly frowned. the zealots and war maniacs? I cant say for certain, but it is likely those two countries. fumu, I would implore you to not be hindered by the savagend remation in your work to grow the Sanctuary. As such, Iruma-dono, do you have a proposal? Yes, actually So I suggested building forts to shield the south side of the town in the east of the Sanctuary in a circr form. thats not a bad idea. Presently, the three nations are working together to exterminate the monsters in the surroundings of the town, and it would be beneficial if there are forts that units can resupply and take refuge in should an unlikely event ur. However, it is necessary to coordinate this with the three countries. I will ry this immediately and contact you, Iruma-dono. If we receive your help with the construction, we will be able to shorten the construction period, after all. The fact is, by shielding the vicinity of the town with forts, thend inside can be cultivated to farnd and the safety of the farmers can be guaranteed. Margrave Volton was on board with this. It could also be said that with Dryas and Undines powers, the sess of the farnd was promised. Afterwards, Margrave Volton promised to discuss this with the three nations and I was done being Undines messenger. *** Chapter 204: Building a line of defense Chapter 204: Building a line of defense Since the time I made the proposal to build forts to Margrave Volton, the trination moved quickly. From that alone, their wariness towards Triaria Kingdom and the Divine Empire Sydnia appeared strong. Actually, Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom have incurred damage from the zealots of the Light God Faith, and Triaria Kingdom waged a war of aggression with Yggurle Kingdom to enve the Elves like madmen over 50 years ago. Of course they would be vignt. Without dy, in the fortress town built on the east named Valor, the scale and build location of the forts as well as the n to construction of defensive walls to protect the farmers from monsters when they develop the farnd were discussed. There, it was suggested that the forts to be constructed should also serves as a post station[1] between Valor and Wedgefort. Currently, the distance between Wedgefort to Valor takes two days for a carriage pulled by a Demon Horse. Since it would take even longer for a normal carriage, if there is at least one, and if possible two post stations, theings and goings of merchants would be more active and it would spur the development of the Valor which holds the role of being the hub for the three countries. Going by myments, its been decided that forts will be built in 6 locations encircling Valor. There were six points urately marked on the map we made of the surroundings of the Sanctuary. These six points have an important meaning. The civil official who will be responsible for the Valkyras fort construction asked a question. Iruma-dono, must the building locations of these forts urately and unerringly be in these location? Yes, I will mark the exact spots, so please build the forts with those marks at the center. It has importance. Since I will build a tower on these marked spots, please leave ample space. The locations these towers will be erected in will be important? Yes. The six points surrounding Valor are arranged to the shape of a hexagram. I will build towers installed with a magic device in the marked spots at those forts. When those magic devices are activated, it would draw a gigantic hexagram and magic would activate. Wide Area Purification Magic , I think purification magic would be effective if what Undine and the Great Spirits were anxious about were the two countries in the center of the continent. It shows a tremendous effect against monsters that contain miasma and people encroached by miasma. Like before, the fanatics encroached by miasma were at least greatly inhibited in movement with wide area purification magic, while there were even some that didnt even leave dust after being purified. Its just an insurance. I understand. If you could show us the location and provide us the blueprints of the tower, the construction may be done by the respective country in charge of that location. Understood. I will send the blueprints, so please do. Shaking hands with the officials of each country, I immediately moved on to marking six points. Instead of making a conical stump marker with Earth magic on the spot drawn on the map, we built around the center of the nned construction site of the fort. After that, we immediately began working on the three forts were in charge of. Among our members, the ones with aptitude for Earth magic are Maria, Marnie, Titan, and myself, but the Rabbitkin Marnie` or perhaps I should say that the unique disposition of Beastkin` has high physical abilities, but her aptitude for magic is low, so she cant be part of the building team. As a result, Titan, Maria, and I will be building the fort. Well then, well split up the range. Yes, Ill do my best. ң ͣ. Maria and Titan matched their timing and invoked Earth magic. gogogogogooooo!! The ground rose and formed into a wall. Outside the walls, a moat waspleted. Building a 200m diameter fort and adding the facilities and magic devices inside took 5 days. It will take 15 days to finish building forts in three ces. However, even if we finished installing Water MDs, the Purifier MDs, and the like, I requested the three countries to bring in the fixtures and furnishings. Gogogogooooo!! We built monster-repelling walls and a dry moat from the fort south of Valor towards farther south using Earth Magic. Sophia asked what my ns were after I finish constructing the three forts I was in charge of. Takumi-sama, what will you do about the inner side of the forts? Hmm, I nned for it to be farnd someday, but for the time being, Ill help construct the three countries share of forts. Fortifying the defense will also be a deterrent, after all. I believe it would be difficult to search for reason from those two countries, but doing everything you can would leave nothing to regret, wouldnt it? no, they are more or less still countries, so they still have some reasoning, even if minute. I dont think you should look for reasoning from a country of religious fanatics and a country of war maniacs. thats true. The wall for reiming farnd will be built first in the south. Its prepared for threatsing from the south. Countries besides the two at the center of the continent are continuing to develop. The believers of the Genesis Faith are increasing, and the believers of the Light God Faith are decreasing, with their churches closing in ces outside of their own country. I didnt think that this situation was elerating an outburst. *** Footnotes: 1. A post station is a ce where people can rest during their journey. 2. Honestly, I wish there was a world map so it wouldnt be as hard to imagine all these. Chapter 205: Farmland Reclamation Chapter 205: Farnd Remation Master (Husband), thats a nice smile you have. Stress had just been piling on recently, you see. As Sophia and Marnie watched me work on reiming farnd using Earth Magic with a smile on my whole face, I yed around with earth for the first time in a while. I was clearing the fields and building a waterway through the wall. Nearby, Kaede rode Tsubaki and was hunting the surrounding monsters. As expected, rather than dealing with strife, its more fun for me to create things. Since the fort construction had more or less been going well, I started on the next project. Thinking were in need of reserve force besides the soldiers that would be stationed in the forts, I asked by way of Margrave Volton if its possible to cultivate the farnd with agricultural soldiers (shortened: agrisoldiers). Agrisoldiers, people ordinarily working the fields that be soldiers in times of emergency were possible to gather easily. I was told that by providing the nearly retired adventurers and soldiers reimednd, they would cultivate it while continuing to train. Requests like that are plenty, apparently. Even as adventurers, after retiring, the number of individuals that were capable of living a life of leisure are but a small handful. This also applies to those besides the noble knights and soldiers, many of whom want but cant have families. After I suggested the agrisoldiers, things started moving terrifyingly fast. So far, several families had already begun to immigrate. Because of that, I hurried to make houses close to the field for them. A wall will be built for the vige not far from the six forts, and if therees a time, they can evacuate to the fort or Valor. The soldiers of the trination that upy Valor, the soldiers stationed in the forts, adventurers based in Valor, and if the agricultural soldiers are added to this, then in a time of emergency, they would be able to defend themselves until reinforcements from the three countries arrive. Undine, tell me the location of a groundwater vein. This area is away from the groundwater vein. There is a vein with an abundant volume of water a bit more to the north. It would be best to draw from there for waterway . Understood, tell me where it is. I learned from Undine that the water source to the agriculturalnd would correspond on a case-by-case basis ording to the forts locations, by either drawing water from a groundwater vein or a river and letting it flow through an aqueduct Dryas and Gnome were also helping out with cultivation of the farnd. Crops would not grow even if barrennd is reimed and made into fields. As such, Gnome adjusted the condition of the soil, and Dryas provided the fallen leaves of the forest that would turn into fertilizer. We roughlypleted the remation of thend surrounding the forts we were in charge of. The immigration of the agrisoldiers and their families was going well, and they brought their liveliness with them to Valor. Even in the inner side of the forts that the three countries are constructing, the establishment of a settlement for the agrisoldiers and thend remation are progressing at a quick pace. If these hadnt been in preparation for a conflict, I could have wholeheartedly been d. In a room inside the royal castle of Valkyra Kingdom, King Lobos Valkyra, Prime Minister Simon, and Royal Knight Order Commander Ghad were discussing the ongoing agrisoldier operation in the report from Margrave Volton. Iruma-donos suggestion is the best that not only our country, but all three countries could ask for, isnt it? Yes, Your Majesty. Especially to the lower ss soldiers and nearly retiring adventurers, they will gainnd and have a job to support their families. Ghad-dono, that is not all, reimednd will be acquired free of charge, as such, the crops produced will be consumed by towns such as Valor and the taxes will be paid to the country. For King Lobos, he was worried for the future of the third sons and illegitimate children who would not seed their noble familys peerage, soldiers and knights close to retirement, as well as adventurers who have retired. Its much harder than they could have imagined. There have been instances where said soldiers, knights, and adventurers fall to thieves. King Lobos asked Simon about the matter that the Great Spirits was warning them of. Were you able to grasp the movements of Triaria Kingdom and the Divine Empire Sydnia? Yes sir, the influence of the Light God Church has diminished, but in my humblest opinion, it makes them more dangerous. The fewer they are, the more radical they be, is it? That is how it is. Around how long before they have an outburst? Perhaps from half a year to a year. Simons prediction is that it wouldnt be strange for those two countries to explode soon. Then Knight Commander Ghad gave his report regarding their defense n. The defense around our domestic borders have no issues. However, their invasion would undoubtedly be aimed towards the Sanctuary from the direction of the savagends. In order to respond, the neighboring towns, Valor and Wedgefort, must increase the number of their soldiers. Umu, let us appeal to the nobles with territories in the north to dispatch their troops. By your will. Saying so, Ghad promptly left to organize troops. King Lobos and Simon steered the discussion towards the transportation of goods and emergency reserves. In addition, theyll immediately approach Lomaria Kingdom and Yggurle Kingdom about opening an assembly with regards to the defense around Valor. *** Chapter 206: Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 206 A new event Chapter 206: Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 206 A new eventBy the time we finished the forts we were in charge of in the south to the remation of the farnd in the north, the construction of the settlement that the agrisoldiers and their families would live in was alsopleted. Because the farnd can immediately be nted in with Gnome and Dryas powers, grains and vegetable seeds were promptly sowed in. The agrisoldiers dobat training and wall reinforcing during their breaks from farming. In the living room of my mansion in the Sanctuary, I drank tea and idled for the first time in a long while. Fuu~ The tea is delicious. Thank you very much, Master(Husband). Marnie, you should take a break too. It was then that Akane and Lulu-chan entered the living room while stretching. Lulu-chan prepared to brew tea for Akane once she sat on the sofa. Hey Takumi, dont you think the Sanctuary needs an event? Umm, we held a showy concert recently though Yes, thanks to the sess of that concert, for some time, I was busy making instruments. Even now, the three countries Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom were making an orchestra to produce new music. Thats that and this is this. I think we need a festival! A festival? Could this festival youre talking about be a festival like the one in Japan? Yeah! That! I want to eat cotton candy and candied apples! Master, what is cotton candy?! Kaede bit at the topic of food. In the ce that Akane lived, its a sweet thing often found in festivals. A candy that is fluffy and melts as soon as its in your mouth. Woaaah! Kaede wants to eat too! Thats right Kaede! Is the festival (omatsuri) not a harvest festival (shuukakusai)? It looks like Sophia doesnt know what a festival (omatsuri) is. This world does harvest festivals, but hardly any other event. Come to think of it, sinceing to this world, I havent seen anything besides a harvest festival. A Japanese festival was originally a ceremony to worship the gods and ancestors, for gratitude, prayers, andforting of the spirits. But what Akane wants are the food stalls thate out at that time. Isnt that obvious? What am I going to do with carrying a portable shrine(mikoshi). Ikayaki, takoyaki, kakigoori. What delicious sounding names nya. Lulu-chans eyes were sparkling too. This had be a situation where I cant say no. Akanes sort of festival seems to be disjointed from Shinto rituals. Normally, the Shinto ritual was the main event and the food stalls were the extra though. So, will you do it?! Or will you not?! Haa, I get it. Lulu-chan and Kaede seem like theyre looking forward it as well. Just in case, well leave offerings to Norn-sama, the Spirit Tree, and the Great Spirits. Its simr to a harvest festival, isnt it? Sophia! Its not the same as a harvest festival! A harvest festival doesnt have candied apples! It doesnt exist. That thing. In the end, having caved to Akanes influence, its been decided that I would think and prepare stalls for the fair. Well, the kids living in the Sanctuary will be delighted too, and it would be fine to consider this a reward for them doing their best at work everyday. The inhabitants of the Sanctuary have also greatly increased, to the point that I cant remember everyones names and faces. Since building the school, the children are d to be able to study, but perhaps amusement is also necessary. Leaving aside what I can or cant do for the time being, I asked Akane what stalls would be good. So Akane, your requests are? Lets see, cotton candy and candied apples are essential. Goldfish scooping looks unreasonable, so how about yo-yo fishing? And I want to eat takoyaki and baby caste. Also, I want have kushiage and yakitori. arent almost all of those food? For the cotton candy, if the machine is reced by a magic device, the only ingredient would be sugar so theres no problem with that. The candied apple, takoyaki, baby caste, kushiage, yakitori are fine to reproduce because weve finally made shoyu and usta sauce. Goldfish scooping is too much, so for yoyo fishing, Ill have to check if I can make rubber balloons. Got it. I dont know whether or not this can be realized, but Ill try giving it some thought. Takoyaki. There are squid and octopus-like beings even in this world, so Ill try discussing it with the Mermaid Fluna. So I think both takoyaki and okonomiyaki can be made. Baby caste. I wonder if it would be fine to rece baking powder with baking soda. Cotton candy. Ill be making a magic device for it. Yakitori sauce. It has soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, and I dont know the rest. Ill adjust the taste when I attempt to make it. I dont think the kushiage will have any issue. Ah, the kakigoori too, okay? Yes, yes. If Ill be using all sorts of fruits, then it would be better to discuss that too. Ill go ask Melty-san if shell sell fruits. See ya! The managers of the Sanctuarys orchard are the first Elven family that arrived at the Sanctuary, the mother Melty-san and sisters Mnie and Malorie. The poption of the Elves has increased, but the Elven women have a central role in the orchard work aside from the manualbor. Melty-san, can we talk about a few things? My, Takumi-sama. If its you talking, then whatever it is I shall obey. Likewise for me. No, its not that heavy a topic. Please calm down a bit. The truth is I hurriedly talked about wanting to use apples and other fruits in stalls for the festival that Akane suggested. Hmm, a thing like that would be no problem at all. Both this orchard and us are here thanks to you, after all, Takumi-sama. Because of this, even if you were to tell me to present my body, I would dly do so. No no, calm yourself, Melty-san! Once Melty-san and the girlsposed themselves, they agreed to supply fruits. Afterwards, they also agreed to help with the candied apple and kakigoori stalls. The candied apple stall will have apples and grapes, and for the kakigoori stall, they promised to help make syrup with various fruits. Now then, to make the stalls, I have to talk to the Dwarves. *** Footnotes: 1.All the words I left in Japanese can be googled if youre not sure what they are. Chapter 207: Festival Chapter 207: Festival With the help of Doganbo-san and the Dwarves, we made all sorts of stalls. Looks interesting. I would be delighted if you sold alcohol as well, but do the Sanctuary inhabitants have any money? Undine made me remember a huge thing while the preparations were ongoing. O-oh yeah. I forgot such a fundamental thing. What should I do? If you dont invite outsiders, then wouldnt it be fine to do this free of charge this time? Money started trickling in when trade with Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom began, so more and more people are earning money for their work in the Sanctuary. Oh. Should I distribute money to everyone sooner? We have money stocked up from selling Spirit Tree materials and rare medicinal nts, dont we? Yup. How much money can they spend in stalls? No way a person can use 1 gold, right? Should I distribute 10 silver to each person, from the adults to the children? Deciding so, I immediately asked Sophia and Maria. Up until now, Ive been stocking up on daily necessities from the Papeck Company and handing it out to the people of the Sanctuary, but I cant keep doing this forever. Itll soon be possible to shop at the stores Papeck-san requested to set up, and the citizens can spend their extra money there. The Elves working in the orchard and the mermaids fishing in the sea will be absorbed into the mary economy when they sell their goods in shops. Please leave it to us. Well distribute this to everyone right away then. I asked the two to distribute the money, then I went into training the people wholl help with the stalls. There are two kinds of magic devices created for the cotton candy and kakigoori. Since theres nothing but our mansions, the Genesis church, and music-rted buildings at center of the Sanctuary, there was a lot of space. After setting up the stalls there, I made the stall volunteers practice. The people helping were Cat Sith, Beastkin, Elven, and Human women. Most of the stalls would serve food, so the women used to cooking offered to help. Since there were more people than I thought, so I got carried away and increased the variety of stalls. Hot iron te: Okonomiyaki ? Takoyaki ? Ikayaki ? Yakisoba Char-grilled: Yakitori (Grilled Skewered Chicken) ? Yakitomorokoshi (Grilled Corn) ? Kushiyaki (Grilled Skewers) Sweets: Cotton Candy ? Candied Apples ? Baby Caste ? Kakigoori (Shaved Ice) Others will also sell juices and ale. We practiced repeatedly, and when everyone got used to it, I decorated the open space lined with stalls with Lamp MDs. From the very beginning, streetlights were installed in the Sanctuary. Its a magic device that lights up when it senses darkness around it, and it works by replenishing magic power from the mana in the surroundings, so its selling point is that it doesnt need much maintenance. This was something that doesnt exist even in the royal capitals, so there was a rush of bulk orders from the three countries. When the sun sank, offerings were ced on a simple altar prepared ahead of time, and Yggurle Kingdoms third princess, Mimir, recited a ritual prayer dedicated to Norn-sama, the Great Spirits, and the Spirit Tree. The Sanctuary inhabitants watched this attentively. When Princess Mimir turned around, indicating the end of the ceremony, the impatiently waiting children ran to the stalls. It looks like everyones pleased. Of course, the adults and the children are all in high spirits. I bought all sorts of food and enjoyed eating them as I sat down in the area where the chairs and tables were lined up. I had set it up with the image of the food court of arge supermarket in my old world. A shift rotation had been set up so that even the people manning the stalls could enjoy the festival, so Ill be subbing inter. These glittering light magic devices are lovely too. Sophia smiled as she gazed at the decorative lights. Maybe slightly drunk on wine, the faintly reddened amorous Sophia was not bad either. The adults lined their tables with the stall food they bought and were enjoying wine and ale from simr stalls. Although the Sanctuary had begun making alcohol, it hasnt reached the point where the inhabitants drink alcohol on a daily basis. But thanks to the Dwarves, Gnome, and Smander for arranging the increase in production, were freely able to enjoy alcohol. Then Undine and Sylph came with sses in hand. Takumi, its a huge sess. Our familial spirits are overjoyed as well. Once a year, lets make it an annual event. Yup, definitely, if we can see the smiles on everyones faces then its fine even if we do it every year, wouldnt it? The lively Sanctuary evening wore into the night with the smiles andughter of everyone. *** Chapter 208: Monster Country Chapter 208: Monster Country The purification of the Earth Pulse began from west of the continent because of the Spirit Tree, the entity that is restoring the power of the World Tree which originally tended to that role. And while the miasma in the continent is weakening, there is only one ce with a different aspect. The Divine Empire Sydnia, in a continent where the Genesis Faith is prevalent, is the sole country that believes in the Light God Faith as their state religion. That ce is a nation where the Pope is at the top of the power structure, a state with doctrines on human supremacy where non-human races are all ves, a country where it is righteous to eliminate other races and religions. However, the Holy Knights of the Temr Order[1]were exuding miasma` something impossible for people to have` from their bodies. Their eyes, hollow and insane. Mixed in with those knights were two ck haired and ck eyed youths. Akira Jinguji and Yamato Taiga. Two former high schoolers from Japan that were summoned as heroes. They had grown arrogant from being given too much power in this world, willingly murdering people. Amassing miasma within themselves, they lost their minds, and with the dark guilds Demonicine, theyve been reduced to mere killing machines numb to pain. Regarding Akira Jinguji, he had be unable to use the Light Attribute Magic which a hero should have had the aptitude for. Changing an acquired attribute is fundamentally impossible, but such a thing was happening within Akira Jinguji. Already beyond salvation, the only way to stop them is through death. Pope Warvaal and Imperial Princess Elizabeth were also seized with miasma, incapable of making normal decisions. In particr, the person greatly altered was Imperial Princess Elizabeth. She was no longer a Human. Having fused with the Evil Spirit, Elizabeth was no longer revered as the Princess Elizabeth, but as the living god within the Divine Empire Sydnia. The current state of the continent was uneptable to the Divine Empire Sydnia. And overflowing with miasma[2] (Sydnia perceives miasma as holy energy and conversely perceives sacred energy[3]as miasma) was formed in the western edge of the continent, and the three kingdoms Valkyra, Yggurle, and Lomaria were tainted by it. The purification of thend contaminated by miasma was now a crusade to the Divine Empire Sydnia. Elizabeth, no, Goddess Anat. The age of the holy war is close. The Temr Order and the Kamui Unit are doing well. Fufu, Father, no, Pope Warvaal. Due to the drug we procured from that dark guild, our army have be soldiers that do not fear death. Inparison to the armies of the Trination, we may not win with numbers, but there is no cause for worry. Our army can suppress normal soldiers. Hoh, how promising. Furthermore, the monsters we will encounter during the march to the savagends will be our support. W-what? Even monsters would obey? Warvaal did not realize that if they were to be followed by countless monsters, its not in the realm of Tamer, but rather as a ruling ss of monsters. Theyve already lost the ability to think deeply. If we hasten the reservation of food, it will take one month to march to the savagends. Rush the procurement of the supplies! Pope Warvaal instructed his subordinates. The infantry does not travel by carriage or horseback but mainly through marches, and to traverse from the center of the continent to the western edge where the Sanctuary is, it would take one month no matter how much the march is rushed. The Divine Empire Sydnia was in dire straits with the procurement of the materials necessary for their cause, but Warvaal and Elizabeth showed no signs of worry. If munitions were being procured at arge scale, it would naturally be heard by the neighboring countries. It isnt known what Triaria Kingdom, a nation Sydnia is friendly with, thinks of this, but Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom were quick to obtain information and promptly held an extraordinary trination conference as they were convinced that its aim was the Sanctuary. The meeting discussions began from the status of the procurement of materials to inferring the size of the army, and the formation of the three nations united garrison. Urgently, we must expand our garrison and increase the number of personnel. Let us dispatch the mage division as well and erect encampments. We would like to ce archers from Yggurle Kingdom in watchtowers that would be built at uniform spacing. The civil and military officials of the Trination deliberated over the procurement of their respective supplies and deployment of personnel. ording to the reports from the intelligence division, the route of the invasion will pass through the savagends is certain, so of course, it is very probable that the town that the Trination built, Valor, will sustain damage. As such, its only natural that the Trination would seriously prepare to intercept. Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdoms Trination alliance also intended to take this opportunity to thoroughly weaken the Divine Empire Sydnias power. The shadows of a great war was about to engulf the continent. *** Footnotes: 1. The previous name given by the author for the order is ̇Tʿ which I then tled as Holy Knight Order, the name used now is Tʿ so I might permanently change it to Temr Order / Temrs. 2. Typo: raw-а correct-Κ. 3. Ive been kind of alternating the trantion of } between holy and sacred energy, with holy being used more in Sydnia, and sacred in Sanctuary, since its easier to distinguish which area/country the energy pertains to. But in a sense, they mean the same thing. Chapter 209: Commencing the invasion Chapter 209: Commencing the invasion The invading forces of Divine Empire Sydnia had finally begun to move. They marched through Triaria Kingdoms side of its shared border with Lomaria Kingdom. Taking this opportunity to strike Yggurle Kingdom, Triaria Kingdom merged their troops with the invading army in order to make the savagends their own. When the Divine Empire Sydnias invading army passed through Triaria Kingdom and tread upon the savagends, the size of the army exceeded 10,000 men. In the scale of wars in this world, an army of 10,000 is ssified as arge-scale war. Nevertheless, it may be reasonable in consideration of the fact that mankinds living space is small so its poption is rtively minute inparison to the size of the continent. However, should an army of 10,000 men march through the savagends, it would be an act equivalent to calling in monsters. The Divine Empire Sydnias army of people who have almost lost themselves and exceeded the limits of man were trampling down monsters, but that wasnt the case for Triaria Kingdom. As a result, it became an erratic situation where they marched while taking damage. The Divine Empire Sydnias army decimating monsters with their abnormal strength didnt mean they werepletely without injury though. But, horrifyingly enough, the deceased soldiers became the Undead and continued to march. The soldiers-turned-zombies strangely did not attack the marching troops of the Divine Empire Sydnia and Triaria Kingdom as they walked slowly, continuing the march as an immortal army. Naturally, the fact that the Divine Empire Sydnia moved their army to the savagends through Triaria Kingdom became known to the Trination. In particr, with the participation of Triaria Kingdoms army, Yggurle Kingdom who had justification from the events 50 years prior had immediately mobilized its army. Among the knights deployed was Darphy Von Sylphide, Sophias younger brother. In the Sanctuary, Sophia rushed to me as I was doing my routine tasks. Takumi-sama, Divine Empire Sydnia has begun its invasion. With Triarias army joining, their numbers exceed 10,000. Ten thousand men marching in the savagends, how reckless can they be If an army thatrge marched, wouldnt that lure out the monsters from surrounding monster nests? To top it off, Sophia notified me of more important information. Furthermore, there is bad news. Information from the intelligence division of Valkyra Kingdom says that the Divine Empire Sydnias army are marching soldiers with unimaginable strength and unfearing of death. Isnt that simr to the attacker that came for me? That dark guild, they must have a connection to it. More importantly, are Akira and Yamato are also together with them? Akane gave out the names of her former ssmates and friends whom she had transferred to this world with. They were unable to verify specific individuals, however, the entire Temr Order is marching. It would be more natural if they were there. As Sophia had pointed this out, Akanes expression darkened. Even if their paths were different, they were fellow Japanese, and they were also ssmates in the same high school, so she likely has feelings she cant cut off so cleanly. Akane, cant you stay here and protect everyone here in the Sanctuary this time? hmm, Im going too. Its my duty to see what Akira and Yamato have been doing with my own eyes. Akane-sama ssmates killing each other would be hard, so I suggested that she stay back, but after a bit of thinking, Akane, looking resolute, dered that she woulde. Lulu-chan looked at her worriedly. Okay. Instead, Ill have you work hard as a medic. I dont want you kill people even now is what Id like to say, but just this time, it would be best if you go around to support everyone. fine. I dont want Akane to carry double the burden; Having to kill people, as well as the possible death of her former friends. Master, Kaede will go set traps. Takumi-sama, Laeva will also install traps around. Kaede and Laeva said they wouldy traps meant for interception. In that case, well be ready to intercept. Then, as we will be preparing the food in advance, please store them in your Item Box, Master(Husband). Ill help too. Just to be sure, I will instruct the Sanctuary people to evacuate to the ship in case of an emergency. Marnie and Maria disappeared into the kitchen to make food, while Sophia left to inform the inhabitants on how to respond in an emergency. I also asked Titan to mobilize the golem corps to the two forts located south of Valor. The golem corps exceeded the 240 initially nned and had now be a battalion of 400. This is thanks to Doganbo-san and the Dwarves helping with the full operation. That said, what increased were mostly the Normal Knight-type golems, but theres strength in numbers, which continue to increase. I handed over the golem cores that I prepared beforehand to the Dwarves and left the assembly to them so production is still ongoing. For the time being, I instructed Titan to deploy 200 golems to the two forts. We hurriedly prepared a line of defense. All so that whats important to us arent taken away. *** Chapter 210: Opening of Hostilities Chapter 210: Opening of Hostilities Divine Empire Sydnia and Triaria Kingdoms Sanctuary invasion army was slower than expected, and that time was an advantage for us. Their troops seem to have slowed down their pace to match the undead that they had brought along with them. As the Trination build their field encampment, Lomaria Kingdom brought out catapults and even ballista. Yggurle Kingdom erected many watchtowers for their archers, and the magic division had secured copious amounts of mana potions as a countermeasure for magic power exhaustion. Valkyra Kingdom had also prepared a notable amount of all sorts of potions. Titan, are the Heavy Knight Golems equipped withrge shields enchanted with magic resistance? ٣ ͣ 䣮 I see, please make sure the Archer Golems dont run out of arrows. ң ͣ򣮡 I left Titan and walked 500m south from the field camp to where Laeva and Kaede were setting traps. Ah, Takumi-sama. The instation of explosive traps is going well. Kaede set poison traps too, Master! Laevas traps were the so-calledndmine-like magic device. The generalnd mine and the directional anti-personnel ymore had been sessfully reproduced. Kaedeid threads on the ground which would then coil around the marching soldiers above it, even inflicting additional poison damage. Then, lets have a meal once were done. Okay! Yup! Will be done soon! We went back from the frontlines to the field camp. During that walk, I verified the locations of ditches and pitfalls. It wouldnt be funny if we fell into the pitfalls when its time to attack, after all. The camp is another 200m south of the fort, and when the enemies attack reach this this far, our strategy is to abandon it and retreat to the forts. And this camp has traps set too. And so, the two forts will be thest line of defense. In the forts and the field camp, the armies of the three nations were moving around hectically in preparation to intercept. What is especially different is the golem unit Im taking along. Enormous Heavy Knight Golems, half-man half-horse Centaur Golems and the like stared at the south without moving in the slightest. The impact a golem unit made of metal that exceeds 300 in number had was significant. A splendidly bearded man wearing shiny silver armor over a body that never missed training approached me. Iruma-dono, the soldiers of the Trination have arrived at their posts. The timing of the operation will be left to you. Yes, we may lose in numbers, but were prepared. Lets win. The person who came to talk to me was Valkyra Kingdoms Knight Order Commander Ghad Von Bauer. For this defensive battle, he came to the frontlines as the suprememander. Divine Empire Sydnia and Triaria Kingdoms allied forces exceed 10,000. Moreover, the monsters joined and the undead increased midway. Facing them, the total count of our side came to be the Trination alliances 6,000 soldiers and our 300 golem unit. Its few ording to the numbers, but we had the field camp and Laeva and Kaedes traps. If we take in all the other defense setups we prepared, I think well manage somehow. ording to the reports from the intelligence divisions of the Trination alliance, Sydnia and Triarias allied forces have no order in their ranks, no different from a swarm of monsters. However, as it has been predicted that there were individuals simr to the assant with abnormal strength from before, we cant look down on them, but weve also taken measures against them. Nheless, despite having countless undead mixed in among them, the act of undead attacking the Sanctuary made me question their sanity. Perhaps the central figures of the Divine Empire of Sydnia were no longer able to make proper decisions. After several meetings in order tomunicate with themanders of Trination, we finished conducting interception simtions and checking the coordination between units when the gs of Divine Empire Sydnia and Triaria Kingdom hoisted by their troops appear alongside clouds of dust in the southern savagends. The enemy army visible from the camps watchtowers was still at a distance that couldnt be seen as anything but grains of rice. At the pace of their march, it would still take some time. Alright, everyone, prepare to intercept! Archers to the watchtowers! Mages in charge of the barriers and attacks, hasten preparations! Rush the catapults and ballista preparations too! Ghad-san loudly issued orders after my prompt. As expected, they have been encroached by miasma. As soon as I thought I heard someone talk all of a sudden, there stood the Great Light Spirit Selene. Particrly the troops hoisting Sydnias g, right? Yes. Its reasonable for the Undead to have it, but for living people to be encroached by miasma, they can no longer be called people. Then that thing looks like it would be useful, huh? Correct, and I shall allow Mimir to use Light Spirit magic. Its efficacy would be tremendous. Saying so, Selene disappeared. In the battlefield, rather than soldiers warcries, Sydnias and Triarias allied forces raised monster-like roars and increased their marching speed. When the invading troops neared the spot 300m from the camp, sounds of explosions could be heard all around. A massive battle, unprecedented in the history of this continent, had marked its beginning. *** Chapter 211: Immortal Soldiers Chapter 211: Immortal Soldiers Explosions sted one after the other on the front lines, and the soldiers of Triaria Kingdom and Divine Empire of Sydnias allied forces danced midair. There were some whose bodies were entangled in threads, movements suppressed. Those that escape the threads died from the poison. Still, even without healing the fallen soldiers, the forces of Sydnia and Triaria marched absolutely, as if they were dolls without a will of their own. Now! Fire! At themand of Valkyra Kingdoms Knight Order Commander Ghad-san, the catapults and ballistas began shooting their rounds. The mage unit of enemy forces tried to block the attacks with barriers, but maybe because their overall numbers werecking, the damage their forces sustained from projectile stones and giant ballista arrows increased. It was then that I noticed that after dying, the soldiers of Sydnia with fewer injuries became undead and continued their march. Im so d we prepared. Still, its a nightmare how wed have to kill them twice. Its still early, but I was so relieved. So relieved that we kept it in mind to prepare countermeasures for the undead and miasma. The pace of the enemies gradually grew faster. Each time, undead soldiers and monsters were hindered by pitfalls and moats, but just like immortal soldiers, they knew not fear. Mages! Archers! Fire! Archer Golems, keep firing! Ghad-san issued the order for the trination mage unit and archer unit to attack, and I instructed the Archer Golems to stay on the offensive. The fact that our magic and arrows were within hitting distance meant that the enemies attacks were also within hitting range, so the enemies arrows and magic came flying at us. The mage unit was responsible for blocking those. While injuries increase vastly in the enemy allied forces, they ultimately reached the field camp. Heavy Knight Golems routed the enemies with Shield Bash using their gigantic shields. Knight Golems (Centaur-type) pierced enemies with Lance Charge. The Polypod Golems (Scorpion-type) and Polypod Golems (Spider-type) were matchless. Normal Knight Golems moved to support the other golems and the Trination soldiers. I fired off magic from the enemy armys rear as I took out my ice spear Ice Bringer and mowed down the enemies. I knew that half hearted attacks wouldnt do. Sophia and Maria also wielded their spears peerlessly beside me. Im so impressed that theyve be so strong. Marnie and Laeva, having support from Akane and Kaede, safely dispatched the enemies too. Titan took the Heavy Knight Golems with him and kicked enemies around like trash. Before long, injuries caused by the abnormally strong immortal soldiers that feel no fear began showing on the knights and soldiers of the Trination. Retreat to the forts! Ghad-san saw a suitable time for the army to retreat. I raised a wall at the rear of the retreating army using Earth Magic. Earth Wall! Gogogogoooo!! Before the barrier breaks, we retreated to the front of the forts while killing the enemies that slipped in before the barrier went up. By the time we were in formation in front of the forts, the wall fell and the enemys march resumed. Iruma-dono, as expected, they seem to be taking that nasty drug. Yes, that seems to be the case. However, its relieving that they have been encroached by miasma. Fumu, now would be a suitable time. Barriers activate! At my shout, the forts magic devices started up. The magic devices of the two southern forts activated, which was the signal for the magic devices of the other four forts to start up as well. Once all six were working, a thick line of light connected the forts, forming a gigantic hexagram, then sacred light epassed the battlefield. That sacred purifying light turned the undead exposed to it into dust in an instant, the immortal soldiers of Sydnia encroached by miasma were groaning as their movements dulled. As for the weaker individuals, they cowered on the spot, ceasing all movement, and soon crumbled into dust. Explosives! At Ghad-sans orders, the field camp exploded, mes devouring the remaining enemies. Divine Empire of Sydnia and Triaria Kingdoms ten thousand strong army have already been reduced to close to 20%, and soldiers still in decent condition were few. However, they showed no intention of retreating. It was like fighting with golems. It wasnt just Sydnia, even the soldiers of Triaria were already given the drug and had since been acting strange. will it not end until they are annihted? Ghad-san muttered gravely. It was that abnormal. In a normal war, if one side loses over 30% of their total, it would be deemed a defeat and negotiations for a ceasefire would begin. All units, annihte! In front of the forts, we and the Trinationsbined armies headed into the concluding battle. If its sending those guys off, then I have to do it. Yes, as fellow Japanese. *** Chapter 212: A Clash, Former Heroes Chapter 212: A sh, Former Heroes When I was about to head in the direction of the heroes, Akane called out to me. Takumi, Im going too. I have a duty to face Akira and Yamato. No, you dont have a duty to, Akane. Their current situation is what they chose. Even then. Let me fight with you, please. Okay. Sophia, Lulu-chan, Maria, support Akane. Understood. Akane-sama, Lulu will protect you nya. Takumi-sama, you be careful too. We mowed down the enemies that were being obstacles in our path as we hurried towards the former heroes. Maybe because were in a war right now, we didnt stop to consider whether the enemies should or shouldnt be killed. We sent the enemies to their graves based on our justice. Justice depends on where one stands, and they too had their own justice. However, perhaps their side and ours would sh no matter how far we go. Lets not forget the feeling of cutting through mans flesh and ending their lives. As it had be a melee, I switched my weapon to a sword, and Sophia to her sword and round shield. When we broke through to center of the enemy camp which was verging on destruction, we found our targets. Akane loudly called out their names. Akira! Yamato! U, a, aa, kill. E, enemies, kill, kill. Two hollow-eyed youths that didnt give proper responses. Akira! Yamato! Wake up! Akanes heartbreaking scream did not reach them. Recognizing us as enemies, they faced us and attacked fiercely. Gan! Gachi! I blocked Akiras sword, which swung towards Akane, using my own. Sophia used her shield to parry Yamatos knuckle duster. Akane! Move back! These two are hopeless! Im sure of it having seen them up close. The two Japanese high schoolers werepletely different from when west met. Theirplexion was close to gray, their physiques were distorted, slobbering as they attacked with bodies leaking miasma. Akiras sword speed was fast and powerful. If by speed alone, it might even be faster than mine. However, the swordsmanship of someone who has lost his senses no longer has any technique and is easy to read, so I was able to deal with it calmly. Akane attacked Yamato with the Light Attribute Magic Holy Shot. Holy Shot isnt that high in terms of attack power, but against the miasma-encroached Yamato, it was extremely effective. While Sophia used feints with her sword and shield and Akane attacked with magic, Maria and Lulu-chan supported them by not letting the surrounding enemies close. Sophia skillfully handled Yamatos two-handed knuckle rush. Numb to fear and pain, Yamatos movements didnt falter even when Akanes magic didnt let any opening pass. Yamatos movements were reaching its limits, Akane resolved herself to defeat her countryman and friend. As I parried Akiras sword with the sword in my right hand, I aimed for the moment were both approaching and invoked Synthesis on his armor with my left hand. Actually, if I use Dposition then things would be much faster, but in a battle we move around in high speeds, its impossible to use such a slow-activating method. And so, I mixed the metals in Akiras armor with the carbon in the air using Synthesis. I did this over and over again. Akiras equipped armor was a shiny silver mithril alloy knight armor with sophisticated enchantments, a national treasure-ss item. But even then, if I coat a sword with tons of magic power, I can cut it right in half by myself. However, I was reluctant to y a fellow countryman so violently. Cant I bring them back somehow Through repeated exchanges, the carbon content of Akiras armor increased too much and it had be brittle. When my palm hit it when we passed each other, it shattered. Now that Akira had been stripped of his armor, I moved to break his limbs to incapacitate him when, all of a sudden, the jewel inserted into the ne hanging off of his neck shed a bright light and Akira disappeared. Wha?! I was surprised, and when I looked towards Akane and Sophia who were confronting Yamato, Yamato had simrly disappeared. At the same time, the soldiers of Triaria Kingdom began to retreat. It didnt take us that long to repel the soldiers of Sydnia who have lost their senses. In the battlefield after the war, I helped heal the injured and clean the corpses as I questioned what those guys wanted to do. The soldiers who raised their physical abilities explosively at the price of losing their sanity were truly powerful. In fact, the number of victims in the Trinations army was not insignificant. No matter how I think about it, they were disposable, werent they? Do you mean the soldiers that wouldnt stop until they die once the battle starts, yes? They were, indeed. Despite being the enemies, they were quite pitiful. I purified thend that turned into a battlefield while talking to Sophia about Sydnias strangeness. I was doubtful of the Popes intellect in using and throwing this many people just because he wanted to destroy the Sanctuary. hey Takumi. Can we get them back? Akane, who was helping with the cleansing, was worried about the two boys who disappeared right in front of our eyes. it would be difficult. But all we can do is try what we can. Right I thought it was more than likely to be impossible, but I simply could not tell her that. *** Sphys Note: 1. I was honestly tempted to mistrante Akanes Holy Shot to Holy Sh!t. Chapter 213: Postwar processing Chapter 213: Postwar processingThe Sanctuary invasion by Divine Empire Sydnia and Triaria Kingdom[1] ended in failure. A non-negligible number of people from thebined armies of the three kingdoms Valkyra, Lomaria, and Yggurle were killed in action. Triaria Kingdom lost more than 50% of their army, while those led by Divine Empire Sydnia were close to being totally annihted. The knights of Divine Empire Sydnia were immortal soldiers that didnt stop until they died, which led to a war with mass casualties. After the postwar proceedings finished, two countries among the Trination, Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom, discussed their response to Triaria Kingdom. The countries that share a national border with Triaria Kingdom were Lomaria Kingdom, Divine Empire Sydnia, and Samandour Kingdom. If they were to invade Triaria Kingdom, would Lomaria Kingdom attack independently? Or would they attack with Valkyra Kingdoms cooperation? In that case, it would be necessary for Valkyra Kingdoms troops to pass through Lomaria Kingdom. There is a route that passes through the savagends like what Triaria Kingdom and Divine Empire Sydnia had done this time, but there is little meaning in purposefully passing through a ce teeming with monster nests and even taking unnecessary damage. After that, the three countries discussed whether they should seek reparations to not invade. Well, those things dont concern me. After the war ended, Akane and I were busy moving around to heal the injured. Once we were finally finished with that, we left some golem units at the forts and returned to the Sanctuary mansion. Hey Takumi. Yeah? When everyone was at the living room and passing the time rxing, Akane called me. Akira and Yamato, are they perhaps already hopeless? their minds have already been encroached by too much miasma. But the problem is that they participated in Zealots mass murder of ordinary people, and their hands have been dyed with blood. Thats it, isnt it? I dont know for sure about the war, but Akira and Yamato did massacre ordinary people. Yes, the Japanese boys known as Akira and Yamatomitted acts of terrorism against Samandour Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom, namelymitting foolish crimes such as raiding viges and towns and massacring its residents. The ck haired and eyed youths stood out especially, their acts of brutality caught by the intelligence division of Lomaria Kingdom and Valkyra Kingdom. In any case, we have to settle this with Sydnia. Yes, because both Akira and Yamato disappeared. I believe there may have been Transfer Stones on them. Transfer Stones? The moment I was going to incapacitate Akira, as well as the moment Akanes group was about to defeat Yamato, they disappeared. Sophia said she recalled that there were such items. A Transfer Stone is a rare stone found in dungeons and ancient ruins, an item traded at high prices for emergency escapes. An item used to evacuate? I saw nes iyed with a stone hanging from their necks. I dare say those were Transfer Stones. There was no evidence of them activating it themselves, but maybe they had a guardian there. The soldiers of the Divine Empire Sydnia were definitely immortal soldiers, but it was unthinkable that all of them would be. They are heroes forcibly summoned, so it is likely they were unable to simply throw them away. It seems even the people who turned elite knights into immortal soldiers could not just use and then throw away heroes who could never again be summoned. Whatever the case, itll be something to talk about after the Trination finishes dealing with Triaria Kingdom, wouldnt it? Youre right, it isnt for certain that they teleported to Divine Empire Sydnia. I think it will be necessary to infiltrate the Divine Empire Sydnia someday though. Now that a massive amount of their troops died in the war, it should be simple for us humans` Akane, Maria, and I` to infiltrate it. We cant take Sophia, Marnie, Laeva, and Lulu-chan to Divine Empire Sydnia whom has a human supremacy doctrine. However, I was met with vehement objection from Sophia and the girls when I said that. Takumi-sama, I will not leave your side. Master(Husband), please take me along as well. Takumi-sama, Laeva also finds staying at home disagreeable. Lulu will not be separated from Akane-sama nya. Sigh, it cant be helped then. Ill have to make an illusionary magic device. The infiltration operation seems like it would be with the full team. The Trinations discussion was apparently in disagreement. Yggurle Kingdom, which had bad history with Triaria Kingdom, found only paying reparation to be insufficient and had taken the stance that they must use this opportunity to invade and strike back to some extent. However, because Lomaria Kingdom is adjacent to Triaria Kingdom, when Lomaria Kingdom thought about the refugees that would flow into their country, they were apprehensive of invading. Valkyra Kingdom was currently undecided. The result of several days of convening, its been decided that the Trinations united armies will march through Lomaria Kingdom to Triaria Kingdom. In doing so, if the rmended surrender is abided by, Triaria Kingdom would be made to pay reparations and consent to several agreements. Or so it had been decided. One of the agreements is the abolishment of the doctrine of human supremacy. The Trination would demand the release of illegal ves and such. The day after the n was settled, the three countries began their preparations for the march. During that time, we decided to gather as much information as we could on Divine Empire Sydnia. *** Footnotes: 1. Typo: raws say Sydnia Kingdom instead of Triaria. Chapter 214: Infiltration, Divine Empire Sydnia Chapter 214: Infiltration, Divine Empire Sydnia We started our covert infiltration into Divine Empire Sydnia as the Trination begins their march towards Triaria Kingdom. We stealthily crossed the border through Lomaria Kingdom until we reached Sydnia. During our walk in the main road leading to the capital, the scenery that reflected in Sophias eyes made her mutter. how dreadful. We havent passed by anyone. There are no people nya. Even Akane and Lulu-chan were surprised by the destion in Divine Empire Sydnia now that theyvee back after a long while. This time, were infiltrating Sydnia with all members except Marnie and Laeva[1]. Lulu-chan had already been released from very, but shes wearing a dummy ve cor just in case. As for Sophia, I allowed her to participate in disguise using an illusionary magic device in addition to her usual perception inhibiting overcoat. From the national border to the capital, it wouldnt take more than 5 days with Tsubaki pulling her carriage, but Tsubaki is clearly too conspicuous, so we thought wed move by escorting a carriage when were in public view. However, after walking for a day from the border, we didnt encounter a single carriage, much less a person. I considered stopping by a vige, but since I didnt want us to leave footprints as much as we could, we erased our presence and did some reconnaissance. Are they alright? Normally, wouldnt people who are distressed by their situation be refugees and head to other countries? H~mm, that would be difficult nya. Feeble-looking vigers were in barren fields. You could tell they were malnourished at a nce. Lulu-chan shook her head when I asked myself why they wouldnt run away. Sydnia is the country of the Light God Faith nya. They cant go to a country of the Genesis Faith nya. What Lulu-chan was saying was that people who lived a life looking down on Beastkin as subhumans as if it were only natural simply couldnt live in Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom. Racial discrimination isnt extreme even in Samandour Kingdom, so if they were to escape, their only choice would be Triaria Kingdom which has simr views. However, even if they escaped to that country, they would only be used as meat shields in times of war. The citizens of Sydnia have lived for many generations being taught the doctrines of human supremacy. Even if racial harmony was dered now, it would be difficult for them to ept it. When we were summoned, I was appalled when I found out how they treated Beastkin, but they tainted Akira and Yamato. For Sydnias people, their sense of values cant easily be changed so its inevitable, but Akira-kun and Yamato-kun were brainwashed a bit too much. A deeply ingrained sense of values cant readily be changed. Thats the same even in my old world. People want to prop themselves in a higher position at any cost. I heard talks within the vige that tax rose abruptly recently. Young people were conscripted and everyone is barely living by. There were many that sold their children, right? Yeah, they even offered to handle it if I wanted to sell myself. I gave them a bit of money and some food as thanks for answering my questions, but thats just a temporary solution. The vige chief said that Divine Empire Sydnia was troubled by poverty, viges and towns were not only taxed heavily but also extorted of alms by the Light God Church, regardless of themunitys size. Dont run away to Lomaria even if youre in trouble. Dont go to a country thats on good terms with subhumans. Such feelings grew stronger the older the citizens were. Even so, there were no Beastkin ves in the vige. Thats weird nya. There should have been one or two Beastkin ves no matter how small the vige is nya. I didnt want to consider it, but they might have been requisitioned to be used as guinea pigs. When I said this, everyone recalled the most recent war and agreed. I recalled the immortal soldiers army of Divine Empire Sydnia. The likelihood of the country buying that drug from the dark guild and testing it out on living people was high. Then the Beastkin ves, who werent treated as people, became test subjects and were used for all sorts of experiments. We travelled in Tsubakis carriage when we were at inconspicuous ces and walked when we were close to towns and viges as we made our way to the capital. When we were in a slightlyrger town, we got rooms in the inn. Weve teleported back to the mansion in the Sanctuary for a number of nights, but I decided to gather information in therger town this time. However, Akane said she wants to return to the Sanctuary mansion as soon as I entered the room. The town stinks. This is just too much. Akane-sama, even the capital was like this In towns with arge poption, the smell of fecal matter was horrendous, and even Valkyra Kingdom was also like this until a little while back. Was it because Akane and Lulu-chan had gotten used to life when the Purifier MD and Toilet MD had been thoroughly poprized? They seemed to be unable to endure this smell anymore. No choice then. Well be back early tomorrow morning. When I said so, not only Akane, but everyone looked delighted. Is it that once you get used to living cleanly, an excretion-covered town like those in the middle ages bes unbearable? I hated it too. *** Footnotes: 1. Extra information: LN says the Beastkin would really be too conspicuous. 2. Now that I know that Akane is a fuwafuwamaniac lover, I wonder just how much more appalled she was at Sydnias discriminatory acts towards her dear fluffies while she was there? Chapter 215: Arriving at the capital Chapter 215: Arriving at the capital We set foot in the Imperial Capital, Divine Empire Sydniasrgest town, where the head temple of the Light God Faith is located. As usual. Theres a lot of people so it cant be helped nya. Akane and Lulu-chan pinched their noses. The imperial capital is arge town with arge poption, sothat stenchwas dreadful. Lulu-chan and Akane, who lived in this town for a short while after being summoned, had to block out the smell. Ive already resigned myself to the smell, but the towns atmosphere sure is dark. Yes, the towns atmosphere was really gloomy. The people walking in town had no vigor. Divine Empire Sydnia has a characteristic that does not apply to the other 6 countries in this continent. Small it may be, there are no monster nests within the country, so it wasnt a necessity to make fortress towns like other countries do. They built walls for their nations defense, but it couldnt possibly bepared to the walls of Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom which have monster nests. What that means is that the expanse of the farnd outside of the towns hardly takes any damage from monsters. Food productivity is high because of this, and as a result, their poption is not much different from other countries despite being a quarter of the size of other countries. How strange. Theres little threat from monsters, and there should be few thieves as well. Why is the capital this despirited? Thats true. Viges and towns are taxed heavily, but is it the same for the capital as well? Hmmm, there should have been plenty of affluent people living in the capital though. Akane-sama, there are not very many Beastkin ves around either nya. As Lulu-chan had said, it felt like theres not a lot of Beastkin ves around. In Divine Empire Sydnia, the non-humans are all ves. Therefore, the capital surely would have had a great number of Beastkin ves living in it. Im getting a bad feeling about this. The nobility and wealthy merchants would be keeping Elven ves right? Maria, theres a handful like that. Theres a number of them from the absurd invasion at Yggurle Kingdom 50 years ago. ording to Akane, there were around 20 Elves ves in the capital even now. Practically all of them were kept by either high ranking nobles or wealthy merchants. Sophia, do you want to rescue them before we make our escape? Yes, I would like to save myrades if it is feasible. Roger. Lets find those ces then. All of them were illegal ves anyhow. Theres no need to hesitate taking back the Elves that were taken against their will. Then let us split off into groups and identify their locations based on their magic power. Okay, Sophia and Maria, Akane and Lulu-chan, you team up. I am your escort, Takumi-sama. I can not leave your side. No, I have Kaede with me so Ill be fine. Dont worry. understood. Sophia didnt seem satisfied, but Ill have to make her ept this. Well meet back here in two hours. Yes. We each had a map, erased our presence, and dispersed. I investigated the section I was in charge of by myself. I searched for the ves presence and magic power. Actually, searching for Elves isnt that hard if one has magic perceptive abilities. Thats because the magic capacity of an Elf is much greater than that of a Human mage. Sophia who can hear the voice of the Spirits will have it much easier. This ce, its such a huge mansion. The ce I discovered while looking for magic power was likely the mansion of a high ranking noble. A pointlesslyrge, ostentatiously decorated exterior. Without being noticed by any of the servants or the soldiers guarding the mansion, I arrived at the room of the Elf. There, an Elven woman wearing very revealing clothes was sitting on the bed. There were no locks on the door, nor was the Elven woman restrained, but as she was probably bound by a very contract, despair could be seen in her eyes. I put up a soundproof barrier in the room. Elf-oneesan. May I talk to you for a bit? Who are you?youre the protector of the Spirit Tree. So you heard from the Spirits. I was thinking of sheltering you in the Sanctuary or sending you back to Yggurle Kingdom, but how does that sound? I would like to be saved, however, I am unable to leave this town because of the very contract. Dont worry. Please leave that to me. And so, what would you like? When I said that, strength returned to the bleak, despairing eyes of the Elven woman. Please, save my envedpanions from this town. Of course, we n on saving everyone. Right now, were in the middle of figuring out everyones locations and well rescue you all as soon as we can, so please hold on until then. Thank you. I told the Elven woman an approximate time then sneaked out of the mansion to find the next Elf. When I returned to our assembly point, Sophia and the girls were already there. Takumi-sama, weve identified everyones locations and weve confirmed their will to escape. Thanks. We should mark them on the map. We then returned to the inn room and marked the location of the Elves. Now then, lets start the rescue mission. *** Sphys Note: In an alternate universe, this happened in chapter 215. Chapter 216: Rescue Mission Chapter 216: Rescue Mission Ill be carrying out the rescue mission for the Elves enved in the Imperial Capital by myself. When the town went to sleep, I moved around stealthily moving while relying on Magic Perception and the marked map. Once I reached the high walls surrounding the mansion, I ced my hand against it. Dpose When I whispered the chant, it made a hole in the stone wall. I did the same inside the mansion too. Be it a wood wall or a stone wall, they all crumbled soundlessly. Of course, I restored them as well. I didnt have the time to reproduce the finer interior of the mansion though, so it was only a patch-up job. This much is enough for the mansion of people who make Elves their ves uwfully. I found out that the man who was the master of this mansion and the enved Elf were inside the targets room. I walked without making a sound, erased my presence, blocked off my magic, and made full use of the Stealth skill as I trespassed into the room. On therge canopy bed in the room was a fat middle aged nobleman and an Elven woman enved by a detestable very cor. I quietly approached the Elven woman and cast Dispel Curse on the very magic ced on her. Then I gently ced my hand on her arm then teleported. The ce we teleported to was a spot around 5km from the imperial capital towards Samandour Kingdom. There wererge rocks around and in their shadow was a parked carriage. The moment we teleported, the Elven woman sleeping in bed woke up and I quickly held her in my arms. Eh, eh?! Calm down, its alright now. I calmed the Elven woman ovee with panic, then I took her into the carriage. The Elven woman was surprised by the difference in size between what she saw outside and inside, but she was relieved when she saw Sophia, herpanion. Ill be heading out to rescue the next target. Saying so, I then teleported back to the capital. Having erased my presence, used Stealth skill, and wore the Overcoat of Presence Concealment, no one noticed me even when I walked in front of them. Asmon as it was in any country, the section where nobles live in was clustered in one district in the capital. In Divine Empire Sydnias case, they dont have an imperial castle but arge church which became the entire Light God Faiths headquarters. Within the cluster, the mansions in the middle were mostly owned by high ranking nobles, and the lower the rank, the farther out they would be situated. (Its convenient for me though because its so simple.) Yes, we searched the whole capital, but in the end, the illegally enved Elves were gathered in the same section. It took me until morning to rescue all 20 Elves. I also ended up having to drink a number of mana potions to recover my magic power. Sophia gave words of gratitude once I rescued and brought back thest Elf to the carriage. Maria, Akane, and Lulu-chan were still on standby in our inn room. Wee back, Takumi-sama. Im back. Sophia, you stay by thesedies side. I will teleport back to the inn in the capital for a moment. Well check out and join up with you. Yes, we will be waiting. Leaving the rescued Elves with Sophia, I then teleported back to our inn room. Wee back. Im here. Well be checking out first thing in the morning. Of course we would, huh? If the grand church acts how we expected them to, it would be best to return to the Sanctuary for the time being. It really makes no sense. I cant feel Akira and Yamatos magic power. When I teleported to the room, Maria and Akane were up waiting. Lulu-chan was inside the dream world. Theres a reason why were changing our ns and were going back after only rescuing the Elves. At the heart of Divine Empire Sydnias Imperial Capital should have towered arge church. And sure enough, there was a needlessly extravagant church was in sight. But, yes, just by its outward appearance. No way, did it change into an Otherworld? Otherwordification, it meant that the Grand Church itself had turned into a dungeon. Dungeons are possible if there was a Dragon Vein[1] and magic power umting. But for one to be made in the middle of arge town, such an urrence was unprecedented. Well investigate the Otherworldification again at another time, so lets leave the inn tomorrow morning. Understood. Got it. You should rest up too, Takumi. I took a nap at Akanes rmendation. The next morning, we left the imperial capital and walked down the south highway to meet up with Sophia. The carriage boarded by twenty Elves pulled by Tsubaki ran directly to Samandour Kingdom. Tsubakis gigantic figure might stand out, but since were going back with no intention of stopping at any town or vige, my only thoughts were to get out of Sydnia without being prudent. The noble residences are probably in turmoil right about now. *** Footnotes: 1. This is the first time the author used } C Dragon Vein/Pulse, so I am not sure if its different from } C Ley lines (maybe I should have named it Earth Vein/Pulse) or if author used the wrong word. Chapter 217: Return by sea Chapter 217: Return by sea Our entry to Samandour Kingdom from Divine Empire Sydnia was by crossing the border off of the main road. This wouldnt have been possible without the special carriage and Tsubaki. Inside the carriage, Sophia asked the rescued Elves if we should escort them back until Yggurle Kingdom or if they would live in the Sanctuary. We would like to return to our country at one time, but we had be the ythings of Humans. Even if we return to the country as we are now, the way people would look at us is likely to be icy. If so, would it be possible for you to receive us in the Sanctuary of the Spirit Tree where the Great Spirits have manifested? Yes, the Third Princess Mimir-sama sojourns in the Sanctuary as well, so it would be fine to request to travel back to the country, and we have no issue with taking you there either. Thank you very much. Even so, more than anything, its a relief that you were safe, Sophia-sama. Though there were some among the enved women that werent directly acquainted with Sophia, they knew of Sophia who was active in the Chivalric Order of the Royal Capital. It was because of this that persuading them was simple during the rescue mission. When Sophia neared the Imperial Capital, the women learned from the Spirits that, besides Sophia, Akane and I were trustworthy. Although it is running at full speed on a bad road, it barely shakes, doesnt it? Yes, this carriage was the handiwork of Takumi-sama as well. Well be travelling like this until we reach the coast in the border of Samandour Kingdom, but I imagine you will be even more astonished there. Regarding the Elven women we rescued, as expected, even though theyre of a long-living race, they have not had any experience in riding an unrivaled modded carriage pulled by a rare Dragon Horse. When they were surprised by the oundish speed, Sophia mentioned that there would be something waiting for them that would be even more gobsmacking. Although it would have been fine to return via and route, I thought that it was too pathetic for the Elven women who were enved for many years to all be crammed into the carriage for an extended period of time even though the interior was already erged. And so, I teleported back to the Sanctuary for a bit and asked Laeva and Marnie toe pick us up at Samandour Kingdom with the ship. Huh?! A mo-monster ship. How gigantic Look! Its moving even though there are no sails! The gigantic ship I made in order to rescue the immigrating mermaids. Its a 100m long and 20m wide ship. Seeing the ship at a distance made of magic metal alloys and Sea Dragon materials for the first time, the former Elven ves looked absolutely dumbstruck. After all, because Galleon-style ships dont exist yet in this world, they were surprised by the artistic stern tower. We had travelled without stopping by any town or vige as we headed straight for the meetup with Laeva and the crew. I didnt think there were any, but I was worried about pursuers so I didnt want us leaving any trace in Samandour Kingdom. We travelled on a very strict schedule, but since the interior of the carriage was afortable space, the women had little stress. Ten days of Tsubaki pulling a carriage at crazy speeds, we finally arrived at the beach slightly past the border of Samandour Kingdom. I was the only one with a ton of work to do, so I had teleported back and forth from the Sanctuary and the carriage during the travel. Since I installed a teleportation marker in the carriage, it was safe to teleport no matter where the carriage went. And then, the same gigantic ship they saw in the distance was mooring right in front of us when we arrived. Witnessing this, the women were both surprised and frightened, but Sophia immediately informed them that this was our ship and somewhat calmed them down. Is this the ship of Yggurle Kingdom. No, it is the personal property of Takumi-sama. For some reason, Sophia boastfully answered their question of whether this was the ship of their mothend. What?! to own a ship of this magnitude, just who is Iruma-dono? Well, rather that it being my property, it would be more urate to say that this is the Sanctuarys ship. The keeper of the Sanctuary and the Spirit Tree is Takumi-sama, so it is most undoubtedly Takumi-samas property. Because Sophia ended up divulging information that didnt need to be said, the womens demeanor changed. Iruma-dono, not an Elf but a Human, is the keeper and protector of the Sanctuary and the Spirit Tree? W-well, it just turned out that way so please pay it no heed. Undine, Sylph, and the other Great Spirits simply forced me into it. While I was giving a sufficient excuse to the former Elven ves, a Wire Attack shot out from the ship and Titan pulled the ship to the shore. Adder from the ship wasid across the shore. ͣ򣬣ͣ磬 壮 Thanks Titan. Everyone, please board the ship. Even though I said that, the Elves were still unmoving. As such, Sophia guided them. I made Titan and Tsubaki return to the Subspace, stored the carriage in the Item Box, and boardedst. The sequence of actions that urred a slight distance away from the border of Samandour Kingdom had naturally confused the citizens of Samandour Kingdom. *** Chapter 218: First? Sanctuary Meeting Chapter 218: First? Sanctuary Meeting When we returned to the Sanctuary via the sea, I entrusted Sophia with the follow-up care of the former Elven ves, and we discussed a countermeasure for the dungeon that appeared in the Imperial Capital of Divine Empire Sydnia. Weve never directly challenged a dungeon[1]. Well, being an adventurer isnt our main job so that goes without saying. Thats why we didnt know much about dungeons. Otherworldification, huh~. Theyve genuinely begun to act recklessly. Our usual team, aside from Sophia who is currently upied, and the Great spirits were gathered. What do you mean? Is that dungeon artificial? Undines grumbling surprised me so I had to ask. H~mm, artificially is wrong. As you would expect, creating a dungeon is impossible with the efforts of man. Then do you know what the cause is? Mm, its not far from bing like us. Not far? When the words not far from bing like us came from Great Dark Spirit Nyx, I felt uneasy. I was getting bad vibes from this. Mm, unlike Spirits that are of sacred energy, its a malicious and evil being. It wont be a Great Spirit, but its not far from bing like us. The heart of an Otherworldifying town is not the work of man. Its the work of an Evil Spirit like Nyx said. Undine said so in affirmation. They didnt tell me anything, but the Great Spirits probably have something that makes them believe so. But itll be a nuisance if its Otherworldifying. Right you are~ It would be difficult for our power to reach too. Great Light Spirit Selene and Great Tree Spirit Dryas spoke as if they were just inconvenienced. Nothing too serious. Ahh, theres no cause for concern. One dungeon has little effect on the continents Earth Vein[2] . As if Undine read my mind, she told me the reason why Selene and Dryas werent all too serious. Nevertheless, it is certain that deep within the dungeon, the master of the boss room is a person rted to the Evil Spirit. By any chance, could a midboss or something also turn up? Those false heroes are there, arent they? They would probably show up. Well, theres also the possibility of theming out as thest boss as a set though. Somehow its like were talking about a game. Would now be the time to talk about levels and skills? Great Spirit-samas, are you unaware of what is currently happening within the dungeon? Listen Sophia, even with my status as the Great Earth Spirit, I am still unable to grasp what is in the Otherworldifying ce. Sorry. Please pardon this ones impertinence. It was not my intention to criticize you, Gnome-sama. When Gnome apologized at what Sophia said, Sophia hurriedly repudiated it. Sophia, youre back. How were the Elves that became ves? Yes, they have settled in because of Melty-san and Princess Mimir-sama. I see, thats a relief. Can I ask you to follow up again after this? Of course. Havinge back from helping the Elves, Sophia participated in the meeting. In the end, we have no choice but to attack the dungeon from the front. Thats how it will be. With that being the case, preparation will be the key. After all, from the size of the dungeon to the types of monsters and their strengths, well have to fumble our way through. We have stock of all sorts of potions, so thats fine. Theres nothing more to do with our weapons and armor too. Laeva and Akane cited things necessary for the raid. Laeva and I already stocked up on every potion for our personal use so were alright on that front. As for weapons and armor, even our newest members Akane and Lulu-chans are done too. We dont know how many days it would take, so I imagine we would need a barrier for repelling monsters. Master (Husband), monsters are not the only thing to be wary of. We also have to be careful of traps in the dungeon. The barrier Sophia mentioned wouldnt be that difficult to make. However, when it came to the traps that Marnie had pointed out, none of us was a scout. After all, we havent dived into any other dungeon aside from that one time a while back. And we didnt take that long in there either. Still, it feels like Im forgetting something. Even if we train a Scout now, it would take too long. We would need to look for a person to learn from as well, after all. They had a point. Experience in detecting and disarming traps was important, but theres no one among us that has the Scout job. We had members that could move like one during battle, but none have experience as a Scout in dungeons. As Sophia said, wed have to start by looking for a mentor. Something bugged me as I thought that. Should we consult with Barack-san? Its sickening to leave that dungeon be. Maria brought up the name of Voltons Adventurer Guilds master, Barack-san. Youre right. Barack-san is a former high ranker and a guild master, so he might be able to introduce us to a skilled and trustworthy scout. Then Takumi-sama and I will go to Volton. How about everyone else participate inbat training in a monster nest and increase your strength while Kaede supports you? Everyone showed their willingness at Sophias proposal. Then wanna try going to the outer edge of the Forest of Death? Indeed. the outer edge will be safe if Kaede is around. Dont overdo it. There might be irregrs like the Treant from before. We had gotten much stronger since that time so theyll be fine, but I still advised them to be careful. Still, it feels like Im forgetting something. Takumi-sama, its actually been the same for me. Hm~m, I also think Im forgetting something. Yep, ever since we started talking about Scouts, something had been bugging me. What could this thing Im forgetting be Ah! Lyle-san! Ah! We forgot about him. Ahhh, Lyle-san existed, didnt he? Yes, the Scout of Lions Fang , the first adventurer party I met headed by Heath-san, Lyle-san had been forgotten. What a relief. We remembered before going to Volton. Indeed. It seems like he would sulk if he had been forgotten, after all. Wed never hear the end of it. Since that time, Lions Fang had been promoted to B rank. They had be a top-ss adventurer party in Volton. It was us that forgot. Its truly a relief that we remembered. Lyle-san seemed like the stubborn type. *** Footnotes: 1. To rify, Takumis party had once gone inside a dungeon to try to lure out the Zealots but hadnt actually gone to the lower floors, so I think author meant this as actually trying to clear a dungeon. 2. Decided to change ley lines to Earth Vein, in case there are more kinds of Veins like the Dragon Vein one. Chapter 219: Capture prep Chapter 219: Capture prep Takumi sure is cold. Even though weve done quests together. No, theres no way we had forgotten. Wasnt that a given? Hahah` Iughed to fool him, but Lyle-san kept staring at me. He didnt fall for it. I waited on Takumi hand and foot, even teaching him all about adventuring, ya know? Youre exaggerating, Lyle. Didnt Takumi already overtake us, bing Voltons top party? Tsk, dont say that, Heath. The neat, short-haired nice guy, Heath-san pacified Lyle-san. The silent Bogah-sans bald head was shining as always. Sophia and I sent Maria and the girls power leveling while we came to the Volton Adventurer Guild. Luckily, we were able to meet Heath-sans Lions Fang party who were conveniently at the bar. And so, youre saying that a dungeon appeared smack dab in the middle of Sydnias imperial capital? Yes, we grasped that it was otherworldifying after the recent war, but we dont know the exact date. Then I immediately talked to Lyle-san about needing the skills of a Scout to beat the dungeon. Ive been so busytely that I hadnt been able to meet up with Heath-sans party recently, so Lyle-san was talking a bit prickly, but Heath-san listened with great interest. Hey, Takumi. That dungeon, couldnt you take us along too? The skills of a Scout isnt something you can learn in a day. That being the case, itd be fine to just leave it to Lyle from the start. Hes right, Takumi. Youre probably already better at searching for monster presences, but experience speaks volumes when ites to traps. The proposal from Heath-san and Lyle-san was attractive. It was a waste of time for me to learn to find and disarm traps until now. Sydnias dungeon was something we want to deal with as soon as possible, after all. Bogah-san was also silently nodding his head in agreement. Thats very weing for me as well, but it will be dangerous, are you sure? Were adventurers so we go hand in hand with danger, right? If were naming issues, then its that your partys and our abilities are backwards. Right now, wed be holding you back. Maria-chan and the girls went to the Forest of Death to level up right? Its embarrassing for us veterans to be asking this, but can we ask you to take us under your wing and level us up? Lyle-san, well be in your debt with the dungeon capture, so Ill do anything I can to help. The Lions Fang and our members had arge gap in level. Even Lulu-chan had surpassed them in level. Sophia, Maria, and I were already over Lv100. To this day, we still hadnt seen any adventurer or knight over 100 besides us, so this was probably abnormal. Even though Im an artisan, just what have I been doing? As a result of our conversation, Heath-sans party will power level alongside Maria and the girls at the Forest of Death. During that time, I n on improving the Lions Fangs equipment. They ended up being dragged into our dungeon capture, so I had nned on making their equipment free of charge, but they refused. Takumi, even if were like this, were called first ss adventurers, you know? Well work for that our own way. Theres no way we can ept equipment for free. Damn right, Heaths piled up loads of dough. Lyle, Ill tell you a way to manage a bit of your money. You cant save since youre always chasing some Oneechans tail. Lyle-sans face contorted in discontent at Heath-sans lecturing. Hes much older than me, but oh so childish. Well, when I add on the years I had in my old world, Id be next to Sophia in age though. Perhaps being regressed by my bodys age, my mental age ended uppletely appropriate for it. Well, itll suffice if you pay a bit of the cost of the materials. The materials and metals are kind of free because I procured them myself. I see, if youre saying that much, then well ept your offer. Yes. Heath-san has a metal armor and a battleaxe. Lyle-san uses a bow and a dagger for closebat. He wears light leather armor because hes a Scout. Bogan-san surely has a heavy metal armor, arge shield, and a long mace. To make the equipment of the Lions Fang as soon as possible, I bid Heath-sans party farewell and headed to the workshop in the Volton mansion. Now then, since theres too much of a difference in the Lions Fang and our equipment, Id like to prepare equipment one or two ranks higher than their current. They said word for word that they earn quite a bit, and they use good equipment like mithril alloy armor and leather armor made of Wyvern skin. Alright, Heath-san and Bogah-sans armor look like theyre already mithril alloy, so Ill just have to reinforce it with enchantments. Lyle-sans Wyvern leather armor has lots of Lesser Dragon scales, Ill strengthen those scales. I decided that rather than a major overhaul, Ill enhance their current armor. Ill use adamantite alloy on Heath-sans battle axe while putting emphasis on its destructive power, while also doing the same for Bogah-sans mace. Itll probably be alright even if the weapons get a bit heavier since its those two. For Lyle-sans mithril alloy dagger, Ill embed a paralyzing magic form and set a magic stone on the pommel so he can activate the magic de even without using his own magic power. We thoroughly prepared for our departure towards Sydnia. *** Chapter 220: The frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean.[1] Chapter 220: The frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean.[1] Sophia lopped off the limbs of monsters with her sword, and Kaedes threads restrained the monsters. Now! Please finish it! O, ou! sh! At Sophiasmand, Heaths downward swinging battleaxe hit the neck of the incapacitated Orc Knight. Haa, haa, h-hold up. Give us a small break. Haa, haa, haa. Heath dropped then and there, while Lyle and Bogah were also sitting and breathing heavily, exhausted. It cant be helped. We will have a short break. Kaede, please watch our surroundings. Mhmm, leave it to me! Kaede disappeared without a sound. Marnie and Laeva immediately watched the surroundings. Please keep at it. Its still morning. No, dont be ridiculous, Akane-chan. We fought so much since early morning I cant remember how many we did. That much is normal nya. Lyle, give up. A child like Lulu-chan can do it. How can we adults cry uncle? Akane was lighting a fire under the seated Lyle, but Lylesints wouldnt end. Lyle was faced by Lulu-chan, who was still a child, with aposed expression. She was telling him to get a grip. Still, Takumis party always does it like this? Its search and destroy nya. Search and what? Sitting down and drinking water, Heath asked if this was normal for Takumis party. Lulu answered, but Heaths group were clueless as to what it was. Destroy seen enemies nya. I-I see thats too hard, aint it? Normally, it wasmon practice for adventurers to avoid avoidable battles. However, that didnt apply to Takumis party. In order to train their Levels and Skills, fighting proactively became the norm. Heath had be partly envious. He said he would help Takumi with the dungeon capture. He now wanted to punch the him of that time. If it were the outer edges of the Forest of Death, it wouldnt have been of much danger to the Lions Fang. However, the ce Sophia and the girls had taken Heaths party was at the heart of the Forest of Death. It was teeming with monsters that were too much to handle even for veteran adventurers. Robbing those monsters of their fighting capabilities and restraining them so easily like Sophias group had was a task unthinkable to the veterans. Now then, lets do our best once more! The break over already?! Haa Sophia called Heaths party and the power leveling set in the Forest of Death continued. Akane, Lulu, and Heaths partys level up session continued for five days. Akane and Lulus had risen to the Lv80s, while Heaths party rose to the upper Lv60s. my level increased more than 10 in 5 days. ahh, what the heck, our 15 years was The three middle aged men couldnt quite ept that fact so easily. Since the stock of ores in the Volton workshop wascking, I teleported to the Sanctuary workshop by myself to make Heath-sans partys equipment. For Heath-san and Bogah-sans armor, I tried making it in a way that the metal armor wouldnt tter, or make no sound if possible. Id like us to avoid being detected by enemies first at the dungeon as much as possible. I applied Weight Reduction, Physical Resistance, Magic Resistance enchantments, and applied a lining of Wyvern membrane onto the metal parts that make contact with each other to achieve quietness. Earth Dragon parts might be too expensive for Lyle-sans leather armor. He might not be able to pay, but oncepared to our armor, I have to use a dragon species scales and skin at the very least. For Lyle-san, Ipleted a dragon hide leather armor, bracer, and boots. The enchantments were simr to the Inhibit Perception on our robes. Lyle-san was a scout, so he possessed the Stealth skill too. Okay, so for their weapons. The dungeon that appeared in Sydnia is a cathedral that Otherworldified. We dont know whats going on inside, but we must definitely keep in mind that battle will be in small rooms and narrow corridors. Thats why I altered Heath-sans battleaxe to a more manageable size and it now had more heft to it because I added adamantite alloy to it. Bogah-sans mace had no issues the way it was. Lyle-san has to abandon his bow this time, so I made two mithril alloy daggers and plenty of magic steel throwing knives. I think its just about time everyone finishes leveling up. They had to level up rashly, but Sophia could be quite the spartan so I hope Heath-sans party is safe. Coordination between everyone aside from me had solidified. The Lions Fangs equipment even became a rank higher. All thats left is to depart for Sydnia. *** Footnotes: 1. Japanese proverb, meaning that one should be aware of the limitations of ones own experience. Chapter 221: At Divine Empire Sydnia once more Chapter 221: At Divine Empire Sydnia once moreThe Dragon Horse-pulled carriage traversed the highway at breakneck speeds. This was close to the border of Lomaria Kingdom and Triaria Kingdom. We departed from Volton and were heading to Divine Empire Sydnia by way of Lomaria Kingdom. We would have teleported if it was just us, but we were with with Heath-sans party, so we decided to forgo travel by teleportation and moved bynd. hey Heath. what is it, Lyle? a Dragon Horse runs this fast? no way, thats impossible. Inside the speeding carriage, Heath-sans party were escaping reality. No, Heath. This carriage is flying. That aint the only thing thats weird. Im trying not to think about it so dont make me remember. Heath-san and Lyle-san froze when they first entered the carriage. It looked like they were taken aback by the space-expanded interior of the carriage.[1] So Takumi, how will we cross Sydnias border? I found an area loosely monitored away from the highway. I checked our entry route while answering Heath-sans question. I had also considered entering the country through the formal procedure, but the heart of Divine Empire Sydnia is currently undergoing an Otherworldification and the country is in mayhem, so I judged that it would be best to not get involved so directly. Under the moonlight, I ced my hand against the wall that surrounded the Imperial Capital and made a stone door that people could pass through single file. Once everyone else passed through, I went throughst and returned the wall to its former state. Lets hurry. so anything goes. As we listened to Heath-sans shock, we headed into the heart of the town. Theres so few people nya. Its like its a ghost town. As Akane and Lulu-chan who knew what the Imperial Capital was like in the past had said, there were few peoplepared to when west came. With no lights shining through peoples houses, the town would have been inplete darkness if not for the streetlights. As it could be expected of the Imperial Capital of the Divine Empire Sydnia, its main street was lined with streetlights. It looked like they were using magic devices to light it though. Looks like there are soldiers. It seems there are still soldiers surrounding the dungeon and patrolling the town. Perhaps the general public had taken refuge elsewhere, or they had been driven out. When I checked for presences with Magic Perception, I sensed a sizeable number of people around the dungeon. This was supplemented with information that Sophia heard from the Spirits. As small as it was, the number of people living in the Imperial Capital should still have been in the ten thousands, but aside from a few church officials and people authorized by the military, there didnt seem to be anyone else around. After that, Sophia investigated the surroundings of the Imperial Capital using her spirits and confirmed that there were multiple refugee camps elsewhere. Aint it impossible cuz there are soldiers at the entrance of the dungeon? Its fine, Lyle-san. The Great Dark Spirit Nyx helped me prepare a magic device. Great Spirit, you say. Takumi, youve gotten so far. I pressed Lyle-san, who was looking in the distance, to hurry to the dungeon. Now, because the heart of the town underwent an Otherworldification and turned into a dungeon, a means to enter it was necessary. As such, I created a magic device with thebined effect of Dark attribute Inhibit Perception and Illusion with Nyxs cooperation. We arrived at a ce where we could see the entrance of the luxurious building that looked like a cathedral and checked it out from the shadows. It looks like the entrance of the church turned into the entrance of the dungeon. Sydnias soldiers are lurking at the dungeon too. Gotta be careful to not encounter them inside. Heath-san said soldiers were teamed up in toons and going around the dungeon. Lyle-san checked his equipment, anxious of battles toe inside the dungeon. As expected, we cant tell anything from out here so this is what Otherworldification is like. In my eyes, I understood that the cathedral-like building standing in front of us changed in its structure. The dense mana was palpable. Well obviously. Takumi, youre probably clueless about it so Ill tell you. That church you see is just the entrance. How many floors it has inside or howrge it is, we wont know unless we dive in. Its just as Lyle said. Normally, a newly formed dungeon has small, shallow floors, but even I cant make a guess for this one. Unable to tell him that Ive dived into a dungeon once, I listened to what Heath-san had to say, while thinking about this dungeon. Originally, this was the ce where the magic circle that summoned Akane and her friends was installed in. A thick ley line ran underneath thisnd and mana was abundant here so there were favorable conditions. If amassed magic power and the energy from the ley lines were used to create a dungeon, capturing this dungeon might not go so smoothly. *** Footnotes: 1. Inconsistency: Lions Fang and the Crimson Rose rode in Tsubakis carriage when Wedgefort was about to be attacked by the monster flood in Ch95. Chapter 222: Cathedral Labyrinth 1 Chapter 222: Cathedral Labyrinth 1 When I activated the magic device, it created an Inhibit Perception field around us and had the effect of optic camouge magic. Asking Heath-san and the others to walk quietly and erase their presence as much as possible, we passed the surrounding soldiers and headed for the dungeon. We made it somehow. Yeah, still it really did be a dungeon. The corridors and rooms of the church dont seem like they usually are? Passing through the entrance, Lyle-san led the way while being careful to not encounter Sydnias soldiers. Looks like there arent that many traps on the first floor. It seems to have a lot of floors for a newborn dungeon though. ording to the members of Lions Fang, a newborn dungeon having numerous floors was unprecedented. The reason for this was that the mana concentration in the dungeon was high. Dungeons that grew old andrge were dense with mana, and because of that, the monsters that appear were also strong. This dungeon which has dense mana in the first floor will get even denser the higher the floor, so its very likely that strong monsters would appear. As we walked down the wide corridor, monsters were caught in my Presence Detection. Iing! Lagging slightly, Lyle-san urged everyone to be vignt. Bogah-san came to the front with hisrge shield. ttering as they approached were four Skeletons. Undead even though its a church? Lyle-san spat bitterly. Skeletons were ranked the lowest among the Undead monsters. Their slow movements posed no threat to us. However, they were monsters that had no good materials and the only thing that could be taken were their cores which were small scrap magic stone. Leave these guys to us! Heath-san said so and Bogah-san pushed his shield forward. ng! The Shield Bash from an adamantite alloyrge shield hit a Skeleton and it crumbled to pieces from just the force. Fuuh!Ha! Heath-sans battle axe smashed the Skeletons skull, Lyle-san stabbed the core of another with his mithril alloy dagger. Thest one was pulverized by Bogah-sans mace. As expected, I cant tell if its my level or the weapon that is good with this enemy. Yeah, its good we got used to it a bit in the Forest of Death. Heath-sans battle axeically crushed the Skeleton, but Lyle-sans dagger wasnt originally a weapon that was used against a Skeleton. Nevertheless, a monster of this level is one hit. We ignored the Skeletons scrap magic stones and hurried on our way. The result was that the first floor was unimaginablyrge for the lot size of the cathedral. ording to Heath-san, the seeding floors could berger or smaller the farther we go, and we wont know until we get there. As for the monsters that showed up, we encountered Zombies and Zombie Dogs in addition to the Skeletons. They stank. And they were gross. The Undead fought during the war of the savagends, but with the purification used by the six forts, the majority of the undead were decimated so its our first time fighting in closebat with them in a while. Perhaps because the girls found being near the Undead detestable, they defeated all of them with magic. Meanwhile, Ive finally been able to use the Light magic Purification in its original intended use again. The purifying light fascinatingly annihted the undead. Finally, the stairs. It took a whole day to map out and search the first floor. We managed to find the stairway going up. Since we were looking for the stairs to the next floor while searching in the direction of densening mana, we walked quite a distance even though we didntb through the entire first floor. It would also seem that this dungeon is the ascending type. Today, we will camp in a small room in front of the stairs, and explore the second floor early morning tomorrow. Wohoah, theres a trap here. Lyle-san nimbly disarmed a trap. Going up to the second floor in the morning, our search for the next flight of stairs was going well. The monsters that appear on the second floor are the Skeletons and Zombies not much different from those on the first floor, but some slightly stronger monsters like Skeleton Soldiers, Skeleton Archers, and Ghouls join them. But thats the extent of it. We wouldnt make a mistake against them. what a pickle. Whats wrong? While we were mapping out the second floor, Lyle-san grumbled. Looks like this might be the type of dungeon that gets bigger the higher the floor. Well, were still on the second floor so I aint too sure yet. I dont know how many floors this dungeon consists of, but Id like for the capture to not take us months. We continued to explore, with our highest priority being to find the stairs that lead to the upper floors. *** Chapter 223: Cathedral Labyrinth 2 Chapter 223: Cathedral Labyrinth 2 5 days have passed since we entered the dungeon. When we moved through five floors and went up the stairs, the scene before our eyes surprised us. uhh, a forest? It aint unusual in a dungeon. There are even dungeons that arepletely different per floor. No, Lyle. It cant be helped that Takumi doesnt know. There are only four dungeons in this continent. Though theres supposedly a lot more at the continent in the south. I was surprised that a cathedralesque dungeon suddenly changed into a forestndscape, but I knew thatmon sense doesnt apply to a dungeon that had Otherworldified. ording to Lyle-san and Heath-san, there are some dungeons in the continent in the south too.[1] 10 days via a sea route from Samandour` though it would be much shorter with our ship`, there is a small continent where plenty of Devils and Beastkin live in. I want to go there once things settle down. As soon as the surrounding scenery changed, there was also a change in the monsters we encountered. Swoosh! A leopard-like monster ambushed us from within the forest, but it didnt seed as we were a party with high search capabilities. Immediately after, Sophia killed it with a counterattack. Did the monsters get a bit stronger? Yes, though minimal. Heath-san asked Sophia, but the answer that came back surprised him. Sure enough, for Sophia, the amount that the monsters grew in strength could be said to be minimal. Though the sixth floor was a vast forest dungeon, it didnt have a maze-likebyrinth so it was favorable for us for ascending the stairs. Still, even though theres a clear difference in strength, they still actively attack, dont they? Yeah, well, dungeons are like that. As I yed a four-armed monkey monster, Spider Ape, that swooped down, I asked Heath-san about what I thought. I noticed it when we entered the dungeon, but the obviously lower ranking monsters attack us on sight. Its as if it were the will of the dungeon. Sophia used a shield to knock down the Spider Ape that jumped at her from the top of a tree. Akane and Lulu-chan finished the monster off. Kaedes sticky threads caught the Spider Apes, then Marnie and Laeva killed them and moved on. A gigantic Twin-Headed Viper raised its sickle-shaped neck from within the forest, but in the next instant, one of the heads was decapitated by Kaedes threads while I impaled the others neck into the ground using my spear. Heath-san, please finish it! O-ou. Heath-san lopped off the remaining head of the Twin-Headed Viper using his battleaxe. Theyre really pulling their punches. Its pathetic for us as their adventurer seniors, but this is the current gap in our strengths. Lyle-san smiled bitterly, but Heath-san came to grips with their current condition, disying a strong will to aim even further. To show that they would one day be A Rank adventurers. In actuality, the strength of Lions Fang already reached the level of A Rank adventurers. As a result of power leveling in the Forest of Death with the girls, theyve attained the strength to be some of the top adventurers within Valkyra Kingdom. All thats left is to make more achievements. From time to time, we stopped and made camp. Barrier MDs were set in a slightly open area. Until now, we went at a pace of one or more floors per day, but the size of the floor grew per floor and it was getting harder to keep that pace. From the sixth floor to the ninth floor were forest stages to grasnd stages, but when we climbed to the tenth floor, the dungeons appearance changed entirely. Arge metal door came into sight when we ascended the stairs. Could this be a boss room? Well, doesnt this feel more like a midboss? Heath-san said that dungeons with over ten floors would often have powerful monsters stationed midway. Its not like we have a choice but to go forward, so shall we go? Watch out for an ambush. I reached for the door. Bogah-san held hisrge shield and stood beside me. Gogogogoooo!! With a heavy creak, the door opened. Beyond the opened door was arge domed space. Itsing! At Sophias exmation, we went on guard. A 10 meter magic circle in the middle of the dome shaped room appeared and began shining. In the middle of the magic circle, an enormous 3 meter tall orc materialized. An Orc King?! GUOOOOOOW!! Wearing a sinister ck metal armor, the Orc King carrying a gigantic battle axe roared. Then, in the still shining magic circle, more Orcs flooded out. There are Orcs to Orc Knights, Mages, and even an Orc General. Sophia, Maria, Laeva, Akane! Match me! At Heath-sans strained voice, I ordered the girls to do a magic attack preemptively. Weunched the starting shot of our fight with the Orc army. *** Footnotes: 1. It could also mean that it was the first time he learned that theres another continent, but that contradicts chapter 170, so Im interpreting it as him learning about dungeons elsewhere. Chapter 224: Cathedral Labyrinth 3 Chapter 224: Cathedral Labyrinth 3 Bogah-san readied his shield in front of me. Spirits Riot de! Fire Storm! Rock Pile! Wind Storm! Sophias Wind Spirit magic, Marias Fire magic, my Earth magic, and Akanes Wind Magic rampaged inside the dome, but I could sense that there were quite a few monsters that were resisting. After the devastating ranged spells, I confirmed that the Orcs, Orc Archers, and Orc Mages died. We had gotten strongerpared to the time we fought the Goblin colony led by a Goblin General a little over three years ago, but So the King is slightly injured, while the General and the Knights are seriously wounded? Thats right. Please take care of the weakened ones. After telling that to Heath-san who had verified the situation, I broke into a run with my partner, the ice spear Ice Bringer, in hand. Afterwards, Sophia with her storm spear Tempest and Maria with her ignition spear Explode followed. Heath-san and Lyle-san ran to annihte the orcs in the surroundings with Bogah-san at the front. Akane and Laeva were supporting us with magic. Guarding them were Lulu-chan and Marnie. Titan leaped out of the Subspace and began decimating the orcs. Kaede moved freely to keep everything in bnce. Gan! Bogah-san[1] blew orcs away with Shield bash, then Heath-san and Lyle-san finished them off. Bogah-san and Heath-san, who wouldnt lose to the nearly 2 meter tall orcs in physique, defeated the orcs injured by magic. Akane fired fist-sized hail, and Laeva shot Fireballs. Marnie and Lulu-chan killed the approaching orcs. Gan! Dogo! Arge adamantite alloy fist crushed the orcs. Though the orcs boast of their size, it didnt matter to Titans fists. Heads were crushed, turning into lumps of meat. The invisible threads manipted by Kaede sent orc heads flying, while cutting the legs of those approaching Akane and Laeva. I was at the vanguard, attacking while making a path to the Orc King. Afterwards, Sophia and Maria expanded the gap I created. Dogoooooon!! It was then that the Orc Kings gigantic battle axe swung from overhead, creating a crater on the ground. I dodged and swung Ice Bringer upwards, cutting at the Orc Kings arm but it was shallow. Sophia and Marias spears lunged at it, shing and burning its body. It was clear that the Spear Handling skill of the two was increasing. The Orc King let out an irritated roar, swinging its gigantic battle axe sideways. I dodged its attack with a back step. As the vanguard, I hit and ran repeatedly, while Sophia and Maria attack in the openings that I created. Perhaps because of the Orc Kings equipped armor, it was challenging for our attacks to go through. So I readied myself, storing Ice Bringer and changed my weapon to a sword. From here on, Ill switch to ultra close quartersbat unbing of an artisan. The Orc King swung. I dodged its gale-like battle axe, then I closed the distance, meddling with its armor when it missed. (No matter how much of a magic item that armor is, theres no way I cant do it.) pping the armor with my left hand, I activated the alchemy skill Synthesis. At first, I tried Dposition, but as it was a magic item, only several microns on the surface disintegrated. I then tried using Synthesis on the armor with the carbon in the atmosphere. It felt like it had more of a reaction than with Dposition. Feeling the absurdity of facing an enemy more formidable than a lesser dragon[2], I repeatedly tinkered with its armor in a hit and run fashion. As I have a goodmand of the Insight Skill and Evasion skill, I handled the Orc Kings attacks from the front. Just how much time had passed? Before I knew it, the Orc Kings underlings were defeated by myrades. Kaede impeded the Orc Kings movements with her threads, while Akane and Laeva restrained it with magic. Using the opening that everyone made, I did nothing but apply Synthesis over and over again on its armor. Then that time finally came. It may have been a magic item, but metal is metal. Its carbon content increased too much and grew brittle. Bakyan``!! The heel of my palm, Sophia and Marias spears, Akane and Laevas magic. All attacks hit the Orc King, its ominous ck armor shattering. From there on, mypanions showered the boss with attacks during the pauses in my attacks. The Orc King recovered by regenerating every wound, but the more it got injured, the less its recovery was able to cope. I coated my sword with magic power and shed at it. The thick armor of muscle that covered the Orc Kings body was cut open and blood danced in the air. Erasing his presence, Lyle-san snuck up from behind and thrust his dagger into the nape of the Orc Kings neck and withdrew the next instant. Not letting the moment the boss stiffened, Heath-san swung his battle axe on the Orc Kings foot fully. Screaming in pain, the Orc King swung its enormous battle axe at Heath-san. At that time, Bogah-sans shield bash caused the Orc King to lose bnce and its battle axe hurled through the air. ǣգϣϣϣϣϣףף When the Orc King roared, a magic circle appeared on the ground. It was the subordinate summoning of a King type. What a bad move. Orcs and Orc Knights appeared from the magic circle. *** Footnotes: 1. Typo: raw says Gobah. 2. Very likely a typo, ɥ饳 C dracon for ɥ饴 C dragon. Chapter 225: Cathedral Labyrinth 4 Chapter 225: Cathedral Labyrinth 4 Guys, I leave the surrounding orcs to you! The orcs were sent to their deaths as soon as they appeared. Titan beat them up with his fists and Kaedes threads entwined them. Youve made the wrong choice. I realized that the Orc King which had summoned its minions in desperation hadpletely exhausted its magic power. I shed downward diagonally at the Orc King that was still rapidly restoring its magic power. The left arm that the Orc King raised to defend itself was severed by the magic d de. Depleted of its magic power, the Orc Kings body which was toughened by magically augmented body strengthening had now fallen to the ranks of somewhat sturdy monsters. Sophia and Maria lunged their spears from both sides, their spearheads piercing deeply as if all the resistance until now was a lie, and then mes and wind rampaged inside the Midboss body. Holding the sword in my right hand and the spear in my left, I pressured the Orc King. Then the Orc King tried to brandish its gigantic battle axe using its remaining arm. That same exact arm was then stabbed into by Sophias spear. The battle axe fell with a heavy thud, and Marias spear dug into the Orc Kings foot. Then, cloaking my body in magic power, I rammed my ice spear into the Orc Kings throat with all my might, freezing everything around the stab wound using the spears ability. Ha! I swung my sword sideways, it shattered the frozen neck of the Orc King and its head fell off. Then suddenly, I felt power swelling in my entire body. Fuu~, Its been a while since I leveled up and felt strength brimming. When I turned around, the entire battle was over. so you leveled up for the first time in a long time after a battle of this magnitude. Takumi, asking for your level terrifies me. Yeah, thats what I was thinking too. Anyway, the tenth floor boss was strong. If this is how it is, then there would probably be another ten floors. Tired, Lyle-san and Heath-san were chatting as they sat on the floor. A door appeared on the opposite side of the entrance of the dome shaped room before anyone had realized it. Though it probably appeared when the Orc King, the boss of this floor, was defeated. Aside from the Orc King, should we only retrieve the magic stones? Let us also collect the bodies of the Orc Knights and Orc Generals in their entirety. Roger. Our party, excluding the exhausted veterans of Lions Fang, went around dismantling and retrieving bodies and materials. ording to the Lions Fang members, a treasure chest appears when a boss room is cleared, but as expected, those were dim prospects for a dungeon that had just barely been created. Despite oveing a fierce battle at great pains, theck of treasure greatly disheartened Heath-san and the two. Once we finished the dismantling and retrieval, we took a break in this ce. The entire partys level and skills seem to have increased from the fight this time. Especially Akane, Lulu-chan, and the Lions Fangs members. Their growths were much greaterpared to Sophia, Maria, and mine. As expected, skills increase greatly when brave individuals surmount a battle verging on death. Sophia said so delightfully. Sophia has the spirt of a true warrior, it seems. After we finished getting what we could, the remains of the orcs left alone disappeared as if they were swallowed by the ground. So that is why we couldnt find the corpses of Sydnias soldiers either. Yeah, the dungeon is probably recovering magic power. It looks like I was the only one surprised by the spectacle that didnt ur in myst dungeon dive. It was amon sight to Heath-san, apparently. The dungeon entices people with treasure, then preys on them with traps and monsters, bing nourishment for it. However, Heath-san said that this dungeon was only recently created, so the chances for treasure to appear was low. Its not like its set in stone that there would be absolutely nothing though. Maybe this Orc King was just based on chance. Thats right, magic items like weapons and armors might not appear in dungeons that havent grown a bit. But stuff like gems and magic metal ingots might show up. I see, maybe I didnt have any luck. No, if between having and not having luck, then Id have to say that I do have it. Still, it might be Lyle-san that doesnt. Lets look at it that way. Master (husband), our meal has been prepared. Thank you, Marnie. Ill be right there. Heath-san, Lyle-san, Bogah-san, lets eat. Got it. Yeah. After eating and resting a bunch, we took naps and moved on to the next floor. *** Chapter 226: Cathedral Labyrinth 5 Chapter 226: Cathedral Labyrinth 5 From the 11th floor, the scenery once again changed to abination of wide corridors and rooms like the interior of a church. Plenty of the monsters that appear were all sorts of Undead, like higher ranking Skeleton-types, Wraiths, and Living Armor. Its a cathedralesque dungeon and yet it has a lot of Undead, just what is up with that?` Am I the only one that thought this? Compared to the forest and grasnd areas, it felt like the floor size was smaller. This ce has now-like nature, so Heath-san said that theres no point in thinking about it. Bakya! Dogya! Coming here, Heath-sans group had flourished at the forefront. Power leveling at the Forest of Death and a series of battles in the dungeon. Moreover, having gone through the fight with the Orc King and leveling up, theyre able to trample down on the monsters as we enter the upper floors of the dungeon. Heath-sans battle axe and Bogah-sans mace really thrived, particrly against the Skeleton-type and Living Armor-type among the Undead. Ha! Einya! Our member Lulu-chan, who learned the Bludgeon Technique from Laeva, smashed a Skeleton Knight to bits. I thought we got a lot stronger too, but Im losing confidence watching little kitty-chan. Stop thinking about it, Heath. Takumis bunch are all absurd. Lyle-san was saying something terrible, but I think its a good thing that everyone was getting stronger. Its a world where danger is always near, after all. We were able to go through the 11th floor to the 15th floor at a pace of one floor per day. The monsters spawning were gradually getting stronger, and itse to the point that Kaede and Titan also participate in the fights. Fortunately, there is enough space for thergely built Titan to move with ease. If Titan and Kaede are here, theres no need to worry about monsters aside from entities that possess no physical bodies. Oh! Wait up! Theres a trap there. Lyle-san decided to concentrate on sensing for traps. Kaede and Sophia searched for the enemies. Tch, even the traps are getting more brutal. Brutal traps? Yeah, every one of em is lethal. Lyle-san grumbled as he disarmed the trap. If its a poison trap, it could be detoxified with Dposition if I knew what type of toxin it was, but as one might expect, even I wouldnt know exactly what type of poison is concealed within the traps. In this dungeon, the kinds of traps that Lyle-san had disarmed were mostly poison traps, after that were pitfalls (the kind that skewers those that fall), arrow trigger traps, falling rocks and more simr things, but there were also traps that were unavoidable. Tsk! Its a monster house! The moment our entire party entered a room asrge as a gymnasium, the door we came through mmed shut and then a magic circle appeared at the center of the room. Vanguards to the front! Rear guard ready your spells! I held my sword in preparation for a melee. All sorts of monsters like Undead-types, Insect-types, Goblin-types were summoned from the magic circle. Dogoo! Titans fist flew out as a Rocket Punch and smashed into the monsters. Kaede entwined the monsters in her threads and cut them into shreds. Akane and Laeva fired spells rapidly. Bogah-san came up to the front with hisrge shield. Lyle-san was waiting for his turn behind him, while Heath-san dashed forward, brandishing his battle axe. With Sophia and Maria to my left and right, I led the way and we forced our way into the middle of the squirming monsters. Sophia! Maria! Give me just a minute! Yes! I ced my hand on the magic circle that continued to spew out monsters and tried to use Dposition directly on it. Bakyan! Sounding like smashing ss, the magic circle that still birthed monsters started to dim like it was breaking. Gotta try it at least once, right? It meant that the magic circle did not break down with alchemy. But that was when I had a bright idea. I tried to destroy the magic circle by forcing magic power into the formation to interfere with it. ǣգϣϣϣϣ An Ogre over 3m tall roared. With two long horns growing from its forehead, muscles covered in red skin, long canines and sharp ws, it held a club made of iron. It looks like summoning the boss-like ogre couldnt be stopped. The three of us were at the center of a mass of monsters. Sophia and I moved towards Maria while exterminating monsters. I yed monsters that caught my eye with the sword in my right hand. My left hand destroyed the hearts and brains of monsters by using Dposition. The magic power I spent forcing out Dposition was replenished by the ability that my Absolute Sword (Zekken) got from its former form as the Sword of the Absorber[1]. As it was not necessary to consider about my magic power consumption, I activated Dposition with my left hand and the soles of my feet, simply rampaging my way through. Gan! The club that the Ogre swung around was warded off by Bogah-sansrge shield. Oraaa! Heath-san swung his battle axe towards the Ogres knee, like a lumberjack chopping down a tree. ǣգ The Ogre screamed in pain. Gan! It was then that Titans fist sank into the Ogres face. Finish him!! Kaede tied up the Ogre with her threads, and her w weapons stabbed into the Ogres throat. Master! I killed the biggie! Kaede! Youre amazing! When Kaede defeated the boss ss Ogre, the speed we annihted the remaining monsters shot up. With the magic circle broken and the Ogre boss defeated, the enemies within the monster house were defeated shortly after. We swiftly stripped them of their magic stones and materials of value. It already exceeded 100 from the magic stones alone. Even then, this monster house was considered to be a small one. A door appeared on the opposite side of where we came from. After a short break, we passed through it and the door to the next floor was there. *** Footnotes: 1. Raws say Sword of the Absorbers ability, but those swords were already upgraded to Takumis Zekken and Sophias Seiken so Im just making it work. Chapter 227: Cathedral Labyrinth 6 Chapter 227: Cathedral Labyrinth 6 Even though the monsters that appear in the dungeon became centered around the superior species, our clearing speed didnt fall as we went through the floors. And so, we finally made it to the 20th floor. It was entirely different from what weve been through until now. A long stretch of corridor. A singlerge doory beyond. Thats the boss room, isnt it? Yeah, this feeling is definitely the boss room. Heath-san agreed with my query. As Lyle-san disarmed a trap, we charged forward through the long straight corridor. Fuu~ is everyone ready? Once we were in front of the door, I turned back to look at everyone and they all nodded. Creaaaak! Beyond the opened massive doors was a room twice the size of the monster house room. a cathedral? It was like the space within a church, but with the pews removed. It was the interior of an extravagant cathedral adorned with stained ss, but it did not even have a sliver of solemnity to it. Rather, it was overflowing with miasma and had the presence of evil. Yamato! The person Akane cried out to was one of the heroes, Akanes ssmate, Yamato. The boy summoned from Japan called Yamato was apanied by 10 Holy Knights of Sydnia. And on the extravagant throne-like seat ced at the very back sat Divine Empire Sydnias Pope Warvaal whom had a vacant look in his eyes. Yamato! Come back to your senses! Even when Akane cried out desperately, Yamato had no reaction. Kukuku, HAHAHAHAHAHA. Its futile! The Hero Yamato gained holy power through our Goddess divine power, bing a superhuman. He is no longer the Yamato you once spent time with! Yamato! Please! Come to us! Akanes voice did not get through to him. On the contrary, Yamato raised one hand, giving the Holy Knights lined up behind him a signal. The Holy Knights wore silver armor and a helmet that showed nothing but their eyes. Their pupils shone eerily. The Holy Knights came to the front holding uniform swords and shields. Akane, get back. Yamato-kun isnt sane. Akane moved to the back, and the vanguard came to the front. Crack, creak, crack Sounds that shouldnte from peoples bodies were heard from the 10 Holy Knights bodies. Guooooooooooo``!! The Holy Knights bodies swelled up and they roared like beasts, then they broke into a run. Theyreing! Bam! ng! Bogah-san barely managed to stop the charge with hisrge shield. Titan defended against the oing sword with hisrge body. After that, it broke into a melee. As expected, the Holy Knights were abnormally strong and numb to pain. In reality, they were not people anymore. They were Immortal Soldiers. The trio` Heath-san, Lyle-san, and Bogah-san` fought one Holy Knight. They had an advantage in fighting after many years of practiced coordination. Titan and Kaede each took on a Holy Knight, but as one would have expected, Titan and Kaedes opponents would have been at a disadvantage even if they were Special Immortal Soldiers. It likely wouldnt take my familiars that long to defeat their opponents. Sophia severed the neck of a Holy Knight she passed and immediately engaged inbat with two more Holy Knights. Maria safely battled one Holy Knight. Laeva, Marnie, and Lulu-chan worked together, fighting to protect Akane. Meanwhile, Akane tracked everyones progress in battle while providing assistance using support spells and recovery spells. And as for me Woosh! In quick steps, I dashed straight to the forefront. The benumbed Immortal Soldiers that were struck by my sword when I passed had their top and bottom half bisected. I didnt verify this though and closed in on Yamato. With swift movements that exceed human reflexes, Yamato lunged at me using his wed hands. (Kuh, that superhuman speed. Hes like a different person from the one in the war just a while ago.) Thanks to my maxed out Evasion Skill, Insight Skill, and Body Control Skill, I was able to endure Yamatos fierce attack that disyed his inhuman movements. (Cant we return them to normal somehow?) Guuwaaaa!! A change urred in Yamatos body as he continued to move at inhuman speeds. Creak, Snap, Crack! Two horns started growing from his forehead, and his body grew twice asrge. The color of his skin turned reddish. Huh?! Isnt he just like an ogre?! As fang-like canines grew from his mouth, he became an existence no longer within the category of people. Even when I tried use Dposition as I parried his fist, the resistance was great. That being the case, Synthesis didnt work well either when I tried. Even so, I continued to invoke Synthesis on his armor. (What do I do? will I kill Akanes ssmate in front of her?) I couldnt afford to go easy on him. I prepared myself to bear Akanes grudge. Ha! I attacked while evading Yamatos onught, steadily reversing the rate of offense and defense to my favor. Gyaaaa! Dodging the fists Yamato threw at me, I cut the arm he extended from above the elbow. I saw through the attack of his remaining arm and cut it off as well. Yamato roared as both arms fell to the floor. Even more, I swung my sword at his thigh and severed it too. My n was to restrain his movements for now. However, he had be more of a monster than I had expected. The grotesque Ogre-like Yamato grew even more distant from the form of man. His two arms simultaneously regenerated at high speed. When the leg also regenerated, another two sprouted. The two severed arms returned to his body too. As his limbs increased, Yamato was reduced to a monster with four arms and four legs, We could hear Pope Warvaalsughter. My heart trembled in extreme anger from how he doesnt treat people like actual people. *** Chapter 228: Cathedral Labyrinth 7 Chapter 228: Cathedral Labyrinth 7 As I continued evading the tempestuous four armed attacks while also shing back, I also threw in palm heel strikes. Spatial Understanding Skill obtained The moment that announcement flowed into my head, I grasped the attacks from dead space quite distinctly. With the Insight skill and Evasion skill together, topped with martial arts-type skills and the Body Control skills, my movements rapidly grew more refined. Sword King Technique Skill has leveled up Fist King Technique Skill has leveled up My sword speed became quicker. The power of my elbow strike and palm heels d in energy and magic power increased. The deformed Yamatos attacks were fierce and tempestuous because of his four arms and four legs, however, he was originally human, after all. He was unable to fully control the four extra limbs. With that being the case, he was no different from strong, fast beast. Every time the sword I swung gleamed, one of the deformed Yamatos grotesque arm or leg was cut off. It regenerated each time, but I realized that the speed in which it did steadily slowed down. Whoosh! Swish! I shed downward from overhead, lopping his two right arms off in one go, then I did the same for his two left arms on the return swing. I then went straight for his neck then stopped brandishing my sword. The reason why was that my body was brimming with power, and I knew that I leveled up. This namely meant the death of the deformed Yamato. Takumi! Akane came running from behind as she shrieked. The fact that our partys fight was over something I was aware of because of the Spatial Understanding Skill. Everyone was quiet. The grotesque monster in front of my eyes that was once Yamato had stopped moving as if he was frozen. It appears this is as far as it can be. As expected, too much deformation is counterproductive, I see. Fuhn! When I heard Pope Warvaals monologue, I lost my cool and threw the sword in my hand towards him. ng! The oue was that the sword pierced through to the back of the extravagant throne-like chair. Pope Warvaal disappeared like an apparition. Wha?! Whered he go!? Takumi-sama! Please calm down! Sophia told me to calm down. was he an illusion from the very beginning? When I looked at the armless statue-like Yamato, Akane was by his side sheddingrge drops of tears. youre such an idiot. Thats why I told you not to trust Sydnia too much. Akane Takumi, could you send Yamato off before hes swallowed by the dungeon? When I walked up to her, she said that with a strong will in her eyes. Youre okay with that? Yeah, I have no idea where his soul would go, but at the very least, Id like to see my ssmate off. I extended my right arm towards the deformed monster that was once Yamato and invoked Dposition. Surprisingly, even though he was deformed to such an extent, hisposition wasnt too different from that of a person. Its logical to say that its close but not quite the same. However, there wasnt a striking difference in breaking down theposition into oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus when I used Dposition. Akane wept as she bid Yamato, who was vanishing into air, farewell. Akane and Yamato were nothing more than ssmates. However, it was only natural that she would receive shock from the death of a fellow Japanese whom she had spent time with and was summoned to a different world with. Leaving only a few traces of water on the floor, the grotesque monster that was once Yamato had vanished. The modifications far too different from his original body and the seemingly endlessly repeated body regeneration had caused that very same body to exceed its limits and consumed his life force. Simply put, extreme malnutrition. Takumi-sama, we are done here too. Good work. Is anyone hurt? Sophia and the girls came to report the end of the battle. Although there are a few injuries, it would be taken care of by Akanes magic. Yes, it looked to be quite a fierce battle. When I looked out over everyone, Heath-san and the boys were exhausted down on the floor. Takumi-sama, is Akane-sama alright nya? hmm, I think shes okay. Lulu-chan, can you stay by her side for a bit? Yes nya! Lulu-chan ran to Akane, who continued to shed tears alone. After having a bit of rest, we proceeded to the door that appeared behind the throne. Takumi, this dungeons core is probably ahead. If that is destroyed, this dungeon should disappear. It is said that a dungeon dies when the dungeon core in its innermost ce is destroyed. This is a severely troubled country, but theres no way we could leave the heart of a city Otherworldified. If we take the core, it might be possible to make another dungeon in a different ce, but I dont see the value in increasing the dungeons that have a risk of overflowing. Lets break the core. If the core is auctioned, it could be said the winning bid would be staggeringlyrge sum. That is because a dungeon is not just harmful, but it is also a source of supplies. However, we were deliberately smashing it. When I opened the door, there was a small room surrounded by walls of a white mineral. In the center of the room was a dodgeball-sized ck stone, likely the dungeon core. Everyone gathered a slight distance from me and watched. Hah! Clink! When I swung down and cut the core right in half, the room was engulfed in light and we were forcefully transferred away from the dungeon. Ruuuuuuuuumble!! Forcefully teleported to a ce where we could see the Cathedral, a thundering roar apanied the Cathedral as it fell to the ground before our eyes. While the soldiers of Sydnia that encircled the Cathedral Dungeon were moving about in confusion, I confirmed that everyone was here and escaped by Short Warping out of the city. *** Footnotes: Chapter 229: Where are the ring leaders? Chapter 229: Where are the ring leaders? We, who had escaped the Imperial Capital, went straight back to Volton in Valkyra Kingdom by way of Lomaria Kingdom. Pope Wavaal who disappeared, Akira who was the other hero we didnt see, and the first Imperial Princess Elizabeth. Their whereabouts remain unknown. Then we learned of their whereabouts from the Great Spirits. The Southern Continent? Yes, the continent poprly named Devil Continent, where the Mazoku and Beastkin tribes primarily reside. We bid farewell to Heath-san and the Lions Fang in Volton, then went back to the Sanctuary to talk about the Divine Empire Sydnia dungeon capture. Even though its called a continent, its 1/3 of the size this continent, and I sense many small city-states there. The southern continent apparently had multiple fortress city states with poptions ranging from 5,000 C 20,000 in quasi-monster nest regions all over thend. But, how could they have crossed to the Southern Continent, I wonder? Yes, they couldnt possibly have a ship that wouldnt be beaten by gigantic monsters of the ocean like ours. Its unimaginable that Pope Warvaal and the Imperial Princess were the only ones that crossed. I dare say they crossed with a ship, however, the Evil Spirit likely did not allow the monsters to approach. Even we would be able to do it. Even so, I dont think its that many people. I learned from Undine and Sylphs conversation that the Pope of Divine Empire Sydnia had abandoned his country and ran away. theres also Triaria Kingdoms issue, but Sydnia as a country needs to move quickly, refugees would surge to neighboring countries. It might be best to consult with Margrave Volton. At present, Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom of the Trination are advancing their invasion towards Triaria Kingdom. This is retorsion for the invasion of the Sanctuary just recently, but now that Sydnia had lost its form as a country, it should eye the possibility of being suppressed by its neighboring countries as well. Triaria and Sydnias matters can only be entrusted to the Trination. More importantly, will you go to the Southern Continent? Or will you leave them be? No, we cant leave them be. Akane still has one more ssmate, I have a feeling that it would be dangerous if that Pope is left atrge. Akane and the two young boys werent especially close. However, Yamato-kuns end in that dungeon seemed to have taken a substantial toll on Akane. I dont know if I can save Akanes other ssmate, but giving up without trying is not an option. Thats right. were people who had been forcefully taken and summoned after all. Akane was immediately suspicious of the Divine Empire Sydnias Pope and Imperial Princess after they were summoned. And at that moment, she was blessed with the Divine Oracle Skill from Goddess Norn-sama, and escaped as a result. Even now, Akane regrets not being able to escape together with Akira and Yamato. In reality, Akira and Yamato at that time were drunk on their positions known as heroes, and because they were waited upon by women provided by Sydnia and had kept their distance from Akane who warned them at every opportunity, there wasnt really anything that Akane could have done. So, are you going to the South Continent using the ship as before? Yes, of course thats the n. I was perplexed for a second, not understanding the meaning of Undines question, but I answered that this was the n. I suppose it would be fine until you reach the Southern Continent. But travelling by carriage within the continent might be difficult. What do you mean? Cause, the Southern Continent is said to be a quasi-monster nest, is it not? Roads and the like wouldnt exist in such a ce, so trade between cities are few and far in between. Learning the harsh circumstance of the Southern Continent from Undine made me groan unintentionally. The carriage I use could basically ignore bad roads. However, if even roads do not exist, then I have to think of another manner of travel. Moreover, were going to a quasi-monster nest where we dont know where and when monsters would attack. I see certainly, even the carriage I made might not be able to gain that much speed there. Mm, your carriage is excellent outside the norm, but the environment there is far too harsh. The Great Wind Spirit Sylph knew the detailed circumstances of the far off Southern Continent. The wind freely circtes the world, after all. okay! Lets make a method of travel! You mean, a way to move onnd? That will also be taken into consideration. Though the Southern Continent is small, it is still too vast for searching for Sydnias ringleaders. Travelling dtorily there while doing a search was realistically difficult. Those guys, could they be hiding in some country? Hmm, I wonder. As you may expect, they wouldnt usurp a city-state all of a sudden. It would be too conspicuous if they do. They may have even made a hideout within a monster nest. The Evil Spirit is there as well, as such, it would not be impossible. That makes sense. They did make a dungeon too. If I think about it now, that dungeon may have been something they made to keep us confined as they made their escape. Their use of a young Japanese boy as a sacrificial pawn is something I cant forgive *** Chapter 230: Report Chapter 230: Report I teleported to Volton and made an appointment with Margrave Volton. Fortunately, it seems he wasing back to his territory in a few days, so Ill be using that time to prepare to cross over to the Demon Continent. Crossing over to the Demon Continent would be no problem for my ship. The problem was our manner of travel onnd after getting there instead. Hmm, if there are no roads thenthe sky? In this world, there are several ways to fly in the sky. Wyvern Riders who tame Wyverns raised from the time they were in eggs. Theplex magic Fly , abination of the Null attribute magic Float, which utilizes magic power that has not taken on an attribute, and Wind attribute magic. Well, creating things is my specialty, so aiming to devise a flying vessel with Fly is the right answer. I think an airne shape wouldnt be a good match. Neither would a helicopter. A flying boat might possibly be the simplest, but this form has a high degree of freedom when ites to flying in the sky. Moreover, I am a former Japanese, and I also loved old mangas and animes. I mean, the Stern Tower of the ship made of magic metals and Water Dragon materials was ripped off from a certain Space Pirates ship. So if Im going to make a flying vessel, then I should try to emte something that came out of a fantasy novel or a game. While visualizing all sorts of designs in my head and thinking them over, the day of my appointment with Margrave Volton came. Its nice to see you again, Iruma-dono. Master wille shorty, so please wait for a short while. Yes, its been a while, Xervus-san. Thank you for meeting me at such a busy time. Chambein Xervus-san of the Margrave Volton family guided me to the conference room. After about 30 minutes of waiting, the ever splendid door opened and Lord Margrave Godwin Volton entered. Iruma-dono, long time no see. You seem well. Margrave Volton-sama, youre no different yourself. I talked to Margrave Volton, who was sitting opposite of me, about the details of the disturbance that took ce in the dungeon at the Imperial Capital of the Divine Empire Sydnia. Margrave Volton sighed heavily. Haa, just when I thought things were finallying to an end with Triaria, Sydnia follows, huh? Does the war with Triaria Kingdom seem like it is ending? Yeah, they invaded the Sanctuary and lost severely. Lomaria and our nation had upied a third of their country. Yggurle Kingdom is quite far, after all. They probably didnt see the appeal of having detachednd. In reality, its cumbersome to manage. ording to Margrave Volton, a ceasefire deal is expected to be closed soon. Did the Pope and the dignitaries below him escape Sydnia? While we were clearing the Otherworldified Cathedral, a fleet of ships crossed the ocean to the Southern Continent. the Demon Continent huhwe cant do anything more. I suppose we would have to discuss relief for Sydnia, which was left in turmoil. The former Divine Empire Sydnias salvation might not suffice from just the Trinations Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom and Yggurle Kingdom, and would perhaps require seeking the cooperation of Samandour Kingdom and Gnomstoll Kingdom. No matter how small it is, because the entire country copsed, it would be too immense to support. And so, Iruma-dono, what will you do? Yes, we are nning to cross over to the Demon Continent to search for the Sydnia runaway. Even if we did leave the boy from my old country known as Akira alone, we couldnt do so with the Evil Spirit that produces dungeons. But the Demon Continent is a harsh environment. There is a reason why there isnt anything but city-states established. Yes, that is why I am thinking of a method of transport. We will be preparing more than necessary. Of course you would. Samandour Kingdom seems to have an indeterminate trade with the city-states of the Southern continent, but from what I hear, there are no paths between the cities and thosends are dominated by monsters. Well, perhaps because of this, there are no thieves, bandits, and the like. In the Demon Continent, aside from the fortress city-states, settlements such as farming viges and towns didnt exist. Naturally, there were no thieves or bandit hideouts either. It was and that was primarilyposed of the Beastkin with high physical prowess and the individually great Mazoku who had high battle potential. Well, at the very least, I will report it to His Majesty. Iruma-dono, you must have a reason to go to the Demon Continent. Yes. Even if we look for the Pope, we dont have a single clue. We will do the search bit by bit, as much as we are able to. Since I also have work in the Sanctuary, I dont think we would be able to stay for very long. I have to devise a way to camp in the Demon Continent. We dont know how strong the monsters there would be, so I have no idea if the barriers we have right now would be enough. Partly because of that, we intend to make frequent returns to the Sanctuary. The postwar processing with Triaria will take a while. I will talk to His Majesty to have a conference with the different nations to ask if they could provide humanitarian aid to Sydnia first. Sorry for all this trouble. Not at all, everything after this point is our job. After that, I received a bit of information regarding the Demon Continent from Margrave Volton, and that is the end of that days report. Now then, I gotta think about a lot of things. *** Chapter 231: Breathers are also a necessity, aren’t they? Chapter 231: Breathers are also a necessity, arent they? The Sanctuary has a ce blooming with flowers, where Faeries and Spirits fly about. In that ce, I sat on arge pic sheet spread out, eating the lunchbox that Maria and Marnie made. This was a conversation that goes back to the time I came home to the Sanctuary Mansion after reporting to Margrave Volton. Takumi-sama, please have some rest! For the time being, work is prohibited! Eh? The moment we climbed up to the first floor of the mansion from the basement with the Teleport magic circle, Sophia and Maria instructed me to rest. Master (Husband), starting from Triarias Sanctuary Invasion to Sydnias Elf rescue to the dungeon capture, you have been so busy that you are overworked. Takumi-sama, Laeva also needs rest. When Marnie and Laeva said that, there was no way I could go straight to the workshop. Uhhh, rest? Thats right. Akane probably also needs a break. As for Sydnias fugitives, its not something we must do immediately. that makes sense. okay, lets do that then. Now that I really think about it, it feels like Ive been running franticly ever since I transmigrated to this world. In the beginning, I had such thoughts in order to live, to make the foundation for my life, but ever since I got involved with the Sanctuary, it felt like Ive been working like a cart-horse. I think its also important to take things slow even if it isnt exactly a slow life so I wouldnt be suspected of being a workaholic. Deciding so, Ill fully enjoy this break and go out and have a pic with everyone. Then how about we split up and make lunchboxes? Takumi-sama please take it slow. No, its fun to make food with everyone too, you know. This will also be stress relieving. I-is that so Sophia, who is hopelessly untalented in cooking, had a stiff expression. Now then, what would be good for a pic lunchbox? Lets see I think sandwiches and deep fried things would be nice. Takumi-sama, Lulu wants to eat meat nya. Lets go with sd and cheese, and wine and apple juice for drinks as well. When I asked Maria what to make, Lulu-chan and Marnie chimed in. Well, Laeva will ask for some fruits from Melty-san. Yeah, fruits are also good. Laeva left the mansion to go to Melty-san, the manager of the orchard, for some fruits. U-umm, ta-tamagoyaki too, please. Ah, yep, gotcha. When Sophia made a request seemingly embarrassed, it surprised me. Maria, Marnie, and I headed to the kitchen. Lulu-chan also came to help. I took out the meat of an ostrich-sized bird monster and handed it over to Maria. Maria cut up the bird meat into bite-sized pieces, seasoning it little by little with soy sauce and ginger to bnce out the vors. I will make the sandwiches. Lulu will assist nya. Mhmm, please do. The sandwiches were left to Marnie and Lulu-chan, while I made the tamagoyaki. Were using eggs, which are expensive in this world, to make thick tamagoyaki. Well, these eggs are our from our own efforts though. We simply took these from a chicken-like monster thats as tall as a full grown person, after all. I took out a somewhat potent dashi, and mixed that dashi and salt into the eggs. I dislike sweet tamagoyaki, so our tamagoyaki at home was closer to dashimaki. In truth, I considered onigiris, but theres no umeboshi, mentaiko, or salted salmon. Above all, theres no nori, so onigiris were out of the question. We have to search for nori. We hurriedly finished our preparations and went out to an area where the Sanctuarys flowers bloomed profusely all year round. In that ce, weid a pic sheet out and everyone ate the food while passing the time idly. Things like this are good once in a while. Takumi-sama, here you go. T-thanks, Sophia. Sophia poured me some wine. I dont drink too often, but white wine is fine. Its not like Im weak to alcohol, after all. guys, thank you. Akane stood up all of a sudden, then bowed to us. Akane Im fine now. Im over it. You dont have to force yourself. M-mm, hesitating for so long isnt like me. Sure, I was shocked, but Yamato was paying for his mistakes We could tell that she was forcing herself, but were d that Akane was energetic. Okay! Lets drink today! Yeah. Akane-sama, wine right nya? From then on, it became a lively banquet. Maybe because fights continue day by day, I strongly believed that days like this are important. *** Chapter 232: Demon Continent Chapter 232: Demon Continent Given how the entire continent is a quasi-monster nest, thends which are particrly thick with mana and receives energy of the Earth Pulse give birth to dungeons. For that reason, all sorts of dungeons,rge and small, exist in the Demon Continent. Therefore, the only choice city-states had for settlements were fortress cities. There is a group that is advancing through that Demon Continent while cing the monsters under their control. Avoiding the city-states, the group eventually arrive deep within a dense forest in the middle of the Demon Continents quasi-monster nestnds. Dense in mana, the heart of the forest is changed into a monster nest. Suddenly, an ominous jet ck cathedral appeared. A situation that would shake the lives of the people living in the harsh environments of the Demon Continent had slowly begun to crawl its way in. *** Sphys note: (2/2) of Double release. Check to make sure you didnt skip the other one. Chapter 233: Is this an airplane or a ship? Chapter 233: Is this an airne or a ship? I didnt cram in much work even after the pic, living life at a slightly slower pace. (Still, I cant postpone it as long as I want.) If it was simply going to the continent in the south known as the Demon Continent, our current ship would have been more than enough. It wouldnt give even an inch against a gigantic aquatic monster. How is it? Making any progress? Oh, its you, Akane. Thats rare. While I was working out an idea in the Sanctuary workshop, Akane made a rare appearance. Her showing up here was unusual. She normally wouldnt even approach this ce. Once in a blue moon, yeah? I was intending to get over Yamato, but theres still that thing with Akira too, so I definitely want to go with you to the Demon Continent. so I was wondering how that would happen. Akira definitely shouldnt be given up on. Anyway, going to the Demon Continent is simple. Our ship can cross the ocean easily. The problem is our method of transport within the continent. I exined to Akane that thend routes of the Demon Continent had extremely harsh environments that even Tsubakis carriage would find hard to traverse. so roads dont exist. So that means youll be building an aircraft? Ohh, as expected, Akane. Ill need to check if an airne is possible, but a vertical takeoff andnding (VTOL) aircraft would be ideal. If we choose to go in an aircraft, then it would have to be a VTOL type, which doesnt need a runway for takeoffs andnding. A VTOL type? Not a fighter jet? There are fighter types as well, but you know the troubles with its fusge when it was brought over to Japan from America, right? If I take the transport volume, should it be that? Since even Akane would have known about the many idents shown on the news, sharing that image with Akane was no problem. Still, itll fly with magic, so its fine even if I dont fuss over its form. Magic? Thats right. Wyverns and dragons cant fly with their wings, right? They fly using magic. Thats why I havent decided on whether it would be an aircraft or a flying ship, but I dont have to be so particr with the aerodynamics if itll fly with magic. Well, that makes sense. You may as well go for the cool one, huh. Honestly, I really wanted a flying ship, but that would obviously be too big. If it ever flew, Id even ride it while cosying as a space pirate. Anyway, good luck. Yep, I dont think youd have to wait that long though, so dont fret. Maybe because Akane, who finds making things by hand uninteresting, had had enough, she waved her hand as she left the workshop. Now then, its about time I make a basic n. Akanes already left, so lets carefully review ways to move around in the Demon Continent. If were flying over the ocean for several days,nding in the water for breaks would be a necessity. If we use the ship for sea travel and limit the new vessel to travel within the continent in the south, it wouldnt be a problem as long as its a VTOL aircraft. If we use the ship until the vicinity of Samandour Kingdom and fly from there it would depend on how fast we can get. How fast could the Osprey[1] go, I wonder. Well, its not like Ill use a motor though. Click The workshop door opened and Laeva came in. Takumi-sama, what will you be making today? Ahh, I was thinking about a method of transport in the Demon Continent, but could you help out too? Of course. Laeva came here for that purpose. Thanks. Lets do our best. Yes, lets. Laeva and I first thought about the form. Should it be formed based on the aerodynamics of an aircraft? Or should it be purely be taken from fantasy? Not that I could say fantasy to Laeva. Dynamic lift? This is my first time hearing it. This is a hypothesis on flight using magic, but I think it would be more economic on magic power if we take air resistance and dynamic lift into consideration. Thats true. Now that I think about it, flying monsters are streamlined. Laeva and I decided on the size of the vessel that would be used in the continent. Like the carriage, the interior will be fine if it is bestowed with Space Expansion, so how big it is on the outside is what we need to decide on. Since it will fly, I believe we should go for a size that would be fine even if hit by a Wyvern. Youre right. Lets go with a sizerger than a Wyvern. If it spans 60ft (approx. 18m) to 70ft (approx. 21m) like arge cruiser[2], and if we use mithril alloy for its body, I think it would be alright even if it collides with the majority of the flying-type monsters. Fundamentally, we will fly in the ind areas, however I imagine it would be even better if we are able tond on the sea water. For sure. Lets make it so its floats in a well bnced way even if wend on water. A form for flying thatnds stably on water A Trimaran[3] with the pilothouse, residential area, and hold in center hull. The propulsion devices on both sides would also serve as floats. And connect them like wings, maybe? I drew a rough sketch on the table. Ooh! That looks neat! So the wings would be able to change course even without magic, I think we should add rudders and elevators. I briefly exined to Laeva a method of controlling the airframe using air resistance and dynamic lift. A method to control movement without magic?! Thats amazing, Takumi-sama! Well, its just to supplement the magic though. While pacifying the excited Laeva, I drew a sketch so we could put our ideas out. *** Footnotes: 1. 쥤 C I think its a reference to the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey. Man, I had to search so much for that. 2. I am assuming he meant a cruiser aircraft. 3. A trimaran is basically a three hull ship. An example here. Chapter 234: Leisurely Dangling A String Chapter 234: Leisurely Dangling A String I invoked an alchemy spell in front of the materials in the workshop. Transmute. The light of the magic circle engulfed the materials in its radiance and a long, narrow cylindrical item waspleted. From the resin of a Treant and coal, a carbon fiber rod was made. Once I attached it to the reel made beforehand, it wasplete. Takumi-sama, what sort of tool is that? Sophia asked in wonder. Do the Elves, forest dwellers, not know about fishing? I thought they were able to fish in ponds andkes though Its a fishing rod, you know? A fishing rod? What does that tool do? Eh?! Sophia-san, you dont know what a fishing rod is? It is a tool for fishing. Laeva, who was working on her own table in the workshop, was shocked. Laeva seemed to be familiar with fishing. In my country, fish are caught with arrows shot by a bow, as such, this is the first time Ive heard of the term fishing. Cultural differences, I suppose. When Elves catch fish, their tool of choice is the bow. I couldnt say that I thought it was simr to the method of indigenous people from some ce[1]. So, as the person who should be thinking about the design and construction of the aircraft that would be our method of transportation in the Demon Continent, if I had to say why I am making a fishing rod and reel its because Ive reached a dead end. Therefore, I thought to go fishing as a change of pace. Since I was doing that anyway, I checked the materials and challenged myself to make carbon fiber. Master, lets hurry and go fishing Alright, shall we get going? Kaede, who had supplied the line for the reel, urged me to hurry up. I prepared fishing rods, reels, and fishing hooks for arge number of people. When we came out of the mansion, the Cat Sith sisters Miri and L, Catkin siblings Wappa and Sara, and the Human sisters Colette and Shirona were there waiting with straw hats and buckets in hand. Lets go fast. Yeah, okay lets leave. We searched for a ce that looked like a fishing spot in the coast on the west side and dangled our lines. I did it! I fished another one! I caught one too! Oneechan, its heavy. Help me! I started giving each pair of siblings a set of fishing poles, but looking for a spot we could fish at wasnt necessary, as the bites came one after the other. Except for me Nothings biting, huh. yeah, well, this is just the usual though. Fishing had been my hobby ever since I lived in Japan. From Sea fishing to river fishing, bait fishing to lure fishing, Ive tried everything but yes, I am one of those people thats crazy about something but was oh so bad at it. Like when I went ck bass fishing, no matter how many years I went to theke but I never caught a single one. When I did bait fishing at sea, I caught horse mackerel and sardines using a sher rig, but thats about it. As the children reeled in the fish, I dangled my line mindlessly. I think, perhaps, fishing isnt for me. I hear that fishing fits impatient people more. Even if I cant fish, I like this time where Im just staring off into space. Well, its still better to catch things though. twitch, zwoooosh!! Suddenly, the line was pulled strongly. Uwaa! Fish on! The line was rapidly unwinding from the reel. Kuh! Good luck! I enveloped my body in magic power, then reinforced the line by distributing magic power starting from the pole. I was barely managing to wind up the reel. I was sure that it was something rtivelyrge that was hooked. I was sweating as I winded the reel as hard as I could, trying to give the children a good show. Once I winded the line up enough to eventually see it in the distance` no, I actually knew since much earlier` what appeared on the surface of the water was not a fish. It was over 10 meters long and 1 diameter wide gigantic Sea Snake. Uwaaaa!! The children ran away at the sight of the gigantic Sea Snake. huh? Thats weird. Monsters shouldnt be able to enter the barrier. Takumi-sama, is the Sea Snake not a monster? Hisssssss!! Wind Cutter! Sophia and I fired Wind magic at the gaping mouth of the attacking Sea Snake. m! Its thick neck was severed and the head fell off, killing it instantly. Takumi-sama, it really did not have a magic stone. It was not a monster. I see, maybe I should look over the barrier again. Isnt it fine? Those thisrge are rare. On this day, I was unable to catch a single fish, but the children ended up looking at me like I was some sort of hero. It was sweet, so it was eptable. *** Footnotes: 1. I dont know if this was a reference to something or just speaking in general. Chapter 235: Collecting materials Chapter 235: Collecting materials I spent my days on a rxed schedule, alternating between being cooped up nning and studying in the workshop, and spending time with everyone. In the end, rather that being a triple hulled ship, I decided that the aircrafts design would have wings attached to arge cruiser and then a propulsor would be installed on the wings. Therge cruiser section would have a streamlined design a ship is known for as well as an aerodynamic shape. This is because I thought there wasnt much tond in on the sea. Itd fly through the Valley of the Wind. Where is the Valley of the Wind? Nah, its nothing. Laeva ended up hearing me talk to myself. Theres no way I could exin an old Japanese anime[1] to her. And so, I drew up who knows how many designs that I felt would go with the gunship. After this, I have to think of a mechanism that would operate the elevator and the rudder. In addition, Id have to develop a magic device to keep the airframe afloat, a propulsor, and a barrier for repelling aerial monsters. This looks like it will need a veryrge magic crystal. Right? To produce our desired speeds, wed have to process a magic stone the size of a dragons at the very least. Hmm, do we have stock of dragon-types magic stones? About that, I have a bit of an idea. We have stock ofrge magic stones, but I was thinking whether I could process magic stones that were small but of greater purity into arge magic stone using Synthesis. When Laeva asked what we would do, her eyes were filled with anticipation, so well try experimenting. What I took out of my item box were the magic stones of Skeleton Generals, which we had secured many of in the Cathedral Labyrinth. Soon after, I invoked Synthesis on two of them. A small magic circle around 20cm in diameter shined and the two magic stonesbined, turning into one magic stone a size norger than a ping pong ball. Ooo!? Its a sess. Ive been trying to synthesize magic stones for a long time, but I just found the process to make it seed. So synthesis is possible if its the magic stones from the same species of monsters, huh? What a breakthrough! It isnt simple though. Yes. This isnt that simple. Even magic stones from the same monsters have inconsistencies in their quality. Synthesizing these uniformly with precisely controlled magic power depends on thepetency of the practitioner. With Laevas help, we first removed impurities from all of the Skeleton Generals magic stones. Is there anything I can do to help as well? As it was safe inside the Sanctuary, I didnt need an escort, so Sophia who was often by my side had offered to help. lets see. Could you get coal and mithril ore from Gnome and Spirit Tree sap from Dryas? Understood. I will arrange for it immediately. Happy to have been entrusted with a task, Sophia left with a skip in her step. Laeva and I continued to work in silence. Magic crystals were synthesized one after the other[2]. Eventually, wepleted 3 basketball sized magic crystals and 1 magic crystal that was over 60cm in diameter. Itll be fine to put off filling it with magic power for now. Lets think of a mechanism for steering first. That would be the wise. Filling this many magic crystals with magic power will beborious. For the time being, I n on creating a magic device that would make it possible to fill it with mana from the atmosphere. The mechanism for collecting and filling natural mana was something already implemented on golems and the like. If we disregard the fact that the target magic crystal was remarkably different in size, existing method are being reused so it wouldnt take that long, The 3 basketball[3] sized magic crystals were for the propulsor that applies Wind attribute magic. Thergest magic crystal was for the magic form for floating the aircraft. So youve divided the Fly magic. Yes, well make use of the wings dynamic lift, rudders, and elevators in addition to wind magic to control the airframe. Separating Float magic is more efficient for magic power consumption. Takumi-sama, as it is unlike a carriage, what will we do with the brakes? Ahh, brakes are necessary, huh. Like the driving force of a single engine fighter, I n on installing 1 magic device gushing wind at the rear of the main body. And a floatation device on both ends of the wings. Lets make the magic device that would be installed on the wing tips be capable of reverse thrusts. That is a good idea. Movement efficiency would improve, and the ship would be equipped to fight even a wyvern in the sky. Oh yeah. Just in case, letse up with weapons assuming there will be air battles. Laeva and I talked about the specs to be incorporated into the airframe, and the design finally began to take shape. *** Footnotes: 1. Reference to Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (Kaze no TaninoNaushika),I may have mentioned this before being a good show. A must watch ? 2. Im not sure / forgot where a magic stone ends and a magic crystal starts because of how the author uses the terms. Takumi has made magic crystals that wereprised of trash magic stones from all sorts of monsters before, but these magic stones alle from the same monster, so is that why he still pertains to them as magic stones? 3. Probably a typo or inconsistency, raw says softball, but they made basketball sized ones. Thanks SF-san for pointing this out. Chapter 236: Transmuting the airship Chapter 236: Transmuting the airship We began nning out the airframe, designing the exterior and the interior. This was essential for constructing it with alchemy. A magic form would be used for the transmutation of materials, but the rate of sess hinges on how clear the image in the mind is when the itemsbine. The airframe structure will be a semi-monocoque[1] design that will consist of mithril alloy and carbon fiber. A blueprint would be necessary in order to create it with a strong image in mind. The interior and control system will not be touched until the space inside has been expanded, so the airships body and rudders, elevator,nding gear, and air brakes have to be built in one go. Okay, what do we do about the weapons? For starters, I was thinking of cing two Mana Gatling Guns in the front. A Mana Gatling Gun is a magic weapon that fires consecutive Null attribute magic. The reason I made it with Null attribute rather than with an attributed one was so that it would deal a constant damage against any monster. Takumi-sama, the procurement of mithril is in perfect order. Good work. Laeva came back then. Oh, weapons. Fumufumu invoking Null attribute Mana Bullets in quick session, I see. Yeah, I think this will be fine even against things like Wyverns. Then it would be equipped with an even more powerful attribute magic, wouldnt it? Yep, if it had to be with or without it, then Id say with. I had thought about including it, but if we had to fight against dragon-types, those wouldnt be beaten by the Mana Gatling Gun. A way to deal high powered attacks was necessary. Wind magic is a no go, right? That is so. A flying dragon would have resistance to the Wind attribute. It is the same reason that the Fire attribute is ineffective with a Fire Drake. Ice, Lightning, or Light maybe? An application of the Water Magic, Ice Magic. An application of Wind Magic, Lightning Magic. Highly effective against the Dark attribute and the Undead, Light attribute. Wouldnt it be more preferable to mix them? Ohh, that might be good. Fire and Lightning. Ice and Wind. Light, Lightning, Fire, and Ice. Yep, those might be great ideas. Its a magic device, so its possible to mix more than two attributes. What we would need to be careful with is tuning the speed of the magic. If that happens, Light and Lightning would probably go great. After much deliberation with Laeva, we decided to equip the aircraft with a main weapon that utilizes the strongest Light attribute attack spell Holy and the Lightning spell Thunderbolt as thebined magic Holy Bolt. The mouth of the barrel of the magic guns would be in front of the fusge. The Valley of the Winds Gunship[2] has two barrels on top of the other though. The size of the wings was half inparison to the Gunship. Since there will be a float-like propulsion apparatus installed on both sides of the wings, and because of the main part of the airframe, it no longer had vestiges of the Gunship, but I suppose only the feel it had remained the same. Now that the specifications of the weapons were settled, we quickly began designing the Mana Gatling Gun and the Holy Bolt Cannon. The two Mana Gatling Guns and the Holy Bolt Cannon were detachable, so theyll be made separately from the main airframe. It was then, I remembered a matter that seemed like it would turn into an issue. What to do with the material for the canopy? What was used on the ships stern tower were the windows made of wings of Large Armored Dragonfly in ce of windowpanes. This was further applied with Physical Resistance and Magic Resistance enchantments. However, the canopy of an airship flying in the sky at high speeds leaves me anxious. I had asked Dwarf Doganbo-san, but he had never gotten a request like that until now, so he said he didnt know. I then asked Undine and the Great Spirits if they knew an adequate material. Takumi, youre underestimating the Spirit Tree. I heard an answer from Dryas. Apparently the Spirit Trees sap turns acrylic-like with a high degree of rity, firmness, and viscosity when a certain temperature is applied. Who knew? Then would it be fine if I make a mold and pour it in? That is how it is. I will make a request with the Spirit Tree. Thank you, Dryas. Since we have a possible solution for the canopy materials, I made a mockup based on the original blueprint. I molded y with Earth Magic ahead of time. What I will do with thepleted mockup is a wind tunnel experiment. The fundamental goal is to fly without hindrance with Float magic and Wind magic, but if aerodynamics is neglected, air resistance and disturbances in atmospheric currents would make it difficult to control the aircraft. With repeated wind tunnel experiments and revisions, the design of the airframe developed. After that, mithril ores, coal, the Spirit Trees sap, and more were brought into the shipbuilding dock. I immersed myself in drawing transmutation magic circles for producing refined metals and carbon fiber. Laeva and I checked all the materials and the magic circle, then spread the blueprint and theplete diagram beside the transmutation magic circle. Concentrating, I made a mental image of thepleted airship as clear as I could. I coalesced magic power and let it flow into the magic circle. The magic circle shined and swallowed the materials in light. The magic circle that emerged from the palms of my hands expanded. Transmute! The light took shape, that shine soon faded. After that, a mithril alloy airframe painted in sky blue had appeared. *** Footnotes: 1. Semi-monocoque refers to a stressed shell structure that is simr to a true monocoque(an aircraft or vehicle structure in which the chassis is integral with the body), but which derives at least some of its strength from conventional reinforcement. -Wikipedia. 2. Same reference as before. Kaze no Tani no Naushika / Nausica? of the Valley of the Wind has a gunship that looks like this. Chapter 237: Airship Ouranos Chapter 237: Airship Ouranos An aircraft appeared after the light from the transmutation converged. 15m long and 10m wide. Each wingtip had a float-shaped magic device to keep the aircraft in bnce whennding on water, and threending gears to support the main body of the aircraft. It had taken on an organic shape reminiscent of an insect in some respects. Oohh! Its a sess! So cool! Laeva touched the transmuted airship all excitedly. I checked whether the elevators, rudder, and air brakes were working properly. what a relief, everythings all good. Thats amazing, Takumi. The color looks good too. Thank you very much, Doganbo-san. May I ask you to do the cockpit and seats? Ou, its fine to do it after the space is expanded, right? Leave it to me. Doganbo-san who had been observing was also somewhat thrilled. It was then that Sophia and the others who were slightly distanced also came over. Congrattions, Takumi-sama. Amazing! It doesnt look like a ship! Sophia and Maria congratted me. After that, Akane and Lulu-chan began talking too. Its so-so. Have you decided on a name? What a pretty sky blue color nya. A name, huh Ouranos, I choose Airship Ouranos. Hmm~, thats nice. The name was taken from the God of the sky in Greek mythology, Ouranos. And the cruiser ship, which I called Arcadia only within my heart, was named after the Greek God of the sea Oceanus. The Airship Ouranos wasrgely epted by everyone, so that was relieving. Afterwards, I first set the enchantment for Space Expansion spell in order to create living space in the fusge. The 15m long, 3m wide fusge expanded by five-fold inside. Doganbo-san then directed his Dwarvenrades to work on the interior. I returned to the workshop and started on the wings propulsors, a rear jet engine, and a suspension magic device to keep the entire aircraft afloat. The jet engine that would be installed on main body of the aircraft would blow out wind towards the rear, but the float-like propulsors would spew wind towards the front and the rear. Theres no issue even if the propulsors didnt have the opening like normal podded engines because of magic. In fact, the sky blue paint isnt normal paint either. The body was seriously enchanted with a Strength Enhancing spell, but the paint itself was also imbued with an Inhibit Perception enchantment. I had once thought badly of stealth aircrafts in the other world, but Id like to avoid being too inconspicuous once we move around the Demon Continent. After I made two Wind attribute magic devices that utilized the basketball-sized magic crystal, I moved on to creating the suspension magic device. The magic of flotation is a Null attribute magic known as Levitation. Ordinarily, it is perceived as a useless spell that just floats lightly. It doesnt have the same freedom to fly in the sky as Fly, so the extent of its use was as a vibration countermeasure for high ss golem carriages. However, as vertical take off was a necessity for the Airship Ouranos, abination of a propulsion device that utilizes Wind attribute spells with one that uses a levitation spell was essential. I used magic crystals over 60cm in size because it was necessary to keep the entire aircraft afloat, but honestly, magic crystals of this size wasnt necessary just for a levitation spell. These would also act as a power source for all magic devices aboard the ship. The inside isnt that spacious, but Ive nned for four private rooms each with their own shower and toilet, so there is a need to supply magic power to the magic devices for the lighting, toilets, showers. I manufactured the weapons, two Mana Gatling Guns and one Holy Bolt Cannon. The magic crystal Ill process and use for this is a sub-dragon ss magic stone. The gun barrel used durable adamantite alloy instead of mithril alloy which had a high affinity with magic power. One gatling gun consists of a set of four barrels. These would be installed at the middle of the wings. After creating all the magic devices connected to the interior, I headed to the shipbuilding dock. When I arrived at the shipbuilding dock, Laeva was giving instructions to install the canopy. Okay, stop! Please install it there! Yo! Things are smooth sailing, yeah? Ah, Takumi-sama. Work is all going well. Can I leave furnishing the interior with magic devices to you? Please leave it to me! I took out the light fixtures and toilet purifiers then handed them to Laeva, while I started mounting the weapons. That day, we worked until dark to finish mounting the weapons and the propulsion devices. It took 10 days to set up the control system and finish the interior. Kaede and Maria helped out with the interior, which included the cockpit and seats for our party members, furniture and more, so things were finished in that timespan. And so, 10 days after its transmutation, the Airship Ouranos could have its test flight. *** Chapter 238: Test Flight Chapter 238: Test Flight The Airship Ouranos wasplete and a test flight will be conducted. Its something that flies in the air, so being too careful isnt excessive. A trifling thing could lead to a grave ident. But that doesnt apply all too much with the Airship Ouranos, the first of its kind in this world. As long as levitation magic is there, it wouldnt fall even if it stalls. In addition to myself, Laeva, Doganbo-san, and Sophia who had the aptitude for the Wind attribute were chosen to be part of the test flight. On the off chance that things go wrong, we would escape by flying. The Sanctuary children wanted to board, but I got them to understand that they only could after this test flight and if nothing goes wrong. A door opened slightly in front of the wing, turning into a ramp for boarding. I took the lead and boarded the Ouranos. Sophia, Laeva, and Doganbo-san subsequently followed. Sitting in the cockpit, I pushed the lever and the Airship Ouranos floated up. Stowing away thending gear and reaching 50m up in altitude, I pushed on the throttle and we slowly started moving forward. Oooh! Its floating! Its flying! Uwaaaa!! Amaaaazing! Doganbo-san yelled in excitement. And Kaede who came out of the Subspace at some point had also eximed. As the speed rose steadily, it eventually reached approximately 500km/h in velocity. It is a huge sess. Laeva folded her arms, feeling content. After that, I asked Sophia and the passengers to wear their seatbelts, then I methodically and repeatedly turned the Ouranos left and right, ascended, descended, made sharp turns, sudden climbs, and nose dives as a test. It looks like everything is in tip top shape. How about we go back for now? While we were on our way back, I taught Sophia and Laeva how to pilot the Ouranos. Since the Ouranos was iparably more stable than an airne, Sophia and Laeva soon got used to piloting, so much that they were able to manipte it at will. It was only tested for several tens of minutes, but the steering system had no problems, so we were able to validate its expected performance. The weapons test still remains, but that doesnt have to be done at this very moment. The Airship Ouranos, which had returned to the Sanctuary skies, deployed itsnding gear, descending slowly andnding. When we alighted, everyone rushed over. Takumi-oniichan! I wanna fly in the sky too! Me too! Catkin siblings Wappa and Sara demanded to ride, and the Cat Sith sisters Miri and L said they wanted to board. As a result of the pleading of the children who came for a field trip, I ended up taking them around the Sanctuary on a sightseeing flight in turns many times because they couldnt all gather at the same time. For some reason, the Great Spirits Sylph and Undine were mixed in among them. Theyre Spirits, so I had thought flying in the sky wasnt anything new to them though It was evening by the time everyone was satisfied with Laeva, Sophia, and I piloting them around. The experiment, both in low speed or high speed maneuvers, was a sess. Yeah. The barrier worked well even during sharp turns and the like. All thats left is to check the weapons. The test for the Mana Gatling Gun[1] and Holy Bolt Cannon will be verified either on the way to the Demon Continent or after we reach the Demon continent. Since the test flight of the Airship Ouranos had no issues, we began our preparations for the Demon Continent manhunt. The Southern Continent ording to the information from the Great Wind Spirit Sylph, Great Light Spirit Selene, and Great Dark Spirit Nyx,monly known as the Demon Continent, was a region almost entirely consisting of quasi-monster nests, and inparison to the continent we live in, the density of monsters and their numbers were immeasurablyrger. Thats why it had fortress city-states. Yeah, it wouldnt hold up unless its a fortress city surrounded by strong walls. Mazoku and Beastkin have the ability to survive in such a severe environment. ording to Sylph, the Demon Continent had a great number of monster nests within the quasi-monster nests, and monsters from monster nests were not like those in the savagends outside the Sanctuary that would make asional appearances. The monsters that inhabited monster nests could move unrestrictedly if the region was a quasi-monster nest. Maybe the camp should be a strong shelter using barriers and Earth magic. If we are making a base, we would be able to establish a Teleportation gate. We dont know what kind of ce the Demon Continent is, so making a base all of a sudden is unjustifiable. The Gate Sophia mentioned was a magic device that had the ability to teleport, making long distance teleportation between gates feasible at the cost of little magic power. Currently, the ces weve established Gates at were only the Sanctuary mansion basement and the Volton mansion basement. Its been fitted with a personnel authenticating feature by way of magic, so not just anyone could use the gate, but I cant establish it in a ce with inadequate security. It might be better to also keep eyeing the possibility of creating a base. Yes, well, aside from the fortress cities, thend over there isnt owned by anyone, so theres no need to worry about anyone. Sylph and Selene shared information that they acquired from their familial Spirits. sure, if theres a ce that look good, then we should consider building a base too. If it was just me, I could potentially return to the Sanctuary mansion by teleportation. However, teleporting the entire team would consume too much magic power, so teleporting to the mansion almost daily to sleep was unreasonable. We crafted potions in addition to gathering our rations and daily necessities. Were also preparing wood for building furniture that would be necessary when we get a base set up. I also stored fresh cooked food in my Item Box. And now, we leave for the Demon Continent. *** Footnotes: 1. Says Vulcan Cannon unlike previous chapter. Will keep mana gatling gun for consistency. Chapter 239: To the Demon Continent Chapter 239: To the Demon Continent Pushing through the high waves of the ocean, this worldsrgest ship propelled forward. We, who were riding the Combat Ship Oceanus, headed straight south from the Sanctuary. Steering the Oceanus was entrusted to Doganbo-san and the Dwarves. After we take off in the Airship Ouranos, they will return to the Sanctuary. Everyone boarded the Airship Ouranos that was parked on the deck of the ship once we were at the open seas outside of Samandour Kingdom. Then Doganbo-san, please be careful on your way back. Ou, leave it to us! The Oceanus will be safe even if Sea Dragons pick a fight. Okay, well be on our way. Ou! Hurry up with making a base and establish a gate. Entrusting the Oceanus to Doganbo-san, I went in the Ouranos. Sitting in the cockpit, I pushed the lever and booted up the Levitator MD. The aircraft slowly ascended and I stowed thending gear. Once we rose close to 300m in altitude, I lowered the output of the Levitator MD,unched the jet engines, and the Airship Ouranos silently increased its speed as it flew towards the south. The Airship Ouranos was making its way to the Demon Continent at cruising speeds of approximately 700km/h. I imagine we would arrive at the continent before nightfall. Roger. While looking at the map we had asked Sylph to draw, Laeva calcted our arrival time. Although its called a map, its not like the urate maps in my old world, so it was simple estimations. The Ouranos, which departed from the Oceanus early in the morning, continued to fly in excellent condition. Partway through, we encountered bird monsters, but they couldnt catch up with Ouranos speed. I dropped the speed for a bit to do a weapon test and tried shooting the Mana Gatling Gun, but I discovered that it was really difficult to take aim. it appears it would hit the slow monsters. yeah, likerge dragons. I definitely regret not testing the weapons at Laevas consoling words. Ouranos form doesnt go over the speed of sound and the sound barrier, but none of the flying monsters of this world could catch up to Ouranos current cruising speed, so theres nothing to worry about. Worst case scenario, we escape and will be fine. yeah, lets think of it that way. As we continued to fly at cruising speeds of 700km/h for 10 hours, the silhouette of the continent came into view. Silhouette of the continent spotted ahead, lowering the altitude and moving to search the surrounding coast. On the north side of the southern continent known as the Demon Continent, there is a city that makes all sorts of trades with Samandour Kingdom. I tip my hat off to the merchants who cross the ocean filled with dangerous gigantic aquatic monsters for over 10 days to trade with the Demon Continent. That said, it also means the Demon Continent probably has interesting things to offer. Even if we make a base to search for Akira and the Evil Spirit, itd be best if we dont get too close to the other city-states. Even if we did go scouting to gather information, the Airship Ouranos solves the distance issues. The Demon Continent we saw from the sky was a truly strange sight. First off, its geography had no regrity. There was a jungle right beside a desert, and once you think Oh, is that how it is?, you realize wends spread out too. And the presence of monsters was terribly dense. We discovered a fortress city-state with a port overlooking the coast. The port took advantage of the natural terrain to lessen the damages from monsters, and cleverly piled on breakwaters. So thats the city-state that trades with Samandour Kingdom, huh That looks to be a nation of Mazoku[1]. Sophia informed me that that city-state was a country of Mazoku. Mazoku, a race that the Divine Empire Sydnia and Triaria Kingdom perceives as having monster ancestry. However, this is aplete misconception / mistake. They do not have monster blood running through their veins, nor do they have a magic stone in their body. The Oni tribe, Subus n, Giant tribe, Devil n and the like exist. The Oni Tribe and the Devil n were said have evolved from monsters because of their appearance, but that is the greatest insult to them, and as such, caution is necessary. About the Subus n, do they suck the vitality of the opposite sex? No, they are a tribe that births only females, but I hear they have a high aptitude for magic. I ended up imagining something a bit indecent when I heard Subus. However, I found out that the appearance of the Subi[2] were not much different from my imagination. Perhaps because the southern continent was warm, they wore extremely revealing clothing, had bat-like wings and two sheep-like horns, and a pointed tail just like what I had imagined. Yup, its exactly like the Subus I had in mind. In addition to this, the Demon Continent had Mazoku-governed city-states, multiracial city-states, Beastkin-governed city-states and more. Even so, given how extremely seldom interactions were between fellow countries, just how many countries there were couldnt urately be stated. We distanced ourselves from the port-owning city-state and searched for a ce suitable for a base. A ce within the quasi-monster nest which has either a river orke, or even groundwater. My wish was to build a base floating on an artificialke if there is an abundant underground water vein. That day, just before it got dark, at 15 minutes of the Airship Ouranos cruising ind, we discovered a ce that was suitable for a base. *** Footnotes: 1. Its now been confirmed theres a Devil race, so Ill stick to Mazoku as a collective term for the Magic / Demonic beings. And this also means that I will change Devil Continent to Demon Continent. 2. Subi is the plural form of Subus. Sometimes author writes subus women but since the entire race is female, it isnt necessary to write that. Chapter 240: Base Establishment Chapter 240: Base Establishment The Airship Ouranos deployed itsnding gear and slowly lowered in altitude. The Ouranos touched down gently on a small hill in a forest, and Kaede jumped out and was being vignt of our surroundings. Master! Ill go exterminate the monsters nearby, okay~! Sure, be careful. Kaaay! Once everyone alighted, I stored the Ouranos in the Item Box. Kaede jumped out at the get go, so she left to thin out the monsters in the surroundings. The presences of the surrounding monsters was diminishing and the sun was going down, so we set up barriers and made camp at that spot for the day. Hee~, mhmm, isnt this a good spot? Fumu, a thick Earth Vein runs along here as well. No issues here. The greenery is ever so slightly scarce. The next morning, just as we finished eating breakfast, Undine, Gnome, and Dryas showed up. How unexpected. It is us, the Great Spirits. Uwaa! Dont scare me like that. Selene talked from behind, startling me. Dont be frightened. Fufu, Spirits are mischievous beings, you know. Undine and the Great Spirits came here to help with the groundwork for making the base. Shall we begin with purifying thend? Gotcha. Akane, Laeva, and I invoked a wide area Light attribute spell at Selenes prompt. Holy Barrier Sanctuary Field!! Oh Great Light Spirit, cleanse all that turn wicked! Holy Light Purification! Additionally, Sophia who had synced her timing with ours had transferred magic power to Selene and activated Light attribute Spirit Magic. A 500m diameter area in thend of dense magic power encroached by miasma known as a quasi-monster nest was purified by our triple cast Sanctuary Field. Then when Sophia, who had borrowed Selenes power, activated her Spirit Magic, a purifying light spread to the surroundings. Eventually,nd spanning over 1km in diameter was purified beginning from our location. isnt this too big? As we had only used the purifying light in a not-so-wide area, we were dumbfounded. It is my turn next. When Dryas said so, the earth rumbled audibly, and the trees of the forest retreated. Eh?!! Before long, the visage of the forest that surrounded the purifiednd changed. Now it is my turn. The moment after Gnome said that, the surface opened up by the retreating forest of trees sunk loudly, leaving only 200m at the center where we stood. And finally, myself. When Undine stated so, the near 1km hole that Gnome had created was filled with clean water, turning into ake. Fuu, this will suffice. Plenty of water would evaporate because this area is hot. However, it would be regted with spring water so it will be fine. In the middle of theke spanning 1km diameter, a small ind sizing up to 200m in diameter remained. Its like Valkyra Kingdoms royal castle. Simply a coincidence. Though it is a small ind, with the amount of space it has, it would be enough to build a structure which would be our base. Then, we will be returning now. Thank you. After the Great Spirits disappeared, we discussed what we should be doing from here on. First off, Ill make the building of the base, and I want everyone to divide the work. Laeva will explore the forest. Then Kaede too! Sure. Thats enough for the exploration group, so I want Titan to chop down the trees around theke. ң ͣ. I asked Titan to widen the distance from thekefront to the forest. Marnie would prepare meals for everyone, while Akane and Lulu-chan assisted. And of course, Sophia was my escort like always. Okay, shall we form the base before the day is over? Yes! After teleporting Kaede, Titan, and Laeva, I went ahead with the construction of the base. I was thinking we should make the base a small fortress. Fuuh. Taking a deep breath, I concentrated, imagining a strong,plete picture. I ced my hands on the ground and poured well kneaded magic power into it, activating my original Earth attribute spell. Build Fortress! Using the soil from the raised hill and the underneath the ground, the earth tremored as an unrefined fortress enclosed by high ramparts waspleted. The walls and the fortress structure were altered to solid stones, and the rooms and stairways within it were also built. Creating a wall with Earth attribute magic was something many other Earth Mages do, but I cant imagine there being someone capable of constructing aplicated structure with magic in one go. For that reason, I am proud of my original magic. Since the building was done, were going to install the magic devices for lighting and kitchen use,y down furniture, as well as set up a Gate inside the fortress that connects to the Sanctuary. Okay, this is fine for now. Thank you for your hard work. After installing Purifier MDs on the toilets of each floor of the three-story building, I added magic devices to therge bath built on the first floor, and my work was done. Afterwards, I went to meet up with Kaede, Titan, and Laeva and our second night at the Demon Continent passed. *** Chapter 241: Exploring the Demon Continent Chapter 241: Exploring the Demon Continent The next morning, after having breakfast with everyone, Laeva and I went to the basement and started on the remaining work. We established a Gate in a small 16.5sqm-ish small room, then adjusted it so only we could use it. Also, adding a magic power authenticator to the door of the room with the Gate so no one but us could enter made our security wless. Akane entered the door that was left open. Done preparing? Yeah, please call everyone over. Id like to finish setting the door and the Gates personnel authenticators. Okay! I loaded therge magic crystal for the Gate with magic power as I asked Akane to call everyone over. With a magic device to replenish the magic crystal with mana from the atmosphere and the energy from the thick Earth Vein in thesends, the cost to manage the Gate wasnt a lot. Thats why it would be fine even if we made frequent visits to the Sanctuary. Akane and Lulu-chan, who promptly registered their magic power, used the Gate to go teleport to the Sanctuary. Apparently, they would doundry at the Sanctuary mansion. And now that I think about it, I never did make a magic device for that. It took 10 days toplete the reinforcement of the defenses of the fortress and finish setting up the magic devices and furniture for afortable stay while going back and forth between the Sanctuary and the Devil Continent. The reinforcements to the base alsoprised of stationing Security Golems. This fortress defense capabilities were high from the start. Because of theke, it would be difficult for anything but monsters specialized in flying or swimming to reach. In addition to this, the fortress surrounded by 20m tall and 5m wide walls would not yield even if attacked by monsters in great numbers. Furthermore, the sturdy stone walls were applied with strengthening enchantments, which included magic resistance, so its defenses were stronger than it looked. This strong base I could be proud of wasplete, but that didnt mean it had no issues. Takumi-sama, is there another way to leave this ce aside from flying or Kaede manipting her threads? Sophia, you can use Fly, right? no, sorry. Ill trying up with a magic device for short distance flight for everyone. There was a small gate in the walls, but no drawbridge to cross theke. The need for me to always send them off or pick them up with teleport was an oversight. So, back in the Sanctuary, Laeva and I secluded ourselves in the workshop to create the much needed Short Distance Flight MD. Elevation and distance dont need to be in the equation. Moreover, inventing a magic device that replicates an existing spell was something that wasnt too difficult for Laeva and I. Takumi-sama, what will we do about the form of the magic device? Hmm, I wonder. Should we fasten it to a belt? Or should we fashion a magic item with the boots Like I had said, magic boots were possible. Rather than Fly, lets add the function to dash through the sky by cing footholds midair with the Null attribute Shield spell which I asionally used. That could be. If it is our members, then they would be able to stream magic power underfoot instantaneously. Still, Laeva wishes for a magic device for flying in the sky. Laeva wants to fly in the sky. I see, thats right. Then Laeva, could you insert the magic barrier Shield to everyones boots? Ill make the Short Distance Flight MD. I understand! Entrusting Laeva with converting the boots into magic items, I made the Short Distance Flight MD. Since its limited to minimum functionality, I was able to put it all together in apact size. A square box 5cm wide and 3cm thick with arge button attached. Magic power flows into the button when pressed, then Fly activates at a weak output. If the button is pressed again, Fly is cancelled. Thats how its mechanism worked. After we distributed the boots and Short Flight MD to everyone at the base and taught them how to use it, they enjoyed flying inside the base and running in the sky. Preparations are done, so I think its time to go gather information. I wille with you. Without a moments dy, Sophia expressed her intent to apany me. Yup, the membersing will be Sophia and I, as well as Marnie. Marnie is a Beastkin and specializes in stealth, and as such, would not stand out in this continent, so she will join the party. In the meantime, what will we do? Akane asked as the representative of the other members. Maria looked like she wanted toe too, as she looked discontent. I guess everyone can go survey the monsters around the base and thin them out. Thin them out huh its fine even if its an extermination, right? Kaede will go hunting! there may be rare ingredients there. Laeva will also investigate if there are rare materials there. Lulu will help too nya. Akane and Kaede were raring to go, and Maria also assented in the end, so were leaving the base to them. Laeva and Lulu-chan would search for materials native to this continent, apparently. Then, please prioritize your safety. Well also try toe back by evening. Once we finished talking, we boarded the Airship Ouranos and flew off to one of the city-states of the Devil Continent. *** Sphys Note: And that is it. Were at the end of volume 5. As per usual, I will take a 2 update break. Thank you as always for your kind support. Ill see you in the next update! Chapter 242: Country of a Beast King Chapter 242: Country of a Beast King In a small mountain located south of the center of the Devil Continent, where monsters run rampant, stood a fortress city-state surrounded by tall walls. The mountain was steep and rocky, and the area where the cityy was a small teau. Its a city normal people wouldnt be able to reach, but that wasnt an issue for almost anyone inhabiting it. The citizens living in this city-state were all from races with high physical capabilities, Beastkins. The city-state Atropolis. A city-state governed by a Beast King with majority of the citizens being warriors is a country that possesses high battle potential characteristic to the harsh environments of the Devil Continent. Thanks to wearing the Overcoat of Existence Concealment[1] and our Stealth skills, we infiltrated the city without anyone realizing and promptly roamed around to gather information. My Human self and the Elf Sophia stand out among the Beastkin, so the hood of our coats were pulled low over our eyes. Marnie was a Rabbitkin so she hid her ears with her hood as well. Rabbitkin were a minority even in the Devil Continent, after all. As a race which was by all rights said to be unsuited to battle, they had no choice but to be harlots, dancers and the like, which meant they wouldnt be caught sight of during the day. Many of the Beastkins in this continent had strong external animal characteristics. There were races of Beastkin who possessed only ears and a tail simr to Laeva, Marnie, and Lulu-chan, but more than half of them were dressed and looked like bipedal animals. In the corner of a bar, I listened to the surrounding voices with an ale in hand. Compiling together what Ive overheard at the citys market and street stalls, the ruler was the 13th generation Beast King Ryvar. The battle prowess of the current Lionkin Beast King was apparently even more superior than the preceding generations of Beast Kings. Surprisingly though, the title is not decided by bloodline, but rather by strength. What a muscle-brained country. Still, its a country in an amazing ce. Yeah, it isnt a problem for us because were high leveled, but it would be tough to climb that rocky mountain. Master (Husband), not all Beastkin tribes have high physical prowess. I dare say that even though they are Beastkin, they dont go outside unless they are warriors. No one noticed that I was talking with Sophia and Marnie in hushed voices. Not being noticed by the Beastkin who have sensitive sense of smell and hearing was testament to thebined effect of our coats and skills. Still, its like therere more monsters recently. Monsters? Havent there been a lot since a while back? No, its different. When we went hunting just recently, we got three times the amount of prey. What is this, you boasting? That aint it. We were about to die, ya know? We listened carefully to the conversation between the male Dogkin and Catkin drinking alcohol at a nearby table. Could the increase in monsters be rted to the Evil Spirit? Who knows. It would be great if Selene and Sylph find the Evil Spirits location though. Even the Great Spirits Sylph and Selene were unable to figure out the exact location of the Evil Spirits. ording to Undine, it would seem the Evil Spirit specializes in such tricks. Because of that, we couldnt just look for them so straightforwardly. Well, setting aside the reason for why the monsters increased, we have to go to the other countries too. Indeed. There seems to be two other countries governed by Beastkin tribes. ording to the information obtained from Atropolis, this continent has three Beastkin countries. First, the Lionkin Beast King governed Atropolis. Second, the Bearkin Beast King governed Varguard. Third, the Tigerkin Beast King governed Rebinstan. Three Beastkin-governed countries and three Mazoku-governed countries. Since there were only these six fortress city-states, the continents poption isnt that many. Theres no Adventurer Guild in this continent either, so it has been hard gathering information on these countries. Indeed it has. Even so, there are ves even in this continent. Criminal ves and debt ves are the same in any country, arent they? It is na?ve thinking that there wouldnt be ves because a country is a single-raced nation. Criminals exist everywhere, and if taxes exist in a country, then it wouldnt be strange for there to be debt ves either. That said, it doesnt mean Ive gotten used to it though. The impression I got from browsing the citys market and weapons shop was that the level of the cksmiths in this country werent that high. Sword, axes, spears, clubs, and any other weapons were made roughly. High quality goods, and even armor, were all imported from Samandour Kingdom. Yes. Though it is quite expensive because of the Mazoku country that had a port in the north, uros, standing in between. uros, the only nation with a port in the Devil Continent, is visited by the others in the continent to trade. We learned that the main products traded were arms and grains. On the other hand, the Devil Continent exports seasonings to Samandour Kingdom. Rare merchandise from the Devil Continent such as pepper, spices, and coffee beans were popr. Id like to buy a lot of spices to bring home. Yes, though there is a need to exchange money in uros beforehand. Oh right, theres that. As the entrance of the Devil Continent, uros makes it possible for us to exchange the currency of our continent with the currency circted in the Devil Continent. I regret it a little not going to uros first. *** Footnotes: 1. Typo: Overcoat of Inhibiting Perception in raw. Sphys Note: Hello~ I see youve made it this far. Thank you for your patience during my short break. Ive got something extra, even though its not actually about GA. If youre still interested, its over here. Chapter 243: Country of the Mazoku Chapter 243: Country of the Mazoku The day after gathering information in the Beastkin country Atropolis governed by Beast King Ryvar, we snuck into the only nation with a port, uros, at the north of the Devil Continent. The ruler of the Mazoku-governed uros is Queen Fraal of the Subus n. A queen proficient in both magic and internal administration. Unlike in the Beastkin countries, the sovereignty here is hereditary. Queen Fraal is the 8th generation queen, but the lifespan of the Mazoku is long, so the foundation of uros is far earlier than Atropolis. Takumi-sama, youre looking too much. Shes right, Master (Husband). Your face is cking[1]. Umm, uhh, Im sorry. The Devil Continent located south of the continent we live in was much warmer. Perhaps a racial thing? Thats how it was for the Beastkin, but it seems many prefer to wear revealing clothes regardless of their gender. On top of which, the Mazoku are even morescivious, and most of the women were wearing swimsuit-like clothing that covered an extremely small surface area. Beastkin women in miniskirts and tube tops was the default, but it was like the Mazoku womens clothing jumped out of a manga or anime. Beastkin prefer clothing that are easy to move in, so it is suitable for this hot region, but seeing the Mazoku for the first time Im afraid this is a difference in values. ha, ha, youre right. While throwing in the appropriate response to Marnie, my gaze wandered. (Its impossible, my eyes follow no matter what I do.) I tried to not let Sophia and Marnie notice, but I knew they found out I was pretending to be calm. Even so, its the same for the Beastkin of Atropolis, but the people of the Devil Continent are strong. They are not inferior to the knights and soldiers of Valkyra Kingdom. Average people walking in town are like this, which means the soldiers and knights of this country are likely much stronger. This harsh continent was probably the reason. The general publics fighting strength was remarkably high. Even so, the area they live in doesnt just expand. A Subus passed right in front of me. Her strength was clear even without the need to use Appraisal. Had I used Appraisal, someone that excels in magic perception mightve suspected us. (The Devil Continent is the real deal. That very sexy faced Onee-san seems absurdly strong) Takumi-sama, lets move. Y, yeah. Urged by Sophia to continue gathering information, we mixed in with the busy city. Fraal-sama, is something the matter? A woman with two horns on her forehead and a muscr red body, which was characteristic to the Oni tribe, began talking to the Subus walking ahead of her. hmm, no, its nothing. The Subi were a long-living race, so not knowing her actual age, she gave off the impression of a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties in human years. The woman who had a petite bombshell figure with sharp contours and porcin-like white skin was wearing clothing with very little surface area. The Oni woman was likely herdy attendant or escort. She always walked diagonally behind the Subus, guarding her. The Subus is called Fraal. She is the 8th ruler of uros, Queen Fraal. Today, she came to inspect the city incognito. d in an illusory spell, she walked around looking like a normal subus. (If they mean harm to our country, I must stop them even if it means risking my life) It was during one of Fraals irregr trips to the city. She happened to notice a weak presence. Truly, it was a coincidence that she noticed. And when she did, her back grew cold from the bizarreness of that existence. (Was there such a strong individual in this continent?) The Magic Eyes that Fraal possesses was repelled. That meant that the target was clearly a higher being than herself. The citizens of uros, who reside in a region which had almost transformed into a monster nest, are capable of fighting against monsters despite being ordinary people. The knights and soldiers are proud that they are far stronger than the continent of the humans. Queen Fraal reigned at the top of these strong individuals. Unlike Beastkin countries, the Mazoku countries have royalty and nobility simr to the Human countries. Even so, the royalty of this country continue to be the absolute strongest themselves. In this continent, high levels of fighting strength is desired by those in power, after all. This tendency to revere pure strength is deeply rooted in the Mazoku. A being made that Fraal have cold sweats. She tried to check again, but it disappeared like a mist. Fraal, who wouldnt even hesitate to stand up and subjugate a gigantic monster, was terrified by that being. Fraal-sama? Ah, yes, sorry. I was lost in thought. Pardon me, Ryuka. Not at all, let us inspect the next district. Urged by the Oni woman called Ryuka, Fraal looked around for that presence once more. She then shook her head and began walking as if she had given up. *** Footnotes: 1. The expression is actually Ǥ¤Ӥ which, when tranted literally, means that the upper lip is stretching. It is said to a man who is allured by a woman. Chapter 244: State of the Devil Continent Chapter 244: State of the Devil Continent Wee home. Were back. After investigating the two countries, uros and Atropolis, Maria met us back at the base. Is everyone else back at the Sanctuary? Yes, it looks like they were bored at the base. The base built in the Devil Continent was secure, but boring to Akane. If Im not mistaken, Mimir-sama said she would lend books today. Something to kill time might be necessary in the base. Kaede hunts monsters in the surrounds if she has time, so she doesnt need a time killer, but Akane and Lulu-chan were bored in the bare base. Once everyone was back at the base, we gathered at the table. Atropolis is like what you would imagine of a Beastkin country. A country of muscle-brains, huh. yeah, well, that is how it is if put briefly. I could not deny the few words Akane used to cut my impression of the Beastkin country short. For the king to be strongest, just how much of a battle oriented ce is that? Nah, its not just Atropolis, you know? I informed Akane that the Mazoku, or more specifically the countries of Mazoku, were not much different. When we were walking in uros, we passed an incredibly strong Subus. When people of that level are considered normal, I dont think there is much difference between Beastkin countries and Mazoku countries. Well, I suppose. Anyone living innds that are basically monster nests would be battle oriented, wouldnt they? Correct, when we were walking in the city of uros, there was the pretty Subus Oneechan and the Oni-like woman we passed by. I thought it would be rude to the person, so I basically dont use Appraisal, but Ive reached the point where I have a grasp of their approximate strength. The Oni woman was probably as strong as Lulu-chan who was over Lv60. And that Subusdy was probably using an Illusion spell and a perception inhibitor magic device. It felt like she was the strongest among everyone I encountered at the cities within the Devil Continent. Thedy attendant walking in town normally being the same level as Lulu-chan, who has the strength to power level by exterminating monsters in monster nests using a search and destroy tactic, meant that her level was higher than even the Knight Order of Valkyra Kingdom. Im aware that levels arent everything though Indeed. It wasnt just the soldiers and knights we encountered in the Beastkin city, all of the ordinary citizens were unmistakably high leveled. Atropolis and uros have a smaller popce, but they are countries that have the strength to fight against monsters. Both Sophia and Marnie seem to have sensed this as well. So, was there any information connected to the Evil Spirit? Hmm, in taverns in Atropolis, as well as in uros, we heard that the number of monsters were increasing, but the entire continent has been like a monster nest from the start, so the citizens were aware of this matter as well. Many of the monsters in this continent are stronger than those that reside in the continent we live in. This also holds true for the monsters around the base. For example,paring the goblins in this continent to the one we live in, the ones here were higher leveled and the percentage of superior species were also higher. Even newbie adventurers could defeat the goblins on our continent, but the ones here might be impossible for them. Investigating the state of the habitats of monsters in the entire continent would be too difficult, as such, we have no choice but to gather information at the city-states. Its just as Sophia says. Is the increase of monsters true? We dont know if that was the influence of the Evil Spirit. we have to try searching for a way to return Akira to normal. The young boy from her home country who disappeared with Pope Warvaal and the Imperial Princess. Akane wants to do something for that ssmate. Coming to this country, seeing the Subus n, Devil n, and Oni tribe, I vaguely understood what the Divine Empire Sydnia did to Yamato. They were probably trying to make Mazoku, which possessed high physical and magic power. Yamato had fallen victim to Divine Empire Sydnias mad experiments to make an artificial Majin[1]. However, rather than a Majin, he was a Chimera monster. This was likely the effect of the mistaken perceptions of the people in our continent who do not know the Demon Continent andck of understanding of the Mazoku. Sydnias mad researchers must have had the perception of the Mazoku being people descended from monsters. That was a big mistake. The Devil n and Lesser Demons have absolutely no connection. The Oni Tribe and Ogres naturally have absolutely no blood rtions. The misguided perception that the Mazoku are a race descended from monsters had given birth to that chimera. Takumi-sama, our data is toocking either way. Wouldnt it be best to gather information in the remaining countries? right? Understanding the others situation would be better, so lets do that. We decided to continue investigating the countries in the continent. The members would be the same. As for Laeva and the others, I asked them to hunt down monsters in the name of investigating those we dont know. *** Footnotes: 1. A Majin is someone from the Mazoku. Chapter 245: Touring Countries Chapter 245: Touring CountriesAfter visiting Atropolis, governed by the Lionkin Beast King Ryvar, and uros, governed by the Subus Queen Fraal, Sophia, Marnie, and I were going to head to the remaining four city-states in the Demon Continent. The remaining four city states are: Varguard, governed by the Bearkin Beast King Guzhr. Rebinstan, governed by the Tigerkin Beast King Deega. Rhodes, governed by the Devil ns King Gandalf. Schmihazaar, governed by the Oni Tribes King Jairu. I heard from a tavern in Atropolis that King Guzhr of Varguard was argely built 3 meter tall Beastkin warrior, but his disposition was that of a gentle, wise king. Perhaps because of that gentle disposition, the rare Humans and Dwarves in the Demon Continent reside there as a minority group. The only ces in the Demon Continent where those besides Beastkin and Mazoku live in are Varguard and uros which possessed a port that trades with Samandour Kingdom. On the other hand, the Tigerkin Beast King Deega who governs Rebinstan has a violent and hostile personality, and they apparently do not have a very good rtionship with other countries. Majority of their citizens were Tigerkin and Wolfkin, and 100% of their warriors were Beastkin. Rhodes ruled by the Devil ns King Gandalf and Schmihazaar ruled by the Oni Tribes King Jairu were fundamentally monoethnic countries, but given how the six countries of the Demon Continent are minutely connected by trade, merchants, soldiers, and guards of other races regrly stay for a number of days. The so-called Mazoku is simply a term consolidating a group of people which consisted of the Subus n, Devil n, and Oni Tribe, so this must never, ever be spoken of, yes? Looks like it. Having infiltrated Varguard, where the racial minority` which included Humans` resided, we listened carefully to the conversations of all sorts of people in the tavern. We called them Majin or Mazoku, but these were apparently discriminatory terms in this continent. The Beastkin have many tribes, so generalizing their race and calling them Beastkins isnt considered derogatory. Incidentally, the taverns of uros import alcohol such as wine and ale from Samandour Kingdom. It bes more expensive, but Atropolis and Varguard procure alcohol from uros by trade. What was off putting to us was Rebinstans taverns. Kuchikamizake[1] was too high of a hurdle. Im so d for Varguard. Kuchikamizake is just impossible. indeed. Its practically the womens job, but while that may be true, what is impossible is impossible. Even in the vige I was born in, the alcohol we spoke of was kuchikamizake. However the women in our vige could not drink it. Who would have thought, the vige Marnie was born in had kuchikamizake. Simr to the life of the people indigenous to the Amazon and the wilderness as shown on TV in my old life, there were many small viges rarely visited by merchants that craved primitive kuchikamizake. Of course, there were also races that possessed the technology for simple alcohol brewing, so it couldnt be dered absolute. Considering this, thats two reasons not to go to Rhodes too. Indeed. Those two countries are practically monoethnic nations, so it would be difficult for us who are not even merchants to blend in. Nor would I like to drink kuchikamizake at their taverns. The blue-skinned Devil n which possesses two screw horns, high groundings in magic as well as physical prowess. A trait shared by the the long-living races, they have weak desire and faculty to leave behind offspring. As such, the city-state with the least poption was Rhodes. We, who were of different races, gave up infiltrating that ce this time. Even with our presence inhibiting coats and Stealth skills, the risk of being detected was higher inparison to the other city-states. Meanwhile, the Oni Tribe had few attainments with regards to magic. However, they were a race specialized in physical prowess which, if pushed to say, was close to the Beastkins, but they had red skin, have 2m-3m tallrge builds, and two horns protruding from their forehead. We abandoned the infiltration there because there was too much of a difference in size. Though, perhaps the Oni Tribe would not detect us with our coats and skills. Ou, did you hear? Hm? What about? Its looking like more monsters are streaming in from the southwest of the continent. Hmm, but monsters increasing a bit aint rare though? Well, thats what theyve been sayin though. We stealthily eavesdropped on a conversation between a Bearkin man and Wolfkin man drinking alcohol at slightly distanced table. Takumi-sama, the increase in monsters is now unmistakable, is it not? Yeah, timing-wise, the probability of it being influenced by Sydnias Pope and the Evil Spirit is very high. Master (Husband), will we be searching in the southwestern direction? Hmm, hold on. Lets examine all the city-states first. After that, lets search from the sky using Ouranos. We will check the situation of the city-states and the impact of the increase in monsters. *** Footnotes: 1. Kuchikamizake- a rice-based alcohol chewed before fermentation. Chapter 246: Territory Chapter 246: Territory A white-bodied ck-striped Tigerkin man brandished his gigantic sword, sending monsters to their deaths. Ora! Dont fall behind! Ou!! Rebinstans Beast King Deega hade to personallymand his subordinate warriors in the subjugation of monsters. This operation was not only for securing monster meat, but also to forage for spices that grew in the monster nest. Bam!! With a single sh of his heavy magic steel longsword on the gigantic boar monster, its head fell off. The subordinate warriors beat down monsters in teams of three. These truck-sized monsters which were proud of their size were Mottled Giant Boars. A Mottled Giant Boar was a huge boar monster characterized by having a camouge-like pattern. Normally, a drift would beposed of 4-6 boars, but this drift had more than 10 in it. Beast King Deega took the lead routing the drift of Mottled Giant Boars. It didnt take long for the giant boar monsters to be wiped out. Is the foraging done!? Deega-sama, the expected amounts of pepper, sansho, ginger were secured. Your Majesty! The Devil n! A patrolling soldier discovered a group of soldiers from the Devil n. Tsk! This is the territory of the Rebistan! Its a problem if you enter as you please! Deega yelled at one man that stood out noticeably among the Devil ns group. This is no mansnd! Who enjoys getting near you stinking beasts!? You bastard! The Devil n that nearly missed Deegas group was led by the sovereign of the city-state Rhodes, King Gandalf. He was muscr, blue-skinned, had sharp red eyes, and carried a huge halberd on his shoulders. The tworgely built 2m tall men red at each other. Deega was a White Tigerkin who possessed a sturdy body which shows stronger beast features than human. Gandalf of the Devil n was a power fighter with high physical prowess and abundant magic power. Just when the subordinates thought that the situation had turned vtile, Gandalf scoffed and turned back. The distance between Deegas and Gandalfs nations was 5 days worth of walking. The reason the two, who were simr types, were opposed to facing each other was solely because of this monster nest. This monster nest was abundant in rare medicinal herbs, spices, and fruits that could be foraged. Even if all of it was foraged, the dense mana of the monster nest would restore everything to how it was before. Be it in Rebinstan or Rhodes, the size of the fields within the city-state were limited, so there was a need to go to monster nests to procure medicinal herbs, spices, fruits, and the like. The two nations that had beenpeting for the graces of this precious monster nest are bound by a pact to not fight close to this monster nest. Which was why, Gandalf who camete had left to lead his soldiers to a different area of the so called Monster Nest of Graces. Devil King Gandalf that King still has a dreadfully intimidating aura. yeah, as despicable as it is, hes equally as strong as my great self. Is that so? If the time the strength of the six kings are not on par arrives The Lionkin Beast King Ryvar, Tigerkin Beast King Deega, Oni King Jairu were specialized in close quarterbat. The Bearkin Beast King Guzhr was simrly good at melee, but was excellent at defense. The Devil King Gandalf of the Devil n was highly skilled at both magic and close quarterbat. Queen Fraal of the Subus n waspletely a magic specialist. The abilities of the six rulers, even with the variations, were somewhat equal. For that reason, even after all these years, a war between countries had not urred. The six nations in the Demon Continent have, for the most part, not had that many disputes that would develop into a war. There had been disputes to the degree of skirmishes, but under normal circumstances, there is an unspoken agreement to avoid fighting with fellow beings that subsist in a continent with limited living areas. Bam!! Gon!! Gya! With every swing of the heavy all-metal halberd, the Crazy Apes attacking from the gaps between all kinds of trees were bisected. In the interval between the halberds swings, the heads of apes that attacked from the opposite side are crushed by his free hand. Tsk, what a pain. Crazy Apes are able to coordinate attacks, after all. Because of that tiger bastard, we have to forage in the the ape territory today. Even if the likes of these Crazy Apes were killed, they make for stinky meat. Deega and Gandalf butting heads was one reason, but its also rted to the types of monsters that inhabit that area. Unlike the Mottled Giant Boar which was liked for its meat, the meat of the Crazy Ape was unfit for consumption. Its fur and tendons could be used effectively, but they make areas where gathering spices and fruit while also securing meat possible a struggle. Hurry up gathering the pepper and fruits! Lets finish this quickly and go hunting! Ha! Gandalf loudly issued instructions to the soldiers. Normally, it would be risky to shout in a monster-dominated monster nest as it results in calling monsters. However, Gandalfs voice contained such powerful coercion that the surrounding monsters likely wouldnt approach for some time. Arent there a lot more monsters? At the end of the forage, Gandalf, who was following the apanying soldiers, muttered quietly. Gandalf decided to convene with the wise queen and the clever king regarding the change that hadnt been seen in several decades here. *** Footnotes: 1. A drift is what a group of boars is called. 2. A type of pepper in Japan. Chapter 247: Wisdom ? Intelligence ? Courage Chapter 247: Wisdom ? Intelligence ? Courage How rare this is. For the Devil King and the Intelligent Beast King to visit so expressly. Quit the teasing, Fraal. The fact that I hade has that much meaning. lets hear it, Gandalf. In a low voice, the 3 meter tall, bulky Bearkin Beast King Guzhr asked Gandalf for the reason why they were called here today. This ce is the city-state that possess the sole port located at the north of the Demon Continent, uros. This nations ruler, Subus Queen Fraal, the King Gandalf of the Devil n, and the Bearkin Beast King Guzhr. These three rulers surrounded a table. In the Devil Continent where monsters run rampant, there wasnt much traveling between countries. Simply to the degree of conducting trade. Among such travels, the rulers of those countries visiting personally was even rarer. Behind each of the three rulers sitting regally in a round table stood one of their respective knight escorts. If it is Fraal the Wise and Guzhr the Astute, you must already understand, the number of monsters has been increasing recently. It may still be within the margins of errors, but the types of Goblins, Kobolds, Ogres, and Orcs have been increasing in particr. Orcs aside, its been nothing but inedible monsters. Hold on, Guzhr. That is what you care about? Well, even my side had grasped such information. Nevertheless, whether that is the influence of the miasma or if the reason is entirely different is unknown. By nature, the entire continent was of a monster nest-like environment, so the increase of monsters would not carry a sense of impending danger. But Gandalf, who felt an air of mise within it, had proposed a conference with the rulers of other nation. And it was likely the same for Fraal and Guzhr who had epted the proposition. I do not believe any of the ruling species have emerged. Even if they are ruling species, those at the level of Goblin Kings and Orc Kings are no issue. Goblins stink and are inedible. I am of the same opinion, but drop the eating part, Guzhr. Humanoid monsters were monsters that the people living in this continent werent all too happy about. Goblins were things that were inedible and stank, Ogres had hard muscles that take a long time to be edible. Kobolds also had a strong stench, and it would need herbs and precious spices so it could be eaten. The Orcs were the only ones that were delicious no matter the type. Especially since the taste improves the higher the species is, just by hearing Orc King, those like Guzhr would spontaneously salivate enough to fill their mouths. were Ryvar and the other rulers called? Do you think those guys would cooperate with us? my bad. The Oni Tribe, Lionkin tribe, Tigerkin Tribe are the purely muscles for brains trio, arent they? It would be impossible to do anything together with them. Yeah, I cant say much about other countries, but those guys `subordinates soldiers and citizens included` think only of fighting. Gandalf sighed, remembering the rulers and vassals of the three nations absent here. Just in case, Gandalf had approached them about todays gathering, but as if a matter of course, no good responses came. The king of Schmihazaar, the Oni Tribes Jairu may be a meathead but he is person of Compassion , so he was more open to talkingpared to Ryvar and Deega. However, he had given notice that he would be out on an expedition to suppress the monsters in the vicinity of his country. Nheless, it is not ideal that monsters unfit for consumption are increasing, now is it? Yes, it is for that reason that it is difficult for us to speak of investigating the cause. were short of hands. Indeed. Countries aside from uros require personnel allocated for hunting. Then could we not entrust the investigation of the cause to uros? Stop it. uros is at the northern edge of the continent. To investigate the entire continent from here such a thing is impossible even for our elite soldiers. It would be fine if its around uros, but I must decline if its the entire continent. reasonable. The meeting could be called a sess despite the three rulers having no more than a shared awareness of the strange phenomenon regarding the monsters inhabiting the Demon Continent. And so the conference concluded with the promise of sharing any information that is discovered. Let us conduct investigations while subjugating the monsters surrounding our respective countries. very well. I am fine with that as well. uros has merchants from the Northern Continent thate to trade, so it would not do well for the surroundings of our nation to have a chaotic image. The three rulers decided to hold another conference and returned to their respective countries. Ryuka. Are you there, Ryuka? You called, Your Majesty? When Fraal, who was in her own room after the conference, called out, the Oni woman waiting in the adjoining room came in. Ryuka was a woman brimming with intelligence that was rare for the Oni Tribe, and she was Queen Fraals trusted right hand person. Do you remember the three people wearing cloaks the other day? Yes. Though I could not perceive them myself, I presume the three were using advanced perception inhibiting magic and high level stealth-type skills. As she said so, Ryukas usual cool expression crumbled, showing her frustration. Its inevitable, Ryuka. I am from the Subus n, so I perceived them because of a slight feeling of mise. However, it was still a coincidence that I did. However, if I had realized, I could have detained them immediately Ah, no way, thats impossible. Two of those three were definitely stronger than myself. I believe I can match one of them equally, but the remaining two must not bepeted with. Wha!? Ryukas shock was justified. Fraal was this queen of this nation, as well as its greatest power. Ryuka,pose yourself. I did not feel any danger, so perhaps all will be well. is that so? Fraal, the Queen of the Subus n, has the ability to see through the true nature of a person. Since Ryuka had settled down, Fraal continued to speak. I want it arranged so that I would be informed if the pce guards or the soldiers in thend near the castlee across those three. I sincerely ask that they not beid a hand on. very well. Ryuka wanted to say something but she held back, bowed her head, and left the room. *** Chapter 248: Contact Chapter 248: Contact After going around infiltrating the countries we could in order to gather information, we came back to the northernmost area of the continent where uros was located. The reason were back at uros was because it was the best ce to get information at. When we were out doing so, we realized that out of the six nations, only uros had connections to all of them by way of trade. Unlike the five city-states, uros which trades with Samandour Kingdom has several taverns. This country also produced a bit of alcohol, but most of it was imported. Takumi-sama, it would seem that the just other day, three countries held a conference here in uros. Sophia reported the information she heard in the city. Good job finding that out. The Devil King Gandalf has a 2m tall blue-skinned body covered in armor-like muscles and two twisted horns which the Devil n possesses. So, while it isnt that uros does not have any Devils, the position of the King couldnt be hoodwinked. well, he stands out. The Beast King Guzhr who is called the Clever King is a 3m tall Bear Kin. so, he couldnt be mistaken for. ording to Sophia, just the other day, the Devil King Gandalf and the Beast King Guzhr hade with escort soldiers and held a conference with Queen Fraal. They came with a lot of escort soldiers, so of course people would know. No Master (Husband), they seem to have had few. the rulers themselves are their greatest power, was it? We, whocked self-awareness, were amazed that is possible to traverse the monster nest-like Demon Continent with a small number of people. Although uros is an entrep?t[1], is it normal for the three rulers to hold a conference? ording to the citizens, visitors from other countries isnt that rare. However, it is unusual for the rulers themselves toe. The details of the conference werent circted, were they? As you may have expected, they did not go as far as to Ah, of course they wouldnt, huh. The rulers held an unofficial conference, so there was no way it would be announced to the public. I chilled the ale in my hand using magic and appeased my thirst. Alcohol was expensive in the Demon Continent, but this was uros, so it was still better. uros, the city-state with the only port in the Demon Continent. This is the ce that our continent called the country of demons. However, calling the people of this country and the other countries in the Demon Continent mazoku was taboo. It was a discriminatory term. Subi, Onis, and Devils ount for majority of the citizens of this country, and there were a few Beastkin and even fewer Humans living there as well. Now then, how about we go around the weapons shop and tool shop? Thats a good idea. This city is the only one in the Demon Continent that trades armaments with the Northern Continent, so lets do some market research. Thats right. Master (Husband), I am curious about the ingredients unique to Demon Continent too. Then lets go. After leaving the tavern and looking at the arms shop, tool shops, and clothing shop, we went around looking at stalls selling food. Are magic steel type armaments the best they can do? Indeed. Mithril and adamantite armaments are likely banned exports as we had expected. The armaments imported to uros were mostly durable items that would be fine even with rough usage. The clothing stores of this city are excessive, arent they? Quite so. Even I, a Beastkin, am reluctant to it. Really? I thought it was nice and sexy. Was it because this city was governed by a Subus Queen? Still, it was the same with the other countries in the Demon Continent, and their clothing stores were lined with products simr to those at the adult shops in my old world. Err, not that I have been to one. While walking around wondrous streets mixed with various cultures, I had realized something. Aside from the Subi, theres a lot of men here, huh? Master (Husband), the Subi are an all women race. It is for that reason that uros wants males of other races. When I looked around after Marnie had said that, I realized that the city was 80% men once the Subi were excluded. Takumi-sama, I heard that a long time ago, the Subi abducted men from other races to preserve their race. Apparently, when a Subus and a male from another race unite, it would be a subus if a girl is born and it would be the race of the father if its a boy. I wont say that it was enviable in front of the girls no matter what, but its The Harem. As I was thinking of such stupid things, I noticed presences surrounding us. We fell into a bad situation at my slightpse of concentration. Just when I started to think of what we should do now, a voice called out from their side. Please wait. We have no intention of being hostile with you. The person who called out was an Oni woman. Those that encircled us were a mix of Subi, Devils, Onis, and a variety of Beastkin. Though, excluding the Subi and the Oni woman who talked to us, it looked like they were all male soldiers. I apologize for calling out to you so suddenly. I am the servant of a certain individual, and my master has a matter that they would like to request of you. there are all sorts of things that dont make sense, but why us? She suddenly talked to us and even said that there is something they want to ask of us. The people deployed to surround us, including the woman who talked to us, were all officials of this country. Actually, we had passed by you a few days prior. My master had perceived that you were neither merchants nor people from another country on this continent, and they have stated that they wished to meet with you once more if it were possible. I see. Come to think of it, I recognize this woman. A while back, she was walking behind a Subus that looked quite powerful. I understand. Could you show us the way? Thank you very much for listening to our ill-mannered request. Then I shall guide you. Takumi-sama. Its fine, Sophia. Marnie too. It doesnt look like theyre hostile or malicious. After saying that to Sophia and Marnie who looked worried, we followed the Oni woman. Worst case, well run away with Teleport. *** Footnotes: 1. Entrep?t C tradingcentre or port at a geographicallyconvenientlocation, at which goods areimportedandre-exportedwithoutincurringliabilityforduty Chapter 249: Request Chapter 249: Request We walked after the Oni woman. Leaving the streets lined with stalls near the castle wall, we headed towards the center of the city. Hey Sophia, were heading to the center of the city, arent we? Indeed. By some chance, are we going to that castle? I am certain we are. Ahh, thought so. I dont know if theres aw about it, but we were intruders who entered this country illegally. The fact that were heading to the castle meant that the master of the Oni woman guiding us was definitely a higher-up. As people who snuck in, this was awkward. Sure enough, after following the Oni woman who called herself Ryuka, we saw the royal castle right in front of us. Haa~ As expected~ yes. Ryuka-san freely passed through the castle gate and we continued along as well without being inspected and headed into the castle. Please wait here. yes. Subi and Devil maids made tea for us at the extravagant lounge suite we were left at. those maid uniforms are quite indecent Takumi-sama, if you want it then Me too, I have noints if Master (Husband) wants me to wear clothing he likes. Arent the maid outfits used by these Subus and Devil maids simr to the ones worn in maid cafes? While I drank tea and tried to suppress my excitement, I felt a presence approaching from the other side of the door. click Those that came into the room were Ryuka-san, the Oni woman who guided us here, and a Subus. We passed each other a few days ago, though her face was different. She probably used an illusory spell. However, I couldnt forget her presence, so I was certain that she was the Subus from the other day. Please take a seat. Excuse us. The Subus frankly told us to take our seats after we stood up to greet them when they came in. Was she in her mid-twenties? I couldnt tell her age so I cant be certain. But she was most certainly a beauty. The suddenness must have been surprising. I am the Queen of uros, Fraal. My name is Takumi Iruma. She is Sophia and she is Marnie. Iruma-dono, your group is from the Northern Continent, is it not? After introducing ourselves, Queen Fraal asked us a question directly. yes, we have our reasons foring from the north to investigate this continent. it doesnt appear that you came by way of Samandours ships. Well, that is fine. Iruma-dono, you do not seem to have any prejudice towards us. Therefore, I have a request I wish to ask of you. A request? I desperately averted my eyes from Queen Fraals lethal outfit and body as I listened to her talk. Surprisingly, Queen Fraals concern was not unrted to ours. ording to her, several rulers had acknowledged the increase in monsters recently. And so, Devil King Gandalf, Beast King Guzhr, and Queen Fraal held a conference to share information. Despite the entire continent being close to a monster nest, the recent increase of monsters felt unnatural. However, we do not have the personnel to spare to investigate the cause. As such, each country is limited to investigating within the surroundings of our respective countries. So thats where Ie in? Yes, if in case its an outbreak of new dungeons, there is a danger that the monsters would overflow if left neglected. She exined that the entire terrain was either monster nests or simrnds, and there were a certain number of dungeons on the continent, but the six countries manage those near their respective territories. The dungeons with useful monster materials were managed by thinning out the monsters, while the dungeons that didnt had their cores destroyed and were killed. (Takumi-sama, is that because of the Evil Spirit and the Pope?) (There might be a connection.) I informed Queen Fraal about the sinsmitted by the Divine Empire of Sydnia and their god making dungeons, and their subsequent escape to the Demon Continent. oh my, I cant imagine a Majin going crazy. Did they believe that we are races whose ancestors are monsters? That was no longer a person, but a monster. I failed and wasnt able to catch them. Considering how Akira and the Imperial Princess werent in that ce, it wouldnt have made that much of a difference even if we defeated the Pope. Then Iruma-dono, this request is a windfall for you as well, isnt it? Furthermore, your groups strength is astonishingly higher than ours. It could be said that you are the most suitable for investigating the unusual phenomenon of this continent. in the first ce, we came to this continent in order to investigate, so it is the request of Your Majesty, in one form or another. Iruma-dono, you need not speak to me in such a formal tone. Please think of me as the person in charge of a city that could not even be called a country. No, that would still be too Please consider this as the style of this continent. I seeee. Queel Fraal promised to cooperate with us as much as possible. Thanks to that, we no longer have to trespass in the city. We gave our word to report periodically to Queen Fraal, then returned to the base. *** Chapter 250: Monster Country Chapter 250: Monster Country A newly formed dungeon in a forest inside one of the monster nests of the Demon Continent. This was the reborn Divine Empire Sydnia. However, there were human citizens there. The priests who were once Sydnias citizens were already beings that passed over the category of people. The cathedral that appeared in the forest, however, was no more than the entrance of a dungeon. Its a relief the Queen understood. Akane-sama, here is your tea. Oh my, thank you Lulu. We returned to the base, and I talked to Akane and the girls about the request from Queen Fraal. What have you guys been doing? Laeva was making potions in Volton. Laeva also finished delivering the goods to the Papeck Company. Thank you, Laeva. I have been exterminating monsters around the base with Kaede-chan. Right, Kaede-chan? Yup, Master, I beat lots of monsters! Ah, Lulu and Ie once in a while too. Yes, we leveled up too nya. You worked hard huh, Lulu-chan. Hold up, I said I also went, you know. Ah, you also did your best, Akane. Umm, good job. Akane puffed her cheeks and pouted when I only praised Lulu-chan, and I hurriedly pacified her. Seeing this, Kaede charged her body and clung onto me, telling me to praise her, praise her. Kruu Uon Gaa Then the Thunder Eagle Gloam, Luna Wolf Ferryl, and therge wild-cat type monster Serval Seru were brought along from the Sanctuary. Gloam flew to Sophias side, then Sophia held an arm out and started spoiling it. Have you been good, Gloam? Kruu Its fine, it did its best subjugating monsters together with my Ferryl. Akane proudly stated so as she cuddled Ferryl. Laevas Seru-chan also did its best. Gnyaaa When Laeva said so, Seru-chan also raised its head as if to say Thats right. Akane and Laeva had apparently trained their respective tamed familiars. These days, the area close to the Sanctuary have fewer monsters, so this was the perfect time to raise the level of these kids. Akane, Ferryl is the boss of the Shadow Wolves, so wont there be a problem if its here all the time? Its fine. A sub boss was appointed. Is that so? Well, its good if thats the case. Then I may as well borrow Ferryls wide area searching capabilities. Well find the Evil Spirits whereabouts before long if we leave it to Ferryl. Takumi-sama, Gloams searching range from the sky is wider. Thats not the case. For some reason, Sophia was burning with desire to oppose Akanes Ferryl. The two started a boasting battle between their familiars, and even Laeva participated, so the gathering went to nothing. Tired of it, Maria rmended a bath. Takumi-sama, will you have a bath? Yup, Ill do that. Master, Kaede too, Kaede too! Okay, lets go. Then Ill go too. Lulu will join nya. There was arge bath made in the base that wouldnt lose even to the ones in the Sanctuary and Volton mansions. Since theres more than enough space even if everyone went in, there had been times that Ive gone in with Sophia, Maria, and Marnie too. We headed there as a group, but it seems the familiar bragging battle of the trio was at its climax so they were excluded. Afterwards, realizing that we came out of the bath, Sophia felt really down. Shadows of people surrounded a table in a room deep inside the dungeon. No, it would be more urate to say that there were no people there. There were five figures present: Pope Warvaal of the former Divine Empire Sydnia, Head Mage Homer, Sydnia Holy Knight Leader Packard, Prime Minister Musudan, and the Imperial Princess Elizabeth. Yamatos sacrifice was not in vain. Those that once were Homer and Packard nodded at Warvaals muttering. Yes, once were Among those that were gathered here, the only one whose form had not changed was that of Imperial Princess Elizabeth. Beings whose skin color had turned red, those that turned blue, those that grew horns they were no longer human. Inside their bodies, there were magic stones close to their hearts, which work to maintain their bodies. With exception to Elizabeth, they were already bundled up with monsters. I believe the regtion of monster soldiers would still take a little while. Fumu, they were originally monsters with low intellect, after all. Hasten the research, Homer. Ha! Certainly. Akiras tuning is doing well. Umu, do not break him, Packard. By your will. Your Majesty, the depth of the floors, as well as the expanse of the dungeon still have some ways to go. At present, it has barely grown 5 floors. Musudan, increase the offerings and stimte its growth. I shall obey. Elizabeth spoke to Warvaal after watching each person make their report. Father, I believe we should cease overflowing the forest with monsters before our organization is in order. Several countries are already moving to investigate the unnatural increase of monsters. Fumu, Musudan, perfect timing. Use them as offerings. This ce must not be discovered just yet. Then I shall do just that. A dungeon country, the country of monsters had been created in the Demon Continent without anyone in it realizing. *** Chapter 251: Invitation to the base Chapter 251: Invitation to the base After the discussion with Queen Fraal at one of the city-states of the Demon Continent, the Queens close aide, Ryuka, was invited into our base. This was because we made promises to periodically share information with each other at either uros or our base. When we sensed that Ryuka and her escorting knights riding dinosaur raptor-like monsters were nearing the base, we defeated monsters in the surroundings as we went to greet them. Then when Ryuka-san finally reached the forest where our base was located, she was so dumbfounded, her mouth was hanging. Wha!! You use high ranking monsters?! What Ryuka-san witnessed were the Thunder Eagle Gloam dropping down lightning, Luna Wolf Ferryl running past them swiftly with its huge body, and Serval Seru shing its ws. Watching the familiars by Sophia, Akane, and Laevas side exterminate the monsters surrounding the base, Ryuka-sans face stiffened in surprise and fear. The finisher was Kaede who appeared soundlessly. A- a- an Arachne Ah! Ryuka-san! Are you alright?! Ryuka-san and the escorting knights who saw Kaede frothed in the mouth and copsed. We hurriedly picked up, teleported, andid them on beds, then got stuck with nursing them. Whats wrong? Are they sick? Kaede tilted her head, seemingly puzzled. Serving as the close aide of Queen Fraal of uros, I had taken several guards and arrived at the designated ce. We came to the base built by the young human man Iruma-dono who had a discussion with Her Majesty in uros several days ago. It had been decided that we would alternate using uros and Iruma-donos base in order to share information, and this was our first visit to the base. Three days from uros, I see I never would have thought there was a location here where a base could be built Ryuka-sama, it would be difficult having to travel three days each way often, isnt it? Isnt this preferablepared to an expedition to cull monsters? As the escorting soldiers chatted, the Sprint Lizards we were mounting dashed on the ground with their thick legs so we could reach our destination sooner, Sprint Lizards were monsters that run at high speeds with their two legs, and were equivalent to the Demon Horse of the northern continent. Its monster rank was one level higher than the Demon Horse. Ryuka-sama, its that forest, isnt it? A base in a ce like that? Are we being taken for a ride? Ryuka-sama! Over there! What the soldier pointed to were Iruma-dono, the Elven woman we met as an attendant the other day, as well as other women. Still, the women there were fine. The problem was the monsters used by the women to defeat the monsters in the surroundings. What was frightening were the statuses of those monsters. Theymanded a ss of monsters that frightened our Sprint Lizards enough to make them stop. Wha!! You use high ranking monsters?! Iruma-dono waved and smiled as he approached. It was then, something appeared before us without a sound. A- a- an Arachne Ah! Ryuka-san! Are you alright?! Arachne a cmity ss monster sung in legends never before seen in this continent. My consciousness only held on till that point. u, uuugh. Are you alright, Ryuka-sama? Ah, w-where is this? Its alright. This is our base. I awoke to find myself lying on a soft bed and a Rabbitkin woman attending to me. What happened after was a series of surprises. Huh?! A fortress built on a small ind in the middle of ake. The base which they were taken to was even more surprising. Since when did I, along with the soldiers, seem to have been sheltered by this fortress. The scenery she could see from the window waspletely unrealistic. We knew the terrain in this area. There shouldnt have been ake or an ind, much less a fortress, here. Ha! Right! An Arachne An Arachne has shown up! Ryuka-sama, please calm down. That child is Master (Husband)s familiar. There is no need to be frightened. What?! He employs a cmity ss monster? Kaede-chan has been with Master (Husband) the longest, after all. Is something wrong with their heads? The monsters that Sophia-dono and everyone else uses were a ss of monsters encountered deep within the monster nests in the continent. For there to be an Arachne, just how will I report it to Her Majesty. After we have gotten some rest, we will begin the meeting to decide on future arrangements. Today is the day of the meeting with Ryuka-san from uros to decide on the arrangements for the Demon Continent investigation. I had been in a hurry to build a ship since morning. Oh crap, oh crap. No one cane to the base if they dont fly or teleport. If it was just us, it would have been fine, but visitors would need normal method to cross theke if theye. Transmute! The materials taken from my Item Box were wrapped in the light of the transmutation circle, then a shallow draft ship appeared. Compared to the airship, a boat of this size could bepleted in one transmutation. Today, at the outer edge of the forest, the girls were leveling their familiars by exterminating the monsters in areas that were not purified. Meanwhile, I took Maria and Marnie along. We crossed over to the other side of the shore using the boat that I had just finished so we could meet with Ryuka-san and her group. Then what we saw there was Ryuka-sans group, who came mounted on raptors, fainting, and falling off their mounts. *** Chapter 252: The Devil Continent is vast Chapter 252: The Devil Continent is vast My sincerest apologies, Iruma-dono, we have shown you something so disgraceful. No, not at all, it is I who should say so. Our Kaede here had frightened you. N-no, it is alright. It seems Ryuka-san was still slightly scared of Kaede. Was it bad that Kaede was still hugging my waist? S-so, here are the locations of the city-states in this continent. The nations we would like you to be cautious of are these two, the nations governed by the two Beast Kings, King Deega and King Ryvar. Ryvar is the ruler of Atropolis, isnt it? Yes, there are how to say In short, the two Beast Kings were muscle-brains down to their very core. Additionally, the rulers of the Oni Tribe and the Devil n were fighting factions, to the point that words wont get through to them. As such, they are extremely unlikely to cooperate with the search. As expected, searching down to the nooks and crannies of the continent would take a long time with just us. Yes, in the monster nests as well. Ryuka-san said that it would take time to explore the inside of monster nests. Well, normally, one adventurer party wouldnt be able to search the entire continent. Still, we have Ouranos, sopared to the searching capabilities of a normal person, we would be able to cover a far wider range much faster. It might be harder to find it from the sky though. Either way, we must find the remnants of the old Sydnia while paying careful attention to the territories of the two Beast Kings. This might be more trouble than I expected. Takumi-sama, this continent may be smaller than the one we live in, but it still muchrger than Valkyra Kingdom, so it would still take time even with the Ouranos. You have a point. the two Beast Kings huh. Atropolis city gave off a normal impression though. The Beast Kings aside from King Guzhr are battle enthusiasts. Even as they thin out surrounding monsters, they like to fight head on. Just in case, they have an pact to not fight with the other five nations, but Iruma-dono, for yourpany It would turn into a brawl, no questions asked, wouldnt it? Yes. It was decided that Ryuka-sans group would take charge of searching the surroundings of uros. The Bearkin Beast King Guzhr known as the Clever King was apparently going to search the surroundings of Varguard, which he governs, with his subordinates. Simrly, the Devil King Gandalf[1] would personally investigate the area around Rhodes. As for Schimihazaar, which is governed by King Jairu of the Oni n, they would propose a conference once King Jairues back from his expedition. Afterwards, I wrote down a rough map with the locations of each nation and their approximate territory lines. Hmmm, it looks like it would take more days than I thought. Indeed. Particrly because you are unaware of the usual number of monsters, identifying ces where monsters have increased would be difficult in itself. so we have no choice but to look for ces with dense magic power. That is so. Ah, in case you discover a stray dungeon, please report it. A dungeon, huh There is no reason for those guys who made arge-scale dungeon in the capital of Divine Empire of Sydnia to not turn their base into another dungeon this time either. Yes. There is a way to search for stray dungeons. When Ryuka-san said so, she filled out the map with the locations of the dungeons managed by each country. Whether or not it was influenced by the abnormal phenomenon, we would like for you to report it when you discover a stray dungeon. Even the unrted stray dungeons? Yes, the stray dungeons would let out the monsters inside when left alone for too long. It was the so-called monster flood. However, Ryuka-san exined that since there were only city-states in this continent, if several floods were seen as a whole, it would be arge problem. Even so, it must be judged whether a stray dungeon should be managed, or if it should be destroyed. Whether it is useful or not? Yes. For example, if it was a dungeon with only undead monsters, there is no profit in leaving it behind. In the ensuing discussion, it was decided that Ryuka-san would be contact person when we make our periodic reports as we narrow our search. It was also decided that we would do the same when a new dungeon is discovered. Then lets meet at uros next time. Yes, please take care on your way back. Sophia and I ferried Ryuka-sans group across the river using the ship and escorted them until the forests edge. Those raptor-like beasts are cool. Tsubaki would pout if she heard that. We watched Ryuka-sans group run off at considerable speeds. I made ament about the dinosaur-like monsters that caught my attention, and Sophia brought up Tsubaki. Since there were few chances to use a carriage in the Demon Continent, I was aware of the stress building up in Tsubaki. Ill have to ask Kaede to relieve her stress, wont I? Yes, it may also be a good idea to bring her in the search. Yeah. She wouldnt fall behind even against the monsters of the Demon Continent. Sophia and I began making preparations to search based on the map we received from the uros. *** Footnotes: 1. Typo: Gandolf in raws. Will have to see if the author changes the spelling again. Chapter 253: The search begins Chapter 253: The search begins Aftering out of a desert, a dense forest filled withrge trees appeared. Since we were heading to mana-dense areas, we disembarked from the Ouranos and headed towards the dense mana on foot. Then Fuuh! Zaba! When I swung Ice Bringer, the giant ape monster was split in two. The swift spear pierced and froze the demons that attacked one after the other. Dposition! With my left hand, I activated Dposition on the head of the giant ape monster, the Killer Ape, destroying its head I weakly threw the Killer Ape aside and dashed towards the next monster. I was aware its a violent fighting style that didnt fit my physique, but were encountering a lot of monsters. Searching the Demon Continent was even more difficult than I had imagined. First of all, there was no regrity in its terrain. From wends to a desert, then a jungle. And while the climate was basically temperate to tropical, there would suddenly be areas with a cold climate. As we travelled to ces with dense magic power using the Ouranos, we focused the search in areas where the density of monsters were high. For this search, the full party was present. Sophia, Maria, Laeva, Marnie, Akane, Lulu-chan, Kaede, and Titan. In addition, Thunder Eagle Gloam, Luna Wolf Ferryl, and Serval Seru were also participating. Even inside the monster nests, we searched for the areas where mana was dense, so naturally, we had frequent encounters with monsters. Us starting members` Sophia, Maria, Kaede, and myself` were already fairly high leveled, so we were at the stage where it wouldnt go up, but for our other members, theyve been leveling quite nicely. Particrly for Gloam and the familiars, theyre aiming to earn enough experience to evolve. Gloam danced with the roaring thunder, Ferryl ran past like a strong wind, and Seru moved like an acrobat. These apes, wolves, and insects should stoping out already. Master, want to try overpowering them? right, we also had that trick. Okay then, how about we try it before everyone gets tired? Kay! When I responded so, a palpable air of intimidation emitted from Kaedes body. Of course, this was limited to enemies, so the familiars of our party werent affected. However, it was instantaneous for the attacking monsters. Then Ill do it too. Kaede and I partnered up, releasing the power we normally would have suppressed within ourselves. The strong coercion paired with the bloodthirst released by Kaede and I began to interfere with the physical phenomenon which originally shouldnt have been possible. Maybe this will do. Kaede, its okay now. Okay, Master! The presences of the monsters that swarmed us in the forest grew distant, and we confirmed that our surroundings were clear. The coercion and blood thirst from Kaede and I dispersed. Monsters prefer mana dense areas. Conversely, it means they cant live if there isnt mana. Therefore, mana-dense monster nests have plenty of monsters, and the stronger monsters lived deeper in the monster nests where mana was at its thickest. Monsters attack and feed on people of their own ord because the magic power contained within people were suitable food to the monsters. Thats why monsters react sensitively to magic power. To search for prey, and to flee from those stronger than itself. As such, the monsters ran away as fast as they could when Kaede and I released our murderous energy, showing just how much stronger we were than them. Maria, lets take a short break. Okay, Ill make tea then. Everyone gathered to where Kaede and I were. Phew, I want to keep leveling Ferryl like this. Ferryl is strong nya. Akane seemed satisfied as she came back with Ferryl whom Lulu was riding. Sitting on top of sheets, I drank the tea Maria and Marnie had brewed as I took a break. Were already nearing the center, yet there is no dungeon in this monster nest. Fuu, it looks like weve got a long way to go. Akane, who was sharing cookies with Lulu-chan, stroked Ferryl as she looked around our surroundings and talked. Well, if Ferryl and the familiars get stronger, wouldnt our search improve? Indeed. Tsubaki could participate actively If its a grasnd type monster nest too, and we would progress even further. Tsubaki, who had gone through multiple evolutions[1], had arge body, and therefore could not demonstrate her true worth inside forests with densely packed trees. The stress of being unable to participate recently had been piling on Tsubaki. Master, theres nothing strong here, you know. Well, at your current state, nothing would be an enemy unless its a high ranking dragon-type. Theres a bit more distance until we reach the center, but ording to Kaedes intuition, theres no dungeon or area boss here. After a bit of a break, we searched the areas we thought had dense mana in the monster nest, but we didnt find a dungeon. I added an X mark on the map that I received from Ryuka-san, discussed where we would go next, then returned to the base to rest our tired bodies. *** Footnotes: 1. Raws infer multiple, but theres only been one instance when she evolved that was mentioned in the story. Chapter 254: Courage ? Devil King Chapter 254: Courage ? Devil King The search for the remnant of the old Sydnia in the Demon Continent was carried out at a pace of two days search to one day of rest. We continued the search as we shared information with uros at regr intervals. During the breaks, I did not forget the work that needed to be done in Volton and the Sanctuary. When I showed up in Volton after too much time had passed, Papeck-san appealed to me with a pale face. Iruma-dono, the stock of potions has already been spent. And even just a few of the Sanctuary-made wine please! I understand, I understand, so please calm down, Papeck-san. O-oh, apologies for this ones behavior. Once I promised Papeck-san that I would make sure to show up periodically, I somehow got him to calm down. The Demon Continent search wasnt progressing as much as I would have liked. We were able to discovered several stray dungeons and reported their locations to Ryuka-san, but none of them were rted to the old Sydnia. As we were investigating several monster nests, we explored a dungeon were shrubbery grew sparsely. hm? Theres around 20 individuals? Yeah, it would be great if its not a Beast King. We sensed a group approaching us, who were beating down monsters. Since it would be tooplicated if it were one of the two Beast Kings, I tried detecting them more precisely. their magic power isrger than an average persons, so could it be the King of the Devil n? The Devil King Gandalf then? Just as Sophia said, a group of red-eyed, blue-skinned Devils that grew two spiral horns were approaching us. A male Devil at the forefront that possessed more dignity had spoken out to me. Certainly you are Iruma-dono, are you not? Yes, I am Takumi Iruma. Umu, I am Gandalf who governs Rhodes. I have heard of you from Fraal of uros. It pains me to impose what should be our duties onto individuals of a different continent, however, I hope to have your understanding that we are unable to leave our nation for extended periods. Not at all, as it is we who should be saying so. It would seem that those who had escaped from our continent had troubled you. It should not have concerned Iruma-dono to such an extent. This continents affairs are affairs that ought to be dealt with by the nations originally in this continent. And Iruma-dono is lending a hand with this. As such, there is a necessity to apologize. Devil King Gandalf is huge. Beast King Guzhr is apparently muchrger. His armor of muscles, high magic power, and gapless stance show he could be quite strong. After that, I learned of the areas with dense magic power around Rhodes that King Gandalf had investigated and parted afterparing maps. He looked really strong, didnt he? Yes, including the soldiers he lead, I believe theyre quite the individuals. As Sophia and I followed the departing King Gandalf with our gazes, I once again felt that the saying that the rulers of this continent are the strongest of their nation were true. During our monster hunting expedition, I encountered the Human named Iruma whom I had heard of from Fraal of uros. Just in case, I had gone to greet him in order to keep up an acquaintanceship, but Your Majesty, he was a somewhat gangly person, wasnt he? They were all women aside from the Iruma chap. My stupid subordinate said something stupid. I involuntarily leaked a sigh. The women were also superior. Theyre wasted on such a brat. Haa~, are your eyes that bad? My words leaked out with sighs at my subordinates overwhelming degree of stupidity. Do not make light of Iruma-dono simply because he is Human. He repelled my Magic Eyes. Wha, repelling Your Majestys Magic Eyes means Good grief, I shook my head when my subordinates finally realize the truth of the matter. Thats right. At the very least, in that group, Iruma-dono, the Elven Woman, and the red haired Human were powerful enough to repel my Magic Eyes. My Magic Eyes is able to see the status of my target. However, that is not for everything. It is unable to see the status of targets far different from my own strength. Thest time my Magic Eyes were repelled was during a request to subjugate the boss of a monster nest that appeared close to three nations 20 years ago. That time, they seeded with the subjugation at the cost of great sacrifice. They were beings that possessed strength no less than that area boss. That realization had turned the subordinates blue skin even bluer. Of course that would happen, the area boss subjugated 20 years prior was a high ranking dragon, after all. Not a low ranking wyvern and mid ranking flying dragon, but a high ranking dragon. My eyes informed me that he was an existence equal to that. If it was a wyvern or flying dragon, I could defeat it easily. However, higher dragon species are different. Be it with physical attacks or magic attacks, I cant cause direct damage. I felt strength equivalent to the high ranking dragon from that time from Iruma-dono. You all, no matter what happens, never ever antagonize Iruma-dono and his party. In war, power in numbers wouldnt lose, but the enemy may have other tricks up their sleeve. Y-yes. That said, I thought there might be an existence with outrageous power that could upset the strength of numbers. But it was something that my subordinates did not understand. As Gandalf, the king of the Devil n, even if something was clearly superior to me, I could not afford to admit it in front of my subordinates. *** Chapter 255: Fortress floating on water Chapter 255: Fortress floating on water That day, the citizens of uros fell into a panic. The country possessed the sole port in the Demon Continent, and in the open sea of that port was a floating gigantic metal ship. It was a vessel with a magic metal hull and a stern tower that used Treant Wood, which was owned by the Spirit Tree of the Sanctuary. It was called the magic battleship Oceanus. If a reason for why the Oceanus being in the open seas of uros had to be said, it was because Queen Fraal had requested an importation of grain through Ryuka. Teleportation and the Gate would have sufficed if it had been for a small amount, but it was impossible for the amount that an entire city was importing. And so, it was the Oceanus turn. Including uros, the countries of the Demon Continent wished toe to an agreement for the importation of fruits and vegetables in exchange for exporting spices. The spices got Papeck ecstatic. Until now, they were expensive spices that could only be traded after obtaining them by way of Samandour Kingdom, so that couldnt be helped. I only requested the importation of grain though? does Iruma-dono intend on upying uros? Queen Fraal and Ryuka escaped reality with dry smiles as they gazed at the majestic sight of the Oceanus approaching at a declining speed. The port of uros and its citizens were greatly disturbed by the Oceanusing alongside a pier. Compared to the wooden ships of Samandour Kingdom, its size was all too clearlyrger. The sailors that came from Samandour were jaw-dropped in nk amazement. Sacks of wheat were unloaded one after the other from the moored Oceanus. was that golem built by Iruma-dono? No, though that golem looks to have been tamed. Its current body seems to have been created by Iruma-dono. As the master and her servant watched the cargo be unloaded, they looked at the golem doing the unloading, Titan, withplicated expressions. There were Earth magic users that create golems in the Demon Continent as well. However, these were things made with wood and stone, and capable of only simple actions, so something such as an autonomous thinking golem did not exist here. That golem was given a body by Iruma-dono after the core of a stray golem was tamed. In the first ce, could golems be tamed? No, I have never heard of anything like that happening. Iruma-dono is special. Indeed. he had even employed an Arachne. Before the womens eyes, the golem, likely made of magic metals, grabbed a sack of wheat and unloaded it separate from the hand that grabbed it. a golem is capable of such things, right? Ryuka, take a hold of yourself. Dont think of that as a golem. Consider that as a sort of monster. After Ryuka fainted seeing the Arachne called Kaede, Takumi introduced her to their familiars. Ryuka was surprised by the Arachne Kaede, but when she was introduced to Titan, a bulky framed magic metal golem that simrly followed Takumi, her jaw was left open in surprise. Furthermore, when shown a giant wolf monster, a giant cat monster, and a raptor monster that maniptes lightning, Ryuka had abandoned any thinking. Hey Ryuka, that golem body looks to be adamantite alloy. I know of the word adamantite. However, I have neverid eyes on that or mithril. Magic steel is the best the Demon Continent could do, after all. Talking about that had once again made the two self-conscious of how technically underdeveloped their nation was. They watched Titan unload the cargo with envious eyes. Ours and the other nations in the Demon Continent have our own Tamers, but only to the extent of taming monsters to be beast riders. Tamers, are not popr. There were a certain number of tamers that make use of monsters in the countries of the Demon Continent, but its not a job that is popr in countries that have a tendency of being biased towardsbat jobs. Especially in the countries of the hot-blooded Beast Kings, there were few tamers and fewer beast riders. Even uros, which has plenty of Subi that demonstrate high aptitude for magic, does not have pure tamers that use monsters to fight. There were only a few individuals specialized in training monsters for beast riders. ording to Iruma-dono, when they tame monsters, there is a path of magic power that connects both sides. Because of that, it is possible for them to understand each other in detail. Fumu, if a tamed monster ranks up, they would be a considerable force Yes, aiming for the likes of the familiars of Iruma-donos party may be too high, but I believe it is a good option to create a provisional unit. The offloading of cargo and loading of spices to and from the ship in the port was almost finished. Queen Fraal and Ryuka prepared to sort the imported grain and vegetables. That was because their country was not monopolizing all of it. uros, the entrance to the northern continent, was bound by an agreement to export to the other five nations. Owing to this, it would be a substantial profit. Queen Fraal ordered Ryuka to ask Takumi for more imports. Grains, fabric, potions, and many more items that the Demon Continent was in need of. Because of these transactions by way of Takumi, the trade with Samandour Kingdoms one-sided conditions would be rectified. *** Chapter 256: Let’s venture out for a break Chapter 256: Lets venture out for a break The trade which began with the request of Queen Fraal of uros, was a great joy for thergepanies of Valkyra and Lomaria as well. Of course, Papeck-san was also so delighted he danced around in joy. The cause were the spices. Having had no choice but to buy from Samandour Kingdom forrge sums until now, they will now be able to procure it at far cheaper prices, so it may have been unavoidable. However, the kings of those countries were at their wits end about the Oceanus. Papeck-san smiled wryly when we talked. I would like to survey the surroundings of the Demon Continent. Why? That is sudden. Yeah, I thought so too. Recently, weve gotten a bit tired of investigating monster nests without getting any results, so it couldnt be helped. Our prospects werent looking too good. To think that searching the monster nests within the entire continent to find the remnants of the old Sydnia would be this much trouble Its a bit of a breather. Weve just been fighting monsters here. And so, it will be around the Demon Continent? Yup, if you really think about it, we know theres the continent where Valkyra Kingdom is and this Demon Continent, but are there are other continents? Uninhabited ind? We know nothing, right? I think no one knows. In this world which has limited means of transportation, the existence of the Demon Continent was known, but only a handful of people have actually visited it. Even Sophia and Maria dont know if there are other continents or inhabited inds aside from the two we know. Because of therge aquatic monsters, ships have a difficult time sailing here, so it was normal to not know of other ces. I considered surveying around the continent with the Oceanus, but as expected, it would be scarier than shocking if the Oceanus were to approach all of a sudden. Certainly, if, say, we do discover a different continent, the people inhabiting it would tremble in fright more than they would be in shock when they see the Oceanus nearing. Hmm, I think they would still be scared even if its the Ouranos though. Its okay, Maria. In addition to perception inhibitors, the Ouranos has a feature to disappear and sail with illusions. While I was chatting with Sophia and Maria, Laeva called out to say that the preparations for the Ouranos departure was done. Takumi-samaaa! Preparations to depart areplete! Gotcha. Is everyone on board already? Yes! Youre all thats left! Okay. Were on our way. Since Laeva called us, we also boarded the Ouranos. Its for everyone who was unable to relieve stress and gain recognition, so our entire party ising this time. The base has a barrier so there wont be any trespassing monsters. Monsters dont approach the purified area around the base no matter how dense the mana there is either. We climbed the ramp and boarded. I sat in the cockpit, and when I pushed the lever, the Ouranos released from the ground. Stowing thending gear as it ascends vertically, I then switched over from the suspension magic device to the wind propulsion magic device, and the Ouranos began gliding in the sky. Activate perception inhibitor, engage stealth cruise with illusions. Roger. Laeva, who was sitting in the copilot seat next to me at the cockpit, managed the gauges and operated the Ouranos. Gradually increasing speed, the Ouranos first took a course to the north before altering towards the east once we left the vicinity of the continent. The speed increased as we headed east, then changed course for the south. The horizon is as far as the eye can see, isnt it? Yes. We have not seen a continent or an ind in the adjacent seas at the east of the Demon Continent so far. The northern side has the continent we live in. Its size might beparable to the Eurasian continent on Earth. With that line of thinking, even the continent we live in has very little living circles, and we know that theres still a lot ofnd thats unexplored. Inparison, the size of Demon Continent in the South might be around the size of Australia[1]. There were only six fortress city-states in the Australia-sized continent, so this speaks of how harsh the environment there is. How much will we explore the east side? Lets see how about we return to the Demon Continent after cruising for another hour? The cruising speed of the Ouranos is roughly 700km/h, so we decided to explore much of a distance. When were this far from the continent, we wouldnt find traces of flying monsters, huh. True. Perhaps the lower ranking monsters do not stray too far from the shore. It would be difficult for even the flying monsters if they fly long distances without any rest. I think this would be possible for dragon types and high ranking bird type monsters at the very least. Behind Laeva and I, Akane and Lulu-chan were rxing on the sofa. Sophia, Maria, and Marnie were creating a simple map. Thats enough for the east for now, lets alter the course to the south next. Roger! Having investigated 700km from the east side of the Demon Continent, we turned and headed south. *** Footnotes: 1. Raw typo Austria for Australia Chapter 257: Solitary island discovered Chapter 257: Solitary ind discovered Having confirmed that there was no continent or ind to the east of the Demon Continent, we headed southward and cruised. We estimate surveying the surroundings of the Demon Continent to take three days. On the first day of our trip, we spent the night suspended in the air with a barrier up, then we resumed our exploration at the break of dawn. Staying 300m afloat and stationary requires some magic power, but if the members aboard replenish it in their spare time, theres no issue. Lets sweep the east side for the old Sydnia and explore a little further? Indeed. It might be enjoyable to go around the world slowly after resolving that mess. Midway through moving from the east side of the Demon Continent to the South, I surveyed the surroundings from the cockpit as Sophia and I chatted to kill time. The sparkling sea is pretty. The fish are jumping nya! Akane and Lulu-chan also seemed to be having fun gazing out the small round port light. The Ouranos body lookedpact from the outside, but the space inboard was expanded, so it isnt cramped even with the entire party participating. The private rooms are fully equipped with shower and toilets, and in themon room, there are sofas with enough space for everyone to rx. Uh, I think those are too big to call fish, Lulu. Theres more to eat if its big nya. From 300m high, fish could clearly be seen jumping on the surface of the sea. Lulu-chan reaction waspletely unexpected to Akane who was surprised at being able to imagine the size of those giant fish. We will ask Master (Husband) next time, it might be fun to fish with everyone. Marnie-san! I want to fish nya! Theke around the base was just made, so nothing was living in it yet. Fish-lover Lulu-chan seemed to think that it was really disappointing not being able to eat fish there. The Ouranos steering has now switched to autopilot. Even though I said autopilot, it only has a built in golem that follow simple instructions, such as to maintain the specified altitude and speed, and fly towards the destination without hindrance. Because of that, Laeva and I dont have to keep staying in the cockpit. While taking turns to search for a continent or ind, we ate, rested, and sometimes slept as we made our way to the south of the Demon Continent by flying over the south sea. In the end, we didnt discover an ind or continent that stood out within the range of 700km out from the south of the Demon Continent. Then, as the third day of our nned exploration period wasing to an end, we discovered it 700km away from the west of the Demon Continent. ?! Takumi-sama! I found the silhouette of an ind! Laeva, who was sitting in the copilot seat, shouted out that she found the silhouette of an ind far away. We who were rxing on the sofa rushed to look at the direction she pointed towards, and there it was, around 100km away. I reckon its over 800km from the Demon Continent. I instructed Laeva to drop the speed of the Ouranos. Laeva, slow it down. It looks more like an ind than a continent. Could it be an uninhabited ind? An uninhabited ind nya? It means its an ind no one lives in. The discovered silhouette was a somewhatrge ind. My intuition told me that it was the size of Shikoku[1]. If its an ind of that size, it has food and water, and if it had little threat of monsters, it would not be strange for people to inhabit it. As we got closer to its silhouette, we were able to see a panoramic view of the ind. Could it be a volcanic ind? It has quite a high mountain. The foot of the mountain has a dense jungle too. Does it have a warm climate? Or, could it be the tropics? From the Ouranos that slowed down, the ind we saw had a mountain 5000m above sea level enshrined in the middle of it, and at its base grew a dense jungle. We also confirmed there were several rivers. Theres not much t ground. Could there be people living there? I believe it is possible, with exception to the Human race. We did ap around the ind with Ouranos on stealth mode, researching the size and terrain of the ind, and searching for traces of inhabitation. Based on my magic perception, the jungle also had monster nests, but not all of it was. It might be hard for the monsters there to cross the ocean over to the Demon Continent or anywhere else. It does not look to be as harsh as the Demon Continent, though it might be difficult to cross the ocean over to the Demon Continent or anywhere else. Youre right. There are manyrge aquatic monsters, after all. That means its highly likely its an uninhabited ind. Just when I thought so and wondered if this was a fools errand, Maria pointed her finger and shouted. Takumi-sama! Please look over there! are those caves? On the slope of the mountain at the center, it looked like there were several holes in the treeless rockface. Laeva, move the Ouranos to a distance where we can check those holes. Understood! Was it a den of monsters? Or traces of people? The Ouranos dropped in speed and drew closer. *** Footnotes: 1. Shikoku is the smallest of Japans 4 main inds. It is 18,800 km2 in size. Chapter 258: Unknown Race Chapter 258: Unknown Race Verifying that there were indeed caves lining the bare surface of the mountains simr to what was seen on tv in my old world, we searched for a ce tond the Ouranos. Park it right by the top of the trees. Understood. Telling Laeva so, I jumped out of the Ouranos, then Kaede followed afterwards. I used tree branches and Shield magic footholds to get down, and took out my handmade axe from the Item Box. Kaede, please watch the surroundings. Gotcha Master! Kan! Kan! Kan! The trees fell and disappeared without a sound. There was nothing much to it. The moment a tree was cut down, I simply stored it in the Item Box. The Logging skill leveled up The Axe Technique skill leveled up Oh, Its been a while since I felt a skill level up. I was d when I felt the rarely used Axe Technique and Logging skills leveled up. We steadily logged trees to make enough space for the Ouranos tond. Master, monsters arent that strong over here. There arent a lot of them either. Good work, Kaede. Since weve been in monster nests in the Demon Continent a lot recently, Kaede seems unsatisfied. I sent Laeva a hand sign tond. The Ouranos silentlynded vertically. Thending gear was deployed and it touched down. The ramp came down and Sophia and the girls alighted. Ill be storing the Ouranos now, okay? Once I checked that everyone was out, I stowed the Ouranos into the Item Box. The efficiency of the Item Box was as nonsensical as ever. The mountain is over there, isnt it? Yeah, lets be on the lookout. We began walking towards the swarm of caves at the bare surface of the mountain, with Kaede at the lead. Trudging through the dense jungle for a while, the level path steadily grew more inclined. However, having levelled up, our physical abilities already became inhumanepared to our old selves, so it wasnt too challenging. After walking for a while from the spot the Ouranosnded, the space between the trees grew less dense, and it eventually became a terrain where only shrubbery grew. Something ising. Everyone, please prepare for battle. We sensed that some sort of presence was approaching. Sophia urged everyone to be vignt. What business do you have in our territory?! Leave immediately! A voice from the sky was directed at us. Yes, from the sky. An Aligerous man! So they truly existed? Sophia eximed in surprise. What appeared looked human at a nce. That was, if the tawny wings of a bird of prey didnt grow from his backs. Yes, just as Sophia said, the one nocking his bow at us threateningly was a race known as the Aligerous Tribe[1].. ording to what Iter learned from Sophia, there were entries of a winged tribe in the old records of the Elves. I rushed to greet them, emphasizing that we were not enemies. I am Takumi Iruma. A Human artisan. We are not an enemy! We wondered if there were other continents or inds around the Demon Continent and went in search. We discovered this ind and came to investigate the cluster of caves on the face of the mountain. I would like to ask one thing. When I talked, an Aligerous man asked with a mysterious expression. You all came to this ind on a ship? You have a ship that crossed these waters? It could be called a ship, but its a ship that flies in the sky. We also have a ship that sails in the ocean, but its faster to fly. What?! Did you say a flying ship Perhaps greatly shocked, the Aligerous man hovering in the sky unsteadily fell to the ground. if you have a ship that can cross the ocean and even have a flying ship, is our ind no longer safe? Umm, I believe that, at this point in time, there arent any other ships that could cross the ocean this far aside from ours. As far as I know, there should be no other flying ship that exist apart from ours, so I believe it will be alright. When I said so, the Aligerous mans aura changed. then, if you werent here` He flew up and readied his bow as soon as he said that. Well, I guess thats how it would turn out, huh. Living in a small ind, it is likely that they have no way of inferring the strength of outsiders. He doesnt seem to be very smart, I see. Sophia and Marias evaluation were heartless. Well, this might have been inevitable, but the Aligerous man who rushed to attack us was spun with Kaedes threads and dangled like a bagworm. mugu, uu A somewhatplicated situation passed. What to do here? Lets eat`! Uguu! Guu! Guaa! When Kaede, who was beside me while I was stumped on how to deal with this situation, mischievously threatened the captured Aligerous man, he was ghastly pale as he writhed to escape, but Kaedes threads couldnt be escaped that way. More importantly, the Gourmand Kaede wouldnt eat you. Okay, really, what do we do? *** Footnotes: 1. The tribe is literally tranted to Winged people, but I chose to use Aligerous C which means to have wings. Chapter 259: Aligerous Tribe Chapter 259: Aligerous Tribe As I looked at the man dangling and swaying stupidly, I wondered what we should do with this guy. Though it was an attempt, theres no mistaking that he attacked us. Well, we knew that he was no threat right from the very beginning though. Was it because the monster nests in this ind didnt have that many strong monsters, plus being a solitary ind that has never been attacked? The level of this Aligerous man was only in the mid-20s. The Agility and Magic power on his status were around there too, so he might not have been suited to being a vanguard. Did the Aligerous man, who had threads coiling around his body and covering his mouth like a gag, tire out from struggling? He swayed limply. While I was worrying over what to do with the Aligerous man who was absolutely no threat to us despite having almost been attacked, I sensed multiple presences approaching. Around 10 Aligerous warriors led by a man in his 60s descended, approaching us with vignce. People from the outside world, we apologize for the rudeness of the warrior of our vige. If possible, we would like for his release. Ah, yeah, Kaede, let him go. I was surprised because I wasnt expecting them to apologize so suddenly, but I asked Kaede to release the bound man. We are in your debt. I am the vige chief, Valkan. We are the survivors of the ancient Aligerous Tribe. I am Takumi Iruma. After introducing Sophia and the party, the Aligerous Tribes vige chief named Valkan guided us to the base of the mountain. Our dwelling is located at a ce inconvenient for the non-flying races. Thats what the elder said, but he probably didnt want us getting near the women, children, and elderly who cant fight. Unlike the man who became a bagworm a while ago, the elder had some clue as to how strong we were. First of all, what should we talk about Valkan-san began talking about the Aligerous Tribe. He said that they originally lived in a ce different from this ind. It was an ind in the sky. The lifespan of the Aligerous Tribe was long, for 500-600 years. That Aligerous Tribe lived on a huge ind floating in the sky called the Sky Ind. It was the paradise of the Aligerous Tribe. The Sky Ind floating in the sky protected the Aligerous Tribe from other races and they lived there in peace. 200 years ago, monsters suddenly began pouring out in the Sky Ind. The nobatants of the Aligerous Tribe of that time were gathered, and they escaped to this ind, which was close to the Sky Ind at that time. Did the monsters suddenly overflow? Yes, it is rted to the mechanism that keeps the Sky Ind afloat. Surprisingly, the ce that the Aligerous Tribe refers to as the Sky ind was a floating ind made by the Ancient Aligerous Tribe. could it be that the monsters that overflowed were monsters that escaped from a dungeon? Was a dungeon core used to power the floating magic? ?! You are well informed! That is correct. What the mechanisms and technology of it were are lost to us now, but the our ancestors, the Ancient Aligerous Tribe, utilized the power that the dungeon core had for birthing monsters into a power to make the ind float. The Ancient Aligerous Tribe made the Sky Ind, but the system of utilizing dungeon cores were now a lost technology. The flood of monsters was clearly a monster stampede from the dungeon. The system that made the Sky Ind float in the sky probably had a w. We call ourselves the Aligerous Tribe, but we are unable to fly long distances unhindered. even though we wish to help our brethren Valkan-san said that as he lives in this ind, he dreams of the day he would return to the Sky Ind. From its still state, the Sky Ind was apparently circling a fixed orbit after the flood of monsters happened. That orbit had shifted, and now Valkan-san and the Aligerous Tribe could no longer reach it with their wings. Condemn us if you will, we do not even know if our brethren are still alive. After listening to all that, I somewhat understand the reason why Valkan-san brought us this far and talked about their history. Are you saying you want us to carry you to the Sky Ind? Ive heard that Iruma-dono possesses a flying ship that let youe all the way to this ind. Please take us to the Sky Ind with that ship. Im certain he heard it from the bagworm dude who we talked to a while ago, so it wasnt surprising that the topic about the Ouranos was brought up by Valkan-san. We have nothing of equal value topensate Iruma-dono. For that reason, we would like to pay you back with ourbor. Are you saying that thepensation will be manualbor? To me, this might have been a godsend. The mobility of the Aligerous Tribe is something we would be grateful for when we search for the remnants of the former Sydnia. And I wanted to go to the Sky Ind. I really liked that Gh*bli anime[1]. *** Footnotes: 1. Reference to Laputa: Castle in the Sky. Chapter 260: The Deal Chapter 260: The Deal The Sky Ind that once reigned the heavens was now a thing of the past, a wreckage floating in the sky. The feelings of fleeing that Sky Ind 200 years ago, having their hometown drift like a loose kite, and being separated from their brethren So if we can reach the room that contains the dungeon core and seize control of the Sky Inds system, it would return to its former state? Yes, from what I have learned from the preceding elders, I am certain of this. We learned of the Sky Ind in much detail from Valkan-san, the elder of the Aligerous Tribe which lived quietly in the solitary ind we arrived at. Setting aside the issue with the remnants of the old Sydnia, we all couldnt help but be excited about the fantasy-filled Sky Ind. The issue with the old Sydnia was that we might not be able to save Akira as a former Japanese, but we would carry the burden and dejection if we left him be too. Meanwile, we felt bad for the Aligerous Tribe, but we were having a hard time keeping a straight face at the presentiment of the heart pounding adventure. 200 years ago, Valkan-san and the tribe who escaped were unable to travel to other inds and continents, imprisoned in this solitary ind. The reason for this was because the Aligerous Tribe cant fly long distances. We cant fly like birds with these wings. The Aligerous Tribe fly with Wind attribute magic like Dragons, and their wings are used as support. If we think of the physique Dragons and the Aligerous Tribe, if they have to fly just with their wings, they would need a light build like birds and muscles to p the wings, and that was impossible with their current body bnce. Naturally, the high ranking dragons and flying dragons are capable of long distance flight, but that isnt possible for the amount of magic power possessed by the Aligerous Tribe. Takumi-sama, the number of passengers the Ouranos can board is limited. Knowing the strength and numbers of the people of the Aligerous Tribe, as well as the degree of difficulty of the dungeon at the Sky Ind is vital. Sophia, youre really raring to go, huh. T-that, well, wouldnt you like to see it? the Sky Ind. When I teased the rarely excited Sophia, she didnt conceal her excitement even though her face reddened. There was no problem taking Valkan-san and the tribe along to the Sky Ind. However, in my eyes, the warriors of the Aligerous Tribe simply do not have the strength to exterminate the overflow of monsters. Valkan-san, may we borrow the strength of the warriors of the Aligerous Tribe? Our strength? Iruma-dono, though it is disgraceful of us to say this,pared to you and yourpanions, our strength is like that of a tot. I cant imagine how we could be helpful Actually, we have another issue, and we would like you to assist with your extensive search capabilities. I wondered if its possible to utilize the Aligerous Tribes mobility to scour the Demon Continent. And after that, but if we could power level the warriors of the Aligerous Tribe, it would benefit them in the Sky Ind. And so, I voiced my thoughts. certainly, that would benefit us as well. We, who could do nothing but run away 200 years ago, wish nothing more than to rescue our brethren. If we wish to make use of the characteristics of the Aligerous Tribe, I believe it would have to be lightweight equipment. And we should also provide weapons such as bows and spears, and armors. In return, if you are able to assist with the search at the Demon Continent, it would be mutually beneficial. Iruma-dono, if you are willing to go that far, would it not be us gaining unterally? Even with the Sky Ind, we must rely on your flying ship, and if we have you provide our weapons and armor on top of that, we have nothing to offer in return. Although we said wed provide weapons and armor, were just making them out of the materials we have in stock. We finally convinced Valkan-san, who felt ashamed, after repeating that the armor and weapons were several levels lower than our equipment. So what will we do? Do we move to the vige? I dont know how many vigers there are, but I have experience with epting immigrants into the Sanctuary, so itll be fine even with all of the Aligerous Tribe living in this solitary ind. For the children and elderly who are unable to fight, we have a base in the Demon Continent and a safe ce a bit farther away, so it would be fine to spend their time in either ce. Our wish is to return to the Sky Ind with everyone in the future. May we ask that it be the closest one, if possible? I understand. Then we will have them stay in the base at the Demon Continent. Foodstuff and everyday necessities will be provided. Valkan-san informed us of the number of people in their tribe that are living in this solitary ind. Who would have thought, there were less than 200 of them. Also, apparently the number of Aligerous warriors remaining in the Sky Ind were roughly the same number. It looks like the situation of the Aligerous Tribe was getting worse at this rate. *** Chapter 261: A good-natured human Chapter 261: A good-natured human 200 years since the sudden cmity. With heartrending grief, we, who had taken the women, children, and elderly that were unable to fight, fled from the Sky Ind and descended to this solitary ind. The lives of the elders of the previous generation who dreamed of one day returning to the Sky Ind with each passing day had ended. In our 200 years on this solitary ind, we were on the path of decline. Now, even if our brethren in the Sky Ind were included, the future of the Aligerous Tribe was bleak. Simr to all the races living in this world, only half of the child born between a mixture of the Aligerous Tribe and a different race would be Aligerous. The Sky Ind in the olden days had epted the blood of other races from the towns in the continent they were close to at the time, and it prevented their blood from bing too thick. At such a time, a group led by a young, young man appeared on this ind. There was nond at a distance our wings could reach. If so, did they cross the giant monster-infested waters using a ship? The first to discover those trespassing into the solitary ind was a young warrior who was patrolling the vige at the time. However, did the blood get to his head? He apparently initiated a fight with them. It resulted in him being rolled up and hung with the spider-like threads. Even though the strength of Iruma-dono and his troupe being apparent at a nce I could only sigh at the decline of our warriors. Leading the young human Iruma-dono was an escort-like Elven woman. It was clear they were extremely high leveledpared to ourselves. The lively red haired human maiden beside them was equally as strong. The ck-haired Human maiden, Foxkin and Rabbitkin maidens, and even the young Catkin girl were individuals that the warriors of our vige likely could notpete with. And Iruma-dono had a superior monster known as an Arachne in his employ. It may have been inevitable that the young warrior raised in this solitary ind was ignorant, but I grew a headache seeing the individual who employs a cmity level monster. When I was talked to Iruma-dono, it was surprising to learn that they boarded a flying ship toe to this solitary ind. This was our wishe true. They could carry us, who could not fly long distances, to the Sky Ind. As a result of our discussion, if we assist Iruma-dono in their search in the continent closest to this solitary ind, the so-called Demon Continent, they promised to transport us to the Sky Ind and assist with searching for the dungeon. I became anxious if it really was alright. We seemed to be gaining so unterally. For the search in the Demon Continent, we were informed that Iruma-dono would support and train our warriors. To begin with, the Aligerous Tribe who were adept at the bow are not suited to be vanguards. That is why even if we were able to deal with the monsters that overflowed into the Sky Ind, we likely would not be able to go around the dungeon by ourselves. Iruma-dono stated that he would provide armor and spears, and train our warriors to fight. The Sky Ind would not change in a year or two. If we be warriors who are able to fight with Iruma-donos support before then, it would be a shortcut as a result. It is as the Elder says. We alone would not be able to reach even the footholds of the Sky Ind. If you think about it, we would be able to gain the strength to help our brethren. You all there is a limit to your imprudence. For being the next head candidate, this is pathetic. Bart, are you listening!? I am! I couldnt help it! I didnt know they were that strong! Thats why Im saying youre foolish! The person that the vige warriors joined hands to scold was my disgraceful son. Thoughtlessly attacking Iruma-donos group, his life was mercifully spared and kept restrained. In spite of this, he does not quite seem to understand. My sons face turned red at his mishandling. Bart, your age is no different from Iruma-donos, have some shame. Father! I am against it! How can you trust a guy of unknown origins?! Haa, this stupid son grew up to be a frivolous man who simply wants to show his good points to the young women of the vige. I would like for him to follow in Iruma-donos example[1]. It was then that the high pitched voice of a woman rang. I will go with Iruma-dono! Huh?! Berkut[2]! The owner of the voice was the youngest female warrior of the vige, Berkut. Although she is the youngest, Berkut who turns 18 this year was a splendid adult. Bart, youre some! I will be strong at Iruma-donos side and save our Sky Ind brethren. Y-you you cant do it! Hmph! Dont confuse me with a bagworm who couldnt do a single thing like you. Grrrrrr My son ground his teeth in vexation at Berkuts disparaging remark, but Berkuts abundant talent as a warrior was a fact known by everyone in the vige. We were going to depend on Iruma-donos good will, and arranged to dispatch 10 youths from the main body of our warriors. Meanwhile, the nobatants such as small children and the elderly would be received in Iruma-donos base. Compared to the life in a scanty vige, an evidently better life was guaranteed, so everyone was awfully delighted. everyone aside from my stupid son, Bart. *** Footnotes: 1. A more urate idiom is to take a page out of Iruma-donos book but I dont know if they even have books. 2. Some of the Aligerous tribe seem to be named after birds. Berkut C Asian golden eagle , Bart = possibly from Bart Owl Chapter 262: Equipment of the Aligerous Tribe Chapter 262: Equipment of the Aligerous Tribe The Aligerous Tribe were no different from humans besides their wings. There were some differences in skeletal and muscr structure so their wings could move, but their internal organs were practically identical. However, the Aligerous Tribe made use of this trait, and many of their warriors used bows in the sky. Dealing attacks one-sidedly at the enemies was their style of fighting. However, that would be an impediment when exploring the dungeon. The Sky Ind dungeon was abyrinth dungeon. If the ceiling height of thebyrinth was 5 meters and its width was 4 meters, it would be a bit too narrow to use bows in the sky. Inexperienced with closebat, the Aligerious Tribe had never used swords and shields. Might I rmend spears? Even if you arent used to closebat, you might be able to handle that distance. I arranged spears in front of the young Aligerous warriors before me, and, while they werent magic spears, they were just as good. I added in swords, shields, maces, and battle axes so they could choose which they liked. The Aligerous Tribe were cheery as they each picked up the weapon they liked. Mixed in among the male warriors was a lone girl. The girl who introduced herself as Berkut had long brown hair all bunched up behind her. She was a beautiful girl with brown eyes and dignified features. Takumi-dono, which weapon should I choose? Hmm, if you choose a weapon you dont like, you wouldnt get into training. For some reason, unlike the other Aligerous Warriors, Berkut-san calls me by my given name. Well, its not like she couldnt so I let it go, but it felt like Bagworm-kun was ring at me. This time, I think we will mainly train with weapons other than the Aligerous prided bows. Thats why theyll practice holding swords and spears. All but one seemed to have chosen the spear I had rmended. Did that person choose the sword and shield because I rmended the spear? Well, its our bagworm buddy, Bart-kun. Then for starters, copy me okay! Maria began demonstrating forms with a spear in hand together with the Aligerous warriors who chose the spear. The men were also happy to receive training from Maria, a cheerful, beautiful woman. then you! Burn my movements into your brain! I will only show you once! And for some reason, Sophia was harsh on Bart-kun. Bart-kun was in tears in front of Sophia who was downright intimidating. Ill leave it to you then, Maria, Sophia. Laeva, how about we go make everyones equipment? Okay! The measurements are perfect! Laeva and I headed to the basement of the Demon Continent base where a Gate was installed and went to the Sanctuary workshop. Once we were sitting in our usual spots in the workshop, we divided the work and set off to making the equipment of the Aligerous Tribe. It was spears, swords, shields, and light armor right? Until what level of materials will we use? Hmm, would mithril be overdoing it? Magic steel would be unreliable against the monsters of the Demon Continent. Should we mix a bit of mithril into the magic steel? Youre right. It has a lot of effect even with a little bit mixed in. Should we use Wyvern leather for the light armor? Indeed. If it is wyvern leather, we have plenty in stock. In order to make the spears in one go, I had to calcte the amounts of iron, mithril, charcoal powder as a source of carbon, and a bit of chromium necessary and pile them up. Transmute! A magic circle with the shape of a hexagram inside a circle shined, and light engulfed the pile of materials. After the light of the magic circle vanished, nine 2m 50cm long spears werepleted. Okay, just in case, maybe I should give the strength-type enchantments as a freebie. The spears were average shaped spears, butpared to those sold in town, they were exceptionally made. Takumi-sama, will we make bows? Hmm, what to do I want to give them a bow considering their original battle style, but they wouldnt be able to carry a spear and sword together with the bow, right? Ah yes, the Aligerous Tribe have wings too, so they wouldnt be able to carry a bow and a quiver on their back. Hmm. There might be a few situations where they can fight by shooting arrows from the sky, but maybe Ill try thinking of a bit of a gimmick. Laeva, lets try devising a bow into the left bracer. Ooh! That sounds interesting. We decided to alter the left bracer which holds the shield into a magic item with a bow inserted into it. By the time I finished the left bracers with a crossbow-deploying magic item inserted into it, and simple right bracer, Laevapleted the Light Wyvern Leather Armor. She works extremely fast now too. Afterwards, Laeva and I made everyones boots, and the Aligerous Tribes equipment wasplete. Now then, should we give these to the Aligerous Tribe as a present and power level them until they have the strength to search for the remnants of the old Sydnia? Previous | TOC | Ne xt Chapter 263: Leveling while searching Chapter 263: Leveling while searching After crafting all of the Aligerous Tribes equipment, what came into view when we returned to the Demon Continent base was Maria having a friendly chat with the spear group of the Aligerous Tribe, bagworm-ku` Bart-kun, I mean` lying on the floor like a worn out rag, and Sophia who was looking down on him with an icy gaze as if looking at trash. Uhh, whats going on here? this garbage was speaking ill of Takumi-sama with his foul mouth, so I unconsciously worked him even harder. I would have finished him off, but I tolerated it in consideration for Valkan-dono. ah, s-so thats what it was. Acts such as speaking ill of Master (Husband) warrants certain death. He should be thankful that he is alive. Even Marnie who was nearby was looking at the worn out rag` I mean Bart-kun with an icy gaze. Seeing Sophias and Marnies truly angry faces which they would never show me, yep, its definitely Bagworm-kuns fault. Just in case, I used healing magic on Bart-kun and distributed the equipment to each person. Now that weve handed out the equipment of the Aligerous Tribe, we were going to level them while searching for the remnants of the old Sydnia. Were dividing the party into two teams for power leveling and exploration, with Marnie, Laeva, Kaede, and me in one, and Sophia, Maria, Akane, and Lulu-chan in the other team. Each team searched the areas assigned to them while hastening the leveling of the Aligerous Tribe. Rearguards, preemptive attacks after the diversion! Vanguards, attack after the rearguard shoot arrows! Yes! After dispatching Team Sophia from the Ouranos, we made an effort to control the number of monsters in the monster nest were assigned to as we leveled our team. Amazingly, Berkut-san had the best battle sense. Even if she used a spear, or switched to rearguard and uses a bow, or handled the Wind magic that the Aligerous Tribe always possessed, the talent she had was the crme de crme of the warriors participating today. Rearguard, collect the arrows! Vanguards, split up and start working on dismantling and watching the surroundings! Yes! In the desert monster nest, they worked on breaking down a 5m long Desert Scorpion after defeating it. Having lived in that solitary ind, dismantling monsters was a normal thing for the Aligerous Tribe and their young warriors. What an amazing bow! It pierced the Desert Scorpion! This spear is great too! It broke through the hard shell! The young Aligerous Warriors talked excitedly as they looked back on the battle. Having had no option but to use the bows they crafted themselves until now, they seemed astounded by the bows and spears they received from Laeva and I. Well, though we call it a bow, what I made this time was a Crossbow magic device. Unlike long bows and short bows, it has the demerit of being incapable of high-angle fire, but theres no need for that in the Sky Ind dungeon. Incidentally, the deployable crossbow inserted into the bracer could use magic imbued bolts in addition to the normal bolts. Even normal bolts would be effective if against small fries, but for monsters after a certain rank, it wouldnt be effective unless it was a magic imbued bolt. Takumi-sama, weve collected the dismantled materials. Understood. Then the next enemy is 500m away in the 2 oclock direction, there are 3 more Desert Scorpion. Berkut came to report that they hadpleted the order to dismantle and collect the materials from the defeated Desert Scorpion. Also, before I knew it, Berkut had started calling me Takumi-sama. I was perplexed by how fast I gotten close to Berkut. I wonder if Sophia and the girls fine with it. You damn bugs! Attack without flinching! Yessir! Tsk. All but one of the Aligerous warriors attacked the primate monster, the Killer Apes, in the forest-type monster nest at Akanesmand. You fucking bugs! Cooperate, you imbeciles! Sir! Yessir! hey, Akane. What is this? With a bewildered expression, Sophia asked Akane who was in high spirits. Eh, you dont know? Isnt military training like this? be it in Yggurle Kingdom or Valkyra Kingdom, Ive never heard of such a thing done. Leaving aside Akanes wicked ruling, the training of teams led by Sophia and Maria were doing well. minus one person. Yes, wouldnt Valkan-san cry if he knew? His only son, the future leader candidate was the #1 good-for-nothing. Bagworm is hopeless nya. Its really just his mouth. So you understand my feelings too, Lulu, Maria? Lulu-chan and Maria looked at the worn-out Bart-kun on the floor with cold eyes. Bart-kun seemed to have a more conceited mouth than anyone else. And yet when ites to battles, he gets cold feet. Even when Sophia said that he should take the spear instead, he didnt yield the sword and shield. And as he caused trouble for everyone, he would repeatedly be worn out. Yes, again and again. Bart-kun, who wouldnt reflect, was ultimately branded as a bagworm by Maria and Lulu-chan as well. Good luck, Bart-kun. *** Chapter 264: The Idol of the Aligerous Tribe Chapter 264: The Idol of the Aligerous Tribe Everyday we searched for the remnants of Sydnia and leveled the Aligerous Tribe. During breaks from that, I was followed by Berkut in the multipurpose space of the base. Takumi-sama, please take me to the town on our day off~. Uh, well, that might be okay if its in uros. Really?! You promised! This sense of closeness with Berkut was entirely different from when we first met. Hey Sophia, what do you think is up with that? She has gotten extremely attached, hasnt she? Well, she must have realized Takumi-samas charm. Maria had her arms crossed as she agreed. Kaede who was mimicking that gesture beside her was cute. Im not all that sure but Fufu, it is not just the Aligerous Tribe though, but even the Beastkin, Devil n, Oni Tribe and the like have a tendency to be captivated by excellent men. That tendency appears to be especially strong in the all-female Subus n. The Aligerous Tribe and the other races were also like this, but in cases where the races of the parents are different, there was a 50% chance to be born as either race. And since its a 100% chance if the parents are of the same race, coupling with a different race typically doesnt happen. But in this harsh world, they seek strong, excellent males even if they were of a different race. Whats with that? Beastkin are prolific, so if twins or triplets are born, half would be the mothers race, so mothers are not too particr with the race of the father. Marnie, who was by my side before I realized it, informed me of the sense of values of the Beastkin. Perhaps because theyve been restricted to only their race for the past 200 years, she instinctively wanted to avoid their blood from getting any thicker than it already is. Sophia-san, what are you guys talking about? Its nothing. It was the one most like ourrade among the Aligerous Tribe, Berkut. The girl who was raised in a smallmunity until now must have been starved ofmunication with girls of other races, which include familiars, near her age. But you see~ the eyes of other people from the Aligerous Tribe are scary. Especially Bagworm-kun, he res at me with a scary face. Its okay even if you ignore that bagworm. Bagwooorm! Trashbuuug! Poopy buuug[1]! Kaede sang a strange song. Should I warn her? She looks like shes having fun though so, I guess its fine. Bart-kun seems to have be called Bagworm, Trashbug, and Shit-bug with Akanes horsey of a military training. I cant help but pity him as another man. There were other young girls aside from Berkut in the smallmunity that Valkan-san acted as the elder for. They were very young though. The young girls aside from Berkut were 3 and 5 years old. There was another young child, a boy aged 7 years old which totals to only 3 children. Yep, there was no other girl in marriable age aside from Berkut. She was definitely popr, huh. Berkut! Come here! Dont get close to that human! When she tried to talk to us, Bagworm-kun C Bart-kun stormed in, yelling. What is it Bart, stop shouting so loudly. Youre such a bother. Wha?! You are my fiance arent you?! Dont get near the wingless! I dont remember bing your fiance! Gah Bart-kun grabbed Berkuts arm and pulled. Ouch! You bastard, that hurts! Pachiiin!! Berkuts strong p hit Bart-kuns cheek. Guh, dont fuck with me! I am the next chief! Youre the one who should stop bullshitting! Who would make you the chief?! Whats with Bart-kun? Ever since I first met him, its like hes gotten worse and worse. I wish he would calm down a bit more. I dont hate him. Oi! Human! This is a duel! Eh? Me? Who else is there but you! Did he lose his marbles? Bart-kun challenged me to a duel. Oi oi oi, are you an idiot, Bart? No matter how much you try, you will NEVER win against Takumi-sama. Doesnt this guy only get his ves and familiars to fight!? Theres no way I, the next chief, will lose to someone like that! Thats not it, Bart-kun, I was in a different team. You havent seen me fight, have you? Fuu, theres no saving him. he deserves death. should I tear those wings off? Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! Sophia, Maria, and Marnie are seriously mad. If I dont stop him as I was losing my mind about it, a figure approached Bart-kun. Poopybug, you are 100 years too early to be fighting Takumi-sama nya. Poopybugs enemy will be Lulu nya. Lulu-chan posed with her hand gesturing to him to e on. You impertinent beast brat! Perhaps looking down on her, Bart-kun took a swing at Lulu-chan. Pugya! With a smooth, quick step, Lulu-chan got close to Bart-kun who tried to hit her, countering with an uppercut. Tiny Lulu-chans attack was just like the shoryuuken of certain fighting game[2]. Dosa! How stupid, you cant beat Lulu. It looks like my training isnt enough. Hiiiiiih```!! The moment Akane said so, the shrieks of the Aligerous warriors echoed. Akane in moderation, okay? *** Footnotes: 1. Ill censor to Poopybug for the younger chars. 2. Street fighter reference. Idle Talk 7: A day with Kaede Idle Talk 7: A day with Kaede Volton is an adventurer city situated in the border regions of Valkyra Kingdom. The Sanctuary appeared in the western edge of the continent when the Spirit Tree took root, and the Great Spirits of Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Tree, Light, and Dark had manifested. At that chance, a highway was rapidly developed, connecting it to three fortress cities constructed in the Savage Lands beginning with Wedgefort. As the city was rtively close to Wedgefort and connected by a highway constructed by Takumi, Volton was also influenced by the rapid development. Even if the rise in poption and economic revitalization that came with it were omitted, Volton had quickly changed in recent years. These were improvements in the citys environmental sanitation and the betterment of its public order. Normally, when poption increases radically and economy suddenly grows, the citys environmental sanitation deteriorates. However, that was not the case for Volton. The reason for this was that it was being cleaned by Takumis inventions. As for the betterment of public order Frankly, an increase in adventurers coincides with an increase in ruffians and criminals. Especially with the recent copse of Divine Empire of Sydnia and the war with Triaria Kingdom. The center of this continent had fallen to ruin. It was impossible for the surrounding countries to not be affected by the aftermath. Yet even with that being the case, the public order in Volton wasnt too bad. Margrave Voltons Knight Order and Sentinels were putting a lot of effort into it. However, there was another existence that contributed to maintaining the security in Volton. Kyaa`! Please stop! Hehehe, keep quiet. Well make you pretty, you know. Hihihihi, whats the fuss? After youre all dolled up, were only selling you to a whorehouse. A young girl was taken into a back alley in Volton, and was surrounded by three men with unkempt beards and wearing dirty leather armor. The adventurers active in Volton, such as Heath-sans party Lions Fang, were mostly respectable adventurers. Adventurers that do have a hand in crimes were being cracked down on relentlessly by Margrave Volton, as well as Guild Master Barack and the guild personnel were keeping a strict eye on them. Above all, the adventurers based in Voltons Adventurers Guild make an effort to clean up by themselves, further contributing to the maintenance of the public order. The ruffians who took the girl to a back alley andmitting a crime were blockheads who strayed into the booming Volton. Hiih! One of the men readied his fist to hit the girl, and the girl shut her eyes in terror. Bullying is not allowed. a, eh? Because the attack didnte no matter how long she waited and also because she heard a little girls voice, she opened her eyes timidly. There, she saw the men rolled in some sort of threads and had fallen over. And then, the figures of two more people in the moonless night had crossed over a fence of a store in Volton. Could you be mister thieves? The moment they erased their presence and trespassed onto the property, the intruders heard the voice of a child somewhere and they were instantly bound by something, unable to move. Thud Dropping then and there, the two became wriggling cocoons, wrapped in white thread like a caterpir. Mercenaries that fell into thievery since Triaria Kingdom was defeated had made ns to burgle Voltons #1 tradingpany, the Papeck Company. Even if a dozen ruffians broke in, the Papeck Company had hired adventurers specialized in security and used barrier magic devices, though it didnt mean that it left the intruders no chance. However, the men truly had no chance tonight. Ah, another bad guy. Need to beat them. The voice of a small child could be heard. Those whomitted crimes downtown were suffering the consequences of their actions, rolling half-dead over to the front of thepany. Oh my, Kaede-chan, youre alone? Yup! Taking a walk. Kaede-chan, lets aay! La~ter~! Although the Arachne Unique Species is designated as a cmity-ss species, perhaps because of her cute appearance, when Kaede walks alone in Volton, voices call out to her all over town. Kaede was permitted to walk freely in Volton, so she goes around stalls with the allowance she received from Takumi and asionally ys with kids. To Kaede, maintaining public order in town was closer to a stroll in her spare time. Hm? It feels like theres more baddies. When Kaede suddenly stopped moving and said so, the next instant, she disappeared like a haze from that spot. Then a cocoon rolled somewhere in town. *** Chapter 265: A Day Trip Chapter 265: A Day Trip There was a group of people of various races looking at the street with sparkling eyes. Takumi-sama, theres a lot of people! Iruma-sama, please teach us how to use this money! Iruma-dono, let us go to that stall! Today, we took a break from leveling and visited uros. Not only Berkut, but even the Aligerous people were in high spirits at the lively atmosphere in the port city. It was only at this time that even Bart-kun looked delighted as he observed the city. Dont get lost! Weve taught you the denominations of money! Dont waste it! Hey! You there! Watch where you walk! You can buy from the stalls, but dont bump into people holding food, okay!? When Sophia, Maria, and I spoke up, it felt like we were childcare workers leading children on a preschool trip. Since everyone looked worn out leveling while on the lookout for the remnants of the old Sydnia, we let them out into the city as a change of pace. Weve stocked up on a lot of meat and materials from defeated monsters too, so I want to sell it wholesale. uros is the only possible choice among the cities in the Demon Continent, isnt it? Indeed. Varguard governed by Intelligent King Guzhr, Rhodes governed by the Devil King Gandalf would be fine as well, but this ce has the most numerous races residing within it, and so having grown wings would not stand out. While keeping an eye out for everyone so they dont wander, we also enjoyed the atmosphere of the town. Akane, Lulu-chan, Marnie, and Laeva were entrusted with the sale of the goods. Given how the Adventurers Guild doesnt exist in the Demon Continent, there are butchers for meat and specialty distributors for other materials, so its absolutely necessary to sell it to them. Its amazing, Takumi-sama. There really are so many races. We have not seen anything but our tribe for a long time. Valkan-san, who was unable to escape the solitary ind and slowly declined as well as acts as the leader of the Aligerous Tribe where Berkut was born and raised, couldnt help but find the city of uros which had the most variety in races living within it enjoyable. Even the continent we live in has countries where multiple races live, so it isnt just here. The outside world is not all like this? In the continent in the north, the citizens of the Elven country are practically all Elves, the Dwarven country is also mostly dwarves. As for the Human countries, there are those that live with other races, and there are those that dont. Still, this many races living in one city is probably only here. Heee, so that is how it is. Im not sure if its because uros had the sole connecting port with the northern continent or if its because Queen Fraal was ruling, but this city has Subi, Devils, Onis, Humans, Dwarves, Beastkin and various races living within it. It was inevitable that theres no Elves. As they were an insr race by nature, those living outside Yggurle Kingdom as adventurers were recognized as entrics in the northern continent. But this town was properly nned and constructed, huh? Yes, the size of the streets and the division of the town were well thought out. A port city should be jumble of things, right? It felt like Sophia, Maria, and I were having a date for the first time in a while. In thisnd dominated by monsters, a small town that grew into arge city had to construct a new outer wall with every expansion, so there were several walls blocking the cities, but uros seemed to have assumed this form from the start, so its townscape was orderly. I think that there were cities in the old Europe on Earth that followed the process of expanding the town with walls. Ah, Akane-san and Lulu-chan are already waiting. Itd be scary to make them wait, so lets hurry. We had nned to meet Akane and Lulu-chan who were tasked with the sale of monster meat and materials at a predetermined spot. Hey, youre way toote, Takumi. Sorry, sorry. Did we make you wait a lot? We just arrived nya. H-hold on, Lulu! Although Akaneined as soon as she saw me, Lulu-chan was an honest child who didnt lie. Really, Lulu Ah, Marnie and Laeva also arrived. Akanes change of topic was easy to see. Have we kept you waiting, Master (Husband)? Takumi-sama, we negotiated the prices with all our might. No, we also just got here. And good job. Since weve also met up with Marnie and Laeva, everyone noisily checked out various stores and ces. The money from selling the monster meat and materials was distributed to the Aligerous Tribe, and after they were told to buy what they want, it was difficult to keep them from going astray. The entire vige of the Aligerous Tribe was self-sufficient and had bartered, so it was inevitable that they had fun with shopping and it might not be possible to lead them anymore than this. We promised to take them out again on the next break, and so, the preschool trip-like excursion ended. *** Chapter 266: Activities in the Sanctuary for the first time in a while Chapter 266: Activities in the Sanctuary for the first time in a while Takumi-oniichaaaan! The Cat Sith sisters Miri and L ran and jumped at me, clinging to me. Ah! Not fair! Catkin siblings Wappa and Sara, and Human sisters Colette and Shirona came running. Takumi-anichan, you seem busy these days. Wappa, the older brother of Sara, was thest to approach. My bad. Im here for a day, so lets y? Yaaaaaay! I yed hide and seek, tag, catch ball, and yed house with the children, forgetting about the time. Today, Im spending the day in the Sanctuary. I was told by Undine that it wasnt good to keep moving in the Demon Continent. The Spirit Tree, the heart of the Sanctuary as well as its symbol, was purifying the Earth Vein and thend surrounding the Sanctuary. However, the Spirit Tree was still in its growing process, and apparently, it would like for me to give it my magic power every once in a while. You are the Custodian of the Sanctuary and the Protector of the Spirit Tree, arent you? I cant help but do as the Great Spirits say when they say that. After ying with the kids for a while, we had lunch together. It has been a while, Iruma-sama. Princess Mimir, you look well. It had also be a luncheon with Yggurle Kingdoms Princess Mimir. Thanks to you, Yggurle Kingdom of these days has been erupting with waves of prosperity unseen in recent years. Well, there are a certain number that do not deem this to be a good influence, though this may be inevitable as the Elves are conservative by nature. The current Yggurle Kingdom, as part of a union of three nation together with Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom that manages the city near the Sanctuary, had increased the amount of trade with the two countries, and the countrys economy was invigorated. However, because the Elves were innately socially withdrawn, it was no small number that disapproved of the deepening of rtions with other countries. Its all sorts of troubles, isnt it? Come to think of it, what happened with that greasy un-elflike noble? Ahh, Earl Hordia he is the same as ever. He is the type of man that ignores Fathers admonitions as it all goes from one ear and out the other. Earl Hordia a problematic elderly Elf that had tried various ways to take possession of Sophia. In order to trespass into the Sanctuary, he recently made futile efforts to employ his private army and mercenaries to attack the barrier. Having plenty of connections within Yggurle Kingdom by earning an abundant financial backing through shady work, even the King was having difficulty dealing with him. As for Sophia, it feels like she would vent her anger when someone incurs her resentment, even me. Its a troubling topic. Takumi-oniichan, its time for ss so we go now, okay! Yeah, do your best studying. Kaay! The siblings and the children living in the Sanctuary spend 2 hours a day attending school. Its only 2 hours because even the small children like Miri have jobs. We must also give our gratitude to you, Princess Mimir. You had dispatched teachers and school personnel. Not at all, even Elven children were admitted as well. It requires no thanks. I built a school for the growing number of children in the Sanctuary, but the personnel was left to the Elves and the immigrants. Since we werent just artisans, but also adventurers and were currently chasing down the remnants of the old Sydnia, so they were entrusted with this. Ah yes, Father had requested if it would be possible to trade Sanctuary wine to our country, even if only a little? I understand. Ill ask the people in charge of the alcohol brewers if there is a surplus. Im an adult age-wise, so I can drink if I want to, but I dont know much about it. I cant judge if something is easy or hard to drink. Thats why Ive delegated anything and everything about alcohol in the Sanctuary to the experienced Dwarves and the Elves. Aside from the alcohol, the Sanctuary vegetables and fruits were also a big hit. Especially the fruits sold to Yggurle Kingdom. Even if they cost arge sum, they sell out in the blink of an eye. Certainly the fruits from the orchard that Melty-san manages are exquisite items. Whether it was the influence of the Spirit Tree or because of Dryas, the fruits collected from the orchard left to Elf Melty-san and her two daughters were the treasure of treasures in taste. After that, I visited the area where the mermaids live, settled some paperwork, and Sophia hade for me. The sun had sunk before I knew it. Takumi-sama, its time for dinner. Everyone is waiting at the base. Gotcha. Be right there. We came back to the base from the Transfer Gate in the mansion basement. To me, days like this are a good refresher. Id like to spend my days leisurely, just making things. *** Chapter 267: A discovery Chapter 267: A discovery We continued the search while also leveling the Aligerous Tribe, and their abilities wereing along well. Today, we made two teams of five from the Aligerous Tribe and three from our party then went searching the Demon Continent. The mobility of the Aligerous in the sky was as expected, and because we moved by focusing on the search, our investigation was many times faster than before. The six city-states of the Demon Continent, which includes uros, had conducted searches in their respective countries surroundings, increasing the number of unchecked areas on the map. At Berkuts proposal, we shuffled the members searching from time to time. I did not know Berkuts ulterior motives, but I think it was a good idea because the young Aligerous Warriors were able to gainbat experience in varied situations. Sophias Gloam, Akanes Ferryl, and Laevas Seru were also participating in the search, and though it was limited to grasnds and open monster nests, Tsubaki joined as well, so it goes without saying that we were making far more progress than when we were doing it by ourselves. And atst, we were able to find a monster nest that clearly felt off. I was the first to find it. Amazing, right? The ones who discovered the monster nest was Berkuts team. Then the pair, Laeva and Seru, said it felt off having a monster nest for human-type monsters. I feel dense magic power from the central part of the monster nest. It is simr to the magic power I felt at the cathedral of the Divine Empire Sydnia. A dungeon? It is likely so. Wa-wait, I found it first. Praise me, praise me! a-, yeah, youre amazing. Recently, its like Berkuts character had been crumbling. Shes no different from Kaede when shes like this. Did we receive word of discovering the remnants of the old Sydnia? It was then that Sophias team came back. Yeah, Laevas team had apparently discovered the monster nest. I was thinking of checking it out with Kaede. Very well. When ites to scouting, there would be little danger if Takumi-sama and Kaede were to go. While Sophia and I were talking, we heard a voice cut in. Sophia-anesan! Please wait! That was cruel of you to leave meee! tch. Sophias expression turned icy, and she clicked her tongue. Eh? Sophia clicked her tongue? That was heartless, anesan! You have no right to call me anesan. Not that again, please dont say something so cold! The person who cut in on my conversation with Sophia was Bagworm-ku` Bart-kun. Huh? Didnt Bart-kun like Berkut? I was puzzled, wondering why Bart-kun was following Sophia so excessively. Oi! Bart! Were having an important discussion. Dont follow Sophia-san! Berkut shouted at Bart-kun. Hmph! What is this, you were here Berkut? Dont be like you were here! Takumi-sama, the others, and I are talking about important things! Youre a nuisance! Berkut shouted at Bart-kun. Hey Sophia, whats with Bart-kun? He liked Berkut, didnt he? haa, recently, Bagworm has been in the same team as me for a while and ording to Sophia, unlike everyone else, Bart-kun who was the only person who chose the sword and the shield was often in Sophias team as she was proficient in both the spear, and sword and shield. To Sophia, Bart-kun who snarls at me was detestable and so she deals with him harshly. Nheless, for some reason, the harsher she was, the more emotionally attached he became. Umm could that be his fetish? Ugh, please stop. I am getting goosebumps. Sophia lookedpletely disgusted. Oi! Stop clinging to Sophia-neesan! While Sophia and I were whispering, Bart-kun realized this and this time chewed me out. Gon! Bata! Eh!? You embarrassment to the Aligerous Tribe! Berkut hit Bart-kun, who was approaching me, from behind and knocked him out. Takumi-sama, we must check the suspicious ce in the map. Lets go, Takumi-sama, Sophia-san. Ah, yeah, will it be okay? Leaving Bart-kun here? You dont need to call him by Bart. Bagworm is good enough for a guy like that. Berkut-san took our hands and pulled us into a meeting room in the base. Poor Bart-kun. Hes been downgraded to Bagworm even by his own race. *** Chapter 268: The Six Nation Conference +1 Chapter 268: The Six Nation Conference +1 The Varguard city-state is located in the middle section of the Demon Continent. Here, the rulers of the six nations of the Demon Continent gathered. Subus Queen Fraal who governs uros, Devil King Gandalf who governs Rhodes, Bearkin Beast King Guzhr who governs Varguard, Oni King Jairu who governs Schimihazaar, Lionkin Beast King Ryvar who governs Atropolis. Members who rarely gather together had assembled. Even the two Beast Kings that do not possess the spirit of cooperation had made an appearance, though with persuasion from the three rulers` Guzhr, Fraal, and Gandalf`, but this was likely because they were wary of a new power appearing in the Demon Continent. Moreover, that power could potentially be an enemy. So, what is that human male? Aint he just takin prettydies around? When I was referred to, the Lion Beastkin man who was probably King Ryvar of Atropolis made a pass at Sophia and Maria perhaps because he could not stomach me being here. The rulers of the nations, their escorts, and three Prime Ministers were participating the conference held in arge conference room. Sophia, Maria, and I were participating there too, but just as we had initially expected, while there were no problems with Queen Fraal, King Gandalf, King Guzhr, and King Jairu, the two Beast Kings` King Ryvar and King Deega` pointed piercing gazes at me. Ryvar, stop lowering even our dignity with your words and actions. Heh, though were kindred Beastkin, your head is obstinate, Guzhr. Even your brain is muscle. What did you say!? You bastard, you askin for a fight, Deega?! The three Beast Kings turned the atmosphere into an explosive situation. Stop it, if you are going to fight then do it outside! Devil King Gandalf scowled at King Deega and King Ryvar with his deep voice. Lets not let it get to that, please. Did we note today to meet? My bad, Fraal, lets begin the discussion. King Guzhr urged Queen Fraal to begin the conference. Well then, the fact of the matter is that the increase of monsters nests with only humanoid monsters that have be an issue of recent. However, I had been informed that the cause came from the northern continent, due to the believers of an Evil Spirit. I would like to state that we have identified the location of the monster nests and how to deal with it. Queen Fraal talked about the dungeon created by the remnants of the old Sydnia and the Evil Spirit in the monster nest we found. Making a dungeon have you gone mad? If the dungeon was created, could an overflow be done intentionally? King Ryvar and King Deega, whom had been quarrelling until just a short while ago, looked bitter as those words were spoken. King Ryvar and King Deega also understood. About the dangers of an overflow of monsters. They were individuals that lived in this continent which could be said to beposed almost entirely of monster nests, and so they understood the dreadfulness of an uncontrolled dungeon. it must be squashed. The Oni King Jairu who had been quietly listening to the discussion muttered so. Yes, if it isnt a helpful dungeon with resources, its a worthless dungeon that must be destroyed immediately. When the Devil King Gandalf stated so, everyone agreed. The monsters confirmed in the monster nest of the remnants of the old Sydnia are Goblin-types, Ogre-types, Cyclops and Trolls, and it is expected that it would have Undead inside. Orcs can be eaten so they are fine, but almost all of the other monsters cant be eaten. There are those that would be good materials for drugs, but even though our country has pharmacists, it does not have alchemists. Queen Fraal talked about the result of our investigation and the types of monsters derived from the data of monsters that appeared in the captured dungeon in Sydnias capital from before. The internal organs of the Trolls and Cyclops are parts that can be used as material for restorative medicine using alchemy, but unfortunately, there were no alchemists in the countries of the Demon Continent. We have our reasons, and we chased them to this continent because of it, so we intend to capture the dungeon, and shut down the remnants of Sydnia, including the Evil Spirit. When I said so, Beast Kings Ryvar and Deegaughed scornfully. Hmph, you all have a lot on your shoulders, dont you? I will personally lead my elite troops to destroy the dungeon. No, I will do it. Looking at King Deega and King Ryvarpete with each other from the side, King Gandalf made a proposition to me. Iruma-dono, it is much easier for you to move independently. As such, I believe our countries should dispatch a select few elite dungeon capturing units as well. Fumu, thats a good idea. I dont think we could cooperate with each other. It would be ideal for each country to send out an elite unit, and immediately destroy the dungeon. When King Jairu supported King Gandalfs proposal, King Guzhr also nodded, and Queen Fraal showed approval. If we can move freely, then Im ok with it too. Same here. Ill be the one to destroy that dungeon though. King Ryvar and King Deega also appear to have agreed, so it disbanded after deciding on the day and time of the operation. And so, in addition to our party, the six countries of the Demon Continent would dispatch elite dungeon capturing units. Surprisingly, the rulers of the six nations were participating in their respective elite units. They were the strongest power in their respective countries, so to them, it was only natural. *** Chapter 269: Strategy Commence Chapter 269: Strategy Commence It was a forest-type monster nest. In front of that monster nest, seven teams of warriors of various races eagerly awaited the signal to start. It had been a great deal of trouble to arrive at this point since the six nation conference. There were differences in the distance from the countries to the location of this monster nest. So as to not get a head start, the two Beast Kings` King Ryvar and King Deega` had stubbornly insisted on starting at the same time. Distance varied from their respective countries to location of the dungeon created by the remnants of the old Sydnia in the monster nest too, so it was necessary to coordinate the schedule of dispatching the capture teams, which was fine with us. We went ahead on the Ouranos and set a barrier up on the outside of the monster nest, establishing a provisional camp until all teams arrived. Berkut and the Aligerous Tribe would still be out of their depths to dive into dungeons, so they were entrusted with protecting the provisional camp. Haa, I wont say to make friends, just dont get into a fight. My apologies, Iruma-dono. Ah, not at all, I wasnt directing it at you, Ryuka-san. I watched King Ryvar and King Deega, who were on as bad terms as ever, re at each other from a slightly farther spot, and Queen Fraals close aid Ryuka-san heard me mutter those words. King Ryvar and King Deega arent truly on bad terms. they both just simply hate to lose I seeee, its a relief Queen Fraal is a good ruler, huh. Truly Beyond our gazes were the quarreling King Deega, King Ryvar, and their subordinates. I wonder if its because theyre both predatory felines that they repulse each other. On the other hand, King Guzhr and his subordinates seem to be silent. Id like it if thosergely-built warriors standing imposingly and reticently would stop with the horrible intimidation. Those gathered around King Guzhr were warriors of either the same Bearkin race or the otherrge-built races such as the Oxkin and the like. King Ryvar nad King Deegas teams were mainlyposed of Lionkin, Tigerkin, Wolfkin, and Leopardkin races Devil King Gandalfs unit focused on Devils, with Oni and Wolfkin scouts. Queen Fraals team was her close aid Ryuka-san, another Oni male, a Dwarf, and a Beastkin scout, then the rest were Subi. Only the team led by King Jairu waspletelyprised of Onis. It was said that this was because these members were always constant, which was the same team that would subjugate the monsters around their country, and the second reason was that many of the other races in their country had production jobs or civil officers. The teams led by Queen Fraal and King Gandalf seem to have good bnce. Indeed. There are scouts, warriors that could be shields, attackers focused solely on damage, support mages that can control the fight with buffs and debuffs. Its well thought out. What Sophia said when she saw the six nations dungeon capture teams was her honest opinion. the other teams are those, huh. yes, those. King Guzhrs still had one healer. Though you wouldnt think so from hisrge build. Moreover, he was a Beastkin so he shouldnt have been suited for magic, but he said he does it out of sheer willpower. I dont get what he meant. The Oni King and the two remaining Beast Kings probably only considered a brute force approach. This time, there are a lot of races with high aptitude for magic, such as the Subus and Devil ns, so we offered some of the potions we made. That might have been unnecessary for the team of brutes no, it doesnt concern me. Since the conference days prior, each nation made preparations and in two weeks, their dungeon capturing teams gathered in this ce. Unlike us who got here using the Ouranos, the teams of each country rode beasts and I think they arrived quite fast. In the early hours of the day each team finished preparations and had plenty of rest, Queen Fraals close aide Ryuka-san informed us that the dungeon capture wasmencing. Iruma-dono, it is almost time. Okay, then Queen Fraal, please. Well then, everyone, our goal is the destruction of the dungeon. Please put destroying the core as your top priority. Lets begin. Queen Fraal looked at her surroundings, and giving the order for each countrys capture team tomence the operation. And so, the six nation (+1) dungeon capture began. *** Chapter 270: The Strength of the Rulers Chapter 270: The Strength of the Rulers You all! Secure the orc meat! Ha! A total of about 100 soldiers from the six countries in the provisional camp set up outside the monster nest, and instructing the soldiers from their country to secure meat were King Ryvar and King Deega who forced their way to the forest as if topete with each other. It does not matter how much. Please exterminate the monsters. Understood! Queen Fraal told her troops so and they, too, headed to the forest. Ou! Dont fall behind to those from the other nations! Ou! King Jairu took the opportunity, shouldering an all-metal hex rod as he walked in quick steps. Then King Gandalf and King Guzhrs teams, too, entered the forest. Now then, should we get going? Yes. So were going, okay! The Aligerous Tribe will remain to maintain this provisional camp and to subjugate monsters. Right now, the leader heading the Aligerous warriors was Berkut. We headed to the monster nest after entrusting the camp to them. Takumi-samaaa! Please do your best! Sophia-anesan! Please be careful! Berkut, Bart-kun and theirpanions waved as they saw us off. The Aligerous Tribe were left with all sorts of golems used during the Sanctuary invasion war. The golems werent suited for dungeon diving, but they were just right to protect them from monsters from the nests. Berkut was given one of the Magic Bags I made. Inside it were arge number of food and all sorts of potions, so even if our dungeon capture took a while, theyd be fine. As we defeated the Goblins and Orcs that appeared from time to time, we headed to the strong magic power that we sensed at the center. It was then that Kaede who went out to scout came back without even so much as a sound. Master, the rulers are amazing. Theyre beating up monsters at the front. just as I expected. Since I was also using magic perception, I could sense the six groups defeating monsters while advancing at a tremendous momentum, but the rulers really were leading the way. We cant justg behind, now can we? Lets hurry. We walked towards the dungeon. All while taking only the needed materials from the defeated monsters. Oraa! Buhn!! A gigantic sword bisected an Ogres torso. Kukukukuku Your Majesty, you seem to be in a good mood. Yeah, this is the best. So much so that I want that human as my subordinate. Saying so, Deega gazed at his sword which had easily sliced through an ogres hard skin. Im sure the weapons he prepared are much better than what we had been using until now. Yeah, I had been proud of my old great sword, but now I know about this. Then Your Majesty, wouldnt it be a good idea to make him your subordinate? You idiot! You think I can make someone who might be even stronger than me into my subordinate?! He is deliberately suppressing his presence, but Im sure he is equal to me. Or he may be far stronger. Huh!? Thats impossible In our nation where strength is everything, being stronger than the ruler means a change in rulers. Theres no way he would want to be our nations ruler. Its like that. Lets go! Were capturing the dungeon first! Yessir! Lightly waving the heavy halberd that was made of magic steel down to its very hilt, confusing the monsters with Dark magic, and healing subordinates with the Water magic, Water Heal. The all-rounder Devil King Gandalfs fighting style was proper. I want to try the arms Iruma-dono made with the best materials. Yeah. Would he say these arms they made were makeshift if we asked him? I had gotten Iruma-dono and hispanions to show me their arms, but it is very likely that there is no arms of that degree in the Demon Continent. Umu, once this mess is over with, should we trymissioning one sword? what to do forpensation Compared to the halberd Gandalf had been using until now, the current halberd fit in his hand so well that it was ridiculous. The passage of magic power in it was also good, and the difference in sharpness was so much it made himugh. Shall we enjoy using these magnificent arms? Ha! Gandalf and his subordinates proceeded to exterminate monsters at terrifying speeds. Their expressions were brimming with pleasure during the fight. Simrly, Beast King Ryvar, Beast King Guzhr, and Oni King Jairus teams were supplied with high quality weapons, and the kings were enthusiastically exterminating monsters at the forefront. Even Guzhr, known as the Wise King, did not hate fighting. Manipting an estoc in her right hand and a main-gauche in her left, Queen Fraal produced masses of monster corpse. Protecting her back, the Queens close aide Ryuka killed several monsters wielding szas[1] with each swipe. Fraal was a magic user proficient with magic, but to focus on magic fights in the dungeon, she mainly fought with weapons as she advanced through the forest. The Oni Ryuka freely wields arge single-edged sword, capitalizing on her physical prowess. Ryuka, this is fun! your Majesty, paperwork is also important. I know! But moving my body suits me more! While piercing the neck of an orc that attacked in excitement from seeing women, Fraal answered Ryuka with a pleasant smile. With the effort of the six rampaging rulers, the capture of the monster nest progressed at frightening speeds. *** Footnotes: 1. A sza is the polish name of a saber. I have no idea if there is a difference with others. Chapter 271: Labyrinth of Heresy 1 Chapter 271: Labyrinth of Heresy 1 7 teams of elite warriors united and were progressing to capture the monster nest with intense momentum. We, the usual party members, werent babysitting the Aligerous Tribe for the first time in a while, so we were clearing the ce very fast, probably because we were able to move freely. I wonder what those two Beast Kings would do if an astral-type monster were to appear. W-well, we gave them weapons that magic power can flow through easily, so wouldnt they be fine? The two Beast Kings we were referring to were, of course, King Ryvar and King Deega. Their teams have no mages. They were given a somewhatrger quantity of Heal Potions, but in theing dungeon where undead are expected to appear, I think it would be impossible to get by with just fighting spirit. Lets believe they can use magic swords. Incidentally, the Oni Tribe has skills that can deal damage to Astral-type monsters while d in fighting spirit. When we cleared the forest, the six rulers leading their nations teams who looked at the entrance of the dungeon were surprised. To think a church all the way out here is the entrance of a dungeon For something like this to be created with the efforts of Humansno, they are no longer human. Its really stupid, isnt it? The human supremacists of the Light God Faith had stopped being human. Sophia and Marias thoughts directed at my shocked mutters were different, as they appeared to be disgusted by the spectacle before us. Lets go! Dont fall behind! Ou! Tch, were leaving too! Ou! King Ryvar led his subordinates into the entrance of the dungeon, opened the door of the church and entered. Then, not wanting to fall behind, King Deega followed right after. Iruma-dono, I thank you for the equipment you provided. It had a remarkable difference to what we have been using until now. Iruma-dono, we also appreciate the potions and expensive Barrier MDs for the camp. As we were taking a breather while we looked at the entrance of the dungeon, Queen Fraal and her close aide Ryuka-san thanked me for supplying equipment and much needed tools and potions. Iruma-dono, I would like to say thank you. This is the first time a weapon had fit in my hand like this. It can be after this mess is resolved, but if possible, I would like you to make a weapon with the best materials, Iruma-dono. It was then that King Gandalf approached. The halberd made for him was too heavy for a normal person to use, but it was just right for him, and he seemed to have taken quite the liking to it. Gandalf, leave it at that. Iruma-dono is troubled by this. Oh, sorry about that. It is rare toe across fine quality weapons in the Demon Continent. I had gotten excited without realizing it. Well, its not that I dont understand what you feel. My Estoc and Main Gauche and Ryukas saber were also magnificent weapons. Im happy you say that. Your Majesty, the other rulers have gone ahead. King Gandalf was called out to by the voice of a man of the Devil n who was likely his subordinate. Before we knew it, King Guzhr and King Jairu had also entered the dungeon. Fumu, youre right. Shouldnt we traverse this dungeon and destroy the core first? Indeed. We must eliminate the nuisances such as those thatmand groups of monsters in this continent which already has harsh environments even under normal circumstances. After saying so, King Gandalf and Queen Fraal checked their luggage and proceeded to go to the entrance of the dungeon. Okay then, should we head out too? Yes. Okaaay! Master! Upon stepping into the dungeon, just like when the cathedral in the capital of Sydnia had turned into an otherworldified dungeon, the first floor was cathedralesque. Butpared to the dungeon we had already gone through, the miasma felt stronger here. the miasma is dense. Its a relief that we distributed amulets to everyone. Indeed. It is clear that the amulet would be very effective. Considering what we could prepare when we capture this dungeon, we, of course, distributed enough amulets for the teams of all six countries. I dont know what effects the mind and body would have when exposed to strong miasma at extended periods of time. So, while it isnt a prevention, I thought to make something that could cope with it. Kaede, do you know the location of the other teams? Hmmmm, I know the Queen and Big Blue are near, but I dont know where the others are. Just as expected inside the dungeon, our searching range is much narrower. We can somewhat tell from the traces of battle, so lets search while avoiding those areas. Understood. We dont know which ruler is leading which team, but if it hasnt been much time since the battle, I can somewhat tell from the remaining magic power what kind of battle happened in this ce. We proceeded to move through the paths that the other teams hadnt been through as much as possible. *** Chapter 272: Labyrinth of Heresy 2 Chapter 272: Labyrinth of Heresy 2 When we explored the first level with Kaede and I at the lead, I felt a sense of mise from the ground. I think it was because of my experience with thest dungeon and my Insight skill. Hold on! When I cautiously examined the floor, there was a pitfall trap set in ce. Traps in the first floor, huh what a nasty dungeon. I took out the stones and soil we prepared from the Item Box and used Alchemy to create a bridge, then crossed over to the other side. I wonder if the other teams are alright. Each team has at least one scout, so I believe they would be fine. When we crossed the impromptu stone bridge, the dungeon swallowed the stone bridge. The dungeon swallows foreign matters. This meant that the intruders corpses and equipment, and defeated monster corpses are absorbed after some time had passed. Since we were in a hurry this time, aside from the especially important parts, we just stripped off the magic stones. Still, theyre all man-like monsters huh. Indeed. The first floor is all goblins though. But Sophia-san, dont you think that the goblins of this dungeon seem like theyre controlled even though theres no ruling species? right, thats unpleasant. Just as Maria had said, it wasnt strange for goblins to appear on the first floor, but it was strange that they were unusually under control. Though it wouldnt have been strange if there were superior sses mixed in with them. We got our bearings straight and returned to exploring the first floor. Our time with Heath-sans party in the Divine Empire Sydniasst dungeon had be a great learning experience for me. Even I had be able to vaguely know the location and type of traps. Perhaps because of her monster instincts, Kaede was remarkably more keen to the presences of monsters and trapspared to all of us. Now we werent having much trouble with the traps on the first floor. Moreover, what showed up were goblins. It wouldnt have mattered even if superior sses appeared too. We didnt explore the entirety of the first floor and were lucky enough to find the floor to go down within half a day. it goes down? This is the type of dungeon that spreads downwards? Its the opposite of what was in Sydnia. Lets take a break in the small room in front of the stairs before going down. The first thing I sensed when we descended to the 2nd floor was that the ceiling was higher. Even more so, it was different from the first floor. It looks like a cavern. Yes. Though it is still dim, its faintly bright. Sophia surveyed the surroundings, examining this strange space. There are dungeons that have no source of light where one must absolutely bringmps to, but there are also dungeon that are dimly lit by the walls and ceilings shining by themselves like this floor. And the fact that the path widened and the ceiling rose tells another fact. It looks like superior goblin species, or perhaps orcs would appear, wouldnt they? Yes, superior goblin types mixed with orcs would appear frequently. Orcs? Master, orc meat feast? Sure. I suppose we could dismantle the orcs for their materials. When Kaede heard the word orc, she looked happy and excited. To Kaede, orcs were meat on legs. It was then that we heard the familiar snorting of a monster. Fugo fugo Oh, they showed up immediately. Im go~ing! Ah, Kaede! We discovered three orcs at the turn ahead. Then, Kaede merrily rushed out. The first orc was decapitated without knowing what had happened to it. Ei! Using the wall and jumping, she then swung her w weapon at the second orc, and at that moment, the third orc was entangled in Kaedes threads. Yah! Kaede dismembered the third orc to pieces in an instant. Master! Meat, meat~! I get it, I get it. Ill dismantle it right now. Kaede, who killed the three orcs in an instant, waved her hand, asking me toe dismantle them. Reluctantly, the girls and I nimbly dismantled it, then stored the choice cuts and magic stones. Okay, lets hurry up. Ka~y! Master! We resumed our exploration of the 2nd level with the lively Kaede at the lead. The monsters in the 2nd floor were the higher ranking Goblin Mages, Archers, General, and Orcs in addition to the Goblins that appeared in the 1st floor had begun appearing. As always, we only took the magic stones from the goblins, and the orcs became food for Sophias Thunder Eagle Gloam, Akanes Luna Wolf Ferryl, and Laevas wildcat Serval Seru who were on standby in Kaedes and my subspace. The subjugation itself went smoothly, partly because of the levels of the monsters that appeared on the 2nd floor, and it didnt take much time to find the stairs to the 3rd floor. *** Chapter 273: Labyrinth of Heresy 3 Chapter 273: Labyrinth of Heresy 3 Walking onto the 3rd level, we couldnt help but be dejected, like Ah, so its like this even here?. The 3rd floor was like a single floor modelled after some ruins. With this being the case, it was likely that what would appear would be undead. Zombies and Skeletons would not spawn naturally in the Demon Continent where man do not live. However, this is a dungeon. Though the monsters produced by the core have limitations in strength, theres no restriction on the variety. Thats why it isnt strange for Zombies and Skeletons to appear. Kaede haaaates zombie smell!! I dont think theres anyone that likes it. Akane replied so. Now, when ites to the Undead, Akane was the strongest against them. Our party could be said to be exceedingly rich with party members. Those with the aptitude for Light Attribute Magic in the party were Akane, Laeva, and myself. More than just for recovery magic, it was also a powerful advantage against Undead and Astral-type monsters. Ah! What? Zombies? Perhaps discovering something, Kaede eximed and Akane looked around restlessly in search of the undead. Thats not it, you know? The people who went in the dungeon with us are heeere. Hearing this, I tried using wide area detecting magic and, sure enough, I sensed magic power that I memorized. Theyreing closer. I wonder if these are Queen Fraal and King Gandalf. The others didnt approach, but I detected the other teams exploring. It seems they still havent gotten that far away. It seems theyre having a hard time with Wraiths. Yeah, it doesnt look like there are that many people who have the aptitude for Light attribute magic within the Subus n and Devil n. I nced at Akane and Laeva, who were vanquishing Wraiths with Light magic Light Arrow so leisurely, as I said so. Meanwhile, Queen Fraal and King Gandalfs teams came over, and when we faced each other, Queen Fraal greeted us. Iruma-dono, would it be possible to lend your power until we are able toe out of this level? I have the same request. Skeletons, Zombies, and other corporeal undead are of no concern, but Wraiths require weapons enveloped in magic power. It would be too challenging for us to explore this floor by ourselves. Queen Fraal, King Gandalf, our party has several Light magic users. Since its just one floor, lets go together until we reach the stairs. When I said that, Queen Fraal, King Gandalf, and their respective teams looked at us in shock. the people of the northern continent are amazing. For there to be that many people with aptitude for the Light attribute. Yeah, our nations in this continent only have a handful of individuals that could apply the Light attribute. It seems theres a bit of a misunderstanding, but itd be too much trouble correcting every single thing, so I let it pass. Then let us explore this dungeon together. I thank you for doing this. And so we resumed exploring the 3rd level, but aside from the Astral type Wraith, the other corporeal monsters such as Zombies, Skeletons, and Living Armors were merrily fought by Queen Fraal and King Gandalfs teams. And so, we had a lot of free time. Guh, this stench alone cant be dealt with. I-indeed. it is torture for us races with five keen senses. King Gandalf of the Devil n and Queen Fraal of the Subus n were grimacing. The reason they looked disgusted was due to the weakest even among the Undead monsters, the Zombies. Thanks to their cooperation, the stairway to the 4th floor was easily found. And perhaps having realized, the three Beast Kings and the Oni Kings teams were behind us, as though we were the tsuyuharai[1]. When we got down to the 4th floor, what came into view was a grass covered in as far as the eye could see. Iruma-dono, it seems we have left the area of the undead. I believe it would be best to explore in our separate ways. Umu, Iruma-dono, I thank you. Yes, well, please be careful. Queen Fraal and King Gandalfs teams parted with us on the 4th floor, and we resumed our exploration. Its a grass field so wolf-like monsters might show up, but as expected, its still humanoid-types. Yeah. humanoid-type monsters have high intelligence, so they must be easier to control. We still had the room to be talking as we beat around the aroused goblins and orcs that approached. Since it was a vast grass field, Sophias Gloam, Akanes Ferryl, and Laevas Seru came out of the Subspace and fought freely. Since I also let Titan out, we were way too overpowered. Bugiiii!! Zashu! A small shadow weaved between the goblins and orcs at high speed. It was Lulu-chan who swung two daggers left and right. Lulu-chan is in high spirits. Yes, it looks like she doesnt want to lose to Ferryl. the onepeting with her is Ferryl. While Akane and I were talking, a group of more than 20 goblins and orcs were decimated. It took a while because the ce was so vast, but when we found the stairs leading down, we ended todays exploration and set up camp by the stairs. *** Footnotes: 1. A tsuyuharai might something like one of the people leading the entry of sumo wrestlers for the opening ceremony of a sumopetition(?). Im not too well versed in sumo, so I dont quite understand it. But the image I had in my head is like being led by the Pied Piper but instead of children, these are able fighters. Chapter 274: Labyrinth of Heresy 4 Chapter 274: Labyrinth of Heresy 4 The 5th floor was configured as the typical cave-like passages and rooms. However, because the width and height of those passages were wide and high, and the dimensions of the rooms wererge, it meant thatrge monsters would begin appearing. Once we went down to this level, we joined up with the teams of each country. It seems they were in need of extra potions, so we distributed mana potions, heal potions, and all sorts of antidotes to each team, and after a bit of a briefing, we switched our focus to exploring this floor. A little while after starting our search, Kaede and I almost simultaneously sensed the presences of monsters. Master, 3 monsters areing. Yup, theyre a bit big Ogres? Before long, 3 meter tall Ogres that grew two horns on their head, had huge muscles all over their body that were covered by red skin simr to those of the Oni Tribe appeared in the distance. Ogres and the Oni Tribe are entirely unrted, and saying that they were a cross between people and ogres was a horrible insult to the Oni Tribe. In actuality, regardless of whether it was an ogre or any other species, when monsters use people as seedbeds, monsters are born 100% of the time. As for the Oni Tribe, aside from having slightly red skin and the two 5-10cm horns growing from their head, their appearance was no different from humans. Meanwhile, the Ogres had mean, ugly faces, and tusks, which werent teeth, growing from their mouths.Gaaaaaaa````!! When the ogres saw us, they yelled excitedly and began running. Haa, why is it that when Orcs and Ogres see Sophia and the girls, their eyes change color? I readied my spear and lunged immediately. The tip of my spear pierced the throat of the Ogre grinning fully at the lead, and without confirming the results, I made a sweeping stroke aimed at the throat of the ogre running immediately behind the first. Its head fell. Then when I turned to check on thest Ogre, its four limbs were severed and it fell over. Uwaaa, that was merciless, Kaede. We cant eat Ogres. Yup, Kaede doesnt waver in her belief. Kaedes criteria was: Is it delicious? Is it not delicious? It was that simple. So, the way she handles inedible monsters was as horrible as we just witnessed. Takumi, is it fine if we just get the magic stones? Hmm, what to do were not short on money, and theres no material from the ogres that we want at this point. So were only taking the magic stones, right? Yeah, thanks. I answered Akane and surveyed the surroundings. The six dungeon capture teams, including Queen Fraals, seem to be doing well. They seem to be advancing at a good pace, fighting against superior Goblin species, Orcs, and Ogres as they cleared the monsters appearing in this dungeon floor. Incidentally, it feels like were encountering monsters even more now. The floor we are currently on was the 5th floor, and its likely that there arent that many floors left. At most, theres probably still 5 more floors. I guess even they couldnt grow the dungeon to maturity in a short time. Ogres appearing on this floor meant that the paths were high and wide. Thats why, with exception to Gloam who flies, the familiars and Titan also participated. As it could be expected, there wasnt enough space for Gloam to fly freely. Gaaau! Doga! Ferryl and Seru were in ted being given a ce to participate after four continuous floors. Titan also fought steadily as our partys shield since the 3rd floor. Titans defenses were unyielding against attacks by the likes of Orcs and Ogres. On the other hand, Titans giant fists beat the Ogres and Orcs to death. If this was outside of the dungeon, the monsters would have probably run away, but perhaps because of the will of the dungeon, even if there was a hopeless gap between strengths, the monsters wouldnt run away. Gooo`````!! Doga!! Sensing two Ogres in the corner ahead, Titan revved the Magic Jet Propeller on its back and glided on the ground over 20m in an instant, then its adamantite alloy fists collided with its target. Gusha! E, thats gross. Akane inadvertently reacted to the face of the highly regenerative Ogre being smashed in and dying. The other Ogre died shortly thereafter to Ferryl and Serus coordinated attacks. Its just right as an opponent for Ferryl and Seru. Is that so? I think they could go for something with a bit more bite. Nah, fighting to their utmost limit is way too spartan. Akane looks like she wants Ferryl to be much stronger, and wanted a stronger enemy for it. With Titan and the familiars participating, our partys exploration speed rose remarkably, and we were able to find the stairs going down faster than any other team. *** Chapter 275: Labyrinth of Heresy 5 Chapter 275: Labyrinth of Heresy 5 Im really d I requested for the cooperation of the rulers of the six nations. The lower floors starting from the 5th floor had masses of monsters, enough to overflow. At this rate, if left as they are, the horde of rampaging monsters which became the former Sydnias hands and feet would descend upon the monster nest and the surrounding nations. Currently, the six nations dungeon capturing teams were in the middle of clearing the 8th floor. Its the 4th day since we began storming the dungeon. No one has died yet. However, we did gather again so I could distribute more potions. There were people that got injured, but the morale of the rulers and their troops were high. Im convinced that all of them were battle maniacs. Also, when we reached the 8th floor, the variation of monsters that appear on the floor increased. Of course including the superior goblins, there were superior Orc species such as Orc Knights and Generals, superior Ogre species such as Grand Ogres, Trolls, Minotaurs, and a whole array of humanoid monsters. And even Undead such as Duhan and Living Armors also began to appear. Fortunately, Astral type monsters dont appear, so the teams of the two Beast Kings, King Deega and King Ryvar, and King Jairu were probably relieved. An abnormal event that happened was when we stepped foot into arge room. We saw the six teams ahead. At that moment, I had an unbelievably bad premonition, and then it happened when I called out to the teams. In the middle of the vast room the size of a baseball dome. Arge magic circle shone, summoning a mass of monsters. The room itself was the trap. It was teeming with monsters. A monster house! Takumi-sama! The other teams are running this way! Titan, equip your shield and to the front! Kaede, thread traps! Laeva, Marnie, Akane, Lulu-chan, to the back! Sophia, Maria, beside me! Yes! Giving out quick orders to everyone, we got ready to intercept. Sophia, Maria, Laeva, Akane, shoot magic to protect the rear of the escaping teams! Leave it to me! Yes! So as to not hit the escaping teams, we simultaneously fired off skills. Explosion! Oh Wind Spirit, nourish thyself by my power, devastate with thy wind des, Cutter Tornado! Fox Fire! Icicle Rain! Hundred Blooming Lightning Spears! Marias Fire Magic detonated monsters, burning a wide area. des of wind swept over the area with Sophias Spirit Magic, tearing monsters to pieces. When Laevas racial Fire magic was released,rge quantities of balls of fire rained down. Akane fired plenty of ice arrows, falling incessantly onto the monsters. Lastly, what I cast were hundreds of lightning spears. It aimed at different monsters and killed them. Dodododooooo`````n!! The ground rumbled and the dungeon shook. Queen Fraals team seeded in running to us. After confirming King Gandalf, King Jairu, King Ryvar, King Deega, andstly King Guzhrs team hade over, I asked Akane and Marnie to treat the injured. A third of the monsters in the monster house were dead or near dying, but those remaining climbed over the corpses to attack. When the monsters were 50m away from us, arge amount of monsters were suddenly cut to pieces. Kaede had activated her trap. Perhaps because Laeva and Sophia randomly casting their magic, Titan left its shield at the front. Maria and I situated ourselves just behind Titan with our spears. Haa, haa, you saved us. Haa, haa, we will fight too! Give it your all, everyone! Hah, hah, we will back you up! Its our turn now! support, to the back! Having recovered with healing magic and potions, King Gandalf and Queen Fraals teams immediately returned to the battlefield. Clutching their respective weapons once more, they psyched themselves up and assaulted the monsters. King Guzhr and his subordinates also carriedrge shields, so theyy in wait near Titan to stop the monster attacks. Queen Fraals team joined up with Sophia, Akane, and Laeva at the back to fire magic again and again. King Ryvar, King Deega, and King Jairus teams came forward with longswords and battle axes. King Gandalf instructed the rear guard of his team to join and fight together with Sophia and the girls, and he himself stood in the front line with his full metal halberd. We killed a considerable number of monsters with our magic attacks, but were still around 300 monsters remaining. The curtains of the hard fight raised. *** Chapter 276: Labyrinth of Heresy 6 Chapter 276: Labyrinth of Heresy 6 The vicinity was filled with the suffocating stench of blood. Bits of carnage were scattered all over the floor. Burnt, frozen, and cut up bodies were dropped here and there. Breathing roughly, not caring about the blood that smeared my body, I mustered my strength to swing my weapon and fire magic. The lower species of Goblins with childlike stature were marched on by thosergely built, 2m tall monsters. The bigger bodies of the Knights and Generals of the superior goblin species were torn apart and flew about like garbage. When Titan swings his ultra-heavy mace, superior species of Goblins and Orcs were equally met with gruesome ends. The Lion King and Tiger King wrapped cloth on their right hands so that their blood soaked swords wouldnt slip away, and wielded them in the front lines. Their respective subordinates matched with opponents, defeating monsters one by one. The Bear King, which wouldnt lose to the physique of a Minotaur, routed monsters with a gigantic shield, and his subordinates deal the killing blows in those opportunities. Brandishing a hexagonal magic steel rod, the Oni King and his red army smashed up the Ogres[1]. The bewitching Subus Queen cruelly defeated monsters with magnificence. The Devil King easily waved his long, hefty, all-metal weapon about. About an hour after the battle started, there were only a countable number of monsters remaining in the baseball stadium-sized dome. I was at a slightly distanced area from Titan, continuing to only defeat monsters. Receiving Kaedes support, I lunged, swept, and threw my Ice Spear. While my magic spear was out, Sophia and the girls supported me with magic. Just how many monsters were defeated already, I wonder. I used Spear Handling[2], Taijutsu, magic, and everything in my arsenal to annihte the monsters that poured out. Before long, the monsters cries ceased, the sounds of weapons swinging and slicing wind had lulled, the sounds of the monster ughter hade to an end, leaving only the sound of ragged breathing. Atst, I stopped moving and looked around. I swung my ice spear Ice Bringer once, and the blood cleanly fell from the spearhead. fuu, we pulled through somehow. I understood myrades situations using Magic Perception and Presence Detection the entire time, so I knew everyone was fine, but when I looked back to check on them again, it seemed this fight was really tough as even Sophia and Maria who were high leveled and had excellent capabilities were also showing signs of being tired. I approached Titan who was also fighting on the frontlines and used purifying magic to remove the blood on it. Good job, Titan. ԣ룬 裬 ͣ򣮡 Afterwards, I returned to the girls and used purification on everyone. Thank you for your hard work, Takumi-sama. Are you injured? Good work, Sophia. Im fine and dandy. I thanked everyone, distributed Stamina Recovery potions, and we drank it. Puhaaa! Ahh, Im pooped. Lulu, you okay? Im alright nya. Just like an old man drinking milk aftering out of the bath, Akane drank the potion with an udylike gesture and worried over Lulu-chan. Akane, who was a diligent student council president-type when we first met, seemed like a boorish old man recently. Marnie, Laeva, you both okay too? Yes, I was mainly supporting and attacking when theres an opportunity, after all. Laeva is fine too. While I was checking everyones condition, Queen Fraal and King Gandalf approached. Iruma-dono, we were saved because of you. We would like to thank you. Saying so, King Gandalf, who was impressive simply by standing in ce, bowed his head. Truly, you saved us. For there to be a such arge-scale monster house trap, it was beyond expectations. I appreciate the assistance. Queen Fraal and therge, taciturn Bearkin Beast King Guzhr also came to thank us. Not at all, Im d everyone is safe. Hah hah hah, what a narrow escape from death. Thanks, Human youth. Oni King Jairu moved beside me, patting me on the shoulder as he thanked me. Great moves there, Humand. Yeah, you joined the fray even earlier than us, youre better than I thought. Ha, I seeee. It seems that King Ryvar and King Deega evaluated my proactiveness to fight quite highly. After confirming the safety of all the team members of in the six countries, we who had recovered with potions were pressed for time to process the scattered corpses of several hundreds of monsters. If we didnt hurry, the dungeon would consume even the valuable materials. So before that happens, the dismantling and stripping of materials had to be divided with everyone so we could get the needed materials. Especially the superior Orc species, it was material that the people of any country was happy about, and the carcasses were dressed with glee. With exception to the meat taken from the Orc-types, magic stones were the only things harvested from the monsters, Among them, there were Onis that stripped the horns of superior Ogre species to process weapons, but because of the sheer amount of monsters, there wasnt enough time to strip everything of their materials. By the time the dungeon devoured the monsters scattered in the vast room, we were already preparing food. Today, it was unanimously decided that we would rest in this ce in an attempt to recover our stamina and vitality. Taking out the portable barbeque grill from the Item Box, we began rubbing some homemade barbecue sauce into the freshly dressed orc meat. I thought it was weird to have a barbecue in a dungeon, but it would probably take a while before monsters appear again, so everyone enjoyed themselves with peace of mind. Lets have a meal, some rest, and prepare for tomorrow, the final stages of the dungeon capture. *** Footnotes: 1. Typo maybe? it says ħ. 2. This was a skill that already changed Spear King Technique, and Taijutsu is already upgraded to Fist King Technique. Sphys Notes: Hello, thank you to Kifujin-san for bringing up that the trantion of ɥ˥ is not Sydnia but actually Cydonia (ԦĦئ?) which is in reference to Athena. It is also connected to Anat (Light God/Evil Spirit) as it is the Canaanite equivalent of Athena. So, please just keep these references in mind while as you read this. I will leave it up to the readers if you want me to change from Sydnia to Cydonia for all future chapters. To my understanding, the origins of the name do not actually have as big of an impact to the story, aside from some cool facts, so I do not mind either way. Chapter 277: Labyrinth of Heresy 7 Chapter 277: Labyrinth of Heresy 7 Having ovee therge-scale monster house, we had a BBQ party after it. As might be expected, alcohol wasnt consumed, but everyone still enjoyed the BBQ. Takumi-sama! The Orc General meat is super tasty!! Y-yeah, it is. Youre right, its delicious. But it might be a bit too rich for me. Takumi, I want fruitster. Ah, sure, I think I put some in the Item Box, so Ill bring it outter. It seems the superior species of the orc was tasty, and Maria excitedly held an Orc General skewer on each hand. Akane demanded a dessert as if it was natural. This is a dungeon though. After that, with everyone taking turns as the lookout, we slept like logs in that ce. The monster corpses scattered in therge room were now all gone. Majority of the corpses were abandoned, but after nimbly dismantling and stripping others, they disappeared as though the dungeon floor swallowed them. As a result of discussions with the rulers of the six nations, we decided to rest in this ce for a day. During that time, I would be responsible with the maintenance of everyones` the rulers and their subordinates included` equipment. It was fine even if we just clean ourselves with purifying magic and lightly check our partys adamantite alloy weapons and mithril alloy armors, but that definitely wasnt the case for the weapons and armor supplied to the six rulers and their subordinates. Laeva and I split the work up and quickly did maintenance on them. Though its made of magic steel, the weapons Takumi-sama produced are still durable. You too Laeva, youre now able to do maintenance without a hitch. While Laeva and I were working, Queen Fraal and the other rulers turned up. Iruma-dono, truly, thank you for everything. Umu, I feel sorry for having to burden Iruma-dono by not only the providing the armaments, but also with the maintenance. But it really helps. Queen Fraal and King Gandalf came to thank me for maintaining the equipment. Not at all, I made the equipment, so its only natural I do the maintenance. No, you human are too strong. Were being overshadowed. How about it, you wanna be my countrys king? Youre definitely stronger than me. You bastard! No getting a head start! If its like that then itd be my country! Eh? Eh? While Queen Fraal, King Gandalf, and I were talking, King Ryvar and King Deega began talking about some unbelievable things as soon as they came over, and even King Deega was saying simr things. Oi oi, just because the job of a ruler is so troublesome doesnt mean you can wipe it away by passing it on. thats right, you guys probably just dont like paperwork. It was King Jairu and King Guzhr who came to my bewildered selfs rescue. The long and short of it was that King Ryvar and King Deega enjoy fighting freely over having to manage the country. Just how muscle-headed could they be? Tsk, the nuisances came. Kings have a mountain of annoying work. Yeah. Try being like me being surrounded by a mountain of documents. No way, all of us are the same. more like, we work even more than you at domestic affairs. Despite being told off by King Jairu and King Guzhr, the two Beast Kings werent concerned by it. This seemed to be distinctive of countries where majority of the Beastkin that upy it were fighting races. Those two countries were always like that. Since the six rulers have gathered here, we decided on the n from here on. Every ruler agreed that the deepest floor of this dungeon was the 10th floor. It depending on the floors environment, but the passageways and rooms wouldnt be small beyond this point. If that is the case, wouldnt it be better if we each explore not too far from the others? I agree with King Gandalfs opinion. It isnt likely that there would be another monster house trap, but if we fall into another unforeseen situation, it makes a huge difference whether Iruma-donos party is close by or not. Its frustrating but its as Fraal says. We would have probably been annihted at the monster house trap if it was just us alone. Hou, this isnt like you, Ryvar. Dont poke fun, King Deega. Youre thinking the same, arent you? King Jairu warned King Deega, and King Deega shrugged as though to ept it. Hes right. I also think that were already past the point of moving around scattered beyond this level. For the floors up to this point, we all scattered so that monsters inside the dungeon could be annihted as much as possible. I have a feeling that its about time that the enemies, including the remnants of the former Sydnia, would start appearing. It would be difficult to cooperate all of a sudden, but I insisted that, from here until the lowest floor, we should think of it as training. If we rotate which team goes to the front, we could also prevent fatigue from building up. Wouldnt that be good? agreed. As the taciturn King Guzhr had agreed, we had gotten everyones approval, so once we confirmed that preparations wereplete and that everyones stamina recovered, we started the main event. *** Sphys Note:Hello, sorry Imte. I was unable to upload earlier because I had recently suffered through a lot of the side effects of my 1st dose of vine. Sorry again for the inconvenience. Chapter 278: Labyrinth of Heresy 8 Chapter 278: Labyrinth of Heresy 8 Regarding the result of our search from the 9th Floor, our attempt at everyone cooperating was the right choice. This was because the density of monsters was high, and our encounter rate was really out of the ordinary. It was a big advantage that everyone was able to take turns resting. The overall size 9th Floor was a lot smaller than the 8th floor, but the size of passageways and rooms were bigger in rtion to the monsters that appeared. And the issue was with the individuals who were the knight and soldiers of the former Sydnia. The meaning of why I said were was because it really was in past tense. I think its possible to deduce if Yamatos alteration into a grotesque being was taken into considerion. Yes, they stopped being human. How sickening. I dont want those things to be called Majin. King Gandalf swung his halberd from overhead, cutting a remnant from the former Sydnia vertically. The bodies of the knights and soldiers whom were remnants of the former Sydnia had been altered into grotesque beings, appearances of which were now monstrous. Those that had four arms, those that grew tentacles, those that sprouted horns, and those that grew thick tails. Those figures that they call Mazoku could not even bepared to the Devil n, Subus n, or Oni Tribe. What is a religious country with a human supremacist teachings doing by quitting to be human? Everyone nodded immediately at my unintentional grumblings. However, perhaps because the knights and soldiers-turned monsters were theirst line of defense, they were highly intelligent as former humans and they were able to fire the magic they once used as weapons. On top of that, they could even cooperate, so they make for exceedingly troublesome enemies. Ha! I deflected the iing sword that came at me from the side using the Ice Bringer as I was pulling back. The sword flew off the hand of the knight-turned-monster. Zashu! Not missing the chance, I plunged the spear through its neck, and the area around it began freezing. I swiped the spear sideways and its head shattered when it fell. Monsters with intelligence were definitely troublesome, but that much wasnt enough to stop us. even if they did be monsters, I guess it doesnt mean they automatically be extremely strong? Maria, who simrly wielding her me Spear at enemies while beside me, was puzzled. That might be so. Right, they may have gained strength, speed, toughness, and durability, but thats all. Indeed. Despite having high intelligence, they are clearly inferior to their selves from the time when they were human. Yes, as monsters who were once human, it could be said that they had higher intelligencepared to other monsters, but only whenpared to other monsters. They chose a path that could not be undone, losing their humanity in exchange for half-baked power. stripping them of materials is hard too. I think they have magic stones though. Akane said so reluctantly, and I totally felt the same. Even if they looked so far from human, dismantling something that was once human was very challenging for us. Ah, were only taking the magic stones, right? Laeva will lend a hand too. However, it looked like the only people who still thought of them as former humans were Akane and I. The other people present werent repulsed. I feel like I understand how Takumi-sama feels about it, but Beyond Sophias gaze were the figures of the Demon Continent groups securing the magic stones from the corpses of the remnants of Sydnia even more naturally than Maria and the girls. Pulling myself together, we resumed the exploration. The rulers of the six nations were leading their teams and practicing teamwork when we found the floor going down. Its a little early, but the next floor is the 10th. I believe that it is most likely the lowest floor. Thats why, even though its early time-wise, lets take a break and take it slow today. Were inside the dungeon so the flow of time is harder to grasp, but time-wise, I think wed be fine whether or not we proceed further. Still, if this was a game, itd be about time for the midboss andst boss to make their appearances. We have a lot of people too, so I suggested that we rest to be absolutely sure we are at our best. Youre right, we might not feel it, but our subordinates might be tired. Since the musclebrained King Ryvar said so and his partner King Deega agreed, my suggestion was easily epted. After that, having eaten and rested plenty, we descended the stairs to the 10th floor. *** Chapter 279: Labyrinth of Heresy 9 Chapter 279: Labyrinth of Heresy 9 The remnants of the former Sydnia, the origin of this dungeon, have settled in this ce, and weve finally reached the 10th level. So this is definitely thest floor, huh. Yes, it is a straight path from here. Sophia affirmed what I had muttered. The floors until now were caves, grasnds, ruins, and various sceneries, but this floor was simr to the Otherworldified Cathedral in Sydnia. Small rooms were arranged on both sides of the long, straight, and wide corridor. The teams split up and searched all the rooms. This floor also had plenty of traps. There were those that had been injured by poison traps, but all teams were close by, and they were able to recover using potions and antidotes. After some time, our party, the six rulers, and their elite teams finally arrived at a door taller than any before it. When I examined what was beyond the door using magic perception, I realized that there were strong responses, as though they were lying in wait. Could it be the boss room? I feel a presence simr to a Spirit at the farthest back of the room. but its a presence that could no longer be called a Spirit. Sophia red at the door with an intense look in her eyes. This was probably the Evil Spirit that Undine and the Great Spirits talked about a while back. Everyone checked their equipment, readying themselves for thest fight. I stood at the center of the door with therge shield-wielding Titan and King Guzhr to my left and right. When I looked over my shoulder, King Gandalf and King Deega nodded to say they were ready anytime. Lets go! I ced my hands on the door and opened it in one go, and we rushed into the vast spaceparable to the size of the monster house trap. So youve finally shown yourself! Boy who hinders our path entirely! Bellowing loudly is Pope Warvaal who we saw in the Sydnia Dungeon or was. There was one person beside him who kept their human appearance among the monsters and the changed individuals. I, Sydnias Holy Knight Order Leader Packard, will not let you go beyond this point, even if it costs me my life! Standing in the front line among the former Holy Knight Order, a man wearing an especially extravagant armor yelled and drew his sword. Colluding with beasts and demons, you are Gods enemies! We will destroy you until not even a speck of dust remains! An annihtion!! At Warvaalsmand, the man that was Head Magician Homer ordered the magic squad to fire magic. Homers appearance was that of a high-ranking Undead known as a Lich. A storm of attacks rained down. Titan and King Guzhr pushed their shields to the front, charging it with magic power to raise a barrier. I also deployed a barrier to protect everyone. Dogagagagaaaan!! The moment the barrage-like magic ceased, Akane, Sophia, Laeva, and Queen Fraalunched a magic counterattack. Im heading to the front! Without missing a beat, Sophia followed me when I broke into a run with the Ice Bringer in hand. Kaede also erased her presence, moving to protect my rear. While holding the front with its shield, Titan constantly charged at the enemies and fired his fists at the enemies using magic power. Then King Guzhr followed after Titan while blocking magic with hisrge shield. You bastards, put your heart into it! Ou! The two Beast Kings, Ryvar and Deega, ordered their subordinates then ran straight to the front like bullets. I charged at the monsters, whom were once the Holy Knight Order, gathered at the front with enough force to break the ground I stepped on, condensing magic power into the Ice Bringer and swinging it sideways. Guhe!Gya!!? Don! The knight armors worn by three Artificial Majin slipped off. In order to widen the opening I made in the frontlines, King Ryvar and King Deegas teams attacked. Please be sure to kill them! They probably cant feel pain! Ou! The former Sydnias soldiers and knights were reduced to monsters, but I am almost sure that they were given the characteristics of the previous Immortal Soldiers. If Im unlucky, they could have the strength of ogres. I instructed everyone to make sure to kill them. Buoooon! The halberd d in magic power cut through the metal armor like tofu. Making the most of the Devil ns abundant magic power and high physical prowess, Devil King Gandalf went on a rampage. Normally, he would be seen as calm, but in the end, there was no mistaking that even this King was a battle enthusiast. Gandalf smiled in the face of a formidable enemy. Hahahahaha! This is fun, oi! Swinging therge sword with all his might, he crossed swords with the former Holy Knight. Gan! Zaba! Guooo! The Lionkin were proud of their high physical prowess even within the Beastkin. Among them, Ryvar continued to polish his strength in fights and attained kingship. Within the country where the strongest was king, there was no one who could contend with Ryvar. Therefore, those that couldpete against Ryvar were the rulers of the other countries, Deega, Gandalf, Jairu, and Guzhr. Whos next!? Ryvar ran around to choose an even more formidable opponent. *** Chapter 280: Labyrinth of Heresy 10 Chapter 280: Labyrinth of Heresy 10Lunging with the Ice Bringer, I stabbed 5 in a single strike. Dobaan!! The grotesque, near 3-meter tall figures scattered like clumps of meat. Then, sensing an ufortable presence behind my back, I started running towards it so I wouldnt lose it. It was no longer human. A giant lump crawled on the ground. Yes, it was something that turned into a clump. Silver metal was exposed in ces and it had parts that were not so different from a monsters. Eat! It uttered no other words after that. It was no doubt a chimera. But it wasnt as simple as a lions head, sheeps head, and a snakes tail. It was like a cluster of random things jumbled together. Something there creeped its way towards Akane. Wha!? What is that!? AkanEEe! LEt mE EaT yoU! N-no way is that Akira? A-aKanE! cOmE LEt mE Eat y0U! Akanes body stiffened at the true identity of that repulsive monster. You okay, Akane!? Takumi! When I rushed in, I threw a Fire Lance spell at that monster. Huh!? The moment I thought that the mingnce pierced the monsters body, the spell disappeared as though it was consumed. Kukuku, isnt my work magnificent? It isnt simply a chimera. It is a gluttonous chimera that eats both organic and inorganic matter. That also includes magic. Kuku, can you defeat our greatest masterpiece? The Lich Homers words surprised me. Wasnt it you all that summoned the heroes!? Yes, of course, that is the hero. Even so, we had to maximize his usefulness. You! LeT mE EaT yoU! AkAnEEee! Gakiii! Using the Ice Bringer, I parried the monster arm that extended and swung down towards Akane. Get a grip, Akane! Ah! S-sorry. Kukuku, You are from the same ce. You being taken in and getting along would be great. eAt aKaNEee! Arms and tentacles began to grow haphazardly from the monsters body. This monster! The Beastkin warriors began attacking the monster. It absorbed the spears that impaled its body as though eating them. Dont get close to this monster! I sent the warriors flying to prevent them from being consumed by the monster. Takumi, put an end to Akira. Set him free from the monster. Yeah, leave this to me. Akane nodded, then she red at Homer and beganunching the Light attribute Holy Lance fiercely. Tch, thisss! It would be beneficial if you became the nourishment of the hero! The effect of the Light attribute on Homer who became the Lich was outstanding. Homer created a magic barrier while firing a magic counterattack. Leave the defense to Laeva! Laeva, who ran to Akanes side, suppressed the magic attack from Homer using a magic barrier. Laeva, lets defeat that Lich with the two of us! Understood! Laeva was in charge of defense, and Akane increased her Light magic attacks on Homer. Guua! Suddenly, Homers arm holding the staff danced in the air. Lulu, who erased her presence like a shadow and was waiting for an opportunity, struck at the chance when Homers attention was solely on Akane and Laeva, dealing damage using a dagger. Lulu! Get back! Yes nya! Homer, in his anger at having his arm severed, created arge opening. Atone for your sins in hell! Thence made of light that Akane fired had pierced Homers body. Furthermore, Laeva who was defending with a shield also joined in attacking, and Homers body was pierced bynces of light like a porcupine. Guoooooo!! Youuuu! Homer who turned into a Lich screamed with a voice filled with resentment as he turned into a bead of light and broke down. Gan! Gin! Kin! Shit! This girl! Dont think youll win with just a sword! I am much older than you though? The former Holy Knight Order Leader Packard could not curb his impatience as he swung his sword at Sophia. (Why? Did I, who had been blessed with strength from the Goddess, not reach new heights!?) Certainly, in terms of strength alone, his strength was likely much higher. However, that was all it was. Led around by the nose through speed, and with hisck of skill, the tables were turned with him caught in a dilemma. Zaku! Eh? H-how could this be Packard was ovee with surprise upon seeing a sword embedded into his chest. Aiming for the peak of the sword through wielding uncontroble strength and a body unable to feel pain, howughable. A, guh Sophia withdrew her sword and went to support herrades. Afterwards, the shell of a man who once wore a once-silver armor and served as the leader of the Sydnias Holy Knight Order tasked to protect the Pope had crumbled. *** Chapter 281: Labyrinth of Heresy 11 Chapter 281: Labyrinth of Heresy 11 (Just how many people and monsters did it take in?) With various types of arms and tentacles shooting out of the haphazardlybined mass and attacking me, I was exposed to the fierce attack of the grotesque Monster, so I had to switch to the defensive. As I was grasping for a way to attack the monster that regenerates even when its cut with the sword and spear and absorbs magic attacks, I avoided its attacks and counterattacked. (Rather than the magic not passing through, its more like it gets absorbed. no, there are magic that get through.) I stowed the Ice Bringer into the Item Box and, in the middle of the storm of attacks, I moved towards the monster. Repelling a tentacle attack that came from my blind spots using my gauntlet, I reached for that tentacle and activated a spell that could be called my own. Dposition! I discovered a clue in the tentacle that Ipletely destroyed. It absorbs magicunched at it, but the Alchemy skill Dposition! still connected. I had discovered an weakness, but it doesnt seem like I could make an opening. Since I was preventing its regeneration with Dposition, the Monsters sense of danger made it refuse to approach me. An ogre-like arm swooped in from outside my senses. In an instant, its ws came down on me when my reactiongged behind, and at that moment, Swish! A wind magic spear cut off the ogre arm that grew from the monster. Sophia Please concentrate on the main body! Im here too! Boom! Maria rushed in and cut a tentacle using a me magic spear. That was when I realized that the battle was tilting in our allies favor. Our side seems to have injured people that retreated to the back, but weve managed to keep anyone from dying. I ignored the monster w grazing at my cheek and carried my feet forward. I sidestepped the attacking monster arms, tentacles, and tails, then used Dposition. Shit, its turning into a battle of endurance. Dposed parts of the Monster did not regenerate, but just how many monsters and people did it absorb? Different monster parts continued to attack one after the other. Ah! Oh no! The moment I lost concentration, a human arm wielding a sword protruded out from the Monster and headed towards me. Just as the sword was about to reach me, a halberd swung at it in order to throw that sword up. ng! Im here to assist! Iruma-dono, I leave the Monsters main body to you! King Gandalf! King Gandalf worked together with Sophia and Maria, attacking in order to split the Monsters attention and stop attacks still aimed at me. LEt mE eAaa4aaAaaT!! Perhaps irritated, arge number of arms and tentacles shot out from the monster in one go, a scorpion stinger and thick dragon-like scaled tails began appearing violently. Kuh Despite the rapidly increasing pressure, I still activated Dposition even while attacking frantically. Quit your dillydallying! Seeing that the subordinates who desire power so much that they turned into monsters were gradually decreasing in number before his very eyes, Pope Warvaal did not conceal his irritation. You are a hero that took an enormous amount of magic power and time to summon! Make yourself useful to us! Having been driven away to an ominous ce where no human lived called the Demon Continent, they created a new base. Yet, the people that drove them away and caused the decline of the Divine Empire Sydnia had relentlessly pursued them to this continent and just as they thought they had finally built a new base with the power of their God, their base was attacked once more. It was inevitable that blood rose to Warvaals head. There was something that creeped at the exasperated Warvaals feet. Fwip! !? Wha!? Something is! EAAAaaaa4aAT!! What are you doing!? I am the Pope!! Leaving only shrieks behind, Warvaal was consumed by the monster. The Monster that devoured Warvaal pulsated and began catching the troops of Sydnia that had turned into monsters. Mo0Oo0ooRe! Eaa4aAt!! The monster that had cut loose of its bindings started to rampage wildly. Rear guard units fall back and support from a distance! Vanguards, dont get too close! The injured, fall back momentarily! Queen Fraal, King Gandalf, and King Guzhr jumped in to instruct their troops to surround the Monster. I alone faced the Monster. When I be unsure of my remaining magic power from the continuous usage of Dposition , I drank mana potions and used every bit recovered back into casting it more. To break down even a part of a monster like this is a lot of work, but perhaps because the Monster was originally a tattered being, its ability to resist the skill was weak. Ag4N3eeeEee! LeTs b3cOmeE onE!! The face of Akira which had surfaced from the Monster called out Akanes name. The exterior of the Monster had heads, arms, and legs of not only Orcs, Ogres, Goblins, Trolls, but also Wolf-type and Insect-type monsters haphazardly projecting from it, but its main consciousness seemed to be Akiras. I kept my strong feelings in check and exposed myself to the storm of attacks. Sophia, Maria, then King Gandalf and King Guzhr, and before I knew it, even King Ryvar, King Deega, and King Jairu were repelling the attacks that I could not evade. Akira! Well set you free! *** Chapter 282: Labyrinth of Heresy Conclusion Chapter 282: Labyrinth of Heresy Conclusion Damn it, why do I have the duty to send off the Divine Empire Sydnia? As I cried that out in my heart over and over, I continued to chip away at the Monster bit by bit. I sidestepped because my intuition told me to, and the spot I was at just before was hit with magic at point nk range. Damn it, magic from that close is dangerous. I brimmed with strength as I grumbled so. It wouldnt be a fatal wound if you use just a little bit of magic and physical attacks! Thank you very much! Queen Fraal seems to have used support magic that had buffs on us vanguards fighting. At the same time, she used support magic to cast a debuffing effect on the Monster. Ora! Ora! Oraaaa!! Wieldingrge swords with their huge bodies, King Ryvar and King Deega jumped in to cut thee arms and tentacles of the Monsters in such a fierce attack that it doesnt have enough time to recover. Waon! Gan! Doga! Swinging the all metal hexagonal rod, King Jairu blocked the iing attacks. As an Oni, he has a technique to manipte the fighting spirit obtained by having a high physical capabilities and low aptitude for magic. He used that to envelop his weapon. Akane and Laeva, please treat the everyone! Leave it to us! Understood! At Sophias instructions, Akane and Laeva took over healing everyone fighting in the frontlines using healing magic. Doga!! The two 3 meter tall giants, Titan and King Guzhr, blocked the Monsters attacks using Super Heavy Shield Bash, and dealt attack with their enormous weapons? Thanks to the rulers of the six countries and their elite subordinates, Sophia, Maria, Akane, Laeva, Kaede, and Titans support, the pressure from the Monsters attacks abated, and I dished out Dposition more than ever before. Guoooooooo!! The Monsters arms and tentacles, tails, and feet were chopped off in the frenzy of attacks from the girls and the rulers, and its main body was in tatters from being broken down because of my use of alchemy. It was then that I felt several magic stones inside the Monster. It was likely the magic stones of the monsters it absorbed. (It might not be possible for the people taken in, but if the Monster loses the magic stones that became its core, wouldnt it be unable to maintain its body?) I activated Dposition on the area close to where I sensed a response from the magic stones in its body. Gyaaaaaa````!! Shrieks came from the multiple mouths of the Monster, and a chunkrger than ever before broke down. GuoOooOo!! Donte close! You filthy beasts of monster ancestry! I am Pope Warvaal!!! The face of Pope Warvaal who had been absorbed by the Monster emerged, he raised his voice in anguish, and even now, he threw scornful words at the Beastkin, Devils, Onis, and Subi. I dont think someone who turned into a monster can say that! I grabbed the forehead of Pope Warvaal, who rose to the surface, and activated Dposition.. Gyaaaaaaaaaa``!! Leaving only an agonizing screaming, the old man who was once rose to be the Pope of a country in the center of a continent was dposed into oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen, disappearing from this world. aGaneeE``! sAveE m3e``! Ugh! The leadership of the Monster was moved to Akira, and Akiras face surfaced, shouting at Akane to be saved. Takumi! Let him be at peace already! UwaaAaaAa``!! I gave up on evading when I heard Akanes heart breaking voice and ced both hands on the Monster. I gathered all my magic power and casted Dposition. Gyaaaaaaaa````!! The monsters body actively broke down. We could hear the death cries of multiple creatures, the remnants of the former Sydnia, and Akira who were absorbed by the Monster as the disintegration that started from its bodys surface began to spread into its entire body until, eventually, only several magic stones were left behind on the dungeon floor. Haa, haa, youre thest one. We pushed our tired bodies and looked at thest remaining figure. Kneel, you irreverent fools who dare defy our Goddess! Your numerous acts are unpardonable to our Goddess! The voice uttered by the Princess whose body was upied by the Evil Spirit had just that much pressure. Kuh, so its a spirit no matter how corrupt it had be? Then try this on for size! I threw something at the entity that was once Princess Elizabeth. !? You! What did you do!? All of a sudden, the movements and magic power of the woman were restricted and she shrieked. I had an item from the Great Spirits which I held onto for this moment. It would be difficult to destroy the Spirit during battle. That was why the Great Spirits had entrusted me with a Sealing Stone. Takumi, good job. Leave the rest to us. Undine, Sylph, Dryas, Gnome, Selene, Nyx, and Smander appeared all around Elizabeth who was unable to move. You! You Spirits dare defy a Goddess!? Pitiful child start over from the beginning as a wandering Spirit without a will. The Great Spirits held their hands over the foul-mouthing Elizabeth. Just as I thought the outline of Elizabeth grew blurry as she was engulfed in light, that light grew into a smaller and smaller lump. Undine held that small light in her hand and she thanked us. Takumi, and the inhabitants of the Demon Continent. Our kin had caused you trouble. The sudden appearance of the Great Spirits and the subsequent events had dumbfounded the rulers of the Demon Continent. Then, upon processing that the Great Spirits were before their very eyes, they simultaneously kneeled on the spot. It looked like the Great Spirits were objects of faith even to the inhabitants of the Demon Continent. A bitter on, once they recovered, we escaped the dungeon with the Great Spirits power. For as long or short it was, whichever the case, our adventure between two continents was marking its end. *** Chapter 283: Good Work Chapter 283: Good Work Undines voice called out to me, who was lost in my strong emotions. Takumi, this child, the core of this dungeon, is now gone, so it would be best to escape this dungeon quickly. Eh!? Undine, that is too inadequate. Takumi granted our request. Its just as Sylph says. We will teleport you to the outside. Just as Smander stated so, light engulfed everyone on the floor, and in the next instant, we were outside the dungeon. Whats that in your hand, Undine? This child is a Wandering Spirit that barely has any power now. After several decades and months, it will be a low ranking Spirit with its own ego. It would take hundreds of years for it to be a mid-ranking then high-ranking Spirit. This time, we will keep watch of it by our side so that it does not distort to peoples wills. Well, to begin with, it would not have any recollection of falling to evil. Gnome looked at the the wandering Spirit in Undines hand with pity. M-may I have a moment, Iruma-dono? While I was talking to the Great spirits, Queen Fraal timidly spoke to me. Yes? May I help you? U-umm, are these personages truly the esteemed Spirits? We are able to discern that they are not normal, however Everyone from the Demon Continent were equally as puzzled, and Queen Fraal seemed to have felt the same. I guess that would be the case, beings that suddenly appear on the lowest floor of a dungeon, where that normally is not be possible, would bring about such a presence. Additionally, those presences which the rulers and their subordinates kneeled to had teleported them out of the dungeon, so Inhabitants of this continent. As had been stated previously, our subordinate no` our fellow Spirit appeared to have caused you trouble. We thank you for resolving it before it turned into something major. Takumi, please do the rest. Ah! Undine! No sooner than saying so, Undine disappeared with the wandering Spirit. At the Sanctuary then, okay? Wa-wait, Sylph! Sylph disappeared after Undine, and the remaining Great Spirits also left one after the next. Ahh, these guys left everything to other people. Exining things is too troublesome, so they pushed that onto me. What happened after was just terrible. Even though we were all tired from clearing the dungeon, not only Queen Fraal, but even King Ryvar and King Deega had a different look in their eyes as they pressed me for answers. While I frantically exined, Maria and Marnie began preparing meals. Laeva, Akane, and Lulu-chan also helped to cook. Sophia, of course, was on the lookout for monsters in the surroundings. Perhaps sleepy, Kaede used Ferryl as a pillow and slept peacefully. Takumi-saaaamaaaa!! Gloam who stayed behind, had informed Berkut-san and the Aligerous Tribe who were protecting the provisional camp. I heard Berkut call out to me loudly. Did you encounter monsters in the forest? Gloam was here, and we also fought! The excited Berkut who came flying at low altitude just about hugged me as she tried to talk about their time in the provisional camp. No! Iruma-dono, you have not finished exining. Hmm, youre right. The Spirits a while ago were definitely the Great Spirits ruling the attributes whom had manifested. Well, how do I say this, we met by chance, and they entrusted this matter to me. While I was exining the request from the Great Spirits to the rulers, I learned that Spirits are recognized, or more precisely, revered in this continent. The Genesis Faith had not spread to this continent. Nor had any other religion been established. Each race had their own beliefs, whether it be something natural, or that of a great hero of bygone days. To us who live in this harsh continent, Spirits are beings equal to gods. Thats right, and they were the esteemed Great Spirits that had manifested, you know? Even King Ryvar excitedly continued after Queen Fraal. Umu, this is no different to us Devil n and the Oni Tribe. Is it that their faith in nature and animism are equal? But please dont worry, Norn-sama. Even this continent, the Goddess of Creation is you as well. If this was a request from the Great Spirits, our six nations would have cooperated with no expense spared. Umm, well, they were also opponents tied to us, so Master (Husband), meal preparations are done. Ah, okay, well be there soon. Now then, lets go together Queen Fraal. Just as Queen Fraal had, for some reason, start to pester me for not talking about the Great Spirits, Marnie called with great timing. In addition to our party members, the six rulers and their subordinates, Berkut and the Aligerous Tribe had a feast in recognition of everyones efforts. The dinner party was near the heart of the monster nest, but thanks to the monsters being hunted to exhaustion, and the sudden drop in mana because of the dungeons destruction, this monster nest barely had any monsters. We have to search for Berkut and the Aligerous Tribes old home, the Sky Ind, but we can rx for a little bit, cant we? *** Chapter 284: Return to Everyday Life Chapter 284: Return to Everyday Life Therge banquet called the Dinner Party at the Center of the Monster Nest went on until the morning of the next day. We had Berkut and the Aligerous Tribe rest up at the base we built in the Demon Continent for the time being, and we returned to the Sanctuary. Fuaah, its been so long since I slept soundly. Good morning, Master (Husband). Perhaps because I slept in my soft bed in the Sanctuaryst night, I was able to sleep like a baby. When I went down to the 1st floor while stretching, Marnie brought me my breakfast. She timed that perfectly. Good morning, Marnie. Fuwaa~ Good morniiing~ Morning, Kaede. Kaede rubbed her eyes sleepily as she came down. She plopped herself onto the chair made especially for her and waited for breakfast toe. Good morning, Takumi-sama. Im sorry for beingte. Hmmm~ Good morning, Takumi-sama. Just as Sophia and Maria who rarely ever woke upter than I sat down, Lulu-chan carried breakfast over and started eating. Are Laeva and Akane still sleeping? Akane-sama wouldnt wake up even when I tried. I think Laeva-san wille down soon nya. Waking Akane up would be fine, but after having to send off two of her friends, she must be mentally tired. We should let her sleep. Laeva, on the other hand, went to the workshop as soon as we came back. She was probably itching to study something using Alchemy and magic circles because of a bacsh from all the fighting in the magic continent recently. Even I want to devote myself to producing things for a while. We arent in a rush now, so I feel everyone, starting with myself, should have a bit of ck. Good work, Takumi. I appreciate your efforts. Ara, that looks delicious. I will prepare it immediately. Therge number of individuals that said words of gratitude to us and sat on the wide dining table so naturally were the three Great Spirits Undine, Sylph, and Dryas. So? What are you doing with that kid? Ahh, its power fell to that of a Wandering Spirit, so it will spend its time by the Spirit Tree until it bes a low ranking Spirit. Is that gonna be fine? Yes, it will be fine as long as its by our side. The Evil Spirit which was corrupted by the Divine Empire of Sydnia and obtained greatly distorted power had lost practically all of that power and became a Wandering Spirit. Curious as to what happened to it afterwards, I asked Undine, and she gave her assurance that it would be fine as long as it existed within this Sanctuary. Still, we had troubled you all greatly this time. Nu uh, at the very beginning, that Human country worshipped a strange god and that Spirit was dragged into it and mistakenly got distorted, so neither of you are in the wrong. I dont know if it was because the Spirit wanted to be a God, or if a group of bad people gathered power and worshipped the Spirit as a God. No, at the very least to Akane and those boys, that child and those who worshipped it had caused them distress. At that time, I nced at Akane who had woken up a lotter than normal and was walking down, and she had aplicated expression. She looked cheerful, but she was probably thinking about having been unable to save her two ssmates. Moreover, while Norn-sama had rendered any future hero summoning magic circle unusable, the hero summoning that had already been performed was apparently also the influence of the Evil Spirit. So the summoning really was rted to the power of the Spirits? There was not much direct involvement, but that power was most certainly used. An absurd spell that crossed time and space was activated because of abination of magic power from the Earth Vein and the atmosphere collected over several years and the Evil Spirit. Serious topics were dropped after that, then everyone noisily finished breakfast and I moved to the living room to drink tea while spending my time rxing. The Divine Empire Sydnias actions that derailed Akane and her ssmates school lives were unforgivable, but we werent inclined to destroy the Wandering Spirit that had no more ego. Well, if I had to talk about those dragged into it, it would also include me, but Ive more or less already settled in to this world. Berkut and the chief of the Aligerous tribe have said that it is fine even if we dont hurry with looking for the Sky Ind. Well, they did also say that a few more years would be a mistake. Since its like that, lets enjoy creating things and adventuring while making improvements on the Ouranos. *** Chapter 285: Nominated Quest Chapter 285: Nominated Quest A few days after returning to the Sanctuary, I came back to our house in Volton. Long absences harm the house, after all. And for the first time in a long time, I headed to the Adventurers Guild with Sophia to take a quick peek at it. As soon as we entered the guild, Hans-san beckoned us over. Its been a really long time. Sorry about that, Hans-san. Weve been really busytely. How have things been? Yeah, there havent really been anything problematic. With thepletion of the city and forts aside from Volton and Wedgefort, business was good thanks to the traffic from adventurers and merchants from neighboring countries, and the adventurers wandering in increased as well. It would appear that Volton City was also booming. Even when it came to monsters, he said that there hadnt been a need to summon high ranking adventurers. Takumi-kun, a nominated quest came from the feudal lord for you. A nominated quest from the Margrave? What I learned from Hans-san was that it wasnt a subjugation request, but a request rted to this city from Margrave Volton. It would have been preferable if you heard it from the Margrave himself, but its about the expansion of this city. An expansion? Yeah, thats right. You might have also noticed this, but the Volton as ofte has been troubled with theck ofnd because of the rise in poption. Well, its true that the influx of liberated ves from the former Divine Empire of Sydnia are also affecting it too I knew that with the fall of the former Divine Empire of Sydnia, the undeservedly abducted Elves, Dwarves, and Beastkin who were turned to ves for being subhumans were being set free and that arge influx of those former ves and refugees were going to the countries except for Triaria Kingdom. Even if you take it on or reject it, could you at least listen for a bit? No, its a nominated request from Margrave Volton, its not something that I can just decline. Not really, arent you an important person, Takumi-kun? Theres no country that trades with the Sanctuary that would dare to offend you. The wine made in the Sanctuary is the best. That whiskey thing, its too strong for me but thats popr too. And thepetition in the Commerce Guild to obtain even a little bit of that brandy and rum is intense. Thanks to the cooperation and passion of the Elves and Dwarves, the alcohol that originated in the Sanctuary which includes wine, whiskey, brandy, and rum were produced as high quality goods. It would normally require maturation, but that issue was cleared because of Dryas and Gnomes magic and Smander pointlessly cheering them on. Honestly, it would be nice if there was enough to consume in the Sanctuary alone. The Great Spirits and Dwarves consume quite a lot. The amount probably wouldnt increase anytime soon, of course, but as a low-wage worker, I hope it does get better. Ha, haha, Ill pass that along. Sophia and I left the guild after greeting and chatting with Hans-san, then we headed to the castle which was Margrave Voltons residence. Both sides of the street held open-air markets. This was also prospering more than in previous years as an effect of the boom. Nobles and merchants would probably use carriages, but it would be too conspicuous for someone like me to move around the city in one. Together with Sophia, we walked leisurely on the road to the Margraves residence. Its great having dates like this every once in a while. My my, it has been a very long time, Iruma-dono. I am d that you seem to be doing well. Xervus-san, its great to see you too. It was Margrave Voltons chambein, Xervus-san, who came to greet us. He personally came to us when the sentinel protecting the gate informed them of our arrival and guided us to the parlor. Ohh, Iruma-dono, long time no see. Since Margrave Godwin Volton came in a little while after we were guided into the room, the two of us were about to stand up from the sofa when he gestured us not to while smiling and greeting us. Margrave Volton, it has been a long time. Now now, lets drop the formalities. I would like to discuss the details of the nominated request immediately. The details of the request was to assist with the expansion of Volton City for its rapid increase in poption. Since he already knew about my Earth magic because of the construction of the forts and Wedgefort, his request was no mystery. It has been booming everywhere recently. We havent been able to gather Earth mages because of that. When ites to expanding the walls of a city, it isnt entirely impossible for normal mages, but it isnt feasible with a small group. In that respect, those that could use Earth Magic besides me were Maria and Titan. And how big will you expand it? Umu, take a look at this. Margrave Volton unrolled a blueprint onto the table. I would like for the wealthy district on the north to remain unchanged, the south side to expand 200m, and another 200m on the west side.. It would expand quite a bit if the citys south and west side each adjust 200m. Understood. Would it be fine to keep the structure of the walls as they are? Yeah, thats no problem. Very well. I will start tomorrow. Umu, I appreciate it. After a bit of chatting, we boarded the carriage that Xervus-san had prepared and returned to our Volton mansion. *** Note: Hello! I have to get my 2nd vine shot tomorrow, and I am already expecting to have bad reactions again. So, I hope you could be understanding if I do end up missing the update day. Ill try to make up for it on a different day if I must. Chapter 286: Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 286 Wall expansion Chapter 286: Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 286 Wall expansion Iruma-dono, the wall over here please. Got it. Maria, Titan, and I raised walls on the area indicated by a civil official from Margrave Voltons family using Earth magic. The earth rumbled and the ground raised, creating an adequate wall that looked out onto the the Savage Lands [1] . The citys two sided expansion would have been arge construction project if it werent for us. It was work that would take a lot of time even with several tens of Earth mages. Maria and I were capable of building one side in several days while chugging down mana potions. even so, Iruma-dono, your partys Earth magic is nonsensical. The civil official holding the blueprint in hand looked astounded, shaking his head as he watched Maria, Titan, and I build the wall at a quick pace. Will this moat be filled with water? no, we nned for it to be a dry moat. A moat formed on the exterior part of the wall that was being built. Titan hardened that moat. Takumi-sama, would it be alright to let Gloam y? While we were working, Sophia who always came with me as my escort had asked if it was alright for Gloam, her Thunderbird familiar, to go out. Ah, then my Ferryl too, okay? Sure, as long as they behave. Let them out of the Subspace then. Since even Akane who rarelyes along said she wants to let Ferryl, her Luna Wolf familiar, y, I had to let it out together with Gloam. So as soon as that happened, Akane was already engrossed with ying with Ferryl. Lulu-chan also ended up ying with a ball with Ferryl near where we work. Im sorry. no, if a familiar asrge as that is nearby, monsters in the vicinity would likely not approach. When I apologized to the civil official, his lips were more or less twitching as he said that it was no problem. Akane was finally returning to being lively. With Akira and Yamatos deaths, Akane was a bit depressed that the only pure Japanese left in this world was her. I had already talked to her about how I was formerly Japanese and had lost my body when I was dragged into the summoning then was reincarnated by Norn-sama, but maybe it was because my appearance was entirely different from a Japanese that her sense of solitude was that much stronger. gotta be thankful for Lulu-chan. Yeah. It is a relief that Akane-san is feeling better. Perhaps hearing my muttering, Maria nodded in agreement. Akane and Lulu-chan who escaped together from the Divine Empire Sydnia were irreceable to each other. Lulu-chan was someone who didnt have any rtives, and so she probably empathizes Akanes solitude. the walls continuing to be built while chatting idly n-no, I mustnt think too deeply. The civil official muttered to himself, but he who pays it any mind would lose, right? I didnt spend that much time making the walls. Berkut and her tribe are waiting in the Demon Continent, after all. At present, the Aligerous Tribe were using our base there, leveling up and training by defeating monsters while waiting for orders. We hurriedly constructed a building to house all of the Aligerous Tribe, including Chief Valkan-san, and everyone lives there even now. Everyone was powering themselves up in preparation for the search for the Sky Ind. Oh yeah, Mr. Civil Official. What will you do about the soil preparation of the expandednd? While Maria and I continued to build the walls, I realized that they didnt request anything other than for the wall to be build so I tried asking. The expanded surface area of the elongated town was quite vast, after all. ah, yes, the development project in the expanded section has been decided. I believe it would be the residence of the influx of immigrants, businesses, and workshops of craftsmen, though there are also ns for housingplexes. Hee~, a housingplex? The condominiums, apartments and multi-unit residences that were somonce on Earth were never before seen in this world. The multistoried buildings were castles, forts, churches, and even other buildings such as the Adventurers Guild and Commerce Guild buildings were 3-story buildings. Based on my conversation with Mr. Civil Officer, it seemed to be in the likeness of a 3-story apartment or condominium. The person who nned this in this world is amazing. Though, for the time being, it would be focused on low-rent leasable properties. Well I suppose thats how it goes. The people immigrating to Volton have no money, so the Margrave Volton household wanted to arrange for dwellings and jobs, and provide a bare minimum environment. Neglecting this would lead to the formation of slums. If so, I wonder if they know to leave thatrge undertaking to us? It would really save them a lot of money. Thend preparation and dwelling construction could give work to the iing people. So the wall was built in a hurry for that reason, wasnt it? Yes, if they work outside the city, it would normally require preparing adventurer soldier escorts. In that respect, since we wouldnt be affected by monsters while we worked near the city, we could have waited a bit before starting the nominated request. The job of expanding the two sides of Volton City was a type of job that could easily be finished in a few days if we consider the time we built Wedgefort City. When I said that, Mr. Civil Official was shocked. *** Footnotes: 1. Typo? Raw says monster nest. Chapter 287: Remodeling the Ouranos Chapter 287: Remodeling the Ouranos Having finished the nominated request from the Feudal Lord to build the expansions for Volton City, I started to move to fulfill the wish of the Aligerous Tribe. Alrighty, Laeva. I think its about time we start preparations to return Berkut and her tribe to the Sky Ind. What do you think we need? Hmm, perhaps we should first improve upon the Ouranos? I suppose so. I began to work on the improvements on the Ouranos in the Sanctuary workshop with Laeva. Long flights are fundamentally difficult for the Aligerous Tribe. Since that was the case, it was the Ouranos time to shine, but because the Ouranos was made for our party members use, it would be tight with everyone on board despite the space inside being expanded. We must also find the location of the Sky Ind. Yeah, youre right. I wonder if we could make a radar-like thing. A radar? Ah, umm, how can I exin this properly a type of detection magic device, maybe. A magic device that is able to detect somewhatrge objects over a wide range. The Ouranos is indeed in need of such a function. While the two of us were sharing our opinions about the Ouranos, we also brought up what would be feasible. The output of the propulsion device would have no problem even if the Ouranos increases in size, right? Yes, it would be fine. Were able to get excessive output even now, and theres also the Weight Reduction enchantment that we can reapply. Lets start with the fusge then? Got it. Laeva and I discussed all of our opinions, like altering the size dimensions, or if we should deal with it using Space Expansion, or what equipment we should add. We were busy working on the improvements, yet people wouldnt stop dropping by everyso often to report on the state of the Sanctuary. Since I had been absent from the Sanctuary a lot recently, various people now took the opportunity to visit the workshop where I am now that I am here. The Elven mother Melty and sisters Mnie and Malorie who act as the heads of the orchard are doing well. There wasnt even a need to worry about the amount of the harvest because Dryas is here. The Dwarves were working hard with the alcohol brewing, with Gn-san and Doganbo-san at the center of it. Gn-san had retired when he came to the Sanctuary, but Doganbo-san was still mainly a cksmith. The Sanctuarys fishery was doing well with Fluna-san at its core. Its really difficult to focus on the upgrades of the Ouranos. Haha, it cant be helped. Ive been gone from the Sanctuary for a long time, after all. Though, honestly, they dont actually have to go out of their way to report to me. I told everyone that this Sanctuary isnt mine, but with the Great Spirits acknowledging me as the protector of the Spirit Tree and the keeper of the Sanctuary, they dont stop treating me like the Lord of thisnd. Eventually, the amount of visits to me by people of the Sanctuary calmed down after two days. Thanks to that, we were finally able to concentrate on working on the Ouranos. Should we make the Ouranos one sizerger? If we do that and enchant it with Space Expansion, it would be alright even with the entire Aligerous Tribe aboard. Although changing the size of the fusge would fundamentally be synonymous to being remade, I have alchemy in this world. As long as I have the materials, it would take much less time to alter the size of the fusgepared to remaking it from scratch. The detection magic device can be installed afterwards, so how about we gather the materials for the fusge of the Ouranos? Then I will check if there is a stockpile of ore with Gnome-sama. Laeva left the workshop, and I went to the shipbuilding dock by the sea. The Ouranos size wouldnt really require the dock, but there are usable materials in a vault near the dock, so I thought we may as well just finish upgrading the Ouranos there. Maria and Marnie would get mad at me if I destroy the mansion garden too. Two dayster, ore that was smelted by the craftsman Gn was brought to the dock. Okay! Were starting immediately, so move back a bit. Ouranos and materials like mithril, adamantite, steel, and chrome were ced on top of arge magic circle drawn to support the transmutation. Once I was sure that Sophia and Laeva were away from the magic circle, I ced both hands on the floor and began to pour magic power into it. At the same time, I held a strong image of the process of upgrading the Ouranos and itsplete form in my mind. Transmute! The pile of materials and the fusge of the Ouranos were enveloped in light, intersecting as though fusing into one. fuu, looks like theres no problem. The light settled and a single,rge Ouranos was in front of me. I will check on it immediately! Laeva rushed over to the Ouranos as she said so, then began to examine all the parts. You got this! I waved my hand and returned from the dock to the workshop. I now had to begin designing the detection magic device, so I left the inspection of the Ouranos to Laeva. *** Chapter 288: Evolution Chapter 288: EvolutionOnce the upgrades on the Ouranos wereplete, I moved onto the development of a magic device that was capable of detecting objects from the sea to the sky. To put it simply, it would be a reproduction of an electromaic radar that sends out electromaic waves and detects those said waves when it rebounds from hitting an object, but it is proving difficult. Although notpletely impossible, it didnt feel like I would be able to create something that could understand radar waves emmisions and responses from objects mechanically. Hence why I decided to go with a magic device that amplifies Wind magic based detection. However, the speed of the wave-like emissions of magic power using the Wind attribute are overwhelmingly slow inparison to the electromaic waves that were practically the speed of light. Hmm, radio waves are a kind of electromaic wave, right? its no use, I dont get it. Since I dont know the type of electromaic waves used by a radar, I settled on a form of emitting magic power that would be converted to a Lightning attribute before the spell activates, even though the speed falls short overwhelmingly. However, it was still impossible for me to visualize the effect of the response. The best I can do was perceive it as an image in my head just like with Detection magic. In the end, it was like an upgraded version of Detection magic. I would like a visual representation like with a radar though Detection magic was simply an image that shows target monsters and obstacles within the users mind, so I wonder if it could be visualized in something like a monitor? After a lot of repeat trial and error, the results of the detection were visualized by light attribute magic. Kaede came bursting in while I was working alone in the workshop. Master! Master! Tsubaki! Tsubaki is`! W-whats going on!? What happened to Tsubaki!? What happened to Tsubaki? I unwittingly stood up and asked Kaede loudly. Tsubaki is finally evolving! Ah, ahh I fell back weakly into my seat. What a relief, it wasnt anything bad Master! Hurry, hurry! Tsubaki is waiting! Okay, okay already. Kaede dragged me by the hand, rushing me with a hurry, hurry. When I returned to the mansion, Tsubaki was there with a presence clearly different from before. Oohh So cool. Right, right?! Thank you, Master. Oh!? So youre able to speak telepathically now! Thats great, Tsubaki! Yes. Yes, when she had evolved from Drake Horse [1] to Dragon Horse, we thought she would be capable of telepathicmunication, but another evolution was just impossible. Kaede did her best to cheer Tsubaki who felt down for quite some time. Your size didnt change much huh still, your impressiveness feels like it grew quite a bit. Yup! Thats her Dragon Energy! I still cant control it well. But I believe I will have it down pat soon. How much she grew was more to the degree of Did she grow a bit bigger?, but the air of intimidation she gave off definitely increased. Tsubaki said that that was the Dragon Energy that Dragon species possess to coerce others that was leaking out from her. This had already been the case so far, but now, weak monsters really wouldnt dare toe near. When I looked at Tsubaki who had evolved again, her protruding horn looked stronger and sharper. If something gets caught on that horn, they wouldnt be able to avoid serious injury. The scales that covered her body were a deep green, but it was so dark it was nearing ck. The impression I got from those scales were that they would repel anything. There were some finer changes too, but the biggest change was her overwhelming presence. Tsubakis evolved race was Great Dragon Horse. I should investigate it in the Adventurers Guildter. Master, Master, can I ride on and y with Tsubaki~? Yeah, you can go outside the Sanctuary, but dont scare the merchants and adventurers, okay? Yup! I got it! Kaede jumped on Tsubaki and Kaede was able to hang on even when Tsubaki had no saddle, armor, or reins as they ran off. Tsubakis all out running speed was amazing even before her evolution, but now its just out of this world. *** Footnotes: 1. Tsubakis original race was Ryuuma oR, which then became Dragon Horse ɥ饴۩` . This is the first time Author used Drake Horse Chapter 289: Off to an adventure Chapter 289: Off to an adventure Once the Ouranos upgrades were finished and the Detector MD installed, I began preparing to search for the Sky Ind. Now then, we will be holding a meeting for the search for the Sky Ind. Yay! Woohoo! ps When I announcement the start of the meeting in front of everyone, Kaede pped her hands and hollered. Our group was gathered in the living room of the Sanctuary mansion to talk about our search for the Sky Ind. Considering the position of the solitary ind where Berkut and her tribe lived, I was thinking we should explore the area surrounding the Demon Continent first. Were excluding the areas we searched when we found the ind, arent we? Sophia checked the scope of the search on the map. It was then that Sylph suddenly appeared. As always, I couldnt help but smiled wryly at the freewilled Great Spirit. You still appear so suddenly. Of course I would. Wind is free. So, did youe here to say something? Yeah, Takumi, youre looking for the Sky Ind, right? Yep. Sylph, no way, do you know where it is? When I asked Sylph, who was smirking, she sighed a little then answered. Isnt that obvious? I am the Great Wind Spirit. Wind blows regardless of whether it is on the continent or ocean. Here in Mildgard, the only ces I do not know are underground and the bottom of the ocean. Ah, and inside dungeons. I see, then you should have said so. Fufu, even I could only recall its general location. Even so, thatspletely different to searching randomly, you know? With informationing from unexpected ces, the search for the Sky Ind might go smoother than I imagined. So you dont know the current location of the Sky Ind? Hmm, I didnt look at it with any particr care. In the first ce, that ind floating in the sky was created by a country in the ancient era in order to avoid disputes with foreign countries. Hee, an ancient civilization huh? Words brimming with romance came up somehow. I, too, am a man, so if I hear about the ruins of an ancient civilization, Id wanna be like Indiana Jones. Seeing that my eyes were sparkling, Sylph shook her head as though disappointed. Sorry to burst your bubble, but even though I said ruins of an ancient civilization, there are very little decayed ruins remaining and I think the rest had been swallowed by the forest. Isnt it fun to explore those? is that so? Well, a Spirit such as myself wouldnt understand. ording to Sylph, the Sky Ind was a floating ind that had a good environment where there was ake, forest, mountain, and a city the size of a royal capital in the past. The ancient civilization declined, and forgotten for many hundreds` no, thousands of years, it had be an unpopted ind with no inhabitants. Do you know the reason for the ancient civilizations ruin? I dont remember the rise and fall of each and every civilization, you know. its still only been a few hundred years since the Aligerous Tribe settled in, right? So it really was likely that the story of this ancient civilization was thousands of years ago. Sylph said that she doesnt remember when the Aligerous Tribe began their lives at the Sky Ind. ording to Valkan-san, arge number of monsters lived within the forest, so they would have dug caves along the mountain and lived there. If I remember correctly, Valkan-san and his tribe fled because monsters overflowed. When I talked about what I learned from Valkan-san, the chief of the Aligerous Tribe, Sophia chimed in about the reason for their escape to the solitary ind. The historic ruins of the ancient civilization were engulfed by the forest, and maybe the apparatus which utilizes a dungeon core to keep the ind afloat is in it. Then it broke in some way and the dungeon core regained its primary function, didnt it? Probably. If so, then maybe we will have to repair the device that utilizes that dungeon core. From Sylphs faint memories, the ancient civilization definitely used a dungeon core to control the floating ind. And she knew that it hadnt been that long, time-wise. I think it would be fine for 100-200 years, but I think you should hurry if you want to repair the control unit of the core. Maybe, if left at is, at the 300th year, it would no longer be able to support the ind and fall. Eh!? Thatd be horrible! Takumi-sama please calm down. Sylph-sama said it would be fine for 100-200 years. Ah, ahhh, youre right. But it would be better if we dont hang around to find out. Theres a chance that it would take time to repair it. We now cant just look for the Sky Ind and thin out the monsters that flooded out from the dungeon. We need to restore control of the core and create an environment the Aligerous Tribe could return to. *** Chapter 290: Takeoff Chapter 290: Takeoff Thanks to Sylph, weve identified the general direction and distance of the Sky Ind. We didnt know how long the search would take, so were bringing a lot of extra food. Also, because it is absolutely necessary that we go to the monster-overrun ce where the dungeon core is, we prepared a Magic Bag filled with all sorts of potions, and relief goods for the Aligerous Tribe on site. After transferring to the Demon Continent through the Gate, we joined up with Valkan-san and the tribe. I would like for you to choose people with highbat abilities from the Aligerous Tribe to work towards searching for your tribespeople for when we find the Sky Ind, Valkan-san. Fumu, this ce also has women and children. It is inevitable that it is only when it is safe that everyone can move. Valkan-san nodded and decided who the members for the Sky Ind search would be. Our party members, Valkan-san who knows their tribesmen from the Sky Ind, Berkut, two spear users, two bow users, and, for some reason, Bagworm-kun (Bart-kun) were going. While we were clearing the Demon Continent dungeon, the Aligerous people who subjugated monsters at its monster nest had each developed their strengths, making exceptional progress inparison to when they had first started. I think Bart-kun also grew enough that he cant be called Bagworm-kun anymore. Bart-kun isnt particrly skilled, but he forcefully added himself to the party as he imed he would be the next chief. Valkan-san looked apologetic, but the person in question didnt realize this. Please get on the Ouranos. Were off then! Bart-kun waved merrily at his tribespeople who remained as he boarded the Ouranos. Once everyone was on board, the Ouranos took off. There is a possibility that monsters would attack at low altitude, so we flew higher. Oooh! S-so hiiigh!! Bart-kun clung to the window and yelled. Apparently. we were at an elevation that the wings of the Aligerous Tribe could never reach, but the remaining tribespeoples eyes were chilly. We flew at flight level once we reached our intended altitude. elerating to cruising speeds, we steered towards the location that Sylph told us. We cant predict how long it would take to search for the Sky Ind because were flying, so please feel at home. Thank you very much. I asked Maria to guide Valkan-san and the others to a less crowded room, and I activated the Detector MD. Uwaa~! Its the ocean! Oi! Berkut, its the ocean! Shut it, stupid Bart! We lived in that solitary ind, havent you gotten sick of it!? Idiot! You havent seen it from this height, have you!? Berkut yelled at the eternally noisy Bart-kun with a genuinely disgusted expression. It was then that an attack exposing Bart-kuns weakness came from Berkut. Stupid Bart, its because, among everyone, you cant fly high. Youre just an Aligerous man whos afraid of heights. Wha?! You idiot! I am not afraid of heights! I just like flying at lower altitudes! Valkan-san looked so ashamed as he shook his head. It must have been true as the other tribespeople looked at him with icy gazes. An Aligerous with a fear of heights, huh Iruma-dono, Im so sorry for my foolish sons noise. Haha, its okay. Isnt it good that hes lively? Thats all I could really say. Since Maria had taken over steering, I drank the tea that Marnie brewed as I rested, and I could hear that Bart-kun and Berkut were quarreling again. Berkut! You, youre being too brazen to me, your fianc! Who is whos fianc? I dont remember ever bing engaged to someone like you! What are you saying!? If I, the next chief, say so, then thats how it would be! There is no way someone like you is the next chief! Bullshit! Hee, so these two were engaged. As I was watching the two bicker, I sat down on the sofa across Valkan-san and asked. Berkut and Bart-kun are engaged, right? no, Bart just think so. Eh? Theyre not? But if Bart-kun is the next chief, I thought it wouldnt be strange if he was Berkuts fiance, though? If Chief Valkan-sans only son, Bart, was the next chief, I thought for sure that because he and Berkut were close in age, this would definitely have been the case. In the first ce, he is not the next chief. The position of chief is not hereditary, worthy people are nominated and chosen. With how everything is going now, Bart will not be the chief no matter how hard he tries. HaChaha, youre got a lot on your hands, Valkan-san. You understand me, Iruma-dono? Valkan-san who looked at his ipetent son with a lonely expression was pitiful. *** Chapter 291: The floating island in a sea of clouds Chapter 291: The floating ind in a sea of cloudsA while after passing through the Demon Continent anding out to the ocean, low, heavy clouds hung over us. The weather worsened, so I raised the altitude of the Ouranos to go above the clouds, and left it suspending in the sky to stop for the night. So the strong wind at high altitude wouldnt set the aircraft adrift, a barrier was activated around the Ouranos. And so, the aircraft stabilized as though it hadnded on the ground. Fua~ Good morning, Sophia. Good morning, Takumi-sama. When I woke up, the airspace around the Ouranos that stayed afloat in the air was so clear which was unthinkable from yesterdays weather, the low and heavy hanging clouds were gone, and the sun was rising from the horizon. Hmm, as expected, staying suspended with a barrier active the entire night consumes a lot of magic power. As I supplied magic power to therge magic crystal installed into the Ouranos, I checked how much magic power was consumed overnight. Ah, Takumi-sama, I will supply magic power too. Please allow me to replenish it as well. With Maria and Sophia contributing, the outrageouslyrge magic crystal was filled to the brim with magic. Master (Husband), breakfast preparations areplete. Thank you, Marnie. Lets have breakfast? Okay. The Ouranos stayed parked in the sky as we finished breakfast, which was when Akane and the others woke up. Fuah~ Morning~ Morning, Akane. Good morning, Iruma-sama. Good morning, Valkan-san. Did you sleep well? Yes, I was able to sleep soundly. Basically, the people of this world get up early, so by the time the sun rose in the horizon, everyone was up. Well, it looks like one person hasnt woken up yet, but I wont say anything about it. I apologize for the bother my son is causing. Not at all, I dont see it as a bother. Valkan-san kept apologizing and apologizing, but he wasnt at fault. Yes, the only one still in bed was Bart-kun. It was not my intention, but it is my failure for having spoiled him because he is my only son. Still,pared to his attitude at the beginning, I think he had be considerably docile. As the only son of the Valkan-san who acted as the chief of the Aligerous Tribe that lived in the solitary ind, he was an arrogant fool when we first met, but its a fact that hes gotten a lot better after power leveling. Nay, he had an argument with Berkut yesterday, and today he has yet to awaken, Im ashamed as his parent ha, haha, its fine. People change. I suppose if you say so, but I wished for the wrinkles on Valkan-san forehead to fade as I headed to the cockpit to escape this awkward situation. The Ouranos once again elerated to cruising speeds, and the search for the Sky Ind resumed. Since we kept the speed down, we expect to reach the airspace that Sylph told us about by tomorrow noon. ording to Sylph, the Sky Ind was being set adrift by the wind as it slowly loses control. At the rate its going, the ind takes 5 years to slowly do one revolution around the world. I asked Sylph for the current location of the Sky Ind before we left, but I expect it to be slightly off. Just like yesterday, the Ouranos suspended at sundown, and just to be sure, we took turns replenishing the magic crystal and sleeping. Then, at around noon of the next day, the Detector MD had a response from arge object close to 3000m above sea level. could that be it? When I took the Ouranos up to 3500m in altitude and headed to the location shown on the Detector MD, a giant ind floating in the sky appeared right ahead. amazing. Sophia, could you call Valkan-san? Y-yes, right away. I asked Sophia, who was ovee with surprise at that spectacle, to call Valkan-san, the only person who knows the Sky Ind. I lowered the speed of the Ouranos as we approached the giant ind suspended in the sky. Oh ohhh! Surely, that is our birthce. Thend where we had been separated from our tribe, this is no doubt the Sky ind! Cheers rose as the other tribesmen looked out the window when they heard the voice of the tearing Valkan-san who was rarely worked up. Woah! Thats amazing! Is that the Sky Ind!? Shut up, Bart! Dont shout so close to my ears! Bart-kun and Berkut were bickering loudly as usual, but their other tribespeople were deeply moved as they gazed longingly at the Sky Ind that their parents generation lived in. ~Volume 6 END~ *** Note:Thank you all for your patience with regards to my reasons for dys recently. Unfortunately, I always take a 2 update break whenever Iplete a volume (contains usually 50+ chapters of nearly-consistent updates) and that is now. The next update will be after a week. I truly thank each and every one of you for your patience, understanding, and support! I hope to see you all soon! Chapter 292: Landing on the Sky Island Chapter 292: Landing on the Sky IndThere was an ind floating 3000 meters in altitude, as though sitting on a bunch of clouds. The mountain that was 1000m in elevation had likely been the ce that the Aligerous Tribe resided in. Ake was visible in the ind. It would seem that clean water springs forth mysteriously. The water, which flowed from theke to the river to all the way out of the Sky Ind, forming waterfalls. The water that flowed down from those waterfalls turned into clouds, giving rise to the wonderful spectacle. The forest has encroached upon it so its hard to tell, but there are still vestiges of an ancient civilization that remain, right? The dungeon is likely within the ancient ruins swallowed up by the forest. Alongside Sophia, I couldnt contain these feelings of excitement at the fantastical scene like this as we looked at the ruins that could have once been stone buildings that have copsed and covered by the forest. Still, where does the water in thatkee from? Ahh, thatke? I can tell you that a magic device from ancient times for welling water works even now. Valkan-san answered my question, telling me the sayings from his ancestors. The Sky Ind had other things from ancient times. He informed me that one was a special barrier that covered the ind. This barrier didnt have the ability to block the invasion of flying monsters, but could protect against the strong winds at this altitude and doesnt let lightning strikes pass through. However, it doesntpletely stop the flow of wind, it is just to defend against factors that could cause harm to the ind. Since it doesnt hinder peoples and monsters movements, it did not be fetters on Valkan-san and his tribe when they fled. Another thing, this ind has a proper cycle of seasons, creating an easily livable environment for its inhabitants. Because the climate on the ind which had been no different to those above ground was being maintained, the people, animals, and nts had no problem surviving. For starters, we must first think about looking for the tribespeople that Valkan-san and the others had been separated from. Until the monsters overflowed and we had to flee the Sky Ind, the vige had been up on the mountainside. I dare say that they dug another cavern on the mountainside far from the forest and now live there. ording to Valkan-san, the heart of the Ind had already been swallowed by the forest ever since the Aligerous Tribe began inhabiting this ind. And with there being few monsters and plenty of wild animals inhabiting that forest, the Aligerous Tribe whom were capable of flying were rtively safe digging a cave in the mountainside and living there. When monsters overflowed from the dungeon, we would have incurred tremendous damage had we lived in the forest. After that, the forest changed into a hunting ground where dangerous monsters would stroll about, as such, the vige split into two. If either one were to survive, the blood of the Aligerous Tribe will be saved. It must have been hard. it must have been even more difficult for our tribesmen who were left behind, but it was also truly a struggle to the death for us, who were unable to fly for long distances, to descend to the solitary ind. Valkan-san must be recalling the events from those times, he was looking into the distance. Theres no doubt that fleeing the Sky Ind 3000m high with the elderly and children was dreadful. They must have also been unable to bring much luggage, and it was highly unlikely that they could livefortably in that lone ind after that. Even so, Valkan-san and his people chose to return to the Sky Ind. This wasrgely because the Aligerous warriors grew from power-leveling in the Demon Continent and, above all, our support. Iruma-dono, you had given arms to our tribes youths, trained them in monster nests, and now you are even making it possible to save our tribesmen. I only have words of appreciation for you. Hahaha, dont worry, Valkan-san. I also wanted to see the Sky Ind, after all. I didnt feelfortable epting too much gratitude. As for why, it was because I genuinely wanted to see a floating ind in the sky, and Valkan-san and his tribes circumstances had be a chance to do that now. I just didnt want to miss the opportunity to have The Fantasy known as a flying ind. The only other member who was like me, Akane said Wouldnt you want to fly to it if you were told of its destruction? when we talked about a certain super popr animated movie [1] a masterpiece that transcends generations. Then wellnd at the foot of the mountain and search there, right? Please do. If I remember correctly, there should be a ce a bit farther north where we cannd, but As expected, because his memory is from 200 years ago, Valkan-san gave directions without confidence, so I lowered the Ouranos altitude and speed as we searched for a ce tond at the foot of the mountain. Everyone, werending so please take a seat. Just as Valkan-san said, we found enough space for the Ouranos tond slightly northward, so we made preparations tond. Soundlessly, the Ouranos descended vertically, andnded carefully. *** Footnotes: 1. Reference to Laputa: Castle in the Sky | դγǥԥ奿. Chapter 293 Chapter 293 Alighting from the ramp of the grounded Ouranos, we took our first steps onto the ground of the Sky Ind. Takumi-sama, it seems theres something peculiar in the forest vegetation. Hee, I cant tell them apart. Nothing less from an Elf. Sophia was able to identify this with just a slight look at the forest that filled the other side of the mountain. I didnt know any of the other nts aside from the medicinal ones we normally use. I have a way to appraise and harvest them, but the Elf Sophia was definitely faster at identifying it. Ill ask Sophia to teach meter. When I turned to look back on the mountainside, I was able to pinpoint holes that seem like caves halfway up. And so, I used presence sensing and detecting magic. I cant say for certain if they are Valkan-sans tribespeople but theyre there. Yes, there are around 200. Coincidentally they have roughly the same number of people with Valkan-sansmunity. You can tell from this distance!? Sophia and I sensed people halfway up the mountain, and hearing this, Valkan-san asked excitedly. Probably, I think we should make contact over there, just like we did with your people, Valkan-san. Perhaps being vignt, the presences in the cave moved after an hour. Well, if a flying object suddenly came down from the sky andnded near my home, then suddenly unknown people alight from it, Id be wary too. Still, if they looked closely, they would have recognized that some were fellow Aligerous Tribespeople, but Valkan-san said that theyre being cautious because they live close to the forest that has a history of monsters increasing. And as soon as I thought of speaking to the presences, I realized they were approaching us. Since they didnt try to conceal themselves, they must have spotted Valkan-san and the others. Before long, a man nearly same age as Valkan-san along with 20 warriorsnded slightly away from us, then approached while staying vignt with bows and spears. The Aligerous man walking in front looked surprised, and talked to Valkan-san in a hoarse voice. y-you, could you be Valkan? Niisan youre alive. To be able to meet with you once more Valkan! Valzak-niisan! It seems the chief of the Aligerous Tribe that stayed in the Sky Ind was Valkan-sans older brother, and the two were able to have a touching reunion. Master, ojichans hugging is gross. Shh! You cant say that, Kaede. Valkan-san is happy to reunite with his older brother who he thought he could never meet again. H~mm, really? Kaede doesnt really get it. Seeing Valkan-san and his brother hugging each other with tears and snot flowing, Kaede couldnt help but recoil. Oi, old man! Ah!? Two people called out to the happily reuniting old men. One is Vart-kun[1], the other is a youth roughly the same age as Vart-kun from the Sky Inds side. Are these two simr, or is it just my imagination? Whats your problem? Vart-kun and the simr young man red at each other. Akane-sama, the stupids increased nya. Lulu, dont get close to them. Stupidity is infectious. Howa! Oh nyo! Lulu will never go near nya! Hey, stupidity isnt infectious. And Lulu-chan, maybe its better you speak normally. What are you talking about, stupidity is infectious. They say one rotten apple spoils the barrel, right? And the way Lulu talks is fine like this. Its cute, isnt it? Lulu-chan was nodding too. I do think that its about time Lulu-chan stops talking so subserviently, but if the person herself is fine with it, then I guess theres no problem? Id like for the discussion to advance, so I might be pouring cold water onto their touching reunion, but I talked to Valkan-san. UmmValkan-san. O-, ohh, pardon me, Iruma-dono. Niisan, thanks to Iruma-dono here, we were able toe back. Ohhh! I am Valkans brother, Valzak. I am Takumi Iruma. I happened to have a chance to help Valkan-san return to the Sky Ind. I calmed Valzak-san who shed tears as he held my hand in gratitude, and had him lead us to the cave they live in for the time being. It is a slight distance away, shall we carry you? No, were fine. I stowed the Ouranos into the Item Box and flew after Valzak-san and everyone. Valkan, is everyone in the outside world capable of flying without wings like that? No, I think Iruma-dono and his party are just special. Valzak-san and the Sky Ind Aligerous warriors looked at us in surprise after witnessing us hopping our way from the foot of the mountain to the cave halfway up the mountain. We ran up the the face of the mountain like grasshoppers without concealing our superhuman strength when they nce behind. Valzak-san and the others who did not know of the outside world were shocked. *** Footnotes: 1. Bart will be changed to Vart. 2. I will probably shorten Aligerous Tribe from the Sky Ind / Solitary Ind to Sky Inders / Solitary Inders, its too much of a mouthful.[ Chapter 294: Present state of the Sky Island Chapter 294: Present state of the Sky Ind Walking into the cave halfway up the mountain, I could tell that it had taken many months and years to dig as the chisel marks remained. Its quite spacious inside, isnt it? The cave we were led to was so wide it was like we were walking into a concert hall. Its been broadened quite a lot. Yes, having to part with Valkan, it was necessary that we unite. We needed to defend ourselves as much as we could to survive. It must have changed considerably since the time Valkan-san lived here. I looked around. The residents of this settlement seem to have gathered inside the spacious hall. Everyone stared anxiously at us. I could see there were a few children scattered here and there. The quality of their warriors felt considerably better inparison to Vart-kun when I first met him in the solitary ind. However, as far as I could see, everyone was malnourished. Thank you once again, Iruma-dono. I never thought the day woulde that I could still meet Valkan alive. Not at all, meeting Valkan-san was a coincidence, and theyve assisted us too. Nevertheless. It is thanks to you that our family is whole again. ording to Valzak-san, their father, the previous head, and their mother were still alive, and would be delighted to be able to meet Valkan-san and their grandchild. This was the situation in this race, Valkan-san had escaped with the women and children 200 years ago, but there were still elderly who had limitations and many others who remained in the Sky Ind. As for the Aligerous Tribe living in the Sky Ind, in the 200 years that psed, the elderly had passed their lifespans, fewer children were being birthed, and the poption was in decline. This was also an issue that Valkan-sans group also carried. The dungeon monsters have flowed into the forest and hunting has been difficult. To the Aligerous Tribe who did not have any other means to attack besides the bow, the monsters in the forest are too much. Valzak-san also wanted to go to the control room of the dungeon core, but the reality was that they were already having trouble hunting in the forest so they couldnt reach it. With our numbers diminishing, were feeling the limits in preserving our vige. Valzak-niisan, you too? the timing of our encounter with Iruma-dono is truly a windfall for us. Certainly. Well, that aside, Valkan, what do you think about meeting father and mother? When Valzak-san said that, a couple slightly older than Valkan-san and Valzak-san appeared. I cant tell the age of the Aligerous Tribe based on their appearance. Father, Mother, its been a long time. I am d you are well. Valkan! Valkan-sans mother, Vart-kuns grandmother, hugged Valkan-san tightly, delighted at their reunion. Valkan, even youve grown old. Father, its been over 200 years. That much time would make even me, old. Valkan-sans father, Vart-kuns grandfather, looked just like Valkan-san and Valzak-san. Since I couldnt see that much difference in their aging characteristics, they could pass as siblings. Valkan-sans father is Vahzard. His mothers name is Betoris-san. The men in Valkan-sans n seem to add Va in their names. Valkan, you brought our grandson with you, right? Yes, Mother. Vart is over there Valkan-sans gaze pointed towards Vart-kun and a simrly aged youth quarrelling. It was the youth that Vart had been quarreling with since a while ago. Valto! What are you doing!? Vart! Are you not going to greet your grandfather and grandmother!? Hm? Is that your son, Valkan? Then is he your son, Niisan? My my, they just met but theyre just like each other. Fumu, they have exactly the same bad qualities. Im sorry. With their fathers harsh words, Valkan-san and Valzak-san apologized to their parents. Valzak-sans son is Valto-kun. His age was coincidentally the same as Vart-kuns. They were simr because they were cousins, huh. I feel sorry for Valkan-san and Valzak-san, but they were disappointingly simr. At that time, Marnie proposed that everyone have a meal. Master (Husband), how about we offer food to everyone? Youve got a point. Lets eat the food in the Magic Bag and my Item Box and eat with everyone. I told Valkan-san my offer to supply food. That, is that truly alright? Yes, we nned to so from the start. Then we should also help. Betoris-san gave an order to the Aligerous women, and they began to prepare the food with Marnie and Maria. Considering everyones malnutrition, Id like for them to be nourished even if only a little bit. *** Footnotes: 1. Save me from the suffering of naming these characters. (T~T) Theyre all too simr lol. I didnt wanna change Bart ( Щ` ) too much, so I chose Vart but maybe I should have chosen Vaht since Valto (Х) is a bit too close to it. Oh well. Chapter 295: Banquet and Hunt Chapter 295: Banquet and Hunt Maria, Marnie, and the women of the Aligerous tribe worked together to cook the copious amounts of ingredients that we prepared. Uwaa! Mama! So much meat! Youre right, how nice. The little childrens eyes sparkled seeing food cooked one after the other. Monsters have been running rampant for 200 years, making it difficult to hunt, therefore securing enough foodstuff has been challenging we have been doing our best to keep the children from feeling hungry, but Just as with Vart-kuns group when we met, the Sky Inders weapons were mainly the bow, so their offensive ability against wild animals was meager, and even less so with monsters. It would have been different had they at least used magic steel for their arrowheads, but there was no one among them that had advanced smithing skills. Valzak-niisan, could you leave the hunting to us? Hes right, Uncle, we got this. The monsters in this ce are easy peasy with our weapons. Valkan-san was filled with confidence as he asked Valzak-san to entrust the hunting to them. It was then that Vart nced at Valzak-sans son, his cousin Valto, boasting proudly as he pounded on his chest and said hed hunt monsters. Valto-kun red at him with a frustrated look. Haa, I wonder if theyll be able to get along I couldnt see it directly, but from the presences I sensed, the monsters inhabiting the forest that swallowed the ruins of the ancient civilization were not strong in our eyes. There was a reason for this. The forest is not a monster nest. Naturally, mana is thin innd that isnt a monster nest. Dense mana is an absolute requirement for strong monsters to live. It was then the voice from the other side called out. Old man! Ill hunt too! no Valto, it was only just recently that you were injured by a monster, right? Kuh! Itll be fine this time! If that guy is going hunting, I will hunt too! Valzak-sans son, Valto-kun stated he too would join the hunt so he couldpete with Vart-kun. From now on, in order to live in the Sky Ind, they must not avoid hunting at this forest. Originally, the Sky Ind was home to many wild and domesticated animals before the forest spread. The residents of the ancient era provided meals by hunting a portion of them. At some point in time, with the ancient civilization bing a relic of the past and the Sky Ind uninhabited by people for a long time, the forest spread out and even domestic animals turned feral. Until the monsters overflowed 200 years ago, our tribes life wascking yet still stable because of the bountiful forest. Valkan-san and Valzak-san spoke in yearning. Since that was the case, if we thin out the monsters in the forest and regain control of the dungeon core, the Sky Ind would surely be a ce that would be easy to live in for them. Hmm, that oniichan is unreliable. Yeah, Bagworm is barely ok nya. Wha!? Yo-!? When Kaede and Lulu-chan judged him, Valto-kun retorted, but he only just now noticed Kaede. Y-you We were probably the only ones who could perceive Kaede, who had gone so far as to wear the Overcoat of Existence Concealment and use her Stealth skill to not scare everyone, until she talked. Seeing an Arachne, an S rank monster, right in front of him all of a sudden, Valto-kun looked like he would faint at any moment. Kaede-san, please stop with the bagworm. I beg you On the other hand, Vart-kun was begging Kaede with sped hands and a pathetic expression. Being coiled in threads and hung from high above at our first meeting had be Vart-kuns trauma. Anyway, lets think about the huntter, we should enjoy the food now Ah, yes, youre right. Niisan, Kaede-dono is Iruma-donos familiar, so please calm down. I-is that so? I-I see. Perhaps to be expected of the chief, Valzak-san did his best to collect himself in one way or the other, though he was still pale faced. Additionally, among the Aligerous Tribe in the Sky Ind, the women and children soon grew familiar with Kaede and began toe together to enjoy the food. It must have been fine since Berkut and the others were together with us. That day, I offered wine from my Item Box. The adults grew excited and the feast continuedte into the night. *** Chapter 296: Survey Chapter 296: SurveyThe day after the banquet, we left early in the morning to walk into the forest to go hunt for food reserves while also investigate the monsters living in the forest. The aforementioned dungeon core and the device that controls the dungeon are the middle of the ruins, right? Yes, there was a time when my predecessors and I headed to the control room. We somehow managed to get there shortly, but our inherent racial characteristics is to fly in the air and attack from a distance using bows. We were capable of reaching the center of the ruins, but could not advance further than that. Our party surrounded Valkan-san who was acting as our guide as we trudged deeper into the forest. The Aligerous Tribe were not assertive with flying above the forest. There were no Wyverns, Griffins, and other strong flying monsters, but there were raptor-type monsters which woulde flying. Flying above the forest was only for emergencies. Ha! Berkut brought out her sharp spear and pierced through the neck of the monkey monster, and Vart-kun threw his spear right down the middle of the monsters forehead. Valkanthat girl is your daughter, right? Why isnt she using a bow and arrow to defeat monsters? Whats with that girls spear and skills? Seeing that young boy and girl of the same age in the tribe were fighting Silver Monkeys in closebat by themselves and were unmatched had surprised him. Onii-san, dont talk too loudly. Monsters will draw near. Ah, yeah, my bad. Onii-san, its normal that youre surprised. Iruma-dono had kindly taught us how to fight. Valkan-san exined to Valzak-san about the power leveling we did in the monster nests inside the Demon Continent. a monster nest? And where even stronger monsters run rampant in and I cant imagine. We havent explored the entirety of the Sky Ind, but thisnd seems unlikely to be polluted by miasma. The monsters from monster nests that were engulfed in dense mana were strong and aplenty. Then Iruma-dono and his party help us deal the finishing blow. Now that I think about it, Valzak-oniisan, even you would be able to hunt in this forest without any danger. Oh, I-i see. Valzak-sans cheeks were cramping as he replied. He must have been surprised that the man he didnt see for over 200 years had bebative. Takumi-sama, the kinds of monsters are monkey, wolf, tiger, snake, and lizard types. Its fortunate that there are no goblin or kobolds. Yeah, those ones multiply infinitely, after all. Master, there doesnt seem be that many bugs either. Thanks, Kaede. Ehehe~ Sophia and Kaede came back from scouting and informed me of the types of monsters in the forest. As might be expected from this forest which didnt have as much mana as a monster nest, there were plenty of wild animals. Still, even if the wolves and bears[1] hadnt been monsters, they would still be a threat to normal hunters. We did not investigate the entirety of the Sky Ind so I am unable to say for certain, but if we thin out the monsters and retake control of the dungeon core, it might be possible to reimnd for agriculture. Oooh, I would be d if that were true. Relying solely on hunting leaves uncertainty in the long run. A life that relied so heavily on hunting and foraging would inevitably be unstable. This forest had wild fruits, mountain yams, and all sorts of mushrooms were forageable, but it wasnt possible to forage as one pleases within a forest that monsters inhabit. We roughly understand what kind of monsters tend toe out, so lets end things here and go back. Indeed. Valzak-dono also seems to be tired, so I think this is a good idea. I called out to Sophia, and we took a different route back to the caves. As a result of our exploration into the forest and its surroundings, there were no monsters that could be threats. There were also lesser monsters than in a monster nest, and as long as one is capable of fighting a wild animals such as wolves or bears, then there shouldnt be any issue. Also, ording to Laeva, she could hardly find any medicinal nts. She reported that medicinal nts grow in ces that have somewhat dense mana, so it would be difficult to secure fixed amounts of it. Valzak-san and Valkan-san also had limited knowledge on medicinal nts, so this had been the case for a long time. Having obtained results from a tentative exploration, we decided to go to the center of the ruins, and hunt while we make our way there. *** Footnotes: 1. Bear wasnt included in previous list. Chapter 297 Chapter 297 There was a young man who tried to stand in front of us as his legs quivered. Wh- why cant I win A young man from themunity in the Sky Ind. Valzak-sans first born son, Valto-kun. It was Vart-kun who beat up Valto-kun one-sidedly, and Valto-kun red in frustration. As for why this was happening, it was because of Berkut. Valto-kun was smitten by the beautiful Berkut who was of the same age, but as Berkut tried to handle Valto-kuns forceful advances, it was then that Vart-kun snapped. Berkut is going to be with me! Dont you dare make passes on her, you asshole! no, Im not going to go out with you. What did you say!? Berkut-san suits ME! Someone like you cant be with her! no, I dont like you either. You bastard! Ill make you learn your ce! Ou! Just what I wanted! Ill fuck you up! these guys just dont listen. The fight between Vart-kun and Valto-kun, which started because of a stupid argument, was naturally won by Vart-kun who had undergone our power leveling. Iruma-dono, I apologize for my son. No, its alright. Besides, Vart-kun would be practically unhurt in a brawl with Valto-kun at that level. About that, would it be possible to train us like Valkan and the others? An unexpected request came from Valzak-san. Still, even bears and wolves were formidable enemies to normal hunters despite not having monstrous strength. lets see. Powering up yourmunity would also be an advantage for living in the Sky Ind in the future. Very well, we cant go right away because preparations must be made, but lets train you until we search for the ruins. Thank you very much, Iruma-dono. It is always a risk to hunt. I especially do not want the young to fall prey to the monsters. This time, we will also take care of your equipment. There are some things I have to think about, so please wait for a few days. We provided Valkan-sans group with equipment, so its only fair that I do the same for Valzak-san. Takumi-sama, should we connect to the base in the Demon Continent? Yeah, though our team has to help out with training again, I hope you guys can do that. It was perfect since we were nning to establish a Gate in the Sky Ind to migrate the rest of the Aligerous Tribe that were left behind in the Demon Continent anyway. Takumi-sama, I will also help train our tribespeople. Berkut jogged up to me and told me that she would help train Valzak-san and the others. I dont really mind, but no fighting. Its fine. I dont bully the weak. I nned to leave the Sky Inds inhabitants training to Sophia and Maria. Laeva, Kaede[1] , and I would probably have our hands full from making their equipment, after all. Oh, so youll be fine with Valto-kun? Yes, I will be strict with that guy. A-ahh, I see Beyond Berkuts gaze was Vart-kun who had fallen over, even more battered than Valto-kun. Tsun, tsun. Tsun, tsun nya. Kyahahahaha, tsun, tsun. Kaede and Lulu-chan were having fun with the vige children at poking at Vart-kun who was like a tattered rag. okay, Ill be making a room to install the Gate in. Yep, lets pretend we didnt see that. Lets reinforce the walls and ceiling of the cave first. To prevent it from caving in, right? Yup, it looks like fairly solid bedrock, but its best to be careful. With Valzak-sans permission and Sophia in tow, I enchanted the walls starting from the cave entrance in order to expand the cave and establish a gate. The ce which had a risk of copsing changed form and hardened. Theres no risk of an earthquake because this mountain wasnt volcanic, so there shouldnt be any concern of it caving in with this much fortification. How about we make a hole in ce of a chimney and install a magic tool for venttion? Youre right. It looks like the Aligerous Tribe sometimes uses Wind magic to ventte the ce. Itd be difficult having a kitchen inside a cave, after all. Even after Valkan-sans group migrates to the Sky Ind, theyll probably live in the cave too. Its definitely much safer than living at ground level. Thats why I decided to first expand the existing cave and dig several new caves. Additionally, we decided to connect our base in the Demon Continent and asked them to manage it. To Valkan-san and the others, that base was indispensable for hunting monsters for food and raising levels. *** Footnotes: 1. I dont know why Akanes name is included here. I assume its a typo for Kaede who can make things, so I will change it. Chapter 298: The tattered rag and bagworm Chapter 298: The tattered rag and bagworm While breathing heavily, we advanced through the forest filled with dense amounts of mana. Whats with these guys? Are these really women and children?! Theyre killing the attacking monsters left and right all while humming. We followed desperately so we wouldnt fall behind. This ce is one of the countless monster nests in what they called the Demon Continent. They said that monster nests were ces with high concentrations of mana. And apparently, that dense mana meant that that ce would have a ton of monsters living in it. I want to yell at the me of the time when I imagined that the monsters here would be like those in the Sky Ind. LikeDont go! Kishaaa``!! Hiih! Shu! Botari! A snake monster sorge it was almost funny darted out of the treetop and attacked me as I walked in a daze. I reflexively crouched down, shrieking and eyes shuthuh? The pain isnting? Was I saved? What I saw when I opened my eyes nervously was the head of a giant wolf. Gururu Hatan! Ah! Hey! Valto fainted! Ferryl, stop it. Thats not tasty. It felt like the people were talking like that about me as my consciousness faded. Ha! W-what happened! I had to check, am I lying on the ground, did I copse, am I injured? It was then that I heard that shitty bastards voice. Ou, had a good sleep, you wornout rag? Who are you calling a wornout rag? Yeah, it was Uncle Valkans son, Vart. Even though were the same age, that detestable guy is far stronger than me. As if Id admit that though. Then a girls bell chime-like voice pushed through. Hey! Dont fight inside a monster nest! Tch, this doesnt concern you, Berkut! A-ah, Berkut-san. The name of that girl was Berkut-san. She had a small face and a slender figure. Even so, the parts of a woman that should protrude, were protruding, and those that should cave in, do. And above all, her wings are so beautifully white that its like they sparkle. Are you okay, Valto-kun? Can you walk? Y-yes, Im fine! Berkut, dont talk to that guy. What do you mean that guy! Gauu!! Hiih! Look here, you better stop before Ferryl-chan gets mad. Ferryl, lets go. Uon. Was the giant wolf monster from a while ago was the familiar of that human girl I think was called Akane? My old man asked that human brat Takumi to train us. And they brought us here. At first, he started changing the inside of the caverns in the Sky Ind to his liking, then just when I thought he made a room for a magic device called a Gate, we were brought to ce he was based in at the Demon Continent. Here, we were reunited with the tribespeople we were separated with 200 years ago, but minus the elderly, women, and children, everyone was stronger than us from the Sky Ind. What was most shocking was when I found out that the bastard who beat me up was not the strongest among the warriors of the tribe. It happened when I asked some dude my age. Eh? Vart? That guys the weakest. Eh!? Youre lying, right? Hmm hmm, whats up? Ah, Berkut? Nothing much, I was just answering this guys question about how strong Vart is. Bagworm is deadst. B-bagworm I was done in by a bagworm To begin with, this ce is abnormal. Today, the onemanding us Sky Inders was a female elf warrior. Shes scary so I didnt go near her. And there were two Human girls. One was using a spear to overpower the monsters. Wasnt she that Iruma guys maid? The other one was the master of that ridiculously huge wolf. Maybe she was a mage? She mainly used magic. I beg you, please keep that wolf away. Tattered rag, hurry over nya. And what the hell with this one? Shes just a Catkin child, why is she so much stronger than me? Shes still just a young Catkin child. Wasnt her name Lulu? I thought she was a servant of the owner of that wolf. I spurred my heavy body to rise and chased after my old man andrades. How did this happen *** Chapter 299: Let’s improve their living conditions Chapter 299: Lets improve their living conditionsThe three of us` Laeva, Kaede[1], and I would make Valzak-san and the Sky Inders equipment. It was the same with Valkan-san and the Solitary Inders, though their equipment were not at all excellent by any standards. Because they had likely been living quietly in their inds, it was dangerous to even bring them as they are for power leveling. I asked Sophia and the girls to not let Valzak-san and the Sky Inders fight and simply let them finish off dying monsters to level them up even just a little bit. During that time, Laeva and I would finish their weapons and armor. Leather would probably be enough for their armor. It would be unreasonable to wear heavy metal armor when they fly in the sky, after all. Were making the same number of weapons like bows and spears that we gave to Valkan-san and others. I asked Kaede to make the underarmor like always. The underarmor made by Kaede has far higher defense than bad armor, so it would be fine against some attacks. Once weplete the equipment for the Aligerous Tribe from the Sky Ind, Laeva and Kaede will join everyone else at power leveling. During that time, I will n out improvements on their dwellings. Hey hey, Oniichan, whacha doin? Umm, a magic device where wateres out and a toilet. Children from the tribe talked to me out of interest while I was working inside the caverns of the Sky Ind. Just like with Valkan-sansmunity, the number of children in thismunity were not that many. If these twomunities merge, I think things would get a bit better. I was doing things separately from our group today. I had already established a gate and added new caverns, but frankly, this settlement had no toilets. They also only store potable water inrge earthenware pots. I was providing a magic device to improve on those. Until now, water was gathered by the people with aptitude for the Water attribute taking turns casting it into the pots.Then why not just migrate closer to ake or river after the monsters are exterminated to a degree, instead of staying in the caverns?was what I asked Valzak-san, but he said that it was the Aligerous Tribes nature to live in high ces. For example, even if they knew that they were safe being surrounded by walls, their anxiety wouldnt disappear. Meanwhile, a high ce calms them even if it was confined. Now that I think about it, the Aligerous Tribe used the rooms in higher floors even in the Demon Continent. So, here I am, working to improve the parts of the building where water would circte so they can have afortable time even inside the caverns, and so they wouldnt have to go outside to simply do their business. Alrighty, the water issue should be fine with this. Water wille out from here? Thats right. Over here, try to hold onto this with your hand then push it. I guided the childs hand, and we hit the Water magic device. Waa! Water came out! Hey hey! Ill do it too! Let me do it tooooo! Okay okay, lets take turns. Seeing that the children were gathering around the Fountain MD and ying with spurts of water, I could tell that this ce had very few forms of entertainment. I suppose magic devices were curious things. Since its a magic device, they can replenish the magic power of the magic crystal even without the Water attribute. Normally, this type of magic device would use a magic stone as fuel, but that type of magic device requires a recement magic stone when it runs out of juice. For the time being, the Gate would connect to our base in the Demon Continent, and the people of the Aligerous Tribe would take turns to live in and manage the base, but it would be a lot of trouble and danger for the tribe to go out of their way to go to the Demon Continent to secure magic stones. Thats why I used a magic crystal that could be replenished by magic power. The magic crystal was my creation anyway, so it doesnt take me that much time to make them anymore. I went to all the caverns and installed Fountain MDs and toilets. I made an underground waterway to evacuate the water that came out of the Fountain MD and had also been affixed with a Purifier MD, so together with the Toilet MD, it would very likely improve sanitation by a lot. Okay, I have to make that next. I started building arge cavern just below the residences of the cavern. I thoroughly hardened the interior so it wouldnt cave-in, then applied the diatomite prepared in advance onto the surfaces through transmutation,pleting it. Its important to have a countermeasure for humidity, after all. I transmuted a coating of diatomite from the entrance all the way to the interior. I built fourrge rooms inside, and I used diatomite on the walls and floor of the forefront rooms. Then the walls and floor of the two rooms in the farther back were processed into a water-repelling stone. Something like this, I guess? What I purposely took a whole day to make was the public bathhouse. I created segregated changing rooms for men and women, and installed arge bathtub in each. The Aligerous Tribe, both the Sky Inders and Solitary Inders, basically didnt have a custom of bathing. It only amounted to wiping their body with a wet cloth and washing themselves at a river. Still, they dont hate it. Valkan-san and the others were crazy for therge bath built in the base in the Demon Continent. Both the men and the women were pleased by the gloss on their wings. Keeping ones body clean is important for leading a healthy life, after all. *** Footnotes: 1. Again, changing to Kaede from Akane. TL Notes: This will be myst update for 2021. Thank you everyone for the time youve tagged along with this novel and me this year. I hope to be able to continue this until the end, so Id be d if you continue riding along. I wish you all a prosperous new year! See you all in 2022! Chapter 300: Commence the exploration Chapter 300: Commence the exploration While I was developing the caverns in the Sky Ind, the Aligerous tribe raised their levels to some degree and acquired skills with Sophia and the girls leading them, so its just about time that we start to thin out the monsters and investigate the ancient ruins containing the dungeon or so it should have been, but Please take me with you too! No, I should be the one that goes! What did you say?! When we decided on the members for the exploration, Sophia, Maria, Kaede, Laeva, and I who have an interest in the ruins were the five from our party immediately chosen. Akane and Lulu-chan said they would have tea with Princess Mimir at the mansion. So she had gotten close to the Elven princess at some point, huh? Next, we talked about heading for the ancient ruins with Valzak-san who was one of the chiefs that knew the monsters since the overflow, Berkut who was proud of being one of the strongest among the tribe despite being a woman, plus one more person, but I am the next chief! Bullshit! I will be the next head! Doga! Uu! You bastard, you done hit me now! Baki! Guh! You son of a`! The two who began trading blows topete for thest spot were Valkan-sans son Vart-kun and Valzak-sans son Valto-kun. These two were definitely the sons of chiefs, but Theyrepeting for the lowest in strength though. Bagworm is still a bit stronger. Sophia stated her opinion so sharply. Kaedes follow up wasnt good either. I sincerely apologize. Not at all, it isnt your fault, Valkan-san, Valzak-san. For some reason it feels like theyve had a simr exchange just recently. Neither Vart-kun nor Valto-kun were particrly bad kids, but they butt heads when theyre together. Well, leaving that aside, this is about our exploration this time. I think we should first head for the spot where the entrance to the dungeon should be. I believe that is alright. The monsters of this forest were tough enemies for us. However, that too would likely cease to be an issue because of the monster hunting weve experienced these past several days and the equipment from Iruma-dono. Ignoring Vart-kun and Valto-kuns mudslinging match, I told Valzak-san and Valkan-san about our objective for todays search. It had been decided that Valkan-san would remain in the caverns, and they would thin out the monsters in moderation. How long would it take to reach the entrance to the dungeon at the heart of the ruins with the shortest distance? Lets see taking into consideration that we would hold you back I expect that we would be capable of arriving at the center of the ruins within half a day. Were going through a forest that would be hard to traverse, but if we can leave a little past noon, wed probably arrive just before evening. Thats if we could leave though Haa, Vart-kun, dont fight. haa, haa, I-its not just my fault! Its this guys fault for going against me! The fighting seemed to have stopped, but Valto-kun became a tattered rag on the floor for the second time. On the other hand, his opponent was breathing so heavily that his shoulders were going up and down as heined to me in a disgruntled manner, but he wasnt really much different to Gian[1]. For the time being, Vart-kun will also be staying here. Wha!? Why is that!? When I exined to Vart that I wont take someone who started a fight just before our departure and that he had to stay back, he snapped at me, saying theres no way thats the case. Well, Vart-kun is also worn out, isnt he? More like, its easier to count Vart-kuns rank in strength if we start from the bottom. Guh, that aint true! I am stronger than anyone in the Aligerous Tribe! No way, Vart-kun has been cking, so leave him out. Guh As expected, he couldnt deny that they was clearlypeting for the bottom. Valkan-san was right in front of him, after all. Hey you, you can use recovery magic. Use it on me! Gon! Valkan-san who reached his limits dropped his fist directly onto the crown of Vart-kuns head. Im very sorry, Iruma-dono. I will monitor my foolish son, so I will rely on you for the search. Ha, haha, I understand. The fainted Vart-kun and Valto-kun were dragged to the back. Now then, let us make our way. right. There were a few bumps before our departure, but it looks like were finally going to be able to start our exploration. *** Footnotes: 1. Takeshi Gouda, the bully from Doraemon. Once again, happy new year! Lets have a st this year! Chapter 301: Ruins of an ancient civilization Chapter 301: Ruins of an ancient civilization We walked through the primeval forest, which was difficult to walk in, at such a brisk pace that it was like we were walking on t ground. There arent that many monsters, but this forest is taking quite long to get through. Indeed. It had been said that the ancient civilization suddenly disappeared over 5000 years ago. Even we Elves only know about the events from that era through the literature. We moved through the forest at a pace that Valzak-san and others wouldnt fall behind. This forest was an old-growth forest which included the mountain-side that Valzak-sansmunity inhabited. It was like a primeval forest from ancient times. Perhaps having difficulty walking through the overgrown forest because of his age, Valzak-san would at times fly low. The Aligerous Tribes wings were only support for flying, but as expected, it could be used this way too. He would repeatedly jump and glide for short distances to consume little magic power. Valzak-san, lets take a small break. That helps. Though we live far longer lives than Humans, I am already considered aged. Traversing this dense forest is difficult. You dont need to push yourself, so lets take it slow. Was our pace a bit too fast? Valzak-san looked young, so I must have deluded myself, but he really was someone whos lived several times longer than humans. I must havecked some consideration. I set up a simple and disposable Barrier MD in a spot and we rested there for a bit. Our regr party members were alright, but Valzak-san was basically artificially trained, so it must have been hard for him to catch up to us while fighting with monsters. Fuu, Berkut is still lively. Chief Valzak, I often subjugate monsters in monster nests with Takumi-sama and the others, so this much is nothing. Valzak-san who had been resting his weary body was in admiration upon seeing Berkut still being full of energy. Berkut was emotionally attached to me for some reason, and she would actively participate when we would clear out monsters in monster nests. It was also for that very reason that Berkut had be the strongest among the Aligerous Tribe. Takumi-sama, have some tea. Thank you, Maria. I drank the tea that Maria offered and enjoyed our short break. After about 15 minutes of rest, Valzak-san looked to have recovered a bit, so we resumed our search for the ruins. As we made our way straight into the forest while asionally killing the monsters thate attacking, the forest of thick trees grew thinner. The moss-covered ground that felt like a walk over a carpet changed to a hard surface. The state of the forest is changing as we get closer to the center of the forest. It is still plenty dense as a forest nheless. At the time when Valzak-sans ancestors settled into this ind, the ancient ruins were already engulfed by nature. However, because there were barely any monsters that posed a threat inhabiting it, they investigated the ruins to some extent, identifying that the floating inds floatation device utilized a dungeon core. Just as we were about to reach the center, Sophia discovered something. Ah, this is man-made. Youre right. its worn down now, but I can tell it was made with high technique. It was likely the ruins of a building. A portion of the ruins was visible. Its being toppled over by creeper nts and the like, but was it the wall of a house? We found cut stone joined together without gaps. I carefully removed the dirt on the ground. Yup, its paved stone. Its not at all inferior to the roads I made in the Sanctuary. After removing the dirt and debris from the ground, an impressive stone-paved road that one wouldnt think to be from many thousands of years ago had appeared. I remember thendscape around here. It would likely take two hours to reach the dungeon entrance at this pace. Valzak-san, who looked around and identified our location, pointed in the direction of the dungeons entrance. Lets postpone examining the ruins. Checking on the dungeon core takes precedence. Indeed. Investigating the defect on the device that used the core. We headed to the dungeon entrance by relying on Valzak-sans memory. The closer we got to the center, the more ruined buildings there were. Eventually, we discovered a three-story architectural structure simr to a smaller version of Mexicos Teotihuacn Pyramid[1] in the ruins encroached by greenery. Valzak-san pointed at that structure, saying that it was the way to ess the dungeon core. Iruma-dono, that building is the entrance to the dungeon core. As we approached it, we could tell that the structure very likely had a special magic that prevented decay as it didnt seem like thousands of years had passed. its amazing. I dont know what the buildings were like a thousand years ago, but it had roughly remained the same. Takumi-sama, lets first stop the monsters froming out by raising a barrier at the entrance. Afterwards, lets have dinner. Right. Gotcha, well set up a barrier, so please make dinner, Maria. Then Kaede will hunt monsters around us, kay~? The minute Kaede said so, she disappeared into the forest. *** Footnotes: 1. Teotihuacan Pyramid info here. Chapter 302: Raiding the ruins of an ancient kingdom Chapter 302: Raiding the ruins of an ancient kingdomThen lets go with Kaede and I taking the lead, Valzak-san in the middle, Berkut on one side of him, Maria on the other, and Sophia at the end of the line. Yes. We stepped into the dungeon entrance of the ruins of the ancient civilization which was simr to a minimized Teotihuacn Pyramid. Hey Master, its a dungeon but the mana is low? Youre right. This might exin why the monsters are all small. We dont have that much experience diving into many dungeons, but we can tell that the mana here was iparably weaker than in the dungeons we have experienced. The monsters that appear in the dungeons are created from mana, so the interior of a dungeon should fundamentally be dense with mana. It doesnt seem like the core controller haspletely lost control yet. That seems to be the case. If it lost controlpletely, the Sky Ind would fall to the ground, after all. I agreed with Sophias conjecture, slightly relieved that we still had time. Monsters would asionally attack us as we made our way through the Ruins dungeon. Though the monsters of that caliber would run away as soon as they discover us if we were outside a dungeon, theye attacking inside the dungeon. We were clearing out the monsters anyway, so it was easier if theye to us. Master, can Kaede attack the monsters on this floor by herself? Hmm, lets see, if its you then no matter how far we are, you wont lose us, so sure, you can go. Kaaaay! Maybe because she was bored, Kaede proposed to annihte the monsters alone. If the monsters thate out of the dungeon were of this degree , Kaede would be fine no matter what, so I just let her do as she pleased. After watching Kaede until she was out of sight, we examined the floor carefully. ording to Valzak-san, he was told of the dungeons appearance by their ancestors as per their oral traditions. This is a story from 1000 years ago. This was prior to the overflow of monsters so the dungeon may have changed, but I heard that it was a small structure at the 3rd level at the time. I dont know how much it would have changed in 200 years, but I think it would be alright. Considering the density of mana inside the dungeon, I couldnt imagine it growing into a dungeon that much. Our exploration of the Ruins Dungeons was going well, and the 3rd Floor remained to be the lowest floor. Deep within the 3rd Floor, there was a door in front of us, but it didnt seem to be the typical Last Boss room like in normal dungeons. So we cant start unless we get through here? Even if this is a boss room, the boss wouldnt be that big, right? Takumi-sama, lets hurry and open it alright. Be on your guard. Though Sophia and Maria said so with little tension, I myself couldnt feel any danger. Ill open it then. With Kaede and I at the lead, we opened the door and barged into the boss room. The moment everyone entered the room, mana gathered and a monster appeared. Eh, 5 killer apes, huh? Master, well restrain them first, right? The bosses that appeared were Killer Apes that were considered to be small fries in a monster nest, so it was really disappointing. Perhaps to give Berkut some experience, Kaede quickly bound the 5 killer apes with her threads. uhh, Berkut, please finish it off. Sorry about that, Kaede-chan. With an indescribable expression on her face, Berkut dealt the finishing blows to the unmoving Killer Apes bound by Kaedes threads. Iruma-dono, our ancestors had reached up till this room. Which means they havent gone past this point? With the boss defeated, the door which likely leads to the room that had the dungeon core appeared before us. Yes, monsters didnt appear before, so our ancestors seemed to havee to investigate this ce, however I was told that they were unable to open this door. Heee. As a test, Valzak-san ced his hands on the door, but sure enough, nothing happened. Let me try. After that, even when Kaede, Sophia, Maria, and Berkut tried, there was no change with the door. Should we break it? Hold up, let me check it out too. Growing irritated, Sophia started talking about breaking down the door, so I hurriedly stopped her. Hmm, maybe it has a trick to it. Then, when I ced my hand on the door, the door shined for an instant and an electronic-sounding voice could be heard from somewhere. ģΣ 壬ȣ 䣮 ģ . Gogogo it opened. it really opened. Master, youre amazing! well, it opened so I guess thats a good thing. I dont know why it only responded to me, but checking the core takes precedence right now, so we timidly moved past the door. *** Chapter 303: The Control Room Chapter 303: The Control Room We heard an electronic-voice and the door opened. We cautiously went inside and what we arrived at was a scenery unlike that of a normal dungeon. (This is no doubt a control room.) The room where the dungeon core was ced was a small room 5 meters in each direction. Arge circr stone was enshrined in the middle. It would have been a bare core if it was a normal dungeon, but this core was surrounded by mechanical devices. It must be a magic power siphoning device. What could this be? ss? What Sophia touched as she said so was a ss pane installed ntingly on the waist-level pedestal. It was like a tablet pc. This might be an entry terminalwoah! Huh!? It didnt respond when I touched it though! When I touched the ss surface after Sophia did, the semi-transparent-like ss shined, a line of light moved across the palm of my hand as if to scan it, then a listing of characters appeared. ȣ 䣮 䣬 䣮 Ah! Characters of some sort appeared! I was puzzled by what Maria, who was peeking from the side, said. (Huh? I can read it just fine though. Im pretty sure I received the ability to read and writemonnguages, but that was this diverse?) Realizing it thiste got me depressed at just how stupid I was. Now that I really think about it, aside from the continent-wide alphabet, havent I been thoughtlessly reading books with ancient elven characters and other ancientnguages ever sinceing to this world? I found a point of discrepancy. Its kinda beyond my expectation, but it seems like it would be taken care with just a bit of servicing. Ohhh! Is that true!? Operating the tablet is a simple task for me as a Japanese. This tablet seems to be used for maintenance and manipting the floatation device of this dungeon, so it immediately told me the part that was currently malfunctioning. amazing, it can tell in the blueprint which part has a malfunction. yup, I might be able to fix this with the materials I have on hand like this. The device that siphons magic power from the core is connected by a lot of lines. Im not sure if one of those lines had degraded over the years, but it seemed to have led to a malfunction. The material used for the MP siphon line was of mithril alloy. As for how to do maintenance on the degraded part, Ive considered recing it, but I decided to choose the option of repairing it with a bit of materials. I took out a bit of mithril alloy from the Item Box and transmuted it directly into the degraded line. Transmute! The mithril in hand disappeared, and the degraded line was repaired. I operated the tablet, checking to see if the malfunction had been resolved. Yup, it looks like its all good now. This dungeon core shouldnt spawn monsters from here on. Then Kaede will hunt all the monsters inside the dungeon, kaaay~! Ah! I will help too! Once all the monsters in the Ruins dungeon are exterminated, well only have to deal with the monsters left in the forest. Kaede took it upon herself to exterminate all the monsters in the dungeon. Since Berkut also volunteered, I asked Maria to follow them. Yup, thanks. Maria, could I ask you to support Berkut? Leave it to me. Lets go then, Berkut-chan? Yes, Maria-san! We saw off Kaede and the girls who left cheerfully, then I faced the tablet once more. This room is no doubt the control room, and this tablet seems to control the climate, maintain the barrier, maintain and regtes altitude, and the like in the Sky Ind. Now, another part that malfunctioned was affecting the Sky Inds altitude control, and because of that, the Sky Ind was moving like a kite slowly drifting in the wind after its string was cut. I checked if all the controls were working, then checked on everything else that would probably need maintenance. This was possible because it was an apparatus that allowed me to inspect the database which monitors the current state of the dungeon core that was making the humungous Sky Ind float as well as amplify its magic power. Thanks to that, I could repair the malfunctions quickly, but *** Chapter 304: For the next generation Chapter 304: For the next generation Having cleared the ancient ruin dungeon, I touched the core control unit and ended up having new issues. Everyone, I have something to talk to you about. What is the matter? I returned to the caverns where the Aligerous Tribe was for the time being, and set up a meeting which included both Valzak-san and Valkan-san. The malfunction guing the device controlling the dungeon core had been resolved, but a new problem hade to light. The dungeon core keeping the Sky Ind afloat was likely equal to the size and performance of the core of an S rank dungeon. And now, that magic power was running dry. Of course it would, a dungeon would lure monsters and people into it and consume their magic power to grow and preserve itself. When the ancient civilizations flourished, there were many people living in the Sky Ind, and I think thisnd had such high concentrations of mana that an S rank dungeon and powerful monsters inhabit the monster nest within it. Because of the wisdom of the ancients, the dungeon cores ability to produce monsters was taken away, and adopted a method that would forcefully use it as energy. No, please wait. If were talking about monsters, when our ancestors arrived in thisnd, the forest only had monsters that even children could defeat. Valzak-san was perplexed by the sudden discussion. Hes right. At this rate, those monsters would also disappear The reason why the magic power of the core was being exhausted was naturally because it was being used to keep this ind afloat and manage the climate and barriers, but the reason it didnt depletepletely was because the intake and output of magic power was only slightly tilted to the negative. The Ancients were amazing. The Ancients seem to have been using a mechanism for replenishing magic power from mana in the surroundings far more efficiently than what I have been using heavily , as it had taken many thousands of months and years for the mana of the first ss monster nest to weaken, and that is why there are no powerful monsters in this ind. I think that the people of the ancient civilization who built a city innd which was still a monster nest at the time were amazing. Though it isnt known for what reason they made this ind float. It definitely was a mystery. There were practically no monsters that could be threats. Yet the ancients abandoned the easily habitable Sky Ind. For what reason? Though it may be gone now, there must have been a strong barrier put up around the town even after it was suspended in the sky. Flying in the sky in a mass of high concentrations of mana, theymust havee. The wyverns and, at times, dragons I cant say it clearly without thoroughly investigating the ruins, but the city that it once was wasnt used for very long. When we firstnded on the Sky Ind, it didnt have monsters that could be threats, and I thought it was a good ce. In the end, the mana concentration of thend gradually weakened, turning it into an environment unideal for powerful monsters, and they disappeared from this ind. Though I dont know how many months and years that took. S-so, what is the issue There wasnt an issue when the Sky Ind had high concentrations of mana, but even though its slight, the effect of intake and expenditure of magic power continued to be on the negative for several hundreds or thousands of years, so it wouldnt be strange if it happened at any time. Put simply, the Sky Ind might possibly fall. Wha!? T-thats! Valzak-san and Valkan-san turned pale. Valkan-san, who was happy to be home after 200 years, questioned me, as though imploring. C-could something be done? we would need the continuous cooperation of the Aligerous Tribe, but its not not like theres no way. We will do whatever we can. Please. Please save our birtnd. understood. It would take a bit of time to prepare, but at the bare minimum, the Sky Ind will continue to fly in the sky. Thank you very much! Theres no way you could refuse if aged adults asked for your help so desperately that theyre in tears, could you? Actually, after I found out how much the flow of magic power was losing in a day, I knew that it was an amount that could be replenished if there 2-3 people from the Aligerous Tribe do so every day. However, it was a ton of work to get 2-3 people to refill the core with magic power every single day. Id like to maintain a slight surplus since the expenditure is gradual. Also, I definitely have to research the magic devices that gather mana from the atmosphere and the ground as efficiently as the ancients did so I can upgrade Titans performance. Laeva would definitely be happy to research this as well. *** Chapter 305: Project Initiation Chapter 305: Project Initiation Still, people of the ancient civilizations were strange. Right? They built a city in a ce that had an S rank dungeon and strong monsters living within it. For the time being, I returned to the Sanctuary workshop, and I polished a n for a magic device that would support the control unit of the Sky Ind together with Laeva. What Laeva and I were thinking was to first improve the Sky Inds floats and barriers, and take the amount of magic power used for regting the climate from the atmosphere. We continued to add more and more ideas in. Even so, this is a frighteningly efficient mana collection device. Fortunately, the Sky Ind didnt stall in one ce and kept moving. You got that right. As the surrounding mana grows thinner, the resulting negative intake and output elerates. As part of the n, will we prepare auxiliary magic crystals? Well, simply put, itd be like that. As per usual, we will be transmuting several giant crystals, but that alone wasnt enough this time. For now, wellbine it with the usual magic crystals, and it must be something that could be replenished by just Valkan-san and his tribe. It would be great if the intake and output bnces out in the end It might not be possible immediately. It would be great if wee up with an idea though. Preparing several magic crystals requires gathering materials, but that isnt much of a problem. The problem is that when its just the Aligerous Tribe by themselves, replenishing the magic power would be difficult. Sophia and I could replenish a days worth of magic power by ourselves, but Id like to avoid constraining everyone from the Aligerous Tribe to replenishing the magic power. How about we structure it so it is possible to set magic stones to replenish the magic crystals with magic power? I see, the Sky Ind is connected to the base in the Demon Continent, so if they use that to hunt monsters, they would be able to secure magic stones. Yup, subjugating monster carries some risk, but the warriors that we trained could possibly stock up on tons of magic stones. There was some risk to leaving the Gate connecting the Sky Ind to the Demon Continent base, but we had to think about the situation after we leave. From my discussion with Laeva, we decided to transmuterge magic crystals and a magic device that is capable of replenishing the magic crystals magic power using various sizes of magic stones. In front of our usual members gathered in the living room of the Sanctuary mansion, we announced our n to stabilize the Sky Ind. I would like to ask for everyone to help but, We simply support you with what you want to aplish, Takumi-sama. Please tell us whatever it is. Yup, its just as Sophia-san said. Dont be so reserved, Takumi-sama. We will follow your hearts desires, Master. Sophia, Maria, and Marnie would never say no to me, so it was just confirmation. What do you want to do? Lulu and I have gotten to know more people in the Aligerous Tribe, so Ive got noints with helping out. Lulu will help too, nya. Akane had recently been sneaky with the Elven Princess Mimir, but she was close with Berkut too, so she said she would help out if its for the benefit of the Aligerous Tribe. Mhmm, first off, I think Ive talked about prioritizing the stability of the Sky Ind, but I want to prepare backup giant magic crystals for the dungeon cores. So we would like high purity magic stones that are asrge as possible for that reason. Laeva unrolled the blueprint, and began exining the magic device that would link the 1m+ magic crystals to the dungeon core. Large, high purity magic stones you n to hunt dragon types? Akanes face cramped as she was shocked by the dimensions of the magic crystals drawn on the blueprint. As expected, Akane. Actually, Queen Fraal told me that there were dragon-type dungeons. Wha! Youre serious? Since I needed a ton of magic stones, I asked Queen Fraal for a suitable dungeon. Apparently, there was a very difficult dungeon where dragon species appeared in great numbers. From Lizardmen who were not much different to lizards, Wyverns, Earth Dragons, Thunder Dragons, and even Undead Bone Dragons Monsters appear. And if we reach the deepest part, an Ancient Dragon that would be too much to handle makes its appearance. Well, we arent going that far in though. Magic stones asrge as they could be are much more efficient for transmuting, after all. Incidentally, if we train the Aligerous Tribe on the shallow floors, securing magic stones would be a simple task to them. Haa, fine I get it. Still, safety first. Of course. Master, that seems fun. Kaede couldnt help but find the thought of fighting dragons fun. Our full party and several of the Aligerous Tribe will go dungeon diving, while the remaining tribesmen would be asked to thin out the monsters left on the Sky Ind. *** Chapter 306: Gathering Magic Stones 1 Chapter 306: Gathering Magic Stones 1 At the heart of the Demon Continent, in front of the entrance to the dungeon where dragon species were aplenty, we were dumbfounded. As to why umm, why are Queen Fraal and Ryuka-san here? Naturally, to clear the dungeon. Haaa, my apologies, Iruma-dono. Queen Fraal who acts like its obvious that she should be here and the apologetic Ryuka-san were present. Umm, is everything okay? Queen Fraal is the head of your nation, isnt she? Capturing a dungeon is also something that a ruler must aplish. Ryuka looked at Queen Fraal, who stated as such so grandly, with a troubled expression, but it reminded me that the rulers of the Demon Continent were much the same. Haa, I understand, but please dont get hurt. I wont take responsibility. I wanted you to say that you would take responsibility though. Of course, we will take responsibility of ourselves. Ryuka-san icily cut off the words Queen Fraal was sending my way with a sexy gaze. What a close master and retainer. Iruma-dono, you will sell the materials besides the magic stones preferentially, wouldnt you? Yes, were fine with just the magic stones. Queen Fraal and Ryuka forcibly joined us into the dungeon for some reason, but other than that, they were quite calcting. The dragon-type materials that would be obtained in the dungeon will be stored inside my Item Box and I promised to transport them to uros. It seems Queen Fraal intends to make them merchandise to Samandour Kingdom. As expected of a dungeon where dragon species appear, its so friggin wide. The 1st to the 10th floor are like this, but the middle floors to the deepest ones be far more vast. My impression of the dungeon after walking into the dungeon was that it was absolutely ginormous. Ryuka-san told me that the middle floors were far bigger. Which meant thatrger dragon types will start appearing in the middle floors, huh. This is a dungeon that has wide passages and rooms for spawning dragon types, so thats as obvious as obvious can be. Dogoooon!! Titansrge metal fist smashed the head of arge lizard. A Fire Lizard. It isnt really a species of dragons, but the monsters on the shallower levels are like this. Well, its a 3 meter lizard, so itll normally still give a hard fight even if it isnt a type of dragon, though it would still be ssified as a small fry in the Demon Continent. Maria stated her thoughts about Ryuka-sans exnation with a fed up expression. That said, Maria is one of ourrades whockmon sense. Ryuka-san, do you need this lizard? Yes, its meat has a slight stench, but if a somewhatrger amount of spices are used, its a big hit alongside alcohol. Gotcha. Ill hold on to its whole body, so please deal with the dismantling. I stored the Fire Lizard that Titan defeated into my Item Box. Since we need a whole lot of magic stones this time anyway, lets search and destroy. Fu fu fu, Im d that the battle maniac kings dont know. Your Majesty, I think you are no different. Behind me, Queen Fraal who I consulted was smiling, and Ryuka-san who was aware that the Queens true nature was no different from the other rulers of the Demon continent retorted. Its so vast, even wyverns and the likee out. Thats a Lesser Wyvern, isnt it? A Lesser Wyvern is a downgraded version of a Wyvern. Basically, its a monster ranked within the lower levels of the dragon types, but its strength was nowhere near those of real dragons. Its a flying lizard. Even thats a threat to a human country, isnt it? Titan go BAM with hand! Hand BAM! Sophia called the Lesser Wyvern a flying lizard, and Maria shook her head as hermon sense was way out there, while Kaede requested that Titan make his hand fly. Theres not even a shred of nervousness in the air. No helping it. Even a dragon is prey to these members. I apologized to Queen Fraal and Ryuka-san for theck of tension among our members. A wyvern that cant emit a breath attack would definitely be one punch for Titan, after all. Look forward to Basilisks, Cockatrices and the like start appearing from the middle levels. well make sure to. Yup, Queen Fraal is definitely one of the rulers of the Demon Continent. *** Chapter 307: Gathering Magic Stones 2 Chapter 307: Gathering Magic Stones 2As we went hunting for lizards, better known as Fire Lizards and Wyverns, we descended to the deeper floors. Magic stones wererger and purer the stronger the monster were. This time, I want to transmuterge, high purity magic crystals so that they would be fine for several hundred years even without means of being replenished, so Id like to focus on gathering magic stones at the deeper levels. Werent Basilisks the rulers of snakes? It doesnt feel like a dragon type though. If were talking about this, then a Cockatrice might have the wings and tail of a dragon, but its head is that of a chicken. Cockatrices and Basilisks began appearing when we entered the middle floors. Also, monsters that had poison and breath attacks also began appearing in these levels. And while I was questioning things in a mutter, Maria said to not mind the small things if were just taking their magic stones. I dont think it isnt trivial though. Doga! A head fell to the floor after being cut by a de of wind. There really is a different sense of security that could be felt when I think that Iruma-dono and Akane-dono, who were capable of curing petrification, are present. Thats right. I dont feel safe if I dont have a lot of potions prepared at all times too. For instance, even if someone were to receive a status abnormality-type attack, Ryuka-san and Queen Fraal know that Akane and I were capable of curing it, so they were also able to go towards monsters energetically. Shes the head of a state so I would like it if she didnt charge right at the monsters though. Queen Fraal, thats dangerous! Itll be fine! A Cockatrice is just an oversized chicken! No, thats definitely not arge chicken. What is one to do if the rear guard suddenly charges in? Apparently, Akane and I were insurance, so she were going to enjoy fighting to her hearts content. Iruma-dono, Im so sorry. N-no, please stop, Ryuka-san. You dont need to apologize. Im just worried that Queen Fraal would get hurt. With Queen Fraals close aide Ryuka-san bowing deeply, I grew flustered. Our country has the Demon Continents sole harbor, sopared to other countries, we have iparably more paperwork. Administrative officials are also busy with work, but the current situation is that there are mountains of documents that are waiting to be settled by Her Majesty. I see, trade has definitely been prosperous, so there must be a ton of work for the Queen. That is indeed so. That is why, just as she was thinking that she would like to relieve a bit of stress, she learned that you were looking for a high difficulty dungeon she really used me well. Its inexcusable. In this high difficulty dungeon, she could clear it with our support, and it evenes with materials that could be sold for high prices to boot. Yup, shed definitely be real energetic with hunting monsters. Because this was a dungeon where dragon species wander freely, the floor was big enough for Titan and Tsubaki to go ham. Tsubaki, who hasnt had a chance to pull the carriage recently, happily went wild. Haa haa, its been a long time since I sweat this well. Ha, haha, Im d for you. Queen Fraal came back looking very pleased, but I guess that was inevitable. The next thing I knew, Ryuka-san who had been beside me until just now had switched ces with Queen Fraal and attacked the monsters. Ryuka looks like shes enjoying herself. Ha, haha, yeah. Of course she would. She is normally the calm and obedient close aide of Queen Fraal, but she is from the battlecentric Oni Tribe. Doga! Yup, she just hit a 4m+ tall cockatrice. Lets stop thinking about this so much. Everyone seems to be having fun anyway. This dungeon doesnt seem like it would have anything unlikely to happen in the middle floors, so Sophia, Akane, and Laeva called their familiars out and hunted with them, while Marnie and Lulu-chan were upied with supporting them. While I was watching everyone fight, Kaede came to my side. Hey, hey Master, Blue-ojichan and Red-ojichan areing. Blue-ojichan? Red-ojichan? Who ising to this dungeon? Kaede left behind a trail of her silk when we passed through the dungeon so that we do not get lost. And there were apparently some beings raiding the dungeon. Moreover, Kaede knew who they were. Haa, I have an idea who the blue one and red one are. Eh, are they your acquaintances, Queen Fraal? If I had to say theyre acquaintances, then yes they are. Iruma-dono, you also know them. If theyre Queen Fraals acquaintances and Kaede and I know them, then it could only be them, but seriously, what are they doing *** Chapter 308: Gathering Magic Stones 3 Chapter 308: Gathering Magic Stones 3 As we cleared the dungeon at a frightening momentum, I sensed two presencesing closer to us. The fact that I can feel them now means theyre already on the same floor as us, huh. Well, we practically decimated all of the monsters in our way, so those two had mostly been moving without any fighting. This time, our goal was to gather magic stones, so we didnt just hunt down the monsters that caught our eye, we thoroughly exterminated any and all monsters thate within our wide area search. Naturally, it would take time for the dungeon to birth new monsters. Particrly this dungeon which happens to be called a Dragon Dungeon, the cost of even producing a small fry was high, so it would probably be hard to find monsters for a while. Ahh, we already caught up. Inside the vast dungeon, a loud voice could be heard from far away. Getting a head start is unfair of you, Queen Fraal! Youre just hogging all this fun! The voice that spoke so loud it hurt was the red-skinned, muscr, two-horned Oni King who was smiling ferociously and disying hisrge fangs, King Jairu. For the King of the Oni Tribe to not evene with an attendant, are you sane? The same goes for you, Gandalf! How could you enter the dungeon by yourselves!? What, the shallower floors would be easy if I was with Jairu, right? Arent those absurditiesing out of your own mouth!? The one seemingly enjoying the confrontation with the angered Queen Fraal was blue-skinned, muscr, two-screw horned ruler of the Devil n who had folded bat-like wings growing from his back[1], King Gandalf. No, I also think that what Queen Fraal said is right. Why would rulers of their own countriese to a high level dungeon without any escorts? Queen Fraal had taken her close aide Ryuka-san even if it was only her, and she dove into the dungeon together with us, so that was enough for an escort. And these people What, we also have the weapons that Iruma-dono gave us in thest dungeon. Those huge lizards are nothing. Yeah, the subdragons were one hit KO! Saying so, King Gandalf jabbed the all-metal halberd into the ground, and King Jairu swung the all metal hexagonal rod. Youre just madmen given tools. Though Queen Fraal threw in some sharp words, the two werent concerned at all. Haa, still, you two really have done it leaving your countries by yourself. Thats just how it is, they likely decided to sneak out. Umu, theyd have stopped us if we said so. Ahh, these hopeless adults. Huh? But how did you know that we were going to challenge this dungeon? Right, I had asked Queen Fraal if she knew an appropriate dungeon, but how did King Jairu and King Gandalf know? Fu fu fu, our Rhodes and Queen Fraals uros have a prosperous trade, after all. Naturally, I have many subordinates that enter uros. We are not negligent in gathering information. Schimihazaar which I rule and uros have trade too. There are a lot of Onis in uros. You guys didnt throw in spies, did you!? No, even if we dont put spies in, your information is pretty open, isnt it? In the first ce, theres no one in our nations here in the Demon Continent that think about these tiny details. Thats right too. And so they all agreed. I guess. The necessary quality of a ruler in the Demon Continent was being strong anyway. Well, theres no helping it since youre already here, lets restart the capture after a bit of rest. Ou! Leave whats ahead to me and Gandalf! Umu, we havent fought that much. Leave the front to us. I quickly gave in to the two kings who did not look even slightly ashamed when looked at with fed up expressions by those around them. Its fine as long as they dont die. Its easier on my mental wellbeing this way. Maria, Marnie, and Lulu-chan prepared tea, and we all took a break in arge room after collecting all of the monsters. After resting, we resumed our dungeon diving, but in reality, we began moving with King Jairu and King Gandalf at the front. Kaede, please back them up. You got it, Master! Leave Red-ojichan and Blue-ojichan to Kaede! The two kings would probably be fine going ahead of Titan and Tsubaki if I leave them to Kaede. Yup, lets think like that. *** Footnotes: 1. As far as I can recall, it had never been mentioned that he had wings on his back. Chapter 309: Gathering magic stones 4 Chapter 309: Gathering magic stones 4 Ku ha ha ha ha ha! This is so fun! Its overflowing! Dogoon!! With each swing of the solid hexagonal, all-metal rod, monster heads were crushed. King Jairu fought while coating his weapon with fighting spirit which was characteristic to the Oni Tribe. Fn! Kuku Buon!! Beside him was King Gandalf brandishing a magic-power infused halberd. Hmph! Theyre getting along well. Queen Fraal was in a foul mood as she watched the two kings merrily fight an Earth Dragon. It seems shes expecting her turn in fights would decrease. Titan and Tsubaki were covering the two, but were in a bad mood at being used by King Jairu and King Gandalf. Even so, isnt it about time we get closer? Well, theyre having fun, but the area is still dangerous. Sophia and I were at a slightly farther area, watching the two kings fight. The ranks of iing monsters were rising, and things would be getting too close forfort even for the kings of their fighting style if not for our follow ups. For some reason, its like entertaining corporate higher ups. As we were watching the spectacle, I remembered business golfing. Doooon!! The Earth Dragon fell, and above it were two old men who had satisfied smiles as they hoisted their weapons. Yup, even Im getting annoyed. Maybe because King Jairu and King Gandalf were satisfied and began taking a break, Titan, Tsubaki, and Kaede charged at the next prey discovered. Uwaa, that cant be called a dragon, right? No, it is a kind of Ground Dragon[1]. The reason I was recoiling was because its appearance which didnt sit well with me. After descending to a lower floor, we encountered a monster that Sophia said was a kind of Ground Dragon. A 6m round, 30m long writhing earthworm-like Ground Dragon. It was a monster known as a Huge Gluttony Wyrm, but it was eyeless and had fangs lined up in rows inside its circr mouth. Queen Fraals close aide Ryuka-san exined that it was a monster that would eat anything, be it rocks, soil, or monsters. Kaede limited its movement with her threads, and Titan struck it with a giant mace. With Tsubaki stabbing it with her horn and Sophias familiar, the Thunder Eagle Gloam, striking it with lightning, the Wyrm convulsed. At that critical moment, Akanes familiar the giant Luna Wolf Ferryl and Laevas familiarrge cat-like monster Serval Seru ran to inflict their own attacks. If I had to say where I was, I was grimacing in a ce slightly farther away from that disgusting thing. My n was that if things were to get dangerous for everyone, I would step into the fray without question, but my real intention was to avoid getting close to it as much as possible. Ill put it bluntly. There were a lot of Huge Gluttony Wyrms. Theyre wriggling all around. Unable to tolerate it, I exterminated them by doing a saturated attack using magic together with Sophia and Maria. What remained afterwards were only chunks of meat and magic stones. Iruma-dono, please have a bit more moderation. sorry. I ended up being scolded by Ryuka-san. The ones defeated first are still whole so it was okay, but they cant be eaten if theyre that tattered. Huh!? T-thats edible?! Isnt that obvious? Its a Ground Dragon. Its a high-ss ingredient. It seems she got mad because I wasted food. Lulu wants to try it too, nya. Ehh~ I dont want it either. Im interested. Perhaps because Lulu-wanted to try it , she pleaded Akane to hunt one more. Laeva, who was ever brimming with curiosity, was also interested. In the end, we hunted two more of those Huge Gluttony Wyrms, and their whole corpses went into my Item Box The dragon species that appeared were Fire Dragons and Lightning Dragons which were higher ranked among the attribute dragons, and when Ice Dragons also started appearing, we all fought to the best of our abilities. I blocked the strong Breath attacks with my full strength magic barrier; Akane and Laeva supported with magic; Sophia and Maria maneuvered themselves with a hit and run strategy as they used their magic spears d in fire and wind to attack and evade. From behind, Titan fired himself like a bullet and attacked the huge 30m long Fire Dragon. Kaedes threads sewed the Fire Dragon onto the ground, not allowing it to fly to the sky. The moment the light in the Fire Dragons eyes disappeared and its body copsed to the ground, we all sank down to the floor. Haa haa haa, that was quite the high ranking dragon. yes, I suppose this is a good ce to stop for now. Sophia and I judged that our dungeon diving should only be to this point. Muu, as expected, with enemies of this ss, you cant have burdens. I can use magic so Im better, but Jairu is solely focused on hand-to-handbat. King Jairu and King Gandalf had no objections to turning back here. Queen Fraal and Ryuka-san were looking quite pleased with obtaining materials from the Fire Dragon, but they couldnt hide the exhaustion from their face. Our objective of gathering magic stones was achieved, so were going out of the dungeon. Now that were walking, Im a bit afraid of the two kings who were approaching with smiles on their faces. *** Footnotes: 1. This Ground Dragon (ظo) can also be read as Earth Dragon, but the usual spelling that Author uses is `ɥ饴, so Ill use ground for distinction. Chapter 310: Stability for now Chapter 310: Stability for now Since we have obtained copious amounts of high rank magic stones, I secluded myself in the Sanctuary workshop, focusing on manufacturing the magic device. Together with Laeva, we single-mindedly transmute magic stones. Our goal was to make magic crystals of 1m diameter. The magic stones gathered at the dungeon were synthesized to raise their purity. A process repeated over and over again. If we transmute magic crystals of this size, the magic power we would expend would be terrible. Very true. Even though it had taken Takumi-sama and Laeva who have plenty of magic power several days to make, its really at a level that other alchemists would give up on. I suppose. We n on making four of these 1m magic crystals and it would take time even for both of us. When I think about filling this magic crystal with magic power, I really want to be given a break. No, well definitely be asking for everyone to help with that. When ites to filling four giant magic crystal with magic power, that amount needed is exponentiallyrge. On the other hand, the Sky Ind wouldnt stabilize if we dont do that, so we had no choice. Then a soft breeze blew, and Sylph suddenly appeared. As always, youre way too free. Wind does as it pleases. The Great Wind Spirit Sylph appeared without a care for the situation here. Sylph seemed to be able to read the air, and appearing like that was no issue by her standards. So, whats up today? Im right in the middle of stuff. Its about the Sky Ind that youre involved with. ording to Sylph, it was about the Sky Ind, so my hands stopped and I listened. What about the Sky Ind? Takumi, youre making something that would support the magic device thats making the Sky Ind float, right? Yeah, thats right. Sylph more or less exined the condition and current state of the device controlling the Sky Ind. And I tried to add on to her exnation. That ind can move, right? If so, then couldnt you bring it to the west of the Sanctuary? Why? You mean above the western sea? If there was a surplus of magic power with the magic crystal, the Sky Ind is capable of moving. But why though? Originally, the savagends where the Sanctuary was dotted with monster nests filled with dense mana. And right now, the Spirit Tree is purifying the miasma in thend and sky around it, so dont you think that a ce where mana is dense yet without any miasma is ideal? Ahh, if I take the magic device controlling the Sky Ind had a system of gathering mana from the atmosphere into consideration, it was definitely ideal. Moreover, the Sanctuary has a thick Earth Vein passing through it. The magic power of that Earth Vein is absorbed by the Spirit Tree and diffused into the atmosphere as pure mana. Theres nothing wrong with it as is, but itd be a jackpot for the Sky Ind if it could consume even a bit of that, isnt it? What Sylph wanted to say was that. Even if there was no miasma, she still dislikes mana gathering too densely in one area. Got it. Ill move this after stabilizing the controller of the Sky Ind. Thanks! Sylph disappeared with those parting words. So free. thats Sylph for you. Laeva and I resumed transmuting the magic crystals. Today, Marnie was the only one left behind in the Sanctuary mansion to take care of my meals. Sophia and Maria left with Kaede, Titan, left with the army of familiars to retrain the Aligerous tribe at the Demon Continent. Akane and Lulu-chan have recently been going to Princess Mimirs ce for some reason. Once the four giant magic crystals wereplete, we went to the room of the dungeon core in the Sky Ind. The Sky Ind had a Gate connecting to the Demon Continent which the Aligerous Tribe could use, and a Gate that connected to the room with the core which was restricted to authorized personnel only. Laeva and I transferred directly to the what is now called the Core Room and installed the four giant magic crystals. Then we connected it to the system which drew magic power from the core. So this is a magic device that replenishes magic power if you put magic stones of various sizes into it? Yup, I will install it, so please connect the line. Understood. When all line connections wereplete, magic power began cycling from the magic crystals into the core. Ohh! The cores dwindling of magic power is beginning to be reverse. Its a sess. Thats great! The magic device that gathers the mana in the atmosphere is functioning without issues. Well then, all thats left is to charge it up. thats definitely still the case. After that, we got the Aligerous Tribe to help out with filling the four magic crystals with magic power, and we were able to finish the entire process in 10 days. *** Footnotes: 1. Chapter 311: Stability and Development Chapter 311: Stability and Development It was decided in a discussion with Valkan-san and Valzak-san that a city would be established in the so-called ancient ruins at the heart of the city before the Sky Ind moved to the airspace specified by Sylph. The Sky Inds situation was resolved, the barrier had no issues, and the altitude maintenance and mobile altitude control were also stable. There are too many trees in the area we intend to develop in, so lets use them as wood. Drying and treating them could be managed with magic. I dont think we need something this big. No, Valkan-san. Things like this are a pain to expand, so lets develop itrgely from the beginning. With the decision to move the Sky Ind closer to the Sanctuary, the Sanctuary residents there talked about being able to go to the Sky Ind. Is it alright to develop over the ancient ruins? Valzak-san, the building that serves as the entrance to the dungeon core hasyers of Self-repairing enchantments and State Preservation enchantments so its the same as it was in the past, but the rest are just scattered rubble. I believe it is valuable research for those who study ancient civilizations, but Its okay. They will be restored them to their former state as much as possible. Valkan-san and Valzak-sans face had faces that said, No thats not it. Well, even I was aware. Still, Id like to think that itd be safe if we restore it. This time, constructing brand new structures on the site of an ancient ruins felt out of ce even for me, so I considered it as a form of restoration. The exchange with the Sanctuary is a wee discussion to us. Right. Even when Valkan and the others came back, their numbers were few too. Our race would have no future like this. The Aligerous Tribe were different from the all-female races like Mermaids and Lamias, but even if one of the parents is not from the tribe, theres a 50% probability that the child would be of the Aligerous Tribe, so they were thankful for the chance to interact with other races. How about we see what it looks like first? I will take Valkan-san and Valzak-san to the site of the ruins, and we will look at what to restore. Including Sophia, who came as my guard like always, the four of us went to the Sky Ind ruin site. Please take a good look. I took stones out of the Item Box. Holding a strong image of a restored building in mind, I invoked Alchemy, mixing together the rubble from the ruins and the stone from the Item Box. The rubble and materials I prepared were enveloped in a light in the shape of a building, and after that light faded, a proper stone dwelling showed up. alchemy is amazing. if its like this, wouldnt it be fine, Onii-san? Since their responses werent bad, we decided to develop the center of the Sky Ind like this. However, this would increase Takumi-samas work, wouldnt it? Ah`, youre right. No choice but to ask the others to cut down trees then. The n was set, so I began examining the ruins to gain an understanding of what kind of city it was in the ancient era. I examined the width of the roads and the types of buildings and drew them together. Luckily, there was no one else that arrived onto the Sky Ind aside from the Aligerous Tribe, so the ruins werent desecrated. The effects of weathering over time and being swallowed up by the forest were there, but it would be taken care of with minimal transmutation with new materials. Whats new will be the outer walls, I see. Did the ancient city not have outer walls? No, I was able to confirm traces of the wall. Then could you to reproduce them in their original ce? When we talked about the walls, Valzak-san hade out with a request. If the walls were built in their original location, the scale of the city would be farrger than what we had originally nned. At any rate, we were reproducing the ancient city in its entirety. Its possible, but it would take time. We will also help. I seeeee, understood. If it isnt a Sky Ind, then it would be a tourist attraction, wouldnt it? Currently, if someone wants toe to the Sky Ind, theyd have to fly or use a gate. However, one would need to tame a wyvern or griffin and mount it as a way to fly, but there was currently no one who could tame such monsters. As for the Transfer Gates, its only connected to our base in the Sanctuary and the Demon Continent, so it isnt avable to themonfolk. It would be a lot of trouble if the Gates be known. Its technology that any country would love to get their hands on. Indeed it is. We might eventually build a sightseeing blimp. It had helium gas, if I remember correctly. That would probably have very little risk. But maybe thats unreasonable for transport. I wonder if were at the stage where we should seriously consider the management of gates. *** Chapter 312: Rebuilding the ruins Chapter 312: Rebuilding the ruins I made a mistake. I want to punch the me from a little while back. Here at the heart of the Sky Ind, the ruins of an ancient civilization were in a sorry state after having been subjected to the flow of time and the encroachment of the forest. Transmute! Zugogogoooo!! Buildings lining the damaged stone paved streets from ancient times were being restored. These areparable to todays residences. The ancient era buildings seemed to have a prerequisite of using various magic devices within them. I, alone, silently used alchemy to restore the historic ruins. The only one close by was Sophia who was standing by as my guard. The Aligerous Tribe were out exterminating monsters and wild animals from the central area with Kaede and Maria backing them up, and Titan was cutting down the trees that have grown here. I just had to say Id restore the ruins. Anyway, it was a pain. Youre using your nerves. It cant be helped. These old ruin stones are all weathered down, after all. They were definitely weathering down. So much so that there were stones that seemed like they would crumble at a touch. I had to return these to the state they were in when they were constructed. I transmuted the soil and stone I had on hand for each brick that wascking on top of keeping the image of the structure being built. This is really time-consuming. Indeed. You have had to surmise what each and every building was in that era, study it, and transmute it based on your imagination. Yeah, I feel like an archeologist. It felt like excavating ruins. Moreover, this job wasnt for making new buildings so it wasnt something that an Earth Mage could simply assist with. Since its like this, Ill work quietly on the ruins. Please do your best. The houses in the residential areas were just asrge as todays house, many of their shapes were simple too, so each one didnt take much time, but because it was an ancient city, it was painfully simple transmuting the remains of government office-like building, businesses, craftsmens workshops like an assembly line. Each and every residence is quite big. Couldnt it have been that the people who lived in the Sky Ind were chosen people in the ancient era? The houses in the city ruins were big enough to be called buildings and mansions. As one would expect in a city built on limitednd, the structures and gardens were smaller inparison to those in the Royal Capital or Volton City, butpared to the Royal Capitals slums and Voltonsmonfolks houses, what Im restoring could be called proper mansions. Leaving the garden as a space with absolutely nothing is weird. Even alchemy cant restore that, after all. I suppose it would be impossible to guess what nts and flowers were nted before the forest creeped in. Moreover, we werent talking about 10-20 years ago. Its a city from how many thousands of years ago that were reconstructing. I supplemented the missing parts from the ruins with the stones and wood taken from the Item Box as I transmuted it. When I activated alchemy with a clear image of theplete building in mind, a two-story structure made of stone and wood was erected. Would you like to take a break? Ah, yeah, should we rest up? Since my magic power was running low too, I took chairs and a table out from the Item Box and set them at the garden space of the reconstructed house, and we drank tea. Fuu, a section is finallyplete. I had been thinking about this since a while ago, but this city didnt have a castle or the residence of a a feudal lord. Yup, I briefly investigated it, but the remains of structures that stood out were only the government office and the pyramid which was the entrance to the dungeon. Maybe their form of government was different from the present. Form of government? Sophia seemed to not understand my exnation intuitively. That was because until the present day, the form of government of countries in this world was a monarchical rule, with the sole exception of the the Divine Empire Sydnia. In any case, it was in the form of a monarchy. Could it be? The ancient country that made this Sky Ind might have been a republic country. A government that does not have a sovereign? I dont understand. Well, I suppose not. Ahh, right, the Sanctuary doesnt have a ruler or nobility, right? Arent the leaders chosen from its residents managing the city? Eh? The Sanctuarys ruler is Takumi-sama. The Sanctuary residents should all think so too. Eh!? I-is that so!? I didnt know. Who would have thought that would be the case I thought it was unthinkable for a happily working ruler to be going all over the Demon Continent, Volton, Sanctuary, Sky Ind, and wherever. You are the Spirit Trees Protector and the Sanctuarys Keeper. Perhaps everyone, even the small children in the Sanctuary, would say that if asked. how did this happen Was it because everyone recognizes me as such that I could develop whatever I liked in the Sanctuary? by any chance, even Margrave Volton and King Valkyra? Well, you have yet to dere the founding of a nation, so I believe they wouldnt perceive it as a simr standing to that. Conversely, the six rulers of the Demon Continentpletely consider you as a king, Takumi-sama. Oofwhat the heck. Sophia smiled at me as my head hung low, dejected. In the Elven country, you are revered as the apostle of God. You are the protector of the Spirit Tree, after all. shall we head back to work? I heard all sorts of shocking facts, but I decided to escape realitypletely now. My lower middle ss self cant handle it. *** Chapter 313: Next Village Chieftain? Chapter 313: Next Vige Chieftain? Eh!? Id like it if you dont involve me in something like that. You do know Im busy, right? Please dont talk like that, Aniki~! Who are you calling Aniki? Look, donte close, its dangerous! Transmute! Its just reaping what one sows, but there was a guy who brought his trifling quarrel to a ce where people were working so had to restore the ancient ruins. Whos the Aniki, just who? When I was hard at work restoring the ancient ruins in the Sky Ind, Valkan-sans son Bagworm-kun, also known as Vart-kun, came to talk about his trivial matters. And what was that stupid thing about? I think Im the best candidate to be the next vige chieftain. Dont you think so too, Aniki? As I said, quit it with the Aniki. What did Valkan-san say? To begin with, I dont want to interfere with things like the chieftain sessions of the Aligerous Tribe. Well, the old man said that he cant leave the head to me. Yup, I think thats right too. Im going to be the chieftain and marry Berkut! Hee, so youll marry Berkut? Transmute! Of course I am. Are you saying theres a better partner for Berkut than me? As pointlessly positive as always, this guy. Did Berkut agree? Im busy right now, so Ill talk Valkan-san and Valzak-san after. Really!? Thanks a lot! Please do! Saying so, Vart ran back with a smile. No, I said I was busy, Vart. I was working silently when, this time, Valto-kun arrived. Man, why are you all going to me? Its not like were close, now are we? Takumi-san, please listen to me. uhh, could it be about the next chieftain? Ooh! As expected, Takumi-san. Thats right. Haa, does Valzak-san not want Valto-kun to be the next chieftain? Ohh!! Amazing!! Is this Dark Magic? Do you know everything?! Theyre way too simr even for being cousins. Im busy right now so Ill ask Valzak-san after. Thank you very much. Now Ill be able to propose to Berkut-chan! you too? Both Valzak-san and Valkan-san must be having headaches over their children. Pausing the restoration for a moment, I went to Valkan-san and Valzak-san to ask them. Valto-kun and Vart-kun came to me separately to discuss the next chieftains position but As soon as I said that, the expressions of the two elders changed to one of being fed up. Haa~ My sincerest apologies, Iruma-dono. I too ask for your pardon. Iruma-dono, we have been so indebted to you but have yet to return you any favor and now our sons have caused you trouble once more Both Valkan-san and Valzak-san were both respectable people, and yet Do you both have no ns of making your sons the next chieftains? Well, even you are aware of Varts foolishness, Iruma-dono. It is precisely because he is my child that the role of chieftain is impossible for that fool. As shameful as it is, my son Valto has bragging contents over the most trivial matters with Vart. It might be time to reconsider how the chieftain role, which had been hereditary[1]until now, is passed on from here onwards. I couldnt stand the heavy air, so I changed the subject forcefully. Oh yeah, Vart-kun and Valto-kun both said that they would like to marry Berkut, but is that a love triangle? Haaa~ Oh crap, I chose the wrong topic. Iruma-dono, its definitely been since long ago that boy Vart liked Berkut, but not once had he been taken notice of. Haa, isnt your situation better, Valkan? Valto fell for her at first sight and was being aggressive, so he was beat up by Berkut who was creeped out. ah, I saw that, Niisan. Valto that boy was happy to be beaten up. Dont say it! Uwaaa, thats no good. Hes hopeless. Oh yeah, the Aligerous Tribe are a race of longevity, arent they? Then couldnt you wait for Valto-kun and Vart-kun to grow up? that did not cross my mind. Is that fine, Valkan? We have no choice, Niisan. I think we should thoroughly retrain those two while were still healthy. right. This was the moment Valto-kun and Vart-kuns hellish retraining was decided. I wonder if I could take a break from the ruin restoration. *** Footnotes: 1. If I remember correctly, it said before in a previous chapter by Berkut(?) that the chieftain session was NOT hereditary. Now it says that it is. Also, changed chief to chieftain. Chapter 314: Passion is unstoppable Chapter 314: Passion is unstoppableToday too, someone visited me while I was working on restoring the ruins. Oh, whats up, Berkut? Takumi-sama, Im sorry to bother you when youre busy, but I would like it if you could listen to me for a bit. I wonder why? Bagworm and Tattered rag were supposedly being retrained, but could it be something else? Whats up? Actually, Vart and Valto came to me and proposed. I have no ns of marrying just yet so I refused, but after that, theyve been persistently Umm, youve heard that Vart-kun and Valto-kun are in the middle of being rigorously educated by Valkan-san and Valzak-san? Berkut seemed to think that it was to early to get married. It wasnt strange to get married at 15-16 years old, but that doesnt apply to the long-lived Aligerous race. Sophia who was also listening in was nodding her head in sympathy. In that case, why were Vart-kun and Valto-kun in such a hurry? Why are those two that impatient? Perhaps Valto-kun and Vart-kun arepeting with each other. ording to Sophia, Vart-kun is Berkuts childhood friend, so he wasnt impatient for marriage like the Aligerous tribe would normally be. However, that changed when Valto-kun fell for Berkut at first nce. So the two arepeting. The two are bothering me. Berkut said so, looking fed up. Also, this is simply a guess, but those two probably admire Takumi-sama, so that might have influenced them as well. Eh? Admire me? Influence? I was surprised at the unexpected words that came from Berkut. That could be. Those two call Takumi-sama Aniki. Takumi-sama who is strong and capable of making anything is a hero to those guys. Moreover, he has a rtionship with the beautifuldies Sophia-san, Maria-chan, and Marnie-san. At the very least, they want to imitate that. Being proposed to like that is just annoying to me though. I could feel my face reddening as Berkut overpraised me. No, wouldnt it be better to work hard to get stronger? Those two, you see, grew up spoiled because they were the chieftains sons, so they like to avoid the hard stuff. I cant help but question their adoration, and find that the direction they put their efforts towards wrong. Well, I suppose it was only natural that Vart-kun and Valto-kun would like Berkut. After all, Berkut was the most beautiful girl in theirmunity even after the merge. So, most importantly, what do you think of those two? Indeed. That is what is important. This world is where the concept of males dominating over women is natural, the marriage decided on by the patriarch is absolute. But there are instances when women have strong positions in small tribes andmunities. Women were strong in the Aligerous Tribe, as one could tell just by looking at Berkut. Simr to how Sophia, Maria, and Marnie raise me up, but it also feels like they could just as easily make me fall on my butt. Me? Hmm, Vart is just a childhood friend, and as for Valto, I have no idea what kind of guy he is, so if I had to put it bluntly, those two are nothing. I am so much stronger. yep, thought so. Ill tell those two that if they have time to think of those things, they should get stronger. Before I knew it, this girl became a muscle-brain. I wont like you if you arent stronger than me. Vart-kun, Valto-kun, you cant win by being stubborn. Maybe because she was able to voice our herints, Berkut looked refreshed. Oh yeah. If I get a bit stronger, I want a weapon made by Takumi-sama. Can I? The Aligerous Tribe were given leather armor and spears, so that wasnt the case. Hmm, I guess. It would be hard to make one equivalent to Sophias and mine, but I dont mind making equipment specifically for you. Youre the one who did your best among all the young people of the Aligerous Tribe, after all Berkut. Hell yeah! Thank you very much! Ill do my best to be stronger! Saying so, Berkut flew at great speeds. That child will also be impossible to love for a while. It cant be helped. Shes having fun feeling stronger right now. Vart-kun and Valto-kun have it rough though. I just hope those two dont be stalkers in the future. *** Chapter 315: Come at me Chapter 315: Come at me Three days after Berkuts consultation, she, once more, came to me, who was busy restoring the ruins. Whats up? I advised Vart-kun and Valto-kun just in case though. For reasons, Berkut became a musclebrain who wouldnt recognize a marriage partner unless they were stronger than her. Even if Vart-kun and Valto-kun courted her, Berkut didnt think about marriage because she was still young. Or so I told them, but I thought I convinced them though. I told them that the still-adolescent Berkut of long-living Aligerous Tribe wasnt considering things like marriage yet. I told them that and those two boys nodded. So, what did those two do? Takumi-sama, please listen to this. Those two idiots thought it was fine as long as theyre strong, and they made a whole mess involving the young men in the tribe. Seriously, those two made trouble by involving the young men of the tribe, proposing a tournament with them, saying that the champion could marry Berkut. Why a tournament? More like, the champion gets married, ignoring Berkuts will? Hey, arent they so dumb? Still, those guys got so into it and talked about special training and stuff for the tournament. Uwaa~ Idiots. What a bunch of idiots. Berkut should have said it. That she doesnt like those that arent stronger than her. Rather, Berkut was the strongest among the youth. There was a reason why Berkut was strong. The reason was because my party members were all girls, with exception to myself. When we go hunting in monster nests, Berkut who was the same gender was brought along. Sophia and Akane found her cute, so they brought her to dungeons too. As a result, her skill levels were far higher and she was strong in the tribe. Hmm, so will you go round-robin and beat everyone, Berkut? T-t-thats it! Berkut yelled loudly and pped. Theres no meaning in a tournament without me. Its the same if its decided that the champion and I would fight at the end. Yeah, thats good. Ill fight everyone! Well said. Then I, a master of the spear, would train you earnestly with Maria. Then Sophia sped Berkuts hands in hers and promised to help. Seriously though, if she gets any stronger than this, no one would be able to catch up to Berkut. And so, the first Berkut Martial Tournament would be held. However, the round robin format became an absurd VS Berkut rule I worry for the men from the tribe after this is over. On the hurriedly built stage, Berkut stood, clutching a spear. Now! Anyonee at me! Uwaa, Berkut was so manly. The total number of challengers from the Aligerous Tribe was 80. 80 men vs 1 young woman could they boast about it even if they won? The first challenger attacked at Berkut with a spear in hand, but the spearhead was intercepted. The stunned challenger was then knocked out by Berkuts counterattack, a hit to the chin using the blunt end of her spear. Next! Berkut, who instantly defeated the first challenger, demanded the next challenger toe. The second challenger charged in as his weapon swung from the side. The attack was quickly thwarted and Berkuts spear closed the gap in that instant, defeating the second challenger. Next! Hey Sophia, you trained Berkut that much? No, her level and skills were far different from those men, so sparring with Sophia and I was plenty. Uh, I think that if someone sparred with high leveled people like Sophia and Maria a lot, that alone would make them strong. Among the challengers, not a single one was able to stand on stage for more than a minute. I wonder if I was the only one who felt sorry for the guys who were beat up in a single hit. Among the steadily decreasing number of challengers, Vart-kun and Valto-kun were waiting at the very back. Heh, theyre definitely waiting for Berkut to get tired, arent they? Yes, its truly ridiculous there are no potions. Do they not think that Berkut would hate these? Seriously. Sophia and Marias cold gazes pierced Vart-kun and Valto-kun. Do your best! Berkut, go for it! Beat them to hell! Do them in nya! Todays tournament was being held on a hurriedly built stage on the Sky Ind, and our party and the tribe were the only ones spectating. And of course, our party was cheering for Berkut. I get Kaede and Laevas cheers, but I dont know what to think about Akane and Lulu-chans. Ah, Valto-kun is next. I just took my eyes off the stage for a bit, and before I knew it, only those two were remaining. Valto-kun charged at Berkut with desperation, but backed away. He cant win like that see? He didnt evenst 5 seconds. Ill win against Berkut and marry her! Sleeptalk when youre asleep! Thest toe up was Vart-kun, but for some reason, he was carrying a sword, not a spear. Hey, did anyone teach Vart-kun swordsmanship? No, Im not sure. Im pretty sure he said that the sword was cooler. Sophia denied teaching him how to use the sword, and Kaede told me his reason. He would already lose in terms of level and talent even under normal circumstances, what is he doing choosing a specialized weapon that would be even more disadvantageous for him? When I said that in my shock, everyone nodded in agreement. Yaaahhhhhh!! In three steps, Berkut calmly and repeatedly jabbed her spear at high speed towards Vart-kun who raised his sword overhead and was charging at low altitudes. Guhee!! Vart-kun rolled all the way to the edge andy motionless. When Valzak-san, who was refereeing, raised Berkuts arm, cheers erupted from the women and children of the tribe. I guess it was a sess as entertainment? I suppose. I dont know if there will ever be a second, but the first ever Berkut Martial Tournament ended. *** Chapter 316: Reward Chapter 316: Reward The first ever Berkut Martial Tournament ended sessfully somehow, but I had to prepare a reward for Berkut who eliminated everyone by herself. I was busy with the restoration project, but a promise is a promise. Takumi-sama! When I heard that you would give me a reward, I couldnt control myself and came here! And Berkut herself came to me at the restoration site all hyped up. Ah, yeah, you did your best at the tournament. Congrattions. Thank you very much. However, the nextpetition will be in an actual tournament format. Eh!? Youre doing it again? Yes, it would seem that the adults and children enjoyed it, so its been decided that it would be changed to a festival held yearly. The Berkut Martial Tournament was a result of young bachelors of the Aligerous Tribe assembling 80 people and participating, but it wasnt as though there were no bachelorettes aside from Berkut, so the other men who werent set only on Berkut likely wouldnt participate in the next tournament. Taking that into consideration, Valkan-san and Valzak-san decided to establish it as an event that was purely a tournament to be held annually. The chieftains realized that the tribe is in need of an enjoyable event. They have a point. Amusement is important. And its useful for the young warriors training too. Yes, they said that too. From here on, the Aligerous Tribe had to hunt monsters in the Demon Continent to gather food and magic stones to maintain the Sky Ind. Valzak-san and Valkan-san saw the Berkut Martial Tournament from the other day and thought they would be able to use it. Next time, the Berkut part of it will be removed. I guess its only right to do so. In fact, some young tribesmen already liked women from the other races. Many of them joined thepetition as a means to test their skills. The only ones who were serious to the point that its scary were Vart-kun and Valto-kun. For those who had fallen for the women of other races, they intended to establish a settlement on the outer section of theke by our base in the Demon Continent. Its the pretext for building a vige outside of the base, but the races of the girls that they were in rtionships with were Onis, Beastkin, and Subi from uros, which was actually governed by Queen Fraal, so we couldnt afford to let them live in the Sky Ind and carelessly reveal the secret of the Gates. So, what do you want? Oh! I would like a new spear! Berkut smiled at Sophia who was by my side, guarding me. Sophia nodding back at her because she was Berkuts master at spearmanship. It was probably decided between the two of them that she would get me to make a spear as a reward. A spear, huh. Gotcha. Ill get in touch when its done. Thank you very much! Im so excited for it! Saying so, Berkut once again flew away at great speeds. Did she discuss it with you? Yes, Berkut couldnt choose between the spear and bow, but that girl likes to charge in while carrying a spear. Ahh, yeah, is that so? She really was gung-ho when she fought during the recent tournament. Berkut wasnt bad with the bow, rather, very few were better than her at it, but she apparently enjoys fighting with a spear at the frontlines more. Right now, the spear she is using had an orthodox form, right? I forgot to ask what I should do for her new spear. I had asked about that. The spear that Berkut was using right now was quite generic in size and spearhead shape. Im quite proud that it was a spear that could stab, strike, and slice at a higher level. The shaft uses reinforced Treant wood, but that was it. So I didnt think there was any problem with upgrading this spear which she is currently using, but A charging spear? Yes, a spear specializing in thrusts would be good. In this world, a conical, deless spear specialized in thrusts like thences used in jousting matches in the medieval Europe did not exist. When I heard a spear specializing in thrusts, I imagined that, but when I asked asked more, it wasnt it. She said that she wanted a spear that would have the strength to pierce even for a powerless Berkut. what aplicated request. Ill think about it for a bit. Please do. Even Sophia was asking me to, so I couldnt make something half-heartedly. First of all, I should increase the size and weight of the spearhead and adjust the weight of the butt end of the spear to bnce it out. The spears length, the spearheads size and shape, and the butt ends form and weight for counterbnce. Considering Berkuts physical abilities at using spears, Ill have to make some prototypes. Im busy with restoring the ruins, but its fun thinking about all sorts of things to make a new weapon in the meantime. *** Chapter 317: New Spear Chapter 317: New Spear I had fun experimenting all sorts of things when Berkut told me she wanted a new spear, but I was still devoting time into restoring the ruins. Simply erging the spearhead to match Berkuts request had no merit. So I tried thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of the Aligerous Tribe. First, their ability to fly was their biggest trait. The fact that they fly by using their wings and Wind Magic was their greatest advantage but also their greatest constraint. The present Aligerous Tribe doesnt have mages. One could say they were natural born Wind Mages, but it wasnt being applied for anything but flight. There were individuals that had the aptitude for several attributes, but in order to use magic while flying, they would have to invoke multiple spells at the same time which is difficult even for mages. I, who thought it was normal to fire different spells while keeping a barrier up, didnt notice until recently why there were no mages among the Aligerious Tribe. Still, Sophia, Maria, Laeva, and Akane were using it normally, so it was inevitable that I would have difficulty realizing it. Recently, proper mages appeared because of our (mainly Sophia and Akane though) coaching, as people who had more aptitude for magic than the spear and bow trained with the goal of bing mages. So until now, the only option the Aligerous Tribe had for long range attacks had been the bow, and it was hard to rece with the spear. With the equipment being predetermined, people would team up for hunts. However, while there was no problem with that when hunting wild animals, there were some monsters that repel arrows. Magic is powerful at such times. So what I thought of was a spear that carries the functionality of a staff. In the first ce, the material used on the shaft was Treant Wood, but this time, Ill use Elder Treant Wood which is one rank higher. The metal which include the parts that would cross des would use mithril alloy and adamantite alloy, raising its capability as a magic catalyst. And I had a special material to add to the spear Im making for Berkut this time. I took that 30cm long thing from the Item Box and ced it on my work bench in the workshop. Ah! Thats a crystalized dragon fang! Yep, its the thing we found at the site Gnome told us to dig at. As Laeva said, what was ced on the workbench was the fang of a dragon. However, it looked very different from normal dragon fangs. Its as beautiful as always. Laeva, you also have several excavated stuff stocked up too right? Yes, Im still thinking of what to use it for. These crystalized dragon fangs were from when the sanctuary was developed. Gnome said there were something interesting in a monster nest close by. And what we unearthed was an entire dragon skeleton. Moreover, it wasnt just your average whole dragon skeleton. Exposed to the thick mana from the monster nest while also being affected by the energy from the Earth Vein, it had changed in quality, bing a skeletal structure that shined like crystals. ording to Gnome, crystalized things like dragon bones and fangs which were naturally excellent as material for armor, were also the best materials for weapons, but at the same time, it was also the best materials when used to create magic catalysts. I was thinking of inserting this on the tip of the spearhead, so it could get through defenses. Ohh! I see! Gnome-sama did give his stamp of approval on its hardness and toughness, after all. This crystalized fang could easily pierce through steel and remain scratchless. If this was iyed into the speartip, its piercing power would be immense. Thrusts weremon in fights with monsters, and I do believe that this crystalized fang would disy tremendous power. And it would even fill in the role of magic metal halberds and axes when swung sideways. But first, I have to prepare the shape of the crystalized fang. that sounds like it would take a lot of time. I was taking my time to thoroughly blend my magic power into the crystalized fang. I will do so until I can use Craft, a smithing spell, but the higher the rank of the material, the longer it takes. Since it wasnt aplicated shape, I was able to change the crystalized dragon fang into a spearhead tip. It came together with two crescent moon des as crossguard. These des were transmuted with mithril alloy. To counterbnce the spearhead, the butt end was made of hefty adamantite alloy. When I first came to this world, I wouldnt have been able to swing something this heavy, but the current Berkut will be fine. The Gunce Rod I made for Berkut wasplete. *** Chapter 318: Equipment Presentation Chapter 318: Equipment Presentation Now that Ivepleted a Gunce Rod which can shoot magic from the spearhead, I asked someone to tell Berkut toe see me and I went back to restoring the Sky Ind ruins. I sensed someoneing at breakneck speeds. Takumi-sama! Is itplete!? I was silently transmuting and reconstructing stones to be used to repair the ruins when Berkut who was flying at reckless speeds came over as she shouted her lungs out. Takumi-sama! Where is it!? My spear!? Calm down, Berkut. Look, its here. Ill give you the rundown. I took out the Gunce Rod from the Item Box and gave it to the overly excited Berkut. The spearhead tip uses a crystalized dragon fang, and it can also fire magic attacks. And for the shaft, it uses quality materials with high magic conductivity and its etched for better grip, so you can steady your spear, circte magic into it, and fire. I exined the spears performance and functions. The crystalized dragon fang had been bestowed with Self Repair on top of strengthening types of enchantments, so theres no need to worry about it chipping. Well, I think this spear will be hard to chip anyway. And because Berkut had affinity with the Wind attribute, it could fire quick Lightning spells which was the upgraded affinity of the Wind attribute that she herself could not use. In fact, it would have no problems even if it wasnt a Wind spell. As long as it could be charged with magic power, it could be used, after all. The fact that I got depressed when I learned thatter on was a secret though. Amazing! This is too awesome, Takumi-sama! Even I can use magic!? Woah woah, calm down, Berkut. Watch how much MP you have left when you use it. Berkut, who got the Gunce Rod from me, was no longer listening. She probably wanted to go to Sophia and ask her to spar, as she smiled from ear to ear. Hmm, am I the only one that thinks its unhealthy for a girl her age to be so happy with a weapon? I think shes really happy because she got a reward from you, Takumi-sama. No, that I understand with Sophia and Maria, butBerkut! You cant use magic here! I know! I only got a reply that seemed like she didnt really understand. After that, Sophia went sparring with Berkut whose tension was skyrocketing. The day after I gave the Gunce Rod to Berkut, I was working on restoring the Sky Ind ruins like always when those guys came to visit me. But its so polished its unimaginable that its centuries old, right? Yes, its different from the present day streetscape. Instead, it feels more futuristic. More than half of the ruins of the city of the ancient civilization was restored with my efforts. Its townscape looked more modern inparison to the townscapes ofrge cities of nations of present times. Aaaaaaniiiiikiiiiiii! Having finished the days work, Sophia and I were having a break when I heard familiar voices. I knew even without turning around. Isnt it great theyve gotten closer? indeed. Recently theyve been moving around together. The ones who came flying from the caves on the mountain face were the tribes chieftains Valzak-san and Valkan-sans sons, the two cousins of the same age. Vart-kun and Valto-kun waved their hands as they flew over. No fair, Aniki! Giving such a cool spear only to Berkut! Yeah! I also want a cool spear! What are these two saying? I seriously question their heads. Are their wings not the only parts they had that were of a bird, but also their brain?[1] Haa listen here, I gave the spear to Berkut as a reward because she won against everyone in the tournament. Vart-kun, Valto-kun, werent both of you 1 hit KO? Thats because Berkut is a girl! I cant fight girls seriously! Yeah! I cant beat up the girl I like! What a pair. Moreover, these two were thest to fight Berkut in hopes that she would get tired. Even if I exclude Berkut, it was tiring being pestered by these two, who were rivaling forst ce among the youth of the Aligerous Tribe, for a request. Lets see. If you can win the nextpetition, Ill make you the weapon you want. Really!? Thank you very much, Aniki! Thank you very much Aniki! If its like that, I cant pass this up. Im going to practice with a spear! Ah! No getting ahead! After Vart-kun flew away to do some spear training, Valto-kun hurriedly chased after him. Do those kids really think they can be the champion? Sophia, dont say that. They look like theyre gonna give their all. Its likely that even in the next tournament, it would be difficult for those two to be the champion. *** Footnotes: 1. Hes basically calling them birdbrains = stupid. Chapter 319: Revival of the Ruined City Chapter 319: Revival of the Ruined City Although the Berkut Martial Tournament and the subsequent spear-making reward happened, the restoration of the ruins at the center of the Sky Ind was still progressing smoothly. However, what was surprising that even though this city was from many centuries ago, I could already tell from the lighting equipment that this city was already fully equipped with waterworks and sewer systems, as well as water magic devices like those poprized in Volton nowadays. I wonder why civilization regressed. the Great Spirits would know, but They wouldnt tell us, huh. Yes. As Great Spirits, Undine and the others had watched the rise and fall of man, so they must know the reason why these civilizations came to their ruin, but for some reason, they wouldnt talk about what had a hand in it. Do they have their own set of rules? What I first noticed when I looked at the buildings aside from the residences was that they were constructed with the premise that magic devices would be used. Its the Sky Ind so I knew there wouldnt be water wells, but they didnt have cooking stoves which were typical in the Continent, and hadyouts that seemed to use fire magic devices. Because of the circumstances of the Sky Ind, it was already a condition that the houses would use magic devices. Perhaps. If they had to rely on firewood, the forest would have immediately been consumed. It was definitely an advanced civilization since they built the Sky Ind, and it came to no surprise that the city was brimming with magic devices. Actually, if you look at the decaying metal of the streetlights, you could guess that they were were illuminating magic devices. Thanks to that, were stuck here making a ton of magic devices though. for a while, there wont be that many people that woulde to this city, so how about limiting it only to the essential ces. Sophias proposal was reasonable. It wasnt a particrlyrge city, but it was still enough for a maximum of 10,000 people to live here. I cant say that its poption was smaller inparison to the cities of this world and in medieval Europe which were surrounded by ramparts. Mm mm, Ill make sure itspletely habitable. Ill make sure they wouldnt be troubled even if I disappear. Though by that time, magic devices would be more popr and it might be possible to get simple ones easily. When I said that, Sophia had aplicated expression, but immediately returned to her normal one. There is a racial wall that Sophia and I can not ovee. No matter how long I live, I will inevitably die earlier than Sophia. I have to reflect on it if I reminded her of the parting that woulde in the future. The issue of lifespan, which was one of the reason why Elves were known as a reclusive race, was something that couldnt be solved by Alchemy. Watching Takumi transmute wood, stone, and rubble from the ruins as he rebuilds the ancient city in silence, Sophia recalled the blunder she made in her expression from what Takumi said not long ago. Its true that she was jealous of Maria, Marnie, and the others who had the same flow of time, but it was not as much as Takumi thought. That was because Sophia had decided on something within her. (Takumi-sama and Maria passing far earlier than me is an inexorable truth determined by God. That is why) Sophia thought she wanted a child once their current busy lives slow down. Right now, she has her duty as his escort, and she was afraid her body would be unable to leave for long periods of time or being unable to fight if she was pregnant, but she thought it might soon be okay to, so she secretly discussed it with Maria and Marnie. Marnie and Marias life spans were no different to Takumis so Sophias feelings and goal were also different but Sophia and the others began moving in secret for that reason. They secretly employed the Adventurers Guild to collect the materials, and asked Laeva to make two medicines. An aphrodisiac and a pregnancy booster medicine vital for Sophias dream. The Elven race had very weak instincts to leave behind descendants. Moreover, it was physically difficult to bear a child, but the Great Spirit Dryas taught her a recipe to resolve this. (I will protect the graves of our many children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, their families, and Takumi-sama. Together with children Marie and Marnie bear with Takumi-sama, and their descendants) Sophias wish lined up with Sylph, Dryas, and the Great Spirits purpose. This was for Takumis descendants to take over the guardianship of the Spirit Tree and Sanctuary. Some among the children Sophia would birth would naturally be Elves. They seem to want those children to take the lead in managing the Sanctuary, which would be stable by then. In between restoring the ruins on the Sky Ind, I was busy managing the Sanctuary, doing business with the Papeck Company in Volton, maintaining and expanding the base in the Demon Continent, as well as trading with uros which Queen Fraal governs when, finally, the ruin restoration was finallypleted. Haa~ its finally done. There are some ces that we havent finished installing interiors and magic devices in, but weve reached a point where we can pause. I was stretching when Sophia reminded me of something bad. yeah, I know. I have to make extra magic devices. Its also necessary to prepare for the people that the Great Spirits gave their stamps of approval immigrating to the Sanctuary. Yeah, the Sanctuarys poption is growing and its getting cramped. The Sanctuary cant expand any further, so problems show up as the poption increases. The restoration of the city in the Sky Ind was for that reason. I wonder if I can rx for a while. yes, surely. *** Note: The other girls arent featured as much .but Sophia is best girl. Im saying it. She is. Aww. >w< Chapter 320: The first nominated request after a while Chapter 320: The first nominated request after a whileFollowing thepletion of the restoration of the Sky Ind ruins and the walls that surrounded it, the selection of residents from the Sanctuary for immigration began. A Gate exclusively for the Sanctuary inhabitants will be established so that they would be able toe and go between the Sanctuary and the Sky Inds Ancient City as they please. Even the Sky Inds relocation to the west of the Sanctuary had beenpleted. During that time, the cousins Vart-kun and Valto-kun often demanded for equipment, but Berkut repelled them each time. Once I was finally had time to rx, I visited the Volton mansion for the first time in so long and I did my routine tasks. Marnie and Maria cleaned the mansion and managed the stock in the warehouse. Laeva was doing some personal research. Lulu-chan prepared tea for Akane and I, and we lounged around in the living room. At that time, Maria let me know that there was a guest. I went to the parlor and standing there in greeting was Margrave Voltons chambein Xervus-san. It has been a long time, Iruma-dono. Sorry for not staying in contact, Xervus-san. Please take a seat. Once Maria finished serving tea, I asked about him about the important matters. For some unknown reason though, Xervus-san found it difficult to say. I apologize for this, but we would like to nominate you for a request, Iruma-dono. I believe that, if possible, it would be best to hear about it from our Lord directly Understood. So its fine if I meet Margrave Volton to talk, right? Thank you very much. I have now carried out my duty. Xervus-san seemed relieved. Could it be a really difficult request? I brought Sophia and Maria with me, and we headed to the Volton Castle in Xervus-sans carriage. 10 minutes after being guided to the conference room, Margrave Volton opened the door and came in. Long time no see, Iruma-dono. Sorry to have youe when youre so busy. Its been a while, Margrave Volton. So I heard that you have a request for me? Yup. Before that Iruma-dono, you are free to refuse this request. And there would be no penalty for you either. Please hear out the conditions. okay. Margrave Volton exined that there would be no problem even if I refused to take this request. I was tense, wondering if it was really that dangerous of a request, as I continued to listen. This also involves Earl Rockford whom you had met once before as well Margrave Volton said that the subject of our conversation was about Earl Rockford whom I remember stopping by and staying with on our way to the Royal Capital before. I remembered Madam Roses intense character when it came to the underwear that Sophia and Maria were wearing. As you may know, Lord Rockford has a son, Rod-dono, and a younger daughter. If I remember correctly Miss Emilia, was it? When I went to the Royal Capital together with Margrave Volton, I think she was 4-5, so shes now probably 7-8 years old. Yes, Miss Emilia had fallen ill. Umm, I make potions, but theyre only Heal Potions and Mana Potions. I can use recovery magic too, but Unlike other Recovery magic users, my Recovery magic was special. A normal healer could heal injuries, but would be unable to cure diseases. Their only way to recover would be by relying on the stamina recovery and natural healing power. However, mine can analyze the particrs of the patient and treat the cause of the disease using Recovery magic. Does he know that my recovery magic was abnormal? Then Margrave Volton shook his head. Normal medicine and spells are ineffective for Miss Emilias disease. Miss Emilia is afflicted with the Magic Depletion Syndrome. Magic Depletion Disorder? Seeing that I was puzzled by this unknown disease, Margrave Volton informed me of its particrs. Magic Depletion Disorder was a disease where the magic power throughout the body was gradually lost. Whether it man, animal, nt, bug, and of course monster, all living beings in this world possess magic power in their body. Even people who cant use magic or had no training with using magic hold magic within their bodies. And the opinion of todays magic schrs is that the magic power retained within ones body unconsciously supports its movements. And based on the hypothesis of magic power supporting the living beings in this world, if that magic power were lost, it would be difficult to sustain life. are there no outstanding healers in the Royal Capital? There have been very few cases of Magic Depletion Disorder in the past, and neither cause nor cure had been established. As such, even if mana potions were prescribed to alleviate the symptoms, the patients condition cant be stopped. Umm, should I try using Recovery magic since we have nothing to lose? I cant imagine stopping magic power from depleting at all. I think I could cure diseases and even cancer, but I dont know how I could picture something that I cant understand in the slightest. Thats why its really impossible. However, Margrave Volton denied this. No, there is only one miracle drug that wouldpletely cure it. A miracle drug? Yeah, a miracle drug known as Soma. *** Chapter 321: Miracle Drug Chapter 321: Miracle Drug Yeah, a miracle drug known as Soma. The name of the miracle drug known as Soma that Margrave Voltons mouth uttered was something I had information on even in my past life. If I remember correctly, it was the drink of Deities from Indian mythology. Soma? Mhmm, we can cure Miss Emilias Magic Depletion Disorder if we had Soma. I believe you already know, but Lord Rockford and I are friends. Lord Rockford is, among all of nobility I have ties of obligation to, the only one I could call a close friend. I even heard that ever since Miss Emilia had been stricken with disease, the ever bright Madam Rose began wasting away. If there is a possibility, then I wish to gamble on it. Margrave Volton used every connection he had to search for the recipe for Soma. Even though his wager had paid off, the challenge of the ingredients being umon was high. would you mind if I consult with everyone? As it wasnt something that we could decide on on our own, I said I would like to talk to everyone in my team before answering. That is, of course, if he wouldnt mind. Fortunately, it wouldnt progress in one or two months. However, if possible, I would like results within half a year. We rocked our way back to the mansion in the carriage that Xervus-san prepared, and I thought about the request. The Soma recipe was acquired from Yggurle Kingdom which they gained an amicable rtionship with through the Sanctuary. Naturally, a price of equivalent value would have to be paid, but the records of the so-called miracle drug or spirit drug must have remained because of the Elves who had existed long before the countries of this continent were created. However, even if one could say they know the recipe, the fact that it was difficult did not change one bit. Rather, the degree of difficulty was more towards things spoken of in legends and folklore. For producing Soma, the most difficult part would be that it was nigh impossible to collect the materials. There were three necessary ingredients for Soma. The heart of a dragon A fresh dragon heart was an ingredient used in various drugs for the dragons high vitality. The leaves and dew of the World Tree The highest grade restorative material for the Elixir which could restore lost limbs and near fatal injuries in an instant. Hermit Peach A legendary fruit said to grow deep within the Forest of Death. It must be eaten within two days of harvesting or it would rot. It would be possible if we have these materials and sacred water. Normally, any single one these would be difficult to obtain. To have a fresh dragon heart meant that one would need to hunt a dragon. Not just any sub-dragon would work either, it had to be a dragon that appears in the deeper floors of a dungeon, no less. A miniscule amount of the leaves and dew of the World Tree are traded from Yggurle Kingdom annually. Naturally, as it is something that could hardly be bought with money, it would definitely be difficult to obtain. Last but not least, the Hermit Peach which is the most difficult. First, the location of where it grows. The areas with the densest mana in this continent were in monster nests. Unexplorednds that reject mans invasion. There were records of the Hermit Peach, so it wasnt in the unexplored areas, but there were extremely dangerous inner sections that the Adventurers Guild prohibited entry to. I remembered our fight with the Elder Treant. Moreover, the Hermit Peach had a restriction that made it necessary to be consumed or processed within two days. If the adventurers were normal, it could take several days to go back no matter how many days it took to reach the inner sections. I racked my brains on what to do with thisplicated nominated quest, but I ended up beingughed at by Akane when I returned to the mansion. Everyone was gathered at the living room and Akane looked at me with a straight face and asked Are you stupid? when I talked about the request I heard from Margrave Votlon. Isnt the Hermit Peach the only ingredient for that Soma thatd be troublesome? And that would just be more of an inconvenience, right? Eh? Think about it. The dew and leaves of the World Tree could be substituted with the Spirit Tree, no? Dryas nodded. Rather, the current Spirit Tree would have more effect than the World Tree. Listen, thats one settled. Second, the dragon heart. Cant you take enough to be sick of it if you go to the Dragon Dungeon? Third is the Hermit Peach which grows in the depths of the Forest of Death. Sure, the Forest of Death is filled with boss ss monsters, but not even that is a problem for us who hunt regrly in the Demon Continent monster nests and in the Dragon Dungeon, now is it? I pondered over what Akane said. yeah, we could manage even if a group of dragon-ss monsters appeared. huh? The freshness of the a dragon heart and the Hermit Peach wouldnt be an issue with an Item Box. looks like theres no issue. Right? Akanes smug face was a tad irritating, but I was dumb so I couldnt help it. Youre right. We have to be on guard, but it will be alright if its us. If its just us regr members and our familiars, we would all survive. Sophia and Maria spoke with confidence. Gotcha. Ill give our reply to Margrave Volton. Everyone, make preparations. Yes. Our first nominated request after a along time looks like it will be quite hard. *** Chapter 322: Request acceptance Chapter 322: Request eptance The day after talking to everyone, I visited Margrave Volton to tell him that we ept his request. After that, I went with Xervus-san to the Adventurers Guild to the Adventurers Guild to process the formal eptance of the request. Oh, Takumi-kun. Its been a while. Sorry for not being in contact, Hans-san. When I passed through the doors of the Adventurers Guild, Hans-san immediately recognized me and greeted me. You doing a request today? Iruma-dono epted a nominated request from My Lord. Xervus-san who came with me to the guild informed Hans-san of the important bits. The details of the nominated request are written here. I will review it. wha!?! Hans-san was at a loss for words upon epting the written request that Xervus-san presented. Xervus-sama, this is this real? Yes, there are no mistakes in the content of this nominated request from My Lord to Iruma-dono. Please wait a moment. Saying so, Hans-san stood up from the counter and went up the stairs to the second floor of the Guild. Well, thats the normal reaction. Its a request that even I, someone who has ventured to the Demon Continent and the Sky Ind, thought was impossible at first. Xervus-sama, Takumi-kun, pleasee to the conference room. Hans-san returned and called Xervus-san and me. The Guild Master of the Adventurers Guild Volton Branch, Barack-san, was waiting for us in the conference room that we were guided to. Xervus-dono, Iruma-dono, please take your seats. Barack-san, who weirdly changed how he addresses me, had a stiff expression on the face. Xervus-dono, are there no mistakes in the details of what you requested of Iruma-dono no, Takumi? Yes, there is no mistake. is that so? Takumi, you ept this? Yes, Im thinking of epting it. Barack-san grimaced, and silence befell the conference room. I understand. Hans, process the eptance of this request. Barack-san handed the documents to Hans-san, then Hans-san left the room with them in hand. Fuu, honestly speaking, even if it is a nominated request from Margrave Volton, I cant approve of details. however, it might be possible somehow if it was Takumi no, for some reason, I believe he can. Takumi, dont overdo it. Yes, thank you very much. I have reliablepanions so well be alright. I knew that Barack-san was really worried, so I promised to return with everyone safely. The deadline of the request was 1 year. The reward will be given uponpletion. Margrave Volton was going to pay in advance and nned on giving a separate reward as a bonus forpletion, but we werent strapped for cash and we would definitely get a lot of it from both the Dragon Dungeon and Forest of Death, so we decided the payment would be paid upon thepletion of Soma for one person. Actually, this for one person bit was the catch though. GM[1], is that okay? After Takumi and Xervus left the guild, Hans asked Barack, who had returned to the Guild Masters room, if epting that request was fine. I probably wouldnt have epted if it was anyone other than Takumi. The request details were absurd. A dragon heart, the leaves and dew of the World Tree, and the clincher is Hermit Peach. Its basically a fairytale, even those S rankers would have thrown their hands up. Then why did you ept? He understood that Hans eyes were criticizing him. Hans had been in charge of Takumi ever since he first stepped into the guild. He had an emotional attachment to Takumi, even considered him like a younger brother. Itll be alright, Hans. The current Takumi isnt the same Takumi who was crawling on the ground when he sparred with me. Now I wouldnt win against him no matter how hard I try. Maybe even without using his hands or feet. Really? If GM who had left active duty is going that far Hans wasnt a fighter, so he doesnt know the extent of Takumis strength. But if the top dog of this branch said so, then he believed it. Margrave Volton wouldnt make a request that had absolutely no potential. He might have more information about Takumis true strength that we do not know. Well, Takumi-kun had been busy recently, and hadnt been doing any guild work recently, after all. Takumi, who came to the guild for the first time in a long time, epted a request from Margrave Volton which Barack waspelled to say was impossible. However, this was Takumi and hispanions who started the construction of Wedgefort city, helped with the war with Triaria Kingdom concerning the Sanctuary and substantially crushed the Divine Empire Sydnia. And the Takumi they met after a long time today had gotten monumentally stronger once more. Itll be fine. If its Takumi, hed be able to aplish it safely. Right He was no longer the helpless kid from when he first came to the guild. Barack and Hans were convinced that Takumi had grown into a full fledged adult. *** Footnotes: 1.Short for Guild Master, I dont remember what I used for ޥ which Hans uses to address Barack, so Ill use this. Chapter 323: Begin mobilizing Chapter 323: Begin mobilizingHaving epted the request for collecting the ingredients for the soma, I held a strategy meeting with everyone in the Sanctuary mansion. Even so, for it to be Soma, what a nostalgic name toe up. Still, if its Magic Depletion Disorder then only a Soma or Amrita would work. Dryas knew about Magic Depletion Disorder in detail. Magic Depletion Disorder, as Margrave Volton had exined, was a disease where magic power from the body is depleted, but if more than a certain amount is lost, preserving life would bes difficult. Margrave Volton was being ambiguous in exining that part, but it was definitely a life threatening illness. Incidentally, Dryas mentioned Soma and Amrita. If Amrita was ingested, one would gain a long life, not to the point of immortality but longer than even a High Elfs. To a normal person, that could only be a curse. Therefore, at present, the only possible choice of medicine for curing Magic Depletion Syndrome was the Soma. Dryas, you know about Soma, right? Of course I do. Despite how I seem, I am the Great Spirit that governs over vegetation. The dragon heart could be at the lower levels of the Dragon Dungeon in the Demon Continent, right? I wonder. It would be nice if you could secure the heart like that. Akane asked about where to collect one of the ingredients for the Soma, the dragon heart, so that confirmed it. I really should have kept at least one. Well, isnt that good? I think we can go straight down and it wouldnt take that much time. If its Master and Kaede, well be there lickety split. Even Akane said it wouldnt take that much time just going down the floors, and Kaede added on that if it was just her and I, it would be even faster. Sure, we thoroughly decimated the floors in a search and destroy tactic because our objective was to gather magic stonesst time, but if we avoid fights as much as possible, it wouldnt take that much time to reach the lower floors because weve already finished mapping out the dungeon. Since that settles the dragon heart, do you think we can get Princess Mimir to sell us the leaves and dew of the World Tree if we ask? Oh? You dont even have to make your way to the World Tree, the ones from the Spirit Tree are enough. When the conversation turned to the materials from the World Tree, Dryas said that even the Spirit Tree would suffice. Are they the equal? No. Then wouldnt the World Tree be better after all? Dont be in such a rush. When I said no, I meant that they were not equal as the Spirit Tree is better. Eh!? Is that so? I wouldnt lie. Dryas said that the current Spirit Tree wouldnt lose out in strength to the World Tree. The biggest difference between Yggurle Kingdoms World Tree and the Sanctuarys Spirit Tree was that the Great Spirits were here. Takumi, even without our influence, this ce is cleannd which you had scrupulously used purifying devices and purification barriers on, and its also affected by the energy of the Earth Vein. Umm, so material-wise, its better than the World Tree? Isnt that why Ive been saying that? It seems the Spirit Tree here in the Sanctuary was more amazing than I had thought. Additionally, many of the people living in this Sanctuary were virtuous people basically selected by the Great Spirits. Because of that, there wasnt much miasma born from peoples malice and envy to corrupt thisnd. What. So theres one ingredient thats okay already. Leave the leaves and dew to me. I decided to leave the Soma ingredients which had initially been the World Trees leaves and dew but had been substituted with those of the Spirit Tree to Dryas. So well first secure the dragon heart from the Demon Continent, right? Indeed. The Forest of Death will probably take some time, so lets go to the Dragon Dungeon before that. On our search in the Forest of Death, we will leave a marker and teleport back to the mansion to rest instead of camping out. Even so, we cant predict how many days it would be, so it would be better to put it off. Also Takumi, Berkut wants toe with us. Uhh, Akane did you already give the OK? I didnt give a definitive answer, but I may have said that itd probably be okay to? Hmm, Berkut did apany us in thest Dragon Dungeon dive, so I think its fine if she came along this time too. Could it be, do you mean with the Forest of Death? Yeah, its also my first time at the Forest of Death, but itll be fine if Berkut did too. She also has the spear that you gave, and if youre still worried, you could give her new armor? She has a point. Its also Akane, Marnie, Laeva, and Lulu-chans first time in the Forest of Death Takumi-sama, this is different from before, Titan is here, and so are Gloam and Ferryl. Dont you think we would be okay? Sophia-san! You cant forget about Seru-chan! Right. Mhmm, then give Berkut the OK. Since even Sophia was saying that our current party would be fine even if we support Berkut, I decided to take her along. Though, naturally, I would need to strengthen her armor. *** Chapter 324: Dragon Dungeon, once more Chapter 324: Dragon Dungeon, once more Seriously, Im so happy I want to fly. Berkut was all smiles. In addition to the spear she received as a reward from the tournament, I gave her leather armor and gloves that used plenty of dragon materials. Shes been hyped up ever since. Berkut, calm down. Well run right through instead of fighting needlessly, so concentrate on not getting hurt. Okaaay! Berkut answered cheerfully. Will Vart-kun and Valto-kun catch up? The cousins who were already behind seem to have the goal of bing stronger than Berkut, but I havent seen them train that much. We hade to the Demon Continents Dragon Dungeon from before. Now then, lets keep the monster battles at a minimum. Yes! Kaede, who had excellent detection abilities, took the lead and stepped into the dungeon. Sophia and I were behind Kaede, Akane and Lulu-chan were in the middle, Maria and Laeva were to their left and right, after them were Berkut and Marnie, and Titan at the end of line. With this as our battle formation, we advanced at the shortest distance. If it turns into a battle with multiple monsters that we cant avoid, we would summon Ferryl and the other familiars to end the battles sooner. When we finished several fights, Sophia talked about the difference between the dungeon divest time and this time. The number of monsters is lesser. Yeah. Its definitely because we hunted down the monsters in the dungeon. I guess even a dungeon of dragons would take time to recover. Yes, our monster encounters were extremely low in the dungeon dive this time. It wasntpletely none, but because we were making our way down using the shortest route possible in order to avoid fights. we fought so little that Berkutined. Honestly, I should have put a marker on the lower floor so we could just simply teleport there. It cant be helped. Even if you had ced a marker down, the dungeon would recognize it as a foreign object so it would be absorbed after three days. Well, we didnt leave a marker so all this is impossible in the first ce. Moreover, if we simply teleport to the lower floors,ints woulde from our battle-crazy girls. Baribaribari!! The lightning attack fired from Berkuts speartip assailed the Basilisk. ǣ٣ϣϣϣϣΣ The Basilisks body tensed up from the lightning, and at that definitive opening, Marnie, Laeva, Akane, Lulu-chan, and the familiars allunched their attacks. Zudoooon!! As Sophia and I were being vignt of our surroundings, the Basilisks heavily injured gigantic body fell to the ground. Woohoo! I yed a big part, right!? y, yeah, you did good. Berkut happily came to report. There will be fewer this time, so when we have the room to do so, us high levelers`Sophia, Maria, Kaede, Titan, and I` watch over the fights as much as possible instead. (The poor Basilisk got so beat up that I feel sorry for it.) (Yes. Well, Marnie and Laeva also want to catch up to us.) Opposite of Sophia and I who were whispering were Laeva and others deftly dismantling the Basilisk. Berkut who genuinely wanted to get stronger had slightly different feelings from Marnie and Laeva who want to catch up to us. In this world, it is understood that people who have higher levels live longer. Actually, the high levelers known as the heroes of the past all had lived long lives, no exceptions. This applied to all races, as there had even been records of Humans and Beastkin who have lived up to like 300 years. Marnie and Laevas feelings. The desire to walk even one step farther alongside us drove the girls to fight. When we entered the lower floors of the Dragon Dungeon, the floors became wider. What a relief the swarm of monster earthworms havent respawned. Ah, the Huge Gluttony Wyrms. I couldnt stand those dragon type giant earthworms. Those huge wriggling and writhing earthworms give me goosebumps. What came to greet us after weve barely fought was what seemed to be a 30m long high ranking Earth elemental dragon. Its a Rock Dragon. A rock dragon [1] huh can its scales be mined? GAOOOOOOON The Rock Dragons roar hit us. Berkut seemed to have tensed up slightly from the roar, but there was no one here that would be petrified in fright from a roar of this level. Dogaaaaan!! Titan started up the jetpack on his back and fired himself like a gigantic bullet at raging speeds. The Rock Dragons scales which looked like boulders attached to its body were shattered by Titans attack, and waiting for this chance, Akane and Laevas magic rained down. Marnie and Berkut attacked the ces deeply gouged by magic and immediately retreated. The Rock Dragon, which had been one-sidedly damaged beyond its imagination, tried to fight back, but its body had been robbed of freedom by Kaedes threads. Lastly, Sophia, Maria, and I simultaneously stabbed the Rock Dragon, dealing the final blows. Zudoooon! The 30m long giant sank to the floor. Hmm, as expected, when its something of this ss, we wouldnt be able to bring it down and kill it. Thats not the case. Berkut, I think you all will be fine if you take your time. When ites to high ranking dragons, it would take time for Berkut, Marnie, and Lulu-chan whock power. Berkut, who was dissatisfied with this, was already a full fledged battle maniac. This girl, can she be a proper wife? The heart of this Rock Dragon would probably be enough for the Soma. Lets dismantle it immediately. Indeed. We might need parts aside from the heart someday, so we wont sell this Rock Dragon and keep it in stock. We split up therge body of the Rock Dragon to quickly dismantle it. Titan cracked and tore off its scales with his huge hands, while Laeva and I prepared barrels to drain the blood into. Sophia and the remaining girls butchered the Rock Dragons meat. The meat of a high rank dragon was definitely exquisite. Okay! Heart secured! When I harvested the heart, I immediately stored it in my Item Box to preserve its freshness. The meat which Sophia and the girls cut up, the scales peeled off by Titan, even the dissected organs, bone, ws, and fangs were all stored, leaving only the rubble from the smashed scales and traces of blood on the dungeon floor. Now then, lets go back immediately. Having achieved our objective, we climbed back up while fighting monsters at Berkuts request. *** Footnotes: 1. While they both said Rock Dragon the spelling was different. Sophia said åɥ饴 while Takumi said C Ҹo Chapter 325: Forest of Death, once more Chapter 325: Forest of Death, once more That forest seemed to be enveloped with magic power which kept people away. Its nostalgia inducing. Indeed. Though there was only 4 us including Kaede-chan at the time, our members have grown considerably. Yeah, yeah! We were in such a pickle with Elder Treant-san toooo. Sophia and I were lost in our emotions as I looked at the forest. Maria remembered the Elder Treant we encountered. I felt the nostalgia in that too, I was a novice adventurer and it sure was dangerous. No, isnt it still dangerous even now? The outer edge looks like its got a lot of Treants like always. Treants will not attack unless approached unnecessarily, so I believe it would be best if we ignored them. Right. We stepped into the forest with Kaede at the front this time too. As expected, the Forest of Death was entirely different from the other monster nests. The density of monsters was strangely high. We tried advancing to the inner section while avoiding monsters, but even then, our encounter rate was still high. Zan! Dosa! I sliced a camouged Chameleon Mantis. The Chameleon Mantis was a 3m long praying mantis monster. Just like its name, it hunts for prey while camouging based on its surroundings. Well, facing against our search abilities, it was basically a wooden doll though. Since our search capabilities were high, we were always ahead of the monsters, so we were able to defeat the monsters in a short time no matter how strong they were. Originally, monsters such as the Chameleon Mantis, an assassin who swings its scythe-like arms unnoticed, and the Killer Ape, a brute that suddenly attacks from above, were said to be the natural enemies of adventurers, but we were able to defeat them before they could showcase their distinctive characteristics. We tried to steer clear of monsters that have a flocking nature and groups with a leading specimen as much as possible, but there were also those that we absolutely had to fight. Bufuuuuuuuuu!! The screams of aroused monsters could be heard. Haa, all members aside from me are women, so its a pain when were found by these guys but Its inevitable. Lets cut the roots of the enemies of women. Sophias spear slit the throat of the aroused monster, and Maria burned another. The other girls joined in and opened fire. What they crushed was the Orc King leading a drift of Orcs and Orc Knights. Because it was an Orc King, itmanded arge drove, perhaps over 200 all in all. Titan and I were set on following up Sophia and the girls. Ahh! Dont use Fire magic in the forest! I shouted, but the girls fierce attacks did not stop. They would surely stop at nothing until all the orcs were decimated. Baribaribari!! Berkut called down a rain of lightning together with Gloam. I monitored the girls remaining magic power, while defeating the orcs that approached Akane and Lulu-chan. Luna Wolf Ferryl, a huge wolf monster, ran around Akane, its master, at high speeds so that orcs couldnte close. This was the result of finding arge colony inside the Forest of Death. Normally, arge colony would be very difficult to achieve in the Forest of Death. This was because it was a fierce fight for survival, where even the colony led by the Orc King would have found it difficult to increase their numbers. Particrly inside the Forest of Death where man do not set foot. Races which had little to no females like the orcs needed to abduct other females to breed, making it even more difficult to build arge colony. And Sophia found the orc colony from the Spirits voice. Nevertheless, if an unusuallyrge colony were to grow in the Forest of Death, Sophia and the girls wish would be the annihtion of that colony. Gyaaaaaaaaaaa!! The hoarse shriek of orcs echoed all around. An Orc King is as strong as a mid-grade dragon, right? ף . The Orc King, which was over 3 meters in height and had arms and legs that were thicker than my torso, was exposed to the all out attacks from our girls, showering in it. The excitement it held when it first discovered Sophia and the girls was no longer there. It was only a monster exposed to a vicious storm, screaming, and being hunted. Nevertheless, the Orc King was still tough. It endured around 20 minutes fighting with the girls and Titan and I supporting them, until finally Zudoooon!! Its huge body fell. I thought the refreshed smiles on Sophia and the girls faces at their aplishment was a bit scary, but it wasnt unusual. Aside from them, Kaede came back after dealing with the small fries, so while all the girls were resting, Titan demolished the colonies structures and I went around processing the orc wreckage. Didnt you all fight way too much? something I was too scared to say. Lets just say its fine because Berkut leveled up a bunch. *** Chapter 326: The vastness of the forest Chapter 326: The vastness of the forest Three days since starting the search in the Forest of Death, we have yet to find the Hermit Peach. The three days were spent searching all day,ying a marker as a teleport point before the sun sank, then teleporting to the Sanctuary mansion and returning again the next day. Were seriously having no luck finding it. Please forgive me. It would seem that in the Forest of Death, even the Spirits are hindered by miasma, unable to search long distances. No, its not your fault, Sophia. I think itd be unreasonable even for the Spirits to locate the Hermit Peach in a monster nest this vast. Spirits like mana but avoid miasma, and there were a few ces known as monster nests. In such ces, even Spirits who were contractually or closely rted with the Elves and Dwarves were reluctant to move too far from those Elves and Dwarves. Well, there is nothing better than finding it quicker, but we still have time, so lets do our work thoroughly without rushing. Indeed. We must search carefully so as to not overlook it. Sophia and I were downcast for not knowing where to find the Hermit Peach, but Maria and Berkut were having fun everyday for some reason. When I looked properly, even Laeva and Marnie werent all that dissatisfied either. And then, Akane shook her head, exasperated. Figure it out, why dont you. Its troublesome looking for the Hermit Peach, but unlike the other times, arent they just having fun spending time with Takumi? Put more effort into understanding womens hearts. sorry. Everyone, thank you as always. I think it was different for Berkut and Laeva, but now that I think about it, I should reflect on not spending more time with Maria and Marnietely. Okay, lets go today too? Pulling myself together, I teleported us to the Forest of Death at the point marked yesterday. When we teleported to the marker which had a simple barrier raised around it, the scenery before us changed to the Forest of Death. Now then, lets do our best today too. Yes. Okaay! Since Kaede who had wide search capabilities as well as Ferryl and Seru who had sharp senses were present, there were no surprise attacks from monsters and we were one-sidedly on the preemptive, so it could be said that we were safely exploring the untrodden Forest of Death. Haa~ Im beat. We had learned of its approximate range from Dryas-sama, but even then, the span of the forest is too vast. Takumi-sama, please head to the bath first. I will wash your back. Master! Kaede will enter with you! We heard about the approximate expanse from Dryas, but that approximation was absurd. The Great Spirits might be the types of people that dont mind the minor details. We searched all day until the sun went down, and though it was minimal effort, we fought quite the number of monsters and returned home. Marnie headed to the kitchen to prepare food, and Lulu-chan followed her to assist. I headed to the bath first as Maria had suggested. Sophia and Maria washed my body while Kaede yed in the bath. At first, I couldnt help but be embarrassed at a mixed bath with them, but Ive already gotten used to it. I seriously think I am a happy man. Leaving Kaede aside, today only Sophia and Maria were here, but usually Marnie joins in too. After soothing my tiredness with a bath and eating Marnies homecooked meal, I headed to my room to prepare for the search that would resume tomorrow. Our search in the Forest of Death reached the 10th day, still without a single clue. Takumi-sama, with Berkut getting this strong, will Vart-kun and Valto-kun be alright? As Sophia talked to me, my gaze pointed towards Berkut who was splendidly handling the magic spear that came from me against a midboss ss monster, one on one. well, men arent all about strengthmaybe. Takumi-sama, I think that is impossible. I cant imagine Bagworm and Tattered Rag to be good matches for Berkut. Hey, at least call them by their names. Vart-kun and Valto-kuns wish to be stronger than Berkut seemed like extremely unlikely toe true. Then when I tried to follow up that men arent all about strength, Maria added on that those two were hopeless. Berkut getting stronger is good for the entire Aligerous Tribe. If they can support her from the shadows, they dont need to be that strong. Takumi, give up on those two. Those two are nothing to Berkut. Lulu also has the same view nya. Since even Akane and Lulu-chan were saying that, I who had forced out a follow up became the absurd one. They call me aniki so I really want to help them, but Valto-kun and Vart-kun werent well received by our female group. Ahh, she defeated it by herselfwhat to do. Shell probably get even stronger by the time we find the Hermit Peach. *** Chapter 327: Mana Spot Chapter 327: Mana Spot Its been 12 days since the exploration of the Forest of Death began. As we searched the forest, we were also able to map it out,plete with data on the distribution of the monsters and vegetation within it. Weve gathered plenty of materials that could seemingly be used for superior restorative potions and mana potions. Well definitely have to research recipes. Laeva harvested copious varieties of nts and mushrooms that grew only in environments with dense mana. We have to try a variety of things to see if we could use them for medicine with high efficacy. As we continued the search while still securing more precious monster materials and herbs, I noticed that there were more monster presencespared to yesterday. Basically, our strategy was to avoid presences that were too big, the type of monster one would guess was a dragon type. Thats because were doing our best to avoid fighting for too long here. For that same reason, we essentially tried to avoidrge groups, but I felt ufortable somehow. I carefully investigated the presences around and then suddenly, the presence of a monster popped up from a certain ce. What could that be? Hmmmm, Kaede doesnt know. Kaede and I wondered about it, and Sophia talked about a possibility. Ive only heard this from an elder, but there could be spots inside arge monster nest where especially high amounts of mana gather. An umtion of mana known as a Mana Spot, it had been said that monsters could suddenly be born there. Monsters, you mean a phenomenon where monsters could be born without parents? It is a little known topic and we do not know how much of it is true, however, it had been said to be connected to the world of Spirits or the afterlife. I asked Sophia and the team to remain on standby while Kaede and I go scout. We were using the Stealth skill and Overcoat of Existence Concealment so as to not be sensed by others to the utmost degree, even holding our breath, lowering our hips, controlling our movements, and moving while paying close attention to our gait. From the teams point of view, Kaede and I probably looked like we melted into the scenery like a mist. As we heard Berkuts surprised voice, Kaede and I headed to its approximate location. Though it seemed like an assassin woulde swooping in from somewhere at any moment, we reached our destination without encountering any monsters. There, we saw mana, which is invisible to the naked eye, gathering at one spot like a ck, swirling cloud. Actually, mana had no visible color, but because level of Kaede and my Magic Perception skill was high, we were able to see a visualization of the clump of mana. And I also sensed strong miasma from the mana spot before my eyes. This miasma must have been the key to the monsters birthed. As we were observing it, a monster appeared from the Mana Spot. A singr Killer Ape was born from within the swirling ck cloud. Born from might be a bit wrong. The Killer Ape that appeared was in its adult form. The lone monster was cautious of its surroundings and left aimlessly. After that, we continued observed the phenomenon for a while more, and monsters would be born at set intervals. Eventually, the ck swirling cloud-like mana spot lost its dense mana and disappeared. I sent Kaede a signal to go back to where the team, and I also withdrew so as to not be discovered by the monsters just like when we came here. Haa~ I was so nervous~ Good work. We managed toe back to everyone safely and I let out a sigh of relief. Kaede and I wouldnt have lost even if we had encountered monsters and fought them, but we would surely use up our magic power and physical strength. I would like for conserve as much of our strength as we could while in the danger zone known as the Forest of Death. When I was catching my breath, Akane who couldnt wait patiently asked. So, what was it? Hmm, I dont know if its connected to the world of the Spirits or to the afterlife, but theres no doubt that it was a Mana Spot. I exined to everyone what we saw. So this thing where it produces a set number of monsters and the mana disappears is happening all over the forest of death? Probably. It might not just be here either. Its possible that even though they are less frequent in smaller monster nests, simr Mana Spots pop up there too. Theres no way monsters in a monster nest could run out, right? It is known that monsters breed simrly to normal living beings. Aside from this, it is also known that the monsters born from dungeons overflow and live in monster nests. If I was pushed to say, a Magic Power Spot felt simr to how a dungeon produces monsters. Because the Magic Power Spot disappeared, we couldnt investigate any further, so we went back to searching for our original objective, the Hermit Peach. It was also important to explicate the principle behind the origin of monsters, but right now, collecting the ingredients for Soma was our first priority. *** Chapter 328: The Hermit Peach tastes heavenly Chapter 328: The Hermit Peach tastes heavenly The search continued as we encountered the phenomenon known as the Mana Spot. For some reason, theres fewer monster presences. Master, they donte near this ce. We always felt the presence of monsters to the point of hating it when we were exploring inside the Forest of Death, yet I sensed that there were fewer of them around for some reason, but if even Kaede sensed this then there was no doubt about it. Less miasma? No, I can barely feel any. For there to be hardly any miasma inside a monster nest, that is unusual. As Sophia said, monster nests where monsters run rampant are fundamentally areas encroached by miasma. Even when exterminating the monsters of a small monster nest and liberating thend in order to reim it, it is necessary to first purify thend. We headed in the direction that wasnt monster nest-like. I could feel the air gradually bing purer until we reached a mysterious space. In one of the vastest monster nests in the continent, a mysterious space where mana was dense but miasma couldnt be felt existed. amazing. how beautiful. Uwaa! So pretty! A marvelous tree. It was about 10 meters high, but its trunk was thick and the branches protruded sideways and spread greatly. What a wonderous tree. Yes, this must be the Hermit Peach Tree. Yup, no doubt. It was truly a mysterious tree. A normal tree would have fruits that form from the flowers, but this tree had verdant leaves, pretty light pink flowers, and pink fruits that seemed to shimmer all coexisting. Im sure of it. This is the Hermit Peach Tree. Suddenly, Dryas appeared. Uwaaa! You startled me so could you not just appear and talk like that? In the first ce, how did you get here? Fufu, dont sweat the details. If its by you, the Protector of the Spirit Tree and Keeper of the Sanctuary, we Great Spirits are able to manifest anytime. thats hardly convincing, but well, its fine this time. More importantly, is there anything I need to make note of when harvesting the Hermit Peach? I learned beforehand that the Hermit Peach was a very delicate fruit. It begins to spoil the second it is picked, so if the harvester didnt have an Item Box like mine, it would be difficult to return with. Nothing in particr. Takumi, if you put what would be used for the Soma in the Item Box, it would be all right. You do not need to fuss too much about how to harvest them either. That aside, why dont you try some freshy picked? The Hermit Peach has the best taste. When Dryas said so, she took a peach herself and bit into it with a very happy expression. We mimicked Dryas, each reaching out for the fruit. !? Uwaa!! this is amazing. !! This is a Hermit Peach So sweeet! Takumi-sama! Its delicious! The Hermit Peach was actually so astoundingly sweet that I inadvertently eximed. Sophia and Maria were also impressed by its taste. Akane and Lulu-chan were in ecstasy as they ate it. Marnie and Laeva even shed tears. how wonderful for a fruit to be this sweet To Berkut, the taste of the legendary fruit seemed to be astounding. Hey Dryas. Do you think it would be fine to take a bit of arger portion of this Hermit Peach? No problem at all. Only you folks would be able toe to a ce like this to harvest the Hermit Peaches, it would be fine even if you pick all the fruits this tree has at this moment. ording to Dryas, even if we take all the ripe fruits this tree has right now, it would bear fruit to a new batch before long so it would be alright. Since we got Dryas seal of approval, in addition to the ones to be used for the Soma, we harvested all the peaches that caught our eye. Everyone, hand me the seeds of the Hermit Peach that you ate. Dryas gathered the seeds from everyone. I asked about what she would use the seeds for. What will you do with the seeds? Grow it in the Sanctuary. Eh? Grow it in the Sanctuary? Wasnt it some legendary fruit? Seeing my surprised face, Dryas shook her head. Takumi, what are you saying? The Sanctuary has the most legendary tree there is, the Spirit Tree. Takumi-sama, I think it is much toote. Eh, what do you mean? When I asked Sophia what was toote, apparently there were already a lot of rare nts being raised in the Sanctuary without me knowing it. So rare that some were said to have been extinct in this world I didnt know My apologies. Sophia-chan isnt at fault. It was because I asked the Elves to manage the vegetation in the Sanctuary. Well, its not like theres a harm in it so its fine. In the Sanctuary, there was no one who would aim for the rare nts, so whats a few more? At Dryas instructions we collected several leaves, flowers, and branches for grafting, and just to be sure, I ced a marker down and then teleported back into the Sanctuary. *** Chapter 329: Creation of the miracle drug Chapter 329: Creation of the miracle drug After exploring thergest and strongest monster nest in the continent, the Forest of Death, every single day, we were finally able to find the legendary Hermit Peach, an ingredient for the miracle drug Soma. With this, all ingredients for the Soma had been gathered. The Spirit Tree leaves and dew The heart of a high ranking dragon Hermit Peach If I had purified water filled with magic power to mix with this, I couldplete the legendary miracle drug, Soma. Before secluding myself in the Sanctuary workshop, I received the sacred spring water that had been purified in a purification ceremony under Undines influence. Even if we fail to produce the Soma, it wouldnt be difficult to gather the materials again, but Id like to do this in one day for the sake of Earl Rockford and the Madam who were eagerly awaiting the medicine for Miss Emilia. Laeva, lets begin. Yes! Im ready! Laeva and I were in the workshop. Today, my escort, Sophia, was on standby outside the workshop so we could concentrate. Okay Laeva, please prepare the sacred water. Understood. We ate the Hermit Peach that we discovered in the Forest of Death while we were there, but the fruit itself which would be an ingredient for Soma had great effects. Stamina and magic power recovery, as well as a 5% increase in all stats. However, this was only a one-time bonus, as there was no more effect even after eating it several times more after that. But even so, to people like us who already have a difficult time increasing our levels, a 5% increase was very big. Thanks to that, my head was clear and I could only imagine seeding with the transmutation of the Soma. I prepared the ratios of the dragon heart, leaves and dew of the Spirit Tree, and the Hermit Peach ording to the recipe. Margrave Volton provided a recipe, but the portioning and mixing sequence were corrected by Dryas. That was risky. Being swallowed in by literature was risky. I used Pulverize on the dragon heart and filtered it. Simrly, I had also used Pulverize on the leaves of the Spirit Tree and filtered it, then mixed it in with the dew. After using Pulverize on the Hermit Peach as well as its seed, the preparations wereplete. Carefully, I measured them by weight as I mixed them together with the sacred water that contained plenty of magic power. Transmute! Once everything was mixed properly, I began the transmutation using Alchemy. Soma couldnt bepleted by simply mixing together all the ingredients. It was only after undergoing the transmutation through Alchemy could it be called the legendary miracle drug known as Soma. The liquid that sparkled prettily waspleted before my very eyes. Howaa! How lovely! mhmm, definitely. The Soma is done! Takumi-sama, congrattions! Thank you, Laeva. But we still have to portion it into vials so it doesnt lose efficacy. Laeva was greatly delighted at thepletion of the Soma. But we have one more job ahead of us. Ive learned from Dryas that, as it might be expected from something known as a legendary miracle drug, the Soma couldnt be filled into normal vials. First, a normal ss bottle wasnt enough, so it was necessary to make a bottle that wouldnt let the magic power contained within the Soma to dissipate. Laeva and I split the work to make bottles and lids strengthened with Bestowal magic, then we would subdivide thepleted Soma into them. Laeva will do the rest, so Takumi-sama, please apply the State Preservation enchatments. Mhmm, okay, I leave the portioning to you. Even though we had already prepared special bottles and caps, I still applied State Preservation enchantments on the bottles that contained thepleted drug. My Item Box had that effect, so the Soma wouldnt have deteriorated in it, but that wasnt the case for other people. It wouldnt be funny if the legendary miraculous drug were to just deteriorate with time and lose all its efficacy. It felt like this was the first time in a long time that I had used a great deal of magic power. I-its done! I plopped onto my stool and let out a big sigh. Whether it was because it tired me out or because I was nervous, I felt exhausted for the first time in a long while. In the end, we prepared 100 50ml vials of Soma. the legendary medicine weve made quite a lot. yeah. But isnt it better than running out of it? Aside from what will be handed over to Margrave Volton, I rmend cing the remainder within your Item Box, Takumi-sama. Ha, haha, youre right. That way, it wouldnt cause discord in the world. Only after Laeva pointed it out that I realized that we had overdone it. Legendary medicine wasnt something that could be tagged with a price. I should discuss how to handle the Soma with Margrave Volton. *** Chapter 330: Delivery of the miracle drug Chapter 330: Delivery of the miracle drug Emilia, the daughter of Margrave Voltons sworn friend Earl Rockford, had fallen ill with an incurable disease known as Magic Depletion Disorder. Magic Depletion Disorder is a disease where the the bodys magic power, which is vital to maintaining life, is gradually lost. Normal medicine and recovery magic are ineffective, and the only way to cure it is with the legendary miracle drug, Soma. As such, in ast-ditch effort, Margrave Volton had earnestly requested us by way of a nominated quest to secure the ingredients for the Soma and its creation. The first of the ingredients were materials rted to the World Tree, he must have thought that we could somehow obtain it as we were acquainted with the Great Spirits. As for the dragon heart, it could be found out through a bit of research that I sell dragon materials to the Adventurers Guild. Aside from this, Margrave Volton already knew all sorts of things, so its toote to hide anything. Lastly the Hermit Peach, it was a story that was like catching hold of clouds that relied on literature, but he bet on that tiny possibility. And Margrave Volton won that bet, so he too was lucky. And now, there were 100 bottles of thepleted miracle drug, Soma. The ridiculous amount was inevitable. This was the result of calcting a good division of doses when I was making it ording to the recipe. Thanks to that, I decided that majority of it would be stored in my Item Box. As expected, a miracle drug that could cure any curse or incurable disease shouldnt be distributed into the market. As a cure-all, it pairs well with the Elixir, another miracle drug which can heal a lethal wound in an instant and restorerge parts that had been lost. I brought three doses of Soma and headed to Margrave Voltons estate.As for why three, I had already confirmed the efficacy of the Soma using Appraisal, but I brought extra to ensure Emiliasplete recovery. It should definitely be just one dose, but there might still be individual differences. Xervus-san expressly came to meet me. Iruma-dono, Master is waiting. This way, please. Sophia and I quickly greeted him and then let him guide us. I think it was quite rare that Xervus-san wasnt calm. We made our way to the room, and without much wait, we could hear from the footsteps that Margrave Volton wasing closer. Bam! The door burst open and Margrave Volton entered. Iruma-dono! Did I hear that you trulyplete the Soma!? Master, we can hear you without needing to yell. Please calm down a tad. It is ill-mannered to not even greet the guests. Mu, I-I see. Sorry about that. Greetings, Iruma-dono. I take it you had safely aplished the nominated request this time? Reprimanded by Xervus-san, Margrave Volton kept appearances up and asked if our visit meant that. This is it. Please verify it. I took three bottles out and ced them on the table. Xervus, please appraise it. Certainly. Then please pardon me. Xervus-san carefully picked up the bottle of Soma and held out a metal sheet-like thing. That was probably an Appraisal MD. It probably was not able to appraise much information, but I heard it was a useful magic device nheless. there is no mistaking it. This is genuine Soma. Oooh! To think I would be able to see the legendary miracle drug, Soma Margrave Voltons expression changed from one of excitement from gazing at the Soma to aplicated one. Muu three bottles of the legendary miracle drug, huh. To make doubly sure of Miss Emiliasplete recovery, I prepared two reserves. Sure enough, Margrave Volton was racking his brain over how to handle the Soma should there be any that remained. Master, lets think about that after Miss Emilia has recovered. youre right. Iruma-dono, I am sorry to have to ask this, but could you apany me to mansion of the Rockford household. I had the duty of producing the Soma, so that would be no issue, but will we go now? I had a vague feeling it would be like that, so I wasnt surprised when Margrave Volton asked me to go with him, but if were leaving, then I have to send word to everyone. No matter how impatient we are, we cant go today. I am still a Margrave that governs thisnd, after all. However, I do truly wish to hurry. What do you think about leaving tomorrow morning? Understood. We will prepare for that. Well then, Iruma-dono. Tomorrow morning, I await you in the eastern gate. Sophia and I were seen off by Xervus-san outside the gate, and we returned to the mansion in Margrave Voltons carriage. It was decided that thepletion reward would be discussed once more after Emilias recovery had been confirmed. *** Chapter 331: To the Rockford Earldom once more Chapter 331: To the Rockford Earldom once more Tsubaki cheerily pulled the sturdy looking carriage. Recently shes had very few chances to give people rides or pull the carriage, so she was in a very good mood. When Tsubaki leisurely ran along the highway, the travelling adventurers and merchants were startled at the sight of her exposed physique. That couldnt be helped. Reaching the evolution that was capable of telepathicmunication, her size made war horses and Demon Horses look like ponies despite not changing in size. Thatrge physique was covered in tough dragon scales which made it difficult for swords and magic to even leave superficial scratches on it, and the horn protruding from her forehead grew sharper and stronger, so much so that it could cut through steel like it was candy. A figure that intimidated its spectators. The carriage drawn by Tsubaki who had evolved into a Great Dragon Horse, a monster that had no written record in the literature of the Elven nation Yggurle Kingdom, and the Demon Horse drawn carriage of Margrave Volton which ran behind ours headed eastward along the highway, directly to the Rockford Earldom. Tsubaki looks really happy, right Master? Yeah. We werent able to bring Tsubaki with us to the Forest of Death after all. She must be happy to be out with everyone after a long time. That was because the Forest of Death was impossible with my body. Kaede sat on Tsubakis back, which could be said to be her special seat. I was sitting in the drivers seat, but I left the maneuvering to Tsubaki. As we had to match Margrave Voltons carriage speed, it would still take three days at the earliest to reach the Rockford Earldom. Normally as a noble, Margrave Volton would stop by and spend money at each vige and town, but because we were travelling the maximum distance possible each day, it was necessary to camp out. Iruma-dono, that Dragon Horse it lookspletely different but While the escorting knight, maids, and servants hurriedly put up tents and prepared meals, Margrave Volton observed Tsubaki from a distance and asked if she was different from his memory. Hmm, well, yes. Tsubaki is no longer a Dragon Horse, she evolved into a Great Dragon Horse. Wha!? Great Dragon Horse? Xervus, do you know it? no, this is the first time Im hearing of it as well. Perhaps also curious about Tsubaki, Xervus-san watched as Maria and Kaede took care of her. Tsubaki still isnt adept at controlling her magic power and energy, and monsters would note close because of what does leak out. th-that is reassuring. Ill tell the escorting knights to be wary of bandits. If the thieves have even the slightest bit of wariness, they wouldnt attack us, but if anyone were capable of understanding the strength of their opponent, they wouldnt be in that line of work. Still, the route from Margrave Voltons territory to the Rockford Earldom was one of the safest within the country. Knights from either territory proactively subjugate thieves and bandits in order to maintain security, and they also dispatch adventurers. Recently, with regards to the events with Triaria Kingdom and Divine Empire Sydnia, the refugees came flowing in. Apparently, the knight and soldier has-beens became thieves and bandits, straying into Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom, causing a temporary disturbance of public order. But as a result of the countries exerting maximum effort to deal with them, things have returned to how they were before. Well, rather, I would like the thieves to attack while Im together with you and your group, Iruma-dono. Ha-, haha, Ill be on the lookout just in case. Although I had already experienced war, I dontwantto go hunting for thieves. Perhaps because it is a world with statuses, even without a Mind entry in status, mental fortitude might grow stronger when ones level rises. If thats the case, then its a bit scary Maria and Marnie worked together with the chef of Margrave Voltons household, and theyid out food that were unthinkable in a camp. Margrave Volton spent the night in the tent guarded by the knights, and us in our space-expanded carriage. We were exempt from taking a turn at guard duty, but in reality, Kaedes thread boundary was strung up all over in case monsters or thieves do approach. Departing early in the morning the next day, we arrived at the Rockford Earldoms capital before the sun sank on the third day. We headed straight for the Feudal Lords mansion. Because of preliminary announcements from the knights, standing in front of the feudal lords mansion was Earl Rockford himself. Beside him was Madam Rose, and even the now grown up Rod-kun. Perhaps because he had been informed beforehand by Margrave Volton about obtaining the Soma, the expressions on the faces of the Rockfords were of expectations and unease. Following Margrave Voltons carriage, we parked at the waiting area near the main entrance of the mansion. After brief greetings with Earl Rockford and his family, we immediately rushed to Miss Emilia. *** Chapter 332: Complete Recovery Chapter 332: Complete Recovery We just passed the parlor room as time was precious, and I was being guided to Miss Emilias room. I was apanied by Earl Rockford, Madam Rose, heir Rod, Margrave Volton, and Sophia. The other escorts and my remaining party members were waiting in a separate room. Lord Volton, no, Godwin, thank you very much. When I heard about the Soma from you, I carried doubts. Lord Godwin, I truly thank you. For you to save Emilias life Dont be so distant, Lord Rockford, no, should I call you Marcus like always? Miss Emilia is like an adorable daughter to me. I had to help in any way I could. As we walked briskly through the hallways, Earl Rockford spoke words of appreciation to Margrave Volton, and Madam Rose shed tears as she did the same. Huh, so Earl Rockford was called Marcus. So what condition is Miss Emilia in? Hmm, she is now unable to leave her bed. A healer from the churches to cast recovery magic on her everyday, but it merely provides temporary sce. Seeing the tomboyish Emilia bing bedridden is painful Magic Depletion Disorder wasnt a sudden deterioration, but I couldnt even begin to imagine the pain of a mother watching her child gradually weaken. When we entered Miss Emilias room, there was youngdy that had grown since thest time we met that was sleeping in bed. Her breathing was frail and the childlike plumpness that remained in my memory was not present. Its more debilitating than expected. The patients condition seems to deteriorate more from the half-year mark to the first year. Lord Volton, truly, thank you for handing Iruma-dono that nominated quest. No, it is all thanks to Iruma-dono. He turned the absurd things I said into reality. Nor did I expect them to achieve this quest so quickly. Iruma-dono, thank you. Please tell me if there is anything I could do. Naturally, the remuneration for this Soma is separate. Though my hand was sped and pulled slightly by Earl Rockford who shed tears as he gave his thanks, I would like to finish the more important matter first. Earl Rockford, we should let Miss Emilia drink the Soma. Firstly we must test the effectiveness of the medicine. O-oh, my apologies, I had lost myposure. Well then, Iruma-dono, may I ask you to? Yes, then please excuse me. Sophia, give me a hand. Yes. I approached the bed and asked Sophia to lift Miss Emilias upper body up. When I took out the faintly sparkling vial of Soma, Madam Rose and Earl Rockford were astonished. I opened the lid, and asked Sophia to open Miss Emilias mouth slightly. Bit by bit, I carefully poured the soma, and a dramatic change urred in Miss Emilias body. Until just a while ago, the magic power in her body was nigh undetectable, but the instant the Soma was consumed, a torrent of magic power rushed through her body. Sophia, the magic depletion disorder seems to have been cured, but she will be in danger like this. Yes, I will adjust the flow of magic power. Sophia ced her hand on Miss Emilias stomach, calming the violent flow of magic power. Whats going on? Is Emilia okay? Did something happen to Emilia? Earl Rockford grabbed my arm in a panic, and Madam Rose clung to my other one strongly. Please calm down. The magic depletion disorder had probably been cured. However, it is very likely that when Miss Emilias body, which had been starved of magic power for an extended period of time, was treated, the amount of magic power within her had greatly increased and it is rampaging now. and it looks to be fine now. Sophia just finished calming the rampaging flow of magic power, and I could tell that it was now flowing smoothly within Miss Emilias body. u, mmm. Then, Miss Emilia woke up. Emilia! Aaa, Emilia! Earl Rockford and Madam Rose ran to her bedside. Father, Mother Ahh, Emilia! Im so d! Im really so d! As I watched the rejoicing parents and child, I checked on Miss Emilias condition. I think shes fine now, but we need to observe her for two- three days. Indeed. She had also been bedridden for a long time, after all. Yup, rehabilitation is necessary. Iruma-dono, what is rehabilitation? While Sophia and I were discussing Miss Emilias condition, Margrave Volton asked about a word he had never heard of before. Ummm, Miss Emilia had been stuck in bed for a long time, so she has to slowly start practicing to walk. I struggled with how to exin it. A body that doesnt move for a long time deteriorates was how I ended up saying it. I see, certainly, our bodies also change if we skip training for an extended time. After convincing Margrave Volton somewhat, it had been decided we would stay for two to three days to observe her progress. *** Chapter 333: Dealing with the Soma Chapter 333: Dealing with the Soma Three days have passed since we stayed at Earl Rockfords residence. Miss Emilias condition had stabilized. No, perhaps as a result of exhausting her magic power for extended period, the capacity of her magic power had doubled inparison to before her illness. The original amount of magic power she had was bordering between being able to or not being able to be a mage, so while her level is low, it was within the bounds ofmon sense, but the magic power suddenly increased as it rampaged within her. That was settled by Sophia by adjusting her magic power from the outside. Then Emilia could be a mage, right? Yes, she has the aptitude for the Earth and Water attributes. Until now, the amount of magic power she could possessed was average at best, but as a side effect of the recent treatment, it had doubled. As she is still in her growing phase, her magic power retention would increase. If she were to make great efforts in magic training, I believe she can be a mage when she bes an adult. Oh my! Dear! We must send Emilia to the Royal Capitals Magic Academy! Calm down, Rose. While watching Miss Emilia practice walking with the assistance of a maid, I had a friendly conversation with Madam Rose and Earl Rockford. Madam Rose was somewhat excited over the fact that Miss Emilias magic power was enough to make a living as a mage, and she was told to calm down by Earl Rockford, but she really wasnt listening. Madam Rose had a reason for being assertive with Miss Emilia training to be a mage. It would seem that originally, it was difficult to feel and manipte the flow of magic power, and learning to control magic power required substantial training. As to why I said It would seem, that logic didnt apply to me, someone who could acquire any skill easily. The moment Sophia suppressed the Miss Emilias rampaging magic power by forcibly manipting it from outside the body, Miss Emilia began to awaken her Magic Perception and Magic Power Maniption skills. When ites to using magic, the skills Magic Perception and Magic Power Maniption were indispensable, and it was a characteristic skill that all mages possessed. Having been bedridden for a long period of time, Miss Emilia, with just a bit of movement, would experience muscr pain all over her body the next day. For now, I think you should rehabilitate her little by little. And for magic practice, I think it would be best to start with Magic Power Maniption and lectures. In either case, Emilia will go to the academy two yearster. There will be time to think about it until then. You need not rush, Rose. My apologies, dear husband. Although this is a fantasy world of swords and magic, there were few individuals that possess the qualities to be a mage. Generally speaking, producing a cup of water or igniting a fire enough to smolder coal was the best that majority of people could do. Among the nobility, there is a tendency that individuals with rtive groundings in magic would be born to them, but the Rockford family could only use magic power to enhance their body for a short period of time. Which was why it was probably inevitable that the Madam was over the moon at having confirmed that Miss Emilia could be a mage. Iruma-dono, I would like to discuss the reward with you, may we? Yes. Leaving Miss Emilia to Madam Rose and the attendants, I switched to a separate room with Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford. The four of us `Sophia, Margrave Volton, Earl Rockford, and I` sat down, and a maid served everyone tea and then left the room. It seems theres something to talk about the reward this time. I would like to thank you once more, Iruma-dono. Thank you for saving Emilia. And Godwin, let me thank you as well. I appreciate the efforts you did for Emilias sake. Not at all, Im d that Miss Emilia is alive. And we just epted a nominated quest. We were only doing our best to achieve it because we epted. Arent you and I not friends, Marcus? Among all the nobles I have ties to, you are the sole person I could call a friend since childhood. Even then. Allow me to thank you. Now, about the reward this time Earl Rockford mentioned a reward, but as this request was amission from Margrave Volton, I couldnt ept amission of some sort from Earl Rockford. The reward presented by Margrave Volton was 1000 tinum coins. It was a cheap price for the legendary miracle drug, but as someone not in need of money any more, it was a more or less just needed as a form of receiving a reward to me. Perhaps if I was informed of Miss Emilias illness, I might have gathered the ingredients for the Soma regardless of the reward. The reward had been paid, but the problem is the remaining Soma. Umm, it was intended for one to be handed over to Earl Rockford in case something were to happen to Miss Emilia again. Umu, of the three Somas weve received, one was used, the second will be kept stocked for Miss Emilia, and one more remains. Margrave Volton seemed to think that it would not be good if the other nobles and merchants knew that the legendary miracle drug Soma was made. Should we present it to the King in secret? My heart pounded hearing Margrave Voltons muttering. What to do? He might get angry if I told him there were 97 more. *** Chapter 334: To the Royal Capital Chapter 334: To the Royal Capital I dont want to go At this moment, I was rocking in a carriage on the path to the Royal Capital. Since then, Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford figured out that I had stock of Soma based on my expression. And so, feeling the pressureing from the two, I ended talking about the supplying Soma. [1] However, the country would not be able to purchase all the Soma, so I said I would present one or two at most to the kingdom, and for the rest, the country would adjust to how much their budget would allow. And so, Margrave Volton was traveling to the Royal Capital on a fast horse. I thought it would end with a correspondence via a magic device, but apparently it was necessary to dispatch a messenger to the royal capital to request an audience. I never imagined that I would have the chance to meet an important person such as the King, much less a second time. Margrave Volton and Earl Rockfordughed when I thought that I would just be handing over a few vials to them. What would we do if we were to present the legendary miracle drug Soma to the King without you, the creator, present, Iruma-dono? Dont worry. Godwin and I will protect you with all our power so you would not be disadvantaged. We cant let the good beget evil. haa. With such an exchange happening, were now heading to the Royal Capital. Our members were riding the carriage pulled by Tsubaki like always. Taking the lead was Margrave Volton and his knights, while Earl Rockford and his entourage took the rear so our carriage was in the middle as we headed to the Royal Capital in an ostentatious file. Takumi-sama, please cheer up. I imagine the audience would end after receiving reward from King Lobos. Seeing me sullen inside the carriage, Sophia cheered me up. ording to Sophia, to the countries in the content, I, the Protector of the Spirit Tree and Keeper of the Sanctuary who eliminated Triaria Kingdom, was an important person, and they, of course, would not tie me to their own country, much less openly show hostility. To begin with, even if they try to bind you into making rare items, they should understand that it would be impossible with a feeble force, and I believe the Elven and Dwarven nations woulde to protect you against that country. Well, Im not that worried. I dont see King Lobos in that light either. In my previous life, the ordinary sryman who didnt talk withpany presidents directly that I was was just feeling the pressure of meeting someone important. As a result of the Divine Empire Syndias copse, the neighboring countries worked together to maintain public order and governance, so King Lobos was busy everyday. A mountain of papers were waiting for the King to settle in his office. haa, Im already so busy with the development around the Sanctuary, yet why must I clean up after other countries. King Lobos grumbled as he processed documents with the civil officials. It isnt just Your Majesty, you know. Dosa! Then a new bundle of documents was piled on by Valkyra Kingdoms Prime Minister, Simon von Portfort. The Kings right hand man, the highest civil official that had continued to support this kingdom for a long time. Wha!? Theres still this much!? The other civil officials and I have even more of a workload though? N- well, sorry. King Lobos turned meek at a single re from Simon. In reality, Simons workload was far more than King Lobos. It was a series of events that started after the development of the city in the border region of Volton. Wedgefort, the fortress city that suddenly appeared in the Savage Lands, and the appearance of the Spirit Tree that grew at the center of the Sanctuary to its west. Three countries built a city near the Sanctuary, and a war with Triaria Kingdom at the Savage Lands. The copse of the Divine Empire Sydnia. Wondering why all of this happened in his lifetime, Simon wanted to ask the Goddess. Its done! Simon smiled at the delighted King Lobos who shouted in a non-king-like fashion. You have an audience with the Guild Master of the Commerce Guild. Afterwards, an audience with the special envoy from Lomaria Kingdom, and then an audience with the two Dukes. Once the audiences are over, you must check the draft of the agenda to be discussed in the next Trination summit. King Lobos copsed face down on the desk. Then, nearly forgotten, he was told of one more request for an audience. Ah yes, speaking of audiences, Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford had a made a rare request for an audience. As for where to fit them in, the n is to have an audience with them as soon as they arrive in the Royal Capital. it couldnt be about that guy again, now could it? King Lobos couldnt stop the bad feeling creeping on him. The culprit for all their dizzyingly busy life right now. No, he knew he couldnt be called a culprit. He knew this, but he still could not help butin. It was a request with the signature from those two, so it is likely that it concerns that gentleman. jeez, I want to step down. The prince is still a child. I know! I just wanted to try saying it! Just what trouble will he bring this time? King Lobos, whose spirits have frayed inparison to the prosperity of his nation, practically begged for it to be ordinary. *** Footnotes: 1.holy heck. Im so annoyed by Takumispletely wimpish attitude. Hes totally asking for it. Hes doing this on purpose. :angy: Chapter 335: The audience that pains stomachs Chapter 335: The audience that pains stomachsThe convoy of Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford, two highly influential nobles even in Valkyra Kingdom, which included their knights was truly impressive. A bizarrely impressive carriage ran as if caught between the center of them. Pulling the carriage was an intimidating Dragon Horse that had tough scales covering its body and a sharp horn protruding from its head. Even as it lined up at the queue for nobles arriving into the Royal Capital, the attention it drew did not diminish. Led by Margrave Voltons carriage, we arrived in front of Margrave Voltons capital mansion. Knights on horseback approached our carriage and guided it. Iruma-dono, please park the carriage for a moment and travel with us afterwards. No need, itll be fine because I will store my carriage. Tsubaki who pulls the carriage will also return to the Subspace. I-is that so? I could tell that the knights expression stiffened, but as Margrave Volton already knew that I can bring my familiars in and out, as well as storerge quantities in my Item Box, there was no point in being prudent thiste. Xervus-san, who ushered us into the Margravial residence, informed us that the audience with His Majesty will be 3-5 days after, so until then, we were to stay in the mansion until then. That night, I had a dinner meting with Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford. The audience, am I needed for it? Naturally. What would we do if we exclude the maker of Soma? Though I certainly did request the ingredients for Soma, the one who did gather them was you, Iruma-dono. The energy to challenge the second audience just wouldnte. If its just the presentation of the Soma, then Im not needed. Fret not, though it could be called an audience, it was only with His Majesty, Prime Minister Simon, and the escorting royal guards. His Majesty had also epted this. Should the sessful creation of Soma be known to the other nobles, blood will be shed. Apparently, when they were requesting for an audience, they were careful to not leak information. It had been a dinner with high nobility, and yet I hardly had thecency to taste it. It was two dayster that we had gotten word from the Royal Pce that they were ready for the audience. Margrave Volton, Earl Rockford, and I attended the audience in the Royal Pce, but not at the venue where audiences are held, but in a room that had an anti-eavesdropping magic device installed. It would seem His Majesty is apprehensive about an information leak. They were told its about a very serious topic, after all. There was still a concern of being overheard even if people were cleared out during the audience. Haa, is that much really necessary? The Soma recipe was information from Margrave Volton, and wouldnt an alchemist would be able to create it if they have all the ingredients? When I said that, Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford sighed deeply. Haa, think about what youve just said. Listen here, Iruma-dono. Only a few of the leaves and dew of the World Tree are exported by Yggurle Kingdom yearly. If you have the time and money, you might be able to get your hands on it. Even the dragon heart, it might be possible if you request top ss adventurers. Yeah. Also, for some reasontely, there have been arge number of dragon materials appearing through Samandour Kingdom. The instant Earl Rockford mentioned arge number of dragon materials were circting the markets because of Samandour Kingdom, my heart skipped a beat. Those were definitely the dragons we subjugated when we went dungeon capturing in the Dragon Dungeon with Queen Fraal, werent they? Not noticing that I was panicking by myself, Margrave Volton continued to speak. However, the Hermit Peach was the only one that impossible for anyone other than Iruma-dono. I was puzzled when he said that. Sure enough, the Hermit Peach spoils suddenly when harvested. However, that shouldnt be a problem with the existence of the magic bag which had a time dy effect. No, dont look so puzzled. First of all, no one aside from you would walk into the Forest of Death. Well, its definitely a harsh environment, but Now that I think about it, we would leave markers at night and teleport back to the mansion, so maybe it would be hard to camp out in the Forest of Death. There you have it. Well, if information about the Soma is leaked out, there would be foolish nobles and merchants who gather materials by letting money talk would surelye out. In doing so, just how many adventurers would be sacrificed At that time, the door to the room opened, three people entered with Royal Knight Commander Ghad-dono at the lead, followed by His Majesty, and Prime Minister Simon. Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford rose from their seats and so I too hurriedly got up. first, take a seat. The King took his seat, Prime Minister Simon sat beside him, and Ghad stood at attention behind the King. We sat down at His Majestys urging, and the stomach-wrenching audience began. *** Chapter 336: The King, at his wits end Chapter 336: The King, at his wits end So, for what reason could Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford have specially requested an audience with a joint signature? Though, Im afraid to ask. Prime Minister Simon addressed Margrave Volton, who was the highest in standing among us. Moreover, Earl Rockfords daughter should have been inflicted with the Magic Depletion Syndrome, so I would have assumed that you would not want to be distant from your territory, but impossible. Simon-sama looked at me with a shocked expression. if so, then I understand clearing the room of people. No record of this should remain. Oi! Tell me so I understand too! I dont get what you mean! His Majesty demanded an exnation from Simon-sama who was the only one who understood our reason foring. Your Majesty, you have heard of Earl Rockfords daughter, Miss Emilia, falling ill to the Magic Depletion Disorder. Hm? That thing? The disease thats said to be incurable and no known cause? Then Earl Rockford shouldnt be nonchntlying to capital. Im sure there is work to be done, but Im not so narrowminded as to reproach him for staying close to his daughter in a matter of life and death. Your Majesty, Earl Rockford had brought Iruma-dono along with him here. Do you still not follow? I felt like running away at Simon-samas roundabout way of saying things. Then His Majesty looked at me wide-eyed. No way Iruma again, you have something to do with it again!? Your Majesty, please calm down. Your tone is too diposed. As if I could calm down! He cured an incurable illness that couldnt be fixed by medicine or magic! Just what did you do!? Be honest! His Majestys energy sure is high today When I wanted to escape reality, Simon calmed His Majesty and began exining. Your Majesty, recovery magic that can recover lost limbs and life threatening injuries exist. Its not that there are no medicine either. That much I know. The Elixir. But there are only two Elixirs passed down in our country. Moreover, the Elixir wouldnt cure Magic Depletion Disorder. Yes, Extra Heal for magic and the Elixir for medicine, each are famous, but there are not even three practitioners that could use the spell. As for the other, Id say that each country would have five vials of the drug stored in their treasuries. However, there is one more miracle drug from the legends. Wait a minute, I remember. If I remember correctly the legendary miracle drug, Soma, was it? so theyve gotten a hand on Soma His Majesty looked at us with an astonished expression. You got your hands on the legendary miracle drug Soma which could cure any illness and dispel strong curses to cure Miss Emilias Magic Depletion Disorder, didnt you? And then Iruma-dono Finally catching up, he looked at me with understanding. And perhaps relieved, he reseated himself deeper onto the chair. Your Majesty, it is too early to feel relieved. Lord Rockford and Lord Rockford taking Iruma-dono with them to the Royal Capital means that wasnt the only thing they came to report. It is likely to present Soma to the kingdom. Wha!? You were able to procure multiple Soma!? It appears His Majesty was under the assumption that we obtained the Soma from a treasure chest in a dungeon somewhere, and didnt think we could have obtained multiple. However, it was the inevitable reaction, as it wasmon sense to think that if you were to obtain a miracle-ss item from a treasure box in a normal dungeon, you couldnt get more than one. Your Majesty, you must not jump to conclusions. If it was Soma from a dungeon, there would be no reason for Iruma-dono to be here. Iruma-dono, so you have seeded in creating Soma. Wha!? I see, I understand why everyone was cleared out if that were the case. If the greedy nobles were to learn of it, danger would naturally befall Iruma-dono, and those rted to him. As His Majesty had finally grasped the situation, Margrave Volton began exining the details. Your Majesty, I will begin the exnations from here. It began with the incurable illness of the Miss Emilia, the daughter of Lord Rockford, my sworn friend. I wished to save Miss Emilia whom I had known since she was but an infant. And so, I used every single means I could, searching for a potential cure. Then I found it. The recipe of Soma Actually, the ratios of the mixture were slightly different, but we were able to manage it thanks to Dryas. However, His Majesty, Prime Minister Simon, and Knight Commander Ghad were absolutely bbergasted upon hearing the names of the materials that would be the ingredients for Soma. Wh-, wh- whats with those ingredients!? The leaves and dew of the world tree, I understand. A very limited supply circte the market. But a dragon heart? Hermit Peach? What a jest. The heart of a 100ft (30m~) dragon is enough. Pick the fruit of an elusive tree that grew natively in the depths of the Forest of Death. That is madness. Margrave Volton only continued once the trios unrest had settled. Today, wevee to the castle today to present Soma to the kingdom. However, the issue is as Lord Simon had stated, if it is known that Iruma-dono had created the Soma, the rotten parts of the Kingdom would act rashly, which may cause Iruma-dono to leave the kingdom. we have no choice but to cover it up. Indeed. I will secretly falsify the Treasury inventory. Eventually, it had been decided that we would sell three vials of Soma to the kingdom in secrecy at a reasonable price. The cost would be taken from the Kings personal assets and emergency funds, unrecorded in the ledgers. The kingdom wanted to purchase three more vials, but they judged that buying all six in one purchase carried high risk of being leaked out. Lets take our time, pretend its from a dungeon and circte it into auctions to disrupt the information. Mhmm, if its an underground auction in the Royal Capital, the seller would not be identified. His Majesty wanted to create favors from their allies Lomaria Kingdom and Yggurle Kingdom, and secure several more for his own country. As such, he was teaming up with the Adventurers Guild to make a fake continuous quest. Lets pretend its a quest that continues for even several years. We will process the record of the time of acquisition properly. His Majesty and Prime Minister Simon confidently made secret ounts, so it might go okay. It wasnt like someone would lose it. After discussions regarding the Soma, His Majesty said that he had something he wanted to ask me. It wasnt a good hunch, but I couldnt say I didnt want to. It looks like this will take long *** Chapter 337: Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 337 Unexpected Development Chapter 337: Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 337 Unexpected DevelopmentSpeaking of which, Iruma-dono, about Miss Sophia and Miss Maria. When are you getting married? Eh? After discussions about the Soma were done, His Majesty suddenly talked about that. I was surprised that he even knew about Sophia and Maria, and I was even more surprised when he talked about marriage. Hm? You havent gotten married yet? If I remember correctly, theres one more, Marnie, wasnt there? Hou, Iruma-dono had three lovers? And like a follow up blow, Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford grinned and teased. To be brutally honest, I want you to marry at least one person from Valkyra Kingdoms noble families. N-no, Your Majesty, I am amoner. An enclosing remark about marriage flew in from His Majesty. Why did the topic of my marriagee up from His Majesty? When I asked properly, there were apparently many inquiries from domestic and foreign nobles. My base of operations was in Volton City, but Ive also been absent from that one recently. Ive been in the Sanctuary mansion, the newly built Sky Ind base, and the Demon Continent base the most these days, and even things like the delivery of goods to the Papeck Company had been all left to Laeva as ofte. I see, it was hard to make an appointment with me. At the same time, rather than lower nobles such as barons, one would have to be at least a rtive of the Margraves or Earls to be married to me. Iruma-dono, you had been an adult for a number of years as well, so it isnt too early to be married anymore. Yeah, Iruma-dono, you will soon be 20, no? Yourete in getting married. Since even Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford were teasing, I grew red in the face from embarrassment. do evenmoners hold wedding ceremonies? Ah, Iruma-dono, you were from a remote vige. Border viges might not have had thecency to do so, but in the viges and city in the Volton Margravery, evenmoners hold banquets. To say nothing of your marriage, Iruma-dono, it would not be meager. I-is that so So there were wedding ceremonies even in this world, huh. Are they done in the church? I lent several vials of Soma to their country in the secret audience with His Majesty. No record of this would remain, and I also epted their request to purchase additional vials when the national treasury has surplus. For now, its been decided that the producer of the Soma would be concealedpletely. Afterwards, although there had been an idental leap into topic of my marriage, I think it had been peaceful overall. When we returned to Margrave Voltons capital mansion, Sophia and the girls came to greet me. Wee home, Takumi-sama. Wee back, Master (Husband). Youre back, Master! Im back, everyone. As we were seen off by Margrave Voltons smirking face, we headed to the room assigned to us. Oh, wee back. So, how was it? Akane asked about the course of events as she satfortably on the sofa, drinking the tea that Lulu-chan brewed. Yeah, His Majesty and Prime Minister Simon decided to conceal how they obtained it. More like, the kingdom is concealing the very fact that they got the Soma. Well, that was a good result then. I exined todays discussion to Akane, and she nodded as it stood to reason. Why is Akane proud? Is there anything else? y-yeah, umm, we ended up talking about my marriage to Sophia, Maria, and Marnie. Eh!? M-marriage A marriage, I would marry Takumi-sama Oh my, Margrave Volton sure did it. If it was just you, you would be eternally indecisive, so isnt this just perfect? When the word marriage escaped my lips, Sophia and Maria turned strange, and Marnie reddened and cast her eyes downward. In contrast, Akane nodded her head as if saying finally. Fufufufufu, okay! Lets make it as showy as possible! Showy nya! Yaaay! Marriage! Akane stood up energetically and clenched her fists with all her might as she dered so. Beside her, Lulu-chan shouted Ohhh! and tossed her fists up. I dont think Kaede really understood it, but she was celebrating. W-wait, Akane, what do you mean showy Give up! Youre already acquainted with senior statesmen and rulers from various countries. Also, youre connected to the Papeck Company and Adventurers Guild, the Sanctuary and the various nations in the Demon Continent, and even the Great Spirits would want to celebrate it. You cant just have a small, in wedding! Ugh, e-even if you say that Leave it to me! Well shoot up some shy fireworks! Seeing Akanes nose re as she spoke in absolute confidence to leave it to her, I could only worry. When I nced over at Sophia, Maria, and Marnie, the three seemed happy as they fidgeted. Ahh, seriously, I cant stop it anymore. Even though it should have been about me too *** TLN: Ive mentioned this before, but I am really sorry for the inconsistency between usage of suffix and prefixes for people, I keep switching between japanese and english ones. It just doesnt fit sometimes. Chapter 338: Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 338 Marriage Concerto Chapter 338: Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 338 Marriage ConcertoIt should have been a presentation of Soma to Valkyra Kingdom, but for some reason, the conversation turned to my marriage with Sophia, Maria, and Marnie. No, its not that I dont want marriage. Were basically already in a de facto marriage. Still, a proposal is needed, huh. I was pretty sure that the married higher ups when I was a sryman said that stuff like that were important too. Sophia, Maria, Marnie, it might be insincere of me to get married to the three of you in one go, but will you marry me? Yes. Please treat me well for many years toe. I called the three of them to a separate room, and proposed to them one by one, and they each gave their answers. Sophia and Maria who were former ves were apparently a bit conflicted about whether they could marry me. And it seems Marnie who would be remarrying was alsorgely conflicted. Even so, remarriage isnt umon in this world. In this world where life is cheap, the widowing of a spouse was amon tale, so naturally, remarriages were aplenty. Even in my previous life as a sryman in his 40s, there was no reason to be averse towards a second marriage. Having received the Yes from the three, I began the preparations for the wedding under the leadership of Akane who was, for some reason, gung ho about it. Now then! Were going home! Home nya! At Akanesmand, we departed for Volton City from Margrave Voltons capital mansion. Actually, it would have been fine if we teleported, but we couldnt afford to be found out, so our return trip was also in the carriage that Tsubaki pulled. However, since we were going separately from Margrave Voltons and Earl Rockfords carriages, we travelled fast. We held back on the speed so as to not endanger the other people travelling on the highway though. As we passed the Rockford Earldom and reached Volton City at double time, we talked about what needed to be done first. Takumi, lets not go here but to the Sanctuary mansion. Why? Isnt it fine here too? I finally sank into the mansion sofa as I drank the tea brewed by Maria when Akane said that we should go to the Sanctuary mansion instead. We have to tell Mimir-chan, and Undine and the Great Spirits are also there. Wait wait wait, rather than the Great Spirits, isnt Mimir unrted? And dont add chan to a princess. I couldnt see why Yggurle Kingdoms Princess Mimirs name came up. Moreover, when did Akane and Princess Mimir get close enough to start adding chan to their names? Its fine. Thats how Mimir-chan and I are. Actually, Mimir-chan and I were talking about how Sophia, Maria, and Marnie-san have to get married to you since a while back. Wha!? Ignoring my shock, Akane continued to speak. Takumi, your influence doesnt just stop at Valkyra Kingdom anymore. The ally Lomaria Kingdom is a given, Yggurle Kingdom, Sophias mothend which reveres the Great Spirits, and now youre even friendly with the Demon Continent. Moreover, theres Berkut and the Aligerous Tribe who are emotionally attached to you. In the Sanctuary, theres even the Cat Siths and Mermaids that you rescued you cant just have a normal wedding. E, umm, well, that When Akane reiterated so, it seems it would be an outrageous wedding even with only family and friends. Hey, you understand, dont you? Thats why we have to talk to Mimir-chan and the others. Oh yeah, lets call Berkut while were at it. And then, lets also invite Queen Fraal and Ryuka-chan. Wait, hold up. Is it fine to add chan even to Ryuka-san? This time, Queen Fraal and Ryuka-sans names suddenly came up so forthrightly, but she adds chan even to Ryuka-san. Youll go bald if you mind the small things. I wont go bald! How rude. Ill have you know that when I was a sryman in my 40s, my hair was still thick. And this is the body made by Norn-sama. It wont go bald, now would it? If you get it then lets get to the Sanctuary mansion! The old dwarven men that youre friendly with are there, so youll be able to discuss the alcohol to be served at the wedding too. Sure, Doganbo-san was someone had been associating with ever since the I started living in Volton City when I was learning to handle magic metals. I had no choice but to invite him to the wedding. Then, I remembered the very first people that had taken care of me when I came to this world. Id be really happy to be congratted by Vanga-san, Martha-san, Bobon-san and the other vigers from Bohd Vige. Thinking so, it seemed like it was impossible to have just a small wedding *** Chapter 339: Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 339 Inconvenient situation Chapter 339: Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 339 Inconvenient situation The wedding ceremony being nned for Takumi, Sophia, Maria, and Marnie was a more serious matter than they had expected. Thanks to His Majesty instigating Iruma-dono, incessant inquiries have beening from Lomaria Kingdom and Samandour Kingdom. No, its troubling if they inquire with our country Ten days have passed since Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford took Takumi along for the audience. Nevertheless, inquiries came from the nobles and wealthy merchants of the two countries. People who want to have a connection to Takumi. At His Majestys one carelessment, masses of people in the content are swarming Iruma-dono. Iruma-dono is not the type toe out center stage of his own ord, but influential nobles and merchants have noticed the various items brought about by Iruma-dono. If one does a bit of investigation behind the great strides of the Papeck Company, they would find out. So where Iruma-donos wedding is concerned People would definitely want to attend. First, there is an issue of where the wedding would be held. It would be an issue if Takumi chooses to hold the wedding in the Sanctuary. That ce was one that not even Prime Minister Simon nor the King, could enter freely. Among the key figures of the nations, the sole person who could enter the Sanctuary freely was Yggurle Kingdoms Princess Mimir. Isnt that bad? Yes, very much so. Despite his base being located in Valkyra Kingdom, there is a possibility that there would be no attendees from our nation in the wedding of Iruma-dono, who is an important figure despite being amoner. We would need the permission of the Great Spirits to enter the Sanctuary. Thats bad Thats bad, Simon! The attendance of high nobility and monarchy in amoners wedding would normally be aberrant. However, Takumis existence was the embodiment of that aberrance. When he was based in Volton, he created and poprized useful magic devices by way of the Papeck Company. Because of the Purifier MD and the Toilet MD which has a simr function in particr, the number of epidemics brought on greatly by the citys sanitation had decreased sharply, and the decrease in infant mortality had greatly benefited the country. King Lobos and Simon could not have imagined that the betterment of the sanitary conditions would be the countrys foundation in protecting its citizens, On top of this, owing to the hand pump for the water wells, cities and viges were liberated from this difficult chore and their productivity increased. That is not all. The various potions created by Iruma-dono had increased the survivability of adventurers, thereby decreasing the damages from monsters. The potions that Takumi and Laeva sell to the Papeck Company and the Adventurers Guild had be the adventurers powerful ally with its low cost, quality, and high efficacy. Normal adventurer parties do not have people who could use recovery magic, so a potion with high efficacy was a valuable lifeline. The Papeck Company seems to export those potions to other countries as well. Yes, it is very popr despite the small quantities. And most importantly, Takumi was the person in charge of the Sanctuary. Above all, the rare herbs produced from the Sanctuary and the materials rting to the Spirit Tree. The supreme fruits grown by the Elves, and the various types of alcohol such as wine produced by the Dwarves living in the Sanctuary. No matter the product, nobles and merchants inside and outside our nation would like to obtain them. There are products produced from the Sanctuary, yes, but the greatest effect of the Sanctuary is the benefit of purifying the Savagends which, not only our nation but also Yggurle Kingdom and Lomaria receives. Beginning at Wedgefort, the city built by the Trination alliance in the Savagends where the current Sanctuary is situated, Valkyra Kingdom, Yggurle Kingdom, and Lomaria Kingdom of the Trination Alliance have all been growing prosperously in recent years. All of these were because of the Takumis Sanctuary management. Pushing the daughters of nobles and royalty would be a poor move. At the worst, Iruma-dono would part with our nation. However, as long as he still has a base within our territory, we must show that we have a strong bond with him than any other nation. If possible, I would like the ceremony to be held in therge church in the Royal Capital, but I wouldnt mind Volton. To King Lobos and Simon, it would be momentous to have the ceremony be performed in Valkyra Kingdom. Ask Lord Volton and Lord Rockford for their assistance, if we could somehow hold the ceremony in our country, we can gain our attendance. Umu, lets ask the Papeck Company President for his cooperation too. King Lobos and Prime Minister secretly acted to keep information from leaking to other countries so the ceremony could be held in Valkyra Kingdom. *** Chapter 340: Preparations are going steadily Chapter 340: Preparations are going steadily Unaware that Valkyra Kingdoms King Lobos and Prime Minister Simon were on the move to hold my wedding within the country, I, for some reason, was holed up alone in the Sanctuary workshop. It all began when Akane confirmed with me, who had been relieved after the proposals. Takumi, the proposing is nice and all, but have you prepared wedding rings? Engagement rings would also be great. Eh I froze when Akane mentioned the rings. Did this world have wedding rings and engagement rings? Akane looked at me dumbstruck and shook her head in disbelief. I had guessed as much. Listen, Takumi. Wedding rings and engagement rings are important items to women. Its not about how big or small it is. O-okay, Ill prepare it as soon as possible. You may as well make them the best magic items. While youre at it, please make my essory too. Ah, and you cant use a ring for mine. Leaving me with Akanes brazen request, I hurried to the workshop. If I actually think about it, even if Sophia, Maria, and Marnie wanted rings, they wouldnt tell me themselves. Im an idiot. In the workshop, I ced all sorts of materials on top of my work bench and gave it some thought. Now then, is it fine if the base is mythril? I was a sryman in my 40s in my previous life, but I had never been married. Ive attended the weddings of friends, rtives, and subordinates, but I wasfortable on my own. When I had a girlfriend, I had given rings as a present, and I remember seeing engagement ring and wedding ring designs. That said, Sophia is purely a fighter, so it has to be a ring that wouldnt be a nuisance. Maria does housework aside from fighting, so hers cant have a messy design. Marnies design shouldnt obstruct her too much because she mainly uses martial arts. Is it alright if the wedding ring designs are simple? Im surprised theres a custom of presenting engagement rings and wedding rings in this world too but huh? Did Akane trick me? Oh yeah, it may have been because it was a remote vige, but Martha-san of the Bohd Vige didnt have a ring. In terms of essories, I have a feeling the other wives had nes and the like. Oh well, I already made a promise. I have to make four wedding rings, mine included. I held the mithril alloy in my hands and charged it with magic power, thoroughly mixing the magic power into the raw mithril alloy. Next, I transformed it into a long narrow cylinders and cut it into four parts, then I shaped those into rings matching each of our fingers size. I made protection rings and enchanted it with Increased Stamina Recovery, Increased Magic Power Recovery Speed, Status Abnormality Resistance. Now then, for the engagement rings, do I have gems for it? If I remember correctly, there was amercial selling diamond rings that had a known catchphrase of being worth three months sries. Theres no problem with attaching a jewel to the rings. However, if I do that, Sophia who is always battle-ready wouldnt have many opportunities to wear it. Moreover, I think the wedding rings and engagement rings were on the same finger. No, wait. I dont even know if this world has a custom of gifting rings, yet Im already worrying about them being worn on the same finger. Itll be faster to just ask. Because its a problem I cant answer thinking by myself, I left the workshop and headed to the living room so I could quickly ask the girls. In the living room, the girls were having tea while discussing dresses. Oh, whats up? Did you need something? Seeing me, Akane asked. No, this is the living room of my house, so Id like it if she didnt treat me like some nuisance. Well, I had something Id like to ask. And so, I asked if there was a custom of presenting rings, if it does indeed go on the left ring finger, and if both engagement and wedding rings go on the same finger. Oh, you realized? Eh? What do you mean? Akane had an evil look as she asked if I had finally realized. The custom of wedding rings and engagement rings wouldnt exist in this world. Here, rings are treated as equipment. Or they could be an essory that nobledies use to adorn themselves. Wha!? Then, why? Isnt it obvious? If I get married, I would want rings! Eh Akane asserted her own desires so brazenly. That said, Sophia and the girls who were born in this world did not refute Akane. In the end, is it that girls loving essories is the same in any world? In any case, the wedding rings wereplete, and I n on making the engagement rings ording to Akanes instructions. The girls saw me off and waved their hands as I returned to the workshop. They could have at least let me drink some tea *** Chapter 341 Chapter 341 By no ordinary means After somehow creating the wedding rings and engagement rings, I then confronted my next problem. Where to hold the ceremony. I thought it would be fine to hold it normally in the church built in the Sanctuary, but there were those waiting in anticipation here and there. Simply put, there were plenty of people who would be troubled with the ceremony being held in the Sanctuary. Only the people acknowledged by the Great Spirits were permitted to enter the Sanctuary. This was rted to the innate goodness of the person, but even if they were a good person, the Sanctuary did not have the capacity to ept them so thoughtlessly and without principle. Haa~ this is hard. Haa~ this is tough. Akane, who was in charge of the wedding, sighed, and I followed suit. It was supposed to be held at the Sanctuary church, but doing so would limit invitations to only Princess Mimir who coulde and go freely and the leaders of the Sanctuary inhabitants. Personally, I have no issue with that, but it would be distasteful. Of course it would be. Setting aside who can and cante, you have to at least invite Margrave Volton, Barack-san or Hans-san from the Adventurers Guild, Papeck-san and Thomas-san from the Papeck Company. And we have to invite Earl Rockford if we invite Margrave Volton. Then, in turn, aside from Princess Mimir from Yggurle Kingdom, wouldnt it be bad if you only invite Sophia-sans parents? Uwaaa~ herees the difficult topics. Cant we just have a small event with just the rtives? And as if reading my thoughts, Akane shook her head. You cant. Both you and I have been taken care of by Margrave Volton in Valkyra Kingdom, havent we? The one who protected us from the mass of nobles and merchants by bing our backer was Margrave Volton, wasnt it? Even His Majesty had paid attention to usmoners needs. Even if they cant attend, at the very least we have to send invitations. we cant miss Margrave Volton. Having shielded us from things rting to the Divine Empire Sydnia, we definitely had to invite Margrave Volton. And Berkut would sulk if you dont invite her. Guha Exposing their existence would subsequently leak the Sky Ind. Moreover, if I invite Berkut, Id have to invite Valkan-san and Valzak-san. I wont invite their two dumb sons though. So in the city to the east of the Sanctuary, what was it called oh, right right, I think it was given the name Crossfort[1] . still, that ce was built by the union of the Trination` Yggurle Kingdom, Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom`, and there is an influx of people from Samandour Kingdom now too, so isnt security a concern? I think security willrgely be okay. The problem is if the wedding is leaked to the countries besides Valkyra Kingdom. Ahh, I really want it to be a small event. At the time Akane and I were troubled by where to hold the wedding, my fiances were thinking of designs for their wedding dresses with Kaede. Wedding dresses were also not part of the culture of this world. At weddings in this world, it wasmonce for the bride to have a pretty dress to wear, not like a pure white wedding dress, but rather a showy dress worn in contemporary dances. The one who told my fiances about the wedding dress was obviously Akane. Ah! !? Whats wrong!? Dont scream like that all of a sudden, you scared me! Sorry, sorry. Uhh, are Sophias parents doing well? Do you need to have marriage greetings? Ahh~ that was a thing, huh? Maria and Marnie no longer had anyone they could call family. However, Sophias parents were doing well in Yggurle Kingdom. I had met them once before when we visited, but her brother was working in the capital. A man asking for their daughters hand in marriage. Perhaps you need to greet them to be able to marry a nobles daughter. I also have no clue about social etiquette with nobles, so perhaps we should ask Princess Mimir. Instead of choosing where to hold the wedding, that shoulde first. Then I will ask Princess Mimir. Saying so, Akane left the room. That said, Princess Mimir was in her mansion next to ours, a mere 5 minute walk away. Do I have to make marital greetings to my partners parents? Oh man, now Im nervous. *** Footnotes: 1. Im pretty sure that the city built by the Trination to the east of the Sanctuary was called Valor [mentioned in ch204/ch209], but I guess the author changed it, soooo Ill be changing too. Chapter 342: A father, flustered Chapter 342: A father, flusteredIn the heart of Yggurle Kingdom, a huge tree towered as though it reached the heavensand at its feety its royal capital. When Takumi had an audience with King Lobos in the Royal Capital, the conversation turned to Takumis marriage to his lovers, and so, when Takumi began moving towards that goal upon being pushed on the back, that information was brought to Yggurle Kingdom by way of a spy. Inside a room in the Royal Castle overlooking the World Tree, Yggurle Kingdoms Prime Minster, Elder Balza who was over 700 years old, and this nations ruler, King Forselty van Yggurle, were talking about the information brought to them. Lord Sylphides eldest daughter, Lady Sophia and Takumi-dono Irumas wedding seems to have been decided. ording to the report, it seems the selection of the marriage venue and invitees are under way. what do you think, Balza? Do you reckon we would be invited? Takumi Iruma, an adventurer and artisan known by the central figures of various countries who is based in Valkyra Kingdom, is getting married to a knight of our country. It is a story to rejoice over if one only heard that, and there would be nothing for Forselty, the king of a nation, to worry over. He was an adventurer and amoner, and even if she was the Sylphide familys eldest daughter, she was no more than a former knight. It was not an issue that should involve Forselty, a king. normally, that is. Our nation has Her Highness Mimir who has a deep rtionship with the Sanctuary. Now, while that may be the case, amoner would normally not send an invitation to the king of a foreign country. However, if we who respect the Spirits are not invited by the protector of the Spirit Tree, the custodian of the Sanctuary, and the individual acknowledged by the esteemed Great Spirits, it would be troubling. It is likely that in Valkyra Kingdom, Lord Volton whom he has a deep connection to is for certain, and perhaps King Lobos would also make a visit. Lomaria Kingdom is questionable. They have a alliance with Valkyra Kingdom, but their direct rtion to Iruma-dono is weak. King Forselty thought his own nation was still in a better position. He had heard that his daughter Mimir had built a good rtionship with Takumi and hispanions. It may be a poor act to forcibly attend the wedding by way of Mimir, but he thought that if the request had been from Mimir, the invitation would proceed surprisingly smooth. Naturally I would ask as such of Mimir, but should I express that I would like to attend the ceremony and the congrattions by way of the Sylphides? It is their eldest daughters marriage, as such, Iruma-dono would reunite Lady Sophia and her parents once more, they must visit her parents home. If they will hold a ceremony this time, they may give their greetings. At the time, he was conscientious enough to purposefullye to Yggurle Kingdom so Sophia, a ve he purchased, could meet her parents. Balza believed that he would likely visit them for marital greetings. Well then, should we have my message ryed to the Sylphides? Your Majesty, I will do so. Wha!? You will, yourself? King Forselty was surprised that Prime Minister Balza, the eldest among the Elven Race, would personally visit the Sylphide family. Failure is not an option. If we are lucky, we may even meet Iruma-dono. the Sylphide family would also be troubled. The prime minister of the country is staying in the house of a Chevalier for several days. Knowing what Balza was thinking, King Forselty pitied the Sylphides. Of course he would. A noble of high peerage that one would normally not meet was visiting. That alone would cause a noble of low peerage to be in mayhem with how to interact properly. Moreover, Balza was aiming to meet Takumi by chance. What, I will not go as the prime minister of the country, just as an old fogey going on a trip. Ho ho ho Half-astounded, King Forselty left everything to Balza. Balza, taking along minimal escorts, immediately departed for the Sylphide familys territory located at the borders of Yggurle Kingdom. In a remote region of Yggurle Kingdom, a tremor shook the small territory that governed over two viges. A knight sent ahead from the Royal Capital arrived at the Sylphide family, which was no more than a Chevalier. He said that the Balza, the prime minister, was visiting. That day, Dante von Sylphide who was looking over financial documents with his rear vassal at his office had been handed a correspondence by the knight who came from the Royal Capital. Discourteous it may be, why would a correspondence from the capitale to me, a Chevalier in a rural area? Please verify the details yourself. I was simply dispatched ahead by Lord Balza. !? Lord Balza!? When the knight said to see for himself and the name of Prime Minster Balza, the eldest in Yggurle Kingdom, a man far higher than himself emerged, Dante looked pitifully flustered to the knight that came. Taking the correspondence from Balza with shaking hands, Dante understood its contents and looked at the knight even more confused. What is written there is true. Lord Balza has already departed from the capital. However, please be at ease. Lord Balza requests that peerage not be minded, and to treat him like normal. After the knight left, Dante, who was stunned, regained himself, running out of his office and into the living room. Freesia! Freesia! Whats wrong? Youre too loud. Freesia, his wife who was sitting on the living room sofa and embroidering, looked surprised as she asked why Dante, her husband, had rushed into the room in a panic. She wondered if something serious had happened. *** Chapter 343: A father, learning of a daughter’s wedding Chapter 343: A father, learning of a daughters wedding Assuming that something major had happened based on the how flustered her husband, Dante, was, Freesia instructed the maid to make tea and had Dante sit on the sofa. After Dante drank the tea and calmed down slightly, she asked once more if anything had happened. What happened, dear? Lord Balza ising! Lord Balzayou say, as in Prime Minister Balza? Eh!? No way! Even the normallyposed Freesia lost her cool. Of course she would. Normally, the low ranking nobles and the leaders of the country do not meet. Moreover, rather than being summoned, Balza himself wasing to the Sylphide residence. It was impossible not to be flustered. Dear, lets make preparations immediately. Y-youre right. Dante and Freesia quickly acted to instruct the maids and butler. The day continued without rest, and a carriage protected by several knights arrived before the Sylphide familys humble mansion. The nervous and shaking Dante, the rtivelyposed Freesia, and their few vassals were all present to meet the guests. I appreciate youing out to greet me. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Lord Sylphide. I am Balza who serves as the prime minister. It is an honor to meet you. I am Dante von Sylphide. This here is my wife, Freesia. It is nice to meet you. Wee. Freesia who was introduced by Dante greeted Balza with graceful conduct. Not at all, please pardon the sudden visit. There are a few things I wish to ask in this visit, but these are matters that are not to be spoken of at the entrance. Please pardon myck of sensibility. Now then, wee to our humble residence. Pardon me. Balza instructed his escort knights and maids to wait in a different room prepared for them, and entered the mansion as guided by Dante. Drinking tea as he rested, Balza began talking about the important matters. Lord Sylphide, it is only natural for you to wonder why this dodderer from the capital made his way here. It is regarding Lord Sylphides daughter, Lady Sophia. Hmm? Did something happen to Sophia!? Isnt Sophia serving Lord Iruma? Dante and Freesia questioned Balza, worried that something may have happened to Sophia. No no, it is nothing bad. Actually, ording to our countrys intelligence division, there is news that Lady Sophia and Sir Iruma are nning a wedding. Oh my! Sophia is getting married! Hearing this, Freesia immediately smiled, and for some reason, Dante sullenly sank into silence. I believe Sir Iruma is an sincere man. It is likely that he woulde to the Sylphide residence to give his greetings prior to the wedding. In a matter of days, too. Ahh, we will be meeting that child, arent we? The daughter whom they have not had a chance to meet again since thest time wasing to greet them for marriage. In contrast to Freesia who was rejoicing more than ever, the wrinkles on Dantes brows deepened. Dear, we must celebrate tonight. isnt Sophias marriage a little too early? Hah?! Dante broke his silence and uttered something ridiculous, and Freesia and Balza eximed in surprise. Dear, what are you saying!? No no no, Lord Sylphide. Lady Sophia is a splendid adult woman, is she not? Moreover, Sir Iruma is a human. Wouldnt he be old in the blink of an eye!? His strictly raised daughter, Sophia, who aimed to be a knight since her childhood had be a ve since bing a prisoner of war, but he was able to see that she was healthy after a long 50 years. At that moment, Balza could not understand Dantesplicated feelings as doting parent, but his objective was for the attendees from Yggurle Kingdom at Sophias and Takumis wedding to not only be Princess Mimir, but also the King and himself. Dear, Takumi-san was the person who saved the injured Sophia. Sophia also wants to live with him for her entire life. No, thats why Im not opposed to it. Its just, I was thinking, isnt it a bit too early? And if so, then shouldnt she live with her parents with outsiders barred for a short while? Thats unreasonable. Thats absolutely impossible! That child doesnt wish for that either! No, but It was a day before Takumi and Sophia visited the Sylphide residence that Freesia and Balza were finally able to persuade Dante to not oppose the marriage when Takumi came to give his greetings. *** Gotta love the Bakaoya at times. lol Chapter 344: If you want to, then defeat me Chapter 344: If you want to, then defeat me Without any family or rtives to greet, we couldnt do anything for Maria and Marnie, but when Akane told me that it was necessary to go and greet Sophias parents, so without even deciding on a location for the wedding yet, we had a bit of amotion finishing our preparations and headed to Yggurle Kingdom. We teleported to an area off the beaten path away from the barrier raised at the national borders of Yggurle Kingdom, and I brought Tsubaki out of the Subspace and fastened the carriage to her. Haa~ how daunting. Takumi-sama, I dont believe it is necessary to greet father and mother, though. No, this is the right thing to do. Having to do marriage greetings to my future inws, something I had not done even in my previous life, is a very stressful event to me. I was able tomunicate with Tsubaki using telepathicmunications so a coachman wasnt really necessary, but there were eyes from other people travelling the highway, so we more or less took turns sitting in the coachmans seat. Kaede was in her special seat, riding on Tsubakis back. Well reach the border anytime now, right? Indeed. We are nearing the Elven forest. The forest that the Elven race had ced a gigantic barrier over hade into view. Entry into Yggurle Kingdom with a carriage proceeded smoothly. It feels like theres more people and carriagesing and going on the main road than before. The reason for this was likely the trade between the three countries. Yggurle Kingdom had changed considerably. Sophia gazed at the passersby and muttered earnestly. Its really changed that much? I mean,pared to when we visited your home before, I do think theres more people on the main road though. Takumi-sama, the Elves believed themselves to be the best out of all the races that exist. As such, it was difficult to say that diplomacy with other countries was going well, beyond the bare minimum necessary. Ahh, yeah, there are definitely people with condescending attitudes. The Elves in this world were long-living beautiful men and woman, all of whom were excellent mages, just like those depicted in novels and anime in my old world. Additionally, they were capable of conversing with Spirits like the Dwarves, and there were numerous individuals who unted themselves as special beings. Moreover, I could somewhat tell that until just recently, they had been misunderstanding that the one and only World Tree was theirs. Thinking of such things absentmindedly as the carriage shook, Akane brought up a topic that reminded me again of why we were here. Its a relief that Sophias father and mother arent like those elves, huh. Ah, yeah, but it doesnt change that Im still nervous. If you keep this up, you arent gonnast until then. I think it will be fine. Both father and mother have gentle temperaments, after all. I got nervous again when Akane mentioned Sophias parents, so Akane looked at me as if she was tired of it, and Sophia reassured me that it would be fine. It might be a bit pathetic as a man, but this is my first time experiencing this in both of my lives. ? Ah, I can see Sylphide territory. Its such an idyllic vige, but Why is my stomach hurting? The carriage approached the mansion of the feudal lord. Since it was a small territory governing two viges, the mansion isnt that huge either. Rather, my Volton mansion and Sanctuary mansion were clearly bigger. Tsubaki stopped the carriage in front of the Sylphide mansion, so I alighted the carriage first. As Sophia, Maria, and everyone else alighted, an aged man garbed no differently to peasants whom was a butler only in name had hurriedlye to greet us from the Sylphide mansion. Mdy, Iruma-dono, wee. Im back, Hal-jiji. You seem well. Not at all, I think I will soon return to the roots of World Tree. The Elves belief was slightly different from Humans and Beastkin. They simrly believe in Goddess Norn, but the Elves themselves also believe that they be one with the World Tree when they die, then their soul would ascend to heaven and repeat the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Bam! The door opened aggressively, and Sophias father Dante-san, Sophias mother Freesia who could pass for her sister, and an aged Elf who I somewhat recognize came out. Have we met somewhere? Father, Mother, it has been a long time. Sophia, Im d you seem well. Though Sophia had greeted Dante-san and Freesia-san, Dante-san was ring at me for some reason. Umm, did I do something? While I was wondering so, Dante-san dered something unbelievable to me. Iruma-dono! Y-yes! If you want to marry Sophia, you have to beat me! This is a duel! Huh? The calm atmosphere had frozen over. *** Chapter 345: A Father-in-law, scolded and down Chapter 345: A Father-inw, scolded and downIt should have been a marriage greeting, but for some reason, I was challenged to a duel, and among our party, Freesia, and the aged Elf we dont know were dumbstruck, the first one to recover was Freesia. Gon! Just as I thought I heard a dull thud, Dante-sans eyes rolled white and copsed, and Freesia-san was swinging around a mace from who knows where. Now then, its a small house, but pleasee in. As if nothing had happened, Freesia-san invited us into the mansion. will Father be okay like that? Leave him. Sophia directed a cold gaze at the white-eyed Dante and stepped over him as she made her way into the house. Sorry for the intrusion. We also stepped over Dante-san and entered the mansion. At that time, Kaede purposefully trampled over Dante-san in amusement and entered. Hes not a wee mat, Kaede. Now now, please take your seats. e-excuse me. Slightly taken aback by Freesia-san acting normally, we sat on the sofa. Since we came here for the marriage greetings, only Sophia and I were sitting here, while Maria, Laeva, Akane, and the other girls were resting in a different room. Just as I was thinking it was strange that the old Elven man from a while ago was not in the same room, an unsteady Dante entered the room. Freesia, wasnt that too mean? You, sit down too. yes. Despondent, Dante-san shrank. Because he looked to be a young, frighteningly well-groomed Elf, the gap in that pitiful disy was staggering. Pulling myself together, I corrected my sitting posture and was going to talk about our objective of informing Sophias parents of our marriage. No! I dont want to hear it! Eh? Dante ced his hands over his ears and said that he didnt want to hear what I wanted to talk about. Sophia and I were dumbfounded, not understanding the meaning of this situation. On the other hand, Freesia revealed seething anger that seemed audible. Gyuu``!! Ow! Ow ow ow ow! Freesiaaa! I-it hurts! My cheek will fall off! Seriously, dear. Haa, Im sorry, Takumi-san. Eh, ah, yes, its alright. Dante-san was surprised at being pinched on the cheeks so much that he felt it would be torn off, but I was surprised that Freesia-san had changed the way she addresses me to Takumi-san before I had even known it. My, could you be wondering about the change of addressing you? Isnt it natural to for you to be my son-inw, Takumi-san? I havent acknow- OW! It hurts! Im sorry, Freesia! Freesia-san said she acknowledges our wedding, calling me her son-inw. Dante-san opposed, and was in tears once more when Freesia-san pinched his cheeks yet again. I adjusted my sitting posture and bowed. Dante-san, Freesia-san, would you allow me to marry Sophia? Yes, of course. Make her happy, okay? Freesia-san was smiling happily and beside her was a sullen Dante-san looking away. Dear, please put an end to what you are doing. W- no, but Freesia, isnt marriage a bit too soon? Its not at all too soon. Dear, just how old do you think Sophia is? Mother! Please dont talk about age! When Freesia-san began talking about Sophias age, Sophia hurriedly stopped the conversation. Sophia who was over 80 years old was treated as a young girl by Elven standards, so it wouldnt be wrong to say that it was too early for marriage, but it was likely that Dante-san would disagree no matter what age Sophia was. I recall a coworker who had a daughter saying something simr. Well, apart from Sophias age, our daughter had already left home, so I will not allow any objection to this marriage. Thank you very much, Freesia-san. When I thanked her once more, Freesia-san asked me if we were to have a ceremony. Will you offer up a ceremony? About that, Mother, we aremoners, but in Valkyra Kingdom, we are known as adventurers and artisans. Originally, this topic came up in the audience with His Majesty, so its been said that even Margrave Volton whom we are indebted to would be troubled if we are holding a ceremony for our inner circle We spoke honestly to Freesia-san about many things that had to be settled, such as how we n on having a wedding ceremony, where would it be held? Or its scale? Oh my, you have difficult problems. Ah, of course, Dante-san and Freesia-san, you are invited. Fufu, thank you, Takumi-san. Lets leave the difficult subjects here, and we wee you with all we can so rest well. When the conversation ended without a conclusion, we were told by Freesia-san to rx in the guest room until it is time to eat, so I quickly headed to the guest room where everyone was waiting so I could escape Dante-sans re. *** Chapter 346: A request from the Yggurle Kingdom’s Prime Minister Chapter 346: A request from the Yggurle Kingdoms Prime MinisterHaving safely(?) finished making marriage greetings to Sophias parents, we stayed in Sophias home. As soon as we entered the room, Sophia bowed deeply and apologized. Takumi-sama I apologize. No, I dont mind it at all. I think fathers are really like that. I knew why Sophia was apologizing. It was about how Dante-san had been interacting with me ever since we arrived. Still, I think parents who have daughters would more or less act simr to that. If I ever be a parent and have a daughter, even I might end up saying I will not approve of a man weaker than me. Yeah, its not something to worry about. A bitwell, he was a bit out there, but Freesia-san was sensible, so isnt it okay that it bnces out? Akane-san, youre not praising him, are you? Sophia was also surprised by this side of Dante-san that she saw for the first time. To Sophia, Dante-san seemed like a strict man to both himself and others, and not a person that would throw a tantrum and sulk because he didnt want to marry Sophia off. No, based on Freesia-sans attitude, he really had that side to him. Though it was surprising that Freesia-san suddenly beat up Dante-san. I agreed with Marias opinion. It was surprising that she hit him so hard he fainted. The Sylphide familys maid came to us, who were rxing, to say that dinner preparations wereplete. She is not a formal maid. Our family is a Chevalier governing over a small territory and has no money, so were employing the old people from a farmer family in the neighborhood. The maids working in Sophias parents room were the elderly who had retired from farming. Ie is low because its a small territory, yet we are required to employ a fixed number of soldiers, so it had apparently been difficult. As we headed to the dining room, Sophia told me about the Sylphide familys financial situation. Thest time we visited, I did notice that there was not much surplus seen in the mansion, but sure enough, both the exterior and interior of the building was simple or bluntly speaking, worn out. Firstly, the size of the mansion was smaller than that of a wealthy farmers residence. As they were originally a vested Chevalier, they had been conferred the small territory like harassment, and the next 50 years were a series of hardships. Dante-san himself had plowed the fields and constructed waterways in addition to his government work. However, unlike Humans, the Elves who had high magic aptitude and use Spirit Magic were able to use wind and water magic in agriculture, so they were able to save somehow during these 50 years. Sophia, you also send money, right? Yes, they seem to have cleared the debt with it. Even if we have sweets, all we do is buy sweets, dont we? No, thats probably just you, Maria. I buy books. Ehh~ havent you only bought three books in the past 3 years? Wha!? Why do you know this, Maria!? While Sophia and Maria were having a friendly banter, we arrived at the dining room. Perhaps because they were on the lower ranks of nobility, nearly halfmoners, Im relieved that the seats reserved for Marnie, Laeva, and Lulu-chan were also at the same table. I didnt want to harbor unpleasant feelings in Sophias parents home. Dante-san and Freesia-san who raised Sophia must not have been averse to other races for Sophia to be like that. This was unusual for the Elves. The hard reality is that many of the Elves, even themoners, look down upon the other races. The slightly depressed Dante-san, the smiling Freesia-san, and the aged Elf was at the head of the table. Takumi-kun, I will introduce you. This is the Prime Minister of Yggurle Kingdom, Balza-sama. He appears to have something to request of you. Wha!? haa. Sophia was at a loss for words hearing Prime Minister, but I somewhat expected it, so I wasnt as affected. Sure enough, I remember he was among the Sanctuary observation group. Moreover, I could imagine what he wanted to ask. Even though Princess Mimir, who is close with Akane and the girls, was attending the wedding, he was likely discontent about there being no other representative from Yggurle Kingdom. Allow me to greet you. I am Balza who had been conferred the role of Prime Minister of Yggurle Kingdom. Yet, I am simply an old fogey. As Madam Freesia had stated, King Forselty has a matter he wishes to ask of you, Iruma-dono. Me? The prime minster of a country hade to inform me of his kings request. What a joke If possible, I would have liked it if we had such a conversation after dinner. I cant taste anything like this. *** Chapter 347: Elven Ceremony Chapter 347: Elven Ceremony The marriage of Iruma-dono and Sophia-dono of the Sylphide family is joyous even for Yggurle Kingdom. The Elven race have a tendency to look down upon other races. Therefore, I believe it is well known that our diplomacy and trade with other countries often do not fare well. However, because the Great Spirits had manifested in the Sanctuary, we had begun working more and more with Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom, and trade had flourished. The significance of the marriage between the Human Iruma-dono and Elf Sophia-dono is enormous here. Haa So from our country, aside from Princess Mimir, we think we would like it if King Forselty and I could also attend Iruma-dono and Sophia-donos wedding. It felt like he was going to say something troublesome. And just as I thought that and heard what he said, sure enough, it was. I thought it was suspicious because his intro was so longwinded. Wait, what does he mean he thinks theyd like to attend. Normally only the invited get to attend, dont they? Is it different in this world? From Valkyra Kingdom, Lord Volton and Lord Rockford would attend at the very least. If so, I believe our attendance would be of no issue as well. Ahh, so it really was that kind of request, huh? Of course it would be. But I couldnt refuse it if I consider Dante-sans situation. Thinkin so, I nced in Sophias direction and she nodded while looking sullen. Haa, we have yet to decide on the schedule or venue, so we will send a written invitation at a future date. Inadvertently sighing deeply, I agreed to inviting the people from Yggurle Kingdom to the wedding. It couldnt be helped. Ohh, that is much appreciated. I can face His Majesty now. Also, Iruma-dono, this is another request, but could we ask you to hold the ceremony in the Sanctuary? Ummm, could you tell me the reason why? Look, there was yet another bothersome topic. The Prime Minister, the eldest of the Elven race, wouldnt have gone out of his way to a Chevaliers residence only for the King to attend the wedding ceremony. I believe Sophia-dono knows, but when Elven nobility perform a wedding ceremony, they swear their future at the base of the World Tree. Certainly, Iruma-dono is not a noble and Sophia-dono had left her position in nobility as well, so it is not necessary to adjust to our style, but could you hold the ceremony in an environment where you are able to receive the blessings of the Spirits? For us, it is preferable to hold the ceremony at the base of Yggurle Kingdoms World Tree, but we are not a monolith either. You must cast away any possibility of all sorts of disturbances and unforeseen situations from urring. As such, thend that receives the blessings of the Spirits, the Sanctuary, is the only option. The Spirits blessings, huh it seems this will be extravagant again. The Sanctuarys band is also eager Haa, I cant give a definite promise yet, but aside from Princess Mimir, please only be the three, namely King Forselty and the Queen, Prime Minister Balza, and the bare minimum escorts please. If the ceremony will be held in the Sanctuary, it is absolutely necessary to consult with the Great Spirits, after all. Ohh! His Majesty would be delighted when I tell him the news. There will be no issue in rtion to the personnel. We must not cause trouble to the Great Spirits. If we were to let a fool from our party enter the Sanctuary, it would affect the prestige of Yggurle Kingdom whom revere the Spirits. Freesia-san looked apologetic. Now I couldnt refuse. I stand no chance against a person who has lived for several hundreds of years. After that, I dont remember what I ate. Dante-san was still in a bad mood, though it was directed only at me, Balza-dono was in a good mood at having been able to do aplish his goal without problems and was even chatting during the meal Takumi-sama, Im truly sorry. Sophia kept bowing her head in apology when we came back into the guest room. Sophia, you dont need to apologize. Yeah. If we had refused there, Sophia-sans mom and dad would have been troubled. Maria and I assured Sophia that it wasnt her fault. In reality, considering the standing of Sophias family, I had no option to refuse. Moreover, I think this is an opportunity to invite Dante-san and Freesia-san into the Sanctuary. Which reminds me, Sophia-san, you have a brother, dont you? When Akane mentioned it, I remembered. I heard that the Sylphide familys eldest son, Sophias younger brother, had joined the Chivalric Order in the Royal Capital. Id like to invite Darphy, but I am unsure for how long he could leave the order. So hes called Darphy. Sure, if hes in the Chivalric Order which protects the Royal Capital, then it might be hard to take days off just like that. Fuah~, Master, can Kaede go sleep already~? You can go sleep for the night. Okay~ Good night~ Kaede yawned loudly and sounded sleepy. Ever since entering Yggurle Kingdom, she had been on Tsubakis back and was on the lookout. Lulu-chan and Akane-chan also left together, over to the next room provided to us. Should we all head to bed earlier than usual? Indeed. We do have to leave early in the morning tomorrow. Sophia said so and left the guest room. Dante-san wouldnt approve of Sophia and I sleeping in the same room, after all. That day, I went to bed alone for the first time in a long time. Its not like Im lonely or anything. *** Chapter 348 Chapter 348 I woke up just before the sun had risen. Hnnngh, this bed is hard. Although I cant say it was really bad, the bed that Dante-san and Freesia-san provided in the guest rooms in the Sylphide residence wasnt that great either. I got out of bed and finished grooming myself, then, as if waiting for this, there was a knock on the door. Come in. Good morning. Ah, good morning, Sophia. The person who came in was Sophia. Did you sleep well? I was raised in our small residence in the Royal Capital, so I was unable settle in during my first night here. Is that so? The Sylphide family bing nobles with territory was after Sophia had be a prisoner of war. Thest time we came here, we were just in the parlor. This time, Dante-san seemed to have prepared Sophias room. Takumi-sama, I apologize. Sophia apologized all of a sudden. I have no idea why shes apologizing. But it couldnt be helped. I consoled Sophia who was thinking so. Sophia, you dont have to be sorry. I understand your homes circumstances, and they will be my father-inw and mother-inw too. Id like to avoid worsening your familys position. Thank you very much. Dante-san, Freesia-san, and her younger brother who had been worried for over 50 years mustnt be disadvantaged, after all. The fact that the Prime Minister of the country had gone out of his way to visit them meant that the countrys honor was concerned. Im just amoner artisan though Then I remembered. Oh yeah, I guess we wont meet your younger brother this time either. He works for the Chivalric Order of the Royal Capital, he can not spend his time so freely. Last time during Sophias visit to her parents, we did not have the opportunity to meet her brother. We would have liked to greet him before the wedding, but it cant be helped if hes working. We will probably meet at the actual wedding ceremony. When Maria, Marnie, Laeva, Akane, and Lulu-chan got up, the maid came to call us for breakfast. We headed to the dining room on the first floor, and we were informed that Prime Minister Balza had already left to return to the Royal Capital. Now that the invitation to the ceremony had been settled, he no longer needed to be here. He apparently left early in the morning. As ever, Dante-sans mood was not good. I wish he would finally get over it. At this point, hes never going to give Sophia up. After we finished eating breakfast and drinking tea, I talked about how it was about time we head home. Dante-san, Freesia-san, I think its time we left. Oh my, then I suppose the next time we will meet is at the wedding? Isnt it still fine? If you like, how about only Sophia stay here even for a few more days? As soon as left was said, Dante-san began throwing a tantrum again. Father, I am Takumi-samas escort. Leaving his side is impossible. If its an escort, arent there lots of others? That is enough! Sophia and Dante-sans fight ultimately began. Thest time we visited, Dante-sans attitude was very different, so I tried asking Freesia-san why that was, and she said thatst time, Dante-san didnt consider that I would get married to Sophia because I was a human. On the other hand, since we were making our marriage greetings and focusing on the ceremony, it cemented Sophias marriage as a hard fact and it aggravated him into a foolish parent. By the time Freesia-san mediated the father-daughter fight in some way or other, it was already just before noon. And when we quickly finished getting ready to leave and left the mansion, we came face to face with an Elf that looked just like Dante-san. Darphy! Is that you, Darphy!? Its been so long. Oh my Darphy, you have some time off? Ooh, Darphy? Is the Chivalric Order all right? A young Elven man called Darphy did not respond to Sophia and their parents, glowered at Sophia, then scowled at me in utter disdain. Why did the prisoner of war who became a ve, the disgrace of the Sylphide familye back!? Moreover, to let Humans and Beastkins into the house, Father, Mother, are you insane!? Wha!? Darphy! Dont be rude to Iruma-dono! Darphy! What is wrong with you!? Sophia was at a loss for words from the immense shock of being met with harsh words upon reuniting with her younger for the first time in over 50 years. To be the ve of a human, it seems you have no pride as an Elf. Because he was Sophias family, I endured in silence, but something in me snapped when I heard his excessively abusive remarks , and I answered back at Sophias brother the next instant. Thats enough! Sophia is no longer a ve! Besides, she became a prisoner of war because she was betrayed by her ALLIES! It wasnt Sophias fault! Dont talk to me you human trash! Darphy! Sophia yelled in anger when Darphy began spouting nasty remarks to me. What, does my wretched sister want to say her final words to me? Fine! I would still tolerate if you said those words to me. But when you say such things to Father and Mother, much less Takumi-sama, I will not allow it! Darphy drew the sword from his hip, and Sophia readied her sword as well. Sophia Please do not worry. This will just be a little bit of discipline. When I tried telling Sophia to not overdo it, she nodded and replied as she confronted Darphy. Why did it turn out like this *** TLN: The title actually says VS Younger brother. Chapter 349: Difference in siblings’ strength Chapter 349: Difference in siblings strength Sophia and Darphy-dono were ring at each other as they squared off. Neither Sophia nor Darphy-dono were using mock weapons, but rather, real weapons. As one would expect, Freesia-san grew pale upon seeing her children drawing their swords to fight each other. Believing that Sophia wouldnt cause him great harm, ourpanions watched without worry. Sophia held her sword in one hand as she eyed her opponents de, unmoving. Darphy-dono readied his long sword and and round shield, gradually shortening their distance. The first to move was Darphy-dono. When Darphy-dono swung his longsword diagonally and Sophia easily brushed it off with one hand, his body drifted. He hurriedly jumped backwards, but Sophia remained still without pursuing him. Kuh! Dont look down on me! Darphy-dono shortened the distance in one leap, and swung at Sophia with a side sweep that was difficult to avoid. Sophia handled this so easily, as if it was nothing. Darphy-donos sword fighting was likely the orthodox style of knights. It looks to be the type of swordsmanship for interpersonal fights. On the other hand, since Sophia was also trained in this sword style since she was a knight of Yggurle Kingdom, but perhaps as a result of fighting multitudes of monsters with me, and because she sparred with us, she had refined it into her own original style. The little brother is being treated like a child. Its inevitable. There is a 4-fold gap between their levels, so the difference in their status is too vast to bridge with skills. Even Sophias sword skills are higher than his, though. Even to Akanes untrained eyes, the gap in Sophia and Darphy-donos strength was still overwhelming. She could tell they were absolutely safe. Simrly, Freesia-san, who watched her own children fight with swords, was relieved when she figured that the worst would not happen. On the other hand, Dante-san, a knight, was frozen in shock by Sophias strength. (Shit! Why! Why wont it hit!? Wasnt she a useless person kept in a ve shop for 50 years!? Darphys sword continued to swing at and miss Sophia without evennding a graze. Ever since he joined the Chivalric Order, he had beenpared to his elder sister Sophia. The sister that was a genius who excelled not only with the sword, but also spears and magic. The younger brother should do his best to get even a little bit closer to her Every time, his hatred for Sophia continued to umte. Darphy strived to train as desperately as he could. As the Sylphide familys heir, he worked hard to not bring shame to the house. (How about this?) Despite Darphy swinging the sword with intent to kill, they were simply parried or avoided no matter where he attacked. (Why! What is it, this gap!?) Unlike Darphy who works as a knight in the royal capital, Sophia who fought repeatedly in monster nests and dungeons, and against Triaria Kngdom and Divine Empire of Sydnia, had be the continents strongest. (Kuh, then Ill do this!) Darphy tried to fire Wind des using Spirit Magic, yet the Spirits would not respond. (Wha, why!? The Spirits arent doing what I tell them to!) As flustered as Darphy was, there was no way that a low ranking Wind Spirit would help him use magic to injure Sophia who is favored by the Great Wind Spirit, Sylph. (In that case) Wind Cutter! Backstepping one step, Darphy fired Wind magic. The look on Darphy, who was certain of his victory with the des of wind fired at point nk distance, froze. The fired spell was blocked by a barrier in front of Sophia and had dispersed. Kuh! Wind Cutter! Wind Cutter! Its useless, Darphy! Sophia influenced a Wind Spirit to disperse Darphys Wind Cutters immediately upon activation. Uwaaaaa!! Darphy who had descended into a panic began swinging his sword recklessly at Sophia. Kin! Darphys longsword spun around in the air. Ah!? Dosu! Sophia struck the Darphys head using the hilt of her sword, taking his consciousness. Fuu Sophia looked unimaginably lonely as she watched Darphy copse. When the unconscious Darphy was brought into the house, Dante-san and Freesia-san apologized to Sophia who looked sad. Sophia, were sorry about Darphy. We must have made a mistake with how we raised him. Perhaps ever since that time, we had averted our eyes from our responsibility to this child who was bing arrogant. Father, Mother, please take care of Darphy. Sophia shook her head, saying that Dante-san and Freesia-san need not apologize, and entrusted Darphy-dono to them. Dante-san, Freesia-san, we would be d if everyone could attend the wedding. Iruma-dono, I will try to talk to Darphy properly once more. Im sorry. I will persuade Darphy as well. I bowed my head, giving my farewell greetings and went on my way. There had been many tiring things, but the real match starts here TLN: Takumi switches between Darphy and Darphy-dono not that I understand why he needs to add dono to someone who just insulted him and his group. *** Chapter 350: Darphy’s Darkness Chapter 350: Darphys Darkness Inside the carriage traversing along the road in the forest leading to the national border, everyone wasforting the dispirited Sophia. Still, I wonder why Sophias brother ended up having that attitude? Yeah. Even if it is said that Elves were unsociable, Dante-san and Freesia-san werent that extreme. That person looked at Lulu, Laeva-san, and Marnie-san with bad eyes. Sophias expression darkened as Akane and Lulu-chan spoke of their discontent towards Darphy-dono. The Darphy I remember was the little kid always clinging to my back. These 50 years I suppose it was impossible for that child to remember me. Sophia muttered, dejected. Given how she didnt meet Darphy-dono when we visitedst time, it was even more than 50 years since. It was great that she met that tiny younger brother who had be an adult, but that younger brother directed hostility towards his sister. We could tell it was an unbearable feeling. It is a fact that there were still plenty of bigoted individuals that believe in Elven supremacy among the Chivalric Order and vested nobles in the Royal Capital even now. Darphy must have also been tainted by that ording to Sophia, the knights ofmon origins were still better, but a certain number of individuals among the group of knights who were sons of nobles that were like that. She said that they wouldnt ept her, a prisoner of war that was sold to a vepany in the human nation by an enemy nation. Sophia wasnt responsible for being taken prisoner after being betrayed by herrades though. To Darphy, it must not matter who was responsible. To that boy, the only facts were that I had be the prisoner of war of the enemy nation and then sold to a vepany Neither Dante-san nor Freesia-san knew that Darphy thought badly of Sophia. Even though he must have hated seeing his parents worry over Sophia and reminisce for over 50 years, he could not stop them. Hmm, I wonder why that was. I hope Sophia wouldnt beat herself over how ridiculous Darphy was being too much. Now, lets leave Darphy-dono to Dante-san and Freesia-san. Yeah. Its not a problem that could be solved immediately either. yes. Sophia nodded at what Akane and I said. Though it felt like she was forced to agree. Man, just when I thought we managed to make our greetings, something this worrisome had been waiting for us as we were about to leave. ording to Sophia, Yggurle Kingdom was different from other countries, aside from the King, the Elders possess tremendous powers. Prime Minister Balza was one of them. Some elders perceive other races to be trash. Moreover, that elder faction were affiliated with many of the vested nobles in the Royal Capital, and Darphy must have been affiliated with such factions. Coming to, his body ryed pain from all over. Kuh! For the time being, he would recover using restorative medicine, but it didnt seem to be the type of item that recoverspletely. As his consciousness cleared, he knew that this was inside his room in his parents home. And at the same time, he remembered. He met the sister he could barely even remember from his childhood. The sister who left for war over 50+ years ago that did not return. His position as the heir of the Sylphide family who had be territory-owning nobles was thanks to this sister. Darphy grew up being teased by his school friends about his sister. The younger brother of the sister who became a prisoner of war of humans that became a ve, a disgrace to the Elves. Yet on the other hand, he waspared to this sister who was extoled as a great war hero. Darphy grew up exposed to the pressure of beingpared to this sister extolled as a hero, as well as theplete opposite pressure of being a disgraced elf that became a prisoner of war ever since he was a child. At home, his father and mother always mourned the sister that didnt return, irritating Darphy. And Darphys torment continued as he entered the Chivalric Order in the Royal Capital when he became an adult. Many of the knights in the Order had fought alongside his sister. They evaluated his sister highly, that she was a beautiful prodigy of a knight. And each time, Darphy would bepared. Darphy worked harder than others in order to seed his family. However, those around himpared him to his sister, patting him on the shoulder and telling him to do even better. The contemptuous evaluation as a disgrace to the Elves, and the praiseworthy evaluation as a beautiful prodigy of a knight. The inferiorityplex that he did not want to ept. Darphys emotions regarding inheritance of the territory they gained thanks to his sister were always unstable. It did not take long for Darphy to incline toward the Elf Supremacy faction that denies his sister. (Shit! What the hell was that!? Why was she that strong!?) It was like all the effort hes exerted thus far had been a joke. Though it was entirely due to his persecutionplex, Darphy could no longer make the correct judgments calmly. (Ill wreck you up. Getting married to a Human? You think Ill let you pile on more shame on top of everything?) Darkness fell upon Darphys bitter eyes. Darphy wanted to destroy everything, including the territory they gained because of his sister and his position as the sessor of that territory. He wanted to destroy it all. Hoever, Darphy did not realize. That Sophia is loved by the Spirits That is, that any disturbance would very likely end in failure *** Thank you everyone for sticking around for Volume 7 of Greatest Alchemist! As always I take a 2 update break and Ill be back on the 3rd update [Approx. June 13-14]. So Ill see you all then, I have a trip to go to for a bit. I really appreciate everyone sticking with the story! Chapter 351: Ceremony Preparations 1 (Volume 8 START) Chapter 351: Ceremony Preparations 1 (Volume 8 START) We crossed the national border of Yggurle Kingdom, and teleported to the Sanctuary from there. I immediately met with Undine and the other Great Spirits to have a discussion with them. Weve heard the gist of it. So I dont even have a shred of privacy, huh. Everyone gathered, and I grew weak as Sylph said so. I suppose she could listen as much as she likes because of the Wind Spirits Takumi, it would be best to hold the wedding ceremony in the Sanctuary. Eh, why? Wouldnt it be difficult doing each and every single check? Undine said that the Sanctuary was the best option to hold the wedding ceremony in. We dont know how many invitees there would be even if it was just our close friends, but there is no doubt that screening everyone would beplicated. When I looked at Akane who was nearby, she was nodding. It seems Akane supported Undines opinion. Regarding security, the Sanctuary which does not let people with evil intentions enter would be easy to defend, leading to the safety of Takumi and the brides. Undine also agreed with Akanes exnation. There are fools everywhere. At the very least, Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford from Valkyra Kingdom would be attending Takumis wedding. Mimir and Forselty would also be present from Yggurle Kingdom. If anything were to happen, Takumi can hold someone ountable. Ah, yeah wait, address the king of Yggurle Kingdom properly. It seems that they dont hold back even towards Elves who revere Spirits. As expected of the Great Spirits, I guess? But if thats the case, Im not sure about the size of the church. Then it would be fine if it is rebuilt by Takumi. Eh, me? Just as Akane who folded her arms said, the Sanctuary has a church, but its capacity is definitely not reassuring. Hearing this, Gnome, without any hesitation, said it would be fine if I rebuilt it. Of course, Gnome will be helping out, right? I am busy with brewing alcohol. Liar. Arent you just drinking it? Okay, okay. I will only help with the foundation. I was a bit unhappy that it was only with the foundation, but I guess its fine if hes helping. You can use the location that the current church is on. Yeah. Chairs and ornaments are definitely a must, but I think its fine to leave Goddess Norns statue as it is. More like, destroying Goddess Norns image is sphemy. Sylph, Dryas, and Selene were saying things all on their own. Nyx was mature like always. It is enough to erge the church, now how about the lodging of the invitees? The method of transportation of this world is mostly by carriage. Moreover, It still takes several days to reach the Sanctuary even from the Volton Margravery which is the closest in distance. Its not like we could just say Okay, the wedding is done, goodbye. Hmm, I wonder what could be done. Yggurle Kingdoms King and Queen can stay in Mimirs mansion, and the other people can walk to the city nearby, could they not? Isnt that bad? Sylph was pretending to think. She was definitely not thinking of fanything though. Considering this, Undine said that the visitors could stay over in the city beside the Sanctuary. Sure enough, the city that the Trination established together had their embassy-like establishments, and there are high ss inns too. Moreover, it was just a carriage ride away, so she said it was perfect. Isnt it distasteful to the other countries if Yggurle Kingdoms King and party were the only ones to stay over in the Sanctuary? But why would they bother traveling to a difference city when their daughter has a mansion here? These are Elven royalty who believe in us. Undine said it couldnt be helped if we give a bit of partial treatment to the Elves. If we consider the Elves rtionship with the Spirits, I guess that could be. Why not build some amodation because of this asion? Hmm Sylph said it so simply, but because it was lodging to be used by high ranking nobility and royalty, it wouldnt just be a building. Theres also the issue of staffing. Though its called amodation, isnt it okay to just let them use the rooms? After all, nobles and royalty bring people who wait on their hand and foot. No, you see, not just anyone can enter the Sanctuary, right? What would they do if not a single one could enter the barrier? Sylph said it so simply, but the worst could also happen. If that happens, the Kings would have to make their own food You need not worry that much. For several days, we will loosen the conditions for people to pass through a little bit. Majority of people, barring those with clear ill intent, would be able to pass through. Will that be alright? Either way, security needs to be perfect. *** TLN: Hello! I really appreciate everyone for sticking around for this long. Weve now started Volume 8. I hope you all continue to read this ^^ Chapter 352: Ceremony Preparations 2 Chapter 352: Ceremony Preparations 2 I was forced to create a new,rger church and construct lodging facilities little by little. Moreover, for the church, we werent simply tearing it down and rebuilding it, there were many things we could reuse, Goddess Norns statue of course being one of them, so it wasnt double the time. Undine and the Great Spirits think that there would be all sorts of risks if the wedding was to be held anywhere other than the Sanctuary. Firstly, since we ended inviting important personages from various countries, they would need a great number of escorts if it was held anywhere else. So on that point, if the ceremony is in the Sanctuary, those handful of people could have minimal escorts because of how the Great Spirits would repel them. What the Great Spirits said was not not wrong. Though, the people who would be repelled mightin. So, are we inviting Berkuts tribe? Theyll sulk if you dont. Ah! The Sky Ind would be visible when they pass through the barrier! Since Akane mentioned Berkut, I remembered something important. Currently, the Sky Ind is floating above the sea to the west of the Sanctuary. Normally, its visible from the sea side, but invisible from the continent side because of the Sanctuarys barrier. I wont move the Sky Ind just because of our wedding. Isnt it fine if its found out? Aside from Berkut, you also have to invite Valkan-san and Valzak-san anyway. Ah, yeah, youre right. Some folks from the Aligerous Tribe were going in and out of the Sanctuary. Especially Berkut, she frequently stays at our mansion. It is inevitable that we invite them. Takumi-sama, will we invite Queen Fraal? well, Im fine with inviting Queen Fraal, but Y, yes, I understand. Sophia asked about inviting Queen Fraal of uros whom had been in our care, and I saw no problem with inviting her. But if Im asked if I want to invite the other rulers, its a NO! Devil King Gandalf is still fine. He was rational and not wild. Beast King Guzhr was taciturn and not rude. Oni King Jairu was barely safe. However, the remaining two rulers, King Ryvar and King Deega are a no-go. I have a bad feeling with them. Actually, before that, I cant imagine theyd be able to pass through the barrier. How about we invite Queen Fraal secretly? Indeed. We trade with uros, and they do care for the Aligerous Tribe as well, so I believe it isnt bad. And if we invite King Gandalf, King Ryvar and King Deega might find out. I will bring a written invitation to uros. Takumi, you are probably busy with all sorts of things, meanwhile Sophia and the girls have to ready their wedding dresses. Yeah, they definitely need wedding dresses. Akane ended up going to Queen Fraal at uros. I definitely forgot about the wedding dresses. Master! Kaede will help with the wedding dresses! Laeva will also help. Thanks. Im counting on you for the dresses. The wedding dresses were a coboration between Kaede, Laeva, and the Elves and Cait Sith women living in the Sanctuary, in addition to Maria and Marnie. Though we cant send invitations without deciding on a program for the wedding, the church and aodationse before that. In any case, if the church and amodations arent built, a schedule for the wedding cant be finalized. I got a request for the design of the church from Akane. Do a church with a lot of stained ss. Like the Sainte-Chapelle of France? I was thinking a Cologne Cathedral-like exterior would be cool though. Akanes request was a stained ss-covered church. It would definitely have a mystical air about it. Its a heck of a lot of work for me to make though. When I had gone overseas just once because of a work trip in my past life, I remember going to the Pu de Msica Catna [1] in Barcelona, Spain. Though it wasnt a church, I have such a powerful memory of the abundant stained ss used, even building a stained ss-shaped dome. Ive also seen pictures of the Sainte-Chapelle too. Stained ss might be good. Its a lot of trouble for me though. Its so important that I have to say it twice. Haa, we cant finalize the schedule without finishing these structures, so I better start now. Ill think about how far the invitations would be taken afterwards. *** Footnotes: 1. Sainte-Chapelles stained ss is this. Cologne Cathedral looks like this on the outside. Pu de Musica Catna looks like this inside. Chapter 353: Ceremony Preparations 3 Chapter 353: Ceremony Preparations 3The nonsensicallyrge (by my old lifes standards) Spirit Tree was in view from across the Spirit Spring. If I were to transmute a structure at the level of a cathedral as is, it would create the same amount of space underground, so, because I dont need that big of a basement, I would have to pile up wood, stone, steel, copper, silver ingots, as well as stone and sand to take out silica, sodium carbonate, limestone for the ss, and lead in advance. In addition to these, I prepared theplete blueprint of the inner structure, apleteyout of the outer structure, and a diagram of the interior appearance. I also arranged the perfected illustration of the stained ss on the ground. This was so I could drill theplete image into my brain. Considering the buildings strength, the position, thickness, and number of pirs that were also drawn in. Honestly, it took a long time to get this far. The pews, the statue of Goddess Norn, and anything rted to lighting equipment and magic devices from the previous church were all stored in my Item Box. Of course, so they could be reused. Fuu~, focus, focus The exterior will have a gothic style, the interior would usevish amounts of stained ss. This had gotten so absurd Transmute! Gogogogogogooooo!! The light of magic power enveloped the piles of materials, and a gigantic structure rose. Arge amount of magic power suddenly left me. I hurriedly drank mana potions, and continued to concentrate. The magic power I regained immediately with the instant-acting high efficacy mana potions was being consumed with staggering force. When my magic power was verging on exhaustion for the second time, I drank another mana potion. I went back and forth between exhausting my magic power and replenishing it using mana potions. Then, before my unsteady selfs eyes, aplex design emerged, and the characteristic steeples wereplete. As for the inside of the structure, a fairytale-like interior covered in stained ss was perfected. The light of magic power that covered the structure had vanished, and once I was done inspecting the sessful transmutation of the church, I sank to the floor at that very spot. Oh man that was close. The amount of magic power I had left was nearing empty. Had I not drank mana potions several times, I would have probably fainted from magic power exhaustion. No, a structure of this magnitude wasnt something that I could have built without drinking mana potions many times over in the first ce. Sweating all over, my back felt disgusting, but it was hard to even use purification magic. Then purifying magic enveloped my body, and I felt refreshed. Akane brought Lulu-chan with her and they gazed at thepleted church. Thanks, Akane. Youre wee. If your magic power was cutting it that close, wouldnt it have been better to transmute it section by section? it would have. Honestly, I didnt need to build it all at once. Even the Airship Ouranos and the Combat Ship Oceanus were transmuted by parts. There was no need for an escort inside the Sanctuary, so I was alone today. My fiances were busy with other preparations. Akane who just so happened to watch the transmutation of the gigantic church cast the purification magic. When I sat in ce to meditate and my magic power recovered, the sluggishness of my body went away. Yoisho. Oh, Im going to check inside, Akane, you want to join? Of course! I came to see the church, after all. Right, Lulu? ah! I-its amazing nya! So big nya! Lulu-chan was jumping up and down in excitement at the cathedral that, by no exaggeration, suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Lulu! youre too excited! Ha! Im sorry nya! I have shown an unsightly appearance nya. Since Lulu-chan seemed to have calmed down, I brought Akane and Lulu-chan with me and we stepped inside the church. Oooh! It came out just like I imagined. Leaving behind the dumbfounded Akane and Lulu-chan, I checked every inch of the structure. The stained ss that seemed to cover the interior of the building produced a mystical space that the word magical wasnt enough. A churchs stained ss would normally have a religious motif, but having a religious things from my old life would be strange. Thats why I presented the Great Spirits and Goddess Norns images together with a nt pattern. The structure of the church was also designed in a way that light that shined through the stained ss would cover the interior. After that, I had to install Light magic devices at various areas of the building. *** Chapter 354: Ceremony Preparations 4 Chapter 354: Ceremony Preparations 4A gothic cathedral was built the Sanctuary. Undine and the Great Spirits were overjoyed. Of course they would be. Their images were portrayed in the stained ss, after all. Though the stained ss depicted Undine, Sylph, and the other great Spirits were depicted in a botanical style, the Great Spirits were delighted that Goddess Norns image was strikingly simr to the statue and paintings of the continents Genesis Faith. To me, who had seen Norn-samas appearance, that much was only natural. I also thought it was quite simr when I made the Goddess statue in the previous church, but it was definitely more pleasing with Norn-samas depiction in the multicolored stained ss than with a stone statue. Though the church had been constructed, my work was not over. The church pews were being reused from the old church, but their sizes wouldnt match, so Im remaking them. We also needed a considerable amount of Lightning MDs, so Laeva had to help to increase production. The church had space for the custodians dwelling space too, so it needed various magic devices and furniture for daily life. I was going around checking various ces in thepleted church when Dryas requested a modification. Umm, adjust the outside? Thats right. Isnt it strange for there to be to only be a building and nothing else built on the grounds? Youre right. In the center of the Sanctuary, if we exclude the Concert Hall and the Church, there was our mansion, the mansion Mimir uses as her vi, and the buildings rted to alcohol making, but they all more or less had a fence, and the mansions had gardens. Certainly, a building standing by itself would be strange. Hey, you understand, dont you? Yup, Ill make a fence surrounding the grounds immediately. What about the inside? I will create a garden behind the building with the Spirit Tree and spring. Takumi, you put cobblestones on the frontage. She seems to want cobblestones on the front part of the building. At the very least, there shouldnt be grass or soil. It was Dryas request, so I didnt think much of it and just worked on it. Basically, I was afraid to turn down the requests of the Great Spirits. Now then, I was constructing the lodging facilities for the invitees, but itll be located to the east of the Sanctuary immediately upon entering. The north has the orchard and a forest beyond it, meanwhile the west has the farnd, the residential area of the Sanctuary residents, so I wanted to avoid those areas. The south had the mines that produce rare metals, so that ce was forbidden. Well, I doubt that the people invited into the Sanctuary would mine illegally though. Then, there was the central area and the grasnds area to the east, but the Great Spirits, Sophia, and the others said that the Spirit Tree, spring, and our house were at the center, so they didnt want that many other people going there. As a result, we were constructing a separate lodging facility, like an detached ind. With this, we only need to increase the security during the ceremony. Alright, a hotel-like building would be okay, right? It would need a decent amount of rooms When I was piling up the materials and getting everything ready for the construction of the lodging, I remembered wanting to invite the people from Bohd vige if possible. They were the people I met when I first arrived in this world. Vanga-san, Martha-san, and their son Gunbo-san treated me, who didnt know right from left, with utmost kindness. I was indebted to the cksmith Bobon-san who started me on the smithing life. For starters, Ill build this with extra rooms, then Ill ask Sophia and the girls afterwards. I piled up copious amounts of wood, stone, steel, soil, and sand. I stood in front of the pile with mana potions in hand, then gathered my senses. I refined my magic power and held a strong image of itspleted form. Transmute! What I was imagining was a horizontally-long three story resort hotel. A spacious lobby and all rooms were suite rooms of the same size. A space for the manager of the facility. All of which were drawn in a blueprint I drew in advance. I imagined that and activated the magic. Gogogogogoogoooo!! The same amount of magic power I used when I built the church had suddenly left my body. I chugged the potion so as to not lose concentration, and by the time the building was finished, I waspletely exhausted again. again, I transmuted it in one go. I just cant help it though. Its a pain in the butt. Even though I thought about doing the construction in parts when I did the church, it was definitely a lot of work, so I ended up just doing it in one go. Ooh! What a wonderful building! ah, yeah, Laeva. Toilets, lightning equipment, and then water. Leave the magic device instation to Laeva, Takumi-sama, you should rest. Thanks. After I rest up a bit, Ill make the wall around it. When I sat in front of thepleted resort hotel, Laeva came with a magic bag filled with magic devices. She said I could leave the instation of magic devices to her. After this, I will iste this ce by building a wall and digging a moat, but Ill rest today. *** Chapter 355: Ceremony Preparations 5 Chapter 355: Ceremony Preparations 5 Thepleted lodge in the east was simr to an isted ind simr to the Dejima[1] in Nagasaki when foreigners were excluded during the Edo period. I doubt it was necessary, but we should keep security in mind. Near the lodge, there was a highway from the center of the Sanctuary to the eastern city. This was enclosed in a moat and walls, bing the Sanctuarys sole entrance and exit. Well, us inhabitants in the Sanctuary who arent affected by the barrier are exceptions though. The size of the plot was 2 hectares wide, slightlyrger than the historical Dejima. I constructed 10m tall, 2m thick walls using Earth Magic, then transmuted it to reinforce them into strong stone walls. I formed a moat on the outside of the wall, then built a 5m long bridge, and created a strong steel gate. As if a matter of course, autonomous acting security golems were deployed to police the area. On the highway connecting to the outside of the Sanctuary, a gate was installed at the border where the barrier was raised. The Security golems and Gatekeeper golems were remodeled from those used for the war against Triaria Kingdom. Im d the golems that had been rotting in my Item Box could be used again. The church that was just as good as a cathedral wasplete, and I had the Elves and Cat Siths assist with the other construction. In ordance with Dryas instructions, flowers decorated the surroundings of the church. The high ss hotel-like lodging was alsoplete, and right now, Akane and Kaede were working hard on the interior. Akane was just listing furniture to be ordered at the Papeck Company, but Kaede also has to work on my fiances wedding dresses, so shes very busy. The furniture of the church and the amodation were being worked on by Doganbo-san and the Elves too. The Dwarves who saw the church I transmuted with reckless abandon were burning with a sense of rivalry, and for some reason, the artistic sculptures and ornaments decorating the church and lodging were increasing. With the establishment of the church and the lodge, Ive reached a point where I could pause my work. Next though, Ill have to send out written invitations Umm of course well have to send a written invitation to Sophias mother and father, then just in case, to her younger brother too. Because of our promise to Balza-san, we have to invite Yggurle Kingdoms King and Queen. In the Sanctuary mansion, Akane and I were focused on making a list of guests to send written invitations to. Sophia, Maria, and Marnie werent there because they were making the wedding dresses with Kaede. Laeva was busy crafting magic devices for the church and lodging, as well as installing them. Valkyra Kingdom will be Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford, right? What do we do about the King? Lets send one to the King just in case. Were sending one to the King of Yggurle Kingdom, so we cant notsend one to the country where we have a base in. Maybe we should send one to Margrave Volton and his wife, Earl Volton, Madam Rose, Rod-kun, and Emilia-chan. I wrote their names on paper. Then what about Papeck-san and Thomas-san from the Papeck Company, and Xervus-san from Margrave Voltons? Perhaps we should also send one to Xervus-san, the chambein of Margrave Voltons family. If were inviting the Volton couple, wouldnt Xervus-san alsoe with a plus one? Well, we may as well send one just in case. Yeah. So, what about Lomaria Kingdom? Valkyra Kingdom is in an alliance with Lomara Kingdom, so they fought together in the war against Triaria Kingdom and the Divine Empire Sydnia. The city built to the east of the Sanctuary was thebined effort of Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom, we couldnt do absolutely nothing. Hmm lets send a written invitation addressed to the king. And whether they send a representative, or if he himself were toe is up to them. That works. Then well send one to the king. Things rted to royalty and nobles are like this, I guess. Barack-san and Hans-san of the Volton Adventurers Guild, AH! We also have to invite Heath-san, Lyle-san, and Bogah-san! Lions Fang, was it? Theyre A rank adventurers, so its fine if theyre around nobles and wealthy merchants. Isnt it perfect then? You want to invite people from Bohd Vige, right? Id feel sorry for them if the only people around them were important people. Right. I definitely want Vanga-san and Martha-san to attend. The issue is how far Bohd Vige is from the Sanctuary. Normally, it would take a regr horse three days to reach Volton City. Then it would take another two days from Volton to Wedgefort. Then from there to the Sanctuary. It was a very difficult hurdle for Vanga-san and the others living in Bohd Vige. About that, arent you already going there to meet them? Of course you cant show them you teleporting, but youve shown Tsubaki when we went there once before? You have a point. Ill deliver the written invitations personally and then bring them back with me at the same time. That sounds like a n. I left the decision of who else to invite up to Akane. I wrote the invitation for Vanga-san and the others, and began preparing to go to Bohd Vige. *** Footnotes: 1.Dejima example. -Dejima (Japanese: u, exit ind), in the 17th century also called Tsukishima ( Bu, ind that sticks out), was an artificial ind off Nagasaki, Japan that served as a trading post for the Portuguese (1570C1639) and subsequently the Dutch (1641C1854). For 220 years, it was the central conduit for foreign trade and exchange with Japan during the istionist Edo period (1600C1869), and the only Japanese territory that Westerners were permitted to set foot. (Source: Wikipedia) Chapter 356: Ceremony Preparations 6 Chapter 356: Ceremony Preparations 6 My view changed in the blink of an eye. The Sanctuaryndscape changed into one with a vige that was still nostalgic yet had developed even more since the time I visited the second time. I teleported to Bohd Vige in between the busy hours preparing for the ceremony. Thest time I came here, it was when we had just taken guardianship of Akane and Lulu-chan, so we went to Bohd Vige to disappear from Volton just a little while. Now that I think about it,pared to that time, Akane had lost all her reservations. Since were pretty simr age-wise, it was probably like she was treating me like a brother. The walls and gate beyond the viges means came into view. Since it would be bad if I teleport right in front of the gate, I teleported a slight distance away from the vige, but Im d no one was coincidentally passing through the main road. There were no visitors the first time I came into the care of Bohd Vige, but now, there were those who visited for various reasons, so I was lucky I wasnt discovered teleporting. I have to be more careful. When I walked closer to Bohd Vige, I saw two security golems standing imposingly at either side of the gate. They seem to be working just fine. 2.5m tall all-magic metal-made golem possessed enough strength to discourage those like thieves. When I reached the gate, there was someone who Ive never seen in Bohd Vige standing there, and he called out, suspicious of me who had walked here by myself. Oi! Did youe to this vige by yourself? What is your reason foring? Umm, I came here to meet some of my acquaintances, but I guess it was suspicious to be alone even as an adventurer. As I thought so, I presented my Adventurers Guild card. Wha! Pardon my discourtesy. Wee to Bohd Vige. Thank you very much. When the surprised gatekeeper who saw my rank saluted and let me through, I came to a halt as I was ovee with strong feelings at the sight of peopleing and going in the lively vige. The vige which had newly erected buildings was full of life. Amazing cant the small vige in the borders that was Bohd Vige now be called a town? Stopping to bask in the memories, I grew curious about the small cabin I stayed at, so I went to look for it. Ohh! Its still there! The small cabin I built and stayed in was standing on a plot ofnd, unchanged. For some reason, only this ce was just like back then. I was looking at the hut when I heard a nostalgic voice from behind. Oh my, isnt that Takumi-chan!? I turned around, and there was Martha-san carrying bags in one hand, perhapsing back from shopping. Martha-san, Im sorry for not having kept in co-gofu Takumi-chan! Im so d you look well! In the middle of greeting her, I received a tackle-like embrace. By the way, where are Sophia-chan, Maria-chan, and everyone else? It couldnt be that you fought, now did you? I dont see Kaede either. There are others, too right? Takumi-chan, did youe back by yourself? Wai- please wait a bit! I had to stop Martha-sans machine gun-like usatory inquiries, so she could hear my exnation. Oh my, sorry about that. I was so excited seeing you, Takumi-chan. Lets go home for now. Vanga would be delighted too. Okay then, sorry for the intrusion. Since I came to Bohd Vige this time to give Vanga-san and Martha-san a written invitation, I obediently agreed and followed her. Now,e in,e in. Ill make you some tea. Thank you very much. Vanga-san and Martha-sans house which I hadnt visited in a long time wasnt rebuilt, but they did ce some fine carpeting and couch inside. It was proof that the once near-destitute Bohd Vige had be wealthy. After talking to Martha-san for a short while, we heard the door mmed open loudly, Vanga-san came back. Martha! There was apparently someone who looked just like Takumi in the vige! Dear, your voice is too loud! Thats not it, Takumi is isnt that Takumi?! Say it if youreing back! Vanga-san, its been a while. Vanga-san approached in long strides and hugged me, who had stood up to greet him, and patted me on the back. Vanga-sans conveyed how he was truly happy to reunite with me through his hands, and I also smiled happily. Yep, Bohd Vige is great. I thought once more about how Im so d that the first people I met sinceing to this world were the people from Bohd Vige. *** Chapter 357: Ceremony Preparations 7 Chapter 357: Ceremony Preparations 7 What was that!? Thats a celebration, isnt it!? Vanga-sans loud voice echoed throughout his house. After visiting Vanga-sans house and having a feast of a lunch, the three of us drank tea. During that time, I talked about why I came to Bohd Vige, and Vanga-san and Martha-san rejoiced as if it was their own sons special day. My, my, congrattions Takumi-chan! Thank you very much. So, I came to deliver the written invitation to you two, Martha-san, Vanga-san. I retrieved the invitation from my Item Box and handed it to Vanga-san and Martha-san. oh Takumi, sorry but Ive never left Bohd Vige. Could you write the directions to the ce? Is it alright if people like us attend? Both Vanga-san and Martha-san spoke of their worries about departing from Bohd Vige. Moreover, the Sanctuary was not in Valkyra Kingdom, nor was it a ce that ordinary vigers could readily travel to. Majority of the normal people living in this world spend their entire life in the ce they were born in without leaving. Unless they were a merchant or an adventurer, they would not travel with the risk of encountering monsters and thieves. Much less venture out to a foreign country, such things were beyond the imaginations of those living in viges. Well, the Sanctuary wasnt a foreign country. Rather, it isnt even a country at all. That aside, I had to persuade them that they could leave everything to us and that it was fine as long as they juste. Please dont worry about it. The wedding date is still in the future, but Im picking you up, Vanga-san and Martha-san. Of course, travel and lodging expenses will not be necessary either. At first, I had thought of going to the Sanctuary with Vanga-san and Martha-san as they are now, but as expected, it would be bad if they just left the vige for an extended period of time, so Ille to pick them up once the date of the wedding was closer. When I mentioned that aside from them, from Bohd Vige, I would invite the cksmith Bobon-san, the pair said they would be happy to attend. Gotcha. Martha and me would attend. Its Takumi-chans big moment. I would be happy to attend. Thank you very much. I was relieved to get the OK from Vanga-san and Martha-san. Bohd Vige was a special ce to me. Within it, I was especially grateful to Vanga-san and Martha-san. If I get married to my fiances, I would want their blessings. After the wedding, would you mind staying a few days in Bohd Vige for debut banquet? Ou, thats a good idea. Is that okay? The number of people increased in Bohd Vige, I dont think theres that many people who remember me Itll be okay. The vigers have talked way too much about Takumi-chan and Kaede-chan. Martha-san said that she wanted to hold a debut party in Bohd Vige even if its at ater date. Understood. After the ceremony and a break, everyone wille to Bohd Vige. Everyone in the vige would be happy. And so, my affairs in Bohd Vige are over. Next, I have to drop by the Papeck Company and Adventurers Guild in Volton. As could be expected, I couldnt take the invitations directly to Margrave Volton, Earl Rockford, and King Valkyra, so it would be mailed to them via the guild. Because that would take time, the wedding will be 2 months from now. Sending invitations by way of the guild, it would take roughly a week by express mail within Valkyra Kingdom, however, it also had to be sent to Lomaria Kingdom and Yggurle Kingdom. Actually, if were only speaking of invitations, it could be transmitted through themunications MD that the Adventurers Guild has, but official invitations in the form of a written letter were important. Thats why nobles and royalty who were sent invitations in each nation were apparently making preparations to depart for the Sanctuary before the written invitations arrived. If it was two months from now, there was no need to rush the construction of the church and amodations. Well, considering that it takes several days from the Royal Capital to Volton on a normal carriage, it couldnt be helped that it takes time. ording to Akane, wedding ceremonies take several months to prepare even in Japan. It was something that I had no clue about in my previous life. I promised to pick up Vanga-san and Martha-san a few days before the wedding, then left Bohd Vige. I walked until I was out of sight from the gate, and after making sure theres no one around, I teleported to the Volton mansion. Maybe Ill go to Papeck-sans ce first. *** Chapter 358: Ceremony Preparations 8 Chapter 358: Ceremony Preparations 8 Its been awhile since I went to the Papeck Company personally. Recently, product delivery were left entirely to Laeva. Huh? Did the store get bigger? I shouldnt have forgotten where the Papeck Company was located, but it feels like the building becamerge and extravagant. It has a store sign that says Papeck Company so this is definitely it. It was originally argepany so its building wasrge even in Volton, but When I entered the building, an employee seemed to have recognized my face and went to the head clerk Thomas-san. My, my, Iruma-dono, it has been a long time. Sorry for not keeping in contact, Thomas-san. Come now, this way please. Papeck should also being back soon. Thomas-san led me into the reception room, and there, instead of the room I came to previously, it was one or two ranks more extravagant. I will bring some tea right away, please wait. Ah, please dont worry about it. After a bit of waiting, Papeck-san entered the room. My apologies for the wait. Takumi-sama, It is great to see you. Long time no see, Papeck-san. Likewise, Ive been so busy I havent been able toe here personally. We exchanged greetings and moved onto the main agenda for today. Today, I brought an invitation to Sophias, Marias, Marnies, and my wedding. Ohh! It is finally happening! I had been so worried it hadnt happened yet. Congrattions, Iruma-sama. Papeck-san and Thomas-san gave their blessings. When I handed Papeck-san the invitations, Papeck-san immediately verified its contents. Lets see, lets see. Hou, so the ceremony will be held in the Sanctuary church. Thomas and I, I see. Of course, we would dly attend. minimal escorts, so we may as well send a nominated request to the Lions Fang? Thomas-san stated as such upon being handed and reading the invitation. He must have known that the Lions Fang members would also be invited. Ohh, that is perfect. I have heard that Takumi-sama and the Lions Fang have epted several requests together. If I remember correctly, we were together from Bohd Vige to Volton as well. Yes, I had been in the care of Heath-san and the others. After this, I was intending to go give invitations to the Adventurer Guilds Barack-san and Hans-san, while also entrusting the invitations for the Lions Fang with them. I met the three members of the adventurer party Lions Fang, Heath-san, Lyle-san, and Bogah-san at Bohd Vige and travelled with them to Volton, then afterwards, we went Treant hunting and even dungeon diving so I had been in their care. They were the first adventurers I encountered uponing into this world. Perfect, then we shall head to the Sanctuary together with the Lions Fang. Thank you very much. I made a gate to the east of the Sanctuary. There are amodations for the exclusive use of invitees if you enter there, so please check in until a day before the ceremony. I told them it was alright to arrive earlier and stay and rx, and then left the Papeck Company. While walking from the Papeck Company to the Adventurers Guild, I realized that it has been a while since I walked through Volton City. Ever since the the Divine Empire of Sydniamissioned the assassination through a dark guild and attacked me downtown in Volton, Sophia and the girls had stopped me from walking there for a while, but recently, I have had no reason toe here but to teleport to the Volton mansion. As I walked while enjoying the cityscape of Volton for the first time in a long while, I arrived at the unchanging building of the Adventurers Guild. When I stepped inside, reasonably because it is on the off hours, the Guild was deserted. It was then that someone called me. Takumi-kun! Isnt that you, Takumi-kun!? Its been a while. Youre alone? How rare youre not together with Sophia-san. Hans-san, its been so long. Everyones busy today so Im alone. Anyway, is Barack-san here? Ill lead you there. Follow me. I followed after Hans-san as we headed to the Guild Masters room. Kon kon Guild Master, Takumi-kun hade. Ou! Come in! Hans-san knocked on the door and called out to the person inside, and we could hear Barack-sans voice from inside. Okay, this way. Yes. When I entered the Guild Masters room, Barack-san was covered by documents like usual. Ou, its rare for you toe visit me yourself, Takumi. It doesnt seem like trouble. Well, sit. Yes. Ah, Hans-san please listen to this as well. Me too? The three of us sat on the sofa for guests, then I handed them the invitations. On this asion, Sophia, Maria, Marnie, and I are going to have a wedding ceremony. As such, we would like it if Barack-san and Hans-san could attend. Ohh! What a celebration! Congrattions, Takumi-kun. I told them the schedule of the ceremony and talked about the lodging for invitees. Of course well attend. Hes right. We will definitely have to adjust GMs schedule, but thats fine. That means, GM, please settle the official documents. Wha!? You arent saying all of them, are you? No, all of it. Being told so, Barack-san had a faraway look at the mountain of official documents piled up. I handed the invitations for the Lions Fang to Hans-san, as well as request the delivery of the invitations to Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom by way of the guild. it cant be helped, Ill finish up the documents in a jiffy. Ok, well work on making some spare time, so lets meet in the Sanctuary. Yes, Ill be waiting for you. Having finished my errands for the Adventurers Guild, I teleported from the mansion to the Sanctuary for the wedding preparations. *** Chapter 359: Wedding Ceremony 1 Chapter 359: Wedding Ceremony 1 In the city to the east of the Sanctuary, extravagant carriages gathered one after the other. From Yggurle Kingdom, the King, Queen, and Prime Minister Balza entered the city with their escorting knights. The countrys key figures had vacated their country, but the Elven nation has advisors who have a powerful right to speak known as the Elders, so it seemed to be fine. Dante-san and Freesia-san nned toe directly to the Sanctuary. What could Darphy-san be doing Simrly, from Lomaria Kingdom, the King, Queen, and Prime Minister Drehd arrived in town with their escorting knights. From Valkyra Kingdom, the King, Queen, Prime Minister Simon, Margrave Volton, and Earl Rockford brought their families and arrived in town. I dont know if Papeck-san and Barack-san were arriving at the eastern city. The royalty of each country had a great number of escorts and servants, so it was easy to tell they arrived. However, this is where some trouble started. Nobles and merchants whom I had not invited were beginning to gather in the east city. Included among them was Earl Hordia who was aiming for Sophia, and Yggurle Kingdoms King and Prime Minister were even more tense than I was if any issue would ur. The invitees from various countries and a few attendants took a break in the eastern city then moved to the amodation located in the detached ind I made in the Sanctuary. In the harbor to the west of the Sanctuary, I received contact that Queen Fraal and Ryuka-san of uros arrived aboard the magic warship Oceanus. What was surprising was that Queen Fraal only brought Ryuka-san, and only the two of them visited. Inside the amodations, Elves and Mermaids were busy preparing to greet them. The marriage ceremony included the people who had been living in the Sanctuary in its early days, Mappo, Poporo, and their daughters Miri and L . Catkin siblings Wappa and Sara. The Human sisters Colette and Shirona. The Elven family who managed the Orchard, the Mother Melty-san and sisters Mnie and Malorie. Fluna-san of the Mermaid tribe who was entrusted with the salt production and fisheries in the vige to the west. Of course, the Dwarves including Doganbo-san were also attending. There would be much to be saidter on, but Valzak-san, Valkan-san, and of course Berkut, arrived at the Sanctuary from the Sky Ind, and stayed in our mansion in the Sanctuary in stead of the isted ind lodging. Inside a room of a luxury inn in the newly built fortress city to the east of the Sanctuary, a fatty pig-like Elf, whose characteristically handsome appearance were nowhere to be found, screamed. Oi! What is the meaning of this!? Why was I, an Earl, was not invited!? Do something about it! It was none other than Yggurle Kingdoms noble, Earl Hordia. Count Hordia used various methods on both sides to gain rights in the trade between the Trination and the Sanctuary, albeit in small quantities, but of course that was no reason for him to pass. Earl Hordia had snuck into the dispatched trading parties at every opportunity with the intention of infiltrating the Sanctuary, but with no sess. Earl Hordia and his subordinates, Elves who had been forsaken by the Spirits, were obviously unable to pass through the Sanctuary though. Shit! Sophia was a woman that was supposed to be mine! A human is too unworthy! Even the King and Princess Mimir were in support!? When Earl Hordia began spouting reckless remarks towards their own nations king and princess, the subordinate definitely remembered to keep their distance. Earl Hordia who was able to do as he pleased in Yggurle Kingdom using the power of money and connections, had finally lost the protection of the elder whom he had blood ties to. With the purge now unstoppable, Prime Minister Balza was now taking the lead in gathering evidence of Earl Hordias injustices and criminal acts hitherto, however, that man was unaware that he had forgotten sincerity in his mothers womb. Earl Hordia was not the only person with ill intentions who gathered. Greedypanies, thieves, and even the Dark Guild had headed for the city to the Sanctuary. However, because the Trinations royalty and nobles hade on this asion, their unitsbined to maintain public order, apprehending a mass of thieves, the Dark Guild, and the merchants that hired them. A portion of the mass of criminals were sent to Wedgefort and tossed into jail. Whether he liked it or not, the wedding of Takumi, a simplemoner, had garnered the attention of many people. *** Chapter 360: Wedding Ceremony 2 Chapter 360: Wedding Ceremony 2 A simple carriage ran through the newlypleted highway in the Sanctuary. Yggurle Kingdoms low ranking Sylphide houses carriage and it was running directly towards the Sanctuary. Sitting inside the carriage was the patriarch of the Sylphide Family, Dante, his wife Freesia, as well as the young man who had a stiff expression and spoke not a single word, the younger brother Darphy who wanted to destroy his sisters things. Darphy, please watch your attitude. King Forselty, the Queen, and Prime Minister Balza are also attending the ceremony. Behavior like before is uneptable. After the fight with Sophiast time, Dante repeatedly exined the truth to Darphy, but essentially nothing reached him. A dagger was concealed in Darphys bosom. Moreover, the de was covered in poison. Like this, as long he could cause an injury that was all Darphy thought about. His target was Takumi. He thought that to target what his sisters greatest source of grief and suffering would be, Takumi. Moreover, inside the Sanctuary, Sophia would likely not be constantly guarding Takumi. Even less so in the wedding. She would be busy with bridal preparations. Darphy had undoubtedly not realized. Though it was true that Sophia was always by Takumis side, it did not mean that Takumi could not fight. Rather, he was unaware that, setting aside experience, Takumis skills and status surpassed hers. And though the Spirits of the Sanctuary, beginning with the Great Spirits, would not permit violence in the Sanctuary, but Darphy had not realized that he could not hear the voice of the Spirits at this time. He would soone to realize. What kind of ce the Sanctuary was, how much power the Great Spirits had. From the carriage that traveled on the new stretch of highway on the southwest direction of Yggurle Kingdom, the walls enclosing the Sanctuary could be seen. this is impressive. yes, it must be such an impressive wall. It might be even more impressive than the Royal Castle in the Capital. The inside of the Sanctuary couldnt be seen because it was blocked by a barrier, but the walls and dug moats surrounding the Sanctuary were deliberately shown in order to exemplify how perfect the defenses of the Sanctuary were. The road turned to the west, and the carriage headed straight to the Sanctuary. Once they finally arrived at the Sanctuarys barrier, a curious spectacle came into view. The carriages entering the Sanctuary were turned around the next instant and exited the Sanctuary. The barrier Gate of Trials was set at the entrance of the Sanctuary. Though a simple imprable barrier enclosed the other areas surrounded by moats and the seaward side prevented the entry of malicious individuals, the exit connecting to the highway had a special barrier raised there. Though it was widely acknowledged that only those deemed worthy could enter the Sanctuary, the constant stream of people who still attempted to enter the Sanctuary were still not petering out. Moreover, it was known that the royal families and nobles of the Trination were gathering. During this period, masses gathered to vie for themselves. Watching this with a sidelong nce, the Sylphide familys carriage continued into the Sanctuary. They believe they passed through the barrier without incident, but actually, they had undergone a rigorous check. The poisoned dagger concealed in Darphys bosom had disappeared without his notice. The sword that Darphy should have left outside had also disappeared. It would be a little while more before the young man relieved upon passing the barrier realizes this. Passing through the barrier, the carriage ran for a little while more and a strong gate came into view. Two 2.5m tall armor d golems stood on either side of the gate, protecting it. Few carriages passed through the first barrier, and it did not take the carriage of the Sylphide family to pass through the gates. is this where we will stay? No, we arent staying here. ? Dante, overwhelmed by the extravagant amodations of thepleted Dejima, wondered if this was where they were staying, and Freesia denied it. It seems we would be amodated in Takumi-sans mansion in the center of the Sanctuary past this gate. did the Spirits inform you? Dear, you should be able to hear it as well if you just calm down. How aboutposing yourself? When Freesia said so, Dante grew red. Darphy, who was unable to hear the voice of the Spirits, mistakenly thought that this was because he also wasnt calm . Leaving the security golems inspection, the carriage headed from the Dejima into the Sanctuary and the enormous Spirit Tree came into view. the air is so pure. While Dante and Darphy were dumbfounded at the sight of the Spirit Tree, Freesia was impressed by the purity of thee air in the Sanctuary. *** Chapter 361: Wedding Ceremony 3 Chapter 361: Wedding Ceremony 3 To elves who have the eyes to see Spirits, the Sanctuary was and of marvel. so many Spirits. its even more than around the World Tree. From inside the carriage running along the road from the Dejima to the Center of the Sanctuary, Dante and Freesia spoke out in admiration. That once was a monster nest densely filled with mana was now a purifiednd overflowing with abundant greenery, and from the Spirit Spring gushed copious pure water. This was not just a ce where existing Spirits gather. It had be thend where new Spirits are born. Looking at Dante and Freesia-san be surprised at the appearance of the Spirits with a sidelong nce, Darphy desperately concealed the panic by himself. Darphy realized at this point that he could not hear the Spirits voices, much less see their forms. (W, whats going on!? Why is this happening!?) Though he was desperate not to show it, cold sweats ran down his back and his body was trembling slightly. Had Dante and Freesia not been in a trance at the spectacle of the Sanctuary, they would have immediately realized Darphy was acting abnormally. And, he soon realized that the dagger on his chest was missing. That meant that the Spirits were monitoring him. When he thought that, even without his sword and dagger, he could stillunch a surprise attack with magic, he realized that he could not refine the magic power in his body. This was, of course, the result of the Great Spirit Sylph, whom the Sylphid family based their name from, temporarily sealing it, and Darphy who had been forbidden from using magic that could be an Elven trait was unable to calm his panic. The knights of Yggurle Kingdom, all of whom were elves, were different from other knights as they were more simr to magic swordsmen. Therefore, even a physical ability enhancement bes a support magic type fighting skill based on maniption and control of magic power. The current Darphy is appalled to learn that he had fallen to a second rate swordsman. Despite Darphys confusion, the carriage of the Sylphide family passed the section of the Cathedral and the Music Hall which were at a level unseen in this world, so Dante and Freesia were jaw-dropped in amazement upon seeing it. a Spirit Spring by the Spirit Tree is this paradise? The Spirit Tree reflected on the spring is too whimsical. Eventually arriving at Takumis mansion, Dante-san and Freesia-san who were surprised by its size, as well as the dejected Darphy alighted from the carriage. Those who came out to greet them were Takumi,Sophia, and three others, and upon seeing those three, the visiting Sylphide family all fell to their knees in reverence. Sylph informed us that Dante-san and Freesia-sans carriage was entering the central Sanctuary and was soon arriving, so Sophia and I came out to greet them. Sophias younger brother is trying to do something malicious, so I sealed his magic power slightly. Sylph-sama, my apologies. We were informed by Sylph that Darphy-dono was trying to cause trouble, and Sophia apologized to her. For some reason, Undine, Sylph, and Dryas came out with us to greet them. Wouldnt Dante-san and Freesia-san be nervous? Just in case, he would be unable to do anything with the Spirits watching, and afterwards it would be okay to leave him be. It looks like his heart was broken too. Undine and Dryas told me it was going to be fine, but what happened to Darphy-dono that broke him? We will not be able to talk if you keep your head down the entire time. Thats right. Besides, it makes us seem self important. Fufu, rest at ease. Sylph, Undine, and Dryas talked to Dante-san, Freesia-san, and Darphy-dono who were practically prostrating. Y, yes, we are extremely honored to meet the Great Spirits. Dante-san greeted Sylph and the Great Spirits very tensely, and beside him was Darphy stood unmoving, frozen like a statue. Sophia, could you get Mimir-sama toe? Indeed. If Mimir-sama were to act as the buffer for the Great Spirits, Father and Mother might feel slightly more rxed. We somehow managed to guide the Sylphides into the mansion, and the man acting as coachman and the two maids were guided to a separate room. Sophia left to call Mimir-sama who had recently mostly been staying in the mansion next door. As a result, the Sylphides nervousness only increased. Now that I think about it, Mimir-sama was Yggurle Kingdoms princess. I guess its only natural to be nervous if youre in the presence of the princess of your country. *** TLN: I think I should specify that I will now be doing a 3-4 schedule for updates. 4 day intervals seem too long and unfair, but I cant do 3 day intervals either because I am always exhausted, so it will most likely alternate between 3 and 4 days so there are still 2 chapters per week. I hope to have your understanding on this, and if this does not agree with you, I still appreciate all the support you all have shown me up to this point. Chapter 362: Wedding Ceremony 4 Chapter 362: Wedding Ceremony 4 The people who stepped past the walls and moat at the western part of the Sanctuary were uniformly wide eyed in amazement. Drehd, isnt thispletely different from the previous observation? quite so. Your Majesty, would that be the ce we would stay at? It is quite the splendid building. King Lomaria and Prime Minister Drehd were surprised to see the Dejima and amodations thest time the Trination came to observe. The Queen was genuinely delighted with the extravagant lodge. Because it was a secluded area, the royalty and nobles were permitted to bring their attendants and escorting knights. The amodation built with great attention to detail by Takumi and the Dwarves was so breathtaking even for Royalty. Your Majesty, thefortability of this sofa it is magnificent. Could we ask if we could buy it? Fumuit definitely is extraordinary. Checking in and rxing in a luxurious room, King and Queen Lomaria were amazed at the various furnishing of the room and by the quality of the bed and sofa. The day after King Lomaria arrived at the Sanctuarys amodation, Valkyra Kingdoms royalty, Margrave Volton, and Earl Rockford arrived at the Sanctuary. oi oi, Simon. Did the Sanctuary have a ce this luxurious to stay at? No, it did not exist when I visitedst time. Your Majesty, it is quite marvelous. Could the building itself be adorned with sculptures and designs even more borate than those in the Royal Castle? King Valkyra, Prime Minister Simon, and the Queen who alighted from the carriage were absolutely sparkling in delight at the extravagance of the structure. When Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford, who arrived slightlyter than King Valkyra, entered the lodge, Madam Rose and Emilia shrieked in excitement. Kyaa! Mother! A cat! Theres a cat! Oh my! How cute! Rose, Emilia, settle down! In front of the excited Madam Rose and Emilia were Cat Siths working as the staff of the lodge. They are not Catkin, are they? Yes. Theyre mostly cat. Haa, Rose, Emilia, those children are Cat Sith tribe. They are a race that are rarely seen in this continent. As expected of the Sanctuary. It wouldnt be strange for the rare races to be here. Once they finished checking in, Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford were guided to their respective rooms. They, too, were amazed at the rooms that were more splendorous than their own mansions. There was some who couldnt calm down in their extravagant room. Hey, Martha. Is it really okay for us to stay a room like this? Takumi-chan guided us here so its okay. I guess we wouldnt have to meet the important people if we have room service. Vanga and Martha of Bohd Vige were picked up by Takumi, brought to the Sanctuary, and checked into one of the rooms. The grade of the room was lower than those for royalty and nobility, but the room which was still more extravagant than the luxury inns in Volton and the Royal Capital was a first for the couple who had never left Bohd Vige. Having received an exnation on how to use the bath and toilet from Takumi, they sat down on the extremelyfortable sofa, drank high quality ck tea, and did their best to calm down. Papeck and Thomas of Papeck Company, now one of the leading tradingpany in Valkyra Kingdom, were, of course, not phased, but even so, they were still captivated by the never before seen gothic-style buildings and artistic sculptures. Thomas, do you think they would trade with ourpany? these are quite the magnificent furnishing and sculptures. Perhaps Iruma-sama was not the only one, the Dwarven masters must have also been involved. Takumi-sama is busy so that would be impossible. No, if its just a few but, I cant say that it is for ourpany Papeck stared intently at the furnishings, sculptures, and the structures, talking to himself as he walked aimlessly inside the lodge. Mr. President, please calm down. The objective this time is Iruma-samas wedding. Please save such talks for another asion. Mu, hmmmm~ you have a point. It cant be helped. Warned by Thomas, Papeck reluctantly returned to their room. His indomitable spirit formerce would likely get carried away with appealing to Takumi after the wedding. *** Chapter 363: Wedding 5 Chapter 363: Wedding 5 The guests and Sanctuary residents were eagerly waiting for the leading actors from inside the cathedral. The royalty from the Trination, who were initially overwhelmed by the exterior of the cathedral, stepped foot inside and were so deeply moved that they shed tears at the stained ss adorning the interior. Your Majesty, would it be possible to request this in the Capitals church? n-, wait, the budget King Valkyra hurriedly dodged the request of the Queen who had been entranced at a nce. He frantically exined to the Queen that if they were to build a church like this, the expenses would be outrageous. In actuality, Takumi transmuted stones, wood, and the like using magic, but even then,missioning a building of this magnitude is not something he could simply agree to, even taking alchemy to ount. Somehow, it was when they took their seats they noticed that there were arge diversity of races from the invitees inside the cathedral. Lord Volton, isnt that a Devil? Lord Rockford, there is a race with white wings over there. Yes, inside the Cathedral, Queen Fraal from the Demon Continent, and even Valzak and Valkan of the Aligerous Tribe were present. There were Mermaids also present, but in their humanoid forms, they look no different from normal humans. Apart from the invitees, there were Elves and Beastkin holding violins and such instruments on standby. The guests from the outside were intrigued by the instruments they had neverid eyes upon before. Standing in the highest ce inside the cathedral and in front of therge number of seated guests, I wore the best suit Kaede had tailored for this very day, nervously waiting for Sophia, Maria, and Marnie to make their entrance. Inside, I was able to confirm that Margrave Volton, Earl Rockford, their families, and even King Valkyra himself were in attendance. That wasnt all. King Lomaria was here too. I also found the King and Queen of Yggurle, and Princess Mimir from Yggurle Kingdom. Princess Mimir was my neighbor, so I wasnt nervous about her, but seeing the Kings and Queens of the Trination made me sweat bullets. (Freesia-san looks delighted, but whats with Darphy-dono? Hes sitting there with a stiff, nk face) When we had gone to make marriage greetings to Dante-san and Freesia-san, the siblings had a fight, but he was strangely docile aftering to the Sanctuary. Behind me, the statue of Goddess Norn stood at the front of the Cathedral. I had never seen my fiances wedding dresses. They told me to look forward to the main event. Presences appeared behind me, causing the inside of the cathedral to make a stir. The Great Spirits had appeared behind me. The Great Water Spirit Undine, Great Wind Spirit Sylph, Great nt Spirit Dryas, Great Earth Spirit Gnome, Great Fire Spirit Smander, Great Light Spirit Selene, and Great Dark Spirit Nyx. The Seven Pir Great Spirits lined up in a row, awaiting the entry of the brides. The Great Spirits duties today were to rece the minister. If pushed to say, I thought they themselves were also the subjects of faith, but they said it was fine because they were the divine messengers of Goddess Norn to the very end but it doesnt seem like it was fine at all. Aside from Princess Mimir and the Elves residing in the Sanctuary who had gotten used to them, Yggurle Kingdoms King, Queen, and Prime Minister shedding tears as they prayed Last time, Balza-sama who visited the Sanctuary as part of the observation group of the Trination should have met them, but he was down on his knees crying as he prayed at the sight of the Great Spirits. Ahh ahhh, your snot is dripping. The Elves working behind the scenes hurriedly ushered Yggurle Kingdoms royalty to sit. When the inside of the Cathedral calmed down, the Sanctuary Orchestra began ying music. Ahh, another one of Akanes doings. Mendelssohns Wedding March. This was the thing that signals the entrance during the wedding. Theres no way the people of the Sanctuary would know that though. Then, the door opened, and Sophia, Maria, and Marnie were lined up in their wedding dresses. Dante-san was escorting Sophia. Though it could be said to be a matter of course, he was trembling. Poor thing. Marias escort was a pale faced, nervous Papeck-san who had likely been asked in a hurry. Marnies escort was Doganbo-san, and he was standing magnificently. As expected, Doganbo-san isnt phased by anything other than smithing and alcohol. Seeing the three brides, the guests involuntarily gasped. The girls who were always so close to me were so beautiful that I was in a daze. *** Chapter 364: Wedding 6 Chapter 364: Wedding 6 My beautiful brides, Sophia, Maria, and Marnie stepped forward, onto the red carpetid down. Sophias wedding dress was apparently called a Princess Line. It was a showy dress with a traditional design, but it suited Sophia well. Maria wore a mini wedding dress. It was perfect for the very lively and cute Maria. And Marnie was wearing a mature dress that was fit from the bust to the waist, and hem extends into a tailfin-like hem known as the Mermaid Line. The guests from Yggurle Kingdom were awestruck as they watched the three walk down the isle. Perhaps because they were seeing newborn, low ranking, and high ranking Spirits happily flying around. Before long, the guests aside from the Elves were gasping inadvertently. Even without being able to see the Spirits, they could still see the faint light emitted by the Spirits. Its strange, but after creating this church which could be called a cathedral with no exaggeration, the inside of this church became the ce overflowing with Goddess Norns presence inside the entire Sanctuary even if it wasnt intended. It might be easier to understand if its called a strong power spot. Perhaps as a result of this, it had be possible for even those who werent Elves to see the Spirit lights so easily inside the the church. As the Spirits mood rose, faint lights flickered, creating a whimsical scenery. Lights danced around the stained ss depicting the Great Spirits which covered the entire church. As the music yed, I received Sophia, Maria, and Marnie from their bridal escorts. Dante-san, Papeck-san, and Doganbo-san returned to their respective seats, and Undine began to offer us words of congrattion solemnly, yet it echoed to every corner of the church. To those who gather here on this auspicious day. We the Great Spirits acknowledge the matrimony of Takumi, the protector of the Spirit Tree and the custodian of the Sanctuary, with Sophia von Sylphide, Maria, and Marnie who support him before Goddess Norm. The wedding ceremonies in this world had no wedding vows. Undine said that if the Great Spirits acknowledged a marriage then the whole world would also acknowledge it. The music we could hear in the church changed into something I didnt recognize. It was probably a musical arrangement made by our orchestral band with Akane. The Sanctuary Spirits matched to the beat of the music. Then they began to fly all around the church as if dancing. The matrimony between Takumi Iruma, Sophia Von Silphide, Maria, Marnie was acknowledged by Goddess Norn. The moment Undine said so, light gathered on Goddess Norns statue, and when I hurriedly looked behind me, It felt like I could see Goddess Norns, who had sent me to this world, smiling figure. Oh my! Ooh! I could feel both Undine and the Great Spirits as well as Goddess Norns presence. A small voice startled him. A youth who wandered into my city from a rural vige. In no time at all, the seemingly unreliable youth had distributed various conveniences in my territory and singlehandedly enriched my territory, be the trigger for a war on the continent a few yearster, created the Sanctuary in the Savagends which no one could im, as well as made it possible to develop the Savage Lands. That youths wedding was being conducted in the Sanctuary. As such, it wasnt strange for me to personally attend the wedding of amoner. It was the same for Earl Rockford whose daughter he had saved. On the contrary, from our country, the King himself was present, and even the Prime Minister came. The King and Prime Minister from our ally, Lomaria Kingdom, were also in attendance. Perhaps they want to be connected to the Sanctuary even if only slight. The King of the Elven nation, Yggurle Kingdom, personally attending was a given. We were amazed by the building made for our amodation, but on the day of the wedding, the church built in the center of the Sanctuary had us jaw dropped. It was far more impressive than the Genesis Church in the Royal Capital. That thought became even stronger when we went in. Did they paint on the ss? The ss was so expensive that it couldnt be used on the windows of amoners house, but the ss walls drawn with the Great Spirits and natural scenery covered the church. It was as though we came into a dream world. When the boy wearing formal attire appeared in front of Goddess Norns statue and the Great Spirits manifested behind him, the officials of Yggurle Kingdom cried and offered prayers. When the Great Spirits of their respective elements gathered, the residents of the Sanctuary began ying instruments I have never seen before. With music Ive never heard ying in the background, the three brides walked down the red carpet towards the ce the youth was waiting at. What happened then? Werent faint lights of all colors beginning to fly around? It was as if it was conveying how it couldnt help but be happy. Could these be the light of the Spirits? From the Elves reaction, it was likely that the Spirits were dancing around inside this church. There, the beautiful Elf Sophia-dono who was wearing a pure white dress never before seen in any party in the Kingdom, the beautiful Maria-dono who was overflowing with cuteness, and the Marnie-dono who had a mature feminine beauty were walking towards the front where the boy was. The three who had been escorting them returned to their seats. Sophia-donos father, and isnt that Dwarf who should have been a cksmith in Volton? So he was in the Sanctuary? And thest one was Papeck, huh One of the Great Spirits epted the marriage between Iruma-dono and the three brides, and when she openly dered them to be married, light began to gather in Goddess Norns statue. What is happening? *** Chapter 365: Wedding 7 Chapter 365: Wedding 7The light that gathered on Goddess Norns statue transformed into arge figure of light in Goddess Norns form. As I stared at it, stunned, it felt like the Light Norn-sama smiled. Light Norn-sama opened both arms and that light burst like sparkling rain as if to bless those gathered. Norn-samas light glittered and danced in the space where the Spirits were flying around. The melody yed by the Sanctuarys orchestra yed inside the church where everyone watched speechlessly. Norn-sama has descended. yeah, it is most certainly Norn-sama. Even to the Great Spirits, Norn-sama was a special existence. Gnome and Smander were amazed. I can feel Norn-samas power. yes, its exceedingly warm. it was thanks to Takumi. Right. Undine, Sylph, Dryas, Selene, and Nyx were in tears, deeply moved. The Great Spirits were trembling with emotion which meant, when I looked at the guests, there were those who were off of their seats and down on their knees in prayer. Norn-sama, Im d youre giving your blessing but what are we gonna do about this? Even the Mazoku Queen Fraal and Ryuka-san were in tears and praying just like everyone else. Valkan-san and Valzak-san who were from the Aligerous Tribe, also believed in Goddess Norn. The old men were holding their tears back. Valkyra Kingdoms King and Queen, Earl Rockford, Madam Rose, and Emilia-chan were shedding tears from being deeply moved. Still, the stern Margrave Volton had a flood of tears flowing down his face The worst of them all were Yggurle Kingdoms King, Queen, and Prime Minister Balzas area. From the beginning, ever since Undone and the Great Spirits manifested themselves, they seemed to have been far more moved than others because they were Elves, but ah, ahhh, now theyre just weeping. And of course, Sophia, Maria, and Marnie too. Our own wedding was receiving the blessing of Norn-sama, so they too were deeply moved and shedding tears. I hurriedly gave the three some handkerchief. In this situation where Im the only one who wasnt crying, I feel alienated. I cant help it though, can I? I met Norn-sama directly. I had the impression she was an awfully flippant goddess, so while I was happy she gave her blessing, it wasnt to the point Id be in tears. As the situation could not be settled like this, I looked towards Undine and the Great Spirits for help, and they seemed to have calmed down somehow. The goddess had blessed this marriage. May the future of the four of you be happy. With Undine announcing the end of the ceremony with her voice which resounded through the church, we were shown out by the sound of the orchestra and withdrew from everyone. Fuu~ perhaps because of my nerves, after leaving the church hall, I suddenly felt exhausted. Thank you. Please take care of me from here on as well. For all eternity, please. Its scary how happy I am. Lets continue to be happy. When I showed my appreciation to Sophia, Maria, and Marnie and wished our future well, they replied with a smile as they wiped the tears away. Well, the event isnt over just yet. After this, the guests will move to the banquet space of the lodge, and the reception would be held there. Inmoners marriage in this world, after receiving a simple blessing from the priest at the church, they do hold banquets, but because royalty and nobility were attending, the reception was simr to what was held in my old world. That said, even though its called a reception, it was closer to a ceremonial dinner. there werent things like entertainment and celebratory toasts. Sophia, Maria, Marnie, congrattions. Now then, well escort you to the reception hall. Now, this way please! Akane came with Lulu-chan and took my wives with her. It was necessary to touchup their makeup. Though they wouldnt be changing dresses. And as for me, I rushed to the lodges kitchen. For the bridegroom to help with cooking, isnt that strange? I talked to myself about how this didnt make sense. For the marriage reception today, the Sanctuary inhabitants were helping. However, the menu was decided by Maria and Marnie after consulting with Akane, and for some reason, I, the bridegroom, ended up helping with food prep. Takumi, your Cooking Skill is high, so you could make anything. was why I was pushed into it by Akane. Sure, its more efficient if I help because I could use magic to save time. But that said, Im still not convinced. When I burst into the kitchen, the Sanctuary residents who were skilled at cooking were busy working. Instructed by the Elven woman taking charge of the kitchen as the head chef, I moved around as their hands and feet. Why did it end up like this *** Chapter 366: Reception 1 Chapter 366: Reception 1 Although Norn-samas descent happened during the wedding, the ceremony somehow ended peacefully and the guests returned to the Lodge. After a short intermission, the wedding reception opened. Inside the kitchen, Elves, Beastkin, and Humans were in a state of war. Umm, the main will be Dragon Steak a Rossini[1], right? I took out the dragon fillets from my Item Box and handed it over to the Elven Head Chef. The dragon steaks was cut up to single serving sizes and grilled. The grilled dragon steaks were then stored in the magic bag I made. That magic bag doesnt stop time, but it had been enchanted with a time dy effect, so the steaks would rest with just enough time. Another Human staff sauted the Storm Bird liver. The liver of the Storm bird was very simr to foie gras. I made the sauce. Madeira wine was mixed into the fond de veau and reduced. For the final touches, I mixed butter into it to emulsify the sauce and I tried tasting it for vor. Okay, this is it. I sprinkled a bit of salt onto it toplete it, then handed it over to the head chef. Still, to be able to make madeira wine in the Sanctuary, the Dwarves are terrifying. To make madeira wine, grape juice undergoes a yeast fermentation, then ethanol concentrate is mixed in to fortify it and kill off the yeast, forcefully stopping the fermentation. Since the fermentation is stopped, the sugar content of the grape juice remains, so the sweet wine was made. The current sanctuary produces red wine, white wine, champagne and the like, madeira wine, ale, whiskey, and brandy. I knew Dwarves obviously had it, but Elves also had a simr passion for it. When I attended my friends wedding in my past life, I remember being served beef filets topped with foie gras a rossini at the reception, so I decided that this would be the main course at our wedding reception. I leave the rest to you. Yes! After checking the hors doeuvres and fish dish, I headed to the reception venue in a hurry. Like in a Japanese reception, theres no bride and groom entrance, so I quickly entered the venue and sat beside my now wives. That was the signal for the tables to be set. Champagne was served to the guests and after Margrave Volton led the toast, the meal began. In one of the tables at the reception hall, Vanga and Martha were wearing the clothes provided by Takumi. Sitting on the same table were Papeck,pany head clerk Thomas, Volton Adventurers Guild Barack and Hans, Volton Margraverys chambein Xervus-san. In the next table sat Akane, Lulu, Laeva, Kaede, and the representatives of the Sanctuarys inhabitants. Near them were Berkut and the Aligerous Tribe, Queen Fraal, her secretary Ryuka, and the representatives of the rare races in the Sanctuary. Dear, look over there. It shines gold and see through. A, ahh, small bubbles are floating to the top. Martha and Vanga were perplexed seeing the golden tinged liquid when they were served champagne. Then Papeck who was sat next to them said what it was. Vanga-san, Martha-san, this is called sparkling wine, a variety of wine. Hee~, as expected of the Papeck Company President. You know so much about everything. Hahaha, not at all. Actually, although it was only a small amount, we were able to trade with it, so it is only natural that I know of it. Though he would have liked to get a hold of more, Papeck smiled bitterly. Though there were inquiries from all over the continent about the liquor produced by the Sanctuary, even the Papeck Company was unable to procure arge stock of it. On the table, an assortment of bright colored appetizers were being enjoyed by the guests. This was no different for the royalty, nobility, and prominentpany presidents either. Everyone was equally smacking their lips at the food served and were wowed by the delicacy of the white wine. Thomas, there is a possibility we could obtain the recipe for this cuisine, right? perhaps. Master and Iruma-dono have a connection, so it may be alright. Yeah. Lets try asking so the people outside the sanctuary could delicious food. Takumi didnt know that the style of serving dishes one at a time like with French courses, was not typical in this world. This world typically servesrge quantities of food inrge tters all at once. Even Takumi didnt think too deeply about when he ate at Margrave Voltons and at Earl Rockfords, so he ate without any mise. Even the restaurants downtown had no course meal style, just main course plus wine or ale. Takumi quickly moved up in Volton and obtained a house and workshop early on, then entrusted all the daily necessities and meals to Maria, so because he didnt eat out much nor had he gone out to eat at a high ss restaurant, he did not realize this. Changing the alcohol to match the food is also superb. Yes, food served inrge tters are also good, but this style is also good. The dish in front of Papeck and Thomas were switched to a fish dish. It was cooking that made the best use of the fish caught by the Mermaids at the west sea so it naturally left the people from ind cities and viges in a trance. *** Footnotes: 1. The dishprises a beef tournedos (filet mignon), pan-fried in butter, served on a crouton, and topped with a hot slice of fresh whole foie gras briefly pan-fried at thest minute. The dish is garnished with slices of ck truffle and finished with a Madeira demi-ce sauce. 2. It should be pointed out that, technically champage, madeira and many other alcohols can only be called as such because they are produced in certain regions. Examples: Champagne can only be produced in the champagne regions of France, otherwise it is only a sparkling wine. Chapter 367: Reception 2 Chapter 367: Reception 2 The main dish was served to the guests at the reception. T-this is! What dish could this be? To be served a dish this heavenly Father! Its delicious! Margrave Volton, Earl Rockford were astounded by its taste, while Madam Rose looked enchanted. Miss Emilia also looked at the dish in a dreamlike trance. The other nobility and royalty were also reacting positively. It would seem the main dish served, a dragon fillet steak and sauted Storm Bird foie gras a Rossini, had thoroughly pleased the guests. Dragon meat tastes far better than marbled beef I had also eaten all sorts of monsters sinceing to this world, but the best was dragon meat. In the first ce, even Orc meat was more delicious than pork and boar meat. Takumi-sama, this is extremely delicious. Please teach me how to cook thister. Master, I will do my best to recreate this vor too. Y, yeah,ter. I was under the assumption that it would be impossible to eat a lot because they were wearing wedding dresses, but mydies were stronger than expected and they ate everything that was served. Undine and the Great Spirits were enjoying the food and drinks at a table close to ours. whew, the red wine produced in the Sanctuary pairs perfectly with the rich meat dish. Truly, it enhances the vor of the dish. The white wine a while ago was delicious, but this is superb as well. They drank wine and ate the main noisily. Gnome was satisfied with the wine he brewed with the Dwarves. Actually, Undine, Gnome, and the other Great spirits wanted to change the banquet to a different day, but they dont understand how I feel, and the oue was that I could tell that, aside from the Elves who lived in the Sanctuary and Mimir-sama, the King and Prime Minister who were guests from Yggurle Kingdom were still with nervousness. (Haa~ You cant taste the food like that, can ya?) Perhaps to distract himself from the tension, the King was quickly increasing the pace they drank alcohol. Mimir-sama and the Queen would asionally stop him but he looks like hes about to fall over. After some time had passed, the mood in the reception hall had calmed down, the King of Yggurle Kingdom who was all tensed up had gotten drunk and was talking about stupid things with the Prime Minister. Lets forget how the Queen and Mimir-sama were giving them icy stares. Even Vanga-san and Martha-san who were invited from Bohd Vige seemed to be enjoying the food and alcohol thanks to Papeck-san, Thomas-san, then followed up by Akane, and Kaede. Unfortunately, the members of the Lions Fang couldnt fit it in their schedule, but I n to hold a dinner party on ater date. The two Adventurers Guild staff, perhaps having a lot of courage, were enjoying the food and drinks normally. The people who couldnt shake off their nervousness were the Aligerous Tribe aside from Berkut. Valkan-san and Valzak-san were ufortable amongst the other races. And on the contrary, Queen Fraal and Ryuka-san, who were the only ones invited from the Demon Continent, ate food and drank alcohol with absolutely no regard for how many or how few new races they met. Being Mazoku, gazes from others gathered, and as expected, they paid it absolutely no mind. Because this was a wedding, Queen Fraal wasnt even wearing the typical Subus clothing. She was wearing a sort of evening dress, but it was stillscivious. It attracted the eyes of many men. We couldnt invite everyone in the Sanctuary to our wedding reception, so there is a banquet being held and the entire Sanctuary is in festivity. Ooh, its just about time for dessert. Fruit tarts made of plenty of fruits grown in the Sanctuary were cut up, served to the guests. The women seemed fascinated by its colorful sight, their eyes were sparkling. The sweets in this world were nothing but dry and crumbly cookies, but because of Akanes and my influence in the Sanctuary, we can eat western confectionery like pudding, pancakes, crepes, ice cream, and fruit tarts to traditional Japanese confectionery like mitarashi dango, sweet red bean soup, sweet bean jelly. And it was enjoyed not just by the girls in our group, it was also popr with the women and children in the Sanctuary. This is it, this fruit tart is the best. I like the strawberry cake with whipped cream though. Its unfortunate theres no pudding. I wonder if I could put ice cream on the fruit tart? I want anko. Undine, Sylph, and Dryas ate the delicious looking fruit tart. I guess Selenes favorite food was ice cream. Nyx, I dont think anko would suit the fruit tart. Beside the female Great Spirits eating dessert, Gnome and Smander poured their own drinks. I wish the Great Spirts would stop pouring themselves alcohol. To someone like me who knew about my old worlds wedding receptions, this could only be seen as a dinner party, but this was good because it was fun. *** Chapter 368: What to do on the honeymoon? Chapter 368: What to do on the honeymoon? The reception which weed guests with all sorts of food had ended, and the guests will stay over in the Sanctuary for the night and depart tomorrow. Apparently, after that, they would have a Trination Conference in Crossfort City nearby. Vanga-san and Martha-san who were invited from Bohd Voge were enjoying going around the Sanctuary with Kaede. Theres no problem with it if its Vanga-san and Martha-san. Rather, Id like them to migrate. At present, there is a forest to the north and a grasnd to the east of the Sanctuary inhabited by many wild animals. Vanga-san might not be able to hunt down monsters outside the Sanctuary, but he should be more than capable if its in the Sanctuary. Yesterday, we had danced a lot at the wedding, so I wanted toy back on the sofa,but I couldnt do that. Sophias parents were staying at our house, so I couldnt show them I was untidy. umm, are you alright? You need not mind us, Takumi-chan. Its not everyday one could be lectured by a Great Spirit. I heard something that got me worried, but was told by Freesia-san who had be my mother-inw that it really wasnt anything to be worried about. What we were talking about was Darphy-san who secluded himself in a room after attending the reception after the wedding. It was as though his soul left his body, right, just like that that boxing manga from my old world where his eyes were pure white and burned out. Umm, even Dante-san had be very docile Yes, Dante-san had been hostile ever since we made our marriage greetings, but he had be docile ever since the wedding. Takumi-sama, let me answer that. Then Sophia, who sat opposite of me and was beside Freesia-san, talked about the reason. It would seem Dante-san was also lectured by Sylph and Undine. Dante-san had apparently been seriously depressed by the sermon from the Great Wind Spirit and Great Water Spirit whom the Elves had a strong connection to. Takumi-sama who had created the Sanctuary is somewhat of a benefactor to the Great Spirits-samas. And Sylph-sama found out that father had been scowling at such a personage, He got scolded for that? Hearing Sylph and the others scold someone for such a trivial reason makes me feel even more sorry. Its fine, leave them be. Right? Thatll make him quit, huh? Haa It feels like Freesia-san wasshing out at Dante-san quite strictly. Why, I wonder. Also, Freesia-san and Akane-san were getting frighteningly close. Though I think getting along is a good thing. Moving on, Takumi, arent you all going on a honeymoon? No, theres no custom of honeymoon here, Akane. Eh? Is that so? A honeymoon? What is that? Akane suddenly asked if we werent going on a honeymoon. However, in this world where one risks their life going to a neighboring town or vige, there was no custom of a honeymoon. The notion of traveling itself didnt exist. Thats why the only people who can freely travel this world were adventurers who had the ability to. So its like that. So honeymoons dont exist, huh. But it does sound fun, that honeymoon! If its us, traveling is fine, isnt it? Akane talked about the honeymoon, so Maria bit the bait. Sure, its definitely possible for us to travel anywhere. But that doesnt mean theres no issue. But where would we go? Urk, you have a point. Weve travelled to all sorts of ces, havent we? Indeed. Not only to this continent, but even to the Demon Continent where only a handful of adventurers have gone. Thats how it is. The ces we havent gone to in this continent were Triaria Kingdom and Gnomstoll Kingdom Oh yeah, Gnomstoll, we havent gone there. Ah, thats true. Even though there are a lot of Dwarves in the Sanctuary, we totally forgot that. Well, it cant be helped. The Sanctuary and Gnomstoll Kingdom were on the western and eastern edges of the continent, after all. Maria and Sophia were in favor of the idea to visit Gnomstoll. No reluctance whatsoever. We had gone to Samandour Kingdom once or twice, but weve never had the chance to visit Gnomstoll. Doganbo-san who I got acquainted with in Volton City, Gn-san who was called the Godcraft in Gnomstoll Kingdom were living in the Sanctuary. We have to take Vanga-san and Martha-san back to Bohd Vige, and we have to make preparations so we cant go immediately, but should we all go to Gnomstoll Kingdom? Eh!? With everyone? When I mentioned everyone was going, Akane exined in surprise. Yup, we may as well go with everyone, was what I was thinking. Indeed. It would be fun if everyone came. Yes, it feels weird if only we went on a trip. I also think it would be better to go with everyone. Even Maria, Sophia, and Marnie found it strange to go without everyone. In the first ce, this is a world that didnt have the concept of honeymoons, so it wouldnt make sense for only the newly-weds to go on a trip. And if they werent adventurers, itsmon sense to hire escorts for the trip. W- well, if you guys say so then I wont say more. Though she said that, Akane looked really delighted. Of course, its much better than housesitting the entire time, after all. And so, our honeymoon ns began to move. Chapter 369: The shocked people Chapter 369: The shocked people While Takumi and the group were nning out the honeymoon trip, the guests who attended the wedding and the reception had sustained tremendous shock. That was no different for King Valkyra and King Lomaria who had visited the Sanctuary previously. As for King Yggurle, he could not see what was around him because he could only see the Great Spirits in front of him. Seeing the Great Spirits lined up, he must have sensed the depth of the connection between the Sanctuary and Takumi once more. And above all, that phenomenon, the descent of Goddess Norn, the Goddess of Creation. When Takumi had received not only the Great Spirits but also Goddess Norns blessing, the Kings and Prime Ministers were at their wits end pondering that influence. That also include the cathedral-like church that appeared in the Sanctuary. The never before seen majestic exterior, and the eye captivating stained ss upon entry. In this world, in colored ss used as stained ss existed. However, the stained ss they saw in the church of the Sanctuary was an entirely special case as it made the existing ones seem like childs y. That cant be shown to the officials of the Genesis Faith. Just thinking about it makes me shiver. could they be banned from immigrating? There was a summit meeting because the three Kings and Prime Ministers would normally not have the opportunity to gather in one ce, but King Valkyra and King Lomaria had a shared realization that the religious officials should not be told about the cathedral in the Sanctuary nor that Goddess Norn had descended to grant her blessings. Only King Yggurle was thinking if it was possible if he could somehow retire at the Sanctuary. Of course, Prime Minister Balza shot him an icy look. King Valkyra and King Lomarias worries were simple, if the officials of the Genesis Faith were to know of the Sanctuarys church, they surmised that they would wish for a simr church. Originally, the churches of the Genesis Faith were practically buildings constructed inly and simply, and the church in the Royal Capital was no different. Thats because their doctrine is that if they have the money to build a gorgeous building, then they should use it to save people. That exudes more majesty than extravagance, a building worthy to be the church of the Goddess. The exterior is magnificent, but knowing the stained ss inside, they would most certainly want it in the church of the Royal Capital. It is not only the building. The stained ss depicting the images of the Great Spirits and Goddess Norn, as well as the degree of perfection of Goddess Norns statue the Great Spirits reside in the Sanctuary, so uracy of their drawn image was understandable, but I must have an exnation for how perfect the statue of Goddess Norn is. Lomaria Kingdoms Prime Minister Drehd and Valkyra Kingdoms Prime Minister Simon were stating that the church officials should not be informed of the majestic but not pompous church. However, Yggurle Kingdoms Prime Minister Balza had a different realization from the two. The phenomenon where light that gathered on Goddess Norns statue could only be thought of as the descent of Goddess Norn. However, what Balza noticed was that the appearance of the descended Norn was exactly as depicted on the stained ss of the church and the statue enshrined at the front. I have seen statues and paintings of Norn-sama in, of course, our countrys Genesis Church, Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Samandour Kingdoms churches. However, they were allpletely different from the statue and paintings in the Sanctuary. certainly, the Goddess Statues in the churches of our country and Lomarias are different. then, could it be that the person who made the Sanctuarys statue and stained ss knew the appearance of the Goddess? Balzas question led to Simon and Drehd to think as well. Well, if the Great Spirits were the one who made that churchs statues and stained ss, then it would not be strange for them to reproduce the image of Goddess Norn, but Though Balza spoke of another possibility, Simon and Drehd said nothing more. The reason being that they knew who built the majority of the structures in the Sanctuary. On the other hand, the three Kings understood that the person who created the church had some sort of connection to Goddess Norn. And that person was Takumi. However, the Kings issue was that the moment the magnificence of the church in the Sanctuary were to leak to the church officials, they would demand for a simr church in their capitals, at the very least. We do not have the budget with the war with Triaria and the revival of the former Sydnia. The same goes for us. Our economy is on the rise, but the former Sydnia is far more of a burden than expected. Our nation is situated far from the former Sydnia and is only able to provide mary aid, but it is still not easy. Yes, they do not have the budget to build a cathedralesque church. The Genesis Faith was a remarkably respectable organization as a religious organization, and aside from the minimal maintenance costs, all of the offerings and mary assistance from the country went towards the operational expenses of the orphanage and helping the poor. Thats why many of the church buildings were built with the budget of the state, and they couldnt tell the church should pay for the construction because it was a church building. Could we get it to be built cheaply? It is likely we would have to haggle. Our nations honor is in a bind. Haa The sighs of the three kings ovepped. The recent boom in the economy had improved the financial situation of each country, but the negative inheritance, namely the war with Triaria and the copse of former Sydnia, had held them back. In the end, they went to Mimir who hade from the Sanctuary to visit the Queen to ask her to ask if they couldmission for the construction of the churches for a low cost, and Eh, Takumi-sama? Theyre leaving for a trip with everyone. I also wanted toe along, but as you may have expected, I had to refrain from doing so. The Kings decided that they would hide the information regarding the church built in the Sanctuary by any means necessary. ***
TLN: Hello~ Im sort of back from my trip, but some other stuff came up immediately after so I need to attend to, so Im sorry if there are dys. I appreciate your patience! Chapter 370: Honeymoon? Chapter 370: Honeymoon? Somehow, things got weird. How did this happen? Since Akane wasing along, I knew Lulu-chan who was acting as her attendant was also joining as a set. So, it would have been sad if Laeva was left alone to house-sit. Kaede was my familiar, so there was no issue. But I wonder why Doganbo-san and Gn-san were discussing the route right in front of my very eyes. This all began when I asked Doganbo-san and Gn-san about Gnomstoll Kingdom. This was when we were taking Vanga-san and Martha-san back to Bohd Vige. The topic of transportation came up there. We cant use the Ouranos, right? I think it would be fine if flown at high altitude. Tsubaki can pull the carriage until Bohd Vige in any case. Though I think it would take too much time if we used the carriage for the entire trip. I thought it would be easier if we flew there using the Ouranos, but thinking that it would stand out too much, I asked the others. Sophia said that it would be fine if we fly at high altitudes, while Akane was also disinclined to go on a carriage the entire time. Theres nowhere we cant go if we teleport to the center of the former Divine Empire of Sydnia. Takumi-sama, there are many people from other countries entering Sydnia now, so it would be troublesome if we are found out. Theres a lot of us so we would stand out, huh? I thought it would be easier if we teleport halfway, but I was stopped by Sophia. Besides, its not really much of a trip if we teleport, now is it? Well, youre right It wasnt a honeymoon if we teleport sneakily just so we wouldnt stand out. What Akane said was also reasonable. Traveling with pure efficiency in mind wasnt a trip. Moreover, it isnt a problem moving using the Gates and the Ouranos if its the Sanctuary, Demon Continent, and the Sky Ind, but when traveling in this continent, we would leave traces no matter what we do. Wed definitely be found out if one day were at the Sanctuary, and the next, were be in a far off country So wed be found out if we take any special travel measures. It was a troublesome topic, but I would like to keep teleport magic and the Gate a secret. Deciding to travel bynd, I wondered about the route to Gnomstoll Kingdom and consulted with Doganbo-san and Gn-san. Ooh! Youre going to our mothend? Gnomstoll Kingdom is a good country. umu, thats just perfect. ? Perfect? Doganbo-san hadnt returned to Gnomstoll Kingdom ever since he left, but Gn-san had been in the country until just recently, so he must know about the inner workings of the kingdom. But then he replied with a just perfect. Not knowing what he meant by that, Gn-san smirked and patted me on the shoulder. Gahahahaha! This is great timing, Takumi! Ill go with you! Eh!? Why is that? Suddenly, I was confused because I didnt know why Gn-san said he woulde with us. Ive been thinking I wanted to go back once and meet my wife, children, and grandchildren. Eehh! You have a wife and children!? Of course I do. Dont lump me with the forever alone Doganbo. Gn-aniki, I like being alone. Well, it don matter anyhow. Takumi, Ill go with you too. Its been a while since I came back, I wanna meet mom and pop. W, well, umm, its our honeymoon Even though its my honeymoon I was surprised that Gn-san left his wife and children to go to the Sanctuary, but Doganbo-sans parents were alive and well, huh. As expected of Dwarves. Just a long living race thing. I just thought about it like escaping reality. Sophia, Maria, and Marnie, who were people in this world with no concept of honeymoons, readily epted travelling with Doganbo-san and Gn-san, and Akane and the others saying anything about it would be like the pot calling the kettle ck. That being the case, it was decided that Doganbo-san and Gn-san wereing along for the trip. By the way, would the alcohol production be fine? I asked if it was fine for Gn-san who led the Sanctuarys alcohol production, and Doganbo-san who worked as a cksmith for the Sanctuary residents to be gone for a long time. Theres absolutely no problem. Its Gnome-sama and Smander-sama who are heading the alcohol production. Im just the leader of the distilled liquor division. The wine divisions leader is the Elf Vaudeville. Hell sub in for me for a while when Im out. Gnome and Smander, you say I see them much less inparison to Undine, Sylph and the others so they were hanging out in the brewery huh. Theres someone else who can do my job for a little while. Well, he has a point. Without realizing it, the Dwarves had increased. What should have been a route consultation turned into an increase ofpanions for our trip. This is a honeymoon, right? *** Chapter 371: Preparations seem to be necessary Chapter 371: Preparations seem to be necessary Having decided that the honeymoon destination would be Gnomstoll Kingdom, and with Gn-san and Doganbo-san deciding the route anding along for some reason, we began our travel preparations. Though were travelling with Tsubaki pulling the carriage which was faster than any normal carriage, because were travelling from one end of the continent to the other, it was necessary to make preparations. We always have a ton of food in my Item Box, Sophia and everyone else also had some in their magic bags. Gn-aniki, are we taking alcohol with us? Umu, thats already a given, but it would be a problem if we bring too much. Ahh, certainly better without it. Gn-san and Doganbo-san were talking about alcohol souvenirs. Not knowing what the problem was, I asked the two who spoke with serious expressions. Whats the problem? Whats the problem he says. Its a huge problem! Thats right, Takumi! If were careless, the country would copse! They scolded me with such intensity for my nonchnt question. I dont get it. Takumi, have you drank any alcohol from outside the Sanctuary? Hmm, did I? I dont really remember. I didnt understand the meaning of Doganbo-sans question. I had a 15 year old body when I was sent to this world, so I refrained from the alcohol when I was in Bohd Vige. The age one is considered an adult in this world was still a minor in Japan. Ever since I started working with Sophia and Maria, weve consumed wine once in a while. The alcohol you drank was mostly the wine and ale made in the Sanctuary, right? Yeah, I guess so. The Sanctuarys wine and ale are delicious, arent they? I knew I didnt drink that much even in Japan, but I thought that the wine and ale made in the Sanctuary were delicious. You know, Takumi. What Doganbo wants to say is that the alcohol made in the Sanctuary is special. It would be hard to find alcohol this sweet in the continent. Isnt that only natural? Were serious with what we create, but more than anything, the benefits of thisnd are immeasurable. Thats right. First, the raw materials which would be the ingredients were different. Grapes arent the only ingredient that makes up wine. The grain in ale and whiskey which were crops raised in the Sanctuary are special. Yup, theyre definitely delicious. Of course I knew that the fruits grown in the Sanctuarys orchard were delicious. It isnt an exaggeration to say that the spring water from the Spirit Spring and the alcohol made in thisnd which has the Great Spirits blessing taste heavenly. Everyone who lives in the Sanctuary knows that the produce grown in the Sanctuary were all exceptional items. Naturally, the alcohol made with those as raw materials and the help of the Great Spirits would be especially tasty. I still didnt really get it though. Whats wrong with that? It felt like it was derailing from the conversation of bringing souvenirs home You still dont get it? The moment they drink the alcohol we bring from the Sanctuary, the Dwarves in Gnomstoll Kingdom would descend onto the Sanctuary. Even the Great Spirits wouldnt ept all the Dwarves. If that happens, disputes would arise outside of the Sanctuary. Somethings up. What are these two talking about for them to show those kinds of expressions? Gn-san and Doganbo-san were being really serious. Takumi, youre making light of the Dwarves passion for alcohol. Yeah. Were not exaggerating anything. umm, no alcoholic souvenirs then. Thats all one can say if one is being scared like that. Umu, that would be the safest. Please take care not to talk about the Sanctuarys alcohol. G-got it. Dwarves are frightening. Come to think of it, Gn-san travelled all the way from Gnomstoll Kingdom on the eastern edge of the continent all the way to the Sanctuary solely on the feeling hed be able to drink delicious liquor. And I forgot that there were many of such Dwarves here in the Sanctuary. Even then, Gn-san and Doganbo-san told me to keep alcohol in my Item Box for us. Well be the ones to drink it. Isnt that obvious? We can no longer be satisfied by alcohol from other ces. I had intended to cram it deep into my heart, but it seems it slipped out of my mouth. Just what is Doganbo-san saying is obvious? Well, in any case, theres a lot of liquor for our consumption in my Item Box. Seriously, a lot *** Chapter 372: Vanga-san and Martha-san’s decision Chapter 372: Vanga-san and Martha-sans decision I should have been consulting Doganbo-san and Gn-san about a route to Gnomstoll Kingdom, but for some reason, I am storing the duos alcohol in my Item Box. When I was preparing for the honeymoon(?), Kaede, like always, entered the room energetically. I heard from her that Martha-san and Vanga-san, who were staying in the Sanctuary, wanted to talk. Ill head over to the couple for the time being. Master! I want to ask you something! Hey Takumi, I have a request but Whats the matter? Did something happen? Vanga-san and Martha-san were at the living room at Kaedes guidance. Vanga-san was surprised to see arge mansion built on the best location at the center of the Sanctuary, and after joking about just how far I had seeded, he suddenly began to talk with a serious expression. Well, today, we were sightseeing around the Sanctuary with Kaede-chan. Umm, about that Ah, this is irritating. I will ask. Takumi-chan, can my husband and I live in the Sanctuary? Eh!? Youll move from Bohd Vige? How great would it be if what Martha-san wanted to speak about after being impatient when Vanga-san seemed like he couldnt speak was what I wanted. About Vanga-san and Martha-sans migration. I wholeheartedly wee you living in the Sanctuary, but would Bohd Vige be alright? Vanga-san worked as a hunter in Bohd Vige, but the current Bohd Vige had increased in poption and even had an Adventurers Guild sub-branch, so it would probably be fine if his primary work was not as a hunter. And since his younger son had also be a full fledged hunter, he thought to take this chance to pass on the house. I also love Bohd Vige, so I thought I would live in that vige until I die, but me and Martha thought that it would be nice to live in a ce like this. Kaede-chan guided us to all around. The cute cat-chans and children are here, arent they? We thought it would be fun to live with those children without parents. Ahh, they met the Cath Siths Miri and L. Mimir and L was living with their parents Mabo-san and Poporo-san, but the Catkins Wappa and Sara, and the Humans Colette and Shirona had no parents. I think from the standpoint of raising those children, Vanga-san and Martha-san would be an absolutely positive influence. I am truly d that the first people I met in this world were Vanga-san and Maratha-san. If your sons have no problem, you are most wee to migrate here, Vanga-san and Martha-san. We would drop you off at Bohd Vige, and youll have to talk to the vigers and your son. I see, it would be bad if it was too sudden, woudnt it? Indeed, I would like to say goodbye to the wives too. In any case, it wouldnt happen until weve escorted them back to Bohd Vige and theyve talked to everyone. After that, I will pick them up and bring them back to the Sanctuary with minimal luggage. I n on setting up their house at the Sanctuary in the area where Mappo-san lives. If Im going to do this, I will have to postpone our departure for the honeymoon by a few days. I immediately called Sophia and everyone to the living room. So thats how it is, though. Yes, I wee it as well if its Vanga-san and Martha-san. Yup, I will also wee Vanga-san and Martha-san who had taken care of Takumi-sama with open arms. I will not oppose what dear husband decided. Lets wee Vanga-san and Martha-san. Since I got Sophia, Maria, and Marnies approval, I could change our travel schedule a bit. And so, Akane said that we should just use teleport magic. Hey, Takumi. If Vanga-san and Martha-san are bing residents of the Sanctuary, isnt it okay to just teleport to and from the Sanctuary? is that so? Would it be alright making a round trip between Bohd Vige and the Sanctuary? Vanga-san and Martha-san who would be Sanctuary residents would sooner orter find out that I could use teleport magic, so instead of postponing our travel for a few days, wouldnt it be better to shorten the time by teleporting? ? What is a teleport? Going there anding back? Hearing Akane and I talk, Vanga-san and Martha-san were bewildered. The instation-type Gate was a given, but even Teleportation magic was considered a legendary ss magic in this world, so Vanga-san and Martha-san who lived in a vige on the outskirts of the region had no inking as to what we were talking about. Then Ill take Kaede along because arge number of people would stand out. That is fine. Were busy with preparations, after all. I dont know what exactly they were busy with, but it seems the girls had a lot of travel luggage. Just in case, everyone was given a Magic Bag. It had more than enough space to carry all their clothes from the closet, so I think theres no reason to be worried. Then Master! Lets go! Yeah, lets get going. Kaede clung onto my back and was pulling on me to hurry up, so I had taken the clueless Vanga-san and Martha-san to Bohd Vige by teleportation. *** Chapter 373: Moving Chapter 373: Moving The scenery changed, and I confirmed we teleported to a location a distance away where we could see the gate of Bohd Vige. Wha!? I-isnt this Bohd Vige? Ehh?! Whats going on!? Please calm down. I informed Vanga-san and Martha-san who were bing Sanctuary residents about my ability to use Teleportation magic. While doing so, I told them that it was a secret to everyone other than the Sanctuary residents. ah, yeah, my lips are sealed. Yes. If this is leaked out, it would be made use of by countries. I think the King and Prime Minister of Valkyra Kingdom are probably fine, but they might prioritize their countrys profit. Well, there are plenty of other things about the Sanctuary that must be kept a secret, but eh, one step at a time. Master! Lets hurry up and go! Okay, okay. We were hurried by Kaede to walk to the gate. I gave the two security golems standing on either side of the viges gates. Thats when the viger standing guard addressed us. Oh, if it isnt Vanga-san and Martha-san. Youre back. And Takumi and Kaede-chan escorted you back? Good work. May we pass? Yeah, wee back to Bohd Vige. It made me happy when the gatekeeper said Wee back. As I thought, this vige is definitely an important ce to me. When we entered the vige, the people who heard that Martha-san and Vanga-san came back had gathered. Among them was Bobon-san who was unable toe to the wedding. Seems like it was inevitable that everyone wanted to hear what it was like in the Sanctuary. Seeing Kaede and I, they got really excited and it turned into a party. What!? Vanga and Martha are moving!? Yeah, our two sons are already independent, and the vige wouldnt be troubled with one less hunter now. I for sure thought youd live an easy life working the field and hunting. Bobon-san couldnt help but shout when he heard that Vanga-san and Martha-san were moving to the Sanctuary. After that, the vigers listened to Vanga-san and Martha-sans exnation, and perhaps having been convinced, the party turned into a farewell party. I see, things will get a bit lonely well, you can entrust your sons to me. Youll show your mugs once in a while, yeah? Dont worry. Ill take responsibility for bringing and picking up Vanga-san and Martha-san from Bohd Vige. Bobon-san seemed a bit lonely, but he was still busy working in the bustling vige. Kaede-chan, Kaede-chan, can you bring out this kind of thread? Thats easy peasy! Hey, hey! I want this kind of thread, though? Coming right up! In one area of the party, vigers gathered. It was, like always, the vige wives surrounding Kaede-chan and asking her for threads. Well, Kaede was getting a bunch out of it too, so its like it was uneptable, so its fine, I guess. After the party ended, Kaede and I stayed at the small cabin we stayed at in the vlge. It was a little bit dusty since thest time we came here. When I cleaned up and headed to bed, Kaede crawled into bed with me, so I went to sleep with Kaede for the first time in a while. Early morning the next day, I ate breakfast and went to Vanga-sans house where I found arge bag of organized belongings and a wooden box crammed with hunting tools. Good morning. Ahh, morning Takumi. Good morning, Takumi-chan. We have this much luggage, but would that be alright? After greeting Vanga-san and Martha-san good morning, I handed Vanga-san a Magic Bag. Please put your luggage inside that Magic Bag. It would be handy for when you sort out your stuff in the other house. Ooh, thats amazing. Its my fist time seeing a Magic Bag. Then we shall borrow it with appreciation. Vanga-san and Martha-san stored their luggage into the Magic Bag. It was then that Ganbo-san, who was inheriting this house, showed up. Please take good care of mom and pop. Yes, please dont worry since theyll be back at the vige once in a while. We shook hands and bid him farewell. It seems he was happy to have be the head of the house and be acknowledged as a full fledged hunter by Vanga-san. Met with a grand sendoff, we left Bohd Vige. The vigers waved as they watched us be on our way, so we had to walk more than intended, but that couldnt be helped and I just resigned myself to it. Once I confirmed that there were no pedestrians and no one watching in front or behind us, I teleported to the Sanctuary with Vanga-san and Martha-san. *** Chapter 374: Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 374 We’re leaving this time! Chapter 374: Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 374 Were leaving this time! After preparing Vanga-san and Martha-sans house, I introduced them around the neighborhood, and I was relieved that they got along with Martha-san and Vanga-san faster than I expected, perhaps because of their good dispositions. I told Vanga-san about the entrance to the forest on the north and the grasnds to the west of the Sanctuary, and that he could hunt there. Just in case, I entrusted them to Sylph and Dryas so nothing bad could go wrong. Well then, contact us if anything happens. Yes, leave the matters of the Sanctuary to us. The Great Spirits have all gathered, so I believe there wouldnt be much need for Takumis strength, but we would be d if you coulde back once in a while. Gotcha, welle back every several days. In front of our mansion in the Sanctuary, Undine, Sylph, Dryas, Selene, and Nyx were seeing us, who were leaving for the honeymoon, off. At that time, we were told not to leave the Sanctuary for too long.. It isnt mentioned so much that I could forget it, but I am pretty much the Protector of the Spirit Tree and the Keeper of the Sanctuary Well, its not like anything would happen would happen while youre gone. None, huh well, I care about the Sanctuary so its fine though. Though Undine said it wouldnt necessarily be that anything would happen just because Im not present, Ill stille visit once in a while because Vanga-san and Martha-san will be on my mind until they be ustomed after immigrating, and if the residents have some sort of issue. We boarded the carriage pulled by Tsubaki, and departed while calling out to everyone who saw us off First, we headed for Wedgefort. After that, we would cross Lomaria Kingdom and head for Gnomstoll Kingdom.. The Rodom Mountain Range which towered between Lomaria Kingdom and Gnomstoll Kingdom had a glen located close to the Former Divine Empire of Sydnia, and that was where we n to pass. The carriage ran out of the Sanctuary. It would be a big fat lie to say that we were travelling across thend leisurely. Tsubaki was eager to run, so it became an explosively fast carriage. It was at such high speeds that had it not been the carriage I made and Laeva, Gn-san, and Doganbo-san continuously remodeled, it would have broken to pieces mid-run. It was good that there were few carriagesing and going between the Sanctuary and Wedgefort, but that would be dangerous in Lomaria Kingdom if we werent careful. An armored carriage was pulled by a giant Dragon Horse at a somewhat reduced speed. The merchants and adventurers it passed had left were left shocked by its impressiveness. Tsubaki, who was in high spirits, and Kaede, who rode on her back, paid no mind to the prying eyes around. Inside the carriage, the girls were drinking tea while having fun chatting amongst themselves Among them, Akane, who for certain reasons came with us on our honeymoon, was talking to me. Are we going nonstop to the capital? Yup, the Lomarian Capital must have all sorts of rental homes. The girls will probably want to go shopping too. Hey, Takumi. If well be at the Lomarian Capital, can I tweak the carriage underside a bit? It was then that Doganbo-san proposed an improvement on the carriage. So there was still a part of the carriage that hasnt been improved? What part do you want to touch on? The interior is a matter of taste and the space had been expanded so there is plenty of space, so theres no need to do anything to that. But I was thinking of tampering with the undercarriage a bit. Fumu, certainly the performance of the undercarriage of this is iparable to other carriages, however, it still has room for improvements. Im under the impression that this carriage is fully protected against monster attacks. As forfort, suspensions were introduced, it wasnt too badpared to the other carriages. However, it might be possible to improve the performance of the dampers and suspension or take the magical approach to it. Yeah, I wanted to do maintenance on the Ouranos, but thatd be impossible here in Lomaria. Gn-aniki. The Ouranos definitely cant be shown to Lomaria. Is it not fine to do so after arriving at Gnomstoll. Eh? Its fine if its inside Gnomstoll Kingdom? Gn-san said that he wanted to do some maintenance on the Ouranos, but Doganbo-san said that they should be patient until we arrive at Gnomstoll. Gnomstol Kingdom is the nation of Dwarves. There is no worry of giarizing or stealing the work of others. Well, they may pester you with all sorts of questions though. You could be respected, and theres no need to worry about it being destroyed or confiscated Well, Gn-san and the other Dwarves also helped with the production of the Ouranos, so it would be alright with the temperaments of the Dwarves? I think its amusing that with the remodeling of the carriage, our departure from the Lomarian Capital to Gnomstoll Kingdom was dyed. *** Chapter 375: Is this really a honeymoon? Chapter 375: Is this really a honeymoon?Having arrived at the Lomarian Capital, we stayed at the capitals highest ss inn. We have a lot of money, after all. Our room assignments are as follows. Sophia, Maria, Marnie, and I are in one room. Akane, Lulu-chan, Laeva, and Kaede are in another. Doganbo-san and Gn-san in one more. After spending a passionate night, we ate room service breakfast in ourrgest room as we talked about our ns for the day. Since were finally on a trip, there may be ces we each want to go to. Lulu, Laeva, and I will go shopping. Obviously, since were at the capital, we have to see thetest trends in fashion. Lulu wants to eat sweet things nya. Laeva wants to see the magic device shops. They all had different ces they wanted to go to, but it was certain they would go shopping at the capital. Okay! Kaede will also go to delicious food stands! Umm, could I ask you to? Well, its fine if we go with 3 or 4 people. Kaede brought up wanting to do an eating tour, but this wasnt the Sanctuary or Volton, so Kaede who was my familiar couldnt walk around town by herself, so I had to ask Akane. So, should we also explore the capital? My apologies, Takumi-sama. I was thinking of going to buy cloth with Maria and Marnie It is for our underwear, so it would be a secret from Takumi-sama until itsplete.. Dear husband. You must be tired, so please rest well today. ah, i-is that so. I watched my wives backs as they left happily. This is a honeymoon, isnt it? Theyre leaving me alone? was what I was thinking when Doganbo-san and Gn-san came around. Lets go, Takumi! Come on! Make it snappy! Eh? What do you mean? The two entered the room and rushed me. I was so puzzled and asked what they meant.. We got Sophia and the girls permission. Takumi, today youll be remodeling the carriage and improving Titans body at his request with us. Eh? The carriage remodel is one thing, but even upgrading Titans body? You had that kind of talk at some point? Why did he talk to Doganbo-san and Gn-san before me, his master? Titan discussed it with us before. He wants to be something that wouldnt budge even against a giant dragon. He likely discussed it with us because you were the busiest, Takumi. Well, I am definitely aware of how busy its been recently. If its like that then it couldnt be helped. But cant we win against a dragon if four of us team up? Well, that guys likely got a bit of pride. And so, we suggested a mechanism for dragon w-like things that coulde out of his toes and heel at will. And Titan agreed with that direction. I dont mind it if Titan wished for that, but it seems the directions already been decided. So, with that settled, Takumi well work at the Sanctuary workshop. Well, your wives had given us until evening. Now then, could we hurry up and teleport to the Sanctuary workshop? Wha!? Since when!? Gn-san informed me that he had already gotten the girls permission, and so we should hurry up and teleport to the Sanctuary. And so, I ended up working alongside two sweaty Dwarves in the Sanctuary workshop right up to the evening without any breaks. Im really in the middle of my honeymoon, right!? As expected, the ambiance is very different in a different country. Youre right nya. Its different from Valkyra Capital and Sydnia too. Come to think of it, you two had lived in Sydnia, hadnt you? Sniff sniff, something smells good over there! Leaving the high ss inn in the Lomarian Capital, Akane Lulu, Laeva, and Kaede enjoyed window shopping. The money from hunting monsters habitually was split evenly amongst the members, and Laeva helps with Takumis work so she gets wages for that too. Thats why the three and Kaede were carrying more money than a lower noble. When were at the Sanctuary, we dont get to use money much. The shops in the Sanctuary are cheap nya. We also make our own clothes and underwear. There are stores that sell foodstuff, daily necessities, alcohol, and clothing in the Sanctuary, but Akane and the girls are saving more money than they could spend. Ah, should we go to that store next? Lulu wants to buy candies nya. Laeva wants to look at that magic devices. Kaede wants to eat meat! As they mentioned their own desires, the four of them enjoyed roaming the capital Sending a sidelong nce towards Takumi who was working in the Sanctuary workshop, they enjoyed the capital the whole day. *** Chapter 376: The effects of the collapse of the former Sydnia were deeply rooted Chapter 376: The effects of the copse of the former Sydnia were deeply rooted Even though were on our honeymoon, I entered the workshop after briefly looking around the Sanctuary and saw two old dwarves tinkering with the carriage, discussing this and that as they remodeled the carriage. Its important, so I will say this as many times as necessary, but this is a honeymoon, right? In the end, I made ws that protrude from Titans feet using adamantite alloy. Of course, I fine tuned it while asking for the opinion of the person himself. Master, my, apologies. Nah, its fine because Id be happy if you told me if you have any requests. Im paying attention to the needs of the Golem When Sophia, Maria, and Marnie walked around the Lomarian Capital, they attracted the gazes of both men and women. Amongst the Elven race already filled with beautiful people, Sophia was a woman whose beauty caused a noble to go mad. Maria, a woman whobines sweet and cute with the charm of adulthood. Marnie, a Rabbitkin which is ridiculed as a trophy pet race, boasted of a style that glued mens eyes onto her. When three such beautiful girls walk around in town, it was inevitable that attention would gather. And when that happens, the unsavory bunch who are up to no goode out Hey they, pretty oneechans. y with us~ Hyahyahya! Were C rank adventurers, you know? They must have been fairly capable adventurers. Three men in dressed in rtively decent armor called out to the girls. In fear of getting involved, the surrounding bystanders escaped. Which meant that this unsavory bunch had gotten into the simr trouble before. However, the people they called out this time were truly terrible. The girls just walked without even so much at a nce at the men who spoke to them. Oi oi, hold up! I said lets y! The ruffians cut the girls path. Haa insects are blocking our path. Sophia-san, its wrong to call these insects. Theyre just raw garbage. Fufu, Maria said it well. Wha!? What did you saaaaaay!? You better not be so stuck up!! You bitches! If youre gonna be like that then well sell you off! When Sophia and the girls called them bugs and garbage, the enraged men of course ced their hands on their weapons. Their goal was surely to threaten Sophia and the girls. No matter how foolish they were, they knew that brandishing their weapons in the middle of town was a crime. Hie! Hiiiieeeeh!!! The three men suddenly screamed on the spot. Naturally, the girls could not shut their eyes towards thest line the men spoke. The three men were struck with strong, direct bloodthirst by Sophia and the girls who once again determined that these men were scum. The freezing res from Sophia and the girls made the mens body shake, knees tremble, and teeth tter uncontrobly. The next instant, the girls figures disappeared. Gefuuuuu!! Then the men crawled on the floor in anguish. It was nothing much. The girls just went easy on them and hit them lightly on the torso. However, perhaps because of gap in their stats, the men saw it as if the girls had disappeared. Shall we be on our way? Yeah. We found all sorts of designs we could reference. Yes. Dear husband should being home at night, so how about some tea? Ah, I want to eat fruit cake! Fumu, Im parched, tea sounds perfect. Seeing the girls converse as though nothing had happened with the ruffians, the curious onlookers in the distance vowed to never get entangled with the girls. I failed to tour the Royal Capital of Lomaria Kingdom, but the girls seemed to have enjoyed themselves. So how was the capital? The carriage pulled by Tsubaki departed from the Lomarian Capital and ran on the highway heading directly east. The new modifications made it possible to run even more stably at higher speeds because of Doganbo-san and Gn-sans magic remodeling, but we of course couldnt just speed around on highway. Well, it was not much different from the Valkyran Capital. When ites to food stalls, Valkyra Kingdoms is better nya. Their magic devices are slightly behind. Kaede ate lots! The Akane group seemed to have had fun. We bought all sorts ofce and threads. For threads, Kaede-chans threads are still number one, as expected. There were some designs we could use as references. My wives also seemed to have enjoyed themselves too. ording to them, the underwear designs I sold to the Papeck Company also seemed to be popr in Lomaria, and there were underwear with different designs and cloth being sold in the shops. Papeck-san, youre really making the big bucks huh. As we were travelling along the road at unusual speeds, Kaede who was on Tsubakis back saw something in front of us. Master, it seems theres a fight at the front! As soon as Kaede detected it, I also sensed it. A carriage is being attacked. Its not monsters. I could tell that the carriage running in front of us was surrounded by many horses. Lets hurry! Understood. Master! It would normally be difficult to catch up to a carriage running far us. But this is us were talking about. The carriage Tsubaki pulls can overtake them in no time at all. Tsubaki enthusiastically increased her speed even more. A gigantic Dragon Horse sted down the highway. *** Footnotes: 1. [1] Chapter 377: Running away…… Chapter 377: Running away This is the main road connecting Lomaria Kingdom and Gnomstoll Kingdom. Therefore, it was an important road where many merchant groupse and go. Naturally, Lomaria Kingdom make an effort to keep public order, but The copse of the Divine Empire of Sydnia to the south of Lomaria Kingdom had cast a shadow on the territories adjacent to it, Lomaria Kingdom and Triaria Kingdom. After the fall of the Divine Empire of Sydnia, four countries ` Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, Yggurle Kingodm, and Samandour Kingdom ` decided not to divide and rule thend during the council held. That was because these countries did not want to carry the evident burden of thend and its closed minded subjects who had been dyed with the idea of being the chosen race. In the end, it was decided that the former Syndnia would go from a Divine Empire to a vassal state of Lomaria Kingdom. And the aftermath of the copse of the country extended to the main road connecting to Gnomstoll Kingdom. A portion of the Temr Knights and soldiers who had nowhere to go had, of all things, formed bandit gangs and began operating in Triaria Kingdom, Samandour Kingdom, and Lomaria Kingdom. Run faster! Theyre catching up! This is the limit! Stopining! Well protect them even at the cost of our life! The voices of the knights could be heard from outside the carriage. Though the recent deterioration of public order was a concern, who could have imagined that we would be attacked by arge group of bandits so close to our territory. My name is Rosary von Arenberg.[1] . The second daughter of the Arenberg Margravery which controls the south west section of Lomaria Kingdom. The Arenberg Margravery, possessing thend which connected to Triaria Kingdom and the former Divine Empire of Sydnia, was a military family known as the Shield of Lomaria Kingdom. As such, we had an unbreakable rtionship with Gnomstoll Kingdom, the neighboring craftsman nation governed by Dwarves, with whom we regrly make courtesy visits to. This time as well, I departed for Gnomstoll Kingdom as my fathers representative. Upon travelling eastwards for a short while from our Arrenberg territory, Hihiiiiiin!! Gatagata! !? Wha! What is going on!? Just when I thought I felt arge impact, the horse pulling the carriage screamed and came to a sudden halt. i thought the screaming of the horse was strange, but it was definitely a scream. Ahh, is this the end? I cant live as a daughter of a noble if Ive been defiled by bandits. Would it be better to end it here? huh? Nothing is happening? I wonder why? The leader of the bandit group snickered as he looked at target carriage. This group of over 50 bandits were once the Temr Knights of the former Divine Empire of Sydnia. Most of his men were Temr Knights of the Imperial City. As such, they did not resist robbing the enemy nation Lomaria Kingdom. He he he, its just as the info said. Leave only Margrave Arenbergs daughter and kill the rest! Ou! This time, the information that Margrave Arenbergs carriage was passing by hade from a noble of the same Lomaria Kingdom. Margrave Arenberg who had a high position as Lomaria Kingdoms military leader had a political opponent on the opposite faction. Margrave Voltons carriage was pulled by a Demon Horse, and its speed was even significant. However, despite being a Demon Horse, it could not outrun the horses of the bandits while pulling the carriage. Magic fired by the bandit group hit the carriage wheels of the Arenberg Margravery. Among the thieves who, despite being rotten, were still Temr Knights, there were also magic swordsmen. The wheel on one side of the carriage fell off, and the coachman stopped the carriage. Without overlooking this, the bandits surrounded the carriage. All that was left was to kill the twenty or so guards and they were done. And so, the bandit leader snickered. Their numbers werent just ordinary bandits. They were former Temr Knights and national soldiers. At that time, the bandit leader, feeling a chilling sensation down his spine, turned around. Was it his knightly intuition? His body acutely reacted to the imminent crisis. Wha! What what is that Something was zing down the road, approaching rapidly. The man could not figure it out immediately. Something that seemed like a gigantic horse pulling a ck, all-metal carriage was running frightfully fast. The man understood. It is now they who should run away. *** Footnotes: 1. The author had already used ` for the name of a character C Vaudevilles wife, but he used it again here, so to differentiate them, Ill use Rosary instead. 2. Perhaps a typo. Gnomstoll is at the eastern edge and they were departing from Arenberg, but the raws say west, so I changed ordingly. Chapter 378: Cleaning up afterwards is troublesome Chapter 378: Cleaning up afterwards is troublesomeThe bandits were surrounding the carriage that stopped because of a dislodged wheel. We made it in time somehow. Even so, Ive never heard of a bandit group having horses for all its members. Tsubaki roared coercively. In doing so, the horses that the bandits were riding all bucked up in surprise, then fainted where they stood in fear. Yep yep, this is convenient. Kaede disappeared from Tsubakis back unnoticed. At the same time, the thieves that fell from their horses were incapacitated. It did not take long for all the thieves to fall to the floor like caterpirs. Yep, good job, Kaede. A giant horse-like(?) thing roared. Kuh! I, who once served as amanding officer for the Temr Knights, was immobilized in terror. I tried to check on my subordinates, but I couldnt even move my neck. Looking as far back as I could with my eyes, I somehow managed to figure out that the thing that roared was Dragon Horse, but it waspletely different from the Dragon Horse in my memory. Its imposing gigantic body, long sharp protruding horn, scales that gleam in the sunlight, and glowing red eyes. I could tell it was a monster that was in no way the level that should be pulling a carriage. Even if it was, it only increases my despair. The Dragon Horse was unbelievably pulling arge metal carriage. That meant that, inside that carriage was the outrageous person who could control a Dragon Horse. I shouldnt care for how it looks and just give my subordinates the signal to retreat, but kah, my body wont move. The shock and panic caused my body to stop moving. It was likely the same for my subordinates as I could hear them fall from their horses, one by one. And I realized the blow my body had received. Ah, so I also fell from my horse I dont get it. The fate of the thieves had been decided. I could tell because of those fact alone. But that doesnt mean that I ept it. Ahh, I dont want to die When I got out of the carriage, it seemed like everything was already over. The bandits who fell from their horses were all bundled up like caterpirs on the floor. Kaede bound them in threads and even used paralytic poison. Takumi-sama, what will we do with these bandits? Should we kill them? No, I think its fine even if we dont kill them. Sophia, who escorting me like always even though its our honeymoon, was about to draw the sword on her hip, so I quickly stopped her. Now, while I was wondering what we should do with these bandits, the knights who were protecting the attacked carriage came by. We are grateful that you saved us from danger. I am the themanding officer of the 2nd order of knights of the Arenberg Margravery, Roger. I beg your pardon, but may I ask for your names? Yes, I am Takumi Iruma. Beside is my wife, Sophia. We are traveling from Volton in Valkyra Kingdom to Gnomstoll Kingdom when we coincidentally spotted the attack, and though it have been meddlesome, we helped out. Speaking of the Margrave Arenberg, I recall hes an authority even in Lomaria Kingdom. It was okay that we helped out, but I just hope we dont get into anything troublesome. Before I knew it, Kaede was already riding on Tsubakis back again and was waving her hand. I have to praise herter. When I waved back at her, a girl and her attendant alighted from the attacked carriage. Iruma-dono, how do you intend on dealing with these bandits? About that. If there was a city nearby, Id be fine with the option of escorting them there, but if not, it wasmon in this world to hand in only their heads to the Adventurers Guild, just as Sophia had tried to finish them off. Theres a lot of them, and when I think about the time it would take to bring all of them, it didnt seem like there was much option, but it might be possible if its me.. Thank you very much for saving us from danger. I am the second d aughter of the Arenberg Margravery, Rosali von Arenberg. Not at all. It was truly just by chance, so please dont worry. While I was troubled by how to deal with the bandits, the girl alighted the carriage with the broken wheel and came to thank us for saving them. Then I caught site of the carriages broken wheel. Doganbo-san! Gn-san! Could we ask you to service the carriage? When I called out to the two inside the carriage, they came out. Huh? The wheels broken? That much can be fixed in a jiffy. Summon Titan so it can lift the carriage. Understood. I summoned Titan and asked him to help Doganbo-san and Gn-san. I could tell that the people from the Arenberg Margravery were surprised to see the two Dwarvese out of the carriage. The instant Titan was summoned, they froze, but our first priority was to repair the carriage. Oh yeah, I suppose I could transmute a simple wagon with Earth magic. We considered killing all of the bandits, but there should be a town if we go back bit, and were not travelling in a rush, so we could take them that far. If we couple the wagon to the back of the carriage Tsubaki pulls, it probably wouldnt even take 2 hours to get to the town. While Doganbo-san and Gn-san were quickly finishing the repairs on the carriage that Titan lifted, I would cast my alchemy skills on the dirt and wood I had on hand to make a solid wagon. Transmute! Maria, Marnie, Laeva, and Lulu-chan alighted from the carriage and threw the bandits into thepleted wagon. Akane was inside the carriage, drinking tea so nonchntly. Now then, what do we do about the horses? Master, Please entrust it to me. I will instruct them to follow. Heh~ then Ill entrust it t Yes, I will not let you down. The horses ridden by the bandits which recovered from their trance will now be led by Tsubaki. I see, so theyll follow obediently. Ou, the wheels fixed. ͣ , . Good work. Titan returned to the Subspace, while Doganbo-san and Gn-san returned to the carriage, saying that that was an easy job. Okay, lets hurry up and hand in the bandits. was what I was thinking when I returned to the carriage, but the dumbfounded Rosary-san and Roger-san hurriedly stopped me. P-please wait! Haa, this is such a pain, I would have liked it if we parted ways here. Of course, that wouldnt happen, huh. *** Chapter 379: Outrider? Chapter 379: Outrider? I was trying to leave as soon as I could so it wouldnt be too troublesome, but I was stopped. Of course that would happen. And we were going to apany the daughter of Margrave Arenberg and her escorting knights to the closest town. Since that town would be in the territory of the Arenberg Margravery, I couldnt say that I didnt want to go with them to exin the situation. Honestly, it was annoying that we had to match their carriage speed, but I have to endure. Sorry about that, everyone. We couldnt just turn a blind eye. In the end, Kaede and Tsubaki settled things. We did a good thing. Well, wouldnt we earn a bit of pocket money? Even when I apologized to mypanions, Sophia, Maria, and Marnie said to not worry about it, and even Akane said that if we hand over the 50+ bandits and the horses they rode, it would be a decent payout. The horses that the bandits rode were running behind the carriage Tsubaki pulled, and even further behind them was the Arenberg carriage. So Rosary-sama wasnt turning back either, huh. Mdy, please tell me why you would purposely follow them instead of turning back? Inside the carriage, the attendant who had been attending to Rosary since she was a child questioned Rosary. The young attendants nodded as they were also of the same opinion. The bandits today were likely to be the deed of those hostile towards the Arenberg Margravery. Naturally, without evidence, protesting or even identifying them would prove difficult. Well, there are limited families that I dont think are of interest to us. Mdy, do you think we would be attacked again? I dont know. However, with the after effects of the copse of the former Divine Empire of Sydnia as it is, there are bandits that our current escorting knights would be unable to deal with, like today. Fortunately, they are going to the same destination. Even if we turn back, it would not do anything to keep us safe. Until now, if they had 20 escorting knights, bandits and such did not approach. However, with the current situation with the Temr Knights and soldiers of the former Sydnia, even 20 knights werent reassuring. On the other hand, the knights of the Arenberg Margravery were finite. Especially with the territory of the Arenberg Margravery being adjacent to Triaria Kingdom and the former Divine Empire of Sydnia, it would be difficult to increase Rosarys guards when they had to focus on defending the national border. Moreover, if the Arenbergs carriage runs in line with Iruma-donos carriage, wouldnt it be good bait? umm Mdy, if they were to see the Dragon Horse pulling Iruma-donos carriage, I believe the bandits and the like wouldnt dare approach. Though its a Dragon Horse, Iruma-donos carriage doesnt have any escorts. There may be bandits foolish enough to mistake it for delicious prey. Well, it would be in good fortune if the thieves in this area decrease. In reality, the reason why Tsubaki wasnt attacked was because her speed was too fast for the bandits to catch up to. If she had been running at normal speeds, attacks would be more frequent. Actually, there was a time when bandits who couldnt measure the power of Takumis group tried to do an ambush by blocking the road with fallen trees. As to be expected, Tsubaki and Kaede trampled them to the ground. Iruma-dono and hispanions are adventurers of Valkyra Kingdom, but I head that the Adventurers Guild was an organization that transcends countries. Lets use this chance to make them assist in restoring our nations public order. Oh my, Mdy had considered that far, I see. Master would always grumble about how it would have been if Mdy was a man. Mel, such things should not reach my brothers ears. Haa, Father is being careless in front of even an attendant Rosarys sigh held two meanings. Elvis, the current Margrave Arenberg, the father of Rosary, is a talented authority in Lomaria Kingdom who is capable of handling diplomatic and domestic affairs and excels in valor. The reason such a man would unintentionallyin in front of a vassal was because of Rosarys two brothers. The first born son Ende was an impulsive, hot blooded man who only has thoughts for the sword. He was fit to be amanding officer of a portion of the Knight Order, but he was simplycking too much from the current head of the family who was called the Shield of Lomaria. The second born son Joshua, in contrast with his brother, was unskilled with the sword, but excelled in the internal affairs. Although he was suited for internal affairs, he did not have the capacity to govern the Arenberg Margravery, but rather, he was like a bureaucratic type that would sit quietly at his desk. Rosary, on the other hand, was praised highly by their father for her talent with the military arts, and it was not a rare sight for her to join the knights training in Arenberg. She was born with the highest aptitude for domestic and diplomatic affairs among the siblings. But her only negative was that she was a woman. Their father unintentionallyments over the fact that she wasnt born a man. Rosary did not think herself to be exceedingly special. She was definitely skilled with the sword and liked them. As for domestic and internal affairs, she simply thought that it was because she was able to use the strength of capable people in the right ce at the right time. Elvis considers being able to use the skills of people was a necessary trait for the feudal lord of arge territory, andmented for Rosarys talent. Rosary and Takumis groups, who arrived in townter that day, finished turning over the bandits and horse, then stopped for one night at that vige. *** Chapter 380: Reluctant Accompaniment Chapter 380: Reluctant Apaniment At the entrance of the town, there was amotion when we brought the 50+ captured bandits, but because of the Lady Rosary and her escorting knights, we finished turning over the bandits and the Commerce Guild happily processed the horses that came along. The morning after our inevitable stay, as predictable as it was, the carriage carrying Lady Rosarys entourage followed behind us. Cant we just speed up and go ahead? Absolutely not. Did they not request it specifically? Thats right. We cant refuse because shes the daughter of a noble of an ally country. We have no reason to refuse either. When I spoke absentmindedly, Sophia, Maria, and Marnie all disagreed. Well, I also knew that. I was justining. Yes, Lady Rosary and her escorting knights asked to join us to Gnomstoll Kingdom. They would periodically visit Gnomstoll Kingdom where the Arenberg Margravery[1] imports armor from towork while also making purchases. This time, Lady Rosary seemed to be going in ce of her father who was busy. Her two brothers were there, but they were ill suited for negotiations with a different country like this, so it was up to Rosary, who was a woman and the second daughter. Gn-san, do you know Margrave Arenberg? I tried asking Gn-san, who was once called the God Craft as a cksmith in Gnomstoll Kingdom before, because he must have know of the frequent customer who purchasesrge quantities of arms. Hm? Margrave Arenberg, huh I knew the previous head well. I do remember meeting the current youngster head once or twice. Heh~ ording to Gn-san, the Arenberg Margravery is a strong militaristic family because it shares a lengthy border with the enemy nation Triaria Kingdom and the potential enemy nation Divine Empire of Sydnia. Naturally, it requires a mass of good quality arms. So, Gnomstoll Kingdom? Umu, theres barely any racial discrimination in Lomaria Kingdom and Valkyra Kingdom, so they have a few dwarven cksmiths like Doganbo, but they cant meet the demand of the knights and soldiers of the margravery. Gnomstoll Kingdom is a country that trades arms and tools with the countries in the continent. Margrave Arenberg was a frequent customer. Gn-aniki, wasnt the previous Margrave Arenberg a regr for swords? Umu, if I had to say, then the Arenberg Margravery is famous for their swordsmanship. Heh, not spears huh. If a war were to ur, I thought long reaching spears would be better than swords, but the Arenberg Margravery was famous for their sword for generations. Many of them are old fashioned thinking that spears are the weapon of small fries. When I heard Gn-san talk about it, I thought it was the same in any world. Spears were weapons that had been used on Earth since the ancient times. It was likely that, to nobles who wanted power, swords were better than the spears which were easy enough for evenmoners to use. But we cant make light of Rosary-sama. I guess so. What Sophia meant by how we couldnt make light of Rosary-sama was because it was obvious that she was aiming for restoring public order by joining us. 20 knights couldnt cope with attacks the scale of the 50 bandits. Rather than deploy additional knights from their territory now, it seems theyre trying to exterminate the bandits. And as much as I hate it, Id say they were sessful. That carriage over there, stop! See, again. Haa, I wonder if I should help this time. No, perhaps because Akane was bored, she jumped out with Lulu-chan, so it is not necessary. Yes, in order to match Rosary-samas carriage speed, the speed Tsubaki pulled the carriage slowed. And to my surprise, bandits were able to catch up. I could tell when the carriage dropped. Ah, it seems its over. Maria, who had been watching from the window, opened the door then Akane and Lulu-chan entered. The knights from the margravery will do the clean up. i-is that so. Most of the bandits were quickly annihted by Kaede, but the members who were bored by the slow pace of the carriage alternated fighting the bandits. I took their ID cards and valuables then buried them nya. Ha haha, is that so? For them to attack after seeing Tsubaki are they stupid? Moreover, many of the bandit groups had more than 20 members. Just how many bandits are there? Were being thoroughly used by Rosary-sama. I should have refused to apany them. Well, not that I could have refused. *** Footnotes: 1. In case some people are confused, I use Arenberg Margravery when it refer to the entire family / their territory, but when I put in Margrave Arenberg, it refers to the Margrave himself. Chapter 381: Crossing the Mountain Chapter 381: Crossing the Mountain There was a road in the valley between the mountain range that obstructed the national borders of Lomaria Kingdom and Gnomstoll Kingdom. This was a path beyond my imagination. the Dwarves are amazing, arent they? What, if you let a Dwarf y with the earth, theres nothing they cant do. Gn-san proudly replied to my muttering. The path connecting Lomaria Kingdom and Gnomstoll Kingdom was wide enough for carriages to pass each other and was well regted. It was simr to the roads for crossing mountains, and though the elevation gradually rose, it didnt change. And right now, what Im seeing in front of me was a tunnel so impressive I hadnt seen one like it even in my old world. We aimed to ce the road on the low areas of the mountain range, but this is the only ce where it was easier to dig a tunnel straight through. You were also through with the reinforcing the tunnel with bestowal magic. The tunnel was approximately 10km in length, and illuminating magic devices lined up both sides inside of it. Moreover, there were even venttion magic devices installed like those in tunnel expressways. Its really high tech. I suspect there might have been reincarnators and transmigrators before me. I mean, there were only a few tunnels I know of that were over 10km even in my own world, or maybe it was sturdy for no other reason than being fantasy. Rosary-sama and her entourage had visited Gnomstoll Kingdom several times before, so none of them were surprised seeing this tunnel. Itll be Gnomstoll Kingdom when we pass through this tunnel. I think well reach our destination at the capital in 5 days if we apany thedy and her group. We would arrive in 2 days with more than enough time if it was just us though Well, give up on that. Arent you d we were able to restore public order between Gnomstoll and Lomaria? No, I live in the Sanctuary and Volton in Valkyra Kingdom Gn-san informed me of the distance to Gnomstoll Kingdoms capital. If we were going at our normal pace, wed be able to arrive within two days even at a rxed pace, but we couldnt not go with Rosary-sama even though there was no risk of bandits. The reason for why there was no dangers ahead was because the tunnels entrance was guarded by Gnomstoll Kingdoms garrison 24/7. It looks like at the entrance of the tunnel, a fort was making the best use of the topography of the valley, so they were capable of responding to attacks from bandit groups and even of invasions from other countries. In fact, it would be difficult to get through this fort in thisnd whererge armies could not be deployed. Aside from being a country that supplies arms, Gnomstoll Kingdom which does not attack other countries is blessed with locational advantage, huh. Well, thats how it is. To top it off, Dwarves are all brave warriors. The entrance of the tunnel is considered as the border, so perhaps because the check at the fort was strict, there were many merchant carriages lined up to wait for their entry process. Naturally, therge Dragon Horse Tsubaki, Kaede, and the heavily fortified armored carriage gathered attention. From the time I first built it, it was a carriage which used magic metal panels, Elder Treant wood, and adamantite alloy for its framework that boasted unusually strong defense. However, now the wheels that were also made of adamantite alloy wererge and brutal and even though the design of the carriage was carved splendidly, its defensive capabilities had evolved remarkably. Adding on the enchantments, there was no other carriage like it. As expected of the Dwarves. Normally, many people would see Tsubaki and overlook the carriage, but they realized the absurdity of this carriage. Of course they would. Even the King of Gnomstoll would not have this level of a carriage. I see, so they were in a daze. I thought wed have to go through all sorts of troublesome things, but thanks to Gn-san, we were able to pass through smoothly. As expected, Gn-san has a face pass. Obviously. Gn-aniki has the title of God Craft. The only one who has a simr title is King Gnomstoll. Gn-san, so you were a much more amazing person huh. Hmph, I hear sarcasm when you say it, Takumi. The Ouranos and Oceanus were that much more. Even in the God Craft Gn-sans eyes, the airship Ouranos and the magic battleship Oceanus were at a level that couldnt readily be revealed. He said that even this carriage would have to be stored in the Item Box when were at the capital. We advanced through the tunnel illuminated by magic devices at a slow pace. No matter how many tens of kilometers the tunnel has, a carriage would not take that long to pass through. Now, Im looking forward to what kind of scenery is ahead of the tunnel. *** Chapter 382 Chapter 382 When we came out of the 10km tunnel, our eyes were filled with the scenery of Gnomstoll Kingdoms peculiarndscape. Gnomstoll Kingdom had many mines, and there were also open-pit mines that could be strip mined. Viges formed around the mines, and towns formed around the mines withrger reserves. Additionally, the piles of coal that had been mined also became part of the uniquendscape of Gnomstoll Kingdom. In this world, coal isnt used much as fuel. Rural viges and towns use firewood as fuel, but while there were some individuals inrger towns that use firewood to cook food, The only people to use coal for supplementary fuel and iron manufacturing were the Dwarves. As proof, other countries do not know the recipe for making coke (carbon fuel). Charcoal is used for smithing. Though dwarves also use charcoal for it, only few use it as magic furnaces were more widely used. As degenerate as we Dwarves are, we are still Faeriekin. We have more magic power than humans. Its only natural magic furnaces poprized. Even I who have little magic power have more than human cksmiths. I heard about the fuel situation of Gnomstoll Kingdom from Gn-san and Doganbo-san. Especially how the magic furnaces they used for smithing were essential for smelting magic metals. so perhaps it was only natural that magic furnaces weremonce. On the other hand, because there were few magic furnaces in human countries, they must have had to rely on magic metal armaments from Gnomstoll Kingdom. The exceptions were alchemists like Takumi, but alchemists themselves were rare beings. Will we go straight to the royal capital too? You have to escort Margrave Arenbergs bunch and us old men there. Takumi. Its Gnomstoll Kingdom, be it the capital or a regional city, theyre no different. Its our honeymoon, so I want to go see a lot of things, but it seems we have to go the royal capital first. Doganbo-san was acrimonious towards his mothend, perhaps because he was quickly bored and left early on. Kuku, is it strange that Doganbo is hard on his mothend, Takumi? Uhh, well, a bit. ording to Gn-san, Gnomstoll Kingdom was a country of craftsmen such as cksmiths, artisans, magic device makers, and carpenters. An apprentice system was established where one must polish their craft by watching and stealing the skills of their masters and seniors. But you see, Gnomstoll nowadays has been overly particr about seniority Ahh I pretty much understood. And what Gn-san said was exactly as I had imagined. It seems Doganbo-san was also in the top workshop headed by God Craft Gn-san. And to learn even a bit of Gn-sans craft, a lot of people swung their hammers day after day. Among them, although the amount of magic power he had was smaller, Doganbo-san who was still young had an incredible eye for cksmithing techniques. Gn-san eyed Doganbo-san and drove his skills into him. Gn-aniki at that time was relentless. I was cheeky. Doganbo-san said so nostalgically, his eyes looking into the distance. In short, he fought with those stuck up seniors that had no skills yet brag. I also felt bad as the person in charge. What, I was still just a brat. Gn-aniki wasnt at fault. Aniki who was in charge of the top workshop probably couldnt afford to care for a young guy like me. Growing tired of the harassment that had gotten too severe, the young Doganbo-san thought that the national policy was to be reluctant to ept new technology and ideologies, and so he would like the freedom to swing his arm in the outside world, then he fled the country. Well, I have no parents or siblings. If I had to say, then Gn-aniki is like my older brother. Thats why I didnt hesitate to leave the country. Gnomstoll Kingdom had a long history, but it is a dwarven country, and it was always in pursuit of new things and technology. And in thest 100 years, instead of the pursuit of technological innovation, the course shifted into pursuing more efficient ways of creating masses of armaments to be sold to foreign countries. And because of this as well, he migrated Valkyra Kingdom where Dwarves live the most freely even in the continent, and to the adventurers city of Volton at the border. Hmmm, youve been through a lot. Ah well. The minute theres history, its also got a lot of troublesome fetters. When I think about it, the Sanctuary is heaven, isnt it, Gn-aniki? Thats right, Doganbo. More than anything, the alcohol tastes delicious. Of course, of course! In the end, they arrived at alcohol. It felt like I wasted my time listening to them seriously. In an idyllic setting, the carriage continued on its way through as we saw the smoke billowing from the smokestacks characteristic to this country, and just around the corner was the royal capital of Gnomstoll Kingdom. *** Chapter 383 Chapter 383 Having arrived at Gnomstoll Kingdoms capital, our so called mission of escorting Rosary-sama of the Arenberg Margravery was over. It wasnt necessarily an escort request, but we just so happened to be going the same ce that they just so happened to be behind our carriage is of course what our official statement said. If they had filed an escort request through the Adventurers Guild at the Lomarian Kingdom In addition to saving them from thieves, they would have needed to give us a generous sum. However, we chose to make the Arenberg Margravery, a prominent noble family of Lomaria Kingdom, owe us one. Making a prominent noble owe a favor was a bigger reward to us than money. On the other hand, Lady Rosary deliberately created this favor to make a connection with us. If its a margravery of Lomaria Kingdom, Im assuming she would know of me. On top of that, for her to have made a connection by way of making a favor, she was so skilled it was a shame shes a woman. Just in Valkyra Kingdom, there were many nobles and merchants who want a connection to me because of the Sanctuary. Well, all this is second hand knowledge from Sophia though. It was too much for me, a former ordinary sryman, to deal with nobles. Checking into the high ss hotel that Gn-san rmended, we sat on the sofa and drank tea to recover from the fatigue of our long journey. Sophia, Maria, Marnie, and I were staying in one room because this is our so called honeymoon, but the suite we checked into had three bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen, so everyone is staying in this suite. Ah, except for Doganbo-san and Gn-san. Now, we should go around and see all sorts of things since were already in Gnomstoll Kingdom anyway, but what does everyone think? I wish to see the weapon stores. I want to go to the market, see if theres any rare seasonings. I am also interested in their cuisine. Sophia doesnt waver at all. She said she wants to see Dwarven armaments. Maria and Marnie seem to have an interest in the seasonings and ingredients unique to the Dwarven Kingdom. I also wanted to go to the market. Master! Kaede wants to go see a lot of stalls! Lulu too, Lulu too nya! Kaede and Lulu-chan were the same in any city. Those two really like to eat. I want to see visit the Dwarven workshops and magic device shops! Laeva sure is diligent. She never fails to study. Unlike a cheat like me, shes a natural genius. Huh, Akane whos always gung-ho about stating her wishes is being quiet? was what I was thinking when I looked at her, but she crossed her arms and was brooding. All of it! Eh? Im saying, I want everything! Haa, so basically youre saying you wanna go for everything everyones said? When I asked her to confirm, she nodded self-importantly with her arms still crossed. I dont know the meaning of her self-important stance, but, whatever. I want to see the weapons in the Dwarven workshop. Of course, if there are convenient tools, Id like to check them out. Id like to see if there are metal essories, and I wanna try going to the market and check the stalls! hmm, well, lets go around with everyone. It was our first time in the country, and because majority of the citizens were dwarves, it was safer for our members to go sightseeing together just in case there was any trouble, so we decided to go around the capital together. Afterwards, when I asked Doganbo-san and Gn-sans ns, Doganbo-san would go to workshops and stores to check the skills of the cksmiths in the Gnomstoll Kingodom now. Observing others work is also practice. Right, one could get inspiration by looking at other peoples work. If its Doganbo-san, then he surely has the eye for it. Im thinking of seeing how my disciples are. Im retired, but Im curious about how the workshop has grown. If I remember correctly, Gn-sans workshop is the best in Gnomstoll Kingdom. Takumi, aint that obvious? Gn-aniki is the cksmith with the title of God Craft in Gnomstoll Kingdom. Theres no way the workshop of someone like him would be small. It cant be helped. The person granted the title of God Craft has an obligation to foster the next generation. There are currently two people who hold the title of God Craft currently in Gnomstoll Kingdom, Gn-san and one more person, the King himself apparently. Is the King a cksmith? As expected of a Dwarven Country. Gn-san said he had to go to the workshops and gave rmendations for weapons shops that handled the armaments from the workshops in the capital. Im looking forward to tomorrow. *** Chapter 384: Roaming the Royal Capital Chapter 384: Roaming the Royal Capital The capital of Gnomstoll Kingdom had a cityscape different from any other country in the continent. Firstly, in the artisanal districts where sturdy stone buildings lined the the streets, smoke billowed here and there. The main streets were paved in stone, wagons carrying ore and stone travelled back and forth on it.. Stalls of all sorts lined both sides of the main street, the scents of strong spices and condiments wafting all around. it sure is colorfulnot. Indeed. Its all the color of stone and earth. Still, the city has pretty buildings. Though imperfect, it seems they were somehow able to develop magic formations. Every building was impressive because it was the Gnomston capital, but their colors were uniform at best. To put it bluntly, they were horribly in. Of course, there were also plenty of good points as well. The sanitation in the Gnomston capital was not inferior to that in Valkyra Kingdom. As could be expected from the Gnomston Capital which boasts of its high technological prowess, Purifier MDs for water and sewer systems as well as Toilet MDs were also popr here. Actually, the magic devices they used to purify their sewers and toilets were not imported from the Papeck Company. Gnomstoll Kingdom, which had imported the magic devices I made from Volton Kingdom, had developed something simr. As a result, Purifier MDs and Toilet MDs were poprized in the Gnomston Capital. Well, ording to Gn-san, it was still at a level far off from the original, but it seemed as though their Dwarven Pride would not allow them to use something created by humans. Gn-sanughed scornfully. Technical experts of Gnomstoll Kingdom had imitated the Purifier MD I created, but they were unable to make a perfect copy of the purification magic form. Just in case, the core of the magic form was transformed into a ck box, so when its forcibly disassembled, the magic form drawn into the magic device vanishes. Even so, performance aside, Im not sure whether to praise the Dwarves for being able to create it somehow or to mourn over their pointless pride at being unable to ept the craft of other people honestly Master! Spiiiicy! Here, drink water. Kaede who ate grilled skewers bought from a stall whined about its vor. In the Gnomston Capital, the food stalls stood out inparison to those in other countries. However, themon traits shared by many of the stalls was their heavy usage of spices and spicy food. So Dwarves dont get tired of this, huh. Seriously. I think its better even in India. What is Indya nya? Maria didnt seem to be getting used to the vors in this country. Akane also said she wasnt good with spicy food. Also, no one would know what she meant even if she says India. Stop confusing Lulu-chan. Ooh! As expected, the level of their armaments are high. Yes, all of them are above a certain level. H~mmm Next, we went to the weapons shop that Gn-san told us about. As to be expected of the Dwarven Nation, it was evident that the swords were all above a certain level. For my sryman self to be able to tell such things, I had be quite the connoisseur. Unlike Sophia, Laeva, and I who were looking at the weapons and armor in the shop with great interest, Akane and Marnie seemed bored. well go to the market next, so wait a bit. Its fiiiine~ Take your time browsiiiiing~ Well, it couldnt be helped that Akane and Marnie were bored. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but the weapons and armor I gave them were far better than these. If they look at iron swords and chest tes now, it wouldnt interest them at all. Sophia likes simple swords, but when Laeva and I look at the works created by other people, it was motivation and reference for us, so there was a lot of things for us to see even if it was just an iron sword. The weapons and armor created by dwarven masters wouldnt be shown to a group of foreign first-time customers, so we were pulled into arge market by Akane and Kaede who were bored as hell. Hey hey! Buy those fruits too. Dear Husband, that is our firs time seeing those vegetables. Lets buy a bit of it. Ah! Theres a lot of spices! Akane-sama! Akane-sama! Meat nya! Theyre selling meat nya! Akane who was bored out of her mind at the weapon store was looking at rare fruits to buy, and Marnie bought all kinds of veggies shes seeing for the first time. Lulu-chan got all hyped up about therge clumps of meat from who knows what. I wonder if the magic device shops would be too much for today. Laeva and I wille join you tomorrow. it would seem so. It seems its already impossible to go to the magic device shop today, so we gave up. Sophia and Laeva said theyd go with me to tomorrow, but Im getting the impression Ill be asked to take them to the essory shops tomorrow *** Chapter 385: Workshop Tour 1 Chapter 385: Workshop Tour 1We visited weapons shops, the market, metal essory shops, but we werent able to look at magic devices. The next day, it was arranged that we would tour the Magic device shops and smithing workshop at Gn-san and Doganbo-sans guidance. Originally, were were told that the workshops couldnt be shown to outsiders, more so to Humans, Elf, and Beastkin. I guess that was just how it is was what I was thinking, so I was content with seeing the swords and spears forged by the Dwarven artisans. And so, while it wasnt very honeymoon-like, only those who were interested would visit the smithing workshops. Although it was simr to the capitals of the other countries, the workshops in Gnomstoll Kingdoms royal capital had its own district. We walked around that area with Gn-san at the lead, and we stood out. for some reason, were totally being stared at. Indeed. They are by no means favorable gazes. shall we behead them? Seriously. Lets crush their eyes. No no no, leave their heads on, Sophia. Dont crush their eyes either, Maria. Unlike other sections, no one but Dwarves walked in this workshop-only area. We stood out because of this, so the Dwarven craftsmen must be wondering why we were walking these parts. Dont behead them. Dont ever crush them. However, there were also those who paid us no mind either. Perhaps because the gazes on her didnt contain hostility, she was doing things at her pace like always. She was humming and singing in front wit with Gn-san. Well, even those who werent very familiar with monsters could tell that Kaede was no ordinary monster, so there wasnt anyone who look at her wanting to fight. Dont mind them. Many of the Dwarves in these parts are very prideful. Theyre just wondering what business Humans and Elves have in a craftsmens town. A lot of guys are just proud and turn their noses up, but many of them are also artisans who take pride in their work. Bear with it a bit. Pacified by Gn-san and Doganbo-san, Sophia and Maria nodded reluctantly. We were dumbfounded when we saw the structure of the workshop in front of us. i-its huge. Despite appearances, Im still a famous cksmith in the country, ya know. The building of the workshop that Gn-san guided us to was definitely a strong-looking 3 story building. I suppose its only natural for the workshop of a God Craft? Takumi-sama, the royal castle is very close. Yeah, Maria-jouchan. Gn-anikis workshop is kinda special. Thats because his Majesty is Anikis younger brother. Ehhhh``````!?! We all shouted in surprise there. We didnt hear about any of this at all. Gn-san youre royalty!? Stop makin a fuss. Being this countrys kings brother? That sorta thing isnt a big deal. Yeah, King Goban is the other person who has the same title of God Craft as Gn-anki, but Gn-anikis smithing skills are superior, and Goban-san was superior in governing. But thats all. In this country, rather than royalty, smithing skills were everything. Well, thats just how it is. Come on, hurry on in. Upon saying so, Gn-san opened the stately doors and went in. We hurriedly chased after him. When I asked Doganbo-san for the details, I learned that Gn-san had absolutely no interest in the countrys administration. His stance seemed to have been If you have the time to be thinking about other things, you better concentrate on smithing.. On the other hand, though his smithing skills reached Gn-sans, King Goban excelled in terms of managing the country. The previous King was racked his brain over this, but since the person himself had no qualms of bing the next ruler, so the previous King eventually gave up on it. just howx is that. Dwarven craftsmen are more or less just like that. The only royalty to be this self-indulgent was someone like Gn-aniki. Right? It wasnt normal. Dwarven practices werent irrational, right? Doganbo-san urged us, who were in confusion, into the workshop, and when we entered the building as a group, there was a counter at the vast hall, and Gn-san was talking about something with thedy receptionist there. Ou, wait a bit. Im getting the permission of the workshop chief. P-p-please wait a moment! Thedy receptionist spoke in a fluster, then she broke into a run from the counter to the stairs. Am I the only one who gets a bad feeling about this? *** Chapter 386: Workshop Tour 2 Chapter 386: Workshop Tour 2 A beer barrel-bodied dwarf stomped their short legs down the stairs. M`a`s`t`e`r!! gon! Gyaa!! Cool it, Doisy! Gn-san sympathized with the the dwarven uncle who jumped over the counter and clung onto him. The dwarf known as Doisy fell to the floor and sounded like a frog being crushed. No matter how I look at it, hes at the top of the guild, but in front of Gn-san, he appeared small. Master~, Youvee back~ I said to chill, didnt i!? It doesnt particrly mean Ive actuallye back! Eh!? Why! I beg you, pleasee back Master! Workshop Chief! Workshop Chief! There are guests! O-, y-yeah. The receptionist grabbed the far too unbing Workshop Chief by the nape of his neck and forcefully stood him up. Dwarven women are scary~ Hm, now that you mention it, what business does a human and the elf have with the workshop? Hmmm?! Y-you, arent you Doganbo!? The Workshop Chief who was helped up by the receptionist had noticed we were there, then was he so happy to see Doganbo-san among us that he clung onto him and patted him on the back? Doisy-aniki,, its been a long time. Its been so many years since you left, isnt it a bit cold of you to not show up even once? Are youing back to the workshop too? With this, our workshop will be at peace! Gon!! Guwaa!! You were told to calm down!! Gn-sans fist came swinging from behind the Workshop Chief who was getting excited all on his own. Having been guided by the receptionist to what seemed to be a conference room, we informed them that we were here to observe the workshop at Gn-san and Doganbo-sans guidance. so Master Gn isnt here toe back? I retired as the Workshop Chief when I turned it over to you. I wouldnte back to it now. Then Doganbo, you, the promising youth, have also improved your skills, no? Could youe back and assist me? Doisy-san talked to Gn-san and Doganbo-san who came with us to this trip. Someone like me had already left Gnomstoll Kingdom. This time, I just joined Takumis trip and came here to see how the workshop was doing. Umu, both me and Gn-aniki had already found our final home. As sad as it may be, it isnt Gnomstoll Kingdom. that Master Gn, Doganbo you will desert your mothend? When told that would desert their homnd, I could tell Gn-san and Doganbo-san were offended. Moving on, which workshop made those shameful purifying magic devices thats been spreading all over the capital? W-what do you mean shameful, Master? Thats a really bad thing to say even if you are my master. He seemed to have gotten angry for an second at being told it was shameful, but Gn-sans cold stare saw through Doisy-san quickly. Doisy- aniki. Thats an imitation of the product of the product sold by Valkyra Kingdoms Papeck Company. But even as a copy, its performance is too bad. It would have been fine if it had at least 70% efficiency of the genuine item, but if its 50%, then theres no other way to say it than being poor. Kuh! This is all because Master Gn left. If it was Master, then Stop! eh? Gn-san interrupted Doisy-san. You think I would make a copy of a magic device made by a foreign craftsman? Doisy, weve known each other for a long time, yet it seems you know nothing about me. N-no, its not like that When Gn-san spoke in a low, displeased voice, Doisy-san hurriedly tried to give an exnation, but the words wouldnte out. Well, today, that doesnt matter. As I said a while ago, I just came here to see how the workshop is doing. And because Takumi and the others wanted to observe, I brought them along. Dont mind it. Ahh, if Master says so. But there are things we cant show. Hmph, Dwarves are the most conceited craftsmen well thats fine. Takumi and the others n to observe the cksmiths. Doisy-san felt unwilling, but he had approved of our observation. Well, if this is the workshop Gn-san was in, there must have technology considered to be state secrets. Its no wonder there are ces that we cant observe. Then Ill show you around. Gn was going to use this chance to check on the state of the workshop while also touring us around. Urged forward, we followed behind Gn-san who took the lead. Haa, I wanted a more peaceful observation. The gaze from Doisy-san, who was following behind us, was painful. *** Chapter 387: Workshop Tour 3 Chapter 387: Workshop Tour 3 Leaving the room, Gn-san gave exnations as we walked the halls. The smithing workshop branches out in different rooms. Magic furnaces each have their own rooms. Well, Im sure Takumi and Laeva know why. Yes, even if its just hammering, it would be difficult to concentrate in the same room with the hammering sounds, and the light of the furnace, which has a different temperature from the quenching, would also be a hindrance. Umu, thats why this workshop has several areas for smithing. There seemed to be separate rooms for polishing and processing. The ce where we produce magic devices is on the 3rd floor. The furnaces for smithing and smelting are underground. The reason for why the furnace for smithing is in the basement was because it made it easier to gopletely dark in order to distinguish the temperature for the quench by color. Gn-san said that they used magic stones for venttion so it was perfect. We proceeded into the innermost are of the basement at Gn-sans lead. Knowing that our destination was the innermost area of the basement, Doisy-sans face paled. It shouldnt be that hot, yet he was sweating buckets for some reason. This is the room where our workshops prided magic furnaces are. This furnace is the only one that can handle orichalcum in Gnomstoll Kingdom Gn-san froze in ce when the heavy doors opened. Beyond the opened door, Gn-sans prided magic furnace in the workshop had be a storeroom. w, what what is this? U-uhh, Master Gn t-that, actually I asked you what this is!! Hiiiiih! I apologize! Gn-san harshly scolded Doisy-san, who trembled immediately. That makes me angry. That was Gn-anikis prided magic furnace. Theres no point in it if its treated like a storeroom. At the very least, you should have kept it tidy so it could be used at any time. Right? Neither Laeva nor I could defend Doisy-san. As a fellow craftsman, I could sympathize with Gn-sans anger, which leaves me even more baffled. Doisy-san, you are the workshop chief after Gn-san, arent you? Even if smithing wasnt your specialty, I dont think a craftsman would do this. Ah, well, Doisy-aniki was more or less a craftsman, but if I had to say, his specialty was money calctions, so I think thats why he was valued for that and became the workshop chief. I talked to Doganbo-san while watching a proper adult be scolded continuously. It would seem that after Gn-san retired, there was no one who could handle adamantite. Because of this, the best magic furnace had be useless, and was now being used as a storeroom. There are other cksmiths aside from Gn-san who are able to manipte adamantite, right? Yes, there are. Those people are? making alcohol in the Sanctuary. I shouldnt have asked. Hey Takumi, do you remember the time when I asked you to refine mithril and adamantite many years ago? Theres no way I could forget. It was so hard. It was truly difficult at that time. I had to keep refining the mithril and adamantite we got from mining. At that time, I could say that that was impossible for my furnace, but even if it could reach mithril and adamantite smelting temperatures, it was still impossible for me to refine them. could it be that aside from controlling the temperature, refining mithril and adamantite in the magic furnace requires a lot of magic power. Correct. Magic power is needed to temper it, but the amount needed to refine it was a different league. Though its more than a humans my magic power wasnt that much, so refining it was impossible for me alone. So it really was that. I needed to use a lot of magic power to use Dposition] and [Extraction from alchemy. Now Ive gotten used to it and the total amount of magic power I had had increased, it wasnt a problem, but when I refined it for the first time, my stomach got all filled up with mana potions. Takumi, you should know this from when you hammered the adamantite weapon, but it isnt easy enough to wield a hammer with magic power. There are lots of Dwarves who can hammer mithril, but there are few that could adamantite are few. Even more so with orichalcum, it had to be someone like Gn-aniki. Well, there arent many chances to see its ore anyhow. Simply put, it was difficult to refine mithril and adamantite ore, and this room which contained Gn-sans prided magic furnace had be a storage room. On top of that, right now, there were no craftsmen who could hammer adamantite in Gnomstoll Kingdom. For some reason, its because they all went to the Sanctuary to make alcohol no matter how I look at it, its a problem. Haa, I came here for my honeymoon, I hope I dont get involved in anything. *** Chapter 388: Workshop Tour 4 Chapter 388: Workshop Tour 4 Furious, Gn-san forced the workshop craftsmen and employees to clean up the room with the special magic furnace. Of course, the one who was worked the hardest was Doisy-san. We came here for our honeymoon, we didnt wanna spend it watching an old man scold others, so Doganbo-san ended up guiding us to the magic device workshop on the 3rd floor. As expected of a Dwarf. Their work is careful and detailed! Both Gn-san and Doganbo-sans craftsmanship are good too. Gn-anikis crafts is first-ss, but I focused entirely on smithing. My craft dabbles into adorning weapons and armor. Doganbo-san was being humble, but his metalworking and woodworking skills were most certainly top-notch. With that dexterity, he could probably make a living making magic devices. The working craftsmen creating magic devices on the 3rd floor workshop were doing their jobs carefully. But It looks like theres no problems magic devices with simple magic forms. But the magic form of the Purifier MD is horrible. But, well, that cant be helped. It isnt a device whose magic form could be copied just like that. There aint any Dwarf that could use Purification magic either. Perhaps a trait of the Dwarven race, many had high aptitude for Earth and Fire attributes, but there was no one with an aptitude for Light. On the contrary, it makes me want to praise them for being able to draw the magic circle that well. One can draw magic circles even without having the aptitude for the Light attribute. Thats because priests just have to be taught the magic circles for purifying magic . However, the Purifier MD doesnt simply activate the purification magic. The ones installed onto toilets was a device that had settings like activation timer and magic power consumption regtor. Thats why the locally made Toilet MD had a bad reputation as it had poor magic stone efficiency and had to be reced frequently. Still, things like magic stove-ish thing were the as expected. It would seem they were carefully made and durable. Umu, the magic oven is also a popr item of this workshop. Stoves and ovens, huh. Thats nice. But our ce has those made by Takumi-sama or Laeva. The magic stove and magic oven had nice simple designs. I was told that these two were popr goods in different countries. Lets take a look at other shops tomorrow. We werent able to look at magic device shops yesterday, after all. It seems they have all sorts of Light MDs too, so lets buy things that seem useful. I want to peruse essories too. The essories made by the nimble fingered Dwarves were popr items. Especially essories that had poison warding enchantments and the like were indispensable to the royalty of various countries. While we were talking about which shops to go to tomorrow, Gn-san came back from the basement. Takumi, sorry but could you refine some adamantite ore? Eh? I want to show the young ones how to make a sword with adamantite. Thats because if I refine the ore, I cant swing my hammer. Ehh~ I came here on my honeymoon, you know~! Refining adamantite ore with Alchemy would consume a considerable amount of magic power. This was no different to the magic furnace. Is that why I should do the refining? Haa, I refuse to do a lot. Just enough for one sword. Even I only have the magic power to make one sword with adamanatite in a day. Gn-san tugged at my arm and led me to the basement. On top of the table in the basement workshop was a pile of adamantite ore. umm, if it isnt too much trouble Aside from us, Doisy-san and the craftsmen under him were also observing. It would be the first time for many to watch the refining process with alchemy. Sorry, but could you think of it as a lesson for the young? Haa, I really will only make enough for one. I reluctantly casted Dposition, Extraction, and Synthesis on the adamantite ores on the table. Ohhhh``! The young dwarves eximed in surprise. Mhmm, this should do it. Yup, next is this. Upon saying so, Gn-san brought out the mithril ore. If it isnt an alloy, it wouldnt stick to the sword. No, Ill do it. Well, mithril is much easier to do, so Im fine with it. I said that to Gn-san as I refined the mithril alloy. Okay, you can go back to the inn today. Wha!? Kukuku, it cant be helped when Gn flips his switch. Takumi, go back to the inn for today. Was this really part of the honeymoon? Well, theres no one in this world who knows about honeymoon, so theres no one topare it to *** Chapter 389: Bura City Chapter 389: Bura City Leaving Gn-san by himself and returning to the inn, we rxed a bit in our room, then ate dinner in the restaurant on the first floor with Doganbo-san. As always, its still heavily spiced. Well, Dwarf cuisine is like that. Didnt we buy all sorts of spices because of that? Because we requested for the food to not be too spicy for Kaede and Lulu-chan, the two were able to enjoy the food too. Dwarven Cuisine is spicy when its spicy, and sweet when its sweet, so for those of us who were used to the food Marnie and Maria make, it was a new experience, but it was impossible for us to have it all the time. The next morning, we went to the Magic Device shops at the guidance of Doganbo-san and Gn-san. Gn-san returned to the innte at night yesterday. He said he would make adamantite into one sword, but I refined a lot and had plenty of room to spare, so he used all of it up before returning. In the end, he said he created two swords, a knife, and taught them strictly. Takumi, sorry about yesterday. The apprentices were too disappointing that I couldnt take it. It was only a bit of refining, so it was alright. Ever since Doisy-san[1] seeded as the Workshop Chief, they seeded in sales. They sold a mass of good quality steel weapons and armor in the war with Triaria Kingdom and the mayhem of Divine Empire of Sydnia as ofte. Those foolish apprentices had not made a single mithril weapon or armor these past three years. Im speechless. A knight orders uniform equipment was normally steel, and the knight leaders with enough allowance in their coffers had prepared mithril equipment by themselves. Thats why Doisy-sans strategy was not wrong, but it was wrong to make the room which had Gn-sans treasured magic furnace into a storage room. We continued to follow Gn-san and Doganbo-san to stroll through the city. Since weve already gotten things like ingredients and seasonings aside from the magic devices and essories, well take our time to look at the magic devices today. Gnomstoll Kingdom was not involved in Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdoms longstanding war with Triaria Kingdom. Rather, because they actively traded with both sides, the country was stable and the economy was doing well. Because it was difficult for bandits and refugees to flow in, the country was stable. Wheat, their staple food, relied on imports, but there was no issues with this as they arent hostile with any country. Perhaps thats why the capital is bustling with foreign merchants and their escorting adventurers. The city is very lively. Goban is an expert at making money. Gn-aniki, you have to call him His Majesty. There would be trouble if people heard you. The name Goban came from Gn-sans mouth, but now that I really think about it, is that really call the King who Doganbo-san called His Majesty that? Thats bad, Gn-san. Hes my good brother. Eh!? Brother? T-then Gn-san is royalty? Tch, that was a long time ago. Im just Gn now. The supervisor of the alcohol production in the Sanctuary. U-umm, is that okay? Just leave it at that. Both of them have the title of God Craft, Gn-aniki who has nothing but crafting in his mind, and His Majesty Goban who preferred to manage the country. As a Dwarf, Gn-anikis way of life is correct, but as royalty, His Majesty Goban is right. Recently, Ive gotten close to Kings and royalty, so I wouldnt shrink away even if Gn-san was royalty, but Back then, Gn-san who had absolutely no interest in seeding the throne had abandoned his right to seed and built his own workshop, which was the start of the workshop from yesterday. From when they were kids, the previous King had drilled cksmithing into the siblings. The two brothers likely had great talent. They were able to attain the title of God Craft after practicing for a century. However, Gn-san was not satisfied with the title of God Craft. There were two patterns for attaining this title. First, a written status for having been recognized by many people. This was how the two siblings obtained theirs. The other was a status conferred when Goddess Norn has acknowledged the person. This pattern was simr to my status as a Dragon yer. Despite not having been recognized by Goddess Norn, to be conferred with a title with God is scummy. Its not like that. The current Gn-san is definitely a God Craft. After devoting himself everyday for a long time, Gn-san lived up to his title. Well, that doesnt matter. Rather, weve arrived at my rmendedpany. The building Gn-san showed us to was arge building the size of Gn-sans workshop. *** Footnotes: 1. Doisy is pronounced as Dwa-see. Chapter 390: Takumi’s shopping spree Chapter 390: Takumis shopping spree It was owned by one of Gnomstolls leadingpanies, and it specialized in the sale of magic devices. They sold an array of magic devices from the 1st floor to the 3rd floor. This is the ce most abundant with magic devices in the capital. There are Dwarves in the Sanctuary, but most of them took part in making alcohol. Lets take this chance to buy all sorts of magic devices. Indeed. There might be ones that might be perfect for the Sanctuary Citizens. The residences in the Sanctuary were fully equipped with water and sewer services. The residential areas of course had been installed with a Purifier MD, and it was standard for each house to be installed with a Toilet MD as well. But when ites to cooking, many still use a traditional stove. Lighting was also typically with oilmps too. Sophia, Maria, lets buy all sorts of souvenirs for the people in the Sanctuary. Understood. Lets buy plenty of Light MD and Stove MDs. Right. It would be very convenient to have a magic stove for cooking. Maria, who usually cooks ins the Sanctuary mansion with Marnie, agreed. Y-yeah. I think it would be convenient. Sophia-san, you arent usually in the kitchen, though, no? Urk. Now, now, if you have anything else youre interested in getting, you may as well. Theres nothing Laeva and I cant do if we try to get all the magic devices the Sanctuary needs. But I have way too much money umting. So I should buy the things I could. The first floor disyed a mass of magic devices. Maria and Marnie headed to the second floor to look at kitchen-rted magic devices. Akane and Lulu-chan went window shopping, wandering around to see if theres anything interesting. Now then, I should also go around Everything inside the mansion was made by either Laeva or me, so the design was ended up being somewhat simr. Well, its nice having a sense of oneness, but peoples work could be stimting too.. Takumi-sama, the Lighiting MDs that the Dwaves made are also quite nice. Thats true. I thought they just had simple designs, but there are also those that were artistically crafted and high end too. Lets buy many types of Lighting MDs. Sophia and Maria[1] handed the clerk one magic device after the other. D-dear customer, is it alright to buy these many? Yep, money is no problem. You dont have to worry about the delivery either. We have a way to store it. I-is that so? I understand. We will get these amounts ready soon. The clerk instructed another clerk to prepare Sophia and Marias Lighting MD order. This floormp is also well made, Sophia-san. Maria, I think the type that lights up the whole room would please everyone in the Sanctuary. No way~ this is for my room. Mhmm, then theres no problem. Then perhaps I should search for things for my own room. It would seem theyre gonna search for lights for their own rooms. In the Sanctuary mansion, Sophia, Maria, and Marnie had their own separate bedrooms in addition to my master bedroom. That said, I never sleep alone. Somehow, a rotation had been decided before I knew it. Still, there really is an abundance in variety. The dwarves over there must be a group of hard working craftsmen. Ive seen catalogues of light fixtures in Japan, but the Dwarves in this world wouldnt lose. Ahh, by now, Japan would even have catalogues on the inte huh. Lighting MDs of various designs were on disy, ranging from the stand type and ceiling lights, to even theplete art pieces like sconces and chandeliers. We informed the clerk of the quantities we want of the items we liked, and the clerk noted down the type and quantity of each product. We havent really had the chance to spend money like this. Volton was one thing, but theres absolutely no opportunity to spend money while living in the Sanctuary. Maria and Marnie were having some sort of discussion in front of arge magic stove. Whats up? Ah! Takumi-sama. Please look at this oven. It looks very easy to use. The design is simple, and it think it would be very easy to clean too. It looked like they were mulling over whether to buy it or not. Hmmmm, then shouldnt you just buy it? Is that okay? Its a little pricey, you know? Even if you say its expensive, its not like our family cant buy it, right? You can buy whatever what you like. Thank you very much! Maria and Marnie thanked me happily. Was the stove at the mansioncking? Oh well. Im not much of a cook, so Im sure there are methods of cooking that I dont know about. In the end, we spent the day shopping in the store until dusk. The mountain of products stored in a warehouse were all stored into my Item Box, but that in itself took a lot of time to do. Needless to say, the shopkeepers all looked pleased with the money that flew their way. *** Footnotes: 1. This confuses me, a few lines back, author said Maria and Marnie went to the 2nd room, but then shes here. Chapter 391: The workshop once more Chapter 391: The workshop once more Yesterday, we went shopping for magic tools, and today we were nning on rxing at the inn, but I am revisiting the workshop that Gn-san used to supervise which we had visited the other day. just in case, could you tell me why? Sorry. It looks like my younger brother wants to see you. umm, Gn-sans younger brother how many do you have? Well, just one. Rather, he just took me with him. Whatchall bbering about!? Are you Iruma? I am this countrys King, Goban Gnomstoll. So it really is that. A dwarf who robed in excellent clothing and looked simr to Gn-san had grown impatient and began talking. There were 5 dwarven knights(?) wearing sweltering full te armor guarding him. My brother is back in the country, yet he hasnt shown his mug even once. Upon investigation, I was told he was with visitors. I seee Moreover, I heard you made things with my brother. I seeee Making something with Gn-san, could it be the Oceanus? Or the Ouranos? Its true he helped me out, but what should I say? Does that mean that youre an artisan that is able to work alongside my brother who is a God Craft? Even though youre not a Dwarf? With those frail arms? No, I received assistance from Gn-san, but Cut it out! Gn-san yelled at King Goban. Goban, when was thest time you swung your hammer? Brother, Im busy with the Kings work. I dont have the time to hold my hammer. Hmph. A craftsman who doesnt even hold his hammer has no right to speak ill off Takumi! Relinquish your title as God Craft! Compared to you, Takumi would make a better sword! Wait, thats not how you talk to someone. Look, King Goban was dyed red. Grrrr, a duel then! Very well! Dont embarrass yourself with those rusty arms! Wait wait wait, Gn-san. I came here for a honeymoon. King Goban, please dont take it seriously! How did it turn out this way. I said I was going on a honeymoon for this trip, didnt I? Gn-san, stop smirking. This flow of events, he did this on purpose, didnt he? Stoooop iiiit~! I was dragged into Gn-sans special magic furnace room in the basement. Goban will likely take 3 days to forge a sword. I doubt that a King has that much time. Dont worry, brother, Ill open three days at all costs. Normally, it would be impossible to forge a sword in three days. But if a Dwarf has a good of Earth Magic, Fire Magic, and Smithing Magic, it might be possible. Well, I can make it in a day though. No, in my case, I barely swing a hammer. From rough molding to heat control, to metal structure arrangement, I adjust everything with magic. I havent uttered a single letter of okay, but now I had to stay in this country for a while. When I went back to the inn and informed the girls, they epted it without difficulty. Understood. We will thoroughly enjoy ourselves so theres no need to worry. Eh. This is a honeymoon right? Perplexed by my wives answers, Laeva spoke up. Takumi-sama, its almost time to deliver goods to the Papeck Company. Laeva would like to work at the Sanctuary for a day. R-right. is a day okay? If we work hard all day, it would be fine. Work hard all day, huh. And then Akane raised her hand at me. It doesnt change even if its Valkyra Kingdom or Lomaria Kingdom, Id like it if you take me to a capital. Umm, why? When I was about to go to the Sanctuary, she said she wanted me to teleport her. Gnomstolls food is pretty good, restaurants have regr food they are heavy on the spices and heat. , but for sweets and desserts, it has to be Valkyra Kingdom or Lomaria Kingdom. Akane-sama and Lulu will buy plenty of sweets for everyone nya! When Lulu-chan said so, Maria and Marnie nodded. It looks like Akane and Lulu-chan were the representatives to go buy that stuff. Kaede wants to go with master. Oh, Kaede you want to keep mepany? Kaede raised her hand energetically and said she would return to the Sanctuary with me. That makes me a bit happy. Ill y with friends`! Ah, so thats how it is. So it was to y with the children in the Sanctuary. After that, I was told by royal castle that the King was secluding himself for three days in his workshop starting the day after tomorrow. It seemed like I had to be present for a day or so. The n is that after the Kingpletes his sword after three days, I will go to the workshop the next day to make my sword. Its important so Ill say it as many times as I have to, I am on my honeymoon *** Chapter 392: Speak with Hammers Chapter 392: Speak with Hammers King Gobans smithing is in the orthodox dwarven style. His chosen material was adamantite. Refined adamantite to be used to make a single sword. Of course, the repeated folding sword steel method like that in Japan wasnt used. In the workshop, a skilled cksmith took up his hammer. The rhythmic sound of hammering metal. The lump of adamantite in the magic furnace changed shapes. A longsword was being forged in front of me. Heated many times over, the impurities were hammered out, and the metal structure was being adjusted with each temper. It would seem that the titles of the only two people dubbed with the title of God Craft in the country was not just for show, and in this ce, it would bepleted by tomorrow. King Goban hammered the longsword in a day, corrected it with Smithing Magic and a file, and tomorrow he would quench it. Even with magic metals, the hardening process by way of quenching didnt change. However, the temperature at which it is heated to is by each craftsmans eyes. On the day of quenching, the lights illuminating the special magic furnace room were all extinguished, and only the fire from the furnace dimply lit the surroundings. The heated de glowed orange. King Goban watched the timing and finished it by rapidly cooling the de through quenching. The lights were turned back on, and from the look on King Gobans face, he was satisfied with the sword he forged. All that is left is to make minute adjustments and sharpen it. If you ept defeat, do it immediately. Haha, I do not want to make Gn-san lose face, so I will do my best. The next day, in the basement of the workshop, I walked to the magic furnace. In my case, I would mainly be using alchemy, Earth magic, and Smithing magic to create the sword, so the magic furnace was only to help cut my MP consumption. This time, I decided to avoid making a long sword like King Goban had. If Ipeted with the King of a country in the same field and I win, King Goban would lose face, and if I lose, Gn-san would lose face. Thats why the sword I will make would be a Japanese sword. For Japanese swords, high carbon steel used for the exterior and edge, and the low carbon steel used for the heart, back and tang were repeatedly folded together based on their purposes then molded into a sword. I will substitute most of this process with magic to shorten the time. That said, I will be using a fantasy metal that doesnt exist on Earth for this weapon. It wasnt simr to iron. However, Gn-san and I researched it from time to time when we worked together. We tested whether it was possible to reproduce unbreaking, unbending, well cutting Japanese swords with adamantite. There, we discovered that we could if we used a bit of mithril and 0.3-0.6% orichalcum. Orichalcum, the divine metal which stands at the top of the magic metals, is a pliable metal that is harder than any other, and also highly sturdy. However, as might be expected, a swords worth of orichalcum cant be used even in the Sanctuary, but theres no problem if its 1% of the entire weapon. By mixing 0.3-0.6% of orichalcum into an adamantite alloy blended with a bit of mithril, I was able to reproduce metal parts for the edge and the heart. When I was making the Japanese sword, the fold forging, the so called mechanical alloying was reproduced with Alchemy and Earth Magic, and Ipleted four kinds of alloy (edge, shell, back, and heart) with various levels of hardness and toughness. Ibined the four raw materials with Alchemy, and molded it with Smithing Magic. The metal structure and the des form changed ording to my image. From employing the earth to the quenching, I reproduced it with magic based on the image I had. The ideal form I had in my head was one of the Five Great Swords, national treasures of Japan in museums, which I had admired in my previous life. The greatest masterpiece of Ohara Yasutsuna of the Hoki Province, a legendary sword. A sword which possessed both refinement and power Doujigiri Yasutsuna. When quenched by magic, the volume expansion associated with the structural change on the de edge causes the curving unique to Japanese swords. Annealing at low temperature once the structures stabilize, it recovers its tenacity. Smithing magic polished the de with plenty of small imperfections sticking out. Perhaps because its an adamantite alloy, the ore was close to ck, but even so, a beautiful pattern showed that the sword making was a sess. Takumi. Ah, yes. While I was gazing at the sword, Gn-san called out to me. I handed Gn-san the sword. its even more perfect than before. Its a sess. Thank you very much. I will help with the Enchantment. Please do, Gn-san. While Gn-san and I were reveling in satisfaction, King Goban yelled out. Wh- whats with that sword``!! Moreover, you barely even touched the hammer``!! Having witnessed the sword created practically with magic and a never-before-seen hamon emerge on the single edged sword, Goban-san could not hold it in and screamed. Ignore that loud one, lets talk about the enchantments to grant it. Umm is that fine? Yeah, the match has been decided. The sword he made is exactly the same level as it was a decade ago. He made no progress at all. At that point, that was his loss. Now then, lets hurry up and go. Gn-san pulled me by the arm and headed out the room, and from behind us, I could hear King Goban screaming. *** Chapter 393: Becoming a national treasure Chapter 393: Bing a national treasureGn-san and I moved to the 3rd Floor to make it into a proper sword. While Gn-san shaved the hilt and scabbard, I prepared the habaki[1], guard, and the leather and string that would coil around the hilt. To finish it off, Gn-san and I worked together to endow it with enchantments to strengthen the sword. This is satisfactory. Let me see too. Ah, Doganbo-san. Since when did you arrive? Doganbo-san spoke up from the other side. He told us why he came to the workshop as he received the sword from Gn-san. Obviously Im bored. Just like Sophia and the girls, theres nothing left to see. This is my homnd, after all. It seems he simply had free time. So, while he wasnt too interested, he came to see how the smithing showdown between King Goban and I was going. Hou is ayer of the metallic structure making the wave-like pattern on the metal? A slender, curved, single edged sword, huh? It seems difficult to use, but what a beautiful sword. Right? But it isnt just a slender beauty, you know? This sword Just as Gn-san said so, the door mmed open and an angry King Goban barged in. The match should be about thepleted sword. How it was made is inconsequential! Are you in any position to say that? Younger brother of mine. King Goban said so as as he clutched a jewel-adorned long sword. Mu, its a matter of which sword excels! The type of sword is different, so I dont think either can win or lose I tried saying that there was no need to decide on a clear winner, but that wouldnt do. Oh what, you made a sword by changing it with magic but youre admitting defeat? Takumi, this younger brother of mine clearly doesnt understand. Goban, lend me the sword you forged. Ou, look at it, Brother. King Goban handed his sword to Gn-san full of confidence. When Gn-san epted the sword, he drew it from its scabbard and examined it before handing it over to the apanying knight guarding King Goban. Oi, try cutting this with Gobans sword. Eh, this? What Gn-san said to cut was a steel longsword he himself had forged. This is a steel longsword I forged. Gobans sword is adamantite. It should be easy, no? Brother! Do you take me for a fool!? It can cut a steel sword right in half! Oi! Cut it! Y-yes! The Dwarven Knight took the sword to try it out and looked at the steel long sword, then swung King Gobans adamantite sword at it. Deiyaa! Gathering his spirit, the knight yelled and swung his sword down. Kin! The steel sword was cut right in half, and the knight trying out the new de was relieved. Hows that, Brother!? Cutting a steel sword is childs y! Haa look at the sword you forged. Hm? Ah, ahhh, its nicked slightly. Though its a steel sword, its only natural it would nick the de if its the sword that Brother had crafted. The adamantite long sword that King Goban forged had been able to cut Gn-sans sword, but at the cost of a nick on the de. Gn-san silently took out another steel longsword for testing, and set it down for testing. Doganbo, hand me Takumis sword. Here, Gn-aniki. Gn-san received the sword, he raised it overhead with one hand and swung it down without any spirit. The steel longsword was soundlessly cut in two. Gn-san held the de up so it could been clearly. Take a goooood look at it! That thin sword, even if its adamantite, it would still get dama w-what far from nicking it, theres not even any cloudiness to it. Goban, its a disgrace for a Dwarf to make a mistake judging equipment. Relenquish your title as a God Craft. King Goban was stunned. King Goban. Youve been so busy with the duties of a king that it couldnt be helped that your smithing skills have grown dull. What Gn-aniki is angered by is that a Dwarf who doesnt even take part in smithing couldnt even see the value of the sword Takumi forged. Why would foreign countries buy here if a dwarven armaments were so sloppy. Someones life depends on it. King Goban head hung low in disappointment. Takumi, could I safekeep this sword in this workshop? It would be encouragement for the craftsmen of this workshop. Both the adamantite and the mithril were owned by the workshop anyhow, and if it can be helpful to the novices. I decided to store the adamantite alloy longsword I forged in their workshop. I hope that a sword like this could be used as reference and provide even a little bit of encouragement to the craftsmen of the workshop. Later on, this sword had be one of Gnomstoll Kingdoms national treasures. *** Footnotes: 1. Metal cor mounted between a sword de and the hand guard Chapter 394: A stopover on the way home Chapter 394: A stopover on the way home The carriage drawn by Tsubaki casually ran along the highway. If we were just going back to the Sanctuary, we could have teleported, but for some reason, we decided not to return directly but instead make stopovers on our way back. Yes, it was decided before I even knew it. By the way, Gn-san and Doganbo-san went ahead and teleported to the Sanctuary. They said that theyve already been away from alcohol production for too long. Then, at everyones request, we would go to Samandour Kingdom, but the route from Gnomstoll Kingdom to Samandour Kingdom was quite problematic. We could have taken the road through the savagends from the Sanctuary to Samandour Kingdom, but from Gnomstoll Kingdom, the only routes would be through the former empire of Sydnia or Triaria Kingdom. With that being the case, our only option was the route through the former empire of Sydnia. Without Gn-san and Doganbo-san, our members were rxed inside the carriage finally finally it was like a honeymoon. Its far worse than I imagined. Everyone looks dispirited. What Sophia and Maria were talking about was were the expressions of t he people in the vige we stopped by a while ago. Upon entering the former Divine Empire of Sydnia, what we saw from the few towns and viges we stopped in, everyone uniformly had dark expressions. The former Divine Empire of Sydnia was provisionally governed by Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom. Samandour Kingdom and Gnomstoll Kingdom were aiding with goods. Knight orders from Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom were going around on patrol mainly inrge cities to preserve public order, though it seems that not only the bandits but also theck of adventurers dyed the extermination of monsters which cause plenty of damage to crops. To begin with, while the Divine Empire of Sydnia had an Adventurers Guild branch, the adventurers who wanted to avoid war had fled to other countries. When the country copsed, perhaps because the knights from the adjacent countries intervened, the number of adventurers didnt increase to satisfactory levels. Request forms were sent out to the adventurers guilds in adjacent countries, and there were those who were dispatched for monster subjugations, but even then, it seemed it was difficult for adventurers who once made it their base toe back. The Goblins and Kobolds have multiplied considerably. Orcs and Ogres may have made colonies and multiplied as well. In hopes of helping the people of former Sydnia, we talked about hunting all the monsters that we could on our way to Samandour Kingdom. As a result, I used a magic device to suppress Tsubakis overwhelming presence, and we traversed the main road in a way that made it easy for us to be attacked, and out they came. Arge number of monsters attacked. Naturally, we subjugated with a search and destroy tactic. Once in a while, Kaede detects goblin settlements, so we really ended up making detours, but goblins were like C [1(cockroaches)], so if you find one, you have to assume that theres a hundred more and be very scrupulous with exterminating them. There probably arent any beginner adventurers in Sydnia who would hunt goblins. It was originally knights and soldiers who belonged to church who exterminated the monsters. Just as Sophia said, the former Divine Empire of Sydnia subjugated monsters without the help of adventurers and by only using the churchs battle prowess. The goblin subjugations were also part of the training of novice knights and soldiers of the chruch. As such, with the adventurers escaping from this country when it was on the brink of copsing and when their ranks crumbled, they had no fighting force capable of dealing with not just the bandits but also the monsters. The knight orders from Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom routinely exterminate monsters and go on expeditions to subjugate bandits, but the adventurers didnte back. Isnt that serious? Right now, the savagends are all the rave for adventurers. Maria was saying that adventurers couldnt be counted on. Recently, several new towns have beenpleted in the Savage Lands, and the movement of goods and people were active. Sanctuary procurement, or rather, the Sanctuary bubble. Naturally, there were plenty of jobs for adventurers, from escorting merchant troupes to subjugating monsters or escorts around the city and the surroundings of the roads. But hunting goblins, kobolds, and wolf type monsters no longer taste good. Well, just give up on that. We arent entirely unrted to the copse of Sydnia. Even if its Goblin Generals and Kings, we dont have the time to be gathering proof of subjugation anymore. We just go straight to burning and burying them. I understand Akanesints, but its true that we doomed them to their fate even if the former Divine Empire of Sydnia was the true cause, so I think a little bit of the duty falls onto us. Ah, I see a vige is it being attacked? Tsubaki! Sophia spotted a vige not so far off from the road, but it looked like it was being attacked by something. I yelled to Tsubaki, and she sped up fiercely. *** Chapter 395: A small tidy up Chapter 395: A small tidy up Tsubaki sted through the main road. Once we got close enough to see the vige clearly, we witnessed the orcs attack the vige. Everyone! Get ready for battle! Were going in! Takumi! Ferryl please! Seru-chan for Laeva too please! I opened the Subspace and Akanes familiar, the giant Luna Wolf Ferryl, and Laevas familiar, the giant Serval Seru, jumped out. Gloam! Take the lead! When Sophia loudly gave directions, the Thunder Eagle Gloam was thest toe out of the Subspace and flew towards the vige at high speed. GUOOOO``N UOOOOOOO``N GAOOOOON!! Tsubaki let out a Dragon Roar, then Ferryl and Seru followed up with roars of their own. It was a tragedy that could happen to anyone. People are born even in countries with copsed systems. And on that day, the vige was targeted by a swarm of orcs. The men and children would be food, and the women would be for breeding Uwaa``!! An excited orc slobbering in the mouth raised its club at a boy who fell on his bottom paralyzed in fear. At that moment, a roar that seemed like it could freeze hearts resounded. The startled orc seemed to freeze, then in the next moment when it looked up, blood gushed from its neck. Eh? Eh, wh-what Jumping over the boy and biting into the next, the giant wolf dashed towards the next orc. Doga``n!! In a different ce, orcs were struck on the head by lightning, and the smell of burning meat wafted in the air. A giant monster cat swung its ws, tearing an orcs shredding orcs throats to pieces. wh- whats happening? While the paralyzed young boy on the ground was dumbfounded, arge horse-like monster drawing a carriage had entered the vige and stopped in a cloud of dust. The people who came out of the parked carriage started running towards the orcs who savagely raided the vige. is the vige saved? Before the boys very eyes, the two meter tall rampaging orcs were being killed instantly so he couldnt help but watch in a daze. By the time we arrived at the vige where Ferryl and the other familiars came to first, the sight that awaited us was horrible. Corpses of half eaten men, women, and children of the vige were strewn about, and houses were destroyed. It filled me with anger and helplessness. We rushed out of the carriage in silence and exterminated the orcs that caught our eyes. We dispassionately killed the orcs that grew excited at the sight of Sophia, Maria, Marnie, and the other girls. I took the chance to attack the orcs gathering around Sophia and the girls from behind, stabbing their hearts. I then ran to the next orc. Kaede erased her presence and used invisible threads to behead the orcs before they noticed. Fumoooooo``!! An orc, who finally realized that theirrades had been killed, squealed in anger and brandished its weapon. I deflected its club and used Dposition. Suddenly, the log-like club disappeared and I ced my hand on the orc who was thrown off bnce. Dposition! The orc whose brain was dposed fell like a marite whose strings had been cut. Once we had exterminated the orcs that raided the vige, the young boy hiding had clung to my leg and followed me. Mommy is, mommy is. Oniichan, save mommy. Save her. Well definitely save your mom. Understanding the situation immediately, I summoned Titan from the Subspace and left the defense of the vige to him. Titan, protect the vige! Akane, treat the injured! Kaede, were chasing after them! Gotcha, Master! Leaving the treatment of the rescue vigers to Akane, Laeva, and Lulu-chan, and guarding them were Titan, Ferryl, and the other familiars. Kaede, seemingly aware of what direction the orcs had left to, she began running without any hesitation. As soon as I went after her, Sophia, Maria, and Marnie also began running. Gloam! Locate the settlement ahead of us! Gloam chirped and flew past us. We should still have some time. Were running to save the women who had been abducted from the vige. I immediately detected the vige women kidnapped by the orcs. We strengthened our bodies and fiercely gave chase to the orcs. *** Chapter 397 Chapter 397 The new colony had one Orc General ruling the drove. Close to half of the colony raid nearby human settlements to secure food and women. They were probably waiting for their spoils toe back right about now. The Orc General who was looking forward to making the females into seedbeds did not notice the footsteps of a death god approaching. Even orcs had enough intelligence to have someone standing guard at the entrance to their colony. Especially in groups led by a superior species, the division of roles is firmly decided. Two orcs were standing on guard at the entrance to vige which couldnt be called a gate. This orc settlement was made in a slightly opened space inside the forest, where a gathering of simple huts were made by logs joined together. A leader appeared from the drove of orcs that strayed in from another ce and built a colony here. Then it began to attack the human viges it finds. The entire colony eagerly awaited the food and seedbed-to-be women. Even the orcs standing watch were excited hoping to enjoy the leftovers. though that wish would nevere true. The orcs were clearing the trees, so it was easy to sense iing enemies at this time where the sun was high in the sky. Moreover, the orcs had sensitive noses, so they presumed that they would not overlook anything that wasnt their kind. On that day, their consciousnesses faded into darkness, never to awaken once more Kaede and I dispatched the two guarding orcs. Sneaking up from behind, Kaede, with her ws, and I, with my dagger, stabbed the base of their necks. Considering the sensitive noses of the orcs, we would first kill them with the least possible amount of blood shed. I stored the dead orcs in my Item Box. By some chance, there may already be people whove been treated horribly here. Thats why were trying our best to not be noticed. We approached the crude structures soundlessly, stabbing at the base of their heads. Kaede and I killed the remaining orcs, one after the other. (I wonder if theyll notice by now.) (The boss is with the underlings.) The ruling species which seems to be the Orc General in argish hut with several orcs. (For now, lets clean up all the surrounding orcs. Lets leave the orc chiefst.) (Roger, Master.) Kaede and I went through each of the buildings. Our presence detection didnt sense any victims in the vige, but the chances that there was someone close to death was around wasnt 0. Thats why, we were taking it one by one. When we snuck silently into the doorless hut and approached the orc overindulging itself on who knows what kind of meat, I stabbed it in the neck without any hesitation. It convulsed a bit, slumping down, and eventually stopped moving. All the small huts surrounding therger hut where the Orc General sat were exterminated in no time at all. They were stabbed in the back of the neck, so perhaps they wouldnt smell the scent of blood, but just in case, I ced all the dead orcs in my Item Box. Inside one of the huts, rough snorting could be heard. Kaede and I changed hand signs as we confirmed our targeted prey, getting ready to strike the hut at the right time. The hut had the Orc General, three normal Orcs, and two Orc Leaders. Kaede and I killed the ordinary orcs. No longer having to worry about blood, I severed its head. Beside me, Kaede cut off the orcs head using her thread. Blood spurt from the two fallen corpses. Gufoooooooooo!! The orc suddenly spraying blood from its throat and the orc that fell with blood pouring out like a water fountain caused mayhem in the hut. The Orc General roared, grabbing the giant axe set aside in the room. By the time the Orc General lifted its giant axe over its shoulder, Kaede and I had in the remaining orc and two of the Orc Leaders. Bufoooooo``!! The Orc General roared in anger. When the Orc General, with its 3m tall body, did a full horizontal swing, the crude hut copsed. Kaede and I escaped before the hut copsed over us. Bakyaaaaan!! Wood splintered flew as the Orc General yelled in anger. For an individual that leads a drove of a thousand, the Orc General had a stronger presence than expected. But not anymore. Compared to a dragon, right~! Kaede and I split up and ran. *** Chapter 398: Enemy no more. Chapter 398: Enemy no more. Aiming at us who had split up, the Orc General swung its giant axe sideways. With that one swing, an attack that could cut down even huge trees was headed our way. Kaede and I avoided it with ease. The Orc General, who was looking forward to enjoying the seedbed-to-be women, was in a fit of rage when we came in and killed its subordinates all of a sudden. Like a martial artist, it swung its giant axe haphazardly. (As I thought. Perhaps after having so many hard fights like in the Demon Continent, the Dragon Dungeon, or the material foraging in the Forest of Death an Orc Generals speed would make us yawn.) (Master, this is a weakling thats all body.) Kaede also dodged the giant axe that the Orc General swung so easily. The Orc General got more and more irritated at not even being anywhere close to hitting us. Bufooooooo``!! Its irritation reaching its utmost limits, the Orc General raised its giant axe overhead to swing it down towards me. This should be fine already. With the giant axeing down towards me, I stood upright waiting for it without even trying to evade. Bufo!? The Orc Generals bewildered voice leaked out. I suppose that was to be expected. With over a 1m height difference, I received the Orc Generals giant axe easily with one hand. It must have thought that it would be able to cut me right in half with its downward swinging giant axe. Compared to the 3m tall Orc General, Kaede and I were far smaller. The difference was obvious, not only in height, but in width and weight too. I could tell it was bewildered. The Orc General pushed down the giant axe down more, its nostrils ring. Eitherway, I want it to take the me of the ringleader at destroying the vige ofmany people. Dposition! The giant axe fell to pieces, throwing the Orc Generals bnce off, making it fall to its knees and its face hitting the ground. Guooooooo!! Perhaps all the blood rushing to its head at its unsightly appearance, the orc tried to scream in anger and get back up on its feet, but it noticed something was wrong with it and squealed in a panic. Kaedes threads had robbed the Orc General of its freedom to move before it had realized. Its impossible, you know? Thats thread that not even a dragon can cut, you see~ To escape from Kaedes threads, it would be hard even for an Orc King. I slowly drew the sword from my hip and held it up. All of you who eat and turn humans into seedbeds will never get along with us. Zan! The log-like thick head fell to the ground. Fuu, lets retrieve them and go back? Yup! Kaede will smash the building, okay~! Sure. We cant have fire magic blowing up in the forest, so please do, Kaede. Leave it to me, Master! If we leave this ce be, goblins, kobolds, or orcs might inhabit it once again. It would be best to destroy it without leaving a trace. After I ced the Orc Generals body in the Item Box, I also retrieved the Orc and Orc Leaders corpses from the hut. The orcs who remained with the colony, the orcs who were on their way back carrying women, the rampaging orcs we first encountered in the vige should be close to a hundred in total. These should be useful for the revival of the vige. When I retrieved the orcs and distanced myself from the colony, Kaede chopped up all the huts with her threads, turning the huts that the orcs built into nothing but wood chips. Master! Im done! Good work. Everyones waiting, lets go back. Yup! When we returned from the forest with Kaede, we walked in the direction of the vige around where we had saved the women and joined up with Sophia and the girls. Thank you for your hard work. How was it? Mm, it went well. Sophia gave words of appreciation, indirectly asking if there were any other victims within the colony. Leave the watch to Kaede and I. You all support the girls please. Yes, well do our best. Caring for the women who were almost seedbeds for orcs should probably be left to Sophia, Marnia, and Marnie who were simrly women. They might be afraid of a guy like me and a high ranking monster like Kaede. It would have been easy to teleport everyone to the vige, but as expected, theres no way we could use teleportation magic so openly. We had to have the women walk back home on their own feet, so sun had set by the time we returned to the vige. *** Chapter 399: Within reach for now Chapter 399: Within reach for now When we met up with my wives and the abducted women and returned to the vige, Akane had finished tending to the injured, and the deceased had been buried thanks to Titan. We were met by the vige chief. Everyone, to you who had saved this vige of ours and even saved the abducted women, my words are not enough to show our appreciation. The vige chief bowed his head deeply. I hurriedly stopped him. Please raise your head. We just happened to pass by. No, if it were not for you lot, the vige would have been decimated. The vige women would have suffered a fate worse than death. The vigers who gathered around the vige chief all fell to their knees and began to speak words of gratitude to the point their foreheads were on the ground. Everyone, please calm down! Please stand up for now! I managed to make them stand, but then I noticed. Likely because there were those who died from the attack from the orcs, the vigers were not in good spirits, nor were they energetic and many of them were skin and bones. When I looked around the vige, the field wasnt that big. Even if they supplemented it with hunting prey for food, its barely enough to keep them alive. And so, I tried talking to Sophia, Akane, and the others about offering the orcs to them. Isnt that fine? At this point, what would we do with the money from selling the meat and materials from orcs? Yes, I think its a great idea. Thanks. Ill talk to their side. I immediately told the chief about supplying them with orc materials, and once again, he knelt on the ground. As I had guessed, this viges food situation wasnt great, and it had taken a turn for the worse after the copse of Sydnia. Lets dismantle it immediately. We should make a storehouse, too. We cant freeze it to keep it for longer, so we need to process them into jerky. Takumi-sama, please calm down. The chief is confused on what to do. I was about to go wild with all sorts of thigns to do when Sophia stopped me. Ah, the chief is indeed bbergasted. F-for starters, Ill make the storehouse, so please dismantle the orcs. Okaaay! Very well! Maria and Laeva replied cheerfully and immediately dismantled the orcs. There were a lot of orc corpses, so the the vigers began helping out of their own volition too. Ok, Ill do the storehouse in the meantime. I asked the chief to show me a ce where I could build the storehouse without obstructing anything, then I built it in one go. A 2-story 1-basement solid stone storehouse waspleted just like that, and the chairman just stood still, dazed and mouth agape. I covered the basement with ice using magic to make it simr to an ice house. This would probably preserve the meat for a while. They were dismantling the orcs in the vige square. Ferryl, Seru, and Gloam also received a a bunch of orcs for meal time. It was then that the chief regained hisposure. Please make use of the materials that could be liquidated to restore the vige. Please be courteous especially towards the those who lost rtives. I am eternally grateful, but is it truly alright? Its no problem at all. You will need to go to the Adventurers Guild, so please be careful on your way there. Truly, our sincerest gratitude. Quick to stop the chief who seemed to be trying to bow down on the floor again, I took out the orcs from my Item Box and lined them up. The vige will be saved with this. Would it be alright to share this meat with nearby viges? I see no issue. Even if they were made into jerky, it would still be difficult for this vige alone to finish off. Moreover, this vige is free to use the ingredients and materials of their own volition. Don! When I ced down the Orc Generals bodyst, the vige chief was dumbstruck and jawdropped for the Nth time today. The seble materials and meat were to be ssified I also helped out using magic. Things like Dehydration and Aging were easy enough, after all. The dismantling continuedte into the night. And while that was happening, Marnie and Maria were made arge batch of food with the orc meat. The empty hands were provided with food, and the dismantling ended well into the night. Once the orc meat and materials were stored, we borrowed the za to rest. Night watch was covered by Titan. Ferryl and the other familiars were there too. *** Chapter 400: A journey to fix the world? Chapter 400: A journey to fix the world? I slept soundly in the carriage, and when the sun rose in the morning, I woke up and went outside to find there were many monster corpses. Out there was Ferryl who seemed to be waiting to be to be praised, Seru who was satisfied with herself, Titan who was posing as if proud of the amount of monsters it caught, and Gloam who perched on its shoulder unconcerned. Master, we hunted all the dangerous monsters in this area. y-yeah, you did well. I was at a loss for words at the proud Tsubaki. I had no choice but to pet the familiars as a reward. Oh my, did you all hunt these? As expected of my Ferryl. Good girl, good girl. Ooh, Seru, youre so clever! Akane and Laeva who got out of the carriage praised their own familiars. Im afraid that if theyre praised too much, they would do the same thing every time we camp out. This is looks like our departure will be extended. Seems so. But this vige has plenty of orc meat, so should we offer it to the towns and viges we will stay in after this? I guess so. But I think it would be better to ask the vigers for help with dismantling and then give them a reward after. Sophia alighted from the carriage, then she said that we should dy our departure after seeing the mountain of prey, and Maria proposed giving a bit of it as a reward for the vigers help. Lets do that. In the meantime, Titan can surveil the surroundings and repair their outer walls. The vige originally didnt have a good wall, but it was destroyed here and there by the orc colony. The vigers seem to have made some emergency repairs, but that wouldnt pose much resistance against goblin or wolf-type monsters. T-this is As expected, a mountain of monsters piled up in the vige za was conspicuous, so the chief hurriedly came to check it out, but was surprised to see that our familiars had hunted the mountain of monsters. Ha, haha, so you see, we would like your people to lend us a hand again. Ah, of course well pay you as a reward. He didnt know what I meant by it, but it seems weve at least enlisted some help. After that, the vigers all helped with the dismantling. We discussed it with the chief, and its been decided that the their reward would be a bit of the monster materials, magic stones, and a bit of the grain I had. Majority of the meat they obtained was orc meat, but the fields were ruined by the orcs, affecting their harvest. It wouldntpensate for that, but they were still thankful for the grain that I did have. In the end, we spend nearly the entire day dismantling the monsters Tsubaki and the familiars hunted that day, and that very evening, there were more monsters that were added, but I decided to just store them in my Item Box. We cant go on if we keep doing this. Thank you very much. Thank you```!! With the vigers seeing us off, we departed in the direction of Samandour Kingdom. Inside the carriage pulled at a slow speed for Tsubaki, we talked about whats toe. We ended up helping by coincidence, but the result wasnt bad at all. Indeed. We arentpletely unrted to Sydnias copse, after all. Thats right. I dont want to see the faultless young children to suffer. Sophia and Maria found no problem with helping that vige. I think you should do as you like, Dear Husband. Marnie 100% supports what I decide on doing. I wonder if thats fine for every case. I cant say much as third wheel, but while it wasnt very much like a honeymoon, why dont we treat it like Mito Komons country reformation journey? Whats that, the Mito Komon country reformation journey. Mito Komonya? Its the tale of man who went on a journey beating bad people. Akane gave a suitable response to Lulu-chan. Thats not the case. Theres no way a tour around the entire country is possible in the Edo period wait, thats not what this is about. In short, were going to stop by as many towns and viges as we can, and help as many as we can in those ces? DATS RIGHTO[1] ! so thats how it will be. Haa, well, well be stopping by many viges and towns, so we may as well help, huh. Outside the carriage, Ferryl, Seru, and Gloam were carrying the monsters hunted by the roads. It was a hassle retrieving them every single time, but I guess I could think of it as their stress relief. *** Footnotes: 1. Spoken in english TLN: Happy holidays! Take care and have fun if you all celebrate! Also, thank you for 400. Chapter 401: The Left Out Trading Nation Chapter 401: The Left Out Trading Nation Our journey from the Former Divine Empire of Sydnia to Samandour Kingdom was more eventful than we had expected. We rescued the vige that from the drove of orcs attacking it, defeated the orc colony nearby, then we offered the meat and materials to the damaged vige. After that, our familiars actively exercised by hunting monsters in our surroundings to relieve stress, selling materials to towns that have Adventurers Guilds, and offering meat to viges that dont have much surplus of food as we leisurely made our way to Samandour Kingdom Well, its for our self-satisfaction and a slight pang of guilt. We were the ones who dealt the final blow to copse the Divine Empire of Sydnia, after all. With this and that happening, we crossed the border between the former Sydnia and Samandour Kingdom. Samandour Kingdom trades with every other country, thats why there was no troublesome check when we crossed from the Sydnian border. They just did a simple identification check and we were able to enter the country. We headed for the port city at Samandour Kingdom. Samandour Kingdom is a trading nation Possessing the only port in this continent, they also sail to the Demon Continent to trade there. Triaria Kingdom was actively trying to expand in the continent and they went to war with Yggurle Kingdom, Valkyra Kingdom, and Lomaria Kingdom, yet Samandour Kingdom traded equally to both sides. Not too long ago, Triaria Kingdom, which received financial support and human resources from the Divine Empire of Sydnia which was located, went to war with Yggurle Kingdom and Valkyra Kingdom. Samandour Kingdom made enormous profits from selling supplies to both factions. Samandour Kingdom fundamentally had no specialty of its own. They earn by making products flow. They would buy armaments and foodstuff and sell them to Triaria Kingdom. They raised a profit from selling the ves gathered in Sydnia and Triaria Kingdom. If it had to be put into words, Samandour Kingdom could be called argepany. One of the influential nobles of Samandour Kingdom, Goul von Vautarc, the head of the Vautarc Earldom, was irritated as he checked official documents. Tch, Triaria is also unexpectedly careless. Instead of expanding, their territory is shrinking. They must have been exhausted by the two wars, the one over 50 years ago and the recent one, so The head butler standing by Gouls side spoke. Even if their war with Yggurle Kingdom over 50 years ago had been a failure, they didnt suffer much losses. However, the fight for the Savagends against the Trination had resulted in aplete loss. The Divine Empire of Sydnia who I had been supporting behind the scenes had also crumbled, so I lost two clients at once. My profits are gone. In fact, regarding the invasion of Yggurle Kingdom over 50 years ago, the previous Lord of Vautarc had sponsored Triaria Kingdom. His objective was to obtain Elven ves so he could sell them to nobles and rich merchants in the continent for a hefty profit. However, his prediction was off and only profited from the food and armaments sold to Triaria Kingdom and Yggurle Kingdom in that war. Then the recent war between the Trination ` Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom ` against Triaria Kingdom and the Divine Empire of Sydnia in the Savage Lands. If it was prolonged, Samandour Kingdom would have greatly profited as well, but unexpectedly, the war concluded in one sh. Theplete victory of the Trination was an unwanted result for Samandour Kingdom. The troublesome one is Valkyra Kingdom huh. The new magic devices, highly effective potions, the carriages that do not shake much, the leak of funds from our country these several years isnt stopping. Its a constantly growing deficit. These several years, a tradingpany of Valkyra Kingdom began marketing Toilet MDs. At first, Goul didnt even consider selling the toilets. That high nobles would not buy it. Why was that. Even in Samandour Kingdom, there were noblepanies that jumped in on such products. Now thosepanies were the only winners in the sinking Samandour Kingdom. It hurt that we couldnt be involved with the Sanctuary. If Triaria had been able to capture the Sanctuary The Sanctuarys products, alcohol and herbs, were traded with the Trination in small quantities, but that benefit did not extend to thepanies in Samandour Kingdom. Naturally. Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom were not fools. It was impossible for them to not realize that Samandour Kingdom was behind Sydnia and Triaria. Of course, there would be no way they would take on the revival of the former Sydnia, and as a result, Valkyra Kingdom, which was experiencing an unprecedented economic boom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom were reaping the benefits. Gnomstoll Kingdom which had sold massive volumes of armaments. And then Samandour Kingdom made a mistake with their misguided scheming values. This was not just the case for the Vautarc Earldom, but to all the nobles in Samandour Kingdom who profited were unable to gain the rights to trade. They looked down on Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom. Regarding Yggurle Kingdom, they consider it as the breeding ground for high ss ves. The nobles who managed thepanies of Samandour Kingdom were now desperate to gather information from other countries. Just so they wouldnt be disadvantaged somehow *** Chapter 402: Exploring the port city Chapter 402: Exploring the port city My first impression of Samandour Kingdom of the country was that there was something strange about it. I dont know where that mise wasing from, but it felt crooked. Samandour Kingdom, like Valkyra Kingodm and Lomaria Kingdom, shouldnt have any racial discrimination. Sure enough, the amount of Beastkin and Dwarves here are on par with Valkyra Kingdom, but They look gloomy. Yeah. It wasnt surprising to see Beastkin ves. There was a constant number of criminal and debt ves even in Valkyra Kingdom and in Lomaria Kingdom. But we could see that even the Beastkin who were not ves also had dark expressions. Also, we saw many mercenaries in the town we passed by on the way here. Yes. On the contrary, I didnt see that many knights and soldiers. Maria must have thought that was strange. Certainly I didnt see knights and soldiers much either. Oh yeah, I had heard something from Papeck-san. That Samandour Kingdom doesnt have much of a regr army. So does that mean that when they keep the number of soldiers down by hiring the necessary amount of mercenaries that they need? It was efficient, but it made sense why the towns and viges had such a mood. Mercenaries do not pledge their allegiance to king or lord. Their priority lies in their own interests. Such people would not protect their country. There is little racial discrimination because its a trading nation, so I thought they would be more free, but because of the disparity in the economy, the slums were more horrible than I expected inrger cities. The growing inequality of wealth and the expansion of the slums is a problem in any country, but with Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdoms expansion in to the Savage Lands and the revival of Sydnia as ofte, theres an indefinite need for manpower, so the slums have been reducing It seems to be at an incline for Samandour Kingdom. Sophia is so diligent. Aside from being my escort, she learns the state of affairs of our surrounding countries. The source of her information, even I dont know. Will this country not invest on the development of the Savage Lands? I told the higher ups of the country that the area outside the Sanctuary were off limits. Well, the forts used during the war were used as development base and the frontlines against monsters. Yep, its totally not off limits. Normal merchants from Samandour Kingdom woulde all the way to the Sanctuarys outskirts to trade, but thepanies led by nobles werent able to advance. So is it really that? They must have sold munitions to the Sydnia and Triria which had lost face. Right? Samandour Kingdom was built upon trading, that much I understand, but in terms of mood I know, right? They purposefully sold goods for attacking the vicinity of the Sanctuary, and on top of that, they resupplied the march several times. Master! I can smell the sea! As Sophia talked about troubling things, Kaede who was riding on Tsubakis back shouted to tell us what was ahead. Ooh, the sea. The South Sea is enjoyable once in a while as well. Down the gently sloping road, we could see a port city lined with white buildings, and a glittery blue sea stretched beyond it. Im excited to go shopping. We have to buy souvenirs for everyone in the Sanctuary. Im interested in southern fashion. Sea means fish nya. Maria was looking forward to shopping. She should have already bought quite a lot at the capital in Gnomstoll Kingdom though. In girl-like fashion, Akane wanted to browse for clothes. Maybe because shes only been having meat ever since leaving the Sanctuary, she was excited to have fish dishes. Takumi-sama, did Samandour Kingdom have any potion ingredients or maybe medicinal nts endemic to this area? Hmm, not really, no. Thats a shame. Oh yeah. Marine products were a specialty of Samandour Kingdoms port city, but that wasnt a sales point for us who live in the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is able to export fish because of the Mermaids, so of course we had plenty of opportunities to eat it. Laeva showed interest in the medicinal nts and potion materials that Samandour Kingdom imports from the surrounding countries. Perhaps because Tsubaki stands out, there was a bit of amotion as we were entering the city, but weve safely arrived at Samandour Kingdoms port city at the southern tip atst. Apart from the country itself, the lines of white houses with orange roofs and the blue sea are really beautiful. Yeah, the color of the South Sea is somewhat different. Blue skies, a sea-side townscape, a gentle salty breeze brought by the tide. Mmmm, this feels so nice. We were in a good mood, but am I loved by trouble? Tsubaki who was pulling the carriage leisurely had stopped in her tracks. Chapter 403: Idiots are worldwide. Chapter 403: Idiots are worldwide. I could tell that Tsubakis good mood suddenly dropped as soon as her hooves stopped. Port City Biezzer a bustling beautiful city inhabited by, not only Humans, but also Beastkin, Dwarves, and even Mazoku from the Demon Continent is how it should be, but I cant help but feel Im loved by trouble. What stopped our carriage were, indeed, some seemingly slow witted men. Was the man who came out of a tasteless, gaudily ornate carriage parked on the road a nobles servant? Tsubaki must have also thought that intimidating people downtown was very immature, so she was pouting and kicking the dirt but still being patient. The foolish man took notice of Tsubakis patience and shouted at our carriage. The owner of this carriage! Come out and show yourself at once! I was fed up with the pompous man who had caused an obstruction, but if I looked irritated, Akane and Sophia who could havepeted for who look even more annoyed would have probably jumped out of the carriage to hit that octopus, no questions asked. Maaaaan, I went out of the carriage and Sophia followed after me to guard me. May I help you? You are blocking the road, so could you please move your carriage soon? Kid, I will give you the honor of offering that Dragon Horse and carriage to my Master! Hm? That woman, an elf? Thats too good for you, kid, present that woman too! What the hell is this guy saying? Hes not even here to talk. I decline. Youre blocking traffic so please move. Kid! My master, Earl Sechnal, desires that carriage and Dragon Horse! Present it obediently! That is out of the question. Tsubaki is my familiar, an importantpanion. I am not willing to give her to your master, no matter who he is. The carriage is also one that I made especially for myself. King Valkyra has limited the general sales, so please inquire with the Valkyra royal family. I had mentioned King Valkyras name, but the man looking down on me for being young didnt stop. Stop bbering and obey! I refuse. As we were quarreling with traffic on the main road, many curious onlookers had gathered unnoticed. Moritz, how long will you dawdle? Have you not talked to them yet!? Master, this na?ve and cheeky brat is making it difficult. From the gaudy carriage, a man dressed in tastelessly extravagant clothing that showed that he was indeed rich had alighted. This person must be Earl Sechnal himself. Mm, ohh! You even brought an elven woman!? Kid! Hand over that woman! Ill buy her for a suitable price! I refuse. She is my wife. This man is an Earl? Is this country alright? Kid! Do you intend to defy me, an Earl!? Full te mail ttering, knights deployed to the left and right of the foolish Earl. Haa I involuntarily sighed deeply. I dont know if it was their masters orders, but all of these knights were also stupid for trying to coerce us by gripping the hilt of their swords downtown. At that time, a voice called out in the midst of this oppressive situation. Ooh! To think we would meet here. It has been a long time! Your Majesty, please dont go by yourself! Walking closer with overflowing seductiveness was the Subus Queen Fraal who governed uros, the entrance to the Demon Continent, and her attendant, Ryuka-san, who hurriedly followed after her. Today, unlike when we saw her at uros, escorting knights chased after her. Ooh! If it isnt Queen Fraal of uros. To think you would have evene to greet Earl Sechnal, was it? Queen Fraal raised her hand at that Earl who started addressing her. Hm? Who might you be? Unfortunately, I have no recollection of you. You appear to have misunderstood, but it was Iruma-dono over there whom I called out to greet. Eh? Your Majesty Queen Fraal and this youngster are acquainted? It was then that Ryuka-san, who finally caught up, saw us. Ohh! Arent you Iruma-dono and Sophia-dono!? Its nice to see you. You seem to be doing quite well` Your Majesty, please dont move ahead by yourself. Youre already strolling in town without using a carriage at your own whim. As always, Queen Fraal was as free as ever. And Ryuka-san was experiencing hardships as always. And why are you in a ce like this, Iruma-dono? Are you having a dispute? No, actually Y-your Majesty Q-Queen Fraal! I have urgent business, s-so I-I must bid you farewell, please excuse me! When I was about to exin the situation to Queen Fraal, Earl Sechnal was suddenly flustered, remembering he had some urgent business, then boarded his carriage and left. what was that? Sophia and I couldnt help but stare at the tasteless;y gaudy carriage as it drove recklessly through the city. *** Chapter 404: Learning from the Queen Chapter 404: Learning from the Queen As we watched the carriage run away, Queen Fraal spoke to us. What, was that person your acquaintance, Iruma-dono? No, he was picking a fight. What!? What a fool he is for starting a fight with Iruma-don. Its Count Sechnal, Your Majesty. A vested noble without any territory, but he trades extensively, even transacting with our country, even if slight. His reputation though He is infamous for being one of the two foolish nobles in Samandour Kingdom alongside Count Vautarc. I dont know who that Count Vautarc is, but if Ryuka-san puts him side by side with Count Sechnal, he was probably not the definition of a decent person. Instead of standing around talking here, why dont we head to the hotel were staying in? Have you decided on an inn yet? No, we thought of searching for one after this. If so, were only using two reserved rooms . We rented two floors, so you may use as many rooms as you want as well. Queen Fraal invited us to their hotel, and Ryuka-san offered the rooms that they had reserved in uros. When I talked about it with Sophia and Akane, it was decided we would ept their generosity, we and their escorting knights headed to the hotel in our carriage. Queen Fraal and Ryuka-san were surprised by the rxing space inside the space expanded interior of the carriage, and were impressed by the minimal shaking of the carriage that already began moving. Now that I think about it, theyve never had a turn in the carriage. its amazing, Ryuka. I want this carriage in our country too. Your Majesty, this is the carriage of the Dragon Horse which is Iruma-donos familiar. It would be difficult to have an identical carriage. Hmph, certainly it would be impossible for an Earth Dragon to pull the carriage, wouldnt it? It can build it if the size is reduced. Though, if you contact Valkyra Kingdom, well, it would probably be fine. I see, how about if we order a carriage which could be pulled by two Raptors. Your Majesty, please hold off until we have a meeting when we return. Mu Told off by Ryuka-san that it would be unreasonable to decide on it immediately because of the countrys budget, Queen Fraal puffed her cheeks in a pout, but it felt out of ce as she was a sexy onee-san type. The hotel that a ruler of a country in the Demon Continent, despite its small size, was staying at was truly a splendid hotel. The two floors that Queen Fraal had rented included the lodging of their escorts and attendants, but there were, of course, still a surplus of rooms, so we borrowed to rooms. Once we had settled into the room, Queen Fraal and Ryuka-san hade to visit without their escorts and attendants in tow. The entire hotel was guarded, so it would have been fine even without the escorts. More than anything, Queen Fraal, a ruler in one of the countries in the Demon Continent where the strong bes King, was more than enough of a force by her own right. Thank you for what you did a while ago. Not at all, we would continue to trade with you from here on as well, Iruma-dono. Indeed. A dispute with Earl Sechnal is a misfortune. Its rare to find noblemen as foolish as him, so I think it wo uld be fine. We chatted idly with Queen Fraal while sipping the tea Maria brewed. This country is a bit weird. Is it because the King is weak, or is it because the nobles and merchants are strong? Indeed. Its unbelievable for the countries in the Demon Continent where power is everything. Heh~, But it still worked out well, didnt it? A feudal system where the kings influence is weak Id have to say thats closer to capitalism. Isnt it? It felt like a twisted feudal system. Samandour Kingdom is a country that prospered through trade. This was evident from the fact that they sold supplies to both sides during the the Trination C Triaria War. However, there has been a shadow looming over Samandour Kingdoms trade, which in turn caused Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc to be more unbingly impatient and irritable. Your Majesty, those two have always been mad scum. That sounds terrible. When I listened to it like a person unrted to it, Queen Fraal said that I wasnt unrted. The decline of Samandour Kingdom was because of the consequences of their actions, but you had been arge influence too, Iruma-dono. Eh? Is that so? Takumi-sama, the current Samandour Kingdom buys plently of things from Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom, but they have practically not been selling anything. ording to Sophia, during the war with Triaria Kingdom, skirmishes included, they profited fromrge sales of good such as armor and magic devices from Gnomstoll Kingdom, as well as food. Among them, salt was the chiefmodity, taking advantage of the fact that other countries could practically not make it to increase the price. However, Triaria Kingdom lost the war and was no longer capable of invasions. Moreover, the Divine Empire of Sydnia which purchasesrge quantities of luxury products had copsed. Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom ceased war for the time being, so Samandour Kingdom was unable to export munitions. Ah, the salt made in the Sanctuary is being sold in Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom, right? Yes. For the cheap, high quality salt sold inrge quantities to appear on the market, Samandours expensive, low quality salt had to be removed. because of me? I dont know if that foolish noble knew about me, but I seem to be the reason for his irritation. *** Chapter 405: Going for a dip Chapter 405: Going for a dipI exchanged information with Queen Fraal and Ryuka-san, then we went to dinner together that night. The next day, it did not matter to me what the Samandour nobles will do nor the decline of the country. So anyway, we went to this hotels private beach. As could be seen from the Subus Queen Fraals attire, swimsuit-like clothing exist in this world. Thats why its fine if we make swimwear, and so Kaede, Akane, and Maria were enthusiastic making swimwear for us. Sophia had a blue sexy bikini. The triangr bikini on her full body was poisonous to the eyes. Maria was wearing a red bikini, but it really suits a lively girl like her. Marnie was wearing a ck bikini, but with her chest which seemed like they would overflow at any moment, she looked like a very sexy woman. Laeva wore a yellow dress. It suited her slender figure. Akane seemed to have worn a white bikini. It might be rude to say it but she surprisingly had good style. As a 40-ish year old mans feelings, I think the style of Japanese women recently had improved a lot. Lulu-chan was wearing a navy blue school swimsuit for some reason. Even having her name stitched on the chest area was probably Akanes doing. Kaedes lower half was that of a spider, so she was only wearing a tube top to cover her upper half. Akane, Lulu-chan, and Laeva yed by the waters edge. And for some reason, sitting on the beach chair drinking a tropical beverage was Queen Fraal and Ryuka-san. Moreover, they were wearing swimsuits made by Kaede and the girls. Queen Fraal was wearing something simr to her usual attire, rather, it felt like she was covering more than usual. The swimwear Kaede-dono, Maria-dono and Akane-dono made are quite nice. Indeed. The swimwear sold by the hotel and this city are unwearable because they were too unfashionable. The swimsuits that weremon in this world were short sleeve, knee length-type swimsuits, like those in Japan long ago. As could be expected, Akane did not want to wear those, so she stuck her ground so she could wear cute swimsuits. Ryuka-san wore a high-leg one piece-type swimsuit. Though not to the extent of the Subus Queen Fraal, Ryuka-san of the Oni Tribe usually wore clothes that werergely revealing. Its good that the swimsuits made it in time. Akane-dono apparently had plenty of swimsuit designs. However, the escorts standing beside Queen Fraal and Ryuka-san who were rxing at the beach chairs were really uneasy. In that situation, the only one carefree was, of course, the Queen. We alsoid back on the the beach chairs and rxed. When I rubbed the sunscreen Laeva created onto Sophia, Maria, and Marnies backs in turn turn and they on mine, flirting like newly weds, Queen Fraal stared with disgusted eyes. Ha, haha, thest time we met was on the wedding, huh, Queen Fraal. Actually, we wanted to celebrate our marriage so we went to Gnomstoll Kingdom, but since we were already on our way back, we tried going to Samandour Kingdom. My! A honeymoon sounds fascinating! Haha, thank you very much. Gunuuu When Ryuka-san told me that the concept of a honeymoon, which was notmon in this world, was interesting and I thanked her, Queen Fraal acted weirdly. Ryuka-san, Her Majesty Queen Fraal is acting weird Please just disregard it. Her Majesty, who has been unable to find a partner no matter how much time passed, is simply envious. Dont sayte to be married!! I want to get married too! Even as Queen Fraal yelled, Ryuka-san ignored her, unperturbed. Knowing the situation of the various nations in the Demon Continent, I imagine that you, Iruma-dono, would understand, but the men of the Demon Continent were all strength-is-everything muscle brains. There were the rare intellectuals such as King Gandalf, but generally they were like the Beast Kings. Umm, so Queen Fraal doesnt like meatheads? Thats right! I hate guys whose brains are also muscles! Theyre all idiots who see things in ck and white on whether to fight or not! Well, that is true. Even the one called a Wise King was also a battle enthusiast. The Subi have a long lifespan, but even Her Majesty seems to be growing more impatient. Im not impatient! Im still young! ording to Ryuka-san, there have been a continuous flow of marriage applications from influential people from various countries, but none have won Queen Fraals favor. The Demon Continent is where the strongest person is King. Her Majesty said that she does not like men who were weaker than her though If you say it like that, then wouldnt that mean that it could only be the Kings of the other countries in the Demon Continent? Queen Fraals fighting strength was extremely high. If there was enough distance, Queen Fraal whose forte was magic may be the strongest among the six nations in the Demon Continent. Incidentally, the strongest person was the ruler in their own countries in the Demon Continent, but in reality, it was no different to an inheritance. In a country where the strong are revered, an excellent individual is also chosen as that strong individuals partner. And because of the superior genes being inherited, it was no mystery how the blood rtives of the ruler ascended the throne. After that, I listened to the sound of the waves as I continued to hear out Queen Fraal grumble about the men of the Demon Continent. *** Chapter 406: Man’s Greed is Boundless Chapter 406: Mans Greed is Boundless It finally starting to look like the honeymoon I imagined. Well, Queen Fraal and Ryuka-san visited frequently to drink tea andin was unexpected though. The reason Queen Fraal came to Samandour Kingdom was, of course, because of work, unlike us who just came by all willy-nilly. In the Demon Continent, it was possible to obtain magic stones, monster materials, and other things that were hard toe by. These were sold to Samandour Kingdom at a low price, which is then sold to countries that could process them, or be sold as raw materials at many times its market value. Even in our continent, we were able to get magic stones and monster parts in the Adventurers Guild, but in the Demon Continent, even Dragon-type monsters weremon enemies that appeared in dungeons, so ours cant beat the the quality of the magic stones and the materials of high ranking monsters from the Demon Continent.. However, the trade of those monster materials and magic stone was decreasing. And it was rted to me too. Actually, despite its distance to the Demon Continent, trade takes ce between the Sanctuary and uros. After all, we have the giant magic battleship, Oceanus. No matter how much of an advantage it has in distance, the difference in capacity and cruising speed between it and a cooking ship is like heaven and earth. Actually, the matters with the Demon Continent were reported to Margrave Volton. Even Valkyra Kingdom knows that Samandour Kingdom trades with the Demon Continent in small quantities. I was asked if there were things I could do with high quality magic stones and materials, so when I asked Queen Fraal, she said that an increase in trading partners was a warm wee. Aside from the magic stones and monster materials from uros, we import condiments like pepper, the grains and steel armaments from Valkyra Kingdom, and we export magic devices created from the imported magic stones and monster materials. Additionally, Valkyra Kingdoms ally Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom whose rtionship had been improving via the Sanctuary have begun exporting monster materials an magic stones for magic devices, so the amount of trade made with Samandour Kingdom was decreasing. Thats freepetition, so its not my fault. A shy carriage arrived at a certain ptial residence. A servant opened the door, and the person who came out of the carriage was the individual who fled from Takumi at the main street of the city yesterday, Earl Sechnal[1] . Wee back, Master. Umu, has anything changed? Earl Sechnal asked for updated from the butler. Instead of managing a fief as a vested noble, he not only does business extensively, but also serves as the countrys financial bureaucrat. There is a letter from Earl Vautarc. Hm? From Lord Vautarc? It must be another one of his get rich quick schemes. Well, whatever, my family? Mistress left for a tea party. Again, huh Earl Sechnals face turned bitter. His wife came from a powerful and influential finance noble family. As they were nobles, there was no love. It waspletely a political marriage, but neither of them were dissatisfied. Such is the life of a noble matrimony. Women and from the 3rd son onward born to noble families were merely pawns. However, Countess Sechnal, much like many of the other nobles wives, go to balls and tea parties everyday, and so, money is spent on dressing her up and buying her essories. Earl Sechnal also needed to host parties regrly, so with business not doing well recently, it was a very painful expense. After scanning the important sales documents in his room, he read the letter from Earl Vautarc. Upon reading the letter, Earl Sechnal handed the butler the letter. Fumu, it would seem that Earl Vautarcspany is also having it hard. Yeah, it was painful that we couldnt participate in the revival of the former Sydnia. Well, supplies were distributed to both sides during the war, so it couldnt be helped. Then Earl Sechnal suddenly changed topics. oh yeah, Lord Vautarc has connections to the Dark Guild, doesnt he? Yes. Their numbers are few, but I remember there was an organization with a skilled execution squad, but what of it? Earl Sechnal smiled repulsively at the butlers question. What, I was thinking about the get-rich-scheme that Earl Vautarc proposed. Get-rich-scheme? Yeah, that carriage that even royalty couldnt have, as well as the Dragon Horse pulling it. Those and I even found a beautiful elf Ive never seen before. The butler desperately resisted the urge to sigh. His master wants to obtain something in a shady manner once again. How long would thisst? The butler could only imagine his master was heading to his own ruin. Previous | TOC | Next Footnotes: 1.Count Sechnal / Vautarc = Earl. Chapter 407: Conspiracy Chapter 407: Conspiracy Earl Sechnal ran away as soon as he found out that Takumi was acquainted with Queen Fraal, but that did not mean he was giving up on Tsubaki, the carriage, and Sophia. Should I hire mercenaries to attack them at the border and have the dark guild just in case? He knew that currently, the Elf was staying in the high ss seaside hotel that Queen Fraal and her entourage were renting. Obviously, it would a foolish n to attack the a hotel with the royal warrant and its surroundings. What do we do about Earl Vautarcs share Earl Sechnal already had no doubt that he would get his hands on Tsubaki, the carriage, and Sophia. It did not even cross the back of his mind that this was counting chickens before they hatched. Adjust my schedule so I may meet with Earl Vautarc in private. As quickly as possible. certainly. The butler bowed his head deeply and left the room. Earl Sechnal moved quickly. A man whose steps were light when it came to conspiracies and money making. That was the true essence of Earl Vautarc. Late at night in a warehouse by the harbor, Earl Vautarc and Earl Sechnal had a private discussion. It was improbably for two family heads to meet ndestinely in such a ce. That was, unless it was to conspire and scheme. Moreover, as the Earls themselves hade, it meant that they were all the more vignt so as to not leak this information to others. Lord Sehnal, does meeting here means that its a job behind the scenes? Lord Vautarc, its an easy way to make money. However, it would require a slight use of force. Hearing this, Earl Vautarc grinned broadly. Roughhousing was Earl Vautarcs forte. From pretending to be bandits to covert assassinations, nothing mattered as long as he gains a profit. so, what have you brought to me? If a more miserly Lord than myself ising to me, is it a troublesome opponent? What, hes just amoner ording to my investigation. However, he is most definitely close to Queen Fraal of uros. Hearing this, Earl Vautarc thought about it for a bit. Fumu, so that target is profitable? Yeah, he has a never before seen Dragon Horse, and a carriage that not even kings have. That carriage alone would cost hundreds of tinum. Hou a Dragon Horse is indeed rare. There would definitely be many who would pay any price for a Dragon Horse. The carriage that Dragon Horse pulls must not be ordinary either. Earl Vautarc knew that the value of the carriage and the Dragon Horse would be worth thousands of tinum if auctioned, so he became excited halfway through Earl Sechnals exnation. When Triaria Kingdom invaded Yggurle Kingdom over 50 years ago, Earl Vautarc was still but a child, but the previous Earl Vautarc supported Triaria Kingdom behind the scenes. His objective was, of course, to procure Elven ves. Because the invasion was dered a draw, the Elven ves did not fall into their hands, so the previous Earl Vautarc was burdened by that loss for many years. (The Elves that father was obsessed over It wouldnt be bad to have one. If I get tired of it, I could sell it for arge profit. Not bad.) Earl Vautarc also had information on Earl Sechnals dispute in the city. Because it happened in a grand manner in the bustling main road of the city, the dispute itself was known was public knowledge. However, Earl Vautarc had his proteges intelligence unit investigate from the ce Takumi was staying in, to the partysposition, their numbers, ages, and more. As a result, just like Earl Sechnal, he had no doubt that Takumi was amoner. And so, excluding the information regarding the Sanctuary and Wedgefort these past few years, there was a difference in quality of information because they were Samandourian nobles. In Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom, there were a few nobles and merchants who were aware of Takumi, and matters rting to the Sanctuary, and the development of the Savage Lands. However, the other countries were concealing information as well as Takumi himself refraining from standing out, urate information wasnt transmitted to the Samandour Kingdomspanies. As a result, not even the fact that Takumi was amoner was conveyed to the country. To the Trination, the Samandour Kingdom was no different from an arms dealer in extreme terms. They were assertive with making sure that information about Takumi being an important figure in the Sanctuary doesnt get shared. Information that is only known by very few people in the Trination leaking to a potential enemy nation was very undesirable, and must not ever happen. And that was one of the reasons why two prominent Samandourian nobles were in a predicament. After their secret meeting, Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc began moving covertly. Not even a thought that this was a step towards their distraction *** Chapter 408: Exposed…… Chapter 408: Exposed Blue seas, white clouds hovering in the blue skies, I rxed on the beach chair and sipped on a tropical drink. (H~mm, this is the best. if those suspicious people werent here.) We were entangled with an insane noble just as we arrived at this city. Although he ran away because it just so happened that we met Queen Fraal, after we had checked into this luxury hotel, those guys had begun inquiring about us. (Listen, listen, Master, is it okay even if we dont beat them up?) (Dont worry. They probably wouldnt attack us while were in this city.) Kaede, who was the first to notice the presence of spies, came to be about it, but I told her that I n to leave them be. (Theyre roughly 10 people, arent they? They alternate in shifts throughout the day. So stupid) (Its definitely that idiotic noble,) Sophia and Maria were also bitter about it. Our party all had skills like Presence Detection, Enemy Search, and Magic Perception. Thats why the spies that the Samandourian noble could not hide from people like us. (They will definitely attack close to the border.) (Lets beat them back nya) Unlike Akane who was troubled, Lulu-chan seemed delighted for some reason. Previously, after having been attacked by a Dark Guild, we talked about how to respond to spies and assassins. This made us reexamine our equipment, but it really got us to polish our skills to protect ourselves from attackers and assassins. Of course, we dont forget to conceal our presences. We didnt like to show off being strong at a nce, nor do we like coercing others. Thats why, the spies wouldnt ever know that we were high ranking adventurers just by looking at us. As a result, our Enemy Search, Presence Detection, and Magic Perception skills were so polished that even master spies would find it difficult to approach us without being noticed. (Well return in a few days. but those guys need to experience a little bit of hurt.) (Indeed. That noble who said to hand Sophia over needs to be punished.) Even Akane, who noticed that I was actually very mad during the exchange at the main street the other day, said that if they actually doe, we should thoroughly roast them. Unlike me looks far different from my original self, Akane who came here still with the appearance of a Japanese high schooler couldnt adapt herself to this world where the weight of a life was so light, but shes been steeped in themon sense of this world. Her reluctance to take lives was no different in this world. However, if she hesitates, she would not be able to protect herself or her loved ones. The target being monitored was rxing in the luxury hotels private beach. Three shifts surveilled their room at night. Is it really necessary to monitor a normalmoner like that to this extent? Hey now, dont say that. I think Ill be fine knowing that those people are leaving this town, but this is a job. The spies monitored Takumis party in two-man cells. 5 teams with 10 members in three shifts. Aside from the spies, subordinates of the Dark Guild also snuck in. The hitmen of the dark guild were instructed to kill only Takumi, the only man in the party, if given the chance. Im getting a bad feeling. Oi oi, whats this, are you intimidated by one brat? dont you get it? My instinct are ring at me since the moment we targeted that brat. There were all types of assassins that existed. There are those who always acted alone. There were those that teamed up. Even assassins who work alone also receive help from support members on jobs. This time, their dark guild received a job request from their patron, a high noble from Samandour. The details of the job was to assassinate a silver haired brat. Apart from the assassins, there was a unit to secure that brats carriage, Dragon Horse, and the women he has along with him. And so, the assassins assignment was to murder one young man. In any case, its impossible inside that hotel. Yeah, doing it in the hotel that the ruler of the Demon Continent is staying in would be suicide. It would also be hard to aim for the target ying around on the private beach. The guards around the Queen are always vignt. Spare me the Mazokus soldiers. It would be impossible to do our job with monsters like that keeping watch. I agree. I dont want fight those crazies who live in monster nests. Many of Samandour Kingdoms spies and the Dark Guilds assassins have been to uros. And they returned with their self-confidence in fighting smashed to pieces. In that case, well strike at the border just like we first nned. Yeah, theyll get the Dragon Horse and the women, and we aim for the brat. The two assassins nodded to the other and switched shifts, and the person who left went to their organizations hideout to instruct them to add distraction personel. It was nearly time for one of the Dark Guild operating extensively in Samandour Kingdom to be driven to the brink of destruction *** Chapter 409: Let’s head home Chapter 409: Lets head home Promising to meet Queen Fraal and Ryuka-san again in the Demon Continent, we ended our honeymoon and went on our way. In the second half, I think we finally had honeymoon-ish days. There were presences trailing a set distance behind Tsubaki who was running slowly with the carriage. Theres so many~ Kaede who was riding on Tsubakis back said so gleefully. The actual spies, themunication ry team, mercenaries, private army, and are those the professional killers from the Dark Guild? Lets see. Assassination seems to be their specialty, but they will likely slip in during amotion and aim for Takumi-sama. A professional killer meant a Dark Guild huh Sophia and the others have no mercy for Dark Guilds, after all. After I was attacked by a Dark Guild, the girl group headed by Sophia had not even a shred of mercy for any opponent rted to a Dark Guild. That owl thing that targeted me? What was it again Well, whatever. That organization was almostpletely annihted. Along the way, we stopped by viges and towns in the direction of the Savage Lands, yet there was no change in the number of presencesing along. Samandour Kingdom was currently being excluded from Sanctuary-rted operations, so the cities and viges along the road to the Savage Lands gradually diminished. I cant say theck of pedestrian traffic is an advantage for the attackers. If the fight happens in this area, then theres nothing to worry about. As we neared the border, we understood very well the numbers and positions of those trailing us. Sophia released Gloam into the sky and it flew high above the carriage. As the carriage Tsubaki pulled approached the border between Samandour Kingdom and the Savage Lands, a portion of the people following it started to move to cut past the carriage to encircle it. Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarcs private armiesmanded their own mercenaries to pincer the carriage. The battle specialized unit of the Dark Guild blocked the front of the road. The spies watched the underlings of the Dark Guild, the mercenaries move from the rear. Though unseen, the assassins of the Dark Guild hid their presence and were aiming for Takumi. Attacking a target who wasnt even mature yet in a team of one guy and the rest were girls with this force may be excessive, but the thing pulling the carriage was a Dragon Horse. The man who thought he was being careful didnt think for a millisecond that this operation would fail. The man gave the signal to attack. They would kill, capture the elf, enjoy the remaining women and sell them as ves afterwards. For the Dragon Horse, it would be fine if it eats feedced with sleeping medication. A simple job. The encirclement wasplete. All thats left was to kill the brat and bring back the women and the carriage. The crooked smile on that mans face as he thought so froze. Tsubaki, stop here, eliminate only those whoe close! Kaede, try not to kill anyone aside from the hitmen! Spread out! I summoned Titan to Tsubakis side and headed to the sign that seemed to be killer. Sophia, Maria, and Marnie jumped out from the carriage. Following right after were Akane, Lulu-chan, and Laeva. Wha! Weve been exposed!? No matter, kill the man! Do not harm the elf! Guwaa! Kyaa!! Just as the man was giving instructions, he could hear screams around him and when he looked around to understand the situation, the soldiers who would attack and secure the women, as well as the henchmen of the Dark Guild were falling. W-what!? Whats going on!? The women jumped out of the carriage, ran between the attackers at a speed that couldnt be followed, and each time, a man fell. The women moved at a speed that made their body seem hazy as they attacked with various weapons in their hands. It did not take much time for those standing there to not be. this cant be real. The moment after he muttered those words, the mans consciousness cked out. When Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarcs private armies and mercenaries, and the Dark Guilds henchmen who were reaped of their consciousness were restrained by Kaedes threads, Ipletely erased my presence and went to the where the would-be assassins. !? The boys presence disappeared!? Oi oi, it suddenly disappeared. Whats up with that? Assassins must always be calm. The assassins who should have had that drilled into their bodies were flustered. It was they who should have erased their presence, sneak up, and reap lives. Losing their target was a huge error. And what the hell are they, those women! I didnt hear anything about them being that monstrously strong. The assassins were surprised to see the mercenaries and henchmen of the Dark Guild who should have attacked the carriage fall down in no time. Their minds couldnt keep up with this unbelievable reality. We have to kill that youngster at any cost, or well be in danger. Wha, oi! Whats wrong!? The figure and presence of the mans buddy who was supposed to be right next to him disappeared like the mist. Uwaaaaa!! Finally, the mind of the ruthless assassin had reached its limit and he ran without watching the oue of the attack. Kuh. Not that he was able to run away, though. I have no mercy for those who try to kill me and sell Sophia and the girls. He tried to kill, so he must be prepared to be killed. The men had nothing to identify themselves with. I quickly dug a hole using Earth Magic and threw the corpse of the assassins there, then returned to Sophia and the others. Theres still many things to clean up, after all. *** Chapter 410: Cleaning up and Roasting Chapter 410: Cleaning up and Roasting When I returned to the carriage, Titan had carried the men that Sophia and the girls defeated and Kaede had restrained to one ce. Are you done dealing with the assassins? Cant fool you, huh, Marnie? Yes. I can smell blood from you, dear Husband. It seems I couldnt deceive a Beastkins nose. That said, it wasnt like Marnie was criticizing me, she was genuinely just worried about me. So what do we do about these guys? Akane kicked the unconscious attackers as she asked. Youre a girl, dont do that. Well know immediately if theyre from the Dark Guild, so we can take the few that have their name tags to the next city. This should serve as a warning for those stupid nobles. This would be a warning to the nobles that fought with us. I think this would be severe warning to the professional killers rted to the Dark Guilds. If they stille for revenge to save face, then fine. The next time, total destruction. Its annoying, but a massacre would probably not be bad. Its easier like that nya. A massacre Akane seems to really have been dyed by this world. Lulu-chan is even more extreme Okay, well hand over the mercenaries and those from the Dark Guild in the city, but what do we do about the soldiers of the nobles? Cant we just unbind and leave them here? There were two people who were clearly the nobles soldiers based on their equipment. At least wear equipment that doesnt stand out, man. The spies in the back would also be difficult to deal with. Hmm, should we chop them up? What Maria was indicating were the spies who had been surveilling us for the past few days. Kaede then said frightening words cutely. I wouldnt do that. Aside from the soldiers, well hand them over as thievester to the Adventurers Guild. Leave the soldiers. Indeed. If no one returns, it would not be a warning. Deciding as such, we teleported to the closest city with the enemies. Just in case, we teleported to a spot off the road slightly away from the city, then they were loaded into a wagon and fastened to the carriage. Wh- what is that!? The gatekeeper eximed in surprise. I suppose it would be surprising seeing more than 30 restrained people showing up at the entrance of the Sanctuary. They attacked us so we retaliated. We showed the gatekeeper our guild cards and exined the situation. Learning that we were high rank adventurers, the gatekeeper was surprised for a second time. Please excuse my rudeness. Thank you for cooperating. We will take custody of them, so please present this document to the Guild. There is a reward, after all. And although its small, you may also receive money when these thieves be criminal ves. Thank you very much. I thanked them and headed to the citys Adventurers Guild. Akane asked me about the question that popped in her mind regarding the selling price of the thieves. Are criminal ves cheap? Even if they cant go against the ve contract, no one really wants criminal ves. I suppose so. She was satisfied with that simple of an answer. After that. we received the money at the Adventurers Guild, then left again for the border. They really were cheap. Considering how cheap theyre be sold for, Im sure theyd wished they didnt do bad things. We received money from selling 30 people who had fallen to criminal very, but it was not a price that people should be sold for. I wish these mercenaries had just done their job normally Well, we have no room to bepassionate. Thats right. Those guys would have captured Sophia-san without injuring her but they would have yed with us then sell us! Yeah, we definitely heard them when they were about to attack us. That makes me angry. Akane was enraged remembering it. Their mouths were also the source of their misfortune. That was one of the reasons why the women in our team hit them so hard that they fainted. Those stupid nobles would probably have the report from the soldiers. If they still want toe at us despite that, then we go all out. Shouldnt that be alright? When we set those two free, everyone coerced them with all their power, so we scared those two to the point they may have peed their pants. Nah, Maria also definitely went all out scaring them. In reality, those two soldiers may have been rendered useless after this. Being surrounded by us and our familiars, they might feel like they cant go out to ces. Well, well return this time. To our home. We boarded the carriage Tsubaki pulls, and we we were on our way back to the border. We could teleport to the Sanctuary in an instant, but I want this trip to really feel like a proper honeymoon to the very end. Chapter 411: We’re home Chapter 411: Were home Things happened, but the fun honeymoon(?) must also end. Theres still a way to go from the Savage Lands southwards to the Sanctuary. Indeed. On the north side of the Sanctuary, Yggurle Kingdom, Valkyra Kingdom, and Lomaria Kingdom have developed and maintained roads topete to subjugate monsters. The development of the east-west line from the Sanctuary to Lomaria Kingdom by way of Wedgefort was going well with fortress cities and highways being established along it. Also, the highway that continues to extend north from Wedgefort to Yggurle Kingdom was close topletion. The highway from Wedgefort to the Volton Margravery in Valkyra Kingdom was the first to bepleted, and the monster extermination there was well underway. The Table Mountain also had a nice view though. Takumi-sama, that ce is still a Monster Nest, so it isnt essible to normal people. Speaking of which, the Savage Lands are dotted with small, but many monster nests, so much of it is unexplored. Lately, the monster nests in the Savage Lands were changing. I suppose this is another effect of the Sanctuary, but while the mana was still just as dense, it seemed like there were less aggressive monster types, perhaps because of the miasma being cleared. Even so, thered be a problem with a road being developed towards Samandour Kingdom. If Samandour Kingdom doesnt develop the road by themselves, and if we and the Trination do it, they might be taken as us preparing for war. Ive heard that in the road developments during the warring ages in Japan were made narrow and winding, making it easy to attack foreign troops. If we build the road to Samandour Kingdom by ourselves, it might really be seen as the Trination preparing for war. Finally, the carriage reached the barrier of the Sanctuary. The carriage Tsubaki pulls passed through the barrier like normal and went directly to our mansion. Fuu, Im so d were back. Were home. Going back to the time Takumi and his group crossed the border. Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc, two influential nobles of Samandour Kingdom, were waiting for the report in their own respective mansions. The two who had no doubt about its sess were enjoying wine as they waited for themander of their soldiers to report back to them. It was then that they were informed of the return of the soldiers thatmanded the attack team. Ohh, youve finally returned! I- I h-have returned. Hm? Seeing the haggard subordinate, Earl Sechnal grew anxious for the first time. Did you get the elf!? What about the carriage and the Dragon Horse!? t-the assault failed. What reached the ears of Earl Sechnal who hurriedly demanded for the report of the result was not the report of sess, but of the failure of their attack. Wh- what nonsense is this! A failure I had added mercenaries in addition to the power of the Dark Guild, you know! Report properly! Earl Sechnal was furious, but his subordinate who brought back the report was expressionless. It was then that Earl Sechnal also slumped. Normally, when he would reprimand his subordinate, they would typically be shook up and ask for forgiveness. Why was that? The expression on the subordinate in front of him was he looked like he was pitying Earl Sechnal. he was a monster. We were unable to do anything. nothing at all. We were at our wits end. It took less than five minutes for our crushing defeat. All that while making sure we were all kept alive. Wha, what are you saying? There were seven people at best, moreover there was only one guy, wasnt there? I thought we had sent many times more fighting power. Still unable to ept the reality, Earl Sechnal said so, but the subordinate shook his head. My Lord, all seven of them were monsters. Additionally, they were not seven-strong. They were always followed by a Familiar Arachne. Wha, an Arachne Is that not a Cmity-ss monster? I cant ept such a report! Please understand. It wasnt noticed by our spies eyes, and it seemed like it possessed the perfected Stealth skill. We would not have known it was there if the arachne had not shown itself. They had other familiars which were out of the norm too. Please understand that. Earl Sechnals mouth pped open and close, no wordsing out. Mercenaries, goons of the Dark Guild, the spies, and all of them were handed over to the Adventurers Guild as thieves, and they were sold as criminal ves. The assassins from the DArk Guild werent included, so thats how it happened. Wha, those guys werent j-justmoners? The mercenaries and the goons from the Dark Guild were pros. Earl Sechnal should have realized. The opponent who had a Dragon Horse, which was difficult for even royalty to own, pull their carriage, couldnt possibly fall into the normalmoners. Recing the spies would be an issue, but the Dark Guilds goons and mercenaries was unfavorable. We should go about buying all of them, but Guh The spies of the Sechnal Earldom were one thing, but the mercenaries and members of the Dark Guild couldnt be left to fall into very. If that happened, the Sechnal Earldom would not have any mercenaries to employ. It was detrimental to the nobles of Samandour Kingdom who had limited knights employed and relied on mercenaries. It was even more unfavorable with the Dark Guild. Earl Sechnal who always hired the Dark Guild to do work for him behind the scenes had a give and take rtionship with the organization. So if he abandoned their members now, that rtionship would be broken. Exposing the dark side of the Sechnal Earldom that the Dark Guild has a tight hold on would be a huge problem. Shit! I will not just end it here with that brat! I will chase him to the ends of the earth and make him grovel at my feet in apology! The subordinate who gave their report gave their final words and left the enraged Earl Sechnal. In the room, Earl Sechnal was left there, stunned by his subordinate who had arbitrarily announced their resignation and made his way out. The fall of Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc had was just beginning. *** This is the end of Volume 8! As with every volume I had finished in the past, I will take a break. Thank you for reading this far and I hope you continue to read this with me. Chapter 412: Considering a reconstruction project (Volume 9 Start) Chapter 412: Considering a reconstruction project (Volume 9 Start) Having returned to the Sanctuary, we decided to take things slow in the mansion for a while and we did what we wanted to. I had all sorts of things to think about after this honeymoon. First, it weighed on my mind that the revival of the Former Divine Empire of Sydnia. Gnomstoll Kingdom we could leave them be. There were many friendly Dwarves, after all. Lastly, Samandour Kingdom which we stopped at had many problems. Stupid nobles picking a fight with us, purposely sending assassins to kill just me and to take the Sophia and the girls yep, if they do something to us again, well definitely crush them. I think the number one thing that needed something to be done was the revival of the Former Divine Empire of Sydnia. it was also a problem that the foundations of their religion was crumbling. What was once a religious nation had now lost its foundations, without a trace of it left. What if we use this opportunity to build the church of the Genesis Faith. Under the provisional rule of Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom, they were guaranteed the freedom of religion. However, they talked about what good it would do to continue believing in a fallen spirit, and rmended conversion to the Genesis Faith. Then, I thought about making amunity building. I know that me doing as I please would definitely be bad. So I need to go to Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom for their opinion. Should I write to King Valkyra and King Lomaria? Deciding whether or not to, I started walking to my room and thought about the contents in the letter. I asked Marnie to brew me some tea and to bring it to my room, then I returned to my room. I wrote a letter to the two kings, reporting the current state of the former Divine Empire of Sydnia during my travels. It would bad if we cleared agriculturalnd as we please, huh. To reim farnd and pull in a waterway, I think it would be quick work if I use Earth Magic on arge scale,, but for some reason, the Earth Mages of this world dont really use Earth magic for anything but battle. Only recently did they actually try using it for the construction of the forts and towns. But even so, Ive heard that with farnd, there were many people who dislike it because its not the job of a Mage. I think the reason why theyre now actively using Earth Magic to build their forts and towns was because they aw me using it to build the forts close to the Sanctuary and Wedgefort. The other nations must have realized how strategically useful it is. I need to have a reason to help with the revival, as I am not politically involved. Firstly, Sophia has anxiety with strangers, so it would be difficult to leave her with foreign duties. Moreover, to this day she still says she is my escort. Compared to when I first met her, Im not when I say that Ive gotten much stronger, but she wouldnt surrender that role. Maria was raised in a ve shop since she was a kid, so maid duties and chores werepletely left to her, but everything else was outside of her field of expertise. Of course, it would be impossible for Marnie who lived in a small tribe. Moreover, Marnie doesnt really trust anyone aside from our party. Obviously, Laeva was also a no go. If she had any spare time, she would hole up in the workshop and use it to research what she likes. Lulu-chan was a big fat NO because of her age. Which leaves Akane, but while she would be excellent as a student council president, she was still summoned as a high school student, so she had no experience with part time jobs or job applications. I couldnt bring myself to leave discussions with rulers, nobles, and the countries bureaucracy. Before that, Akane would probably beat me up if I brought it up with her. A few days after returning from the honeymoon, in the living room, I discussed wanting to help with the revival of the Former Sydnia, needing an idea that would not make the provisional rulers Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom, and that I want a negotiator so that I could freely move around that ce to some extent. Negotiating with higher ups is impossible for me. Id like to say you could do it, Takumi, but it would be unreasonable for you too. Takumi, youre a middle-aged sryman, arent you? Dont you have a bit of experience simr to it? I was a technician, moreover, I didnt really have that many negotiations and meeting with others. From the get go, Akane rejected and said it was impossible for it. How about hiring people for this? With the Sanctuarys crops, medicinal herbs, magic devices, potions, salt, marine products, trade with the Demon Continent, I think we can hire a few people. I didnt even consider that. Normally, that would be the case, huh. It was so normal for us to everything ourselves. We need people who think withmon sense. From the conditions of the Sanctuary, there were restrictions on employing people, but I think we could manage to look for some. At present, the managers rting to the crops, marine products, salt, medicinal herbs, and alcohol had been decided. Its fine to leave them as they are. In addition, I want to hire someone who would interact with Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingodm, and Yggurle Kingdom. It was unanimously decided that we would employ people. There was a possibility that theres capable managers even in vepanies, but I doubt they could be good at negotiating with countries. I wonder if I should discuss this with Margrave Volton and Papeck-san. I just want to help the people of the Former Sydnia, yet am I the only one who feels like were taking a detour? *** TLN: Early return! Vol 9 Yoroshiku! Chapter 413: More Serious Than Imagined Chapter 413: More Serious Than Imagined I first made an appointment with the chambein of Margrave Volton, Xervus-san. Margrave Volton was busier than ever before. The management of the Savage Lands, an area no country owns, was decided upon in a conference, turning thend into a neutral zone. Among them, Wedgefort, the exve of Valkyra Kingdom; The exve of Lomaria Kingdom which is a constructed city located between Wedgefort and their maind; Valor, the city constructed by the Trination in the vicinity of the Sanctuary which the trination had agreed to manage together. Owing to the Volton Margavery bordering the Savage Lands, Margrave Volton whose work had increased explosively was apparently so dizzyingly busy. Obviously he would be unable to meet us if we go all of a sudden. Why dont we hire someone to manage our mansion in Volton? Right. Laeva frequently travels between Volton and the Sanctuary, so the cleaning was left to her, but that might be a good idea. After delivering the letter to Xervus-san, and while I was cleaning the Volton mansion, Akane made a suggestion. We have no ns of selling the Volton mansion, so it would be better to employ a caretaker. This is way toote for this though. Wed want one for the Sanctuary mansion too, huh. Arent Maria and Marnie there for the Sanctuary mansion? When I said that, Akane shook her head in disbelief, and so exined. Maria and Marnie are your wives, no? Wouldnt it be strange if there are no maids and servants for that big of a mansion? You could hire servants from the people who want that job if its in the Sanctuary. I think there are many girls who would want to work as a maid. Sophia also agreed with what Akane said. Recently, shops have been opening in the Sanctuary, and it had be an environment where money could be spent. Those who work in the Sanctuary are paid ording to their work based on their work, but there were children who would help out with the fields. I think it would be good if they could earn their own money. Several dayster, a message came from Xervus-san that we would meet Margrave Volton. Long time no see, Iruma-dono. I hope youve been well. Your Excellency, Margrave Volton. This isnt a formal setting, you can just call me Godwin. Well then, Godwin-sama. This time, Sophia and I, as well as Akane, went to the feudal lords residence, the castle of Margrave Volton. After simple greetings, I began to talk about important matters. mhmm, so you want to help with the revival of Sydnia? Yes. Well, if I had to say, we dealt the final blow with their copse, and while we wouldnt atone for it, seeing the present condition of Sydnia, we wondered if there was anything we could do. perhaps supplying provisions would cause no problem. The Genesis Faith is also distributing good that would support its revival. However, there may be an issue if its the defense fortification and cultivating the farnds of towns and viges may pose an issue. That should be the responsibilities of policymakers. Apparently, how Sydnia is dealt with was a sensitive issue even for the Trination. They were stumped whether to divide and rule, or establish a new nation. If, say, they had divided it and ruled separately, it seemed likely that the Trination would have disputes on the distribution of territories. Margrave Voltonments the fact that a certain amount of time had already passed since the copse of Sydnia, but no precise guidelines have been established yet. In such a situation, it would be untimely if Iruma-dono, who was affiliated with Valkyra Kingdom, were to greatly develop Sydnia. I just want them to be able to live a life without starving, and not be robbed by bandits and robbers at the minimum. That might be the most difficult. I know that maintaining public order was the top priority of the Trination, but there was another dispute over which country was in charge of what region. So, I was thinking that there was no church of the Genesis Faith in Sydnia. Yeah, it was a country with I dont know what religion, after all. Then how about I build a few churches of the Genesis Faith, and then the practitioners of the faith can work there? If its the church of the Genesis Faith, then I have no problem donating them. Thergest religious influence in Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom worships Goddess Norn. This was no different for the Elven Country nor the Dwarven Country. Then wouldnt it be safe for the Genesis Faith to reach out to the needy people of Sydnia? mhmm, it would certainly be simple to make churches if its you, Iruma-dono. The Genesis Faith would dly ept it and send personnel to be posted there. Moreover, if they find out that it was Iruma-dono, the custodian of the Sanctuary, who built the church, the archbishop would be overjoyed and thank you. It seems viable. Yes, Ill try to steer the countries in that direction. For the time being, the discussion about supporting Sydnias revival had been settled. All thats left is to talk about personnel. *** Chapter 414: Referrals Chapter 414: Referrals After we finished talking about the revival of the former Divine Empire of Sydnia, we talked about employing someone who could be entrusted with negotiations with the Trination. That is a very wee topic. Xervus was overly pleased. Just as I thought it was strange, he told me why. Iruma-dono, you, recognized by the Great Spirits, the protector of the Spirit Tree, as well as the keeper of the Sanctuary, are known to those with good ears, not only in this country, but in other ces as well. Yet, when we want to contact you, you normally spend your time in the Sanctuary, or in rare cases, in your mansion here in Volton. When you are away from your Volton mansion, the barrier and golems protect the mansion, but there was no one to hand letters to. My apologies. The Volton mansion had been protected by barriers and semi-independent golems ever since thest attack in it. Thats why trespassers in the mansion were apprehended in our absence. ording to Xervus-san, there were many domestic merchants, nobles, royal family, and allied nobles and merchants want to sell wine and other liquor made in the Sanctuary. I also learned about that from Papeck-san. But the wine and other liquor made in the Sanctuary were basically not made to be sold to the outside. The Dwarves focus on making it only for their own consumption, so the amount being sold outside was limited. It would be difficult to increase the liquor production. Theres also the vineyard so it cant be increased immediately. Theres the issue ofnd as well. So that is how it is. If you were to buy crops harvested from a different ce to use for making the liquor, the taste of the existing liquor would change, would it not? The reason the Dwarves like Gn-san and Doganbo-san purposely came to the Sanctuary was because of the quality of the products made there. I dont know what influences this, but the crops that grow in the Sanctuary tasted superb. If this was because of the Dryas and the Great Spirits, or the influence of the Spirit Tree, I dont know. In any case, be it the grapes or the grains, the produce grown in the Sanctuary made for the finest quality liquor. Now, while it was few inparison to a normal city, the poption of the Sanctuary increased, so the liquor that could have been stored for a while was consumed by the residents. Though the Dwarves were doing their best to increase production, the current situation was that theres not enough surplus to sell to the outside. Materials rting to the Spirit Tree are highly desired by every country, but only a few appear by way of the Volton Adventurers Guild and the Papeck Company. The materials of the spirit Tree will not increase even from here on. No no, what is important is to have a point of contact. Saying that, Xervus-san pondered for a while. you want someone to take care of daily necessities even at the Sanctuary mansion as well. At the very least, for the Volton mansion, one maid to manage and one butler. For the Sanctuary mansion, one maid, and if possible, a cook. That makes four. Perhaps maybe two more maids, to make six. I-is that much necessary? Yes. Maria-sama and Marnie-sama may be able to take care of your surroundings. though I believe they wouldnt like to pretend to still be maids even now. Xervus-san said that for the Sanctuary mansion, we wouldnt need to find people from the outside, but there should be plenty of visitors thate to the Volton mansion. I was advised that by doing that, my wives would restrain themselves for doing the work of maids. If the mansion was the level that I live in, be it in Volton or in the Sanctuary, apparently that was the number of employees that was needed. Iruma-dono, considering your position, we must be prudent with the selection of personnel. Though, in actuality, there are many who would love to be sent to your side. People other than those sent by Margrave Volton and Papeck-san, would be somewhat terrifying That insight is correct. Individuals like that would love to wedge their way in to the Sanctuary in any way possible. Xervus-san said that he would consult Papeck-san about screening and selecting butlers, maids, and cooks. Please leave the matter of the former Sydnia to us. Im sorry for the trouble Im causing you, Xervus-san and the margravery. Not at all. Because of you, the Volton Margravery is more prosperous than it has ever been. This much isnt enough to show our appreciation. Smiling, Xervus-san thanked me. Xervus-san said that he would like to scour for the most capable people domestic and abroad to hire, and said that he would need time. The construction of the churches in Sydnia would be reported by Margrave Volton to King Valkyra, and afterwards, discuss selecting the locations and its scale, the supply of materials, and all issues that must be cleared with the Genesis Faith and their allied countries, so this couldnt be settled immediately either. I thanked Xervus-san and went back to the Sanctuary that day. *** Chapter 415: Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 415 Employing people 1 Chapter 415: Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 415 Employing people 1 A message came from Xervus-san that he was having a hard time selecting people. I talked about it in the living room with everyone. Its been a challenge to gather them? Wouldnt it be better to just search for maids at a verypany? Akane-san, even if its a verypany, the Moulin very Company is scrupulous with its training, so wed be able to get maids to work immediately, but normalpanies seem to only provide the minimum level of training. We cant expect immediate workers, huh Akane and Maria even brought up ves in our search for maids. We have many secrets like the Teleleport Gates and the Sky Inds, so thats a viable option for keeping them confidential, but the issue from Xervus-san was slightly different. Akane, Maria, what Xervus-san was talking about was different. Its not that he couldnt gather people. Hes troubled because theres a flood of applications. Considering how a butler needs to be a prudent individual, Xervus-san searched not only in the Volton Margravery, but all over to find a vastly capable and faithful individual.. Being employed by us also meant that they would be able to enter the Sanctuary. This meant that they had to pass in the strict eyes of the Great Spirits. The people who have hidden agendas and anyone with strings attached would not be deemed eptable by the Great Spirits. There were many nobles and merchants who want the Sanctuary-grown fruits and liquor, after all. Laevas potions are also popr. There was no end to the number of nobles pushing their staff to, as well as other people who want to be a servant to, the person who was considered thought to be managing the sanctuary which had plenty of items that could not be obtained anywhere else. When the information that we wanted people had spread, it became impossible to gather people. So what will we do? The butler has to be quite the diligent person or it wouldnt work with us. You have a point. Should we get Sylph and Undine do the interviews? The moment I was about to say that it was a joke, not only Undine and Sylph, but even Dryas, Selene, and Nyx appeared on the spot. Takumi-chan~, leave the interviews to us oneechans~ Yeah, if youre hiring a butler, that person woulde and go between the Sanctuary, Volton, Sky Ind, and Demon Continent bases wouldnt they? If so, we will choose someone properly. Such an interesting, I mean, important thing would not be possible without us, now would it? Yes, yes, Nyx and I have a sharp eye for any ill intent. yep, will see through them. Dryas, Undine, Sylph, Selene, and Nyx each gave their piece on how theres no better interviewer than them. Yup, they definitely find this interesting. Still, I guess this could be called a godsend. I get it. But the interview cant be in the Sanctuary. Dont worry, Takumi-chan. Us oneechans will manifest in Volton. Only few would clear our check, so the screening will end quickly. Takumi, you can choose who you like among them. Dryas said that it would be fine to hold the interviews in Volton. Sylph said that no matter how many people apply, there would be few who could win the favor the Great Spirits, so the check would end soon. And like Undine said, well have to decide if theyrepatible with us. In any case, Xervus-san contacted me to say he wanted more time. Thats probably to give time for other nobles and merchants to prepare to send people in. If only Margrave Volton deepened his connections, those around him would be envious. Wanting more time for the interview was probably for that. Akane and Sophia exined as such. What those nobles and merchants think is none of our concern. Yeah, once the date has been decided, do tell us oneechans. Well, even if Takumi doesnt tell us, well know anyway. Then, that settles it. Undine, Dryas, and the other Great Spirits said all that they wanted to say and disappeared. I wonder if Xervus-san would be surprised. I believe anyone would be surprised to hear that the Great Spirits would gather to be the interviewers. itd be great if it stops at being surprised. Sophia and Maria pitied Xervus-san who had to manage the ce that may turn chaotic with the Great Spirits manifesting in the appointed ce on that set date. Still, it might be better that Smander, who finds most things bothersome, and Gnome, who was busy with making alcohol, were noting. Or so Ive been telling myself. Cuz if all of the Great Spirits were to manifest in Volton, theres no way it wouldnt cause a panic. Its really making my head hurt. Haa, Ill make some golems to police the venue. Then Laeva will help too. Yeah, please do. Laeva and I moved to the workshop to build golems for the interview that turned into a bigger deal than imagined. *** Chapter 416: Employing People 2 Chapter 416: Employing People 2 Laeva and I made several security golems. They were Iron Golems made of steel. If on the off chance that they get hit by magic attacks, we ted them with mithril so they wouldnt break immediately. There were golems equipped with 2 meter hexagonal poles and golems with two pronged man-catchers. Because they were security golems, they had nonlethal weapons meant for suppressing. Having had fun making golems for the first time in a long time, I was on cloud nine. Naturally, Laeva wouldnt act as brakes but rather as an elerator and so the two of us made golems. I made amander golem that wouldmand the other security golems. Five Great Shield Golems, two Man-Catcher Golems, and a Commander Golem make up one toon. Themander Golem was also equipped two nonlethal jitte[1] for weapons. The jitte was my doing. It had the image of a hitsuke touzoku aratamekata[2] . Perhaps this was the vestiges of my time as a sryman in my 40s, Akane had absolutely no understanding for me. However, Laeva and Sophia, who I asked for her opinion, were amused by the jitte. When I exined that it was a nonlethal weapon meant for subduing opponents, I excitedly gave ideas about the length and shape of the hook of the jitte. Well, you could say I was escaping reality. Maybe we should have just bought ves to be maids after all I imagine the difficulty of finding the perfect person for it would be the same. I couldnt help butin at the situational report from Xervus-san, and hearing this, Sophia denied it. In any case, its quite fortunate that all of the ves that Takumi-sama bought were the best of people. Definitely Sophia, Maria, and Laeva were undeniably extremely talented people. I could tell just how lucky I was. Fundamentally, unless it was an outrageous order, a ve can not disobey their master, but even so, one cant tell what that ves inner feelings really were. Cases where the ve contract was irrelevant like in Sophia and Marias to serve me were apparently rare. This time, well borrow the Great Spirits assistance for the interviews. They could simply pick out the spies sent in by the nobles and merchants. Gotta thank Undine and the others. Three dayster, we received word from Xervus-san that the date of the interview had been decided. The interview was scheduled a month from now to ount for the participants from distant areas. Hearing this, I dejectedly thought that that wasnt too bad. What do you think could have happened with the construction of the churches in the former Sydnia? He also wrote about that. At present, negotiations regarding which cities the church would be build and where the officials of the Genesis Faith would be located in. Sophia said so, reading the letter from Xervus-san. I couldnt stop myself from being fed up. I just want to build churches in the Divine Empire of Sydnia, but theyre really holding me back. I understand the feeling of epting a religion different from what they believe in. However, if the negotiations werent advancing, thats a different problem. With questions like how much and which country would supply what building materials, which countries would be useful for missionary work, the influence of opinions of the citizens of the former Sydnia about the Trination and the Genesis Faith, it was understandable why the negotiations werent advancing. If we build the churches fast, we could have already established orphanages and have soup kitchens going The two matters in question, thebor shortage and the revival of the former Sydnia, had deviated far from what I had nned, and it had be troublesome. Afterwards, I escaped from reality and built security golems. In the meantime, I spent my days creating potions, and maintaining the bases in the Sanctuary, the Sky Ind, and Demon Continent. Then the day of the interview arrived in Volton. We teleported to the Volton Mansion early in the morning, ate breakfast there, then went to training camp of Margrave Voltons knights, as designated by Xervus-san. youve gotta be kidding me. theres all sorts of races too. This is beyond my expectations. Theres so many people nya We have to choose from these? The spacious grounds of the training camp was filled with far more people than we had expected. Sophia and Maria were at a loss for words, Marnie was surprised by how many races had gathered, while Akane and Lulu-chan were surprised by the sheer number of people. Laeva was horrified at the thought of needing to interview this many people. Yep, I feel the same way. Do we have to choose from this many? I never thought hiring people would be this difficult. *** Footnotes: 1.Jitte Corjutte(ʮ, ten hands)is a specializedweaponthat was used by police inEdo periodJapan Looks like this. 2. 𸽵\- A position that would crackdown on serious crimes such as arson, banditry, and gambling during the Edo period. Looks like this. Chapter 417: Interview 1 Chapter 417: Interview 1 Guided by Volton Knights, we found Xervus-san, and even Margrave Volton who was being guarded by Knight Commander Dorn-san waiting for us. Long time no see, Iruma-dono. Margrave Volton, its great to see you. I apologize for bothering Xervus-san with this. What, the bunch of nobles and merchants wanting to be connected to the Sanctuary have been asking the country and I if they could send people to you for a long time now. If a chance at a proper interview was arranged beforehand, then theyd have no more choice but to give up. It was then that Xervus-san chimed in. The interviews would begin shortly. I see, then Iruma-dono, our appearance would be hinder. Lets meet again after at the castle. Margrave Volton said so and went back. Then, Xervus-san, our party, and the Great Spirits who manifested before we knew it sat down at the table that had been set up. Iruma-dono, w-what is going here? Ha, hahaha Xervus-san was stiff in the cheeks as he demanded for an exnation as to why five of the Great Spirits, namely Undine, Sylph, Dryas, Selene, and Nyx, had manifested. Is there anyone more suitable than us to see through the wickedness of people? When Undine said that, Xervus-san couldnt say anything more. In the knights training camp-turned-venue, close to 2000 applicants had gathered. Among them, the majority were women who wished to be maids, from girls Lulu-chans age to women who gave off the presence of long time veteran maids. There were indeed those pushed in by nobles, as well as women who just want a shot at even a slightly better life. Their numbers were headache inducing. Hmm, rather than maids, there are kids who should be sheltered in the Sanctuary. Yeah, lets check those too. As Undine and Dryas spoke, they took note of the numbers on the applicants chests. It would seem some girls who werent at the age to be leaving the orphanages were also applying. Did news about this spread even to those ces? Takumi-sama, I believe that it was likely that the information circted via the church.. Ahh, I see. Most of the orphanages are run by the Genesis Faith, huh. ording to Sophia, in the orphanages in this world, children have to be independent once they reach 12 in the earlier orphanages. At thetest, they have leave at the age of 15 as an adult, but the boys who are able to do physicalbor could be a soldiers, adventurers, craftsmen which were in great demand with the prospering Valkyra and Lomaria Kingdoms. However, there were few ces of employment for the girls. And so the interviews began, but Eh! Thats it? Indeed. When the butler interviews started with a few people, those acknowledged by Undine and the Great Spirits only amounted to two men. umm, are there really only two people? Yes, the rest were people tied to some noble somewhere or were sent by greedypany with worthless goals. When Undine said that so definitively, I couldnt give a counterargument, so I was forced to ept it. My name is Sebastian. I am rted to Xervus over there as cousins, though I hope you do not take that into consideration whening to a decision. At a nce, he looked to be around the same age as Xervus-san, and they had a simr about them as to be expected of cousins. Grey, swept back hair, a neatly trimmed mustache, a straight back and good posture, he passes my image of what Butler Sebastian should be[1]. MM, doesnt he pass? I think so too. passed. Sylph, Selene, and Nyx said he passes, but we havent even asked or spoken to him. Umm, Sebastian-san, could you tell us about your previous job? Yes, I worked as the chambein of a ducal house. I had passed down my job to my son and thought to retire, but upon hearing about this from a credible source, I immediately retracted my retirement and applied. A-a ducal I suppose Xervus-sans cousin would be excellent. In fact, he said that he worked as the chambein for the ducal family for many years. Sebastian said that if I were to hire him, my information would never be leaked to the ducal household. The opposite is also true, so he was trustworthy on that regard. Iruma-dono, there were two people that the esteemed Great Spirits have acknowledged, and both of them were my rtives so this has be quite a bit of an unexpected situation, but Sebastian is not only capable at his job, but he is also a trustworthy man. Eh! The other person, the young one is also your rtive, Xervus-san? Yes. He is my grandchild, Jeeves[2]. My name is Jeeves. I have heard much more about Iruma-sama than grandfather. I may be inexperienced, but I am learning to be a butler. The young man in his mid twenties standing properly beside Sebastian-san was said to be Xervus-sans grandson. I left narrowing the candidates down to the Great Spirits, but is this fine? *** Footnotes: 1. I can only assume it to be Sebastian from the ck Butler. 2. Jeeves from the JP manga Please Jeeves. Chapter 418: Interviews 2 Chapter 418: Interviews 2 Since Sebastian-san and Jeeves whom the Great Spirits have given their seal of approval looked capable at a nce, it was pretty much decided. Sophia, Maria, and the girls had no objections either. And now, the massive amount of women would be subjected to Undine and Dryas screening. The women who came for an interview were bewildered. As to why, without even being asked a single question, they failed the secondary interview (ours) at once. Masses jumped in, but even then, not many were maids. I think its a lot of were employing for both the mansions in Volton and in the Sanctuary. We nned to choose from the people that the Great Spirits decided on, but its hard to choose. For some reason, it feels like the women chosen were all skin and bones. Yes, arent they children from the orphanage? Maria spoke out about the Great Spirits choosing girls who didnt seem like they could stand on their own. If these children are left as they are, I could only imagine that they would be sold to the red light district in cities. Unlike humans, the Great Spirits are benevolent beings. If the children they can save are good, they would want to take them in, wouldnt they? No matter how good a person could be, they couldnt be 100% virtuous, but the Great Spirits had not even 1% evil in them. Then, as we went through the Great Spirits selection, we found one that sticks out from the others. Huh? There was one person among those who passed thats old. Takumi-sama, I imagine that person had been serving as a head maid. Ahh, a head maid. Now that I think about it, there was one of Princess Mimirs attendants. Perhaps because Maria had been trained as a maid in the Moulin very Company, she was able to guess what that womans role was. Among the selected, did they mix in one elderly woman who is capable of supervising and training the maids? Some of the maid candidates were people sent by Margrave Volton, Earl Rockford, Valkyra Kingdoms Prime Minister Simon. These people, unlike those sent by other nobles, somehow passed the screening of the Great Spirits. There were other people associated with nobility, but those that the Great Spirits judged to be malicious or greedy were unable to pass. In the end, the final count of candidates who passed the screening was 30 people. Takumi, were done choosing. All that is left is to choose if they would in Volton or in the Sanctuary. Umm, the interview? You can at least hear them out. Just where they are from and what can they do. But its no problem if they cant do any work, no? well, I dont mind, but They all already passed. is what Undine and the others were saying, so What were we here for? Wasnt it for interviews? was what I wanted to ask. Haa Ill talk to the veterans and those ready to work first, the remaining kids should first get a bath and a meal. Then Marnie and I will bring them to the Sanctuary, then get them bathed and fed. Maria said that as she stood up, and Marnie agreed. Could I leave that to you then? While youre at it, please buy underwear, a change of clothes, and daily necessities for them. I handed Maria some money and entrusted the kids with her. That much is fine, right? You know it, dont you? The kids who cant work as maids can also work the fields. When I asked if Undine was satisfied, she nodded. Apparently, they told Xervus-san and Margrave Volton to gather the diligent women who hade from the orphanages but had no ce of employment. When they graduate from the orphanage, there were a handful of girls who could find a good job on their own or with a letter of introduction. I was asked to help the rest of the children who were within reach. Valkyra Kingdom should have been in a boom, but it wouldnt change the fact that a child from an orphanage that had no connections whatsoever would find it difficult to find work. Takumi, your hands can reach far, no? Then lets continue with the interviews. Haa, fine. It feels like Ive been set up, but I have no objections. Actually, even if I didnt have anymore slots for maids, there are plenty of jobs in the Sanctuary. I looked at the remaining women. Five women, one elderly woman who was a head maid candidate, and four women from theirte teens to early twenties. I started the interview from the elderly woman. My name is Maribelle. I was born in the Volton Margravery in Valkyra Kingdom. I worked as the head maid for the margravery in myst job. Maribelle spoke in a refined manner, but wasnt she the head maid of Margrave Volton? When I looked at Xervus-san, he had aplicated expression on his face. Maribelle was indeed the head maid of the Margrave Voltons household. When this started move, she offered Lord Godwin her resignation umm, is that fine? Of course. This new and exciting job makes my heart flutter. Smiling, Maribelle stated so. Apparently, she was nning on retiring soon, but hearing that I was hiring maids for my mansions in the Sanctuary and in Volton, she thought it wouldnt be bad training new recruits and living in the Sanctuary. Once she had considered it, Maribelle was the type of person to decide quickly and act immediately, and that very same day, she resigned. Ha, haha, you have a great drive. Its an honor to receive such praise, Master. Sophia and Maria had nothing more to say to Maribelle who spoke and bowed at a splendid angle, so it seems our head maid had been decided. *** Footnotes: 1. I cant find any references for a maribelle as a maid. Chapter 419: Interview 3 Chapter 419: Interview 3 After the interview with the head maid candidate Maribelle, the questioning was followed by the remaining people or rather, they introduced themselves. Now then, let me introduce myself. My name is Mabel. Maribelle is my grandmother. My grandmother will be in charge of training so please leave the maids job to me. Mabel who introduced herself as the granddaughter of Maribelle was a light brown haired woman in her mid twenties who had a cool air about her, the type of woman who seemed like she would certainly do her job. She seemed to be the eldest among the remaining candidates and had already taken up the leadership position between them. The next to introduce herself was the 20 year old S. She had ck hair, which was rare in this world, but she looked like a westerner, a beautiful woman who looked mature. Next was Anna. A bright, cheerful 18 year old who had shoulder length blonde hair tied up behind her. Lastly, the teenager Tifa. She is a 16 year old blue haired girl. Her blue hair was definitely otherworldly. She seemed like a gentle girl with her soft,rge doe eyes. Please entrust the training of the girls from before to grandmother and us. Mabel said so as she bowed, then as if practiced, Sa, Anna, Tifa also did bowed neatly, all at the same angle. Y-yeah, Ill leave it to you. I said so reflexively, but this is an interview, isnt it? I dont think I heard anything but their names and ages. I was so nervous and thought it was tough, but what have I been doing since the interview started? These four maids, Mabel included, informed me that they were the referrals from Margrave Volton, Earl Rockford, Valkyra Kingdoms Prime Minister Simon, and even Lomaria Kingdoms Prime Minister Drehd. However, these women asserted that they would not share information rting to me and the Sanctuary to Margrave Volton, Earl Rockford, Prime Minister Simon and Prime Minister Drehd, their old employers. Well then, were returning to the Sanctuary. If were away from the Sanctuary for too long, who knows what influence it would have, after all. Wai`, will that be alright? Just as the interviews had finished, Undine and the Great Spirits said they would be returning to the Sanctuary. But then, Sylph suddenly chimed in with a problematic statement. Dont worry, dont worry, Takumi-chan. Us Oneechans will be returning now, okay? Yup, that was interesting. bye bye. Dryas, Selene, and Nyx waved at me and then the Great Spirits disappeared the next instant. I had asked Xervus-san to give everyone who was rejected 50 silver coins. Even if it was under the instructions from greedy nobles and merchants, they were still people who travelled a long way to reach Volton. I couldnt bring myself to make them return emptyhanded. If 50 silver was in yen, it would be 50,000 yen which isnt huge, but this is for my self satisfaction. ording to Xervus-san, the women should have all been given money for their preparations by their respective noble house, so I didnt need to go that far, and that was also what the people who came here from long distances were thinking. We also had to make clothes for the maids, and the children that Maria and Marnie took along with them. Victorian maid outfits didnt exist in this world. There were apparently clothing simr to this though. Maid outfits were important, after all. Maid clotheswe definitely have to make uniform. Lulu too nya. Lets make the sleeves long. When I talked to Akane about clothes for everyone, it was apparently a given that we would make maid outfits for them. At home, Lulu-chan wears a maid outfit that could have been worn by the maid cafes from Akihabara. This was obviously Akanes doing. The clothes Maria wears dont look like maid outfits. Fufufu, we hae to make all sorts of designs. They need color variations too Akane muttered to herself and entered her own little world. Sebastian, Jeeves, and Maribelle who I first interviewed(?) were called in and I informed them that they would be moving to my mansion in Volton. I once again thanked Xervus-san for lending us their knight training grounds, and said that I woulde again some other time to show my appreciation, then left. Maria and Marnie apparently borrowed carriages to transport the employed girls to our mansion in Volton, but we moved in our usual carriage. I thought that if I show it right from the start so I wouldnt be botheredter on. But that might have been a bit too fast for Sebastian and the others. When I took the carriage out of the Item Box, everyone was just as dumbfounded. Maribelle looked like she saw something interesting, but seemed like she would get madter. On top of that, when the giant bodied Tsubaki appeared from the Subspace, Mabel and other maids screamed. Stunned, Sebastian and Jeeves seemed like they couldnt help, so Laeva and I quickly fastened Tsubaki onto the carriage, and suggested that everyone ride the carriage. ha, I-, I will serve as the coachman. The revived Jeeves hurriedly volunteered himself, but I told him it wasnt necessary. Hmm, I could have Jeeves be the coachman, but you dont need to today, soe inside the carriage. Hiiiih! When I pointed to Kaede who had gotten on Tsubakis back without anyone noticing, I heard short shrieks from Jeeves and Sebastian. Ill introduce you. She is Kaede, an Arachne. Shes a member of our family. Kaede was famous in Volton City, so people who werent afraid of her, but for Sebastian and Jeeves who lived in the Royal Capital, seeing the monster Arachne was far too much. After a while, we somehow managed to shove Sebastian and the rest into the carriage, and then we headed back to the mansion. *** Chapter 420: It’s hard with more people Chapter 420: Its hard with more people There was an issue regarding how much we want the girls who would be maids as well as Sebastian and the rest to know about our secrets. Naturally, the Teleportation Gates and the Sky Ind were still secret. On the other hand, there was no need to hide anything else besides the Teleportation Gates, the Sky Ind, and the Demon Continent. It is already known that I am the keeper of the Sanctuary. Having arrived at the mansion, I put Tsubaki back in the subspace and stored the carriage in my Item Box, then invited Sebastian and the others into the mansion. Our Volton Mansion was guarded by security golems 24/7, so aside from our party members, only registered people may pass through the gates. We have to register everyones magic power, so please advance in turns. A-are these gatekeeper golems? Sebastian stiffened at the sight of the 2.5m tall magic steel golems. Maribelle was also at a loss for words. Inevitable, I thought. No noble or merchant would use golems as security for their mansion. Now everyone can pass the golems without being stopped or attacked, so youre all good. Well then, pleasee in. When we entered the mansion, the girls that Maria and Marnie brought back were lined up neatly. They seem to have bought clothes on their way back. The girls, whose grime on their body washed away in the bath and their stiff, matting hair cleaned, were of Human, Dwarven, and various Beastkin races. When I looked at the girls after theyve cleaned up and changed out of their clothes, I realized they were children from around 10 to 15 years old. In orphanages with tight budgets, there were those that would leave to look for jobs regardless of their age. So thats how it is. Just as I was thinking that their ages should be a bit higher when they leave the orphanage, Maria exined the reason. Because Sebastian, Maribelle, myself, and the others entered the room, the girls bodies tensed up. In the gentlest way I could, I told the girls to rx. Everyone, Ill have you help take care of the cleaning and manage this and one more mansion. Here in the Volton Mansion, Sebastian will be the point of contact with the outside as well as the butler. Jeeves will work as Sebastians aid for the time being. Maribelle, please oversee the training of the girls along with Mabel and the senior maids. If they arent suited to be maids, we have plenty of other jobs, so surely you can find something to be helpful with. After saying so, I looked at Sebastian and Maribelle. Understanding the meaning of my gaze, Sebastian introduced himself. I am the butler Sebastian. My job is mainly to manage Masters schedule, and do external work, such as negotiations with nobles andpanies. Pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Maribelle. I will be in charge of internal work, such as training and management of the maids duties, management and cleaning of the mansion, and assisting Master and the Madams. It has been decided that I will be your direct superior. Lets do our best together for the Iruma household. Please treat me well! After a bath and being fed by Maria and Marnie, the younger girls must be tuckered out, and I could tell they were fighting the drowsiness. Maria, could you lead them to their room to rest? Gotcha. Come with me, everyone. Yes! Im d that we built a building for employees after we decided to employ maids. There were more people than we had anticipated, but there were enough rooms and beds. Entrusting the younger girls to Maria and Marnie, Sophia and I then had a meeting with our new older employees regarding the future. Everyone sat in the living room, and we once again introduced ourselves. Kaede and Titan were ourrades, after all. Afterwards, we talked about the ns from here onwards. As Ive said before, Id like for Sebastian to work in this mansion as the point of contact with the outside. And Id like for Jeeves to work in two bases, this mansion and the Sanctuary mansion, and there are two other bases that Id like you to manage. Understood. I will do my very best. Sebastian will have to have discussions regarding the construction of the churches in the former Sydnia with the people in charge of the Genesis Faith, Valkyra Kingdom, and Lomaria Kingdom. Apart from training those girls, Maribelle will have to have discussions with Sebastian to hire cooks and gardeners. Maribelle and Sebastian who have an abundance of life experiences would most likely be better at choosing than me. Some of them came from far away for the interview, but everyone had apparentlye to Volton with their luggage, and because they would stay in this mansion for the meantime, its been decided theyll go check their belongings out from their inns tomorrow morning and move into the mansion, and we disbanded for the day. *** Chapter 421: The Iruma Family Chapter 421: The Iruma Family Having lived my entire life as a butler, I was beginning to consider my retirement when Xervus invited me to try to manage for this family. ording to what I have learned, they were not high ranking nobles, butmoners. Moreover, Jeeves was also invited. My interest piqued, I made use of the connections I have fostered over many years to gather information. The information that came back was a series of surprises. The person responsible for the development of the Purifier MD and the toilet with the same function which have suddenly changed the sanitary conditions of cities in recent years was Surprisingly, people who wanted to serve the Iruma Family were gathered today in the training grounds of the Knight Order of the Volton Margravery. Did they numbered roughly two thousand? Moreover, seeing the line-up of people applying to be a butler, I realize yet again that Iruma-dono is not an ordinary person. 80% of them were connected to nobles. Furthermore, it was clear that hey were sent by good-for-nothing nobles. Well, speaking of which, I was also btedly approached by His Excellency the Prime Minister, as well as His Majesty though The interview of butler candidates came first. I was surprised. I have lived a long life and was confident that I could always stayposed, but I was speechless in astonishment. Sitting side by side at the interviewers table were the manifested Great Spirits. To my surprise, the butler interviews ended in a blink of an eye. Only two remained. Only I, Sebastian, and my grandson, Jeeves. The maid interviews also ended in around the same time. That many people dwindled down to about 30 people. Oh my, isnt that Maribelle? If even she applied It would seem like the remainder of my life would be quite interesting. My name is Maribelle. Pleased to make your acquaintance Now, I heard there was a gentleman that wanted maids. That gentleman was strangely unknown even in Volton. A healer as an alchemist who changed Volton into a hygienic city with the Purifier MD, as well as distributed cheap, high efficacy potions aimed towards adventurers and the sick. That was not all. He was said to be the driving force of the great advances of Volton Margravery. There was no one in Valkyra Kingdom that didnt know about the construction of Wedgefort City and the creation of the Sanctuary, thend of miracles. I had caught wind that that gentleman, despite his young age, was searching for maids to manage his mansions in Volton and in the Sanctuary. Oh my, is that my grand daughter who came to Volton to apply I see over there? If I recall correctly, wasnt that child serving an Earls family? So was she tasked with making a connection with Iruma-dono? Is that Sebastian-sama? He should have been the chambein of a Dukes family though I understand that the Iruma family was important to Valkyra Kingdom. I was able to keep myposure up to that point. The Great Spirits? What joke is that? Eh! The Great Spirits were doing the interviews? This is no jest yes, the Great Spirits were indeed screening the applicants. And they did so speedily.. You know what was so jaw-dropping? From two thousand applicants, it decreased to only 30 people. The butler candidates were Sebastian and one more person, a young man. The maids were myself and Mabel, and another four experienced maids. The rest were orphans whose origins would be difficult to tell from their appearance? Children who left orphanages because of their age. Valkyra Kingdom has been booming recently, yet it was still difficult for children graduating from orphanages to find decent employment. Even so, the boys could likely still expect to find a job that wasbor-rted. Though when ites to girls Why did those Great Spirits choose those kids, I wonder? Listening to Iruma-sama converse with Great Spirits, it seems they would all be employed. If it was a respectable noble family, it could be seen as a contribution to society, but Ahh, its my turn to introduce myself. It seems like its going to be fun from here on. *** Chapter 422: Maid Apprentice Girls Chapter 422: Maid Apprentice Girls I lost my parents when I was a kid and was raised in an orphanage of the Genesis Faith. In orphanages, you have to find a job by 12 years old as the earliest, and 15 years old at thetest. Bing an adventurer was popr among the boys. It came with danger, but first ss adventurers were rich, after all. I get why the boys want it. Even girls, those with magic aptitude aim to be adventurers. The boys could also be merchants, artisans or other sorts of jobs. But when ites to girls, it was a bit different. Theres so little jobs for girls. Thats why many of them sell their bodies to the red light district. At the orphanage, were taught letters and numbers by the priests of the Genesis Faith, but they didnt teach us etiquette. The reality is that there are very few workces that can train girls from orphanages the work of a maid from 0. The orphanage I was raised in was in a city in the territory of a viscount close to the Volton Margravery. With very little budget, us orphans were desperate to find work as soon as we could. At that time, an OB[1] working in one of the countrys leading tradingpanies, the Papeck Company, invited us to go to Volton to try for the maid recruitment. He even said that he woulde back with a carriage if we go. In the orphanage Im at, there were still 2 girls who havent found a job. We learned to read and write from the priest so thats fine, but I was uneasy because we didnt learn a single thing about etiquette, and was it okay if they had to teach us from the very start? It was the employee recruitment of a family with deep connections with the Papeck Company, so he gave his stamp of approval for the employment terms of that workce. The interview venue was going to be held at Volton City, in a really huge ce close to the castle. It was apparently the ce where the knights train. There was a sea of people waiting for the interviews to begin. I regretteding here because I stuck out like a sore thumb. Thats cuz I heard there were 2000 people here. There were only a few skinny, shabbily dressed girls like me, the rest were practically maids who worked in some nobles house. I was embarrassed, just so so embarrassed at my clothes which wore out from too much washing, and both my friend who came from the same orphanage and I shrunk. Weirdly enough, that many maid applicants were disappearing bit by bit. Do interviews end this fast? When it was my turn to be interviewed, my shock reached its limits. no way, the Great Spirits!? Ive never seen a spirit, but there was no doubt about it. Their presence just couldnt be of a mortal. I almost fell to my knees. Now I know why the interview was going this fast. The Great Spirits decide whether the applicant passes or fails in just a nce. Hey, we passed, didnt we? Y- yeah, it seems like it Those that remained were two men who applied to be butlers. The maid candidates were 5 women, an elderly veteran woman, and women who seemed capable of doing the job. The rest were us and girls who were kinda the same. The two wives of Mr. Employer prompted us children who thought that there must have been some kind of mistake, to leave the training camp. From there, it was like a dreame true. At a clothing store, we bought clothes and underwear for everyone, and also daily necessities. And then we were shown to Mr. Employer, no, master from now on. Masters mansion was a surprise after surprise. Protecting its gates were two huge iron golems. We registered our magic power at the Madams instructions. If we didnt do this, we wouldnt be able to enter the mansion freely. We also registered our magic power with the golems that patrolled around the mansion. After that, we were instructed to take turns taking a bath for the first time in our lives. They taught us how to take baths. Soap for washing my body, and a very nice smelling liquid soap used only for hair. It felt like I was some sort of noble. I wore the pretty clothes and underwear we had just bought after I got out of the bath and touched my hair which had miraculously be smooth. What waited after our baths were more delicious food than we could ever eat. Everyone cried as they ate in a delirium. Really, I was thinking I wouldnt regret it even if we were tricked and sold after this. Goddess Norn-sama, please. Please let me work in this mansion. *** Footnotes: 1. Old boy C someone who graduated from the orphanage. Chapter 423: Squirming Chapter 423: Squirming During the time that Takumi was busy with employing maids and butlers, a group of people who one-sidedly held a grudge were squirming about. In a hideout which changed locations multiple times, a man was reading intelligence reports gathered from various areas. That mans name was Forbach. A stray elf, the boss of the dark guild Moonlight Owl. He made a mistake epting a job to assassinate Takumi. Normally, the Moonlight Owl would relentlessly attempt to assassinate their target until the epted request isplete. However, regarding Takumis murder, the client had already disappeared, so there was no reason for the organization to keep targeting him. However, the pride of the continents deadliest dark guild couldnt allow this. After all, their bases within Valkyra Kingdom had been utterly destroyed. The damage from that was enormous. But gathering information on Takumi was proving difficult, moreover, with their bases in Valkyra Kingdom destroyed and many of his underlings being apprehended, the investigationgged and unable to proceed. Damn it, so youre one hell of a bastard huh. Forbach cursed as he read consolidated report. Unsurprisingly, after spending a lot of time, personnel, and resources to gather information on their target, Takumi was no ordinarymoner. In Valkyra Kingdom, not only is he friends with the King, Prime Minister, Earl Rockford, Margrave Volton, and other famed titled royalty and nobility, he also has deep ties with the Knight Order of the Volton Margravery, the Guild Master of the Adventurers Guild, as well as the Papeck Co. which is now the leadingpany in the continent. The hideout of the Moonlight Owl in Triaria Kingdoms border territory received information regarding the Savage Lands veryte because they lost their bases in Valkyra Kingdom. There were fragmentary reports such as the aberrant speed of the construction of the highway in the Savage Lands between the Volton Margravery and the fortress city Wedgefort,or Lomarias construction of a fort and a highway connecting it to Wedgefort. The target is the keeper of the sanctuary? What bull is that That information gathered by expending a huge number of personnel had bewildered Forbach plenty. News of and known as the Sanctuary, which had suddenly appeared at the savagends to the west of the continent, of course reached Forbachs ears, even though his base was in the border regions of Triaria Kingdom which was far away. And when Triaria Kingdoms army and the Divine Empire of Sydnias Majin began their invasion into the Sanctuary, Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdomsbined armies annihted them. Though King Triaria would never admit to the loss. Not only did he participate in the war, he constructed forts, established barriers, and even suppressing Sydnias Majin? Did I step on a dragons tail? As there were many unclear parts to the information, Forbach had no choice but to piece together these fragments, but his instincts from having walked the path of the underworld for many years tells him that Takumi is rted to the cause of the decline of his Moonlight Owl . You gotta pay settlement, ya know? If you underestimate the underworld, youre done. No matter how hard this job is Forbach thought about how to kill Takumi. Even if Forbach kills Takumi, theres no client to report the results to, but he would ept that as payment for Takumi destroying the organization that he had spent a long time growing and AT the same time, there was another man who had lost the voice of the Spirits who actively began making his move. An elf who lives among the Spirits, yet unable to hear their voices, nor use Spirit Magic. He is an elf that should have been approaching old age, yet he was so lustful it was like he was like an orc. Shit! Fck this! Theres no way Sophias marriage was recognized! Currently, in Yggurle Kingdom, Sophias wedding which the King Yggurle, Princess Mimir, and the Prime Minster attended in the Sanctuary was the talk among the nobles. From the wedding having the blessings of the Spirits and the Spirit Tree, to the state of the impressive church, to the magnificent cuisine served at the reception. The nobles who heard such stories from the King and the Prime Minister were riddled with envy, and talks about people wanting to go visit the Sanctuary were unending. Oi! Have you not found a way to enter the Sanctuary yet!? The orc-in-elfs clothing shouting at the androgynous elf was Earl Hordia. With veins popping and spittle flying, he screamed at his subordinating because far from being able to disrupt the ceremony, they were not even able to step foot into the Sanctuary. M- my apologies. Theres some kind of barrier stopping us I believe that was a barrier that would never be broken by no elven technique, no, no mans technique. Damn it! Those pesky Great Spirits! They should just float around quietly! Earl Hordia, who spewed words unbing of elves who revere Spirits, began to think that it would be bad to continue that with his subordinates around him. That man who married Sophia is always holing himself up in the Sanctuary. Use any means necessary. Kill him! The brunt of Earl Hordias anger was directed at Takumi who stole Sophia who was supposed to be his ything. Receiving Earl Hordiasmand, began looking for a skilled assassin. Two elves who have both lost the ability to hear the voice of the Spirits were about to cross paths. *** Chapter 424: A Stagnant Puddle Chapter 424: A Stagnant Puddle To avenge their destroyed bases, to regain their tarnished honor, to take revenge for many of their subordinates. Despite theck of evidence, the Moonlight Owl began to move to assassinate Takumi once more. However, along with their bases in Valkyra Kingdom, they were also greatly affected by the fact that many of their skilled assassins and fighters were arrested. Much to Forbachs fortune, a godsend in the form of a job request came from a noble from Yggurle Kingdom. The client concealed his name and disguised himself with a magic tool, but as rotten as he was, Forbach was also an elf. It wasnt difficult for him to see through the clients race. Forbach narrowed it down to the rich and powerful nobles in Yggurle Kingdom who make use of Dark Guilds He deduced that the client was likely Earl Hordia. The target can not be dealt with by ordinary means. To be prudent, Forbach decided to make contact with the client at Wedgefort to have a meeting to discuss the finer details. A subordinate who could be called Forbachs right hand man asked curiously. Of course he would. IT was rare for Forbach to do a job abroad personally. Boss, youll go to Wedgefor yourself? Yeah, its the ce close to the target. We might figure something out. And that Earl Hordia has been known to be dirty, rotten elf since way back in Yggurle Kingdom. He probably also has soldiers working behind the scenes. Will you use them too? Yeah, Ill use whatever I can. Thats the kind of person our target is. Forbach brought a few guards with him as he headed for Wedgefort by way of Lomaria Kingdom. From Triaria Kingdom to Wedgefort, it would take only a few days if they went straight through the Savage Lands, but going through Triaria Kingdoms side of it, which has had no road development in the slightest, would definitely be reckless act. And on their way there, he would order his able fighters from their bases at Lomaria Kingdom and Triaria Kingdom to gather in Wedgefort. In particr, he was calling many of the people specialized in intelligence gathering and assassination. And now also in the trading nations bustling port city, there were other men who had a grudge on Takumi because of being unable to get the elf in the attack, as well as incurring a huge mary loss from having to pay hugepensation to free their mercenaries and members of the Dark Guild who had been sold as criminal ves. Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc, nobles of Samandour Kingdom, lost a lot of money from their schemes. The fact that Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc sent out surveince units also made it difficult to clean up after them. Thanks to that, both families had to expend plenty of effort and money to make sure their families couldnt be tied to it. That much money was a serious blow to theirpanies which had been on a decline as of recent. That was them suffering the consequences of their own actions, but their resentment for Takumi naturally grew. Now he wasnt just going to take the elf, carriage, and Dragon Horse, Earl Sechnal wanted to exact his outrageous vengeance against Takumi, and he was going to take everything away from Takumi. Master, i think you should stop already Shut up! You think I will let it end with somemoner making a fool out of me!? How much do you think Ive lost? The Dark Guild and the Mercenary Guild are setting aside their ipetence and are crying out so annoyingly aboutpensation! Despite the chambein trying to dissuade Earl Sechnal from involving himself any more than this with Takumi, Earl Sechnal was not only obsessed with money, but was also had extremely proud and had the mentality of being one of the chosen people. And so, he seethed with murderous impulse towards Takumi, forgetting that it was he who tried to attack and kill Takumi. That Dark Guild isnt good enough. Oi! Look for a Dark Guild that can assassinate from anywhere in the continent! by your will. From his years of experience, the chambein knew that that it was futile to say anything more to his Master and so he gave up and began looking for a Dark Guild by following up with their connections. And funnily enough, the exact same exchange was taking ce in Earl Vautarcs mansion. Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc. It was likely not a coincidence but a necessity that these two greedy people finally arrived at the infamous Moonlight Owl of the underworld of the continent. Resentment, Greed, Jealousy, and Murderous Intent were gathering in one ce. Like stagnant, rotting water gathering one ce *** Chapter 425: Let’s get things ready Chapter 425: Lets get things ready Were employing 30 people in total, so we have to make all sorts of decisions. Sebastian will get 100 gold per year. Head Maid Maribelle will get 70 gold per year. Sebastians grandson Jeeves will get 60 gold per year. The experienced maids Mabel, S, Anna, Tifa will each get 50 gold per year. The remaining children will get 20 gold per year. As we were deciding on their sries, Sebastian and Maribelle said that we were paying too much for servants. Especially for the kids who will be receiving training as maids, normally they would only be given allowance. We would be providing the girls with all of their daily necessities, so 20 gold is too much. Master, that sum is too much for people can do no more than half the work. They can save up what they dont use, and could probably use it when they want to do something in the future. When I said that, not only Sebastian but even Maribelle and Jeeves looked astonished. If that is fine with you, Master, then I have nothing more to say, but I worry for the girls if they suddenly receive such a huge amount. Ahh, theres that too huh. I was called MasterDanna-sama by Sebastian, Maribelle, and the other people who were employed. I said its okay to call me Iruma-san or Takumi-san like normal, but as expected, they didnt ept. Because of how they call me, Marnie changed from Dear Husband[1] to Takumi-sama like Sophia and Maria do. Apparently only I thought it was fine to just drop the san. Even though Akane was already calling me that. In the end, as Maribelle had predicted, because the girls were terrified with holding that amount of money, so well hold onto it for the time being and would hand over however much they need each month. Takumi-sama you might need to study up a bit onmon sense. Indeed. To hand 20 gold to apprentice maids who just left the orphanage, what kind of harassment is that? Maria and Laeva reproached me. Akane, who has a simr value system to me, kept quiet. Probably because shed be troubled if they point out her wild spending habits. Marnie was from a poor vige, so she said that she had never seen a gold coin until she came with us. Well, I guess if youre just living normally you wouldnt need 20 gold in a year. M-money talk ends here! O-oh yeah, speaking of maids, we need to make maid clothes! For some reason, Akane spoke up in a fluster. Perhaps she was afraid the conversation would jump to her own wild spending habits. Such an easy to read girl. Kaede-chan, Maria-chan, lets think up maid outfit designs! You caaaaalled? Hiiiih!!! Everyone who wasnt in our party shrieked when Kaede appeared al of a sudden. Even Sebastian and Maribelle let out gasps and their faces were twitching, wondering what monster Akane was. Its fine. Kaede is my familia, so dont worry. Shes able to talk normally, somunication will be easy. Master, theres a lot of people huh~ Sophia, Maria, Akane, and I said that Kaede was alright, and they understood it somewhat. Kaede, these children came to be our maids, Id like it if you could make maid clothes for them with Akane and Maria. Yup! Gotcha! Like the ones Lulu wears? Ill leave that to you three. Roger! Kaede raised her hand enthusiastically. Our party members clothes, down to our underwear, were, of course, all made by Kaede and Maria. The threads were all made by Kaede. Lulu-chan wears something simr to maid outfits the most. Perhaps it was Akanes preference, the maid outfits were the type that would make you want to run to a maid cafe in Akihabara, so it was fine if the children got them, but not for Maribelle. At least, Maribelle, Mabel, and the other experienced maids would probably wear a long skirted Victorian maid outfit. Well need to take measurements for all of you, so please head to the workshop. Mdy, please call me Sebastian. You must not add the san suffix for us servants. Please call us informally. Y-yeah, okay. Akane, who was a highschool student in Japan, might not get used to the calling them servants immediately, but she and I will both have to, I guess. At Akane and Lulu-chans guidance, Sebastian, Maribelle, and the rest of the servants went to the workshop. By the by, Lulu-chans position as Akanes exclusive maid did not change. Apparently she doesnt want to give up her duty of taking care of Akane. Now then, I guess its time to work with Laeva to make the necessary furniture and magic devices. *** Footnotes: 1. So originally she called him Master when she was a ve / released, then I changed it to Dear Husband when they got married, but they all came from Danna-sama. Chapter 426: Construction of the Employee Dormitory Chapter 426: Construction of the Employee Dormitory While Kaede was supplying the threads and Akane consulted with Maria as they were discussing the design of the uniforms that the maids would wear, Laeva and I made all sorts of necessary things because the number of people increased. I didnt think that we would be employing over 30 people, so we quickly had to make bunk beds, and for the time being, its cramped, but theyre currently staying in rooms with 8 people each. Sebastian, and Maribelle were, of course, allocated with private rooms. In the meantime, we would construct a building exclusively for the employees lodging. ording to Sebastian and Maribelle, the servants would feel more at ease with that than living under the same roof. Were they saying that private time is important? Taking in that advice, we decided to construct a building that would be the employee dormitory. Once the foundation was leveled using Earth Magic, I took out wood, stone, ingredients for ss such as silica sand, soda ash, lime, as well as chromium and nickel to strengthen the iron ingots to be used for the reinforcement of the structure as well as for window sashes. After that, I made sure to have a proper image in mind and transmuted it in one go. Transmute! Arge magic circle formed on the ground, all the ingredients were engulfed in light, then, the next moment, the light took the form of a building. The light burst open and in its ce, a two story stone building appeared. Fuu, something like this I guess. Sebastian and Maribelle who came to my side before I knew it were frozen with their eyes and mouth wide open. Was this their first time seeing alchemy? The stupefied Sebastian asked. M-master, what happened just now? Eh? Youve never seen alchemy? Master, the alchemists in this world cant do that! I thought that the moving golems protecting the mansion were strange, but the alchemists of this world could synthesize medicine, extract minerals, and make a golem that could listen to the simplest ofmands if they try their absolute hardest. Hee~ Is that so? Ive never met other alchemists besides myself. Even if Sebastian and Maribelle said it was strange, Ive never met another alchemist so I cant tell if something is normal or not. Leaving the dumbfounded Sebastian and Maribelle behind, I went from the Teleport Gate on the basement to the Sancutary Mansion. Behind the mansion, I made another employee dormitory of a simr scale to the one in Volton. Just as the building was built with the same specifications as the one in the Volton Mansion, I sensed people were approaching. What have you built? The person who spoke was my neighbor in the Sancutary, Princess Mimir, and her attendant. Ahh, this? I employed maids and butlers for my mansions in Volton and in the Sanctuary. Thats why I think its necessary to make a sort of employee dormitory. Well, I suppose so. umm, though this might be shameless request, may I ask for one in my backyard as well? When Princess Mimir said so, and I just realized that she only had a few attendants that take care of her, and maids who manage her mansion even though shes a princess. I hadpletely forgotten about the fact that this was a special ce known as the Sanctuary. Because of the difficulty with screening the people who could set foot into the Sanctuary, she could only bring the minimal number of maids and guards to rely on into the Sanctuary. Naturally, that made it difficult to take along carpenters from the outside so freely, so even the mansion she lives in was a building I arranged. She could have requested the Dwarves and Elves living in the Sanctuary to do her interior design, furniture, and the like, but she couldnt ask for an entire house because they each had their own jobs to do. Oh yes. I should have prepared a building for the maids and guards much earlier. When I asked about it, she apparently had 4 knight escorts, but they were using the residential district, The Sanctuary is safe so there was no problem, but it would definitely be better to build one near the mansion. Her attendants were living under the same roof as Princess Mimir, but if they had a ce for employees use, they could increase the number of attendants and they could bring in an exclusive chef too. Gardening and chores were apparently a way for children to earn some pocket money. I understand. If you are fine with the same building, I can build it immediately. Thank you. I can request the interior and furniture to the residents of the Sanctuary, so even the building would be more than enough. The pay I ask for was only to rece the building materials, so I quickly used Transmute. This was already my third time making the same building, so it really didnt take that much time toplete. as per usual, what outrageous power. Well then, Iruma-sama. I must return to my country for the time being to select some personnel, so please excuse me. Princess Mimir thanked me courteously and cheerfully returned to make preparations. I should have noticed sooner. The number of guards and maids serving the princess not even reaching 10 was not great. *** Chapter 427: Base Tour 1 Chapter 427: Base Tour 1 When I returned to the Volton mansion after I finished constructing the employee dorms in Volton and the Sanctuary, I happened to meet Maribelle, Mabel and the experienced maids, and the maid-in-training girls from the orphanages. I was admiring how hard they were working as I headed to the living room where Sophia and the rest were. Wee home. Im back. I sat down on the sofa and and Mabel brought me some tea. The training of the girls from the orphanages gravitated mostly around Maribelle, with Mabel and the rest of the veterans helping out, but during that time, they took turns doing the maidwork. Freed from the work that they used to do until just recently, Maria and Marnie seemed bored with their idle hands, but they also have to get used to this. Sipping on the tea, I talked about how I was building the employee dormitory behind the Sanctuary mansion when I was asked by Princess Mimir to make something simr for her and so I made one for her quickly as well. Hearing this, Sophia was also ashamed that she didnt realize this much sooner. Though she had left it ages ago, Princess Mimir was the princess of her mothend, so she should still have been more mindful. My apologies for this. For the princess of a country, while it isnt a requirement to havedies in waiting and servants, escorts must have been necessary to keep up with the formalities. Yeah, I thought so too. No matter how safe the Sanctuary is, I feel bad that she had only the bare minimumdies in waiting tending to her needs. In the Sanctuary, because of the Great Spirits inclinations, theres a tendency to be unconcerned with social statuses, but it must have been a burden for Princess Mimir now that I think back on it. Well, in actuality, Princess Mimir enjoys life in the Sanctuary and would make frequent visits to her mansion there, but she apparently wanted a personal chef there. Princess Mimirs attendants must have had a hard time cooking meals on top of taking care of their liege. So Laeva could I leave you to think about the stuff needed in the dorms like beds and tables? Of course you can ask Doganbo-san and the others for help. Very well. I will call Gn-san, Doganbo-san and the others and finish it quickly. Laeva said that and got up from the sofa, then immediately headed towards the Teleport Gate. I will be back by dinner! We discussed whether or not we would install Teleport Gates connecting to the bases once the Volton mansion and the Sanctuary mansion are ready for eptance, and when the girls from the orphanage have begun getting used to our life. Id like to show you around the restored ancient ruin that we made into base in the Sky Ind, and the base in the Demon Continent, but what do you think? Eh? Sky Ind?? D-demon Continent? At the mere mention of the Sky Ind and the Demon Continent, the newly employed Sebastian and Maribelle who were participating in the discussion were perplexed, pping their mouths like goldfish. Even if Sky Ind is mentioned, no one would know about it, but Demon Continent was a ce known by the inhabitants of this continent. Supposedly, the continent was entirely monster nests, filled with multitudes of dungeons of all shapes and sizes, a dangerousnd where powerful monsters loitered. Majority of the people saw it that way. If anyone is told that they have a base there, they would be more surprised than anything else. Normally, that would be unbelievable, but Sebastian and Maribelle know that I am the Keeper of the Sanctuary and the Protector of the Spirit Tree.] They also know I have deep connections with Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, Yggurle Kingdom, three prospering countries in the continent. Which is why, rather than doubting me, they were absolutely gobsmacked. M-master, what could you have meant with the Sky Ind? Hmm, the Sky Ind is an ind floating in the sky. Master, this Demon Continent, is it perhaps the Demon Continent to the south of Samandour Kingdom separated by an ocean? I dont know any other Demon Continent besides that, so I think it might definitely be the same one youre thinking about, Maribelle. I thought it would be bad to introduce them to the bases as is, so I exined the details of how I managed to procure each of those bases to Sebastian and Maribelle. Then I asked them to clean up each of the bases from time to time,municate with the Aligerous people stationed at the base, and to tell me if theres anything needed. this is beyond my imaginations, in more ways than one. Master, I will endeavor to meet your expectations. Sebastian was unable to hold onto reality, while Maribelle had given up on thinking. Could it be that women are really mentally tough? After that, once Sebastian and Maribelle had calmed down, we discussed what date I could show them around the bases. After further discussions with Maribelle, Mabel and the veteran maids would split up and train the girls as they learning the job. We will regrly take turns being in charge of the Volton Mansion and the Sanctuary Mansion. Yup, thanks. The Base Tour will happen three days from now. By that time, I believe they should already be somewhat used to this environment. *** Footnotes: Chapter 428: Base Tour 2 Chapter 428: Base Tour 2 In the basement of the Volton Mansion, Sebastian, Jeeves, Maribelle, Mabel and the other veteran maids, as well as the children who came from the orphanages gathered. Dont be afraid. I will show how to do it, so please follow along. Maria said that as she operated the Teleport Gate to connect to the Demon Continent base. Afterwards, when she walked over the carved Teleportation magic circle, the magic circle emitted light and Maria disappeared. Now, please take turns and head towards the magic circle. You Its okay if you dont do it one by one either. When Sophia told the girls who stiffened at the sight of Maria disappearing, Head Maid Maribelle stepped onto the magic circle with a resolved look about her. Then Sebastian and the other veterans followed. The maid apprentices grouped up and nervously entered the magic circle. After we went through the Teleport Gatest, Sebastian and the rest were guided from the basement to the first floor by Maria. Maria had initially intended to tell them how what kind of this world this is like, so she opened the door on the first floor leading to the outside and led everyone there. Then she climbed the ramparts and showed everyone the scenery from there. Ah! Iruma-sama! Youre here with everyone! Then a voice came from up above. The young Aligerous man entrusted with the base noticed us and jumped down from the bases rooftop. !? W-wing!? Is that a Birdkin? It was Sebastian and Maribelles first time seeing Aligerous Tribe, so I had to introduce them to everyone. Sebastian, Maribelle, they are from the Aligerous Tribe whom Ive asked to protect and control this base. From here on, I want you to clean up inside the base and act as the intermediary in case the Aligerous Tribe make contact. Sebastian and Maribelle were surprised by the Aligerous Tribe flying around the base, but the apprentice maids were captivated by the sight of the floating base in the middle of a 1Km wideke. A forest spread far and wide around theke, and despite the dense mana, there wasnt even a speck of miasma that could be sensed. Rather, not only Sebastian and Maribelle, but even the children could feel that it was more of a sacred atmosphere. The young man who flew down to the rampart asked about the many faces he hasnt seen before. Iruma-sama, why are there so many of you today? Ahh, today, were showing around the new butlers and maids that we employed. There will be those whoe to clean the base from time to time, get along okay? So thats how it is. Should I tell our tribespeople in the ind? No, well show them around the Sky Ind as well after this, so thats fine.. After receiving a report that there was no abnormalities around the base and asking if the base needed anything, we all went back in. So, have you calmed down? Would you like to see uros City? Takumi-sama, it would be better to go to uros at another time. Yeah, we have to show them around their workces.. Well, thats true too. From our Demon Continent base to uros, it wasnt that far, so I thought maybe we could go on a field trip, but Sophia and Akane said that would be better for next time. I suppose cramming too much in a day wouldnt be good. From the ramparts of what could be called a fortress base, we showed them inside. Once inside, Sophia and Maria did the guiding, while Laeva and I exchanged greetings with Aligerous people who take turns being stationed in the Sky Inds Ruin city. I asked about the results of their monster subjugation training, had a discussion about their equipment maintenance, and gave advice on making potions. Its okay to have equipment one rank higher. Really!! Could you also make us a spear like Berkuts? The young men excitedly asked excitedly, but making a something simr to Berkuts Gunce Rod (Magic Spearcane) was impossible. Theres the issue of materials, but it was also not a good idea to give them a weapon more powerful than they could handle when theyre still blind to their own shorings. I cant give you a weapon like Berkuts, but I could give you a magic alloy magic spear bestowed with an element at best. That is the case. We will take the cost of the materials. As soon as Laeva said that, the young men booed, but Laeva was unbothered. I reluctantly agreed when Laeva said that I was helping the Aligerous Tribe too much and that we should at least earn that much. Hunting the monsters around this base, their magic stones were reserved for the use of the Sky Ind and the meat and materials were sold to uros for money, and a portion of that money was used to buy grain and daily necessities. There was also a reward distributed among the individuals, so it was not difficult to earn money from monster parts. Im telling you now, but the price of a mithril alloy magic spear is a lot more expensive than you think in a store. Indeed. Are you okay with Laeva and Takumi-samas pay then? YEEEEES! Sophia and Maria came back at the perfect time, so we decided to move on to the next ce, the Sky Ind. Seen off by the young Aligerous men, we went back down to the room with the Teleport Gate in the basement. *** Chapter 429: Base Tour 3 Chapter 429: Base Tour 3 We changed the teleport point to the Gate in the Ruin City at the Sky Ind, and had them teleport just like like a while ago. In the Ruin City of the Sky Ind, there are many rtivelyrge houses, and among them, I use a house that is evenrger. Majority of the other houses had been restored to their former states, but our mansion was had been reconstructed in various ways. We installed a Teleport Gate in the basement, tightened the security in that room, and while we dont really visit this mansion that often, we made all sorts of changes to make it easier to live in. Just to be safe, I deployed two Gatekeeper Golems, but theres basically only us and the Aligerous Tribe in the Sky Ind, so I dont really have to be that cautious Everyone teleported safely and we showed them outside. T-this is Master, which city is this ce in? For a city like this to exist Uwaaa! So cooool! Sebastian was at a loss for words at the cityscape of the restored ancient ruins, while Maribelle couldnt believe it even when told that this was the Sky Isand. The apprentice maids were so deeply and genuinely impressed at the sight of the city the likes they have never seen before. The number of people from the Aligerous tribe who live in the Ruin City were few rtive to the size of the city, so it was a deste city, but added to the atmosphere of the restored ancient ruins. It was then that Aligerous people came flying at us at high speeds.. Takumi-samaaaaaa!! Anikiiiiiii!! Berkut yelled my name as she flew towards me. Lagging slightly behind Berkut was Valkan-sans son Vart-kun. Ah, its Berkut and Bagworm, Master! Lets try not to call him Bagworm, okay? To Kaede, Vart-kun is still treated like a bagworm. Bagworm would be too pitiful with all these new people to meet. Long time no see! You brought a lot of Humans, whats up today? Its been a while. Were showing around the new maids and butlers we hired around. Were you going hunting, Berkut? Yes, were culling monsters around the city today. Berkut proudly hoisted the Gunce Rod that we gave to her as a present. A~ Ni~ Kiii~! That was when Vart-kun who wasgging behindnded. Aniki! I also got a lot stronger, so give me a spear like Berkuts! Right when I thought its been a while since Ive seen that mug of his, he suddenly demanded for a spear. I looked at Berkut, wondering if he really did do his best, Berkut shook her head. I cant say youd be as good as Berkut, but are you the best among the youth? Urk, y-yeah. I-I guess you could say Im p-pretty much the best. Liar! Isnt Valto the only one weaker than you!? Ugaaaa! Dont say that! Haa, Vart-kun is the same as ever. He hasnt changed much but Im still relieved. As Vart-kun was causing a ruckus, someone must have noticed that we arrived, so Tribe Chief Valkan-san came to greet us. My my, it has been ages, Iruma-dono. What is the matter with this huge crowd today? d to see you again Valkan-san. I also exined to Valkan-san that we were showing around the newly hired maids and butlers around the bases today. Is that so. If they will be in the base of the Sky Ind or in the Demon Continent, we of the Aligerous Tribe would be happy to help. I appreciate that, but theyll mainly be in Volton and the Sanctuary, so theyll onlye by once in a while to clean up. It cant be helped if that is the case. It would be dangerous if we of the Aligerous Tribe suddenly work in the city where Humans live. Incidentally, has my son been inconveniencing you again? Wha!? What do you mean an inconvenience!? Valkan-san coldly red at Vart-kun who was kicking up a fuss all by himself as he asked. Valkan-ojisan, Vart demanded Takumi-sama for a spear like mine. A-, wa-, stupid, dont tell him! Berkut exposed the fact that Vart-kun demanded me for a weapon just a while ago. Iruma-dono, I would like to pay you a visit at another time. This is it for me today. A, aaa it huuuuuuuurts! M-my ears gonna teaaar! Let go old maaan! Valkan-san grabbed Vart-kun by the ear and dragged him away. he never changes. As dumb as ever, you mean. Berkut said Ill be your guide! so enthusiastically, and so I entrusted the tour of the Sky Inds Ruin City to her. That said, there werent that many peoplepared to the size of the city, and with majority of the buildings being unused, it didnt take very long for the tour to finish. And finally, we returned to the basement where the Teleport Gate was installed so we could show them around the final ce, the Sanctuary. *** Chapter 430: Base Tour 4 Chapter 430: Base Tour 4 Sebastian, Maribelle, and the other employees had grown ustomed to the Teleport Gates, so the transfer to the Sanctuary went smoothly. Isnt this bigger than the mansion in Volton? Coming up the first floor from the basement where the Teleport Gates are installed, Maribelle could not finish giving out her impression of the mansion. Everyone else was dumbfounded. this is magnificent. Sebastian spoke. Now up on the first floor, they were at a loss for words at the sight they could see from the living room. The clean, sparkling water of the Spirit Spring, and behind it towered the Spirit Tree, jutting high into the heavens. Even further back spread the plentiful northern forest. Given how my mansion is in a prime location, the view from the living room is something I can be proud of. However, our new servants were not only stunned and speechless from the amazing view of the Sanctuary, there was also the view of the Great Spirits Undine, Sylph, and Dryas who were rxing as though they were meant to be in the living room. Oh my, Takumi, wee back. Right on time. Maria, tea please. Yes, yes. Undine asked Maria for tea as though she was the mistress of the mansion. This was the usual for Maria, so without a word ofint, she headed to the kitchen to prepare the tea, and Marnie went with her to help. ha, I-I will help. M-me too. Coming out of their daze, Mabel and S hurriedly followed after Maria and Marnie. Smiling wryly, I advised them to not be too nervous every time the Great Spirits appear in the Sanctuary. Undine, Sylph, and Dryas hang around this mansion especially, so you wontst if youre always nervous. Hes right, this is the Sanctuary. We would be pleased if you treat us normally. Yes~ I hope we get along well~ It wouldnt happen immediately even with Undine and Dryas saying so, but the servants have no choice but to get used to this. This is the Sanctuary where Spirits naturally manifest. I assume you know them because you met them during the interviews, but from the right are Undine, Sylph, and Dryas. You also met the other two, Selene and Nyx. Lastly, you will eventually meet Gnome and Smander who are cooped up in the Sanctuary. I see, Undine-sama, Sylph-sama, Dryas-sama, my name is Sebastian and I was hired to be the chambein of the Iruma Family. At my side is Jeeves who was employed primarily as this mansions butler, pleased to make your acquaintance. Sebastian bowed deeply to the Great Spirits present, and Jeeves mimicked him. Oh Great Spirits, I am Maribelle and I manage the maids. Please take care of me from now on. Maribelle bowed and the maids hurriedly followed suit. Pleased to meet you. You dont need to be that tense. Yeah~ Its okay to feelfortable with us Oneechans~ Undine and Sylph responded to Sebastian and the servants greetings, but it didnt matter much. Hey, why can I see a pool from the living room? It wasnt herest time. My mansion was built on the location that has the best view of the Spirit Tree and Spirit Spring, but the garden was just supposed to have been nted with awn, flowers and trees. But a pool appeared before I knew it. It doesnt spoil the gardenscape, but I definitely couldnt overlook it. Ahh, that pool. Us Oneechans made it thinking we could y with the Sanctuary kids once summeres around. I prepared the water, so it would always be clean, you know. If Gnome is asked, it gets done in an instant. Haa, I wont agree to it next time. It seemed to have been Dryas idea, but once she mentioned the kids, I couldnt say no. Hey, the Great Spirits just do as they like, so you dont need to be too attentive. I looked back at Sebastian and Maribelle as I said so, but as expected, I didnt get a Yes, I understand response. Since we were doing introductions anyway, Ill take them to the brewery where Gnome and Smander are at. The Dwarves Gn-san and Doganbo-san were there as well so its perfect. It felt like a very sloppy way to end the base tour, but I guess this is also very like us. *** Chapter 431: The assembly Chapter 431: The assembly The boss of the Dark Guild Moonlight Owl Forbach was surprised upon seeing the fortress city. Forbach who made his base in Triaria Kingdom did not receive detailed information about this fortress city. His hideouts in Valkyra Kingdom may have been destroyed and all that, but considering how this is a world where there are no TVs, radios, much less inte, that speed of information ry was very likely inevitable. Boss, this city is amazing. Yeah, to think a fortress city like this was built so far in the Savage Lands and for it to be thriving this much. Now I know the reason why Triaria Kingdom is declining. Forbach, came to Wedgefort with his trusted retainer, and escorting guild members. Id love to make a hideout here if possible, but This is the city of that detestable Valkyra Kingdom. If a city has this many people from all sorts of countriese and go, where people, items, and money flows, any Dark Guild would want to set up a hideout there. Do a bit more research into the town. This is at the center of the Trination and the Sanctuary. I want a base here no matter what. Yeah. Please give me 10 days, including the time to expand with the other Dark Guilds. I dont care how long it takes. Dont forget to tell them to move discreetly. Forbach reserved an intermediate level inn at Wedgefort, and decided to stay for a while. However, Forbach was unaware. This was the linchpin city tying the Sanctuary and the Trination together. It was a pivotal city constantly monitored by the eyes of the Spirits.. Having lost the ability to hear the voices of the Spirits, or even see them, Forbach did not realize. Samandour Kingdom is a nation that had entered diplomatic rtionships with all the countries in the continent. As such, there was no problem with them going to Wedgefort which was built in the Savage Lands of Valkyra Kingdom which was at war with Triaria Kingdom. In actuality, once the high quality, affordable, Sanctuary-made salt began circting the market, Samandour Kingdom, which earned excessive profits from the sale of Salt from facing the ocean, was excluded from trading with the Trination, centered in Wedgefort. And even the presidents of two of the most prominent tradingpanies in Samandour Kingdom, Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc were also excluded. As to be expected. The two had been the arms dealers who profited from supplying munitions to Triaria Kingdom when they were invading the Sanctuary. Inside Wedgefort, a plump nobleman wearing shy garments alighted from an equally gaudy carriage parked in front of a high ss hotel. It was Earl Sechnal who hails all the way from Samandour Kingdom. Fumu, is it because its a new city? Theres no unpleasant stench. Master, Ive heard that a Purification magic device circting in Valkyra Kingdom in recent years, so every town was clean. Earl Sechnal turned sour upon hearing this. That Purifier MD is being monopolized by Valkyranpany. Moreover, its exported to Lomaria Kingdom and Yggurle Kingdom at a reasonable price, but even if its obvious that they wouldnt export it to Triaria Kingdom, they are selling it to Samandour Kingdom forrge sums, so ourpanys profits are slim. Well, Lomaria Kingdom and Yggurle Kingdom have an alliance with Valkyra Kingdom, so its inevitable. The Purifier MD, as well as the Toilet Purifier whiches with the same functions, were expensive in the Samandour Kingdom, and it had only spread to the affluent members of society were able to afford it. Despite its status as a free trading nation, Valkyra Kingdom wouldnt treat them like an ally for being a country to sell munitions to their enemies. Moreover, during the war with the Trination, arge mass of munitions flowed from Samandour Kingdom to Triaria Kingdom. They should have been grateful to have sold it for arge profit. The imitations made by those Dwarves were expensive for their functions too. Those damn greedy Dwarves. The imitation magic devices sold by Gnomstoll Kingdom were by no means cheap either, as a result, the Purifier MD hadnt spread throughout Samandour Kingdom.. Its all because of that littlemoner boy. Ill make him pay for angering me. The subsequent investigation revealed that Takumi was the developer of the Purifier MD, which fueled his hate even more. Once Earl Sechnal entered the hotel, he ordered his subordinates to conduct a market research. He also instructed them to make an appointment to meet with the governor of Wedgefort as a facade. Additionally, the members of the dark guild apanying them had begun making contact with the Dark Guilds which had a turf around Wedgefort. *** Chapter 432: The Assembly 2 Chapter 432: The Assembly 2The boss of the Dark Guild Moonlight, Forbach. Following Earl Sechnal of Samandour Kingdom, Earl Vautarc who arranged to meet with Earl Sechnal had also arrived at Wedgefort. Earl Vautarcs objective, much like Earl Sechnals, was to exact revenge on Takumi, and to create even the slightest of connections with the Governor of Wedgefort. Then, an unelf-like, distasteful carriage from Yggurle Kingdom arrived in the city of Wedgefort as well. There was only one person in Yggurle Kingdoms nobility who could ever own such a carriage. Earl Hordia, who had be exasperated with theck of results of his private army and internal organizations. Staying in a high ss hotel intended for wealthy merchants and nobles in Wedgefort, Earl Hordia instructed his troops and hired dark guild members to make contact with the organizations that imed territories around this city, and make an appointment so Earl Hordia himself can meet with the governor of this city as an official courtesy call as a pretense for his visit. Information rting to the dark guilds and criminal organizations in the city were rtively easy to obtain. Fuu, what an impertinent human city. Sitting on the plush couch, Earl Hordia spoke bitterly as he recalled the sturdily built, hygienic town where many peoplee and go. Wedgefort which was built in the Savage Lands by Valkyra Kingdom, and the fort that Lomaria Kingdom built to its east. And to the west of Wedgefort lies Valor, the city that Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom built together as the Trination, and the six forts built to defend against the invasion of the armies of Triaria Kingdom and the Divine Empire of Sydnia. Thanks to this, Yggurle Kingdom is experiencing an economic boom rarely seen in recent years. Yggurle Kingdom, which does not share borders with any country, needed to cross the Savage Lands to be able to trade with other countries, as such, until now, it had only ever traded in small sums with other friendly countries. That suddenly changed these recent years. Of course, Earl Hordia also capitalized on this, but even so, he couldnt help but feel vexed at the sight of the thriving Wedgefort. Simply because this is a city of a human country. It was then that a report came in from his men who came back from the streets. Master, it would seem there are no dark guilds around this city. Perhaps the security here is much stricter than we expected. However, there seem to have been several organizations that infiltrated the city. I made contact with them and heard something interesting. Fumu, continue. Right now in the city, there are three organizations actively showing movement. One is the infamous Dark Guild Moonlight Owl based in Triaria Kingdom. And the other two are organizations based in Samandour Kingdom. This Moonlight Owl was one of our choices for a job. Earl Hordia also knew the name Moonlight Owl. It was supposed to be the biggest Dark Guild in the continent. However, it was known by many countries that their hideouts in Valkyra Kingdom were destroyed. continue. The destruction of their base in Valkyra Kingdom was considerably influenced by Sophias master, and the Moonlight Owl is now making their move to take revenge. How convenient. Our targets are the same. If we were to cooperate, theres a higher chance I can obtain Sophia. Is that all? No, actually, family heads Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc from Samandour Kingdom have personallye to this city. Ostensibly, they are doing a courtesy call with the Governor, but in actuality, they employed the two other dark guilds. Why is that? Earl Hordia knew of those two families, they were nobles of the trading nation, and they established their ownpanies. Its not strange at all for nobles of a trading nation toe to Wedgefort to meet its governor. However, if they were bringing dark guilds along, that meant something else. It would seem both families had meddled with our target and suffered terribly. They seem to be in the city to look for organizations to hire around this city for their revenge. Ku, ha ha ha, he is gathering more resentment from all around than I imagined, that boy. I dont know if hes the keeper of the Sanctuary or the protector of the Spirit Tree, but isnt this a great opportunity!? Earl Hordia fell back deeper into the sofa, patting his huge, unelf-like belly. Obviously, contact the Moonlight Owl, and do so with the organizations hired by Earl Vautarc and Earl Sechnal. That boy must hand over Sophia, after all. by your will. Watching as his subordinate bow and leave, Earl Hordia was in a good mood for the first time in years. Earl Hordias subordinates and the members of the organizations he employed have yet to have direct contact with Takumi. That was because they were unable to pass through, nor break, the barrier of the Sanctuary. On the other hand, it was difficult to aim for him in his Volton mansion. No matter how varied the races were in Valkyra Kingdom, their elven members were too conspicuous. Finally finally Sophia will be mine! Four dark guilds, and if they included their private armies, a humanmoner wouldnt stand a chance. He didnt think their odds were even slightly disadvantageous. The man abandoned by the Spirits did not realize that he was tumbling downhill. *** Chapter 433: Cooperative Interests Chapter 433: Cooperative Interests 5 days after Forbach arrived in Wedgefort, he was able to gather a variety of small andrge information. First, Valor, the city closest to the Sanctuary that was established by the Trination, conducts a strict check on everything that enters and exits the city, and guards are always patrolling the city. Valor would be impossible to infiltrate, huh It wasnt just the knights of the Trination, even the mage division of Yggurle Kingdom borrow the strength of the Spirits to block the entry of suspicious individuals. Tch, those meddling Elves Hemented over the fact that his link with the spirits as an elf had been cut off. If Forbach could hear the voice of the Spirits, he would have been able to gather more urate information in a much speedier manner. Can we infiltrate Valor by pretending to be adventurers? Theres a limit to the adventurersing and going, and fake cards are impossible, I think. As Valor is close to the Sanctuary, the merchants and adventurers arriving and departing the town were checked rigorously. So setting up a hideout in Valor is a no go We might be able to watch him enter and leave the Sanctuary from there. Forbach was able to grasp that Takumi was traveling back and forth between the Sanctuary, Wedgefort and Volton. However, he doesnt seem to have realized that it was by way of the Teleport Gate. Also, as expected, the Elves made contact. Fuuuh, Earl Hordia[1] ? Yes, it would seem he came himself. His subordinate said that the members of the Dark Guild, which was turfed in Yggurle Kingdom that Earl Hordia had employed, had made contact. It appears Earl Hordia really did want power. Moreover, our target was the same That means we can get our revenge, and we can get the fighting power of Elves and a reward. Kukuku, this is too hrious. Sure enough, Earl Hordia was looking for the strength of a Dark Guild. Though Forbach wasnt expecting him toe to Wedgefort himself. Earl Hordia also received a report from his subordinate in his room in a luxury hotel. Sophiaes to this city as well, you say? Yes, she doesnte alone though, asionally she would walk around town with that man and two others. Both he and Miss Sophia seem to be famous in this city, as it was simple to gather eye witnesses. Earl Hordia had his men carry expensive image copier magic devices. The Image Copier MD was records a still image simr to a camera. Earl Hordia had gotten hold of an image of Sophia from her days in the Chivalric Order. Furthermore, we have made contact with that Dark Guild. Hou, how strong are they? Yes, it is one of the best Dark Guilds in the Continent, the Moonlight Owl. At present, many of their members havee to this town and are gathering information. Hou, did they sniff out my visit? Then, if they are the continents best dark guild, they must have some top notch assassins and fighters. Yes, unmistakably so. Moreover, the boss of the Moonlight Owl himself is here in this city. Interesting. It would be amusing to talk to that person directly. Knowing that the Dark Guilds strength could be relied on, Earl Hordia drank the wine he held in satisfaction when his subordinate told him even more interesting information. Hou, two Earls from Samandour Kingdom? Yes, they had brought not only their troops, but also members of dark guilds. Those dark guild members assembled in the city, gathering information on the dark guilds who have made this city their territory, as well as information about that man. ording to his subordinate, two Earls from Samandour Kingdom were gathering information regarding Takumi. They were also looking to hire three strength of dark guilds. It would seem they have already made contact with the Moonlight Owl. Earl Hordiaughed so much his shoulders were bouncing with joy. That youngster seems to have gathered much resentment from all around. Samandour Kingdom was barred from trading with Wedgefort City, Valor City, and particrly the Sanctuary. It was inevitable that they would find that man to be involved with everything. Ku ku ku, this is the end for that boy whomitted such an outrageous act as to marry Sophia despite being amoner. Should we also make use of the nobles of Samandour Kingdom. It would be better for our forces to be stronger. Our subordinates would suffice, but we must be prudent. Certainly. The subordinate bowed, leaving to issue instructions to make contact with Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc. Earl Hordia was in a good mood as things were progressing well, but, much like the Moonlight Owl and the Samandourian Earls, he did not realize that he had misjudged Takumis strength because he had note into contact with Takumi directly. Though, by the time he would realize it, it would be toote *** Footnotes: 1. Typo: it said Earl Forbach Chapter 435: Strategy Meeting Chapter 435: Strategy Meeting Akane had woken up, so we had breakfast first. Maria and I made breakfast, and assisting us were Mabel and Tifa. Mabel and Tifa were opposed to Maria and I standing in the kitchen, but I told them not to worry about it. We havent been able to hire a chef yet, so there was no choice. Before we knew it, even Undine and Dryas were sitting on therge dinner table. Welp, just like always. More problems are popping up, huh. Akane-sama, its not Takumi-samas fault nya. I know. But Takumi and Sophia are always roped in with troublesome people. Normally they should give up though. Akane shook her head and shrugged. It was definitely a hassle. I wonder if they would attack all together. It would be more annoying if they did so separately. ording to Sylph, Selene, and Nyx, Earl Hordia and the Moonlight Owl guild were definitely working together, but Earl Hordia and the boss of the dark guild would not be making a direct appearance. Its so annoying how even if we kill or capture the assassins or soldiers, the head still remains. Its not certain if the heads themselves woulde out, but they will attack together. Was it a coincidence that all these bad guys are working together? Why do you question it? Based on the information that Sylph and the Great Spirits gathered in Wedgefort, was it allpletely a coincidence that the people who were after Sophia and I were there at the exact same time? Moreover, it would seem that they were joining hands too. So, I made a suggestion. lets bait them. Isnt that too dangerous? Sophia recalled thest time I was attacked. She looked so worried, but even so, she did not refuse it vehemently. Sophia would be the best bait for Earl Hordia, but for the dark guild Moonlight Owl and the something something nobles of Samandour Kingdom, I was definitely their target. Wouldnt it be fine to confirm if those guys are grouped up and let them see Takumi? Yeah. Monitoring them Leave that to Selene, Nyx, and me. Unbing Elves who try to assassinate the keeper of the Sanctuary, or try to take possession of Sophia as their own, such elves who prey on others must be neutralized. Akane stated that it would be fine if we let them see me around Wedgefort on purpose for a short while. Then Sylph said that the Spirits would take care of watching the enemies during that time. Then Ill go around Valor and Wedgefort a bunch of times so they could observe me. Of course, Tsubaki has to run slow. I know. We decided to guide their attack to be somewhere between Wedgefort and Valor. The areas between Wedgefort to Volton or Lomaria Kingdom had plenty of traffic from merchantpanies, patrolling knights, and adventurers. On the other hand, the area between Wedgefort and Valor cant be passed unless one has a permit, so there was little traffic in between the cities. If Tsubaki runs there slowly, it would be easy to attack. Had Earl Hordia and the boss of the Moonlight Owl not lost their ability to hear the voice of the Spirits, this strategy wouldnt be possible. Before that, even though they were elves, did they forget that a surprise attack wouldnt work with Sophia around? Or was it because they lost the blessing of the Spirits that they forgot? After that, I went back and forth between Wedgefort and Valor, walking the streets of Wedgefort with Sophia as we listened to the continuous stream of information from the Spirits. All of this while waiting for them to take my bait. During that time, Earl Hordia contacted the Dark Guild Moonlight Owl as it seemed like their interests align, and so they decided to work together. Moreover,ing all the way from Samandour Kingdom outwardly for trade, Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc had negotiations with the Governor of Wedgefort so they could establish a branch there, but behind the scenes, they were making connections with the Moonlight Owl to increase their strength in order to take revenge on us. Then, Sylph reported that those fools with the same goal had begun to make their move. Takumi, atst, Earl Hordia, the Boss of the Moonlight Guild whose name is Forbach by the way, and the two nobles from Samandour seem like theyll hold direct meetings. I wonder if theyve decided on a day. And how would they divide the profits after the attack, I wonder. They seem to be mobilizing a lot of personnel, so they dont think they could fail. Earl Hordia would obviously im Sophia. The Moonlight Owl will regain their honor plus more reward money. The two from Samandour might im Tsubakis carriage, Maria and the girls, and my possessions. I sure hope we can catch all of them in one go. *** Chapter 434: Being Overheard Chapter 434: Being Overheard Waking up early in the morning in the Sanctuary Mansion, I headed to the first floor. As ever, Sylph and the Great Spirits were there. Oh Takumi, good morning. Yeah, mornin, Sylph. You too Selene, Nyx, mornin. Good morning Takumi. Were visiting. morning. I was puzzled at the unusualbination of Sylph, Selene, and Nyx. Selene and Nyx havee together, but I dont think Ive seen the just the three of theme. This is a rarebo. I sat on the sofa and Mabel brewed coffee and served it to me. The girls we hired en masse are being trained by Maribelle in the Volton Mansion right now. Thats why, right now, the four experienced maids Mabel, S, Anna, Tifa paired up and work in shifts in the Sanctuary Mansion ande and go between the Sanctuary and Volton. Right now, Mabel and Tifa were on duty in the Sanctuary. theres a lot of bad guys. Eh? Nyx muttered like she usually does, but I couldnt make sense of what she was saying. He wont understand with just that. Oh perfect, Sophia hase. I will exin. Confirming that Sophia had entered the living room, Sylph began spoke in more detail. That orc-like old elf that had lost the blessing of the Spirits as well as the boss of a dark guild who also lost the blessing are targeting Takumi. Eh!? Ah, Sophia. Sylphs words caused Sophia to twitch and freeze, showing a look of surprise and of disgust. Are you alright? yes, I suddenly remembered the lecherous gaze that man directed at me that felt like it was licking me from head to foot back then. Sophia shuddered as she spoke. So he sent a lot of lustful gazes towards Sophia, did he? Just thinking about it makes me so angry. The orc-like elf that Sylph was talking about had to be Earl Hordia. The other one was the boss of a dark guild If its a dark guild, its the organization that wasmissioned to attack Takumi before. They seem to hold a grudge for the destruction of their hideouts in Valkyra Kingdom. So that orc bastard and those dark guild people are all pumped up and ready to use each others strengths. theyre gathering assassins and fighters in Wedgefort. It was then that Maria, Laeva, and Lulu-chan arrived at the living room. Whats going on? The Great Spirits being here since early morning is not strange at all. What are you talking about? Maria wondered why Sylph and the others were in the living room, but then remembered this wasnt strange at all. From Sophias expression, Laeva immediately knew there was trouble. Lulu-chan, wheres Akane? Still asleep nya. Lets get Akane up to speedter. Actually Akane is weak in the morning as always, so it will have to be repeated to herter, but I guess that cant be helped. Our party members aside from Akane[1] listened to the information that Sylph and the Great Spirits brought. They really suck at giving up. Sophia-san is already Takumi-samas wife. Its revolting. Maria resented Earl Hordia, and Laeva shuddered just like Sophia. There were many beautiful Elven men and women, yet he causes people to shiver? Takumi-sama, rather than that pig, isnt the real problem the boss of the Dark Guild? The dark guild, you mean the people who attacked Takumi-sama before? Wha!? They hadnt learned their lesson!? Instead of Earl Hordia, Sophia was saying that she was far more concerned about the boss of the organization that attacked and injured me before, who made his way to Wedgefort without any regard for the risks. Maria looked up, perhaps remembering what had happened back then, and Laeva spoke hatefully. Yeah, Im not really sure why, but it could be that the dark guild values their honor. They must wantpensation for their hideouts in Valkyra Kingdom which were destroyed, and many of their subordinates who were either arrested or killed. It was then that the Great Spirits let us know there was even more information. Takumi, thats not all. The two foolish nobles you had a dispute with in Samandour went to Wedgefort as well. they brought Samandours dark guilds and their private armies. Uwaa, they just dont learn Should I admire their unwavering spirit despite getting in that much trouble? Still, how did you guys uncovered this? Wind is freedom, you know. Light and dark exists everywhere. yes. When I asked Sylph, Selene, and Nyx how they caught on to the Dark Guild and Earl Hordias schemes against us, they boasted that there was no ce where the Wind, Light, and Dark Spirits couldnt reach. Spirits gather particrly in Wedgefort and Valor which are near the Sanctuary. Fua~ whats up? Everyones gathering so early in the morning? It was then that a yawning Akane walked into the living room. It was inevitable that the carefree Akane was pierced by the cold stares from everyone. *** Footnotes: 1.Marnie was not mentioned at all despite the author saying that everyone but Akane was here. Chapter 436: Don’t count racoon dogs skins before they’ve been caught[1] Chapter 436: Dont count racoon dogs skins before theyve been caught[1] Inside a room in a luxurious hotel in Wedgefort City, men who had the same objective gathered. Obviously, I want Sophia. I have no other interest aside from that. Do as you please. The first voice to speak was the gaudily dressed Earl Hordia, whose unelflike plump physique sank deep into the sofa. This man would not waver at anything when ites to women. Not that he was respectable in the slightest. Ku ku ku ku. The three of you can pay me a reward, and as long as that little boy is killed. Seeing the lustful old man that he couldnt imagine to be of the same race, Forbach stifled hisughter. Now, the Dark Guild Moonlight Owl will be the main force, he will take charge of the dark guild Earl Hordia brought in from Yggurle Kingdom, and the dark guilds from Samandour Kingdom that Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc had hired. What Forbach wanted was revenge for putting his dark guild. which was at the top in the continent, to shame. Now he could take revenge for his remaining members, and ites with a reward and strength. That was his perception. To Forbach, the members of the dark guilds from Yggurle Kingdom and Samandour Kingdom, as well as hisbatants in the Moonlight Owl, were all nothing more than disposable pieces to him. Having drunk muddy water as he climbed to the top, Forbacks pride wouldnt allow him to let Takumi be as is. I at least want to get the carriage and that dragon horse. Yeah, I want to investigate that carriage and get the secret behind the magic devices they make. What Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc were after money to the very end. Last time, they used dark guilds and mercenaries in order to attack Takumi and his party, they received a harsh retaliation which caused them to lose a vast amount of money. Also, that Elven woman will be yielded to Earl Hordia, so Id like the remaining women. Yes, especially that Foxkin woman who was hired as that brats assistant. Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc were paying attention to the numerous magic devices that Takumi made. Even Samandour Kingdom buys it, though at high price. If they could steal those profits, they would be the top tradingpany in the entire continent. For that reason, they must secure Laeva. Laevas name as Takumis assistant was nothing strange in Volton. And her abilities were widely known. So even if Takumi was eliminated, they would still have Laeva. Themon desire of the people in this room was their decision to kill Takumi. Leaving that aside, you are certain that that brat can be killed, right? Earl Hordia was asking if Forbach was certain that he could kill Takumi. That was inevitable. He knew from an investigation that Forbach, whomands the Moonlight Owl, suffered severe retaliation after failing to assassinate Takumi. Yeah, no problem. Last time, we were using it as an experiment for a drug. This time we will go all out, no holds barred. We also have the extra strength that you all hired. Will you use that drug of yours this time? Last time Takumi was attacked, a demonic drug that dramatically increases physical strength which also removes the feelings of pain and fear was used. Forbach intended to use an improved drug on criminal ves he gathered. Furthermore, Forbach intended to use something more that he had identally acquired as a trump card. Earl Sechnal asked Forbach why he looked like he was socent. Do you have something that will kill that boy for certain? Ku ku, well, lets go and enjoy that, shall we? (Who would have thought that Sydnias corrupt priests would be useful for something. Who knows whats out there in the world.) Forbach obtained something by chance. It was something that the underlings of the Light God Faith who escaped to Samandour Kingdom from the Demon Continent after the annihtion of the Evil Spirit. Takumi and his party defeated the Evil Spirit who fell to darkness and the heretic dungeon copsed, but that didnt mean that everyone died. In particr, there were many weak underlings who crossed over to the Demon Continent but did not turn into monsters. Most of them who had been affected by miasma were swallowed up along with the dungeon copsing, but fortunately or unfortunately, there were some strong enough who survived. In their hand was a smashed up fragment. That was the fragment of an evil crystal the fragment that formed into the core of a human when the Evil Spirit turned them into monsters. Forbach who obtained this was so happy he was jumping for joy. That crystal, which released an ominous magic power that made it difficult to even touch directly, gave far more strength than the drug that the Moonlight Owl uses. (Well, its not without problems, either.) Forbach snickered in his mind. In Forbachs mind, he envisioned himself obtaining everything. *** Footnotes: 1.Dont count your chickens before theyre hatched Chapter 437: The beginning of the foolish attack Chapter 437: The beginning of the foolish attackOn a well maintained road stretching from Wedgefort to Valor ran a carriage drawn by a Dragon Horse d in adamantite armor. Inside it, we were fully equipped and on standby. Yes, we know because we have grasp on the assants movements in advance because of the Spirits. On Tsubakis back, Kaede who should have been there, wasnt. In the carriage that moved at a speed unlikely of Tsubaki, Akane talked to me.. Being guided even to the point of knowing when and where the attack would be, not bad Takumi. We know it, but its a relief that their side cant hear the voice of the Spirits. Our carriage was heading towards the halfway point between Wedgefort and Valor. At that halfway point, there was a ce where many huge boulders on either side which was a prime location for an ambush. Actually, those boulders were purposely ced there. At the Wedgefort C Valor road, there were many trading caravans that carried loads of products from the Sanctuary. And as typical of this world, it was only a matter of time before the likes of thieves start to appear. That being the case, I had a discussion with Margrave Volton, King Valkyra, King Lomaria, and King Yggurle about purposefully making a location that would make it easy to do ambushes, so they wouldnt have to monitor the Wedgefort-Valor road and instead, focus on that one area. Moreover, I had asked Dryas to prepare a grove for an ambush to cut off the retreat of carriages loaded with products. A short distance from the boulders along the road, there was a base where patrolling soldiers were stationed. Naturally, a Concealment Barrier magic device was installed there, and only those equipped with a provided magic item would be able to perceive it. In todays operation as well, they are on standby to block the any escapees so that we dont miss any of the foolish attackers. All in all, it was a relief that while the attackers included many Elves, because they were unable to hear the voice of the Spirits, our n didnt leak. So, are the enemies already in ce? Yup, theyre lying in ambush by the boulders and in the grove. Right, Sophia? Yes, it seems like an operation to cut off our retreat and surround us. ording to the report from the Spirits, the enemies strength was quite substantial, and the gathering of members of Dark Guilds from Yggurle Kingom, Triaria Kingdom, and Samandour Kingdom, as well as the boss of the Moonlight Owl who organized them. EVen so, more than 200 men have gathered. Its not just the dark guilds either, theres some mercenaries mixed in from Samandour too. Maria-san, youre reallyposed. Im not being negligent, but this is better than the depths of the Forest of Death. As Maria had said, 200 people had gathered to kill me and capture Sophia, Maria, Laeva, Akane, and Lulu-chan[1]. It goes without saying that Sophia was desired by Earl Hordia. The two stupid Samandourian nobles might want to sell Maria, Akane, and the rest of the girls as ves. The Spirits said that among them, Laeva would be bound to a ve contract and be forced to produce and develop magic devices. Because of this, Sophia said that we should be vignt of the Moonlight Owl. Takumi-sama, I believe we had better be vignt of the Moonlight Owl. that drug from before, right? Yes, I believe they will use the dangerous drug that would not only will there be an explosive increase in physical strength, but also eliminates the feeling of pain and fear. I was attacked in Volton. It was still fresh in my mind how our girl group were enraged and destroyed all of the bases of the Moonlight Owl within Valkyra Kingdom. At that time, they used the dangerous drug to drastically improve the assants physical abilities and remove their fear and pain. Its okay, Sophia. Sure, it is amazing of an attack that ignores physical abilities and damage, but they werent very skiled in martial arts. Rather, its a minus that they lost reasoning. indeed. It would be better to consider them as monsters rather than humans. Yes, if we think of them as monsters, we have fought a lot of dragons and higher species of ogres, I dont think we need to be that cautious. Guys, watch out for poison. Yes Theyll probably use paralysis poison, but its almost certain that they would use poison. Before long, my Enemy Search skill, which was the next widest scope after Kaede, caught a great number of people lying in ambush. I nodded to Sophia and the rest, getting ready to jump out of the carriage at any moment. Finally, the moment we approached the rocky area, the sound of explosive magic came from the front and arrows rained down incessantly. *** Footnotes: 1. Author seems to havepletely forgotten that Marnie exists Chapter 438: Black Ogre Chapter 438: ck OgreThe spy returned, informing them that their targets carriage will soon be caught in their web. Earl Hordia, Earl Sechnal, and Earl Vautarc were in a Wedgefort Hotel, eagerly awaiting good news to arrive. Kuh, what do you n on doing to me!? Among the criminal ves forced to drink the drug, one man wearing a very cor of a different material whose hands and legs were bound shouted at Forbach. Strangely, none of the people who were made to drink the drug resisted, no, there was no ego that could be perceived from their expressions. This had caused the bound man to be extremely uneasy. What, Im just giving you power. Moreover, that power is different from everyone elses. Dont worry, the experiment was a sess. An experiment, what the hell! Tell me what you did to me! Far from relief, Forbachs words only increased his anxiety and fear. So, in other words, oi, you bunch, do it. When Forbach said that, the bound criminal ve man was held down b the members of the Moonlight Owl. His hands and feet already tied, but now with these men pinning him down with the weight of their bodies, the man could only barely let out groans. As Forbach had said, the experiment was a sess, he was able to make the criminal ve man drink something sessfully. If you could call it that. What Forbach made that man drink was the thing that the Light God Faith obtained when they returned from the Demon Continent, a crystal fragment that exuded some sort of a sinister magic power. He only had a measly amount, but Forbach experimented with the crystal fragment on a rat. What was it? What effect does it have? In a time where he knew nothing about it, he didnt hesitate to make the rat eat it, as it may be used to create a dangerous drug to produce immortal soldiers. And, with that experiment, the gutter rat that ate the crystal fragment transformed into a giant rat monster the size of a calf. Because of that, over 20 members of the Moonlight Owl lost their lives, but Forbach could not stopughing. If he turned these disposable people into immortal soldiers without egos and made them eat a crystal fragment, which would then transform them into monsters, Forbach was certain that he would be able to defeat that boy this time. The rat turned into an uncontroble monster, but this criminal ve was made to wear a special very cor. Now then, its time for a feast. Enjoy an exquisite dinner that you cant find anywhere else. The mouth of the bound criminal ve was forcibly opened, then the crystal fragment containing sinister magic power was shoved inside and he was made to swallow it. Forbach ordered his men to step back and they observed the man who ate the fragment. There was no reaction that could be seen from the mans body for a while, but just when they thought they heard a cricking sound, the man screamed as his body swelled. Perhaps because the criminal ve was once an adventurer, his body was splendid, but that body` his bones, muscles, skin` made eerie noises and grew. Pachin! The metal cuffs on his hands and legs popped off, the clothes he was wearing ripped, then a ck sinewy skin began to cover the ck, steel-like muscles from the bottom. GUOOOO`` When the changes in his body subsided and he stood up, the tattered pants barely hung onto him. an o-ogre. a ck ogre. As his subordinates were dumbfounded and muttering, Forbach gave instructions to the man who changed into an ogre. Stay there obediently! Gurururu The ogre obediently followed the order. Forbach checked around the ogre in satisfaction. Its over 3 meters tall, huh? Two horns its slightly different from monster ogres. Oi! Bring it some food! At Forbachs instructions, the subordinates brought in monsters hunted around the surroundings to it one after the other. Its your food. Eat as much as you want. The ck ogre ate one monster after the other at Forbachs instructions. It didnt eat just the meat, it crunched on bone and even magic stones Oi, bring me the weapon you prepared for this guy. Yes! As he looked at what was clearly not an ordinary ogre, but a turned ck Ogre` an umon monster`, he could envision the scene of it killing the human youngster who made them feel bitter and was approaching very soon. *** Chapter 439: The Attackers of Malice and Lust Chapter 439: The Attackers of Malice and Lust Of the members hiding behind the rocks, the mages started chanting so they couldunch a preemptive attack. Simrly, the archers took poisoned arrows out of their quivers, nocked it and raised the bow, aiming at the iing carriage. When the targets carriage approached the line of rocks, Forbach gave the signal, the mages fired their spells, and the archers let loose their arrows. If the Dragon Horse is killed, Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc would kick up a fuss about a breach of contract, so the spells were focus fired on the front of the carriage. A magic explosion sted the front of the carriage. A rain of arrowsced with paralysis poison poured down. They chose this as a measure to prevent Tsubaki and the girls from dying. Forbach thought that even if Sophia and the girls die from being hit in a bad spot, that was just an inevitability. Forbachs objective was to settle a personal revenge, rather than for the guild. The road in front of the carriage was destroyed by the magic attacks, and we jumped out from the carriage as Tsubaki stopped abruptly. The downpour of arrows and magic was repelled by our barrier. I detached the carriage from Tsubaki and stored it in the Item Box. From the shadows of rocks on either side of the road, men holding weapons of all sorts shuffled to surround the front. Takumi-sama, the guys at the front are Yeah, its so familiar I hate it. From the men that surrounded us, Sophia spoke of the bizarre presence we felt in the people in front which we recognize so well it was despicable. The assassin who attacked me in Volton. After that, the inhuman men that could feel no pain or fear that were mixed in with the monsters during the invasion in the Sanctuary. It was the immortal soldiers. This is connected to the Divine Empire of Sydnia. Its the aplice of Triaria Kingdom and the Divine Empire of Sydnia, no, their business partner was the Moonlight Owl. The assassin who attacked me was something simr to the immortal soldiers, and I thought that the Moonlight Owl was rted to Triaria Kingdom and the Divine Empire of Sydnia, but now the answer to whether it was the Divine Empire of Sydnia who was the core of the research or if it was the Moonlight Owl was trivial. At that moment, the roar of a monster echoed alongside the magic explosions. GUOOOO```` What appeared was a never before seen ck Ogre. Its size was no different to the superior species of ogres. It had a huge sword in its hand was not strange as normal ogres were intelligent enough to use and swing clubs. I felt ufortable. That was because I sensed intelligence from the eyes of that ogre. I believe that it wasnt indiscriminately attacking the people around it was because of the very cor on its neck. However, past its strong hatred and deep anger, I could definitely sense intelligence. Sophia! Maria! Lets go! Yes! Akane, youre on support! Leave it to me! I called Sophia and Maria to the front to deal attack the immortal Soldiers and also the ck Ogre. I was in the middle with my ice spear, Ice Bringer. To my left holding the wind spear Tempest was Sophia who was protecting my blind spot. And to my right carrying the me spear Explode was the red headed Maria. The three magic spears tore through the enemies guts. Akane and Laeva fired spells at our enemies to back us up. Marnie and Lulu-chan were a fixed pair guarding Akane and Laeva. Tsubaki made a wide right turn to avoid the rain of arrows and magic, and she user her horn like ance charge. I checked the left side and saw a gigantic adamantite alloy body jumped out from the subspace and used its Magic Jet Propeller to elerate explosively. The attackers were bewildered. If it had gone to n, the next step of their strategy was to attack from the back. If that happened, Akane and Laeva who were at the back would have been in danger, but we have a very reliable little sister. Just as we had started our counterattack, the men hiding in the trees who were supposed to attack us from the back had a different fight, well, more like got a beat down. Forbach didnt know. That ever since I was attacked in Volton, I have been in countless fights. Earl Hordia, Earl Sechnal, and Earl Vautarc didnt know. That we have experience in fighting in the Demon Continent and in the Forest of Death. Theyll realize it soon. To deal with us now, dark guilds and mercenaries werent enough. *** Footnotes: 1. Finally the author remembered Marnie. Chapter 440: Beyond Expectations Chapter 440: Beyond ExpectationsAs soon as the battle started, it was different from what was nned, the people who were supposed to attack Takumi and his party from behind did not show up. Forbach was irritated. And, despite the sheer number of people that he gathered, the members of the dark guilds and the mercenaries were dispersed. what the hell is that! A metal horse armored Tsubaki and a 3 meter tall Metal Golem were beating up his subordinates left and right in front of Forbach. It was as though he was watching a parody of a scene. just what the hell is that!?! The ten immortal soldiers he prepared out ofcency were all killed by the magic spear-wielding Sophia, Maria, and Takumi. What the actual fuck!! The mages and archers were being overpowered by two girls firing magic at them. The mages of the dark guilds and mercenaries were frantic just trying to keep up a magic barrier. Even so Forbach intended on letting the immortal soldiers loose on Takumis party, then using his trump card, the ck Ogre, to attack them. At this rate, they would tear through the center and the front will copse. However, Forbach concluded this toote. Shit! What the fuck are those guys at the rear doing!? It irritated Forbach that he did not see the troops who were supposed to ambush from the back, but not even in his wildest dreams could he have thought that something worse was happening in the woods back there. How did ite to this A hoarse voice escaped from Forbachs lips. Lets return to the start of the battle. A short distance from the road withrge boulders on either side was a grove of trees. There, mainly the fighters of the dark guild Moonlight Owlwere concealing themselves so they could cut off their targets retreat and encircle them, in order to ambush them so they would kill their target with certainty. There were those holding bows, there were those carrying giant axes, and there were those with staves ready to start chanting. These people who were on standby to move as soon as the signal from Forbaches were a gathering of some of the most skilled people among the dark guilds. Even if, say, they didnt see the signal from Forbach, they were a group of people who had gone through fights without mistaking their target for someone else. However, those so called elite fighters from the dark guild were about to know the true meaning of horror. Hyu! A voice that wasnt a shriek leaked from someones mouth. A secondter, something could be heard falling, and these professional killers who were calmly waiting looked at the source of the sound with a scowl. Wha!? The man to notice the first let out a startled yell became the next person to suffer the fate of the first. Dosa! Uwaaaaa```!! What rolled by his feet was the head of apetent mage even in the organization. Without knowing what had happened, their head fell off, andrge volumes of blood spurt from his body. Hiiiii!! Huh!? W-whats wrong with my feet!?! A man who fell into a panic realized that his body couldnt move freely, causing him to panic even more. Zashu! Eh!? He heard a piercing sound then he realized that there were ws jutting out from his own chest as he vomited blood. It was then that the mans consciousness ceased. For all eternity. Its an attack! Watch out for friendly fire! The instant after a man regained his senses and shouted, hopelessness manifested right in front of him. Its the same even if you notice, you knoooow! Her upper half was that of a girl, and her bottom half was a gigantic spider. It was a monster you didnt even need to be an adventurer to know. A single one is said to be able to ruin a small country, a disaster level S rank monster, an Arachne. As it was a monster capable of speaking human tongue, it might be even higher. The mans thoughts ended there. The inside of that grove was the most ideal ce for the Arachne, Kaede. Erasing her presence with a high level Stealth Skill, Kaedes stealth was further strengthened by her presence concealing robe. An assassin who can do soundless three dimensional maneuvers from tree to tree and attack. When ites to silent killing, there was no one better among herrades than Kaede, and there was no one inside that grove that could escape her aim. It only took a few moments for the grove, where many lied hidden for an ambush, to flood with the thick stench of blood. In that spot remained only headless corpses and bodies whose heads and chests were pierced by ws. Kaede sought new prey and headed back to Takumis side. *** Footnotes: Chapter 441: Are they making light of us? Chapter 441: Are they making light of us?I could tell that it was an immortal soldier in front of me by looking at its empty eyes. Sophia! Maria! They wont stop till their heads drop to the ground! Yes! I called out to Sophia and Maria, then I swung Ice Bringer, slicing the Immortal Soldiers neck. As I dodged the iing sword, I cut its right arm. The superficial attack was ineffective towards the Immortal Soldier. The man whose arm fell off, without showing any signs of feeling any pain or dread, attacked with his spare knife. I stabbed the knife-wielding hand of the now one armed immortal soldier. His left arm froze, inhibiting his movements despite his intent. This is the end. I stabbed his throat with Ice Bringer and his neck froze. When I knocked him over with my spear, he fell and stopped movingpletely. Id like to clean up the immortal soldier before the ck Ogrees. I nced left and right to see how things were going, Tsubaki and Titan were wreaking havoc. It seems like the resistance of the organization was diminishing. It was then. The ck Ogre roared and came running into my field of view at a speed that was unthinkable for a normal ogre. Sophia, Maria! Ill leave this to you! Yes! Luck be with you! Please leave it to me! I left the enemies in the front, which included the immortal soldiers, to Sophia and Maria while I confronted the ck Ogre. It will be okay because Akane and Laeva were observing the entire battlefield supporting everyone appropriately. The few enemies that slip through from the front that were aiming for Akane and Laeva were defeated by Marnie and Lulu-chan. After confirming all of myrades situations, I sped up further towards the ck Ogre. Buon! The greatsword, which was prepared to match the ogresrge build, was being swung with a swordsmanship unthinkable of a monster. Even as I felt weird about it, I easily avoided the greatsword. Though the greatsword came in like a tempest, I continued to handle it with ease as I thought about why I was feeling this unease. It wasnt particrly excellent, but it was handling the sword very unmonster-like, and more than anything, I could feel resentment and fury in the gaze it was directing at me. (Is it not just a higher species of an ogre?) Thinking about something else during a fight leads to negligence, but I feel like I have to. Then, just when I thought for sure I was about to reach an answer, I understood the feelings dwelling in the ck Ogres eyes. It was an organization that remorselessly exploits the use of an inhumane drugs that causes someone to be unable to feel pain and lose their own will. I dont know what was forcefully done to this ck Ogre, but I do know that people can be turned into monsters. Thinking about it, it was the same as those people in the Light God Faith. There were some monsters mixed into their troop during the war in the Savage Lands before. Ill let you rest soon. I dodged the greatswording from above as I struck upwards with the spearhead of the Ice Bringer. The speartip of the Ice Bringer went towards the ck Ogres neck, and it indeed hit squarely into the neck. Master, do we kill that guy Or catch him? After I finished bringing down the ck Ogre, Kaedended beside me soundlessly. She pointed at the man who was the boss of the attackers, asking what we would do to him. You can just catch him. We have to ask him about the guys who attacked us. Gotchaaa! Kaede did as I requested and happily ran towards the man in the back. The moment he knew the attack failed, he ran away, but there was no way he could escape Kaede, and soon, the knight order would being in as well. There is no escape. Looking around, the few enemies left started running away, but most of them were defeated by Titan and Tsubaki. In the middle, Sophia and Maria were safely annihting the enemies up with Akane and Laevas[1] support. It was impossible for them to because the girls couldnt go easy on the immortal soldiers or do things half-done. They would have continued to attack until they died. When I looked behind Akane, there were a few enemies advancing, but Marnie and Lulu-chan seem to be finishing them off. Perform minimal healing on the survivors and restrain them! Yes! Its annoying, but it cant be helped. Those bunch of knights should hurry on over, seriously! Confirming that the battle has ended, I instructed everyone. Although Akane was grumbling, she began checking if the survivors were there or not with Lulu-chan and Marnie as escorts. I asked that she use minimal recovery magic on the people who werent dead and then bind their hands and feet. Master! I brought him~! Good work. The man that Kaede had dragged in bound with her threads was ring at me, seemingly wanting to say something, but Kaede seemed to have used her paralytic poison, so he couldnt move, much less speak. Are you the leader of todays attack? Well, you probably cant talk right now, but I think you underestimated us too much. He couldnt speak, but I could tell from his eyes that he wants to kill me. I wonder what I did to make him resent me this much? As I was thinking about the reason, I saw that the knight orders horses and carriages approaching. Now then, I have one more job to do. *** Footnotes: 1. Raw says Lulu-chan instead of Laeva Chapter 442: Halfway To The Finish Chapter 442: Halfway To The Finish The orderly file of knights approaching were the knights of Valkyra Kingdom whom we had deep connections to. I am d you are safe. Iruma-dono. Long time no see. Sorry you had toe all this way. They were my acquaintances, the knights of the Volton Margravery. When I was being trained by Barack-san of the Adventurers Guild, I was also training under the knight orders tutge. Thats why I could somewhat remember the faces of the knights of the Volton Margravery. That was quite a show. Umm, the sight inside the grove might be even worse Kaede was responsible for that area. i-it cant be helped. It is Kaede-dono. Moreover, holding back on them is unnecessary. There were still some survivors among the strewn corpses at the nk which were crushed by Titan, and the corpses trampled and gaping with holes because of Tsubaki. However, in the center we were in charge of, our enemies had immortal soldiers so it was a disastrous scene with zero survivors. I had to ask the knights who were astounded by the sight to handle the grove which was an even more remorseless annihtion. Thats how they were dealt with. Leave the disposal of the corpses and the transport of survivors to us. We will interrogate the man who is their leader in Valor. If it possible, we would appreciate it if we could go back together. The leader in charge of the attack, who was caught nearly unharmed, would be interrogated in Valor. I think it would be more correct than Wedgefort, where anyone cane and go. What about this guys background, or his clients? It would depend on how much evidence we collect, but I think it would be particrly difficult to arrest them. Thought so It would be different if there was clear evidence, but we gathered that the clients who ordered this attack were Earl Hordia who was a noble of Yggurle Kingdom, along with Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc who were nobles of Samandour Kingdom. It was not the same as punishingmoners. Even if the worst happens where they wouldnt be punished, I would still definitely harass them. Once the knights were done burying the corpses and preparing the survivors for transport, we headed for Valor. In a room inside the Valkyran knights station at Valor, the interrogation of the leader of the attack was being done. In Valor, it wasnt only Valkyra Kingdoms knights who had a station, the station of the knights of Yggurle Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom were build adjacent to it. The man was sitting on a chair with his hands and feet bound, and his magic sealed by a magic device. At a nce, he looked like a grey haired man with a toned body in his prime, but I knew he was an elf. No matter how much he used a magic device to change his appearance, he couldnt deceive Sylph, Selene, and the Great Spirits. Having heard beforehand from Sylph and the others that he was an elf, I checked his person for magic devices. For starters, lets remove any illusionary magic devices. What!? The man who never thought that his true identity would be revealed was surprised and opened his mouth. What do you mean, Iruma-dono!? I think he is using an illusion-type magic device. You can tell such things? W-well, magic devices are my field of expertise, after all. The captain of the knights who was doing the interrogation with me asked in surprise. I knew about it because I was told by the Great Spirits. was not something I could say, so I had to deceive them that this was my specialty. Saying that makes me cool. Oh, is it this it? I removed the ne hanging from his neck. It was undoubtedly a magic device, seeing as it is imbedded with a small magic crystal. Wha!? You, youre an elf!? Kuh! The change was drastic. When the ne was removed, his ears lengthened, his grey hair turned blonde, and above all, his aged appearance turned more youthful, which made his age less determinable. Even so, ording to Sylph and the Great Spirits, he was less than 300 years old. Now then, I suppose introductions are in order? I am Takumi Iruma, an Alchemist / Adventurer. Mister Moonlight Owl Boss man. Ha, I dont know what youre talking about. For a second, he looked surprised when I cut straight in, but as expected from the man who was the boss of an underground organization for long time, he immediately feigned ignorance with a poker face. Well, you can only say that now. Captain, I dont have time, so shall we quickly do the interrogation? Then I will prepare it right away. When the boss of the dark guild Moonlight Owl saw what the Captain brought back, his face was dyed with despair. What the Knight Captain brought back was a very cor. Yes, by binding him to a very contact, the interrogation would progress much more quickly. I dont know if we can get this man to say that his cl was Earl Hordia, but it was only a matter of time before it circtes that the attack on us circtes in Wedgefort. This is a race against time. *** Chapter 443: The class system is difficult Chapter 443: The ss system is difficultThe the name of the boss of the dark guild Moonlight Owl was apparently Forbach. Originally an Elf from Yggurle Kingdom, he wandered from ce to ce around the continent as he built up the dark guild Moonlight Owl. Basing his headquarters at a border region of Triaria Kingdom, his organization grew to be capable of conducting legitimate businesses like supplying weapons and military goods, to all sorts of criminal activities such as acting as an intermediary for arms dealers, stealing, killing, and drugs. Forbach was a cautious man, so naturally, not even the executives of his organization knew that he was an elf. He constantly moved from one base to another so his trail could not be kept track of. As for why such a cautious man came all the way out to Wedgefort in person, the client for the job today was a noble of Yggurle Kingdom, but the main reason was simply because there were not enough people, the hideouts of the Moonlight Owl in Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom were exposed and many of his underlings were arrested. Moreover, the person who requested the attack on us was just as we had imagined, a noble of Yggurle Kingdom, Earl Hordia. However, it seemed like Earl Vautarc and Earl Sechnal of Samandour Kingdom also happened to have the same n and were on board, and as a result, this was the attack of multiple people. Back in the Sanctuary mansion, I informed everyone of the results of the interrogation conducted in Valor. Their objectives were all different, but they all had an interest in killing me. That Earl Hordia guy is an orc in elfs clothing, isnt he? You said that he was always pining for Sophia. A stalker for several decades. Perhaps because Akane imagined what Earl Hordia was like, she shivered and held herself. Earl Hordia is one thing, but those two Samandourian nobles didnt learn their lesson either. They looked really greedy. Earl Hordia may have had feelings for Sophia, so much so that Sophia ended up in the Moulin very Company for many years, but now that shes been released from very, was now married to me, Id really rather he stop getting involved with us. As Maria said, the problem were the two from Samandour. ording to the information that Sylph and the others gathered, Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc wanted my magic devices. They had an agreement that in exchange for giving Sophia to Earl Hordia, they would take Maria, Marnie, Laeva, and Akane as ves. Those guys are bullshitting. They also want Tsubaki and the carriage, dont they? Tsubaki can only be Takumis familiar. Hearing that they also nned to sell her as a ve, Akane lost her temper. Sure enough, I cant think of Tsubaki as anything but my familiar. But it doesnt mean there was no way. Akane, they must have thought it would be fine if they prepared a very cor just like that ck ogres. well, the question of whether they could get the cor on or not was another thing, though. Yes, ve cors for monster were effective. However, those made by inexperienced people would be ineffective against high ranking monsters like Kaede and Tsubaki. So, what are you going to do? Akane asked me. Of course I knew what she was asking. How we would deal with the three nobles. Sophia, Maria, and Marnie basically respect my wishes, so I have these kinds of discussions a lot with Akane. with only Forbachs testimony, it would be difficult to judge the nobles from different countries. Even so, if we dont do anything, theyll make light of us. I understand what Akane was saying. If they make light of us, then theyll keep making passes at us endlessly. Even if Im called the custodian of the Sancutary, I am still just amoner. Thats the problem. No matter how much testimonies we get, it would be hard toy hands on the foreign nobles. If, at the very least, if there was a document that remained from the contract with the nobles, we might be able to seek action from the country to judge them. But because Forbach was such a cautious man, theres not a single bit of evidence left behind. Theres no doubt about this because it was said in the interrogation under a very cor. If it was Valkyra Kingdoms nobles, we could have tattled to Margrave Volton and even his Majesty. Right? Its hard for usmoners toe out strong against foreign nobles. They know this very well, so the two from Samandour know this so they havent learned their lesson. I wonder if we could harass them without being found out. Yeah. Lets think of what kind of revenge we could do. Indeed. We might be able to consult with Princess Mimir regarding Earl Hordia. Sophia said that Princess Mimir might be able to lend a hand regarding Earl Hordias case. Hmmm, maybe she can do something more than usmoners of a foreign countries? Then, I will book an appointment with Princess Mimir. Maria immediately went next door to Princess Mimirs mansion. Princess Mimirs mansion was built right next to our mansion, but when she saw that I was building an employee dormitory for our mansion, she asked me to build one for her as well, so I built an employee dormitory for her attendants and servants. There were already people who manage the mansion and garden, chefs, and maids residing there, so were able to send word on important matters even if Princess Mimir returns to her country. Now then, what should we do? We will do it, absolutely. *** Chapter 444: Harassment to the best of our capabilities Chapter 444: Harassment to the best of our capabilities Samandourian nobles were staying in Wedgefort. Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc paid a visit to the Governor of Wedgefort everyday and arrogantly made one-sided demands, and would then return to their hotel in a rage when the Governor rejected them. I want to open up my heart for a moment to see how they have the guts to demand involvement in the trade with Sanctuary with suchposed faces. The Governor of Wedgefort was Margrave Voltons protg, a viscount. A viscount was one rank lower than an Earl, but this was not a good attitude to have with a noble from another country. It would seem the Viscount was a man of substance, and he was dealing with it appropriately. Hearing about that from Sylph, I thought my open mouth wouldnt shut up about it. Did they forget that they soldrge quantities of munitions to Triaria Kingdom and the Divine Empire of Sydnia in the war? Even a chicken can three steps. Moreover, thosepanies, thosepanies were theirs. Shamelessness has its limits too. Akane and Maria Its not like I dont understand how they feel. When we left Samandour Kingdom, the fighters of dark guilds and mercenaries attacked us, but we repelled them and should have caused huge losses for those nobles. Despite this, I couldnt say that the fact that they wanted to have a trade that was Sanctuary-rted was surprising at all. On top of that, the assassins from the dark guild that they brought had participated in the most recent attack So, its about time for Earl Hordia, Earl Sechnal, and Earl Vautarc to learn about the failed attack, but as a result of Forbach not leaving a single bit of evidence behind, these three high ranking nobles from different countries cant be judged openly even as a joke. But were not gonna just leave it at this though, right? The captain of the knight order of the Volton Margravery who interrogated Forbach with me also said that without any evidence, they cant charge anyone. Akane asked if I n on taking some sort of revenge I do. So, Kaede and I hid in the shadows and came to Wedgefort. She and I used the usual Stealth Skill and presence inhibiting overcoat, and were equipped with an illusory magic tool that makes us disappear. We definitely dont want to be found out, so when it came to hiding our presence, Kaede, the number one, and I, the number two, were the only ones who were infiltrated. Sophia wanted toe as my guard, but we had no ns on fighting, and this was some sort of harassment or prank, so to speak. It would definitely not be good to have Sophiae along. (Master, I can smell that pig from this carriage.) (Thanks Kaede.) Kaede and I snuck into the carriage storehouse of a high-ss hotel. The owner of this carriage was this times main culprit, a noble of Yggurle Kingdom, Earl Hordia. I had asked Kaede beforehand to check for Earl Hordias scent and presence. (Okay then, watch out for people please, Kaede.) (I gotcha, Master.) As to what Im doing sneaking around to Earl Hordias carriage in the middle of the night was genuinely just to harass him. (Okay, so the axle breaks at the perfect time, Transmute!) I transmuted the carbon on the iron axle using alchemy so it would break when it travels. (It would be a huge sess if it breaks at the halfway point between Wedgefort and the border of Yggurle Kingdom.) When I let everyone know that this was how I was gonna harass them, Sophia, Lulu-chan, and everyone else smiled wryly. It couldnt be helped. Even I thought it was the level of a childrens prank. After that, I went to a separate carriage storehouse at the hotel that Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc of Samandour Kingdom were staying at and did the same thing. Although the area between Wedgefort and Yggurle Kingdom is undeveloped, it wasnt particrly dangerous because the monster subjugation in the vicinity of the highways were under way, but because the highway in the Savage Lands between Wedgefort and Samandour Kingdom couldnt be maintained normally, it was dangerous. Thats why Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc chose the route from Lomaria Kingdom to Triaria Kingdom to go back. If the carriage breaks between Lomaria Kingdom and Triaria Kingdom, it wouldnt be much of a harassment, so I adjusted the use of Transmute so that it would break at the halfway point from Wedgefort to Lomaria Kingdom. (Alrighty, Kaede, were retreating.) (Roger, Master.) Imagining them troubled and stranded in the middle of the Savage Lands made me feel refreshed as Kaede and I withdrew. *** Chapter 445: Facts Chapter 445: Facts The intel that Forbach, boss of the dark guild Moonlight Owl whomanded the attack against Takumi, failed had reached the ears of Earl Hordia, Earl Sechnal, and Earl Vautarc in Wedgefort after two days. Garagaragara A tastelessly extravagant carriage departed from Wedgefort in a hurry, as if being shooed away by something. And inside that carriage, an elderly elf continuing to spew expletives Earl Hordia grumpily found fault in his butler and maids. Shit! The continents number one dark guild organization is sloppy. Cant they even kill a single boy!? And that boy! An incorrigiblemoner human dared to marry MY Sophia! Earl Hordia did not doubt that the attack on Takumi would seed. He had been unable to step foot into the Sanctuary until now, and because it was difficult to target the elusive Takumi, this was the first time that Earl Hordia was involved in an attack. Even so, if the worst of the attack was a failure and the attackers were annihted, there would be no problem. Unfortunately, when Earl Hordia heard that there were several people from the organization that he brought from his country, he screamed loudly in his room in the luxury hotel. Seriously, there were elves among the attackers, they may as well have killed everyo`Gatan! WHA!? They ran through the highway from Wedgefort to Yggurle Kingdom, and when it would take another 3 days to get to the border of Yggurle Kingdom, and just when they thought there were strange soundsing from the axle, something snapped and then the carriage overturned. guh, ugh, w-what happened!? Your excellency, are you injured?! It seems the axle of the carriage broke! Earl Hordia managed to stand up, and when he asked the knights what happened, an escorting knight informed him that the axle of the carriage were broken. Fix it quickly! Theres still some distance to the country! My apologies. Temporary repairs are impossible, we must hire a craftsman from the town close to Wedgefort. W-what did you say!? Earl Hordia jiggled and shook as he berated the knights and his retinue, who were absolutely not responsible for this incident. In the end, a knight rode a horse to Wedgefort, and until he brings a craftsman who could repair the carriage, Earl Hordia had to camp in the Savage Lands being fearful. Meanwhile, there was a convoy of several carriages heading towards Lomaria Kingdom. It was the train of carriages of the Samandourian nobles Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc who were returning to their home country. Their objectives were to kill Takumi, secure the women besides Sophia, and obtain the Dragon Horse and carriage that didnt couldnt be attached with a price if ced in an auction. And their secondary objective should have been to negotiate with the governor of Wedgefort so they could participate in trade rting to the Sanctuary, but they werent able to get a good response from that either. They were informed of the unexpected failure of the attack. He could not believe his ears. Sechnal and Vautarc both knew the dark guild Moonlight Owl was the top dark guild in the continent. They joined amon front with dark guilds that were turfed in Samandour Kingdom and a dark guild from Yggurle Kingdom. They thought there was no possibleponent for failure. Damn it, what top in the continent is that!? I just lost gold, didnt I!? Inside the carriage, Earl Sechnal was voicing his discontent so much he was hurling spit. In a carriage that ran several tens of meters behind, Earl Vautarc was hurling simr remarks. Who does that governor think he is!? I am an Earl of Samandour Kingdom! Master, the governor of Wedgefort is Margrave Voltons protg who holds the title of a viscount. Though our country and Valkyra Kingdom have diplomatic rtions, I have heard that ventures rting to the Sanctuary are a joint undertaking by the Trination. I believe we should first have our king send a letter to King Valkyra, and negotiations after that woulde easier. I know that! If Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarcspanies participate in the trade of Sanctuary-rted items, the heads of the countries would originally have discussions before actual trade can happen. Marching directly into Wedgefort and make oppressive demands towards its Governor, who, despite being of a lower rank, was still a noble of a foreign country, was going over the limit. Just as he was about to object the admonishing of his advisor, a cracking sound was heard from the bottom of the carriage that Earl Sechnal was riding, and immediately after, the carriage shook violently and toppled over. In order to repair the carriages that broke at practically the same time, Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc were forced to stay put. They had the option of continuing in carriages that werent broken, but riding carriages that were meant for carrying luggage was not an option in the heads of Earl Sechnal, Earl Vautarc, and Earl Hordia who was in an identical situation in a different location. Eventually, much like Earl Hordia, Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc were forced to make camp in the Savage Lands for several days. The situations they found themselves in made them feel even more resentful towards Takumi, but they had no way of knowing that the person who broke their carriage was indeed Takumi. *** Chapter 446: Fragments Chapter 446: Fragments My harassment towards the three nobles went better than I expected, and Sylph told me about it as she held her sides withughter. Fufufu, I wanted to show you. That old elf who lost the Spirits blessings. He was trembling while they camped out for several days. Well, it wasnt even a retaliation for the attack, but I think Im feeling slightly better. The little bit of information about Earl Hordia as told by the Spirit just that really small bit was refreshing. At any rate, there was no direct damage from Earl Hordia, but because the attacks on the barrier to invade the Sanctuary were mainly done by Earl Hordias subordinates, it felt juuuust a little bit refreshing. So, what happened to the two from Samandour? I heard that the Governor of Wedgefort was troubled considerably by those two. If Im not mistaken, they were Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc. During their stay in Wedgefort, they seem to have done whatever they pleased, and the Governor was greatly burdened by entertaining them. Fufu, those two were also considerably panicked. Well, the carriages they were forced to buy for lots of money in Wedgefort were safe, so they were still in a better positionpared to that elf. The Lomarian fort wasnt that far, after all. Theyre doing better than Earl Hordia whose carriage broke down for some reason> at the halfway point to Yggurle Kingdom. Earl Sechnal and Earl Vautarc nned on using the route from Lomaria Kingdom to Triaria Kingdom for their return trip to Samandour Kingdom. I didnt think it would take morethan five days even with a normal horse-drawn carriage to get from Wedgefort to the fort at Lomaria Kingdoms border. Actually, I havent been on a normal carriage in a very long time, so I dont really know off the bat. For the time being, I will have the Spirits around Takumi keep watch. Thank you, Sylph. I wont be careless either. It was almost nothing as punishment for attacking to try to kill me and make Sophia and the others as ves, but as amoner who had no interest in count ranks, I could do nothing but harass them. I wonder if this would be enough. After the copse of the Divine Empire of Sydnia, the once devastated country was being revived under the initiative of the Trination, the alliance of Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom. In the former Divine Empire of Sydnia, there were still a few people who believed in the Light God Faith. Even in the former Sydnia, there was a church that existed at the border. The building was extravagantlyrge, speaking of its former prosperity. However, the inside of that church was abnormal. The fact that they were not allowed to join the escape into the Demon Continent, the people gathered here were all lower ranks within the Light God Faith. However, while that may be true, it did not mean they were not encroached by miasma. After the copse of the Divine Empire of Sydnia, it was a series of hardships for the believers of the Light God Faith. When the support ran out from the head church in the imperial capital, the churches built in cities and viges lost offerings too. Until now, the priests who exploited the people grew resentful. It was such a time. The priests who gathered to flee to the borders were carrying what they consider a holy relic from the Demon Continent with them. It was a fragment containing sinister magic power. The boss of the dark guild Moonlight Owl, Forbach, got one of them, the fragment which was the wicked reason for the creation of the ck Ogre. If they were normal people, they would not be able to maintain their sanity from the miasma and that sinister magic power. However, the people encroached by miasma feel something sacred from those fragments. Was it just a coincidence or an inevitability that those fragments reached their hands? Before Takumi and hispanions knew it, the seeds of cmity were beginning to sprout. Silently, slowly, and with certainty *** Chapter 447: A Summons to the Royal Capital Chapter 447: A Summons to the Royal Capital Master, a letter from Lord Portfort arrived. From Lord Portfort? Sebastian in the Volton Mansion handed me a letter from Valkyra Kingdoms Prime Minister, Lord Simon Portfort, stating that he wanted to have a conference with me. I was amoner so I couldnt reject this without a reason, and this was in reality a summons. Well, Lord Simon and I were close enough to go beyond our statuses of noble andmoner, so the meeting itself wasnt an issue. However, did the fact that he had gone through the formal process implied that this was a request rting to Valkyra Kingdom? Yes. They would like to see you at the royal capital, if possible. youre right. Thats what it says. When I read the letter Sebastian gave me, after a polite seasonal greeting, he skillfully wrote about wanting to meet at the royal capital. Takumi-sama what will you do? Hmm, lets teleport there. What Sophia was asking about was if we were going to go by using Tsubakis carriage or if we were teleporting there. And I chose to teleport. Because we were teleporting, the peopleing with me were my three wives, Sophia, Maria, and Marnie, and then some. I can take everyone with my magic power, but Akane and Laeva refrained from joining so I wouldnt have to expend suchrge amounts magic power just for everyone to go. I teleported to a spot close to the royal capital in a spot that was difficult for people to see, and from there, headed to the royal capital on foot. T-this, it is still surprising despite knowing. The one muttering was Sebastian who was apanying us this time. Sebastian was usually in our Volton Mansion, but because Jeeves who was responsible for the Sanctuary Mansion was still young, Sebastian still had to use the Teleport Gate to go back and forth between the Volton Mansion and the Sanctuary Mansion. That was why he had gotten used to teleporting, but it was his first time teleporting without any sort of magic device. Is teleporting with a gate different? Yes. the gate, if I had to say, does not really feel like teleporting. H~mm. Is it like that? Sure, the basements where the gates are installed were simr, so maybe thats why it doesnt feel like teleporting long distances. We walked a little bit to the highway, and as expected of a road to the royal capital, there were many people and carriages passing by. The capital is livelier than before. Oh yeah, Sebastian, you knew the capital in its olden days, dont you? Yes, my years have been adding up futilely, after all. No no, your wisdom and experience are a great help. Perhaps the sight of our party wearing adventurer-style clothes plus Sebastian wearing butler clothes travelling to the capital on foot was conspicuous, the people around us were staring. Thebination of a butler and adventurers could only ever appear strange. Despite being exposed to the questioning stares, we lined up in front of the gate so we could enter. As expected, Prime Minister Simon didnt know when we could go to the royal capital, so he couldnt arrange a carriage for us. If I showed them the letter from Lord Simon, we wouldnt need to line up on this very long line, but we werent in a hurry so were leisurely standing in line. When was thest time I lined up and walked through those gates? This reminds me of my younger days. Could you pass through even just by yourself, Sebastian? It was merely a jest, Master. I would not feel at ease leaving Master and the Madams by yourselves. Please do not worry. I am still young. Thats fine then. Maybe I should prepare a base at the capital soon. Sebastian had worked as a butler ever since he was young, so he must have travelled to and fro the royal capital and the city in a carriage with his master. Moreover, it was a high ranking noble house, so I doubt they would have had to wait in a long line. It seems it was before he worked as a butler. I do not think we could manage that many bases. Shes right. Right now we have Volton, the Sanctuary, the Sky Ind, the Demon Continent, Wedgefort, and if we increase it more, Mabel-san would scold us. Urk. I thought it would be convenient to have a base at the Royal Capital, so I said what I thought and failed. Sophia gently rejected it, and Maria said I would be scolded if we increased our bases more than we already have. That is the case. Master, would it not be better to increase the your bases after the number of your trustworthy servants increased? Y-youre right. Yeah, lets do that. I dont wanna be scolded by Mabel, after all. We were chatting to kill time while waiting in the long line, but why do I feel like Im being scolded for some reason? *** Chapter 448: Savage Land Development Project 1 Chapter 448: Savage Land Development Project 1 Perhaps because the gate keepers of the royal capital were excellent, the long line was moving along much faster than I expected, and we were able to go into the capital within two hours. After we checked into a hotel, I had Sebastian make an appointment with Simon. Surely they wouldnt make us wait several days, right? Even if they did make us wait, since we already secured a hotel room, we could teleport to the Sanctuary or the Volton mansion and back, so its no problem. Master, Lord Portfort had asked you toe to the royal pce in the afternoon on the day after tomorrow. The day after tomorrow huh what should we do? Would you like to rx in the Capital? Now that I at least have one free day, I wondered if I should go back to the Sanctuary for the time being. Master, I would like to gather information in the Royal Capital, would that be alright with you? Id appreciate that, but please dont overdo it. Certainly, Master. Sebastian said he wanted to use his old connections to gather all sorts of information. I am grateful for that, so I did ask him to. Then, Takumi-sama, well go shopping, right? Eh!? Indeed. I want to see all sorts of new dresses. W-wait, arent our clothes being made by Kaede and Maria? Takumi-sama, we have to check thetest design trends, you know? Right. Its important to take in ideas for designs! okay, gotcha. Maria proposed that we go to several clothing stores in the Royal Capital tomorrow. The moment she did, my face suddenly went pale. Apanying women on their shopping spree was not something to be taken lightly. To a guy like me, it was no different from ascetic practices. But because I have no reason to deny my wives requests, tomorrow I will be paraded around the royal capital for my sentence`` no theyll scold me if I think of it as a sentence. I enjoy dates. Yeah, it would be great if I could enjoy it. Sophia, Sebastian, and I headed to the royal capital. Riding the carriage that Lord Simon had prepared, we passed through the gates of the Royal Pce, then we were guided by the knights to a room that seemed like a conference room. After a brief wait, King Valkyra, Prime Minister Simon, Knight Commander Ghad who was escorting His Majesty, and several people who seemed like civil officials entered the room. King Valkyra called out to me frankly when he saw me, and I hurriedly stood up to greet him. Ou, its been a while, Iruma-dono. Ive been hearing about your activities. Im sorry for not keeping in touch, Your Majesty. Umu, well, sit down. Everyone but the Knight Commander Ghad sat down, and Lord Simon began exining the reason for calling me this time. The reason we called for Iruma-dono this time is about the issue with the northern Savage Lands. The northern Savage Lands? Yes, at present, the development of the Savage Lands between the Sanctuary C Valor C Wedgefort C Volton is making progress, and we conduct frequent monster subjugations, and ordinary merchants are able to trade without need for excessive guard escorts. It is not only our nation but also Lomaria Kingdom who receives the benefits from this, but within the Trination, Yggurle Kingdom has distance-rted issues, and as such, currently receives little benefit from it. Indeed, the fort that was built between Lomaria Kingdom and Wedgefort as a stopover ys a huge and important role in trade from the Sanctuary to the Kingdom of Lomaria by way of Wedgefort. On the other hand, Yggurle Kingdom, which was located beyond the northern Savage Land, already had its hands full with just maintaining the highway. Umm, is it alright for me, amoner, to hear about this? What absurdities are you talking about thiste? Iruma-dono, have you not established that you are no ordinary person when you built not only Wedgefort but also the forts during the war with Triaria Kingdom and Sydnia? Haa. I had a bad feeling about this, so when I tried saying that national projects were too much to talk about with amoner, but I had enough self awareness that Ive already done a lot, which meant that when its pointed out, I cant say anything back. Now then, King Yggurle had requested for us to help expand the highway and build a fort at a ry point, and even if it wasnt to the extent of Wedgefort, a fortress city that could defend itself from monster threats. Cooperation means that the main constituent of the project is Yggurle Kingdom, right? Certainly, Yggurle Kingdom would want a stopover at Wedgefort. That alone would make it much easier to go to Wedgefort and Valor. On the other hand, it would probably make it easier to attract merchants to Yggurle Kingdom. However, if that was the case, I thought it was strange that there were no officials from Yggurle Kingdom here, so I asked who would be the main constituent, and Lord Simon had aplex look on his face. Legally speaking, our nation and Lomaria Kingdom were responsible for the expansion of the highway until the stopover. So, that isnt the case? Umu, King Yggurle said that the Elven Earth Mages had never thought of using magic for agricultural purposes like Takumi-dono did and they should have realized its usefulness when the forts were built during the war, but they did not know anything other than attack and defense for battles, and they did not want to do something as perverse as imitating carpenters. King Yggurle was also greatly perplexed. Haa, I somewhat understand, but please dont argue between countries about how much I will help. Umu, from here on we will discuss with Yggurle Kingdom about the location of the ry point where the city would be established and demarcated, each countrys share of providing materials, how much your remuneration would be, and the like. So, Iruma-dono, may we assume that you will be able to help? Yes, if I can. Sorry, Iruma-dono. Ill tell King Yggurle to splurge on your remuneration. The development of the northern Savage Lands wasing alive. I was told that the Trination still had plenty of matters to decide on, and it would take a bit longer to n out and select a location. I was asked to secure stone ahead of schedule, and I left the castle. *** Chapter 449: Savage Land Development Project 2 Chapter 449: Savage Land Development Project 2 Upon my return to Volton from the Royal Capital, I began to list out the materials that would be needed. First, I will get materials from a quarry in the Savage Lands. As to why the Savage Lands, its because its free if its taken from the Savage Lands. Still, I think the only one who would go out and dig up stones in the Savage Lands where monsters run rampant just because its free, is me. I also have to ask the Papeck Company for all sorts of things too. No, do I have to use the tradingpanies of Yggurle Kingdom? I will have to verify this with Lord Simon. Sebastian, I will go out and get the stones first. While Im away, if Lord Simon sends a correspondence, please deal with it. Certainly. Takumi-sama, is it alright if Maria and I are your escorts? Sophia, knowing that I was about to go to a quarry in the Savage Lands, asked about how many guards to have while were out collecting stones. Ah, Sophia-san. Kaede-chan and I want to make new clothes based on the fashion we saw in the Royal Capital, though. Then I will apany you. Maria seems to have been inspired by the clothes she saw in at the Royal Capital, and she wanted to concentrated on making clothes with Kaede for now. Instead, Marnie said she woulde. Then Sophia and Marnie, could you please? There wont be that many dangerous monsters, but if pushes to shove, we also have Titan and Tsubaki. I can have Gloam be on a lookout over a wide area, so please be at ease as you mine. If its Sophias familiar, the Thunder Eagle Gloam, it wouldnt fall behind to the monsters in that area, and with it watching from the sky, I can dig the materials out in peace. Then well return before the day is over. I told Sebastian that, and then Sophia, Marnie, and I teleported to the ce we always go to in the Savage Lands to get stones. Gloam flew high into the sky to watch from above. Sophia and Marnie were on the lookout around me. And just in case, I called Titan out of the Subspace and asked him to be on guard as well. Titan, while Im mining, please be on the lookout. ң, ͣ. Seeing Titan distance himself from Sophia and Marnie to check on our surroundings, I started mining immediately. Since it would be used as materials for Alchemy, the size and shape of the stones did not matter. There was a method of building structures by stacking blocks using Earth Magic, but for an alchemist like me who has copious amounts of magic power, its faster and less troublesome to just transmute everything in one go. I cut out giant chunks of stone by manipting water like a water cutter using Water Magic and store them in the Item Box. I heard that it was going to be a fortress city that was smaller than Wedgefort, so it might not need asrge of a quantity of stones, but its better to have a surplus of materials. As I was immersing myself in my work, Sophia called out to take a break. Takumi-sama, its time for lunch. Mhmm, gotcha. Hold up. I used Purification (Purifying Magic) to remove the dirt on me. Sophia and Marnieid out a carpet, and arranged lunch. Here you go, Takumi-sama. Thank you, Marnie. I received tea and a lunch box from Marnie, and the three of us had our meals. I feel sorry for Titan, but I had to ask him to keep watch while we eat. Well, Gloam is also there so itll probably be alright. As we drank our after-meal tea, Sophia asked how long the stone collection would take. Will it be done in a day? Its impossible to do all the buildings in the city, but I dont think I will need to build all of them. Indeed. The main constituent of this venture needs to be Yggurle Kingdom. The fortress city that would be constructed in the recent northern area of the Savage Lands will be built at the request of Yggurle Kingdom by way of Valkyra Kingdom. The wall surrounding the city would not need materials because it would be made with the soil dug up from the moat, simr to Wedgefort. If the buildings in the city are not built mainly by Yggurle Kingdom, it would be called a city made by Valkyra Kingdom. Thats why the n is that we will only build the bare minimum, a lodging house for the construction workers and barracks for the stationing soldiers. Then I suppose you would finish before sundown. Looks like it. I think well be able to return home by night. In all honesty, if I wanted to build a structure using Alchemy, I wouldnt even need to secure stone. I could just transmute soil and sand into stones. So, if I had to put down a reason for why I was going out of my way to procure stones instead of using soil and sand to transmute the buildings, it was because transmutation using stones definitely uses less magic power. So, because of that, I guess Ill try a tiny bit harder. Chapter 450: Savage Land Development Project 3 Chapter 450: Savage Land Development Project 3 After we finished gathering the rocks, we spent our days between the Volton and Stuary mansions, sometimes we go to our base in the Demon Continent and in the Sky Ind, and we mingle with Berkut and the Aligerous Tribe. While we were living such a life, Sebastian said that a correspondence that came to Wedgefort from Prime Minister Simon. Lord Portfort will arrive at Wedgefort in 3 days. Thank you. So, I have to meet him at Wedgefort too, right? Yes. They stated that they would like to hold the meeting with your presence included. Which means the representative of Yggurle Kingdom will being to Wedgefort too? Yes, the manager for the development project as well as Princess Mimir would be participating for Yggurle Kingdom. I heard Sebastian mentioned the name of an unexpected person. Rather than unexpected, it was my neighbor in the Sanctuary, so it was a face I see quite frequently. Meeting my neighbor Princess Mimir in a formal setting was a strange feeling. As if reading my current train of thought, Sebastian exined the reason for Princess Mimirs participation in the meeting. Yggurle Kingdom is an Elven nation. For more than a thousand years, there have been many proud individuals who regarded themselves as the most valuable race. Among them, Their Majesties the current King and Queen, and Princess Mimir were rare individuals who did not have the same ideals. ording to Sebastian, it takes tremendous effort and patience for the people of Yggurle Kingdom to interact and have discussions regarding joint ventures with their allied Human nations, Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom. Could it be that many of the Elven officials were tainted? That is 50 points, Master. Eh? It isnt only the government officials, even the escorting knights and servants also take on the default attitude of being superior to Humans and Beastkin. Haa~ Princess Mimir is also unfortunate. A job like that forced onto her. Well, as long as it is understood that they are exceedingly proud and unfounded vanity, then there is fundamentally no problem. As expected, there wouldnt be individuals who would use disparaging speech towards anyone, like that Elven Earl. Haha, yeah Apparently, as long as the Elves are dealt with in a patient and adult manner, it would usually be alright. When I thought that they were troublesome race, Sophia who was beside me looked apologetic. Its easy to forget because Sophias father and mother treated Maria, Marnie, Laeva, and I who were of different races normally, but Sophias younger brother was like the others, he still has the inflexible disposition of looking down on other races. This inclination is prevalent especially in the nobles and wealthy merchants in Yggurle Kingdoms Royal Capital, and it would be difficult for my younger brother-inw who works in the Chivalric Order at the Royal Capital to not be affected by such influences. Well, we dont need to make any special preparations, do we? Even if the discussion veers to me taking no part in the buildings of the city, the stones could be used for other things, so theres no problem. The day of the meeting in Wedgefort was ryed to us, and just in case, we will ride to Wedgefort the day before it and gather information in the city. We received information that Valkyra Kingdoms Prime Minister Simon had already arrived in Wedgefort. Meanwhile on Yggurle Kingdoms side, Princess Mimir had arrived yesterday. It was not known if the other civil officials had arrived yet. The day of the appointment, a carriage sent by Lord Simon came to pick us up and we headed to the castle built on the small hill in Wedgefort. Its been a while since Ive been in this castle. Now, the Viscount, Margrave Voltons protg, was managing it as its governor. As we were waiting in a room in the castle, I sensed someone approaching. Apologies for making youe all this way. Please sit down. The person who came in was from Valkyra Kingdoms side, Lord Simon and two assisting civil officials. Behind them, the people from Yggurle Kingdoms side, Princess Mimir and Prime Minister Balza also appeared. This was a bit surprising, but thinking about it, Prime Minister Simon was present for Valkyra Kingdoms side, so having Prime Minister Balzae bnces it out. The discussion opened with unrolling a rough map that we created of the Savage Lands. *** Chapter 451: Savage Land Development Project 4 Chapter 451: Savage Land Development Project 4Once everyone had finished exchanging greetings, the discussions began immediately. We discussed the location of the city-to-be in the Northern Savage Lands between Wedgefort and Yggurle Kingdom. First, Yggurle Kingdoms Prime Minister Balza talked about how much they were requesting that I make. We would like to avoid increasing Iruma-donos workload too much. It is embarrassing to say, there are still many Elves who envy and begrudge Takumi-sama. If Takumi-sama builds majority of the new city The rebels would emerge. ording to Lord Balza and Princess Mimir, there was a certain amount of people who did not find it amusing that I was a human yet I was the Keeper of the Sanctuary and the Protector of the Spirit Tree. Princess Mimir said a certain number, but by some chance, the number of displeased people might have been a lot. As such, what we would like to request of Valkyra Kingdom and Iruma-dono are the city walls and road maintenance until the city. If possible, may me request the soil be prepared inside the walls? Umu, that much is adequate. What do you think, Iruma-dono? Having heard of the request from Lord Balza and Princess Mimir, Lord Simon asked me if I thought there was any issue with it. That is fine on my side. Now, about the location youre selecting About that location, ideally speaking, we would like it to be at the halfway point between our country and Wedgefort, but because of an issue with the water supply, it is far closer to our country. Hmm, that would mean that the road we are responsible for would increase. My apologies, but may we request this? When ites to building cities, the water issue is an inseparable problem. It was for that reason that the location of the city more towards Yggurle Kingdom. The distance was 50 km. Lord Balza asked if they would be willing to shoulder that portion of the road maintenance. Lord Simon also pondered over the 50 km increase in road maintenance. We were already nning to do the construction work itself, but because this was a joint venture between Valkyra Kingdom and Yggurle Kingdom, our escorts during the construction would be the Knight Order of Valkyra Kingdom. fumu, if that is the case, how about an increase of rpense for Iruma-dono, as well as a budget of the food and such for extended stay of the knights. Are you satisfied with the portion for the extended days for the knights? Lets leave it as a favor for an ally. Lord Balza and Lord Simons talk seems to have settled. Yggurle Kingdom would also want to keep its expenses as low as possible. However, building a city by themselves would cost enormous amounts of money and time at the early stages. Though it was a fort, Lomaria Kingdom constructed it by themselves, so it would be bad if it was only Yggurle Kingdom that benefits too much from the Trination alliance. Lastly, regarding our reward, it was troublesome so well just leave it to Lord Simon. It cant be helped. I dont know the cost of building walls to surround a city and tten the ground inside it. Basically, I depend on magic for everything. There, the approximate size of the city was decided. I made advanced arrangements regarding the size and height of the walls, the number of gates, their locations, and other details with Yggurle Kingdoms side, and that settled everything for them. Lord Simon went over the schedule of knights to be dispatched, the construction of the camp grounds, and other necessities, then the meeting finished. It looks like we will not need that many stones. Youre right. Instead, should we sell it to Yggurle Kingdom? Well, it could be used for something. On our way back from the Wedgefort Castle, Sophia said that we didnt need the stones we got, but the stocks could be used for something, so theres no problem. Why not use cobblestone on the road? I wonder if well have enough cobblestone for the entire distance of the road that I am assigned. It will eat up some magic power, but thatd mean I wouldnt have to go through the trouble of paving the entire road surface into stone. Maria asked if wed make use of the stones for the cobblestone road, but it would take more time to secure enough stones for the quota. How about we go back to the Sanctuary for now, then well decide which members would go? Indeed. Lets ask Akane and Laeva what they they want to do. Myself and Sophia escorting me are confirmed, and Maria would join when she has time. She was apparently busy making clothes with Kaede. Marnie would participate for the entire time to take care of my needs. Obviously, we couldnt bring maids into the Savage Lands. I think Laevas response would depend on how much work she has. It would be half the size of our fort, so even if the road cement was included, it wouldnt take that long. *** Chapter 452: Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 452 Northern Development 1 Chapter 452: Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 452 Northern Development 1 Gogogogoooo!! Once I thought that enough ground was ttened to some extent, I changed surface into stone. Additionally, I thought it was necessary to add some small anti-skid measures onto it. The road continues from the north gate of Wedgefort all the way to Yggurle Kingdom. For the time being, Yggurle Kingdom made a road so carriages wouldnt be inconvenienced, but it was a fact that it was inferiorpared to the roads going from Wedgefort to the northeast of Volton and to the east of Lomarias fort. The proud, or perhaps, the pretentious could not tolerate that fact. Simon also said that the reason why we weremissioned for the road development project starting from Wedgefort was because of that. At a slightly faster pace than a walk, I continued to use magic on the road when a knight approached. Iruma-dono, perhaps we should make camp around this area. Roger. Then Ill make a simple campsite. Im ashamed to ask you to do more work than what is necessary of you, but if you please could. Please dont worry about it. This much is nothing. I used Earth Magic to prepare the ground on the side of the highway, and there, I made a wall and a moat. Since its as simple as it gets, the height and width of those walls were average. Just in case, I did harden the walls using alchemy. Then I made a building for the knights. If I used just the soil from this ce, I would have ended up making a basement even if it wasnt necessary, so I used the stones prepared in advance to make it in one go using Alchemy. The stones were immediately useful. It would be a shame to just demolish this tomorrow morning. That cant be helped, Maria. It would be worrying if this turns into a stronghold for thieves if we left it as is, equally troubling if goblins or orcs settled here. Ill demolish the simple campground tomorrow because of Sophias concern, but with the camp being so close to the road, I think the chances of monsters settling there were low. However, thieves could use this as a base to attack carriages travelling the road. Though that would also be unlikely with how close this is to the road. Are we also camping? About that. I dont really want it spreading that I can use teleportation, so I suppose i should make another building for us. Marnie asked if we would return to our mansion in either Volton or the Sanctuary. However, anything rted to my ability to my teleportation magic or the gates installed in the basements of the Volton and Sanctuary mansions were top secret information. Thats what Ive been telling the Aligerous Tribe, Sebastian, Maribelle, and the maids, so if possible, I should follow my own example if possible. I built a simple building for our use, and my work for the day was done. Dinner preparations were handled by Marnie and Maria, meanwhile I arranged beds, chairs, and tables inside the room. Usually, when we camp out, we spend it inside Tsubakis carriage, but this time, we were being joined by the knights. Takumi-sama, lets eat. Okay,ing. I was lining up the beds when Marnie called to say that dinner was done. I sat on therge table made to be used by our party members. My apologies. We made a simple stew. No, its not a problem at all. Takumi-sama, bread please. Gotcha. Marnie apologies that it was only a simple stew because we were outside, but the soup base was stock from the Item Box, so it wasnt a huge fail. It was a huge upgrade if you think about camping food. Maria ced a basket at the center of the table and asked me for some of the bread stocked in the Item Box. The bread was baked using the wheat grown in the Sanctuary, and we have a huge stock of it in my Item Box. I ced them in the basket Maria ced down. Itadakimasu! Our household arepletely taken by Japanese style of food. This wasnt just because of me, Akane was also at fault. Takumi-sama, I will go to the Sanctuary tomorrow to make clothes with Kaede-chan. Gotcha. Ill teleport you there secretly tomorrow morning. Wouldnt Marias absence here be noticed by the knights? Itll be fine, Sophia-san. Ive been moving stealthily this entire day. I dont think theres anyone on the Knight Order who would recognize us. Maria had on her perception inhibiting overcoat, and she used her stealth skill the entire day, not to train, but to be able to leave in the middle of it. Thats fine then. Ill be sending you off early tomorrow morning, shall we head to bed earlier? Yes. And so, we finished the first day of the road development. *** Footnotes: 1. [1] Chapter 453: Northern Development 2 Chapter 453: Northern Development 2 First thing in the morning, I teleported Maria to the Sanctuary, and once I made the round trip back, I quickly tidied up the campsite and resumed the road construction. As I was working silently, Sophia and Marnie were directly beside me, guarding me. The knights dispatched from Valkyra Kingdom guarded me and subjugated the monsters in the vicinity of the road. The knights from Yggurle Kingdom were apparently subjugating monsters on their side too. They said that after the city isplete, the safety of the roads, with its increased traffic, is ensured. With so many watchful eyes, also known as the escorting knights, it was impossible to y hooky, so I had build the road in earnest. Takumi-sama, it might be over there. Were finally there? One more burst. After a few days of constructing the road, the workers from Yggurle Kingdom who were working on the waterways of the nned construction site of the city came into view. Are they making those into water moats? I wonder. I think an empty moat would be enough though. It looks like they are using criminal ves. Marnie noticed that the workers werent only Elves. The ones constructing the buildings were obviously the Elves, but criminal ves are often used for hardbor like that. Do they not want to use Earth magic and Alchemy that much? The craftsmen aremoner elves, so I dont believe theyre too fixated about it, but the elf supervising them doesnt look too pleased. As always, the noble elves do not approve of the use of Earth Magic for public works. The craftsmen such as carpenters were obviouslymoners, so they arent as negative as the nobles about the usage of magic outside of battles, but If it were a cksmith, there would have been no problem if they worked in the confines of a workshop, but a carpenter would be visible no matter what. Thats really not convincing. Arent building field camps very tactical? I apologize, Takumi-sama. To Elves, magic is something to directly damage monsters in subjugations and fight in wars. For that reason, Earth magic, which had the strong image of defense, was not popr. Poprity I thought it was more fun to create things using alchemy and Earth magic. As I talked about this with Sophia, the knights of Yggurle Kingdom at the front and the civil official supervising the construction of the city had approached. The knights escorting us will also stand at the front and support it. After exchanging formal greetings, the elven official who carried the blueprint of the town approached us. You must be Iruma-dono. I am Baron Holt of Yggurle Kingdom, I oversee the construction of this city. I am Takumi Iruma. Please treat me well for the next few days. The civil official of Yggurle Kingdom who called himself Holt looked dubious when I sad a few days but nodded, perhaps because he had learned about how long it took toplete Wedgefort. Then I have a request to make of you, Iruma-dono. A request? I tilted my head when he said request. Regarding this project, the allotment of work had been decided between Valkyra Kingdom and Yggurle Kingdom. Even if they do ask me something, Im not sure theres anything I can do. Yes. Regarding the n, it is likelymonce to build the buildings inside the city after erecting its protective walls, however, if it could be done, may I ask you to prepare the soil beforehand? Umm, I dont mind, but Will that be alright? This was not a safe region, it is the Savage Lands dotted with monster nests. That is why work inside the city is normally done after the city is surrounded by protective walls. That will not be a problem. Our Chivalric Order will handle the monsters. Well, it will be a difference between doing it before or doing it after, so, if you say so. Oh! You have my gratitude, Iruma-dono. Now we can start building the city. ording to Holt, Yggurle Kingdom were transporting stone, lumber, and other building materials, so they would like to bring it in after the soil is prepared. Now that the construction of the city would progress even further, he shook my hand in gratitude. The demarcation has markings on the ground. Please prepare the soil inside it. Understood. For a noble of Yggurle Kingdom, he acted courteously even to me, amoner. I went to the designated area, refined arge amount of magic power, imagined solid ground, and invoked Earth magic. Gogogogo``!! Just when I thought that I heard the earth rumble, the ground swelled, and before long, tnd without any unevenness stretched as far as the eye could see. Takumi-sama, a mana potion. Thanks. As expected, it was reckless to do it in one go. I drank the mana potion that Sophia handed to me as we moved to the remainingnd that needed to be prepared. W-wh, what!? Did you finish more than half of it in one attempt!? Shouldnt we Elves being using Earth magic more effectively!? No, impossible. My superior would judge me if I said such things. Holt-san was mumbling stuff in surprise, but I continued to do my job. After I took a break and swiftlypleted the soil preparation, Holt-san had revived and began giving instructions to carry the materials in or dividing the city districts. Now then, should I make todays campgrounds? That would be good. The sun will set soon. I made the campgrounds for Valkyra Kingdoms knights, then I quickly build the one for our use. And so, todays work was done. Chapter 454: Northern Development 3 Chapter 454: Northern Development 3 On the second day at the construction site of the nned city, we were walking towards the area marked on the blueprint where the walls would be erected when I felt like there were some presences who seemed to be approaching because they saw Sophia and Marnie. And as I had suspected, they came to bother Sophia and Maria. Hey there, Elf-oneechan, Rabbit-oneechan. Youre so he sexy. Hihihi, they totally help release our motivation, dont they? Yeah, women also need someone to embrace them, yanno? When Sophia and Marnie ignored thempletely, the men escted more and more. These guys are criminal ves, arent they? What are the elves managing them doing? Are they trying to pick a fight with me? Hey you! Dont ignore me! Ora! Rabbit! Youre just a trophy ve, arent cha!? I think I heard something snap inside me. Hiik!? When my anger leaked out and was directed at the men, the criminal ves who were cursing us out just a second ago were now shaking uncontrobly. Oi! You! What are you doing away from your station!? An Elven knight sensed something abnormal and jumped in. Sophia dealt with the knight, exining what we were here to do today, to which the knights face paled. My sincere apologies, Iruma-dono. You hade at the request of our country, and yet you have been offended Not at all, I ept your apology. So please dont apologize too much. Its not a good idea for the Elven knight apologizing repeatedly to me. I was angry at the idiots, and I did think the elf managing them was also at fault, but its enough if I receive an apology. The criminal ves who messed with Sophia and Marnie were dragged away by the knights of Yggurle Kingdom. How could the three of them skip out on work and wander around? Takumi-sama, please dont be too mad. Shes right. We are fine. Im happy that Takumi-sama got mad at them for us though Indeed. Friction in a countrys venture would be awkward. yeah. I also lost my cool back there. I couldnt oppose the warnings from Sophia and Marnie. I have a feeling my father once told me that in a household, the stronger the wife is, the better. Though it was way too long ago and vague. Refocusing myself, I started on the walls that would be the cornerstone of this fortress city. Gogogogooooo!! It will stand at 10 meters, it was a bit lower than Wedgeforts 15 meter walls, with a thickness of 3 meterspared to Wedgeforts 3.5 meters. Outside of it, there will be a moat with a depth of 4 meters and a width of 8 meters. The earth would be turned into solid stone, and supplement this by applying it with Harden toplete the sturdy fortress walls. It will take me 5 days to surround the city with the walls. The fact that it would take half the days I took in Wedgefort was because the city was smaller in size, but it might have also been influenced by my personal growth. It would take another two days to build two side towers and a gate. Gogogogooooo!! W- what in the world is that Seeing that the earth risepleting the moat, and an imposing wall built in the blink of an eye right in front of him, the civil official Holt who was dispatched to this site was stock-still from shock. He had heard that Earth Magic was being used for construction, but in truth, Holt was one of the people who ridiculed that. So much so that there was a fixed notion within them that magic was meant to be used forbat. He had been surprised that Takumi finished preparing the soil in the city in no time at all, but when he saw the fortress walls and side towers in a sh, he wondered what the Elves had been doing up until now. However, Elves lived very long lives so they felt no need to rush in construction. Would this not be a immensely effective for constructing field encampments? The astounding spectacle before Holt made his senses change. There were probably very few Elves who would be able to use Takumis method ofbining alchemy and skillful use of Earth Magic. No, perhaps none. Furthermore, it was certain that this Human surprisingly possessed even more magic power than Elves. Takumi was someone that even the Miss Sophia of the Sylphide family, a war hero, followed constantly. Sophias appearance in such a way was nothing short of a surprise to the knights of Yggurle Kingdom. Holt thought that upon his return to the Royal Capital, he should research the uses of Earth Magic in construction and architecture. Though it should be considered that there were few Elves who had the aptitude for the Earth attribute. *** Chapter 455: A spot of bother Chapter 455: A spot of bother Ivepleted the moat and ramparts surrounding the city, so I was going to meet with the person in charge for Yggurle Kingdom whenthathappened. Among the knights that Yggurle Kingdom had dispatched, there were some who had served during the war with Triaria Kingdom more than 50 years ago. The knightss who learned about Sophia suddenly snapped at Sopha and I. Oi, Sylphide. You, youre a knight of Yggurle Kingdom and yet you married a human? Youre a disgrace to the Elves! How dare you show face to us!? Wha!? Stop! Someone take him! One of the Elven Knights cursed Sophia, and the other knights around him hurriedly stopped him. Let me go! Dont you guys think so too!? That woman became Triarias prisoner! Shut up! Sophia-san was captured because she protected many of ourrades! She was betrayed by our kind and even lost her ability to use magic! Perhaps because there was a knew about the situation in those days, someone instructed those surrounding the man who disparaged Sophia to take him away. I think after the incident with those criminal ves, my boiling point had gotten lower. I couldnt stand it anymore and tried to take a step forward, but I felt a soft touch wrap around both of my arms. You cant, Takumi-sama. Sophia-san is holding it in. Takumi-sama, it is fine by me. Besides, even that fool is a noble who holds peerage. Please be patient here. Kuh, okay Sophia. And thank you, Marnie. Not all of the knights taht belong to the Chivalric Order of Yggurle Kingdom were knights, but their percentage was quite high. ording to Sophia, the man who made reckless remarks was a member of a group in the knightage that did not get along with her, and would, in one way or another,pete with her. The man screaming noisily was led away by his fellow knights, and the man who seemed to be in charge of the knights apologized. Please forgive us, Iruma-dono. I fully acknowledge that the fault liespletely on us. With all that, I humbly make a request. Would it be possible for you to ept our apology and let bygones be bygones? Please raise your head. I dont want to be the cause for disputes between Valkyra Kingdom and Yggurle Kingodm, and I will no longer see that man, so I ept that apology. I appreciate that someone who must have beenmanding officer in the Chivalric Order was bowing deeply and apologizing to a human for an Elven knight who had a deep-seated elitism, so with my anger flying off somewhere, I had him raise his head. Eventually, after a brief greeting with Holt-san, we headed back to Volton. Wee back, Master. Were back, Sebastian, Maribelle. Sebastian and Maribelle came to greet us as we came up from the basement where the Teleport Gate was installed. Have you finished the construction? Yeah, Im done with the part Im in charge of. Did anythinge up? A correspondence from Lord Portfort, and a message from Jeeves in the Sanctuary Mansion stating that Princess Mimir would like to meet you. Eh!? I was surprised that Princess Mimir left a message that she wanted to meet up. Maybe it was about the recent dispute with the knights of the Yggurle Kingdom. Isnt that too fast? Trouble really chose today to act up. As I was thinking that, Sophia told me of how Princess Mimir could have been the first to find out about the knight. Takumi-sama, I believe one of the Great Spirits told Princess Mimir. Ahh, I see. The Great Spirits would have overheard that, huh. They didnt have to notify Princess Mimir though. Just in case, I hade to an agreement with thatmanding officer, so theres no need to bring up whats been swept under the rug. The Spirits were definitely angry. Especially the Wind Spirits who have a strong connection with Sylphide family. Ill have to tell Sylph to not act rashly, huh. Yes. Spirits are fundamentally free. That was no different for the Great Spirits. Those women were beings that did as they like. However, there was one thing they had inmon. It was that the Spirits and the Great Spirits were good beings sent into this world by Goddess Norn. As such, the Wind Spirits could not stay silent when Sophia, who is deeply connected to them, was slighted. Even so, currently in Yggurle Kingdom, the number of people who lost the blessing of the Spirits which makes them unable to use Spirit Magic or hear the voice of the Spirits was increasing, which is bing a problem in the country. If they make Sylph any angrier, it would be bad. Yes, Yggurle Kingdom might lose its Divine Wind Protection. Hm, lets go to the Sanctuary mansion then. Have a good day. Finding the situation to be urgent, Sebastian and Maribelle saw us off as we teleported to the Sanctuary mansion. *** TLN: Take care of yourselves. Ill be back by the 18th. For now, I hope you enjoy the double chapters. Chapter 456: A day in the Sanctuary Chapter 456: A day in the Sanctuary I teleported to the Sanctuary with Sophia and Marnie. Coming up from the room in the basement where Teleportation Gate is installed, we were greeted by the butler Jeeves, Mabel, and the other maids. Wee back, Master. Yeah, thanks as always. Where is Princess Mimir? I believe she is waiting for you, Master. Gotcha. Ill try visiting. Princess Mimir is probably worried, so I headed next door immediately. Then I was let inside at once. Ah, hes here, hes here. Yahoo! Good work. My apologies for calling you here. When theyre bored out of their minds, Sylph and Undine enter Princess Mimirs mansion, eating snacks and drinking tea there. And Princess Mimir was there, seemingly apologetic to me. Princess Mimir, you dont have to be concerned about the matter with the knights of Yggurle Kingdom, Sophia also didnt mind. If that wasnt said properly, Sylph seemed like she would hand down severe punishment, so I took the initiative before Princess Mimir could apologize. I am unable to do as you have stated. The knights had witnessed it, and more than anything, the Wind Spirits even came to tell me. The fact that Spirits bear animosity towards that person means that this is a very serious matter to Yggurle Kingdom. Yeah~ That child is no longer able to use Spirit Magic. I wonder if he would notice that he can no longer hear the voice of the Spirits. Not being able to use Spirit Magic, is that okay, Sylph? Following Princess Mimir, Sylph said some frightening things without any hesitation. Isnt an Elf being unable to use Spirit Magic a serious matter? Actually, when I first met Sophia, her situation where she was cursed to be unable to use magic damaged her pride as an Elf, which was more than enough reason for her to be in despair. Really, Takumi? Youre saying that now? Elves have been losing the divine protection of the Spirits even before this. Well, ever since the Sanctuary was created and we manifested, it might have increased somewhat. It is shameful, but the number of people who have lost the divine protection of the Spirits after incurring the wrath of Sylph-sama, Undine-sama, and the Great Spirits had increased. Woah, so apparently the current Yggurle Kingdom had angered Sylph and the others, and the number of Elves bing unable to use Spirit magic was multiplying? See, that Orc-like Elf is a prime example. Ahh That alone was convincing. Sure enough, it was no mystery that Earl Hordia who targeted Sophia relentlessly would lose the divine protection of the Spirits because he was hated by Sylph and the Great Spirits. And that Dark Guilds boss was like that too. Oh yeaaah, the boss of the Moonlight Owl was an elf too. The boss of the Moonlight Owl who disguised himself as a human using an illusory magic device was actually an elf who lost the divine protection of the Spirits. Well, that man was abandoned by the Spirits even before we had manifested though. ording to Sylph, it was rare for Spirits to deprive someone of the divine protection in fights between people like in war. Thats why, to the Elves, the loss of the divine protection of the Spirits was a huge deal. The fools who tried to invade the Sanctuary and attack the barrier ount for many of them. Ahh, that did happen. About that, have they still not given up? Takumi, you might not know it since you arent always in the Sanctuary, but theye periodically without giving up. Haa~ they have so much free time. Most of them were pawns of Earl Hordia. Some among them were members of dark guilds that epted requests from nobles of otherpanies and the special forces of Triaria Kingdom, but majority of them were hooligans from Yggurle Kingdom who took on dirty jobs requested by Earl Hordia, or his private army. Well, this time well forgive you for that much. It was Sophias request. Thank you, Sylph-sama. On our side, I will make sure to advise father to be more cautious. Is that okay? Sylph was persuaded into stopping at that for the judgment of the knight who disrespected Sophia. However, I think it would be important for Princess Mimir to give heed to the King. It will be alright. With this incident, we must change the perception towards Sophia-san. At this rate, the number of Elves who lose the divine protection of the Spirits would increase. Apparently, Princess Mimir was just as angry at the knight who said scornful words towards Sophia whom she gets along with. In a huff, Princess Mimir said that she could not allow someone to insult a hero who saved many of herrades just because Sophia fell into a cowardly trap during war then caught and turned into a war ve. Princess Mimir Sophia, who was always dignified, was moved to tears. Well, for the time being, this marks the end of todays trouble or so I hope. *** Chapter 457: Pulsating fragments Chapter 457: Pulsating fragments There was a small town in the border regions of a nation known as the Divine Empire of Sydnia. With the copse of the country, its poption flowed out to other ces, and it turned into a ghost town. Inside the rundown church there, it was slow, and it happened little by little, but it was growing steadily. Several priests of the former Light God Faith wearing hooded cloaks concealing their faces were smiling eerily amongst themselves as they watched what theyre trying to aplish make favorable progress. Hiyaaaaaa!! Zabe meeee!! Gyaaaaaa!! On the outskirts of a ghost town, in the church no longer visited by people, agonizing death cries resounded. It would be easy if they are criminal ves. Yeah, it would be easier than bringing those people dying by the roadside in the slums. In front of the former priests, the remains of what once were humansy scattered and entangled on the miasma tentacles emitted by the pulsing fragment. Around the recently ruined men was an umtion of more decaying, simrly wrecked biological matter. They were the priests who came back from the Demon Continent, they purchased criminal ves to offer to the fragment of their Goddess. At first, they abducted people from the slums of various cities, where wouldnt cause a panic even if they went missing, but this was more work than they had expected. More than anything, there was a convenient thing known as criminal ves which could be obtained for a simr cost without taking any risk, so there was no reason not to make use of it. Criminal ves tend to be cheaper the more heinous their crimes were. The clincher was no one would want to own a criminal that has done atrocious crimes despite the fact that the criminal is unable to defy the orders of their owner because of the very contract. That was why the criminal ves whomitted especially atrocious crimes were bought by countries and nobles sent into the mines where the harsh environments and deaths were synonymous. It could loosely be called a death penalty, as the criminals were disposable tools that had difficulty in returning alive. It was for this reason that the former priests purchasing criminal ves as offerings was an inevitability. The present condition of the former Divine Empire of Sydnia also pushed the former priests. After their nations copse, the former Divine Empire of Sydnia had a fragmented government because of the Trination alliance of Valkyra Kingodm, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom, so, naturally, public order was deteriorating. That deteriorating public order was favorable for the former priests. With the knights dispatched from the fragmented ruling of the Trination and the joint request from the Trination at the Adventurers Guild of their respective countries, the ex-adventurers and ex-knights-turned bandits which caused the public discord were being subjugated or arrested. And the captured criminals were being sold as cheap criminal ves. They were able to obtain offering without any criticism from anyone. The former priests snickered. For those of us biding our time and avoiding suspicion to the best of our abilities until the revival of our Goddess, criminal ves are the best thing we could hope to have. Yes, there is no need to rush. We have plenty of time. The vacant eyes of the former priests did not perceive the abnormality of the transforming fragment. They were no longer able to make normal judgements. Beyond their gazes, the fragment ced onto an alter which absorbed the provided offerings had greatly changed from the appearance of a chipped purplish ck fragment that it initially had. There, the fragment covered in human flesh like a meaty baseball was enshrined. This lump of flesh with no muscle or veins, and naturally no internal organs, was amassing miasma as it pulsated like a heart. The former priests wished for their goddess wished for the revival of the Evil Spirit. However, a more evil monster was being brought upon this world. The world was not yet aware of that danger. The grudge of the sacrifices and the miasma were mixing together, creating a monster egg. *** Chapter 458: The Flower of My Birthplace Chapter 458: The Flower of My Birthce My mansion in the Sanctuary was built on the spot with the best view of the Spirit Tree and Spirit Spring, the plot had a spacious yard where thewn was green with flowers of all sorts of colors bloomed without withering. In one part of the vast garden of the mansion, a huge tree was visible. The tree was not very tall, but its branches extended vastly sideways. The thick sideways stretching branches did not have a single single. In its ce The flower buds are getting bigger, arent they? Oneechan, you really did your best~ Thank you, Dryas. I asked you for a difficult request. Its fine. I enjoyed it too. In front of the majestic looking tree in one section of the garden, Sophia and I looked at the Great nt Spirit Dryas with deep emotion. It was a huge tree that looked to be over a hundred years old, but in actuality, it was no more than 5 years old. This is indeed fantasy, as the Spirits, with Dryas at its core, did their best. Yes, this tree with pink buds all over its branches was a Sakura Tree. Apparently, cherry blossom trees also existed in this world, but instead of having Japanese Somei-Yoshino(ᥤ襷), the kind Im used to seeing, they have varieties simr to the Yaezakura (ؗ@) and the Yamazakura (ɽ@). It was then that I tried asking Dryas to make a variety simr to Japans Somei-Yoshino. As to why I wanted a simr breed to that, the Somei-Yoshino has a short lifespan for a tree and it is vulnerable to pests. Thanks to the Spirits, I dont have to worry about pests inside the Sanctuary, but I wanted to solve the problem of the trees lifespan. I want it to continue to bloom even long after Im gone. This cherry tree was made from the various requests I had. The tree can live for over 1000 years, has a strong resistance to pests, and it has a simr flower to the Somei-Yoshino It is able to grow and bloom with no problem even in the Sanctuarys climate. Yup, I look forward to seeing the flowers bloom. Like this, Ill end up wanting a Weeping Cherry (Shidarezakura ֦) too. Yeah~ Oneechan will do her best~ I also like the Weeping Cherry Blossoms. Actually, there was already a variety being cultivated in the orchard for the cherries, which are high quality products that are popr in Volton and the Royal Capital. With a tree as magnificent as this, as a Japanese, I will end up wanting to do that. It would be nice to have a flower viewing (Ohanami) when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. What do you do in a flower viewing? A flower viewing? Is it like when I go enjoy the flowers in the garden from time to time? Ahh, thats` Ohanami!? Are we going cherry blossom viewing?!`ah wait a minute Akane. When I was trying to exin what a cherry blossom viewing was to Sophia and Dryas, Akane suddenly interjected at the word Ohanami. Whats this Akane, did you really like watching them that much? Its not about loving the viewing, its more like theres no Japanese that wouldnt like sakura flowers! Anyway, these are cherry blossoms, arent they? Tell me already, Takumi. Hey hey, calm down. Uhh, a flower viewing (Ohanami) is a spring event where you would usually watch the cherry blossoms while enjoying food and alcohol, I guess? I calmed the excited Akane, and exined to Sophia and Dryas. Hee~ that sounds fun. Why dont I make it bloom and we watch the flowers? No, the buds are this swollen already, so we probably wont need to force them to bloom. Ehh~ That would mean that we cant do the viewing right away~ Sure enough, if its Dryas and the Spirits, they would be able to make the cherry blossom flowers bloom immediately. However, I think of it a bit differently. I thought it was better for the cherry blossom tree to grow big in several years. If we do a flower viewing so soon, we wont be able to prepare food, and youll want all sorts of suitable food and alcohol, dont you? T-that would be a problem. Oneechan will ask Gnome to reserve us some drinks. Ah, Dryas y. aaand shes gone. Fufu, then lets all prepare for the flower viewing then? Youre right. Sophia and I will get various drinks. We have to ask Maria and Marnie for the food. Youre dumping that on them? Takumi, do you want to eat Sophia and my cooking? sorry. d you understand. Sophia, lets go. Lets inform Sebastian and Maribelle at the Volton Mansion too. When Akane said that, she took Sophia with her. Left alone in the garden, I was stunned, wondering just how big of an event this is gonna turn out to be. The people working in our Volton and Sanctuary mansions are all participating, and well also invite Princess Mimir if she is in the Sanctuary at that time. Maybe well also invite some of the most senior residents of the Sanctuary, as well as Vanga-san and Martha-san who immigrated from Bohd Vige. If theres alcohol, Doganbo-san and Gn-san would probably join in before we even know it. *** Chapter 459 [ Flower viewing? Yeah, I thought it would be nice to have fun with everyone once in a while. A day away from the Volton Mansion would be fine. Fumu, well, it would be fine if its only a day. Back then, it was only the golems that protected the mansion while were away. Having decided to do a flower viewing, I teleported to the Volton Mansion and talked to Maribelle and Sebastian. Akane who was supposed to inform Sebastian and the others just said Were doing a flower viewing! and left to go to town. Why did she evene? A flower viewing? Maribelle, do you know what that is? No, I buy flowers from a florist, but I am not familiar with that. Apparently, this world doesnt seem to make sense of what a flower viewing is even if its said. I suppose its like that. In the mansions of nobles and wealthy merchants, there were few that had a pretty garden. Gardens decorated with flowers of various colors were probably a delight to the eyes of the residents and guests beholding it. However, a flower viewing was slightly different. Its dangerous outside of the city. I forgot that, while they are pretty, this is a world where its impossible to go outside of the city to look at flowers. So I lied saying that it was a custom of my hometown, and exining that it was an event to enjoy the flowers of the season. Enjoying a meal and alcohol while watching the view of flowers? Masters hometown must be a very peaceful self. Admiring the flowers while drinking the wine made in the Sanctuary, I see. Maribelle and Sebastian agreed, so it was decided that everyone will participate. The big tree in the Sanctuary mansion is blooming, is it? But there wasnt a single leaf on it. It had plenty of flower buds though. The leaves grow after the flowers fall. Mabel knew that there was a cherry tree in the garden of the Sanctuary mansion. Ah, so it was like that, it was a big tree, after all. Tifa, the youngest among the maids, was curious why the cherry tree had no flowers. The maids have a rotation to work between the Volton mansion and the Sanctuary mansion, so they know the inside and outside of the mansions. Naturally, they also noticed the cherry blossom tree. In the green-filled Sanctuary, a tree with no leaves or flowers stands out. Just as Maribelle had said, there were no withering trees or any overgrowth of weeds in the Sanctuary. It might seem like it was out of natures providence, but that isnt the case. The Sanctuary is a ce where various spirits inhabit. There is spring, there is summer, there is autumn, and there is winter. The Sanctuarys climate includes all four seasons, and its inhabitants use them to farm thend and grow crops. If this was a form of the Sanctuary, then the trees and flowers jumbled together with the four seasons was another form of the Sanctuary. An easy to understand example were the fruit trees in the Sanctuary like the grapes. The Sanctuary grapes can be harvested 3 times a year. The growth of the grapes was stimted by the Great nt Spirit Dryas and her familial spirits, and the Great Earth Spirit Gnome and his familial spirits manage the soil so it was always in optimal status. Why do they promote the growth of the grapes to increase harvest? It was because the Great Spirits love to drink. It was that silly of a reason. Well, setting the cherry tree aside, the alcohol needed for the viewing will be provided by the Sanctuary, so Id like to ask everyone to help with cooking. What do we do about the tables and chairs? Oh yeah. It would be better if everyone sat on tables and chairs. Okay, Ill provide them. Maribelle asked if tables were needed. In Japan, we justy down blue tarps or pic sheets, but it might be better for the people of this world to have tables and chairs. So Master, when will the flower viewing be? Ah! I didnt say when that will be. Dryas said that the flower buds seem like theyre already starting to bloom, so it will probably be in full bloom in 3 days. So please adjust your schedules to keep that day open for these ns. Very well. I told Sebastian when the flower viewing would be. The cherry tree that Dryas created were blooming at a fast rate, but they can be enjoyed for a long time after they are in full bloom. When I first asked Dryas for the cherry tree, she asked me if I wanted the full bloom tost, but I refused. Cherry blossoms are also nice when they fall. I asked Sebastian and Maribelle to buy the ingredients needed and have theme to the Sanctuary mansion the day before the flower viewing. It takes time to prepare food, after all. After I informed the employees of the cherry blossom viewing, I returned to the Sanctuary mansion to make some more preparations. Chapter 460: Everyone cooks together Chapter 460: Everyone cooks together A day before the flower viewing, Sebastian procured ingredients in Volton. Inside my Item Box, I had a lot of dragon meat in stock. We have more than enough of the other meats and have a lot stuff stored there, so I handed Maribelle an appropriate amount. Maria and Marnie were the head cooks, while Maribelle, Mabel, and the other maids helped them to prepare the time consuming dishes. Jeeves[1] apanied Dryas to where Gnome was to acquire some alcohol. Now then, I suppose I should set up the tables and chairs. Inside one of the breweries in the Sanctuary, a barter between fellow Great Spirits was happening. The alcohol breweries, which started rtively early since the creation of the Sanctuary, continues to expand even now. A number ofrge breweries had been built, producing not only wines like white wine, red wine, sparkling wine made from the Sanctuary-grown grapes, but increased the variety to also include whiskey and sake made from rice. Although the alcohol was being sold to Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom, it was being traded for extremelyrge sums because the absolute amount we could sell to the Trination was a tiny amount. In truth, we should have been able to sell a bit more, but the Sanctuary residents and, more than anyone else, the Great Spirits did not allow this. Hey, give me one more barrel of this sparkling wine. N-no, Dryas-sama, you are already taking three barrels of red wine, and another three barrels of white wine, so please be satisfied with one barrel of sparkling wine. Hes right, Dryas. Besides, youre even taking ale, whiskey, and sake. Restrain yourself to these. Even more so, the red wine youre trying to get is a first ss barrel that Takumi fermented using magic. Inside the brewery were Dryas who was trying to take as many barrels of alcohol as she could, while Doganbo, who was involved in the brewing of alcohol in the Sanctuary, and the Great Earth Spirit Gnome were stopping her. Yes, then Gnome and Doganbo, you will not be participating in the flower viewing then? Wai-! Please wait a minute! Arent this and that different matters!? As Jeeves watched in suspense from behind her, Dryas used the flower viewing as a bargaining chip. Is that so? Then you may participate in the flower viewing, but I will not allow you to drink alcohol. Drink fruit water. Wait, Dryas! That is far too cruel! Thats right, Dryas-sama! Are you telling us dwarves to not drink in a banquet!? Then you dont have toe. Uguh! Gnome and Doganbo were rolling in Dryas palm. Gnome and Smander, and the Dwarves who received their strong divine protection loved banquets. Moreover, this time, a thing known as an Ohanami was being held for the first time in the Sanctuary. To Gnome and the Dwarf Doganbo who were brimming with curiosity over new things, the participation in the banquet was the best hand against them. Okay, okay. Take as much as you want. In exchange, we will participate. Lets ask Takumi to build a new brewery at the banquet. It isnt only Dryas-sama, but even Sylph-sama and Undine-sama have been drinking more recently. Fufufu, then Ill take whatever I want. Jeeves, follow me. Y-yes, right away! Jeeves hurriedly followed after a chipper Dryas, leaving Gnome and Doganbo sullen. Even in the Spirit World, women were strong. Takumi-sama, please age the beef. Roger. Takumi-sama, the whitefish carpio starter isplete, so please store it. Roger. Maria asked me to age the meat, so I used alchemy to break down the protein into amino acids. Marnie requested that I store apleted dish. My Item Box maintains the current condition of what is stored inside it, so it will always stay fresh. Master, the sausage boil is done. Thank you. Ill store them after theyre grilled at the barbeque tomorrow. Master, what should I do about the sd dressing? Ill store it after its done. Inside the Item Box, the oil wont separate. While I gave instructions to the maids helping in the kitchen, I cut dragon meat into the bite-sized pieces and seasoned it. Im preparing everyones favorite, karaage. Frying it twice, first in low temperature then in high temperature to make the outside coating crispy and juicy on the inside, then I stored it into my Item Box so it can be eaten at any time. Takumi-sama, please make Kaede-chans favorite french fries. Yup, french fries are popr so Ill fry up a lot. Oil was expensive in this world, so fried food arent thatmon. But the Sanctuary has olive oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, as well asrd from pork-type monsters which the Sanctuary residents are able to acquire for a cheap price, so fried food was the craze for a time. It was especially popr with the Dwarves as it was a good pairing with alcoholic beverages. Once the first stage of food prep was done, I left the rest to Maria, Marnie, and the maids, and I headed into the workshop to make lighting magic tools to illuminate the venue. Im sure the flower viewing party will gote into the night. *** Footnotes: 1. Author used Jiiburu instead of Jiibusu (Jeeves) and continues to use it throughout the chapter Chapter 461: Flower Viewing in the Sanctuary Chapter 461: Flower Viewing in the Sanctuary The next morning was clear and sunny, the cherry blossoms had fully bloomed in the garden of the mansion. Its not that I dont feel its too fast for them to bloom fully, but ording to Dryas, the lifespan of the flowers is long, so she was proud that the cherry blossoms could be enjoyed for a long time. As to be expected, if the buds swell so much, it would bloom very fast. Moreover, ording to Dryas, this huge cherry tree birthed Sakura Spirits. Even Dryas was surprised that a spirit was born from a tree which was essentially still only a few years old. Perhaps because of this, the flowers of the cherry blossom tree in the garden seemed more beautiful than the ones I saw in Japan. Howaaa~ Master~ Its soooo pretty~ Yup, its very pretty. The beauty of the cherry blossoms could be perceived even by Kaede[1], an Arachne. She was so fascinated by the fully bloomed cherry blossoms that her mouth was wide open. Meanwhile, Maribelle and the maids was lining the tables with food. I also took out more dishes stored in the item box and lined them up on the table. This time, its a buffet where you can eat your favorite foods. Just in case, tables and chairs were also set up so people can eat easily. Doganbo-san and Gn-san ced barrels of various kinds of alcohol at the area indicated by Jeeves. By that time, the first residents who came to the Sanctuary the Cat Sith Mappos family (Mappo, Poporo, Miri, L), the Catkin siblings (Wappa and Sara), the orphaned Human siblings (Colette and Shirona), the Elves managers of the orchard (Melty and her two daughters, Mnie and Malorie) had arrived and were bustling about. Oneechan, its super pretty nya. Yeah nya! Uwaa! Woaaaaaaah! Oniichan, stop it, youre embarrassing! The Cat Sith sisters and the Catkin siblings were excited to see the blooming cherry blossoms. pretty. Yeah, its beautiful Colette and Shirona also seemed to be having fun. Perhaps because the Elven parents and children could see the Sakura Spirit, they were so deeply moved they were speechless. Uwoo! This is amazing, Takumi! You, shut up! Calm down! Vanga-san and Martha-san who immigrated from Bohd Vige had also arrived. Its about to start, right? Dont we start with alcohol? Should we start with sparkling wine? Uwaa, theres a lot of wonderful food. hamburger steak and karaage are supreme! It was then that the female Great Spirits, starting from Dryas to Sylph, Undine, Selene, and Nyx, appeared. Afterwards, the sullen Gnome and Smander followed. What happened, I wonder? Then, just as the cherry blossom viewing started, Princess Mimir and even the Queen came with her attendants. I appreciate the invitation. Princess Mimir, Your Majesty, I hope you enjoy today. Iruma-dono, this is truly a very beautiful flowering tree. I most certainly wish to have this at our castle. Without even a toast or a speech, the cherry blossom viewing began. I held a ss in one hand, enjoying the food that Sophia, Maria, and Marnie shared with me. Sebastian, Maribelle, and the servants took turns enjoying the food and alcohol. At first, they firmly refused , saying the servants couldnt eat food and drink alcohol with us, their employers, but I ordered them to do so. The banquet exceeded my expectations. This worlds first Ohanami which started in the morning did not end when the sun went down and the cherry blossoms were lit up at night. Even the tired people, who rested in their rooms, and the children, who slept with their bellies full, came back revived and once again continued to enjoy the banquet. When will this end? Give up, Takumi. Gnome, who heard my involuntary muttering, ced his hand on my shoulder and shook his head. Look over there.. Eh!? The ce Gnome pointed towards was a shocking sight. Outside of my mansion, the Sanctuary residents brought food and alcohol as they each enjoyed the Ohanami. S-since when The Sanctuary still has it better, but there are very few pleasures in this world. Its valuable having a time where the people can have a banquet aside from the harvest festival. Maybe we should nt a cherry tree in a park. Yeah. It looks like the custom of a banquet to enjoy the cherry blossoms could take root. The Sanctuary is wealthy, so there was no starvation. Thats why I think its important to have flexibility in their life and be able to enjoy their spare time. (Lets try thinking about all sorts of events we could have.) *** Footnotes: 1. Typo: Author said Akane instead of Kaede Chapter 462: Thinking about entertainment Chapter 462: Thinking about entertainment The flower viewing banquet, which started because of my desire to make a cherry blossom tree,sted all throughout the night, and the next morning, there were people all over the ce who were down with hangovers. this is a tragedy. Theres corpses everywhere. Yes, in a ce with little daily entertainment, this was a magnificent cherry blossom viewing. It couldnt be helped that they acted without restraint. Sophia and I observed the people inside the garden and the people who partied outside of outside the garden who were lying on the ground having drank themselves unconscious. The Sanctuary has all sorts of musical instruments, and it can be enjoyed in the concert hall. Thats why I think its better than the outside world, but even then, everyone was still excited about the new thing known as an Ohanami. Still, it was definitely fun. Right. But gazing at the cherry blossoms like this is also nice. Here, I brought us some tea~. I baked some cookies to go with the tea. Thank you Maria, Marnie. As I was sitting absentmindedly on a char by the table underneath the cherry blossom tree, Maria and Marnie came with tea and snacks. Fuu~ they really is so beautiful, these cherry blossoms. Yeah, though these are also nice when flowers start falling. I would love to see the falling petals dance with the wind. The growth of this cherry blossom tree can be controlled by the will of Dryas and the Sakura Spirits. Thats why it was possible for them to bloom multiple times in a year just like in the Sanctuarys orchard. However, as a result of our discussion, we decided it would only happen once a year. After all, the cherry blossoms can be appreciated more if its once a year. Should we have a bit more entertainment? hmmm, I wonder. At present, the only event in the Sanctuary is the autumn harvest festival. Obviously, this world doesnt have Christmas or Halloween. The only festival that every country does is the harvest festival. Ive lived in a very store ever since I was young so I dont know much more than that though. Even Yggurle Kingdom only does harvest festivals. The Rabbitkin vige I was born in was poor, so we didnt even have a harvest festival. In Valkyra Kingdom, the annual autumn harvest was a festival in the cities and viges aside from the royal capital. On the other hand, the capital holds the founding festival to celebrate the founding of their country. The founding festival was supposedly very lively, but Ive never actually seen it. Basically, in this world where people are desperate to survive, they dont have thecency to be able to celebrate festivals. The Sanctuary was a special case. Right now, I dont think you have to think about anything outside of the Sanctuary. Takumi-sama, you have a responsibility to the Sanctuary, but anything outside of that is the responsibility of each country and their lords. Shes right. At most, it would be with Berkut-chan and the people of the Sky Ind? You have a point. Just as Sophia and Maria said, I dont have to do everything myself as that was conceited of me. oh yeah, werent sports also popr? What are sports? Ahh, so Ill have to start from there. I suppose Marias question was valid. In this world where there are bandits and monsters outside of cities and viges, sports couldnt be born. So, I talked about sports where various body typespete to win a game. I gave examples like baseball and football/ser, also swimming and track & field events. Ive heard that a fighting tournament using swords with dulled edges is held in the capital of Triaria Kingdom I think that our sports should be to fight while following the rules and not killing each other. Sophia told me that fighting tournaments existed, but the fighting tournament conducted in Triaria Kingdom was using diator ves to fight to the death. It wasnt just man versus man, bouts could also be set to be man versus monster, and the country profits from it by being the bookmaker for the bets. It seems a portion of it goes towards the expenditures towards their wars with other countries. As expected of Triaria Kingdom. Its more barbaric of a country than I imagined. But martial arts wasnt suitable for the Sanctuary. I think it would be interesting to have everyone in the Sanctuary participate in a sports day. A sports day? Marnie was once again puzzled by the unfamiliar words, tilting her head. Yup, dont you think it would be interesting to have games for the fleet-footed people, make a rope for tug of war, hang a basket high up andpete how many balls they could shoot into it, and games that anyone could participate in? That sounds nice. I think the children would also enjoy that. In any case, should we hold sports day in the fall? The harvest festival is in fall too. Would summer not work? Hmm~ It might be troublesome to move around so much in the heat if its summer. Autumn might be best. The climate in the Sanctuary isnt too cold in the winter, and summers arent as humid as in Japan so its more bearable. But the temperature is too high to have the Sports Day. So, so, wouldnt it be better if we have new events for summer and winter too then?! Youre right. If its limited to the Sanctuary, and since people arent struggling to survive here, it might be nice to have those kinds of events to have somepetition in their lives. As I watched the wasted adults sleeping on the ground and I thought this would be a nice thin to have once in a while, I enjoyed drinking tea while talking to my dear wives about new events. *** Chapter 463: Request Chapter 463: RequestAfter the Ohanami, I was enjoying the view of the falling cherry blossoms when a letter came from Margrave Volton. I had a bad feeling as soon as Jeeves handed the letter over. Uhh, who is it from? It is from Margrave Volton. At that moment, Sebastian came up from the room in the basement where the gate is installed. A new letter arrived at the Volton mansion. It may have been urgent, so I came to deliver it. from where? from Yggurle Kingdom, Master. If its Yggurle Kingdom, Princess Mimir is just next door, and yet they specifically went through Volton which is in a different country For starters, Ill open the letter from Margrave Volton. Uhh, lets see, lets see he wants a cherry blossom tree in his Volton Castle? Why is he talking to me about cherry blossoms trees? I dont think theres any other cherry blossom like that, but there are other cherry trees, right? Certainly, they could be viewed if you climbed a mountain. However, it would be difficult to bring back. They dont exist outside the mountain? Yes. I knew it would be difficult to bring back a yamazakura (mountain cherry). But I have another question. Also, how did Margrave Volton know that I have a cherry blossom tree? It would seem the residents of the Sanctuary were boasting to the people from the Papeck Company who came here to sell wine Uwaa~ so that was inevitable, huh. Wait, in that case the letter from Yggurle Kingdom It is very likely to be simr Did they hear about it from Princess Mimir? No, Princess Mimir should still be in the Sanctuary. As I was thinking about how Yggurle Kingdom would have heard about it, Sebastian had pointed out a possibility, though it was only his guess. Master, could it not have been the Spiritwork? Oh that could be. Gathering information using the Spirits has gotta be cheating. If the Spiritwork, which exists in every nook and cranny of this world, is utilized, theres no better way to gather information. Just as I was thinking if I could also do that, Sophia said that it was a bit different from that. Takumi-sama, the Spirits are fickle, as such, it would be difficult to gather the desired information. This time, the cherry blossoms had birthed new Sakura Spirits, so the Spirits were very happy. It is likely that as a result of boasting about it to whomever, it had reached even the ears of King Yggurle by happenstance. Oh yeah. Itd be impossible to guess how such capricious Spirits feel. Yes. The Great Spirits can somewhat exercise self control, but yeah. Remembering Sylph, Undine, and the other Great Spirits acting as they like in the Sanctuary like always, I sighed. so it really was the same as Margrave Voltons. So, lets see, they want cherry blossoms in the royal pce courtyard. The royal castle of Yggurle Kingdom does not have a garden. The castle is in beautiful harmony with natural forests and springs. Yggurle Kingdom is a countrypletely inside a giant forest. Grain producing regions dotted the inside of that forest. The royal capital spreads out around the World Tree known as Yggdrasil, and the royal castle stands in harmony with nature at the foot of the World Tree. Still, I wonder if this means we have togo to Yggurle Kingdom. What to do if we have Dryas-samas cooperation, we would not need to go all the way there. If possible, I would prefer you to not go to the capital of Yggurle Kingdom, Takumi-sama. You have a point. Sightseeing andmerce could still be better, but if a new tree that has never existed until now was nted at the request of King Yggurle, people would say it is an affront to the pride of Elves. There were many extremely proud Elves living in the royal capital. It is likely that the people there would not only look at Takumi-sama with rude stares, but even with offensive remarks. Shes right. Going to the capital of Valkyra Kingdom would be nerve-wracking, but not necessarily in the castle. Ive met King Yggurle, the Queen, and Prime Minister Balza several times, and I knew they were not people with condescending values. On the other hand, even if I exclude extreme cases like Earl Hordia, I knew there were a certain number of people who look down on other races. And that tendency gets stronger the closer they are to the capital. As I worried over this, a voice called out to me from behind. Takumi-chan, you dont have to be worried. Ah, Dryas. For Yggurle Kingdom, you can jut give Mimir-chan a cherry blossom sprig~. Its fine to leave the rest to the Spirits. Umm, is it okay to ask Princess Mimir for that? Its fine~. Thats why you handle the one in Volton, Takumi-chan. ording to Dryas, the World Tree is at the capital of Yggurle Kingdom, so all they have to do is to take a cherry blossom sprig that wont wither and nt it wherever they like. And just like that, it would grow into a big cherry blossom tree in no time. Gotcha. Then Dryas, can you give Princess Mimir the cherry blossom sprig? Ill be in charge of Margrave Voltons castle. Leave it to Oneechan~. Dryas will take over the request on Yggurle Kingdoms side, so Im honestly relieved. After that, I asked the Sakura Spirits to give me a sprig. It would be nice if its only Margrave Volton though *** Chapter 464: Tree Planting Chapter 464: Tree nting Sebastian arranged the date for my visit to Margrave Voltons castle, and I teleported to Volton with Sophia as my guard as always. When we rode the carriage to the Margraves castle, we were met by Xervus-san and Knight Leader Dorn-san. Its been a while, Iruma-dono. Are you keeping up with your training? Long time no see, Dorn-san. I havent had much time for ittely. Back when I was still a newbie adventurer, we got along well with Adventurers Guild Volton Branch Guild Master Barack-san as well as Volton Margravery Knight Order Leader Dorn-san who trained us. Nowadays, I dont go to the Margraves castle to train, but I used to see him on an almost daily basis. Iruma-dono, Master is at the royal capital today, so I will be your guide. Its been a while Xervus-san. Please show me the plot. I hadmunicated with the chambein of the Volton Margravery Xervus-san through Sebastian, but its been a while since weve met in person. Xervus-san lead us through the western-style garden in the castle courtyard into an open space nted with grass. It is here, Iruma-dono. This ce was where experimentations on the cultivation of medicinal herbs were conducted under Masters directive. However, the cultivation of medicinal herbs had failed. The plot was then nted with turf grass and left as is. Ahh, herb cultivation is normally difficult, after all. The heal potions and mana potions used in this world werepletely different from the medicine I knew from my previous life. They have a wide range of uses, such as injuries recovering in an a blink of an eye, and replenishing magic power which didnt exist in my old world, so for the longest time in the past, people attempted to cultivate medicinal herbs in order to have a stable supply of potions, but there have been no sessful attempts. Well, in the Sanctuary, there were various fields cultivating various herbs thanks to Dryas though. As this wouldrgely influence the other countries, this matter was obviously top secret. If possible, may we request that it be here? We will maintain the cherry tree nted here. Understood. Ahh, Xervus-san. I had forgotten to mention one thing, but the cherry blossom tree that will be nted will grow to some extent, but without borrowing Dryas power, the tree will be a young tree at around 3 meters tall. If you want it to grow more than that, please ask the mages of the Margravery and Elven Spirit mages. Though, I do believe it would be best if it grows naturally. Why is that? Dryas and the other Great Spirits were there for the cherry blossom tree of the Sanctuary so the trees condition was always perfect, as such, it was very unlikely to wither. But I am worried that it would wither here if it is overdone. I see, I shall inform Master of this then. The environment in the Sanctuary was not normal, somon sense in the Sanctuary does not apply with the outside world. At any rate, because of the disappointing reason of the Great Spirits wanting to eat food and drink wine, ale, and whiskey as much as they desire, the Sanctuary makes it possible to harvest grapes and grains multiple times in a year. Okay then, Ill start the preparations. Thank you. I approached the intended nting area, and took out the fertilizer I prepared beforehand from the Item Box, then I mixed it with the soil from the plot using Earth Magic. Actually, the soil needs time to adapt to the fertilizer, but I used a trick to make sure the soil was in perfect condition. I got a water jug from the Item Box, and moistened the ground uniformly. The water inside the jug was drawn from the Spirit Spring. For reasons I dont know, Undine said this would improve the condition of the soil. Once the soil was ready, I nted the cherry blossom sprig taken from the Sanctuary, then watered it using the Spirit Spring water. Takumi-sama, the Spirits are gathering. Your magic power, please. Mm, gotcha. Following Sophias instructions, I dischargedrge amounts of magic power with the image of giving it to the Spirits gathering around. And then, the cherry blossom sprig protruding from the ground was enveloped in light, its roots spread, its trunk extending higher and higher, then branches started sprouting from the trunk once it reached a 20cm thickness, and tightly packed flower buds began to swell. Fuu, I guess this will do. Indeed. This should be the limit without Dryas-sama. Seeing the young cherry blossom tree grow more splendidly than I expected. Xervus-san, its done. Oohhh! How superb! To witness a miracle before my very eyes at this age! You exaggerate. Ah, and do you understand how to maintain it afterwards? Please leave it to me. I will hire a specialist gardener. I-is that so? Ha- haha, what a relief then. Xervus-san, who witnessed the tree grow radically before his very eyes, was more deeply moved than I could have imagined, and he shook my hand. I wonder if this cherry blossom tree would be popr in Valkyra Kingdom? *** Chapter 465: I Knew It Chapter 465: I Knew It A few days after nting the cherry blossom tree at Margrave Voltons castle, I was having tea with everyone in the Sanctuary mansion like always when Sebastian came up from the basement. This always happened, but for some reason, I had a bad feeling about it today. Master, a letter came from Earl Rockford. I knew it. The young cherry blossom tree I nted in Margrave Voltons castle had a lot flower buds. And those were likely to bloom in one or two days. Naturally, Margrave Volton would have seen it when he returned from his trip to the capital. The cherry blossoms in full bloom. Yep, he must have seen them. And then he must have bragged about it. Yep, definitely to his friend in the nearby territory. I believe its contents are simr to that of Lord Voltons. I bet it is. As Sebastian had prompted, I opened the letter to check. Yep, no doubt about it. Margrave Volton boasted to Earl Rockford. He said he would like to see me again very soon. Normally, wouldnt there be an exchange of letters beforehand? He must have been vexed by Margrave Voltons boasting. You could say its very noble-like to jump at new things. Both Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford are very much nobles. I see~ Sure, I guess the people who are attracted to rare things that they dont possess is very noble-like. Thats how I imagine nobles to be. That said, Earl Rockford and Margrave Volton were quite frank with each other, very unnoble-like. Eh, its written here that its unfair that its only Margrave Volton. This is more that they want to ask you for a cherry blossom tree than wanting to meet you. Right? haa, it cant be helped. I did want to see how Emilia-chan was doing, so shall we go? The letter from Earl Rockford started out with a question of why Margrave Volton was the first I nted a cherry blossom tree for, then he said that he wanted to be the first I contact regarding rare and interesting things, and such things at length. Among the nobles of Valkyra Kingdom, the nobles I associated with were Margrave Volton, Prime Minister Simon, Knight Commander Ghad, and Earl Rockford. All of them were people who supported me, amoner, and they were people who said i could always rely on them, so I wanted to do a few of their requests. After the Soma case, we met Emilia-chan again during the wedding, but because there were many guests, we were only able to exchange greetings. Sebastian, could you send a reply to Earl Rockford that we will drop by in a few days? Certainly. It is likely to arrive at Rockford from Volton within a day. In situations where letters had to be sent urgently, adventurers employed exclusively by the Adventurers Guild deliver it using flying monster familiars. They often use monster that fly fast, so a day was more than enough to reach Rockford. The letter from Earl Rockford was probably also delivered in a simr manner. It arrived too fast so I couldnt think of any other way. Sebastian bowed then went down to the Teleport Gate room in the basement. Sophia got up from the sofa to check for herself. After I speak with Dryas-sama, I will ask the cherry blossom spirits. Yup, I wonder if we could ask her. Ah, and I should think of something to thank the Sakura Spirits. I believe fertilizer, spring water, and your magic power are more than enough, but I will try asking Dryas-sama. Please do. Sophia stood up to look at Dryas. Well, the location of the Great Spirits was pretty much set already. It was either my mansion, next door over at Princess Mimirs mansion, or the brewery. Then Ill go bake some cookies for Emilia-chan. Since Maria wasing with us to the Rockford Earldom, she got up from the sofa and headed to the kitchen to make some homemade cookies to give to Emilia-chan. Then I shall help out. Marnie also left for the kitchen to help Maria. Akane, are youing with us to the Rockford Earldom? In the living room that Sophia, Maria, and Marnie left, I asked Akane who was drinking tea in a slovenly posture, and her answer was no. He~llo. No matter how easy going Earl Rockford is, I still wouldnt voluntarily associate with nobles. I will stay here and watch the house with the Lulu. Isnt that right, Lulu? Yes nya. It feels like Akane has been more of a slob. But, well, its not like theres anything wrong with that. Bored alone, I couldnt help it so I headed to the Spirit Spring to get some water there. *** Chapter 466: Rockford Chapter 466: Rockford Since Im headed for the Rockford Earldom, Maria and Kaede seemed to be preparing some sort of presents secretly. I noticed they were sneaking around doing something, but they wouldnt tell me what. Maria and Marnie baked a lot of cookies, evidently from the smell wafting from the kitchen. Aside from that, I havent got a clue. We prepared various things in a hurry, and after we teleported to our Volton mansion, we rode Tsubakis carriage to go to the Rockford Earldom. Hey Maria, what were you doing in secret with Kaede? Fufu, its a secret. Its fine even if you dont know about it, Takumi-sama. I-is that so? I was a bit curious so I asked, but it doesnt seem like shed tell me. But it wasnt anything bad so I guess its alright. Tsubakis rhythmical running felt good, but I noticed the faces on the travelers and carriages crossing our paths cramped up at the ferocity of Tsubakis giant body. The highway from Volton to Rockford, perhaps because of the influence of Wedgefort and the Sanctuary, is being developed and widened, so theres construction work being done here and there. The road has be nice and spacious. This is also your influence, Takumi-sama, right? No, its not just because of me, Sophia. Its because of the Papeck Company and everyone involved in the road development. Takumi-sama, too much humility sounds like sarcasm, you know? Indeed. Weve be amazing wives, dont you think? Im happy that Sophia, Maria, and Marnie hold me in such high regard, but in reality, I think its wrong to say it was all just because of me. Well, Valkyra Kingdoms good economic turnover started might have started because I made magic devices and potions, but the n to establish Wedgefort was Margrave Voltons idea, and regarding the Sanctuary, it was honestly all by chance that I found the World Tree seed. Look here, doesnt everything involve you, Takumi-sama? Urk, is that so? I cant deny it when she says it like that. But normally, if you contribute this much to a country, Takumi-sama , you should be granted peerage. Yeah, I think thats excessive. Just as Maria said, someone who contributes greatly to the country would be appointed the rank of an honorary noble. Thats why I, who enriched the country with the magic devices and potions as well as created the foothold towards the development of the Savage Lands through the construction of Wedgefort, should have such a privilege. Furthermore, during the war with Triaria Kingdom and the Divine Empire of Sydnia, I not only constructed forts but also provided golems and goods on top of participating in the war myself. I had been told by Margrave Volton that it would not just be an honorary rank, as it would be no surprise if you are conferred the rank of baron at the very least. Then Maria, Takumi-sama is the Keeper of the Sanctuary whiches under no country. It would greatly him if he is conferred a noble rank in Valkyra Kingdom. I see, so thats how it is. The Sanctuary must note under any country. Yeah, its troublesome stuff. Well, being a noble doesnt suit me so its fine though. In truth, I know that among the nobles of Valkyra Kingdom, there are a number who insist that I be given a rank. Obviously, I had heard this from Margrave Volton, but I didnt like this at all. Part of the nobles want me to marry their daughters, they want the patent-rted rights I have, the money I have earned until now, and finally, a pipeline to connect them to the countries in the Demon Continent. Ive been told that it would not be bnced if I am amoner, so at the very least, I should be a given the rank of a baron. I talked about such things with everyone inside the carriage, when I heard Kaede, who was on her reserved seat on Tsubakis back. speak. Master! I can see Rockford~! Thank you. Line up at the back! Roger! As if to show Valkyra Kingdoms prosperity, there was a long line to get through the gates of Rockford City. Just when I thought this would take a long time and that this could get boring, Kaede notified me that someone riding on a horse was approaching the carriage. Master! Someonesing! Could it be someone sent to meet us by Earl Rockford? When I opened my window, a knight on horseback from the Rockford Earldom wasing towards our carriage. I had caught sight of Iruma-donos carriage. Please allow me to show you the way. Apologies for bother. Please guide us. Thanks to Earl Rockford, Im so d I dont need to wait in the long line. Our carriage followed the knight through the gates of Rockford City and we headed directly towards the Earl Rockfords mansion. *** Chapter 467: Warm Welcome Chapter 467: Warm Wee Led by a knight, we finally arrived at the Rockford mansion which weve already visited a couple of times. Completely different from Margrave Voltons castle, we passed through the gates of a Versailles pce-like mansion, and the carriage ran across the vast grounds until we reached the mansion. Rockford City has gotten a lot cleaner. The Purifier MDs have really spread, and this is a stopover between Volton and the Royal Capital, so it seems theyve made an effort on the maintenance of the city. The Rockford Earldom is located right next to the Volton Margravery, so of course, there were no foreign troops or monsters drifting in from the Savage Lands. Its not adjacent to thergest monster nest Forest of Death unlike the Volton Margravery, so it was one of the safer territories even within Valkyra Kingdom. They also work hard to suppress thieves, so could be said to have the best public order in the grain-producing regions in Valkyra Kingdom. The capital of the Rockford territory capitalizes on its location as a halfway point between the Royal Capital and the Volton Margravery, and was experiencing prosperity that it hasnt seen in recent years. When we arrived in front of Earl Rockfords mansion, I was so surprised panicked. As for why E-earl Rockford! What!? With a face full of smiles, Earl Rockford himself came out to meet us. Moreover, it was not just Earl Rockford, Madam Rose and their eldest son Rod-kun, and apletely healthy Emilia-chan were also smiling and waving their hands excitedly. The carriage stopped and I immediately got out to greet them. Long time no see. E-earl Rockford, youing to meet me yourself is Now, now, Iruma-dono, lets make our greetings inside the mansion.an honor Yes. Wee, Iruma-san, Sophia-san, Maria-san, and you must be Marnie-san. Ahh, Kaede-chan! I wanted to see you! Mother! Rose, settle down! Earl Rockford interrupted my greeting, implying that such a stiff greeting was unnecessary, and perhaps no longer able to hold herself back, Madam Roses machine gun talk began. Rod and Emilia-chan told her to stop, and she finally quieted down when Earl Rockford told her to settle down. Oh my, I have acted disgracefully. I was so ted that my excitement got the better of me. No, Im also d to see you, Madam Rose. It would be strange to talk at the entryway the entire time, wouldnt it? Shall we head inside? Earl Rockford exchanged looks with a butler and a maid, then we were guided to the guest room by that maid. Dear guests, during your stay at Rockford, please feel free to use this room. I will returnter to guide you. After a beautiful, exemry bow, the maid walked out of the room, and we sat on the sofa of the guest room and took a short break. Haa~ Earl Rockford didnt just suddenly meet us now, did he? Yes he did, who could have imagined that the Earl himself woulde to wee usmoners. Madam Roses excitement was really intense. Well, I know why, though. The impression she gave today was very different from the time when we met at the wedding reception. Marnie, youve only met her during the wedding and when Emilia-chan got sick, so it cant be helped. Marnie was baffled because her impression of Madam Rose was vastly different. We whove stayed in this mansion before know about the so-called Underwear Uproar, so we werent surprised. And now, Im taken aback looking at Maria. Speaking of which, the Earldoms maids were also there. Could it be is that it, Maria? Fufu, you got it, Takumi-sama. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the new line. Haa~ so it really was that, after all. Marnie looked like she was still clueless about what we were talking about, so I exined. Madam Rose and the maids of the Rockford Earldom are excited about the new line of underwear that Maria and Kaede had made. Underwear? Then we talked about how, during our first visit, the underwear that Sophia and Maria were wearing had caused a culture shock to Madam Rose. Nowadays, high ss womens clothing stores in Volton and even in the Royal Capital sell them, but lets just say that womens clothing were boring before then. So thats what it was. Marnie was convinced, so we rested up and settled in a bit. Then, we heard a knock on the door. Yes? I havee to guide you. Understood. Led by the maid, we headed to the room where Earl Rockford was waiting. *** Chapter 468: More Trouble Than Expected Chapter 468: More Trouble Than Expected Led by the maid, we arrived at the room that Earl Rockford was waiting at. Knock, knock. Master, I have apanied Iruma-sama. Come in. The maid knocked on the door to receive consent to enter the room, I heard Earl Rockfords voice from inside. Everyone, pleasee in. The maid urged us to enter the room. Hey hey, sorry about rushing you. I hope you understand. Earl Rockford rose from the sofa, then pointed towards the sofa in front of him. Excuse me. Sophia, Maria, Marnie, and I are sat down, and Kaede clung to me. During this trip to Rockford, Akane, Lulu-chan, and Laeva did note along. Akane refused to socialize with nobles, and Laeva volunteered to house-sit because she was busy with her work. I tried to convince her that it was easy to get along with Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford even though they were nobles, but Akanes butt seemed rooted on its spot on the couch. As soon as we sat down, Earl Rockford got right down to business. I wondered if Earl Rockford was impatient, but when I heard him talk about cherry blossom tree, I heard something more troublesome. Iruma-dono, this isnt just between you and me. Dont you think its cruel that only Godwin has it? Haa, where did you hear about this, Earl Rockford? Obviously it was from Godwin. His wretched boasting was both vexing and enviable. I would like to request one be nted in my garden. Haa As I thought, he found out about it from Margrave Voltons boasting. I believe its only a matter of time before it reaches His Majesty. Uwaa~ I dont want to have to go the Royal Capital. That wont do. While I was feeling down, Earl Rockford made a follow up. The flowers of the cherry blossom tree in the Volton castle were seen by the servants and merchantsing and going. I believe the rumors were quick to spread. To begin with, wouldnt the people from Papeck Company, who are authorized toe to the Sanctuary, have seen it? The Papeck Company is now argepany that spans not only Valkyra Kingdom, but all three allies of the Trination Alliance, so the nobles and merchants with good ears would desire this new thing. give me a break. If His Majesty asks, I cant refuse, but if a mob of nobles and merchants I dont recognize ask me, its nothing but a bother. No, the cherry blossoms in Margrave Voltons castle can no longer be hidden. Thats why we have to think of a way to refuse the requests from now on. Shall we hide in the Sanctuary? Thats also an option. Only a select few can enter the Sanctuary, after all. However, ording to Earl Rockford, it was a fact that displeasure towards me was increasing among the nobles in Valkyra Kingdom. The Kings of the Trination and their Prime Ministers had attended the ceremony held by you in the Sanctuary. The nobles who werent invited to it do not think too well of you, Iruma-dono Wait, wait, you wouldnt invite people youre not at all acquainted with to your wedding, would you? And it was in the Sanctuary. Takumi-san, the amazing food served at your wedding is a popr topic in salons in the Royal Capital these days. It was so tasty~! The food and the desserts both! Emilia wants to eat it again! Oi! Emilia! There was no way I would inviteplete strangers to my wedding in the Sanctuary. When I said that, Madam Rose and Emilia-chan mentioned that the food served there was the talk of the town among the noblewomen in the Royal Capital. His Majesty and Her Majesty, Prime Minister Simon and his wife were all astounded by the food during the reception. Well, lets leave the talk of nobles envy and jealousy to Takumi-san and my husband Maria-san. Fufu, I brought several new products, Madam Rockford. Oh my! As expected of you, Maria-san. Please, call me Rose. Then Rose-sama, shall we switch venues? Indeed, Emilia, you will also need these soon, soe with us. Yes Mother. Well then, please excuse us. Saying so, Madam Rose stood up, and Emilia-chan, Maria-chan, and Kaede also rose from their seats and left the room with her. And then the maids of the Rockford household followed, leaving only Sophia, Marnie, Earl Rockford, his butler, two knight escorts, and myself in the room. umm. sorry, Iruma-dono. Its likely that again. yeah. All the women below the head maid are gone. When I mentioned wed be going to the Rockford Earldom, I knew Maria and Kaede were up to something. I didnt expect it to be for the same reason as when we first came here, womens underwear. But, I guess we should just leave the women to it. Afterwards, we had a discussion about where and how many cherry blossoms will be nted. *** Chapter 469: Planting Chapter 469: ntingAt Earl Rockfords request, I had to nt 10 cherry blossom trees. At any rate, because he disliked the idea of being simr to Margrave Volton, he increased the number of trees. ting 10 trees is fine, but please dont boast about it to the other nobles and merchants. Ha, ha ha ha ha ha! Dont worry about it. Ill only gloat about it to Godwin. No, please stop it! I refuse! Haa~ Since I brought more cherry blossom sprigs for nting, even ten trees was no problem. Though I dread Margrave Voltons reaction once he finds out about this. (No, it fine. More isnt always better when ites to cherry blossoms. Our ce only has one, but that was already more than enough.) I felt nothing but anxiety as Earl Rockfordughed loudly, but it wont end if I dont do what I have to do, so I nted the cherry blossom sprigs in the ces Earl Rockford indicated. Lets just not think about it too much anymore. Surely Earl Rockford doesnt have another person hepetes with aside from Margrave Volton, right? Yeah, lets think about it like that. While Takumi was nting the cherry blossom trees, inside the mansion, Madam Rose and the maids were gathering around Maria and Kaede. Emilia was perplexed, but perhaps because Madam Rose and the maids were excited, she could tell that tensions were strangely high. On the table surrounded by those women, flowery underwear of various colors unlike the cherry blossoms were blooming. M-mother, t-these are underwear? Fufu, I think its almost time for you to be wearing these sorts of underwear. Urk Emilia-chan was dyed red in the face from embarrassment at the sight of all the colorful underwear on the table. It has only been in recent years that women were bing stylish with their underwear. Yes, Valkyra Kingdoms womens underwear fashion began here in the Rockford Earldom. Of course, the origin of this was Takumi. Takumi, who could not stand the state of this worlds lousy womens underwear had begun to work on his own version of it with Kaedes cooperation. And on the way to the Royal Capital with Margrave Volton, they stopped by at Earl Rockfords mansion. There, Madam Rose and the maids did not fail to notice how Sophia and Marias shapely endowments had nice form, even over their clothing. After that, the Papeck Company were involved, and it didnt take long for all sorts of designs of underwear to sweep the continent. Rose-sama, what do you think of these? I think these will be beyond Earl Rockfords wildest dreams. Oh my, how nice. These are incredibly sexy. M-mother, the bottom ispletely visible. What Maria rmended to Madam Rose was a thin strong for the back end. It was an underwear known as the T-back. It had changedpletely these recent years, but until then, they usually wore drawstring underwear that were no different to those used by men, so it was only natural that Emilia was surprised at the sight of the T-back. But Maria-san, would this be alright if I wear it? I am old, wouldnt it be unsightly with my droopy rear? Madam Rose, its alright. I had learned this from Takumi-sama, and Ill teach you how to do hip up exercises. Hip up exercises?! Please tell us! The first to react to the words Hip up, was the Head Maid. Fufu, if I do my best with this hip up, I wonder if my husband would be happy. If so, then maybe Miss Emilia will have a younger brother or sister. Fufu, that will be good too. Leaving Emilia out of the conversation, Madam Rose and the maids picked up the garments on the table and stated their opinions. This half-cup bra is sexy, isnt it? Its nice. But for everyday use, this full cup bra would be better. ck doesnt suit me. You are still young. Wont white and light colors be better? Madam rose and the maids mored and gave theirments on the underwear. Once theyve assessed each one, Madam Rose ordered the underwear designs she likes from Maria. All of the garments disyed here were design and color samples, so the women each have to make a order form so the actual product fits their size. Ah, oh right. Kaede-chan, do you have some stockings? I do~~! Perfect. Then Id like 10 white and ck stockings please. Ah, Id also like two please! Me too! Kaedes special translucent stic threads weaved into stockings was very popr. Recently, it had be possible to get a simr stic string from caterpir-type monsters, and that was being sold in high ss lingerie stores, butpared to Kaedes special threads, the feel of the material and its durability was vastly inferior. Only during these times were the women of the Rockford Earldom able to buy in bulk. Fufu, I wonder if this would hustle up my husband. At that time, Earl Rockford, who was in the garden, felt a chill run down his spine for some reason. *** Chapter 470: Look, see? Troublesome. Chapter 470: Look, see? Troublesome. After nting the cherry blossom trees in Earl Rockfords house, we quickly made our way back to the Sanctuary to avoid too much contact from nobles and merchants. If we teleport, it would an instant, but it wouldnt take too long even if Tsubaki ran until Volton, so we returned by carriage this time. At our Volton mansion, we were greeted by the maids led by Maribelle, and by Sebastian who had arge number of letters in hand. Wee home, Master, Madams. Wee home. A cold sweat ran down my back. Sebastian, is that Yes. Letters from within and outside of the country have been arriving. I had juste back from Earl Rockfords mansion so how? Isnt this too quick? Sophia and Maria held my hands as I escaped from reality and led me inside the mansion. umm, I may as well ask, but what is it about? Yes. I believe it is as you had imagined, Master. Sitting on the couch in the living room, I looked at the stack of umted letters, and I had asked Sebastian about their contents, but the were indeed about the cherry blossom trees. What should I do? I wonder if I can just refuse the nobles Ive never met. Same for thepanies. Are there any that I really need to look at? Please wait a moment. Sebastian sorted out the pile of letters and eventually, only two letters remained. Haa, what a relief. Only two? Yes. However, among these trashed letters, the contents of some letters that are not about the cherry blossom trees. Eh? There was something else? Yes. We have received many portraits frompanies both inside and outside the country. Portraits? Why? For matchmaking interviews with you, Master. Eh!? The sudden information from Sebastian left me stunned and looking stupid. As you would expect, there were no offers from nobles, but there many who wanted a marriage with you, Master. Seriously? While I was stunned, Sophia and Maria asked me why I was like this now. Eh? Until now, Sophia-san and I had been throwing those away. Is that so? Yes. Thepany that transacts directly with Takumi-sama is only Papeck-sans. There were many of those proposal letters frompanies. Thank you as always. I reflexively bowed to Maria and Sophia and thanked them. First off, please dont direct any marriage proposals to me. I have Sophia, Maria, and Marnie. To use their daughters just to cut into some trade About that, its still better if it were their own daughters. Some among them had proposing marriages with adopted daughters taken from who knows where. Uwaa~ And the most troubling ones are these. Saying so, Sebastian sifted through the portraits. Its different from the others? Yes. These were sent by knights of the kingdom and quasi-barons. T-those people would be hard to ignore, huh. Yes. I rmend consulting with Margrave Volton. I guess so. Sebastian said that because he was a low ranking nobleman, he could ignore statuses even if they weremoners, and he wanted to push his daughter to me, one of the richest people in Valkyra Kingdom. And that if they were a knight or a quasi-baron, it was also eptable. As to be expected, nobles who have higher ranks than a baron would find offense in marrying their daughters to amoner, but knights are like halfmoners. I seeeee, well for starters, lets set aside those marriage proposals, and the two remaining letters yep, theyre from His Majesty and Margrave Volton. Yes. Margrave Volton likely does not want to be beaten by Earl Rockford. I rmend nting the same amount of trees. And I believe there is a request of a simr nature from His Majesty as well. Haa~ Im going to the Sanctuary. I have to go ask Dryas and the Sakura Spirits to add more. As the opportunity had arisen, how about consulting Margrave Volton and His Majesty regarding the marriage proposals while you are there to nt the cherry blossoms? Youve got a point. Well then, lets stop here for today and go back. Please take care. With Sebastian, Maribelle, and the maids seeing us off, we headed to the Teleport Gate in the basement and teleported into the Sanctuary. *** Chapter 471: Popularity? No, that’s just your imagination Chapter 471: Poprity? No, thats just your imagination Unable to control himself, a stifledugh from a man could be heard. Please dontugh. Kukuku, no- Iruma-sama, youre quite popr, arent you? Popr dont say that now. The person teasing me right now was the master of this castle, Margrave Volton himself. Margrave Volton quickly learned that I had nted 10 cherry blossom trees in Earl Rockfords estate. Of the letters left with Sebastian about the requests for cherry blossom trees, there was a request for me to go to the royal capital from His Majesty, so I thought it must havee Margrave Voltons castle nearby, but Margrave Volton seems to be aware of the marriage proposal requests. As I was nting the cherry blossom sprigs at the ces indicated by Margrave Voltons gardener, it came with Margrave Voltons teasing. Doesnt he mind Sophias intense stare from the side? Surprisingly, the one who was most upset by the copious amounts of letters attached with portraits of daughters for marriage mixed in with the requests for cherry blossom trees was Sophia. From Maria and Marnies point of view, I am a young man with outstanding personal forces and with even more outstanding assets, so if they dont take their positions into consideration, I am a fine article that people would love to marry. In terms of race, female Beastkin who are attracted to strong males were a given, but there were even plenty of Elves who look down on others aside from themselves were interested since I am the Guardian of the Spirit Tree and the Keeper of the Sanctuary. Sorry, sorry, its really quite amusing that you are being troubled, Iruma-dono. Woops, any more than this and Sophia-dono will scold me. Please, give me a break. Ha ha ha ha ha, how hard it must be as a popr man. Anyhow, setting the jokes aside, if the cherry blossoms in Earl Rockfords mansion and in my ce grow, wed be able to distribute it with grafts and cuttings. Thats why, Iruma-dono, you are fine with just His Majestys request. Margrave Volton said that the Royal Family would select who to give the cherry blossom trees, and that they would handle growing the seedlings from the cherry blossom trees in the Royal Pce, Earl Rockfords estate, and Margrave Voltons castle. Normally, it would be impossible for a tree to grow immediately, so i told them to give the seedlings and take care of it themselves. However, this is the effect of not giving peerage to you, Iruma-dono. I should have suggested a peerage for you to His Majesty during the Purifier MD time if this was going to happen. Wouldnt there have been a revolt if that had happened? It certainly would have. However, if Earl Rockford and I gave made a rmendation with both of our signatures, it would have been fine if there was a bit of bacsh. Im sure the prudent Earl Portfort also regrets it. Prime Minister Simon regrets not having been able to confer peerage when he had the chance to, Well, if that had been the case, wouldnt it raise the issue of breaking the bnce of the Trination? That certainly seems so. During our audience with the King in the Royal Capital regarding the Purifier MD, if they had given me a title, not only Wedgefort in the Savage Lands, but also the Sanctuary and the vastnd surrounding it might have be the territory of Valkyra Kingdom. However, that would vastly widen the gap in national power with its ally, and Valkyra Kingdom would be thergest country in the continent. If that were to happen, what would have happened to their alliance with Lomaria Kingdom, I dont know. The hardline faction within nobles of the country may propose a conquest of the entire continent. thats not good at all. Right. I could imagine that. Even Margrave Volton looked fed up. In any case, Iruma-dono, ever since you had be the Keeper of the Sanctuary, it had be impossible for our country to corral you. Yggurle Kingdom would not stay silent. If I talked to Undine and the Great Spirits, they could have probably persuaded Yggurle Kingdom. Even so, there would be great opposition. I think you could have founded a nation with the Sanctuary. In that case, I could even introduce brides from our countries noble families to you. please spare me. Yes, its done. After I finished nting the additional cherry blossom trees, Margrave Volton invited me for tea. Now then, lets set aside whether you should found a country or not, the problem is that portraits for marriage proposals areing from the knights and quasi-barons rather than merchants. Yes. The proposalsing from merchants are sent polite rejection letters by Sebastian, so thats fine, but we dont know what we should do when ites to the nobles, even if they are of a lower rank. Anyway, theyre people who want to get involved in trades rting to the Sanctuary. I will consult with His Majesty and Lord Portfort so we may arrange for all matters rting to marriage between you, Iruma-dono, and nobles to require permission from the state. May I take that as an undeniable confirmation that the that the country will refuse them in my stead? Yeah, if you refuse, then we will stand in as your gate, even from the Royal Family. Margrave Volton promised to make arrangements with Lord Simon so they could notify the country. And so, it was worthing here today. *** Chapter 472: Battle of Attraction Chapter 472: Battle of AttractionThe day after Takumi went to Margrave Voltons house to nt the cherry blossom trees, Margrave Volton sent an express letter to the Royal Capital. Because of this, King Valkyra found out how Takumi was doing right now. Simon, foolish lower rank nobles are causing a fuss. Haa~ My head hurts, Your Majesty. Your Excellency Lord Prime Minister, we had witnessed Goddess Norns blessing when we went to the Sanctuary during Iruma-donos wedding ceremony. Therefore, I believed that even highborn nobles would not intervene with Iruma-dono in that manner. In the Royal Castle of Valkyra Kingdom, King Valkyra, Prime Minister Simon, and Knight Commander Ghad who always apanies the king as his guard were talking about the letter that arrived from Margrave Volton. Even so, what a poor move that their aim is read. There are a limited number of nobles that are close to Iruma-dono, so there are many who would even like to partake in our leftovers somehow. Sophia-donos family is a Chevalier, but Maria-dono and Marnie-dono aremoners. They are all fools to think they could suddenly wedge themselves in. Marriage offers from merchants were swarming purely for the profit. However, this was different when ites to knights and bars[1]. Its simr in the sense that they would like to make a profit from it, but those fools also believe that their daughters would rise in rank as a wife, that hey would have ess to the Sanctuary and the magic devices that Takumi creates, and that by gaining the initiative, their rank would rise and that they would gain even more social status. Truly the epitome of foolishness. King Valkyra agreed with Simons harsh remark. Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford are on good terms with Takumi because they and their families do not make a disy of their status and associate with others as normal people. Regarding the cherry blossom trees, theres no issue with Margrave Voltons n, right? Three families the Royal Family, Margrave Volton, and Earl Rockford no, theres King Yggurle too. The dukes might cause a ruckus. I will try to keep that in check. They themselves asked Takumi so they cant really say it too strongly, but it was impossible for Takumi to take trips to go to all the nobles who want cherry blossom trees. If it was the royal decree that had to be followed no matter what, the rtionship they had painstakingly built so far with Takumi would have been destroyed. Besides, it was normal to increase trees by using cuttings and grafts. It would likely grow into magnificent trees if they wait 10 or so years. If they cant wait, they could hire a mage thats able to grow nts by themselves. Well, mages like those were few and far in between though. As such, right now King Valkyra and Prime Minister Simon must think about are the people who aim to strengthen rtionships through marriage. The reason this type of issue hasnt surfaced until now was because Iruma-dono was an elusive person very difficult to contact. However, Iruma-dono had recently employed butlers and maids for his mansions in Volton and the Sanctuary. He must have intended for it to lighten the burden of housework, but as a result, the previously unapproachable mansion guarded by golems now has beings that could be made contact with. Iruma-dono must also be concerned. He is a bit out of touch regarding such matters. Simon deduced the reason for why this issue was onlying up recently, and King Valkyra sympathized with Takumi. Though Ghad pointed out that Takumi wascking in this regard, but he acknowledges that Takumi was reliable for his age. Still, I wonder if we would be able to suppress the nobles in our nation. Theyll make a move soon the rabble from Lomaria and Samandour who would like to marry Iruma-dono. Even if the rank of the person applying directly is low, the parents or rtives instructing them would be the hard ones to deal with. And so, King Valkyra pondered for a moment. Then Simon and Ghad were dumbfounded by his muttering. better yet, shouldnt he marry a princess from the royal family? Wha!? No wonder the two yelled in surprise. It was unthinkable for amoner to marry a princess from the direct lineage of the royal family. Normally speaking, there is a custom for the nobles in this world. A princess from the royal family would marry into an Earls family. There have been no precedents of them marrying any lower than that. More so if their partner-to-be was amoner, it was beyond understanding. Simon, Ghad. You cant think of Iruma-dono as just amoner from Valkyra Kingdom. If you consider him to be the King of the Sanctuary, it wouldnt be that strange, no? O-oh, so we can look at it that way! Fumu, I cant say for certain that he isnt the king of a small country. But we need to be careful. Talking about this is forbidden. For the time being, Simon, keep the nobles of our nation in check. The part regarding the merchants should be fine. Then, I shall warn the lower ranking nobles who proposed marriages to Iruma-dono. Unbeknownst to Takumi, an outrageous conversation was taking ce. The person in question was preparing to travel to the Royal Capital with cherry blossom seedlings without knowing about this. *** Footnotes: 1. Changing quasi-baron to bars Chapter 473: Work at the Royal Palace Chapter 473: Work at the Royal Pce While King Valkyra and Prime Minister Simon were wracking their brains regarding Takumi, the king of the country on the northwest part of the continent was also thinking about Takumi. One of Takumis wives was the daughter of a Chevalier of Yggurle Kingdom, and she herself was once an honored knight. However, nowadays she had very weak connection to Yggurle Kingdom. Many of the domestic nobles believe that Yggurle Kingdom, the nation of Elves that are supposedly close with the Spirits, should build a close rtionship with the Sanctuary. The reason they could not loudly voice this out to Valkyra Kingdom and Takumi was because not all of the nobles were rational, and if they were to displease the Great Spirits who were backing Takumi, not only would they lose the blessing of the Spirits and be unable to hear the voice of the Spirits, they would also lose their Spirit Magic. Looking up at the World Tree and sighing was the King of Yggurle, Forselty. Your Majesty, is something bothering you? mm, ah, Balza, is that you? The old Elven Prime Minister Balza greeted King Yggurle, but reply he got back was weak. Your Majesty, is what is causing you worry the low ranking nobles of other countries moring for the Sanctuary to be their own? Can you read my mind, Balza? The source of my information was Princess Mimir. Your Majesty, there is no need for concern. It would be impossible for such riffraff to be approved by the Great Spirits. Our problem is that we have fools causing a ruckus for a different reason in our country. As Balza had said, Yggurle Kingdom as of now have no intention of making a connection to Takumi like the lower nobles of other countries. The reason being, the only person to be granted a mansion in the Sanctuary was Mimir, the princess of Yggurle Kingdom. It was a big deal that Princess Mimir was allowed to stay in a mansion in the Sanctuary. After all, Princess Mimir spends an overwhelming amount of her time in her Sanctuary mansion. They heard that she was building up a very good rtionship with the Great Spirits. There was no need for Yggurle Kingdom to push further than necessary. King Yggurles gaze on the World Tree through a window moved to another window. There, the cherry blossom tree that Princess Mimir had brought back was now blooming spectacrly. Certainly, the problem lies underneath our nations feet. We must deal with those iming that the Spirit Tree is the property of Elves, and that Takumi, who is lording over their property, should be defeated. Kuh With Balza saying that, King Yggurle held his aching stomach and grimaced. Just how do they intend to defeat Takumi? They should know that the barrier cant be broken even if the Elven Mages form groups. Then would they target him when he leaves the Sanctuary? Wouldnt Yggurle Kingdom find itself in a predicament if this scheme were to be disclosed to Valkyra Kingdom and other countries? King Yggurle could not let go of his stomach medicine because their nation had many weak-headed nobles. I believe it would be better to purge the heads of such foolhardy Houses. Well, that would easily be better for our country. Of course, both Balza and King Yggurle knew that such an act could not be done, but it was deep enough of a problem to grumble about. I was busy nting cherry blossom trees in a section of the garden of a majestic castle. We had used Tsubakis carriage on the way to Earl Rockfords estate, but this time, we simply teleported close to the Royal Capital. Just in case, I reserved an inn after checking our schedule at the Royal Castle, then early morning the next day, I headed to the Royal Castle because I was told they wanted to meet me the next day. I silently nted cherry blossoms in the ces indicated by the gardener under the Royal Family. For some reason, I could feel the stare from Prime Minister Simon who was here to observe digging a hole on my back. (Awkwarrrrd~. I thought he didnt have free time to spare though.) As though he heard my internal monologue, Lord Simon began talking. Apologies for having summoned you all the way to the capital, Iruma-dono. N-no, Im fine with this! Startled that my inner grumblings were found out, I stuttered involuntarily. Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford boasted of its beauty. I wanted His Majesty and Her Majesty to see it. Forgive me, Iruma-dono. In exchange, the Royal Family will block the requests from other noble families. I see, that helps. Furthermore, you may leave the marriage offers from the pesky noble houses to us as well. After all, marriage offers dripping of ulterior motives would only annoy you. That would be really help. Umu, we will shoulder the responsibility. Rest assured. It was honestly such a relief to hear from Lord Simon that the Royal Family would deal with the marriage offers and portrait matters. I thought I could seclude myself in the Sanctuary in the worst case scenario since I dont know how to deal with it. nting the cherry blossom trees were was troublesome, but Im d I came to the Royal Capital. *** Chapter 474: Transfiguration Chapter 474: TransfigurationIn the outskirts of a city at the border of the former Divine Empire of Sydnia, there lied the ruins of a decaying church. On the ce where the altar should have been in this decayed church, a clump of meat enveloped by ck miasma was enshrined. If you look at that clump of meat closely, you can see faces, arms, legs, and other parts of people push to the surface and disappear, crying our their resentment. The fragment sourced from the Evil Spirit that the ex-priests of the Light God Faith had brought back was growing well by feeding on so many lives. What happens when this fragment matures is unknown even to the ex-priests that are giving it souls and meat. These ex-priests were no longer of sound mind. They dont know what the consequences of their actions would be, but they werent even in the state of mind to question the oddity of this. The clump of meat continued its screams of resentment, gathering miasma, absorbing all sorts of dense negative energies like malice, grudges, envy, jealousy. Former priests gazed at it from a distance. Soon we will run out of money to buy criminal ves. What should we do? what, thats simple. Lets circte rumors that theres treasures hidden in this church. We wouldnt have a problem with food for a while. Kukuku, I see. Those greedy bastards would be good food. That would suffice for the time being. Lets secure some money. Right. Our Goddess is a great eater, after all. No doubt. Even after the ex-priests who could no longer make sound judgments left, the clump of meat continued to pulsate ominously. The ex-priests didnt notice. The remote city where the decaying church stood, its citizens were moving away from it. Because of the miasma-shrouded fragment, the normal people were experiencing anxious just being there, and the flow of citizens leaving the city couldnt be stopped, as though they were instinctually avoided it. In fact, the area surrounding the church in particr looked like a ghost town. Perhaps because the miasma had already encroached in their brains, the ex-priests were unaware of a fact that seemingly anyone else would. The fragment gathering envy, malice, jealousy, greed, and all sorts of negative energies was umting precisely because there were citizens there. It would have been ironic to the ex-priests if the growth of the fragment slowed as themoners left and lessened. A luxurious mansion stood over a vast plot ofnd in an area close to the Royal Pce of Valkyra Kingdom. That alone meant that the owner of this ce was no ordinary person. As a matter of fact, this mansion was the residence of the cousin of this nations King Lobos. Gadget von Valkyra He was the head of this nations dukedom. The only characteristics that tie Gadget by blood to the extolled wise King Lobos was the color of their hair and eyes, as his caliber was iparable since it couldnt be said that he excelled in intelligence and prowess. Nheless, this man held a strong sense of rivalry towards Lobos. Gadget had no doubt that if he had be the king, he would be able to make this nation more prosperous than Lobos had. Gadget was aware of the dizzying advancements of Valkyra Kingdom these recent years. The core of it having to do with Lobos friendship with amoner. Gadget had looked into themoner, and his achievements were exemry. The poprization of the Purifier MDs, the sudden appearance of the Fortress City Wedgefort in the Savage Lands, the invible sacred grounds known as the Sanctuary that appeared on the western edge of the Savage Lands. Gadget thought, if he could utilize thismoner, wouldnt it be possible for this nation to unify the entire continent? Yet Lobos was being more considerate than necessary towards thismoner. Why not exploit him? Why doesnt he seize the Sanctuary? And that Lobos is happy about cherry trees? It is a new species of cherry that cant be found without going to the mountain, so Her Majesty the Queen and the workers of the Castle also seemed pleased. Hmph, how trivial. He used the nations coffers for such trifle things. King Lobos seemed to have paid out of his own pockets. Tch Gadget clicked his tongue. If Lobos had used the national treasury for it, Gadget could have pursued him. look for someone who has a beautiful daughter from distant rtives. a knight or bar, yes? Fuh, so you know. Send in someone who can take his breath away. Thatmoners money, knowledge, and the Sanctuary will be mine. Gadget seriously thought he could do it. And those around him dared not deny him. Then Gadget grew more and more foolish. *** TLN: Hello! This is the end of Volume 9. As always, Ill take a 2 update break. Ill try to keep it only to 1 update, but my IRL situation has been very hectic especially with the health issues of myself and those around me. So, I hope you all understand and I always appreciate you all. Chapter 475: Helping out with the Farmwork (Volume 10 START) Chapter 475: Helping out with the Farmwork (Volume 10 START) After nting the cherry blossom trees in the Royal Pce and leaving the matter of marriage proposals from the nobles of Valkyra Kingdom to Lord Simon, I decided to help out in the fields in the Sanctuary so I can empty my head a bit from the world. The Sanctuary grows all sorts of crops. Grains like wheat and rice which would be staple foods, vegetables, and fruits. Additionally, there were also nuts, berries, and mushrooms which were blessings of the forest and copses, and even bamboo shoots from a bamboo forest. Thankfully, there were no issues with crop cycling because of Dryas and Gnome. We dont even need to pay too much attention to the fertilizer. That doesnt mean it doesnt need any fertilizer, but it doesnt take much time for Gnome and Dryas to condition the soil. The Great Spirits and their familial spirits helped to make it possible for the few residents of the Sanctuary to work the fields without being overwhelmed. I stepped into the somewhat tepid water covering the rice fields, and the feeling of the soft ground was strange. Kyahahaha! This is so fun! Thats amazing, Kaede. Kaede yelled at the texture of the rice fields. The eight spiders of the Arachne were the strongest on the rice fields. Few of us have any experience with working thend. Only Marnie and Laeva had experience doing farmwork in their hometown. Theyve grown potatoes and wheat too, but this will be their first time with rice because it came from my ce. Its everyones first time, so were having fun nting the seedlings. When you level up and stats rise, farmwork like this is easy peasy. Easy peasy nya. Akane and Lulu-chan were all muddy as they nted the rice. Today, the residents of the Sanctuary are nting rice together, so the Cat Sith family Mappo, Poporo, Miri, and L, the Catkin siblings Wappa and Sara, and the Human sisters Colette and Shirona, the Elven family Melty-san and her daughters Mnie and Malorie. The residents sheltered when the Sanctuary first came to be seemed to be enjoying themselves nting rice. Melty-sans family normally manage the orchard for work, and apparently onlye to help during the rice nting and harvesting periods. We should have helped sooner. In this continent, bread made from wheat is the staple food in many regions, and only a fraction grow rice. When the Sanctuary was first established, it started cultivating wheat, barley, and corn for grains, but it began growing rice because I wanted to eat rice. In spite of that, I had never helped out with nting or harvesting it I was too busy. I couldnt help it, now could I? Takumi-sama, everyone, lets have lunch! Yaaay! Im hungryyy! Okaaaay! Its already that time? Lets take a break for lunch. The rice fields were vast and a lot of the residents were helping, but it wouldnt end that fast. The amount weve nted since early morning today doesnt even total to one third of everything. Just when I wanted a break, Maria came with house maids carrying lunch. Everyone, gather on me. Okay Purification! I used purification on everyone who had be covered in mud once they gathered near me. Light engulfed us, we became clean, as if being covered in mud was all a lie. Oniichan, thank you! Thank you! The Cait Sith sisters Miri and L clung to my waist and said thanks. Unlike the Catkin whose parts were mostly still human, cleaning off the mud was normally difficult for the Cat Siths Miri and L. But with purification magic, even the dirt that prated into their fur was cleaned. The maids beganying out carpets and arranging the food, and the residents helped out. If this was when the maids first came, they would have said that this was their job. They would have refused our help, but now we have a rxed rtionship as a default in our house, so theyre now just having fun arranging things together with the residents today. Everyone, theres a lot thats been prepared so please eat as much as you like! Maria presented containers filled with food, and the children cheered and scrambled for the food. They prepared a variety of foods that were deep fried, boiled, some side dishes, rice balls, and sandwiches for people who like bread. The residents of the Sanctuary also brought their own food and we all enjoyed lunch together.. Under clear skies, things like this are nice once in a while. *** Chapter 476: Entertainment Chapter 476: Entertainment Its been a while since Ive been able to truly just enjoy being out nting in the rice fields with the residents of the Sanctuary and eating food with everyone under clear blue skies. I am once again reminded that the Sanctuary definitely doesnt have much when ites to entertainment. Theres music for those who could y musical instruments. And there were likely many who enjoy listening to it too. But there were also people who couldnt y the instruments, and its quite sad that if music is the only thing to amuse them. Thats why, gogogogogogoooo!! Slightly away from the residential block of the Sanctuary, arge building was built. The building itself is a simple box shape, but it is quite spacious inside. When I entered the building, I piled up more and more wood in that spot. Now then, time to adjust the slope and stick with it. First is thene. I circted magic power on the pile of wood and casted magic while holding a strong image of the finished product. Transmute! I made ane approximately 1 meter wide and 20 meters long, specifically a bowlingne. I think its something like this, but if its wrong then Ill fix it. Yes, Im building a bowling alley in the Sanctuary. This was a conversation that happened two days after nting in the rice fields with everyone. As we were sitting on the sofa and drinking the tea that a maid brewed, Akane suddenly spoke up. Ahhh! I want to go bowling! Whats this all of a sudden? I asked Akane why shed say that out of the blue, but I thought she must have just said what came to mind. Hey, Takumi. Go make a bowling alley. Wait, I dont know what you mean. Takumi, you think this world doesnt have much entertainment, right? Then if theres none, you could just make it. Wait, just make it, you say Bowling, whats that nya? Interested in an unfamiliar word she was hearing for the first time, Lulu-chan asked, and as though she was waiting for it, Akane began exining. That sounds fun nya! Right, right?? I also want to try this bowling! Im also interested! Master, Kaede also wants to bowling! Whether Akanes presentation was skillful or they were that hungry for entertainment, it wasnt just Lulu-chan who responded excitedly, Maria, Laeva, and Kaede were enthused. H~mm, I wasnt that good at bowling though. We arent telling you to go bowling, are we? You just have to make the bowling alley! Haa, fine. If everyone enjoys it then thats fine. Lets goooo! And so, we decided to build a bowling alley. While I was making the building and thenes, Laeva made the bowling balls and pins. The pins are made of wood so theres no problem, but the ball was proving slightly difficult. Ive heard that bowling balls are made with a trick that shifts its bnce. I have faint memories of being able to hook the ball. As for the material, its made of wood but it feels somewhat different. Obviously, to use petroleum-based materials are troublesome because they would require us to start looking for petroleum. Thats why I consulted with Dryas to know if there was a tree that we could collect stic-like resin from. Leave it to Oneechan~ Y-yeah, thanks Dryas. Does that mean we are bowling too? Because that sounds like fun~ So, with the material for the balls decided, I asked Laeva to make several with varying weights. I made 10nes inside the building, then moved on to developping the device that would align the pins automatically and the device that would return the thrown balls. Both the pin aligner and the ball return device was nothing inparison to the nobles. We have plenty of magic stone from small monsters for power. Just in case troublees up, I should build a humanoid maintenance golem on the backside of thene. As to be expected, a monitor that automatically tallies the score thats impossible, so theyll have to write their scores on paper themselves, but well just have to bear with it. Even as unskillful as I am, I threw a lot of balls as a test, but once again, I realized just how excellent this body is. Yup, bowling is definitely more fun when you can throw well. We had Akane, Sophia, and everyone to test out thene inclines and the finished balls, check if the pin aligner device and ball returner device are working properly. When the bowling alley was finished, it had be the talk of the town in the Sanctuary, so on opening day, many of the residents gathered and formed a line. Could you please do us a favor, Takumi, add an extension to the building and add morenes, and Laeva could you add balls and pins? Sure (Yes.) Akane instructed us to expand the bowling alley because we couldnt just keep ane to ourselves. A bowling boom hade to the Sanctuary. Moreover, Akane even made demands to even have her own ball. In that case, it is human nature to want more. Needless to say, Laeva and I got busy. *** Chapter 477 Chapter 477 Majority of the people living in the Sanctuary were gathered inside the building, all excited. The First Sanctuary Bowling Tournament Thepleted bowling alley was epted by the residents, and the first ever bowling boom made its way into the Sanctuary. The bowling alley was crowded with Sanctuary residents every single day, and some people said they want to open concession stands to sell light meals and drinks, so now the bowling alley was expanded to have a resting corner. Gogogoooo! Bakkyaaaaaan! Kuh, a split Fufufu, Gnome, its not just about throwing it with all of your might, you know? Yes, control is important. Gogogoooo! Bakyaaaaan!! Kyaaaa! Strike! Kuh, am I losing to thess?! Gnome was vexed that he was being given advice by Undine and Sylph. In my field of view, the Great Spirits were enjoying bowling. They might be a little too passionate about it though, they should receive a reward for a perfect attendance since the bowling alleys opening. The residents had jobs, but the Great Spirits basically live doing whatever they like. They sure have a lot of time. And, of course, Akane frequented it with Lulu-chan, and I made the potions Laeva was supposed to deliver to the Papeck Company. Well, this was originally my job though. Laeva also looked like shes having fun.. To my surprise, even Sophia and Marnie were practicing diligently too. When I tried asking them about it, they replied with something unexpected. Sophia, Marnie, you guys have really taken to bowling? Im d youre enjoying it though. We definitely enjoy it, but this is practice for the bowling tournament. Bowling tournament? Yes. Akane-san said a bowling tournament is going to be held. Akane did? Well, if everyones looking forward to the event, thats good. Hearing about the bowling tournament, I remembered thepany recreational events during my time as a sryman. So, even though Sophia and Marnie were working hard, my head tilted. Umm, this is some earnest practice. Yes. The winner will get an extra prize for Takumi, after all. extra prize? Yes. Akane-san said that you would grant any wish they desired. h- hmmm. D-do your best. Yes! I dont know what these two want, but first, I have to go talk to Akane, who arbitrarily decided that I have to give an extra prize. I looked for Akane in the bowling alley but couldnt find her, so I returned to the mansion and there I found Akane all cozied up on the living room sofa. Akane, I heard therell be a bowling tournament. Ahh, Takumi, thats how it is so, counting on ya! Yea wait, thats not it, I heard that I will be granting any wish as an extra prize for the champion. Thats right. Dont you think its even better to have more than just prize money and a trophy? So if you were to grant any one wish, everyones level of excitement would be much different, right? Haa~ I would have liked a heads up. It couldnt be helped since it looks like the Sanctuary residents already knew about it, but I would like to not be made to give out extra prizes without being notified beforehand. Takumi, youd be happier if everyone was happy, right? Fine. Its not like anyone would make an excessive request, and it makes the bowling tournament more exciting. Heck yeah, Takumi. You know what Im talking about. Then I tried asking about I just thought of. Not feeling well? As she was talking to me, Akane was sprawled on the sofa, all exhausted. Fufufu, its not that. Im also aiming to be the champion. Fufu, what should I get you to do, I wonder Ill also go practice. For some reason, Akanes chuckle sent a chill down my back. I dont know why, but I have a feeling Akane shouldnt be the champion. With that hunch that I could most certainly believe in, I ran to the bowling alley. I dont know why, but I had a feeling that I had to prevent only Akane from bing the champion. And rushing to the bowling alley, I practiced immediately not. Yep, I had to wait for two hours. Chapter 478: First Sanctuary Bowling Tournament Chapter 478: First Sanctuary Bowling Tournament The day of the First Sanctuary Bowling Tournament has finally arrived. There were plenty of participants so preliminaries were being held, until the participants can be filtered down to a specific number of people. Even so, there were many participants, so I ended up needing to expand the bowling alley and add morenes because Akane and, for some reason, Gnome said so. Thenes already doubled to 20, but Gnome stillined that those werent enough. Just how addicted is he? In the preliminary rounds which started early in the morning, the participating Sanctuary residents were throwing balls towards the pins using perfect form right in front of me. Hey, Sophia. Everyone seems way too good somehow? Everyonees to the bowling alley when they have time, after all. S-so it was like that Right before me, Doganbo-san was throwing the ball with a beautiful form. He was a short-limbed beer barrel-bodied dwarf, yet it was amazing how he could achieve a very beautiful form without difort. Moreover, he had power so the momentum of the pins falling was impressive. That didnt mean it was all brute force, I could tell that he emphasized on control with a hook ball. Hey, could it be that Doganbo-sans ball is his own ball? The Dwarves have all made their own bowling balls. They demanded the materials from Laeva. It would seem the Dwarves bowling balls were their own works. Laeva was being coerced by several other people, and it was apparently difficult to make arge quantity of balls. It was difficult because of how detailed the requests were for their bnce and weight. T-that sounds like a lot of work. It might be better to have various selections. I dont mind everyone going nuts over bowling, but it would also be ideal to have some diversity, not just in sports. The people of this world dont have the time or luxury to spare on basic pleasures. Inevitable because they were desperate just to stay alive everyday. However, this Sanctuary slightly different. First of all, there is no concern over daily necessities. They could choose their job, and theres no threat from monsters, so they can afford to live better. The lives of the citizens of Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and even Yggurle Kingdom were starting to improve, so beginning with bowling, but maybe I can take all sorts of suggestions, starting with bowling. Twenty people, one for eachne, were selected in the preliminaries. Among them, I could see Akane and Lulu-chan who were practicing whenever they have free time were a given, Sophia, Marnie, and Kaede. Perhaps because they didnt have much time to practice, Maria and Laeva fell through during the qualifiers. Me? Of course I didnt qualify either. The others were the Great Spirit who got into bowling, Gnome and Undine. From the Dwarves, Doganbo-san and Gn-san passed. And surprisingly, the Cat Sith sisters Miri and L also got through. Unlike other people, theyre small so they cant throw normal balls. It takes them all their might to hold the ball with both hands and make it roll around Heave ho, heave ho, EY! Goro goro goro kote, pata, patapata pata. Yay! Another strike nya! Oneechan, youre amazing! The people throwing balls to the left and right of thatne were dumbfounded at the sight of the feebly rolling ball toppling all ten pins. I understand how that feels. I, who failed to qualify, am far below Miri and L. The main event was apetition of the sum of scores in two games. I know that everyone scored over 200 in the preliminary round, so everyone who moved onto the main event were staggeringly skillful. You did it! Kuh! How!? Why cant I win!? Gnome crumbled beside a cheery Undine. The result of the main event, the overall victor was Undine. Second ce was Sophia. She really has amazing athletic abilities. And, who would have thought, third ce was the Cat Sith Miri. Fourth cer Gnome, who lost to the slow-rolling ball, was being consoled by the sixth cer Doganbo-san and eighth cer Gn-san. Akane who finished in fifth ce and Kaede who finished in seventh ce happy epted medals corresponding to their ces, perhaps because they were satisfied with their scores. And the champion Undines wish was Could I make more springs in the meadow zone in the east? Eh? Youre satisfied with that? Yes, my familial (Water) Spirits have told me before. That they want more watering holes. Well, if thats what you want then I dont mind, but dont get too close to the roads. Yeah, dont worry, Ill make them out of the way. Undines wish was unexpected, so I tried asking Sophia, who was in second ce, if she had a wish. u-umm, h how about we have a date, Takumi-sama? A d-date, I-I dont mind, but youre okay with that? Yes! Thank you very much! Sophia always apanied me as my guard, so I thought its kind of like were always dating, but I probably shouldnt say that. Then Miri, is there anything you want? U-um, Miri and the others want clothes nya. Clothes, huh right, youre a girl, so you would like to be fashionable. Okay, how about we go buy clothes at the royal capital? Our clothes were made from Kaedes threads, and the designs were left to Kaede and Maria, but the Sanctuary residents make their own clothes using the cloths procured by the Papeck Company. The children wore the clothes made by adults, but they were basically built for function, not form. Takumi, leave it to Maria and I. Well shop with all our might in the Royal Capital. Yes! Its not just Miri and L, lets take this opportunity to also buy some for Sara, Colette, Shirona, Mnie, and Malorie. Akane and Maria said to leave it to them, so I, unfamiliar with fashion, decided to leave it all to them. Akane and Maria will take the children to the Royal Capital. Well, Ill be dropping them off and picking them back up though. The members were Akane, Maria, Marnie, Lulu-chan, Miri and Ls mother Poporo-san, the Elves Mnie and Malories mother Melty-san, as well as the children. Theres a lot of you so you guys need an escort. Takumi, Gn-aniki and I will be their escorts. Thats why you should invest some of the harvested rice for alcohol. Just when I thought they needed an escort because of therge number of people, Doganbo-san raised his hand up, and in return he wanted me to be a bit morex on rice. At present, were the ones who want to eat rice the most, so it should be fine as long as its just a bit. Understood. Then well send some your way this autumn harvest. Ohh! thats a big help. Master, Kaede is alsoing so itll be fine Kaede, make sure you arent seen.. Kaaaaay! If Kaedesing too, then danger was very unlikely. And so, the first ever Sanctuary Bowling Tournament quietly came to a close. That had be a very exciting event. Still, I didnt think I would be tormented in various ways because of how exciting this bowling tournament. *** Chapter 479: It seems I have no time to rest Chapter 479: It seems I have no time to rest I teleported Maria, Akane, Poporo-san and Melty-san to a ce close to the Royal Capital to lead the children, and returned to the Sanctuary after deciding the date for pick up. I sat on the sofa to catch my breath, thinking I should take it easy today, but I wasnt given time to rest. Batan! The door to the living room burst open, literally flying in was the Aligerous Tribes Berkut. Takumi-sama! Unfair! Unfair! Its unfair! W-wait , calm down, Berkut. I will not calm down! I heard! I heard there was a pawling tournament! The reason why Berkut looked extremely menacing as she talked was because of the recent Bowling Tournament. I am not saying that everyone in the Aligerous Tribe should have been invited, but its not an exaggeration to say that I am your pupil, now is it!? You guys had fun and forgot about me! Wait, hold on, calm down Berkut. Its true we had a bowling tournament, but do you know anything about bowling? Theres no way I would know! No, its not something that grand. Takumi-sama, why dont you take Berkut to the bowling alley? Sophia came to my rescue, so for the time being, Ill take Berkut to the bowling alley and let her know what bowling is really like. O- ohh! So this is what pawling is! Its bowling. Do you want to try ying it? When I took Berkut to the bowling alley, Berkut was excited at the sight of the residents throwing balls down rows ofnes. When I asked her if she wanted to try it, she shook her head up and down so excitedly. It was packed today as well so after a bit of waiting, we enjoyed just two games of bowling. Sophia was as good as ever. as I thought, it really is unfair, Takumi-sama. Isnt this bowling so fun!? Fine, fine. The Aligerous Tribe will also be invited to the next tournament. That will not be enough! Id like a bowling alley in the Sky Ind too! Urk, so thats how thises to. what should we do, Sophia? Why not build one at the Sky Ind? In doing so, we can also use the bowling alley in the Sky Ind if the one here is packed. Somehow, I get the feeling that thetter half of that statement exposed Sophias intentions. Haa, fine. Ill get Valkan-san and Valzak-sans approval. Yahoooo!! Then lets go immediately! Wait, hold up! Dont pull! Berkut pulled me towards the Teleport Gate exclusively for the Aligerous Tribe. This is the Teleport Gate that connects the Sanctuary to the Sky Ind, and only a few among the Aligerous Tribe are authorized entry. Aside from the one to the Sky Ind, the other Teleport Gate that connected to the our base in the Demon Continent, but the gates connecting to the Sanctuary have many levels of security measures. At present, those who could use the gate connecting the Sanctuary to the Sky Ind aside from Valkan-san and Valzak-san is only Berkut. Brought to the Sanctuary, I immediately paid a visit to Valkan-san. Long time no see, Iruma-dono. Sorry for not keeping in touch, Valkan-san. So you are building a bowling alley for us for some reason? It is very much weed as this ce has very little entertainment. So its really like that. Shall we select a spot then? Yes. There are few of us, so if we tear down one of the existing buildings, we can secure the space you need. that would be a very nice way to save on construction materials. Ha, haha When Valkan-san agreed to it more readily than I thought and decided on the construction site, I constructed the building of the bowling alley. I used the wood that Valkan-san provided to make thenes. It would be fine having tennes, right? There are few of us so I believe that would suffice. If this is not enough then we could pester you for more, Takumi-sama. please spare me? I made many bowling balls of varying weights, and installed Pin Aligner magic devices, Ball Returner magic devices to eachne. I left the tables and chairs to the Aligerous Tribe. After installing light fixtures and teaching them how to mark scores, I let Valkran-san and Berkut y. The one teaching them was Sophia. Iruma-dono, thank you very much! Our lives will be enriched because of bowling! Takumi-sama! Thank you! Im d youre enjoying it. Please tell me if theres any malfunctions. I was naive enough to think that I could rx and idle around while Maria and the others were out shopping. Somehow, this took just a day. Maria and the others nned to stay in the Royal Capital for two days, so maybe I can rx at the Sanctuary mansion for a while. *** Chapter [NaN] Chapter [NaN] The chapter you just tried to visit is currently under works at the moment! Sphyrism is still ving away to get you the content you want. Please wait patiently for the next update or visit the other works. Someday Will I Be The Greatest Alchemist? Iruma Takumi, a 40-year old sry man, was dragged into a hero summoning just like in a temte. What was his fate? The Goddess sent him and the heroes to the other world separately. With the Goddess excessive support, hended in a different world looking handsome, rejuvenated, and quite different from a Japanese. However, he wanted a slow life while working in the manufacturing trade. That was not permitted by the Goddess special body and abilities. Would Takumi be able to live a peaceful life in a different world? I obtained a Stepmother No engagements, no revenge, no viiness, no reincarnation, and especially no development. Its about the uninhibited Ellen repeatedly involving those around her into a pstickedy. Basically a story that frequently gets sidetracked and a splendid plot that does not progress. That is what I obtained a stepmother. is ( _`) -HikariAoi The Elf is a Freeloader A girl suddenly appeared in the living room of a young boys house. The girl was an elven girl that came from another world. That elven girl naturally had no ce to go, so she ended freeloading at the boys house An elven girl that became a freeloader, a very ordinary high school boy, and the boys childhood friendse together as the elven girl gradually gets used to another world. Centered around an elven girl that came from another world in an ident, a heart-warming everyday life story with an elf began. Chapter 481: Maria and the Girls on a Shopping Spree Chapter 481: Maria and the Girls on a Shopping Spree Maria and the others were having going around the Royal Capital to shop, but that didnt mean that they were not being on guard. Although she wasnt visible, Kaede, whose humming seemed like it break out into singing soon, erased her presence and, because of her high level Stealth Skill and presence concealing coat, she could monitor the people who gazed evilly at herpanions without being noticed by anyone. In terms of monster ranking, Kaede was a unique type of Arachne, which was was already a disaster ss monster that could annihte one or two cities. That was why Kaede would be in stealth whenever were not at Volton or the Sanctuary. Even in the Adventurers Guild in the Royal Capital, there was no one who couldpete directly with Kaede. Naturally, the same goes for the members of the small and medium sized dark guilds. Even now, a fool unaffiliated with dark guilds was being rolled up in threads without anyone around him noticing. Furthermore, the Dwarves Doganbo and Gn would not lose in power to the goons of those dark guilds. Before they lived in the Sanctuary, they would go to dangerous ces to mine and hunt monster materials, after all. Maria and the others were choosing clothes at a clothing store for themon folk in the Royal Capital. The Sanctuary has an abundance of cloth purchase by Takumi through the Papeck Company which the residents are free to use, so theres no worry over clothes, but of course, there is a clear difference between homemade clothes and those made by pros. Thats why the Cat Sith mother Poporo and the Elf mother Melty did not miss the chance to scrounge up some clothing. However, Maria, Marnie, and Akane were a little bit different. That was because the clothes they wore were made using Kaedes special threads, and it goes without saying that Maria and Kaedes skills were higher than pros, so there was no need to buy from the clothing stores in the city. Then, why was Maria looking intently at the clothes? She wanted to reference the Royal Capitals fashion designs. Waa, Oneechan,, these clothes are pretty nya! Youre right, these are also pretty, you knyow! The Cat Siths Miri and L were having fun picking out clothes. Cat Siths, which looked like bipedal cats, are covered in fur so they do not wear much clothing. Even now, Miri and Ls attire consisted of matching short sleeved shirts, thin spring vests and shorts. These were stitched together by their mother Poporo, it couldnt be helped that they were far from being fashionable. Maria and the others have different goals, but they were choosing clothes seriously. Hey hey, Maria, what do you think of this design? Hmmm. As expected of the capital, theres a lot of designs we can use as reference. But dont you make up your own designs, Akane-san? I didnt think of those designs myself. I just copied the designs from my old world. Its Maria and Kaede-chan who are amazing for being able to reproduce it from my sloppy drawings. Thats nyot true nya. Thanks to Akanye-sama, Lulu is able to wear cute maid clothes like this nya. T-thats cosy stuff in Takimis eyes. Kospure nya? Come now, Lulu you go choose clothes too. Yes. Lets buy everything we can use as reference for designs. Influenced by Akane and Takumi, Maria made various clothing designs that didnt exist in this world, but even so, the designs popr in the Royal Capital could be useful so they decided to buy every possible design. This time, Takumi gave a lot of shopping money so they could buy clothes in the Royal Capital. Even in a world where buying cloth and sewing it yourself is the norm and clothes were expensive, the amount he gave made it questionable if he wanted to buy the entire store. This was also because the clothes Takumi wears were made by Maria and Kaede, so Takumi, who has only ever been to thrift stores in the city, was under the impression that clothes were expensive in this world. Everyone but Takumi knew that that much money wasnt needed, but no one pointed it because a bigger budget was more than wee. Maria and Akane bought a ton of clothes together with Poporo and the others. After their purchase concluded in one store, they stuffed all of it in the Magic Bag that Takumi made. Then, everyone mored over onto the next shop. Those who got fed up of it were the Dwarves Doganbo and Gn. Doganbo regretted it. He endured it for the alcohol, but even so, he didnt know it would be this troublesome toe along in the girls shopping spree. I should have guessed it from Takumis reaction. Stopining Doganbo, just give up and think of it as training. Doganbo finally understood why Takumi didnte along. Doganbo and Gns tribtions have only just begun. After all, Maria and the girls shopping spree would continue for the entire day. *** Chapter 482: The pheasant would not be shot but for its cries Chapter 482: The pheasant would not be shot but for its cries Without any regard for Doganbo and Gn being bored guarding Maria and the others, the shopping tour was on its second day. During this time, several dark guilds were arrested or suppressed by the Knight Order and the intelligence units. First thing this morning, the knights guided by the intelligence units raided the dark guild hideouts to go on a manhunt. Surrender obediently! Those who defy us will be pardoned. Guwah! Whats this!? You bastards! Gah! R-run! The garrison soldiers of the Royal Capital surrounded the area to prevent anyone escaping the raiding knights. The small and medium-sized dark guilds did not have the strength to break through. A simr scene was urring here and there in the Royal Capital. King Valkyra and Simon had intended on doing a major clean up. They had also noticed the men who were bound up in string in the maze of alleys in the Royal Capital being the work of Takumis familiar, the Arachne Kaede. Those men were dragged away by the soldiers, and after intense interrogations, were treated as criminal ves because of the severity of their crimes. If they had minor offenses, they were detained in jail for a few days and released afterwards, but the members of the dark guilds were people who didnt justmit misdemeanors, they were all sentenced to forcedbor at the mines and highway development as criminal ves. Plenty of knights and soldiers were running around the Royal Capital since morning. Maria and the everyone else, who looked at those passing knights and soldiers with sidelong nces, were on the second day of their shopping spree. How about we go around the shops to the north of the capital? Its near the noble district. Why not? Akane-sama, are those shops that sell expensive clothes nya? Yeah. We bought clothes for the children yesterday, so today were going to get clothes for Poporo-san, Melty-san, and ourselves. When Maria talked about their ns today, Akane replied that they should buy clothes for the adults and themselves. Umm, secondhand clothing are more than enough for our clothes nya. Yes. If we buy cloth, we could sew it ourselves. Hearing them talk, Poporo and Melty grew pale. You dont have to worry about money. We got enough money from Takumi to go buy things from stores. Shes right. Takumi told me this. That this was to thank you for always taking care of the children in the Sanctuary, and for doing your best working at fields and at the orchard. Hearing this, Poporo and Melty were moved to tears. Besides, today were going around to check around the lingerie stores and buy underwear for children. Poporo-san, Melty-san, buy as much as youd like. Youd have to make it yourself in the Sanctuary, no? Kaede-chan and I make it for everyone in our family, but underwear is a lot harder unlike clothes, right? Yes! In Valkyra Kingdom, the underwear Takumi designed became popr through the Countess Rockford, but now it had not only spread within the country but also to the Lomaria Kingdom and Samandour Kingdom. In the Sanctuary, Poporo and Melty had no choice but to make their own using the cloths provided by Takumi. They jumped up in delight at being told that they are allowed to buy it. In a ce a slight distance away, Doganbo and Gn watched with pale faces. It couldnt be helped that they were glum. hey Gn-aniki, I wanna go home. were their escorts. If you think you can increase alcohol production when we get home, you can endure. The two aged Dwarves decided to endure this day with pathetic resolve. The struggle of a father being made to apany others shopping on Sundays seemed to be a thing even in another world. A short while after they started shopping , Marnie talked to Maria in a whisper. Perhaps twenty people? I dont think theyre that big of a deal. As expected of the Rabbitkins senses. Marnie-san please keep the childrens safety. Understood. Whats up, more bad guys? *sniff sniff*, they smell bad nya. It seemed Akane had also be aware of the enemy presences tailing them, and Lulu-chan noticed their scent. Gn-aniki. Yeah, its finally our turn. Lets vent our anger out on them. Gn and Doganbo grabbed the hammers on their hips delightedly. They must have umted a lot of stress. So the members of dark guilds being used as a way to vent was a good problem. Poporo-san, please hold onto Miri and Ls hands. Wappa, hold hands with Sara. Colette, make sure you dont let go of Shirona. You too Melty-san, take care of Mnie and Malorie. Yes. Yup. Marnie called out to Poporo and Melty to caution them, while Akane and Lulu-chan stood up to protect the children together. We could leave it to Kaede-chan, but Gn-san, Doganbo-san, and I are also here so theres no need to worry. Maria spoke out to alleviate Poporo and Meltys worries. Poporo and Melty looked visibly nervous, but their tension was relieved at the sight of the two Dwarves raring to go, and Maria looking as she always does. The group which had been walking altogether had quickly changed to a cautious formation, with Maria at the vanguard, then the children, Poporo, and Meltys family in the middle, Marnie and Akane protecting them from either side, Lulu behind them. And in the next moment, the dark guild members rushed in from the front and the rear to pincer them, attacking them in an alley. *** Chapter 483: Instakill Chapter 483: Instakill The members of the dark guild had only perceived that it was just women and children. The location was near the high ss stores in the noble district. They decided to attack then in this ce where people did not often pass by and worked with organizations they were on friendly terms with. To the small and medium sized organizations, one organization earning huge gains directly incurs the enmity of other organizations. That and one more thing, the current Valkyra Kingdom doesnt have anyrge dark guilds. That was because the Moonlight Owl, which boasted about being the continents strongest dark guild, waspletely annihted. After the first time Takumi was attacked, Moonlight Owl which provoked the wrath of Sophia and the others was utterly had had all of their bases in Valkyra Kingdom utterly destroyed. The boss gambled everything and came out himself and was captured as a result, so the what remained of the organization was unable to function properly. In this world where TVs and videos, much less the inte, do not exist, the small to medium sized organizations dont have decent information gathering abilities, so their assumption about Maria and the others being sitting ducks was a fatal mistake. Perhaps thats why even though the Catkin Girl who stood at the back of the line stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder, the men who started attacking from behind did not have any sense of danger. As such, they didnt realize that the corners of the Catkin girls Lulus mouth turned up. As a result, the moment Lulu disappeared, the man heard a male grumble, and his consciousness went away before realizing that that voice was his own. Nya! Guuuho! One of the attackers copsed, then the guy next to him was blown away by Lulus roundhouse kick. This isnt even a workout nya. Try resisting a bit more nya! As Lulu moved around at high speeds and beating up the attackers, there was a guy who happily swung his fists to relieve his pent up stress. . Fhu!! Gyaaaaa! The log-like brawny arm swung, severing the head of a dark guild member. Whats this, theres no resistance. Get into it more! The one saying absurdities towards the attackers was Doganbo who had been umting stress from having to apany the girls for shopping. Doganbo-san didnt have Lulus speed, but when he saw Lulu going ham, he also started attacking the members of the dark guild before they run out. And on the front, an even more overwhelming beatdown was taking ce. Maria had been with Takumi since the beginning and she continued to work hard to stay by him. It was a situation that couldnt even be called a battle, much lessg behind those fighters affiliated with the dark guilds. First off, it had been difficult for the attackers to realize that they had been defeated, much less grasp its speed. Fuh! Ha! Every time the red hair glistened, the men dropped to the ground without knowing what had just happened. Then, saying Leave some for me!, Gn swung his hammer and reaped the lives of the attackers. A shadow attacked the people who were trying to intercept the attacks on the front and rear. The moment they tried to, the men who tried to attack were restrained by invisible threads. Wha!? I-I cant move! Naturally, when their freedom of movement taken from them, the men panicked. And when Kaede had just ran past them, the mens consciousness faded. Even here, no one was able to see Kaede. With her perfect stealth inbat, she hunted the enemies without being seen. To Kaede, this wasnt that difficult. This is boring. With this many people, and with the abilities of those trash, I suppose this much is normal. Akane and Marnie who were protecting the children from the left and right were talking, looking bored. They did not look like they were being attacked in the slightest, Thanks to that, the children were calm and not afraid, and they just watched Maria and Lulu do their thing. The children knew. Maria, Akane, Marnie, and Lulu were exceedingly strong. That was when the knights and soldiers rushed in, the attackers of the dark guilds were swiftly restrained. Now then, shall we continue shopping? Oh yeah. It should be fine as long as we leave their capture to the knights and soldiers. Maria and Akane discussed todays ns while the men were bound and escorted. A goon who unluckily gained consciousness despite his bindings just now understood what they had been up against. This too became a festival though And so, Maria and herpanions shopping tour became the chance to do a major clean up in the Royal Capital, and King Valkyra and Simon were grateful. *** Chapter 484: Setting trends Chapter 484: Setting trendsI teleported to meet Maria and the others and brought them back to the Sanctuary, then we talked about what happened at the Royal Capital. In any case, they bought a huge amount of clothes. From simple clothing distributed among the residents to clothing that would be used as design references, it was an impossible amount to bring home if they didnt have a Magic Bag. After they distributed the clothes, Maria and the others began designing clothes. Hey, Sophia. Is that my portion? Yes. Ive been told that they will make all sorts of clothes for you, Takumi-sama. As I thought. Maria and Akane took the lead, and Maribelle and the maids seemed to be having fun cooperating. Are Maribelle and the others making some too? Yes. They will make their own clothes, but apparently, the fabrics they will use was weaved with Kaedes special threads, so theyre putting their all into the designs. Just as I thought that there were more maids than usual, they were apparently their clothes and underwear. The maid outfits worn by the maids, which looked like ssic maid clothing, were uniforms given to them, but their normal clothes and underwear were either bought from shops in Volton, or something they made with some purchased fabrics. It was a safe design that could be worn regardless of fashion. Then Maria and Akane suggested that they enjoy dressing up because it would be a waste being a girl otherwise. In this world, normally only the women of the upper echelons of society were able to enjoy fashion, but fortunately, the Sanctuary is prosperous and notcking. Akane and Maria insisted that women need to dress up once in a while when they have the means to in their life. I couldnt say anything about it because I dont even understand the letter F in fashion. Maria and Akane, who had been running all over the ce, returned to the living room. As I thought, there are very little choices when ites to fashion in this world. It cant be helped. Only the women born to nobility and wealthy merchants are able to enjoy being fashionable. Plopping onto the sofa and drinking tea served by the maids, the two talked endlessly about fashion. Sophia and I couldnt follow along. Hey, Sophia do you understand fashion? no, I had wanted to be a knight ever since I was a child, so I wore clothes that would be easy to move in. Thats why, even for my clothes now, I just wear what Akane and Maria give me. So you and me both, huh. I also just wear whatever clothes Maria hands me. I more or less requested for for clothes that are easy to move in, but I left everything else to them. Well, apart from the children of this worlds nobility, I think its inevitable formon folk to be fashionable. To begin with, the clothing stores here were ces that sell high ss products. I think normal peoples perception is that clothes are something created from purchased fabrics. Or the second option would be buying secondhand clothing. Now, what Maria bought in the Royal Capital were high-ss goods, but that was because this was the Royal Capital, other cities likely do not have ready-made clothing. Even if you buy the fabrics yourself, you are restricted by the colors and raw materials you can use, and you cant makeplex designs. They turn into unpolished designs. As I thought about that, Akane talked about something troublesome. I wonder if we could turn this into a business. I thought it would be difficult. Unless its mechanized with a magic device that would sew, it couldnt be affordable. Then we should just mechanize it. Takumi, youd like for everyone to be fashionable, right? Well, I mean, yeah but If its expensive because its handsewn, then mechanizing might be the only way to lower the cost. That said, I dont think we really need it though. Make a sewing machine. If its a magic device then you can do it, cant you? Its not that simple, but if I develop a sewing machine magic device, isnt it fine to leave the rest with Papeck-san? You cant. These arent dresses worn by nobles. Theres no way we can leave fashionable clothing worn bymoners with Papeck-san. But, in any case, Akane, you dont even know how to sew, do you? How about just getting involved with the design? I dont know about building a sewing factory in the Sanctuary. Youre right! Then Im a designer! That sounds great. Takumi, please make the sewing machine immediately! I have to think about its mechanisms, so its impossible to do it immediately. I will assist! I had no choice but to get up from the couch, and Laeva said shed help. I should try to think of two versions, a sewing machine-type magic device thats powered by magic stones, and a manual sewing machine with a foot pedal. After all, if we had a sewing machine, it would be easier for Maria to sew our clothes too. *** TLN- Sorry Ive been very busy with the entire holiday season, so updates have been a bit on the slower side. But I hope you all have a great rest of the year! I always appreciate you! Chapter 485: Treadle Sewing Machine Chapter 485: Treadle Sewing Machine Laeva and I moved from the living room to the workshop, immediately taking on the designing the sewing machine. The structure of the sewing machine is simple enough. Though I dont really know how to make it very well. Takumi-sama, you know about the sewing machine? Well, I know the general design of it. Heh~ a sewing magic device, huh. So that would make it possible to create clothes faster, I see. Its still necessary to have the skills to use the sewing machine though. I dont think that just because someone has a sewing machine means that theyd be easily be able to stitch up clothing. If I remember correctly, sewing machines were hard to use. Even so, you can still do it faster than sewing it by hand, right? If its someone like Maria and Kaede who have high level Sewing Skill, it might not make much of a difference though. you can say that again. Laevas Sewing Skill was also on the high side, but Maria and Kaedes were even higher than hers. The Skill System in this world is quite mysterious. To start with, how about we try drawing up a blueprint, then think of other stuff after that? Lets see. It might be faster to try making one first. Right. In any case, we can also try distributing it to the Sanctuary residents when itsplete. Unlike the outside world, the Sanctuary is a ce where various races live, so the clothing needed by each race might be different. The Mermaids switch between having a human lower half to a fish lower half, so they had plenty of one piece-like clothing. Beastkin need tail holes depending on their races characteristics. Dwarves need clothing that match their barrel-shaped bodies, as well as be sturdy and fire resistant. There are few differences between human and elven physiques. Moreover, while there are plenty of races living in this continent, the majority are of the Human race, so the ready-made clothing sold in stores were meant for the Human race. I dont know about how high ss stores deal in nobles dresses, but stores that sell ready-made clothing might be delighted by sewing machines. Nobles dislike having the same dress as others. They live in luxury. Each and every stitch has to be sewn by hand on carefully selected fabric, so its inevitable that its somewhat high price. Thats why introducing sewing machines might be disliked. It was unthinkable for noblewomen to wear the same dress as others. I think its bad for me to think too much about dresses worn at parties. Thats why Akane and Marias targets should be somewhat affluent people. Its the kind of topic that Papeck-san would jump at. Right? I quickly transmuted a treadle sewing machine that sets the top and bottom thread. Ohh! I see! I understand how it works by looking at it. Lets test it out to see if it malfuctions. Yes! Laeva and I did repeat motion tests, and since there seemed to be no problem, I reproduced a duplicate for Laeva. Meanwhile, I transmuted a Sewing Machine MD that changes the rotating speed based on the degree the pedal is stepped on. The stitch cant be changed, but wepleted two simple sewing machines. Should we have Maria test them out? We should. I would like to hear Maria-sans opinion make actual clothing. When I came out of the workshop to the living room, Marnie, Sophia and Lulu-chan joined Akane and Maria in discussing clothing designs. Among them, Maribelle, Mabel, and the other maids were also there, and they seemed to be having a fun time. We made a treadle sewing machine and a Sewing Machine MD, and I was hoping you guys could test it out. You have a point. Even if a sewing machine was made, it has no meaning if it cant be used. Understood. Please teach me how to use it. Then Ill exin it in the workshop. Upon bringing Maria back to the workshop with me, Maribelle and Mabel had alsoe, for some reason. It would be more handy if we were able to use it as well. Yep, youre right about that. I set up the two kinds of sewing machines in the workshop, then let them try it out to check if it had any malfunctions. Hmmm~ this needs practice. But I think I would use this a lot once Im used to it. Im next, yes? this is difficult.. But I believe this would be very handy with stitching simple items. Then I will try it next. this is nice. Its useful. Maria had the highest Sewing Skill, so while she had some trouble getting used to it, Maribelle and Mabel also assessed that it would be very useful for sewing simple things. Then after we returned to the living room once again, Sebastian came to meet us. Master, Papeck-sama hade by the Volton mansion for a greeting, wondering if there was any business. Eh! Papeck-san himself? That man, he truly has a keen sense of smell. He said that he would be in hispany in Volton tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Is that so? We intended on talking to him, but Takumi, Ill go tomorrow too. I suppose Akane would promote her designs. She said she would apany me in talking to Papeck-san. Papeck-san, your timing is way too good. *** TLN Thank you very much for all reading this year! I wish you all a happy new year! Prosperity and health in theing year~ Chapter 486: A Pleased Looking Papeck-san Chapter 486: A Pleased Looking Papeck-sanWhen I contacted the Papeck Company in Volton, Papeck-san said he woulde to my house. I was surprised by the merchants sense of smell, but I admire Papeck-sans light footwork. Well, thanks to Takumi, theyre now thergest tradingpany in the continent. Hes stilling by personally. I received notice that Papeck-dono wille first thing in the afternoon. Today, Sophia, Maria, and, as rare as it was, Akane came with me to Volton. Sebastian informed us of todays ns after that conversation with Akane. A bit after we ate lunch, Sebastian let us know that Papeck-san had arrived. Papeck-dono has arrived. Okay, please let him in. Then the head clerk of the Papeck Company, Thomas-san, and Papeck-san were led into the room by Sebastian. It has been a long time, Iruma-dono. Long time no see, Papeck-san, Thomas-san. Sorry to make youe all this way. No no, we had made the request because we wished to meet with you. It is only natural that wee to you. After a bit of small talk, Papeck-san started sounding me out. It might be because Akane was seated here when she normally wouldnt be, so he asked if there was something up. Iruma-dono, how are you these days? Have you invented anything new recently? Perhaps, if there is something, by all means the Papeck Company appreciate a deal with you. Youre really buying quite a lot from me. I smiled bitterly at Papeck-sans straightforwardness, but this is probably because I dont want all the ttery. Naturally. Thanks to Iruma-dono, the Papeck Company had grown to be the leadingpany in the continent. Papeck-san! Nice timing! Then Akane butted in with a strange excitement. Misato-sama? Today, Maria and I have a proposition for you! Akane talked one-sidedly about what she wanted to say as she nced at the curious Papeck-san. Hoh hoh, are these ready-made clothing targeted towards the slightly affluent ss? Regarding clothing stores, theres only the extremes- high ss custom-made, or second hand clothing.. The Royal Capital had several stores that sell high ss ready made goods, but Thomas, what do you think? It would depend on the price. Actually, the stores selling high ss ready made goods in the Royal Capital were affiliated with the Papeck Company. They opened several stores on a trial run, but apparently, they were not making a profit at the moment. A few days ago, we received word that arge quantity of clothing was sold in the shops, but could it be That would be us. So those were your stores, Papeck-san. You have a good selection of childrens clothing. Plenty of people buy fabric and make it themselves, and we are struggling because of the high costs. In short, if the cost goes down, it can be a business, right? Does that mean you have a method of lowering costs? Fufun, Takumi, youre up. Ohh! Papeck-san and Thomas-san gasped excitedly and looked at me with expectant eyes. Wait, that, why is Akane boasting all about my achievements. haa, this is a treadle sewing machine, and this is the sewing machine magic device that runs on magic power. Practice will be needed, but once youre used to it, its much faster than making clothes by hand. I took out two kinds of sewing machines from my Item Box, and showed Papeck-san how to use it. Ohh! We can make plenty of clothing with this! Well introduce it in the underwear workshop! Master, the capital stores will not be in the red with this! And so, my proposal is that I want to you to make my clothing designs. The clothes we normally wear are made by Maria and Kaede, so theres no problem, but I want the children in the Sanctuary to also wear stylish clothes. Certainly, please lend us your capabilities, Misato-sama! Leave it to me! And somehow, Papeck-san and Akane were now linking hands. In the end, I talked about clothing designs in another ce, and included Maria when we began showing actual designs. This, what do you think about it? Well, both Akane and Maria seem to be having fun, so isnt that okay? Thats true. When I handed five of both types of sewing machines to Thomas-san, and he stored them in thepanys magic bag and wrote a receipt. We will test the sewing machines, but it is likely that we would ce an order for additional sewing machines. Understood. Ill prepare arger quantity. Leaving the excited Akane, Maria, and Papeck-san, Thomas and I signed patents and of course a provisional contract. Then we joined Sophia for tea. Its great that Akane and Maria were having fun. *** Chapter 487: Work is coming together Chapter 487: Work ising together Leaving Akane and Maria in Volton, Sophia and I returned to the Sanctuary mansion. Thats because, Im clueless about clothing designs. As I sat on the living room sofa, I drank the tea brewed by the maids, and Sebastian came with a huge bundle of papers. umm, is this everything? No, a portion of it. Thought so Sebastian, who came from Volton, brought with him a whole bundle of papers. Theres no way I wouldnt have known what those meant. Of course, I was just escaping reality. Master, Ill take it to your study. After Sebastian, Mabel came to the living room with what seemed to be a heavy stack of papers, and with a single statement said that she would bring it to my study. Then, please attend to these as soon as possible. Urk Sebastian also said as such and promptly left, carrying the bunch of papers. Not to boast or anything, but ever since I came to this world, I had developed several tools and magic devices, starting with the water pump. Aside from those, I am aware that I honestly may have dabbled in too many things, like I had diversified womens underwear in this world, constructed a city and established roads, traded with the nations in the Demon Continent, and had developed the Savage Lands. Thanks to these, I have way too much money flowing in. But vast amounts of moneye hand in hand with a lot of documents. Initially, there were a lot but few in variety, and Papeck-san took care of tax calctions and drawing up contracts for me. But adding in an increase of seble items and a lot more official documents concerning the autonomous Sanctuary which was unrted to Papeck-san, so Im at aplete loss. In a sense, managing the territory of the Sanctuary, which wasparable to a small country, was more trouble than I ever imagined. Haa, it wont end if I dont go, huh. I will do my best to help, as unskilled as I am. Thank you, Sophia. Even Sophia who wasnt good with paperwork was saying shed help, I cant postpone this forever. I got off my butt and headed to the study. In the study, Sebastian and Mabel were sorting through the official documents. And Sophia joined in on that. The types of documents that I just need to look over were the sales. There were documents that need to be reviewed before decisions could made like requests for patent licenses. The most difficult ones were the documents with requests for items they needed, how many and how much we would sell them for. The alcoholic drinks like distilled liquors and wine of the Sanctuary were a given, and even the fruits and medicinal herbs were in great demand. Of course, we cant meet the demand, so manypete for the limited number we could sell. Deciding who to sell to and who to decline, was, of course, my job. Moreover, the issue of taxes is troublesome andplicated. The proceeds from sales made in Volton have taxes that need to be paid to Valkyra Kingdom, but the Sanctuary was not under any country. At present, it could be said that it doesnt belong to any country. Thats why paying taxes from proceeds one of the most troublesome things to do. And taxes werent the only issue. Every country wants the items from the Sanctuary andpete to buy it, but on the other hand, the Sanctuary doesnt need to buy much from other ces. In other words, theres a trade imbnce. I was a sryman, and being concerned about stuff like this aftering to this world like a politician is just Until now, Sophia, Maria, Laeva helped settle the documents, but the amount of work recently was just unbelievable. This is me paying for my mistakes for not having thought about the consequences of my actions though. Master, may I suggest that you hire someone specialized in business work at this time? Sebastian couldnt bear to keep watching me be buried in a mountain of papers and made a suggestion. Someone specialized in business work, huh I most definitely want a capable person, but its difficult because our case is peculiar. I do think it would be more difficult than hiring maids and butlers. However, I believe the paperwork would increase even more from here on, and we would be over capacity. Even now, its already disastrous without Maria who had always helped around, so I decided it would be better to have more people. However, someone who handles documents of great importance and flow of money needs to have more than just the skills. They must be honest and someone we can trust. I dont have the eyes to see through this at the first meeting. Ill have to ask Undine and the others again, wont I? If you want a highly skilled person, you wouldnt need to worry about betrayals with ves, but There are no ves in the Sanctuary now. I dont want to be the only one who has a ve. I have bought ves, but Sophia, Maria, and Marnie[1] who became my wives, as well as Laeva who I purchased to help me with my work were all already released, so there were no vs in the Sanctuary. Among the people who were epted by the Great Spirits, there will never be anyone who will fall into debt. Excellent civil officials are scarce even in countries, it would be difficult to find one. Even so, it would still be great if we had at least one person specialized in business. In this world where dangers to ones life like monsters and thieves are so close, there are many outstanding military people, but very few civil officials. King Valkyra would not have been called the Wise King without Lord Portfort. No, we cant give up. There must be a good, skilled person lying dormant out there. Without stopping my pen, I continued to discuss with Sebastian about hiring someone to do business work. *** Footnotes: 1. Marnie wasnt mentioned but I thought she should be here Chapter 488: Let’s do a widespread search Chapter 488: Lets do a widespread search At Sebastians advice, I told Sophia that I decided to hire clerical workers, and she supported the idea. Maybe because she wasnt good with paperwork, Sophia was always with me as my guard and doesnt leave my side even in the Sanctuary mansion where its safe, but somehow when Im working on the documents, she doesnte into the room. I once tried asking her about it, she said that just looking at the mountain of documents was already giving her a headache. Maria and Akane were eagerly discussing the proposed designs and sales of clothing with Papeck-san, so they dered that they will hands off with the hiring process for clerical work. I believe we should talk to the Great Spirits once weve decided to some extent. Indeed. Its probably better to not burden the Great Spirits too much. To hire new personnel, Maribelle and Sebastian who oversee the maids and butlers must agree. Right. Then how about we decide on the general things? Lets do just that. Shall we start by setting the prerequisites? I am not concerned whether they are male or female, though I wouldnt want them to be too old. You have a point. It would be nice if they could work for a very long time. Maribelle first brought up the age criteria. I think this an obvious choice because its hard to change in a short period of time. Its obvious that they must be able to do their job, but hiring young, capable people would be more difficult than I thought. Such people would be working important jobs for the nobles and the country. If they are only capable of doing the job but have a problem with their character, they arent a fit for our family. They could work in Volton instead of the Sanctuary, but I wouldnt want someone untrustworthy even in the Volton mansion. Were all women, after all. I understand Maribelles concern. The maids of our family, apart from the veteran Maribelle, were all still young women, so she must dislike the idea of a questionable person, especially a man, being there. How about we summarize a little bit. Not too old. Obviously, excellent at work. They have to have a good character that can pass the Great Spirits screening. At this time, it may be difficult if you dont take into consideration educating them from the beginning as well. That is the case. The people who are already capable of doing the job are very likely have some sort of string attached already. If we recruit clerical workers in Valkyra Kingdom, they would be influenced by nobles and merchants toe here. Theres no need to harrow it down to Valkyra Kingdom. Because arge amount of money is involved in the job, we must be prudent about hiring clerical work. Theres also the option of buying ves and liberating them, but criminal ves were out of the question while there were very limited options among the debt ves because of the nature of their debts. Theres no one stupid enough to hire people who ruined themselves by gambling or the like. Theres no problem with those sold to pay for their parents debts though. Just in case, lets consider ves as an option. There are those whose fell into very by no fault of their own like Laeva, after all. Then couldnt we try talking to the Moulin very Company? I believe that Madam Moulin is credible. Even Sophia thinks that Moulin-san is trustworthy. This is understandable considering how they treated Sophia and Maria. Its rare for ves to be trained thoroughly. Master, we also have other choices such as the Demon Continent. The Demon Continent? But many of the Mazoku are muscle brains. I only know one single civil official in the Oni Tribe. Of course, Im talking about the aide of Queen Fraal of uros. Is that so? Ah of course you wouldnt know, Maribelle, but the even the Beastkin living in the Demon Continent areplete muscle-brains. The only exception being the Subus n. It might turn into a problem. Ah, I see Many of the Subi would be suitable as civil officials, but I dont think theyre a great fit for the Sanctuary where the poption ratio of men were small. It could lead to all sorts of trouble. The consensus here was that the Demon Continent would be excluded. Then are we also excluding the Aligerous Tribe? Lets see. Since they lived too isted from a mary economy for the longest time, training them would also be difficult. Many of the Aligerous Tribe were honest people, but because they lived self sufficiently for a very long time that they were people who had never seen money. Naturally, they didnt require any math, so teaching them from the very beginning would be a huge endeavor. If we want to avoid those with connections to nobles andpanies, perhaps it would be a good idea to consult with the Madam Moulin for the time being. Right. If its Moulin-sans ce where Maria was educated, it might work. As a result of our discussion, we decided we would first check with the Moulin very Company. So, Master, please settle the remaining documents. I tried to not think about it, but the papers wont go away by themselves. I couldnt get away from the paperwork, it seems. *** Chapter 489: It’s been a while, Moulin-san Chapter 489: Its been a while, Moulin-san Today, I came to Volton. Sophia, as always, Maribelle, and Sebastian were apanying me. Recently, Maria and Akane seemed to be busy with prototype designs of clothes in the Sanctuary. We hade to the Moulin very Company using an ordinary carriage. As for why were using an ordinary carriage, its because the carriage Tsubaki pulls was too conspicuous. Obviously, Tsubakis build and presence after having gone through multiple evolutions also stood out too much. And anyone would know immediately who was inside. And so, we prepared the ordinary carriage that Sebastian and the maids use in the Volton Mansion. We have arrived. Thanks, Sebastian. Sebastian who served as the driver called out to us that we have arrived at the Moulin very Company. When we parked the carriage into the carriage storehouse, the horse keeper of the Moulin verypany took care of the horse. When I alighted the carriage, I was greeted by Moulin-san. It has been a long time, Iruma-sama. It makes me happy every time I hear rumors about your activities. Long time no see, Moulin-san. I came to talk to you today. Sophia then got down and next came Maribelle, and Sebastian left the carriage seat. Ill introduce you. Sophia doesnt need any introduction, but he is my butler, Sebastian. And she is Maribelle, the head maid who supervises all the maids in my house. It is a pleasure to meet you, Moulin-sama. I serve as the head butler of the Iruma family, please call me Sebastian. I act as the head maid of the Iruma family. Its nice to meet you. Thank you for your show of cordiality. I am the proprietress of thispany, please call me Moulin. Why are we still outside? Pleasee in. Moulin-san led the way into thepany, and after drinking tea and chatting idly in the parlour room for guests, I talked about business for today. Actually, Im looking for someone who could help with clerical work. I see youve been doing well. As to be expected, theres a limit to how much you can do by yourself, Iruma-sama, I see. Exactly. Theres so many documents that I need to deal with with everything Ive been doing that it just doesnt end even with Maribelle and Sebastian helping out I understand. Please wait a moment. Ill see if we have any children that I could refer to you, including those in the shop we have at the royal capital. Please do. The Moulin very Company has been operating soundly, and they seem to be having a boomtely that they had even opened a store in the Royal Capital. We waited for Moulin-san who had left the room momentarily, and she came back with a shop clerk who carried a thick file. As you would already be aware of, Iruma-sama, debt ves have all sorts of backgrounds. There are variety of cases, such as with Sophia-sama who was sold as a prisoner of war is a rare case, and Maria-sama who was sold when she was a child. Naturally, this file includes those who have incurred debts on their own, but we have excluded those who ruined themselves through vices like alcohol and gambling. Even if someone is in debt because of their own doing, there were cases where they had no choice but to do so. They seem to have investigated that in much detail. In mypany, we properly educate the children so they will not be embarrassed no matter where they go. As such, I could still rmend many candidates, but I think it would be difficult for otherpanies to have ves who can take on clerical or civil duties. I looked at the file with Maribelle and Sebastian. Inside the file, the ves name, gender, age, and the reason they turned into debt ves, and other information were written down. Additionally, there were other ves who had been sheltered and trained by the Moulin very Company ever since they were children, just like Maria had, were also included. What were looking for are sons and daughters of merchant families, who were not responsible for their own fall into very, and have no troubling behaviors, I guess? Also, how about the people who received training from Moulin-dono ever since they were children? Youre right. The final personality judgement could only be left to the Great Spirits, so how about we make a long list and interview them? D-did you say G-great Spirits? When the words Great Spirits came from Maribelles mouth, Moulin-san was unusually surprised. Yeah, the truth is that the people employed at our mansion had all been epted after an interview with the Great Spirits. I exined that the Sanctuary was a peculiar region, and the only people who could enter it were those deemed eptable by the Great Spirits. U-umm, the Great Spirits can see through a person? Well, enough to tell if the person is rtively good or not. T-thats amazing. Despite Moulin-san seeming a bit withdrawn for some reason, Sophia, Sebastian, Maribelle, and I made a list of the people here. For the time being, we decided not to take the ves in their store at the capital into consideration, to only choose from the ves present here at this moment, and if there arent enough after interviews, then we decided we would take interviews even from the capital store. *** Chapter 490 Chapter 490 As we listened to Moulin-san promote them, we were able to narrow down the interviewees with Sophias insight, and Maribelle and Sebastians experience. It was then that Moulin-san asked a fundamental question. Now that I think about it, we hadnt told her. By the by, how many people were you thinking of? For the time being, I believe we would like at least two people. I want at least one person to assist Sebastian in the Volton mansion. And the rest, Id like at least one person who specializes in paperwork at the Sanctuary mansion. As to why, its because well have projects that were very likely to increase our paperwork. Akane and Maria were probably going to expand their fashion-rted business, and bowling somehow reached Papeck-sans ears. It may have been Akane or Maria, or maybe it was Sebastian. Because of this, Volton and Wedgefort were now searching for a ce to build a bowling alley. Laeva ended up needing to make arge number of pins and balls. There hasnt been a word ofint, but actually among my employees, some of those who were normally in the Volton mansion werent simply couldnt ess the bowling alley. Im an employer who can read the situation. I couldnt just give in to everyones silent pressure, after all. And so, profits rting to bowling would also increase from here on. Jeez, I have a feeling this is gonna turn into a vicious cycle of doing something and the mountain of documents increasing. Its quite profitable, so I probably shouldnt call it a vicious cycle though. If anything, I should be d I was fortunate enough to meet the people. I met Sophia and Maria, and then Laeva, and even Marnie[1 I feel really bad that Marnie is never mentioned in the story], and everyone who helped me, Im so lucky to have met everyone. Thats why I dont have any confidence in my ability to judge people. And thats why I just tried asking Moulin-san if she had anyone to rmend. Moulin-san, do you have anyone you rmend? A rmendation? Lets see how about her? She has received rigorous training since childhood, and she is also good with etiquette. T-this is We were surprised by the piece of paper that Moulin-san pulled from the file. Even Sebastian and Maribelle were speechless. Written down on the singr piece of paper that Moulin-san picked was the detailed information of a former nobledy from a certain country. Moulin-san, this is A pitiful child who was a victim of family who lost a power struggle. so shes being treated as a criminal ve? Just as Sebastian said, that child was a criminal ve. Normally, we would never associate with a criminal ve. Yes. It was purely a coincidence that our store found her, though had been any other ve store, she would have had a miserable end. I guess thats how it is. The fate of a criminal ve was void of any happiness. Though, it was only those guys whomitted murder, sexual assault, robbery and the like suffering the consequences of their own actions Uwaa, isnt this Valkyra Kingdom? This happens everywhere, but we cant ignore this. I wonder if we can ask His Majesty for pardon? The document says a certain country, but the name waspletely a barony of Valkyra Kingdom. It wasnt umon for nobles factions to have antagonize each other to hinder them from sess, but besides stripping of their peerage, it was rare for even the children to be sold as criminal ves. Perhaps, there were some ulterior motive to it. This girl was sold domestically. If you think about it normally, they would be sold to a foreign country. I can only say that it was a coincidence that I found her. From Moulin-sans statement, I could tell that it was in no way a coincidence, and that she was must have moved using the information she got early on. As to why Moulin-san would go that far, I dont know. Her father copsed and died from the shock of being stripped of their title. Her mothers health was harmed from the shock and she copsed, but she has returned to her viscount parents home. Why was only this girl sold? Its not thatplicated. Moulin-san said that the Baron, whose rank had changed, had beenunched his ownpany to export the stocks of wine that he had purchased from the Sanctuary through the Papeck Company. I know the wine made from the Sanctuary flies off the shelves even at high prices, so retailers can still earn a profit. Its not umon to blend the liquor to adjust its alcohol content and taste. Noble factions seem to have snuck in and were exporting adulterated and diluted wine. Theyre also keeping the made in the Sanctuarybel. Well, Im not really rejecting the blends themselves, but dilutions are bad. Yes. It was done without the Barons knowledge, but it had been exposed by a power noble from the noble faction, and he was denounced of his title. So it was a match pump [I assume its about causing a fire to be able to act like the hero and save the situation]. Yes. There was no evidence of it after the person who actually diluted it had disappeared. The girl, who should have been banished from their territory and stripped of her title, seemed to have been falsely been used of hiding secret ledgers to conceal the profits by means of diluting the wine and became a ve as a result. It seemed as though they had purposely prepared secret ledgers that mimicked her handwriting. No matter how clever or excellent she was, it was still impossible for the young girl to win by appealing her innocence in front of experienced adults. The case had gone even further because the investigator had been the son of a noble on the noble factions side. So the criminal ve Originally, the girl was made into a criminal ve through official procedure on surface, but she supposed to be sold to a foreign country where it was difficult to be traced, just in case. However, Moulin-sans quick senses had allowed her to buy the girl from behind the scenes, You did well with Sophia, and now this child too, Moulin-san, youre quite the soft hearted person, I see. Well, because of that, Sophia and I met each other. Fufu, I am also a business woman, so if you can buy her then shes yours. It feels like they were expecting me from the beginning, Im wrong, arent I? ording to Moulin-san, the trapped and crushed Baron was on the Royal Faction, and the Noble Faction, who were opposed to the countrys prosperity these recent years, were getting impatient. As the bnce of power among the factions was tilting in favor of the Royal Faction, they connived to falsely use a noble from that faction. The location of the Barons fief wasnt great. They must have abhorred the fact that it was booming because it a good transit point. The nobles in the Noble Faction seem to have nned to split it equally amongst themselves. Which means, it didnt happen. Yes. When Lord Portfort questioned the revocation of peerage, and when the intelligence unit investigated it and found out that it was a false charge, it was already toote, everything was over. The person who connived against the baron was an Earl of the noble faction, and the troublesome part was that it was he was a rtive to the Duke, His Majestys uncle. The Baron himself had died from the despair, and the Baroness returned home. By that point, the daughter had already been purchased by Moulin-san as a criminal ve. Lord Simon seemed to want the revival of the house from its direct lineage, with the barony under the direct control of the Royal Family. At present, it was difficult to do since the barons only daughter had already fallen as a criminal ve. But how could they not realize this before they rescinded the title? I cant say for sure, but I believe it was difficult for the prime minister of the entire country to check the reason for a lowly baronys demise. The noble faction has plenty of civil servants. The fact that Lord Portfort even realized it after everything was over makes him an excellent prime minister. ording to Sebastian, Lord Simon realized because it was him. They know about the false usation, right? Then cant the girl be released? You cant destroy something and then say it was all a mistake. That would be foolish. Moreover, Iruma-sama, unlike debt ves, criminal ves basically cant be released. The only way would be to be pardoned by His Majesty as a special case. For them to not be able to simply say they were wrong once a person bes a criminal ve is Thats why, Iruma-dono. I see, it wouldnt be impossible for Master to ask His Majesty for pardon. I-is that so? Moulin-san, Sebastian, and Maribelle nodded silently. Hold up, wasnt buying the girl still up for decision? Then lets decide on the second person? Indeed. There will be plenty of paperwork from here on, so we wanted two. How about this child? Leaving me confuse, Sebastian and Maribelle began looking for other interviewees. TLN Thank you very much for all your support this year! I wish you all a happy new year! Prosperity and health in theing year~ *** Chapter 491 Chapter 491 Excluding the one that Moulin-san rmended from the file, we decided to at least get 4-5 people at most. Originally, the file already excluded the people who turned into ves because of gambling or business failure, so I entrusted the decision to Sebastian and Maribelles ability to see through peoples character from their life experiences. It should be fine if I just make the final decision.. As a result, the people that Sebastian and Maribelle eventually chose from Moulin-sans rmendations totaled to three people including the former noble youngdy. Without dy, I asked the Great Spirits about the lineup. Mm, theres no issues. Well then, were in the middle of bowling so well be going now. See ya~ Jeez, dont call us out of the blue. bye. Are they that addicted to bowling? Selene got mad. Lets just forget about the Great Spirits who left just like that and start over. Now then, time to pull myself together and go back to the interview. I looked at the three people lined up in front of me again. Charlotte von Vold (18 years old ) Daughter of a former baron, a beautiful girl with blue hair and blue eyes. She was a victim of a political strife, but in order to prevent the revival of the House Vold, she was sold as a criminal ve under false charges. She would have been sold to a different country, but the Moulin very Company obtained her from behind the scenes. In actuality, it could be said that Moulin-san was sheltering her. Shes definitely a beautiful girl, and Moulin-san had given her guarantee on the girls skills, so there was no question about it. However, her father had died unexpectedly, and her mother who had returned to her parents home, so her worries must have been endless. Yup, lets think about thatter. After all, having heard her story, Im going to end up buying her, and then talk His Majesty into giving her amnesty. Gina (16 years old) She had mid length dark brown hair, and brown eyes. An earnest young girl. She was born to a merchant family, but her parents debt made it impossible for their store keep running, so she was sold in order to raise funds. The truth is, ording to Moulin-sans information, the decline of this girls family was apparently notpletely unrted to me. Originally apany that traded in magic devices, it had lost its market shares to the rapidly rising Papeck Company, and had spent arge amount of money to try to develop a better magic device than the one sold by the Papeck Company.. Well, they seem to have failed, though. Thats why she may have some feelings against me. Ana[1] (15 years old) She had shoulder length grey hair and green eyes. A cool-type beauty. Her family had opened a small business, but she was sold to pay the debt her father had made through gambling. She didnt choose to be the daughter of a trash parent. This intelligent girl who seemed rtively mature for her age looked at us with cold eyes. This girls situation was beyond saving. Her father was utter garbage. She herself was very capable, and she was an all rounder who could, of course, read, write, and calcte, as well as sew, cook, and knows etiquette. However, because of her reason foring here, it felt like she had given up on life. I have several questions. My name is Sebastian and I work for the Iruma Family as its head butler. Firstly, what we are looking for today are personnel who are able to assist with processing an ever increasing amount of paperwork. Documents such as profits from patents and from the sales of various potions and magic devices may increase but will not decrease. As such, we are seeking for someone who could be an immediate asset to us. And so, let me be frank, please tell us if you do not wish to work with us. As this is a job that deals with arge quantity of important documents, it will not be easy, and we will not hire someone who would be a hindrance to the family. Sebastian and Maribelle gazedpellingly at the three candidates as they spoke. So far, no one seems to not want to work for us. If you work hard for several years, I n on paying you enough sry for your release, but if possible, I would like you to continue working for us, but what do you think? By all means, please buy me! The first one to speak up was Gina-san. I used to do everything, from ounting to product management, for my familys business. I believe I can be useful. You should know that I am not unrted to the decline of your familys business. Even then, are you okay with that? Yes. Our decline was because father made a reckless gamble. We should have steadily done business instead of trying topete with the Papeck Company. Understood. Then, what about you, Anna-san? Next, I asked Anna-san who looked like she had given up on everything, wondering if she could still even be called a ve. I have no home to return to even after my release, so if you buy me, I will only do the job given to me. W-well, thats fine for now. Shes a girl who is probably aware that shes very capable, but she was sold to pay for her parents gambling debts, so it must be hard for her to have a better outlook right away.. I hope she gets better bit by bit. Andstly, Charlotte-san, Ive already decided to buy you. No matter what your opinion is. Charlotte seemed to be the most heartbroken, having fallen from being a nobledy to a mere criminal ve. Now then, Ill have to negotiate with Lord Simon first. *** Footnotes: 1. There was already a maid named Anna, who was among the younger veteran maids. Chapter 492: The faster the better, no? Chapter 492: The faster the better, no? If you are ever in need of personnel again, please reach out to mypany again. Thank you for today. . I paid for the three people, and were on our way back to the mansion with them using the carriage. Master, lets drop by the clothing stores. Ill leave it to you, Maribelle. The clothes provided by Moulin-san werent just simple tunics with holes, but as to be expected, those were the only one. Master, I believe they should work in the Sanctuary for the time being. Youre right. Charlotte would be better off without any eyes around. As I stayed in the carriage, Sebastian, who was in the driver seat, talked about where the three girls should work. I n to eventually have them do negotiations with the Papeck Company in the Volton mansion, but I think that should be after theyve gotten ustomed to their environment. After bringing the girls to the Sanctuary, will you head to the Royal Capital, Master? Yeah, I dont know if Lord Simon can meet with me immediately, but the earlier the better. Certainly. Its important to be in a position where they can work for their freedom, after all. Right? Ill get them to grant amnesty somehow. I believe it will be alright because of her circumstances, but please do your best for Charlotte. I talked to Sebastian about all sorts of things until Maribelle and the girls returned. Thank you for waiting. Then lets head back? Sebastian, if you could. Certainly. Sebastian directed the carriage to the mansion. Moulin-san advised that it would be best if we moved as fast as possible for Charlottes case. It seems the Noble faction who were unable to profit from this were looking for Charlotte. When we arrived at the mansion, the maids came out to greet us. Sebastian was primarily in charge of Volton, so Maribelle, Sophia, and the three girls came with me to the basement. What you see here is a secret. Yes Gina responded cheerfully. She seems to be the type to get over her feelings quickly. Charlotte and Ana[1] seemed to not have their hearts set yet but thats fine for now. Wha!? Is this an ancient site? Eh!? no way. Now then,e with me. The three were surprised upon seeing the Teleport Gate installed in the basement. I quickly registered their magic power, then activated the teleporter to the Sanctuary mansion and teleported. We arrived at the identical basement teleport room and came up from the basement to be greeted by Jeeves and Mabel. Wee home, Master. Madam Maria and Lady Akane have secluded themselves in the workshop with Kaede-san. I see, it looks like their clothing stuff seem to be doing well. Also, these girls will be staying here for a while, so assist them where you can, okay? Uwaa! amazing. t- this is What they saw past therge window in the living room were the Spirit Spring and the Spirit Tree beyond it. The three girls were at a loss for words at that beautiful sight. Mabel, show them their rooms. Once theyve dropped off their luggage, could you show them around the mansion? I have some business in the Capital. Understood. Leaving the three stunned girls to Mabel, I teleported to the Royal Capital with Sophia. Charlottes matter should be dealt with as soon as possible. I also need to reassure her mother who had to return to her parents home. When we teleported close to the Royal Capital, we walked from there to the gates of the Royal Capital and lined up. At times like this, Im jealous of nobles. Because theyre prospering, the lines at the gate had gotten much longer. Carriages of nobles passed by the line we stood in and went through an exclusive gate for them. The line of peopleing in and out of the Royal Capital in these good times were truly long. As such, it took us two hours of waiting to enter the Royal Capital. Once we entered the Royal Capital, we made an appointment with Lord Simon. We soon received a reply stating that he had time around noon tomorrow, so we booked a room at a high ss inn to prepare for tomorrow. That said, we were actually teleporting back to the Sanctuary to sleep there. The room in the high ss inn was only for teleporting. Its still a while before dinner, so Sophia and I had a date in the Royal Capital for the first time in a while. Sophia was also happy to have a date with just the two of us. Afterwards, we enjoyed our date until dinnertime, then we enjoyed our meal at the inn and teleported back to the Sanctuary mansion. Early morning the next day, we returned to the inn after having breakfast, and rested until our appointment time with Lord Simon. *** Footnotes: 1. Ill change this to Ana for the clerk, and keep Anna for the maid. Chapter 493: Getting Amnesty Chapter 493: Getting AmnestyWe requested the inn to prepare a carriage and Sophia and I headed to the Royal Castle. We were apanied by a knight to a smallish conference-like room which was different from usual where we waited for a while. After a while of waiting, I felt the presence of Lord Simon approaching the room. Hm? Thats rare. Lord Simon is alone. Takumi-sama, it is likely that His Majesty does not want to hear about what we want to talk about as much as he could, wouldnt he? I see, his reputation is at an all time low, huh Yes. As we were speaking, the door opened and Lord Simon came in. Lord Simon flopped into the seat in front of us and sighed heavily. He looked terribly exhausted. Haa~ Long time no see, Iruma-dono. Sorry for not keeping in touch, Lord Simon. Haa~ Who would have thought that it would be you, Iruma-dono, who would make the purchase Lord Simon sighed multiple times as he spoke. It seems he already knows everything about the reason why were visiting today. In that case, I can skip the exnations. This must be about Baron Volds daughter. Haa, even we could not have predicted that the Barons daughter would be sold as a criminal ve. ording to Lord Simon, several nobles from the Noble faction had set this n because they were targeting the clever and beautiful Lady Charlotte. The soldier who arrested Lady Charlotte and extradited her was someone under the son of a Noblist, and the same for the ve store. We arrested and interrogated the soldier and ve store when this came to light, but Lady Charlottes location was unknown. Haa, to think that she was with you is It was a great move by Moulin-san. She was able to force a sale just before she was sold to a foreign country. The nobles from the Noble faction who desired Charlotte-san were nning to procure her from abroad. Since she was a criminal ve, she didnt need to be released, so they intended to make an excellent girl like her who was also beautiful work to the bone and serve them. So, what will happen to Charlotte-san? about that. Valkyra Kingdom seems to want the fact that they had stripped Baron Vold of his rank didnt happen. Regarding the territory, it was difficult to do anything now, so they falsified official documents as the Baron of the Vold Barony. Of course, Lady Charlotte does not have a criminal history. There was not a single speck of evidence of her envement. I seeee. I dont have mind that, but Id prefer it if you, Lord Simon, were the one to tell Moulin-san to destroy the documents. Certainly. Weve made preparations discreetly. I sighed at the how things were unfolding. But thinking about it, this was the best oue for Charlotte-san. Though Baron Vold might be rolling in his grave, chagrined What about those Noblists who caused a disturbance? The perpetrators who diluted the wine are being pursued by the Shadows. We hope to catch the tails of the Noblists who were directing them. Though this is proving very difficult. Lord Simon wants to use this opportunity to reduce the power of the Noble Faction, but it seems he could only impose fines that would be enough to destroy some smaller houses. The head of that faction is His Majestys uncle, after all. Its not easy to make a move. I see, well, thats enough about nobles. For the time being, should I release Charlotte and bring her to the Capital? No, it would be too early to bring Lady Charlotte to the Capital. Noblists would hijack the house by sending grooms. For the time being, could she be under your guardianship? There is no safer ce than by you, Iruma-dono. Well, it is the Sanctuary, after all. Then I remembered Charlottes mother whose health was ruined and returned to her parents house in despair, so I tried asking about her. Oh yeah, how would we exin it to Charlotte-sans mother? regarding the forfeiture she med herself failing to notice the crimes beingmitted in theirpany and she was forced against her will. About Lady Charlotte, I will inform the Madam that she is being taken care of by a reliable person. A trustworthy person you say, wouldnt she know immediately that its at my ce? Iruma-dono, there are many of my men stationed by your mansion in Volton and the area around it to guard it. Sure enough, I knew that there were arge number of secret agents of varying factions stationed in Volton. Theyll probably know immediately what kind of people Im looking for at the ve shop. I will bring the cost of purchasing Lady Charlotte at once. With this, the sale of Lady Charlotte did not happen. Understood. I had originallye here to ask for her amnesty, so its wrapped in a different package, but this is the best oue, isnt it? Umu, thank you. After that, we exchanged information, then I was reimbursed of the cost of Charlotte-san and we left the Royal Castle. I need to go back and release Charlotte-san. *** Chapter 494: A Girl’s Thoughts Chapter 494: A Girls ThoughtsI wonder why I am here. My name is Charlotte von Vold. I am the first born daughter to the Vold Barony. On a day that I thought everyday life would continue normally, the Vold Barony disappeared. Father copsed from the shock, eventually passing away at that very spot. Mother had also copsed. Then I was restrained by a soldier, and by the time I had realized it, I was already in a small room in a verypany. There were two other girls of simr age to me in the room. Gina-san, one of the two girls, was trying to console myself, who had been dazed over the sudden change in my circumstances, and the other girl, Ana-san. Gina-san was the daughter of a merchant family, and she was sold as repayment for the debt her father had incurred from her fathers failed venture and to keep the shop afloat. Even though she had a horrible experience of being sold by her parents, Gina-san always faced forward, and soon told herself that she would buy her freedom back. The other girl, Ana-san, had an even more horrible reason. Her parents also owned a small store, but because of her fathers addiction to gambling, she was sold to fund her fathers gambling addiction rather than because a business failure. She was a truly bright girl, and she had been working very hard for her familys business, but she had closed her heart after having gone through such an experience. It was the same for myself. I, who was raised as the precious daughter of the Baron Vold and graduated as the top student in the academy at the Royal Capital, was involved with the management of our fief and I was proud of my own excellence. Then I fell into very without so much as a rebuttal. Moreover, as I am a criminal ve, I essentially will never be freed. My life was over. Had the three of us not been purchased by Iruma-sama A day not long aftering to this ce, the proprietress of this verypany Moulin-san brought us to a special room. Waiting there were a silver-haired young man, an elderly butler, and a woman who seemed like a veteran maid. I realized that this was an interview to purchase us. Of course this would be the case. We are ves, and this is a verypany. The young mans name was Takumi Iruma. Even I knew that he was a big name to those in the know in Valkyra Kingdom. Our Vold Barony had recently made huge profits from the resale of wine. And he was known as the keeper of the Sanctuary which produces these wine. Someone that even influential persons such as Margrave Volton, the Prime Minister, and even His Majesty acknowledge. My father had said that the current prosperity in Valkyra Kingdom was owed to Iruma-sama. Iruma-sama is said to be in need of personnel capable of processing an ever increasing amount of documents. This was where wee in. During the interview with us, I felt no motivation, and I must have appeared lethargic. He must not want to buy me in a state like this. It was then. Women exuding immense presence suddenly appeared in the room. Mm, theres no issues. Well then, were in the middle of bowling so well be going now. See ya~ Jeez, dont call us out of the blue. bye. And upon saying that, they vanished from this ce. Those people must be the Great Spirits, Even I, who sat unenergetically in my seat, was wide eyed in surprise. After that, the butler who called himself Sebastian and the head amid named Maribelle said something. So then, I think they confirmed if Gina-san and Ana-san were okay with being purchased. Lastly, Iruma-sama looked me in the eye and said, Andstly, Charlotte-san, Ive already decided to buy you. No matter what your opinion is. Indeed, I am a criminal ve. Even if I am sent to the mines, or made into a sex ve, I have no right to refuse. The three of us were then purchased by Iruma-sam, and we headed to his Volton mansion in a carriage. Iruma-samas residence was a series of surprises. The gates were guarded by golems. Then in the basement, there was a Teleport Gate, which was said to be something that could only be found nonfunctionally in ancient ruins. Iruma-sama registered our magic power into the Gate and made us pass through without any sort of exnations. We ascended the stairs from the Gate room after being teleported, and arge window opposite of us showed a magical scenery. A ce where many nobles and merchants are unable to enter, only select individuals are allowed in. This was the Sanctuary, isnt it? Upon our arrival at the Sanctuary, we were left in the care of Maribelle-san, then Iruma-sama went some ce with Sophia-san. The next day, I was called into Iruma-samas study. When I returned to the Sanctuary, I immediately called Charlotte to my study. Now then, just how much do I talk about? *** Chapter 495: Following up on various things Chapter 495: Following up on various things I called Charlotte to my study. How much of my exchange with Lord Simon should I talk about? After all, theres also happiness in not knowing. Well then, first of all, you are released from your very contract, Charlotte-san. u-um, I am a criminal ve, as such, release is impossible. Perhaps I jumped the gun. That would be the normal response, I suppose. Yes. Actually, I went to the Royal Capital to the Prime Minister, Lord Simon.. There, it was decided that the the revocation of Baron Volds title would be rescinded, the documents of your criminal very would be erased, and that fact that you had fallen into very will no longer exist. However, Im sorry, but the territory of the Vold Barony cant be returned because there is currently no heir to it. On the other hand, the Baron will receive a new mansion in the Royal Capital. For the meantime, I think your mother, who is recovering in her parents house, should be the acting head as an honorary baroness. Eh, As I thought, I did it too fast. Maybe because it was too fast, she wasnt able to understand it all. Charlotte-san was stunned, and her mouth hung open. Ahh, until the heat dies down, Charlotte-san, you cant go to the mansion prepared for you in the Royal Capital. Thats why, youll have to stay in this mansion for a while. I, I seeee Charlotte, who couldnt keep up with the surge of information, seemed like she could only manage a half hearted reply. I heard from Lord Simon that there many of those nobles who were aiming to buy Charlotte-san had she been sold to a verypany abroad, Obviously, I cant imagine they would force another false charge on Charlotte-san after she had been reinstated as the Barons daughter, but I cant trust that the heads of the families of the Noblists faction wouldnt hatch another n. Lord Simon said that he will tighter hold on the Noblists and improve the air a bit more so you will be able to live in your mansion in the Royal Capital, but he also thought it would be a good idea for you to rest your mind and body here. U, um, c-can I really be freed even though I am really a criminal ve? The document proving that you had be a ve, as well as the receipt for when I bought in the Moulin very Company are all gone now. Oh whoops, I should probably release you first. Hol-! Please hold on! When I said that thinking that she would trust me more if I release her, Charlotte stopped me in a panic. Hm? Whats wrong? If you release me right now, you will be at a disadvantage, would you not, Iruma-sama? Ahh, thats fine. Did I not mention it? I got the money I spent at Moulin-sans back from Lord Simon. You dont have to worry about it. Hmm? I thought she would happy that the fact that she had be a ve was no longer an issue, but it seems I was a bit off. Takumi-sama, wouldnt Charlotte-san feel guilty towards Gina and Ana if she was the only one who was freed? Ahh, I can understand a little about how you feel, but if Gina and Ana work earnestly here, I think they will be released in around three years. Thats how much I n to pay them. Hes right, Charlotte-san. In the first ce, the reason why Gina and Ana became ves is different. Having heard that much, Charlotte was finally convinced and she agreed to my dispel. Dispel! The very mark engraved onto Charlottes white skin had disappeared, and now, there was no proof that Charlotte was a criminal ve. Present here now was Baron Volds daughter, Charlotte-san. Okay, now youve returned to being the Lady Charlotte, Baron Volds daughter. U-um, I have a favor to ask of you, Iruma-sama. Hm? What is it? Since I will be in your care for a while, may I work alongside Gina-san and Ana-san? Eh!? Is that okay? I was surprised by Charlottes request, but Id be grateful for it. After all, the mountain of documents increases day by day. Obviously, the more help we have , the better it is. Yes. I believe I can be of even a little bit of assistance. Thank you. Of course youll be properlypensated. We ended our conversation and were about to split up, Charlotte seemed like she had another thing to say. Huh, is there something else? U-um, if it was possible, I was hoping to give Mother peace of mind Oh, ohh! I forgot. Youre right, your mother would also be worried, wouldnt she? If I remember correctly, she went back home to recuperate at her parents home. Lord Simon did say that he would withdraw the downfall of the House Vold, and would reinstate Charlottes mother as an honorary baroness until the next head could be decided, didnt he? Takumi-sama, in that case, why dont you invite her into the Sanctuary? If theyre here together with us, we can have them stay in a room in the lodging facilities. Right. Lets do that. Is that alright with you too, Charlotte-san? Thank you very much. Charlotte bowed deeply. You cant do that, Charlotte-san. You are the Barons daughter, after all. I am amoner. That is irrelevant. I want to show my gratitude. In any case, raise your head. Lets go meet your mother immediately. I dont know if she woulde with us to the Sanctuary immediately, but she would be relieved to see your face, Charlotte-san. Yes! Alrighty, thats one issue settled. *** Footnotes: Chapter 496: Reuniting Mother and Daughter Chapter 496: Reuniting Mother and Daughter Baroness Vold, Charlotte-sans mother who was now the honorary Baroness, was the third daughter of Viscount Packards house. The name of Charlottes mother was Elizabeth von Vold. She was apparently only slightly over 30 years old. Its apparently a normal age to marry for a noble daughter, but my personal feelings about it is that she was a bit young to have a big daughter like Charlotte. Actually, Id be surprised by her youth even if we meet. Themoners of this world do not marry young. I suppose it was distinctive of nobles. The sons and daughters of nobles often get engaged in early in their life, and Charlotte-sans mother Elizabeth-san was also betrothed before she had turned ten. Her husband, a baron, seemed like a nice and gentle person, timid, not physically built, and he was a natural-borne civil servant. Her father, who was innately good, had probably never even suspected that there was someone among his subordinates wasmitting a crime. He wasnt mentally strong, so when he was used of a crime and was deprived of his rank and lost his territory, he copsed from the shock and died then and there. Elizabeth-san, who lost her home, lost her husband, and had her daughter taken away from her as a criminal, had also copsed from the shock, but perhaps because women were mentally and physically stronger, Elizabeth-san returned to her parents home and slowly regained her physical strength, thinking of ways of how to prove her husband and daughters innocence. Charlotte! Mother! And right before me, Elizabeth-san and Charlotte-san embraced each other as they cried tears of joy. Depending on how you see it, they looked like sisters. The territory of Viscount Packard was located a short distance south of the Rockford Earldom, and upon making contact by way of Lord Simon, we visited with Charlotte. Sophia and I watched the mother and daughters touching reunion a slight distance away when a well-dressed middle aged man spoke to us. You are Iruma-dono, are you not? I am Packard, conferred the title of Viscount and governor of this fief. I thank you for your help with the matters regarding my granddaughter, and the matter of the Vold Barony. Its an honor to meet you. My name is Takumi Iruma. The matter today wasnt solely by my doing. His Majesty, Prime Minister Simon, and Moulin-san also helped. You are far too humble. This is simply the gratitude of a grandfather for his cute granddaughter. Could you find it in you to ept? Understood. Viscount Packard must know that the Valkyra Kingdom was moving behind the scenes. Thinking about it, of course he would. Viscount Packard was simrly a Royalist, and an inw to Baron Vold. He must have thoroughly investigated the circumstances behind the entrapment of his son inw, and the true reason why his title was revoked and why he lost his territory. They even targeted his cute granddaughter. It would be strange if he didnt look into it. Iruma-dono, this is between you and me. Right now, the rtionship between the Royalists and Noblists is quite delicate. Though it isnt an explosive situation quite yet, there are many who would sabotage the other, just like this. This time, His Majesty and Lord Portfort had fallen behind those people who do as they please, but they have not given up yet. Thats why, Iruma-dono, could you also safeguard Elizabeth for the time being? Viscount Packard spoke in a hushed voiced, wanting me to protect Elizabeth under absolute secrecy for a while. As an Honorary Baroness, it is not necessary for Elizabeth to stay in her mansion in the Capital because she has no official posting. if I am not mistaken, the culprit behind the dilution of wine in the Vold Barony has yet to be caught. His Majesty and Lord Simon had decided that nothing happened on paper, but for cautions sake, it would be better to be mindful of Madam Elizabeths safety. It was announced that Baron Vold had died from an illness, and because Baron Vold has no heir, Madam Elizabeth was made to be the sessor. That way, the number of Royalist nobles would not decrease, and as for the people who schemed behind the scenes, Lord Simon made the Shadows investigate them, so the Noblists would decrease by one or two. I dont think it would happen, but Madam Elizabeth might be resented in return. Very well, Viscount Packard. I will take custody of Lady Charlotte and Madam Elizabeth in the Sanctuary for the time being. Ohh! I appreciate that, Iruma-dono! Viscount Packard shook my hand with both of his in delight. He must not be able to help it, since his daughter and granddaughter were cute. I may as well invite Viscount Packard to the Sanctuary lodging. There, he could rx with Madam Elizabeth and Lady Charlotte. *** Chapter 497: Mother and Daughter go to the Sanctuary Chapter 497: Mother and Daughter go to the Sanctuary Right now, an elegant woman, who didnt look like someone in their thirties in my eyes, was hyped up. Charlotte, this is amazing! So this is where you work, right!? Im jealous! Mom wants to live here too! Mother, please calm down! Everyone is watching. Its embarrassing so please stop! And Lady Charlotte was beet red from embarrassment as she asked her mother to stop. After reuniting Madam Charlotte and Lady Charlotte in the territory of Viscount Packard, I couldnt bring myself to separate them again just yet, so I invited them to stay in the Sanctuary lodge. I also invited Viscount Packard, and in the lobby of the first floor where they check in, Madam Elizabeths excitement was through the roof. The array of ornaments and sculptures made by dwarven craftsmen, as well as furniture furniture created by Elven craftsmen in the building was all too appealing to Madam Elizabeth. Now now, Elizabeth[1], calm yourself. You are an honorary baroness. You must conduct yourself in a manner befitting your station. Jeez! Father, youre so uptight. Your heartbroken daughter is happy, so you should watch with warm eyes. Haa~ is this because Baron Vold spoiled you? I thought I had a more graceful daughter Theyll keep moring in the lobby so lets try to usher them to the their room. Okay, okay, Ill show you to your room. Pardon for the inconvenience, Iruma-dono. Iruma-sama, please do. Lady Charlotte, you dont need to add sama to my name. No, I want to be of help to your work for a while, Iruma-sama. As such, we have an employer-employee rtionship, so it is absolutely necessary to keep this distinction. Well said! Charlotte, we must reciprocate the debt of gratitude we have received from Iruma-dono. Yes, Grandfather! Lady Charlotte and Viscount Packard seemed to have decided on something, regardless of my intentions. Well, I did choose three people because I wanted people to help me with clerical work, so Im d shes going to help, but is that okay? Shes the barons daughter. Theres not many people staying at the lodge right now, but I still dont want the lobby to be too noisy, so I showed Viscount Packard and Madam Elizabeth to their rooms. There were two suites for Viscount Packard and Madam Elizabeths use. They are father and daughter so they could stay in the same room, but theyre both the Viscount and the Baroness, so they are separate noble families so this should be satisfactory. To let Viscount Packard and Madam Elizabeth rest peacefully in their rooms, I returned to the mansion with Charlotte. Wee back, Master, Sophia-sama. Im home. I have returned. Jeeves and the maids greeted us when we returned, and when we went to the living room, it was rare that no one was there. Maria-san and Akane-san have secluded themselves in the workshop to make designs and sew samples to be given to the Papeck Company. And Laeva? Laeva-san is preupied with bowling-rted products. I-I see. I should helpter. After hearing about why no one was here from Mabel, I had a sip of tea and took a breather. Fuu, and Marnie? She and Kaede-chan are showing Gina-san, and Ana-san around the Sanctuary. Then once Gina and Anae back, could you tell them toe to my study? Understood. When Mabel withdrew, I tried talking to Lady Charlotte about the arrangements for the future. So Lady Charlotte, will you be living here? Or will you live in a room at the lodge for a while? May I say something before this? I asked Lady Charlotte where she would like to stay in the Sanctuary, but Lady Charlotte asked something with a serious expression. I nodded reflexively. Just as you call Gina-san and Ana-san, please stop using Lady for me. No, Lady Charlotte, you have returned to being the Barons daughter, so I cant address you without it. I may be the Barons daughter, but that was in thanks to your efforts, Iruma-sama. As such, it is no issue for you to speak to a lower ss nobles daughter without any honorifics. No no no, that wont happen. When I looked to Sophia for help, Sophia was also of the same opinion, for some reason. Takumi-sama, you are the keeper of the Sanctuary. You are different frommoners. You are the King of a small nation, so to speak. seriously? Seriously. As such, for the duration that I work here, please speak casually to me. If Lady Charlotte returns to her life as the Barons daughter, she doesnt mind adding san or sama to her name, but she wouldnt like it if she were to be treated differently from Gina and Ana. Okay, Charlotte. This is fine, right? Yes, Iruma-sama. Why do I still have to have sama? You are my employer, so it is only natural. Haa, I give up. Ill exin how documents need to be filed in the study, so lets go? Yes. Certainly. Its very difficult to do so I definitely have to get used to it, huh. Its a tall order for my lower middle ss self to speak without honorifics towards a noble daughter though. *** Footnotes: 1.Typo, it said Charlotte instead of Elizabeth. Chapter 498: The Mountain of Documents Chapter 498: The Mountain of Documents Sophia and I brought Charlotte with us and moved to the study. Ugeh! My voice leaked out reflexively. Before me, the mountain of paperwork increased by 50%pared to before I left. Master, please have these documentspleted by the end of this day. cing the documents he had in hand down, Jeeves spoke and tried to leave the room. W-wait! Jeeves, are you not going to help!? Yes. I have tasks that I must do. My apologies. Jeeves bowed with graceful conduct and walked out of the study. Ah- w- wait, is he really not going to help? Please give up. Jeeves also has a job to do. Fine. Then Charlotte, please sort out the documents. very well. Though she was surprised that the amount of documents was more than she had expected, Charlotte picked up a document near her. A while after Charlotte started sorting through the documents, there was a knock on the door, then Marnie came back with Gina and Ana. We have returned. Oh, how was the Sanctuary? It was an immensely beautiful scenery, and the people living here are all full of smiles! it was amazing. Gina was so excited, and despite her quiet statement, I could tell that even Ana was moved. Ah, Charlotte-san, youvee back. Yes. I look forward to working together with you, Gina, Ana. Yes! please treat me well. Seeing me wrestle with the papers, Gina and Ana also began to help sort documents. Suddenly, my eyes stopped at one document. Huh, this is Sophia peeked at the document from beside me when she heard. Ahh, this is the patent rting to bowling, isnt it? And there should be order forms for the balls, pins, and magic devices rted to it, Eh!? How do you know this, Sophia? I know that Akane and Laeva made advanced preparations with the Papeck Company. S- since when is that why Laevas confined herself in the workshop? Papeck-san is eager to poprize it all over the continent. Seriously? Its true that the order form for bowling stuff included the amount and price of a huge number of balls, pins, and magic devices. The price had already been decided before I knew it. Well, its not like I know anything about prices, so its fine. For the time being, could you divide these by order forms, receipts, and request forms? I know what order forms and receipts are, but what is a request form? The requests wanting this thing, or if we could make that thing, or whatever else they could ask. We wont respond to all of them, but there are some that do seem interesting. Any ideas that could impress us are very much wee. Money was flowing vigorously. There was a lot of money moving with the purchase of materials, ingredients, foodstuff, and seasonings, but actually, an enormous amount of it was flowing in. Thats why we try to buy as much as we can from Valkyra Kingdom and our other ally nations, but there are going to be problems with such an unbnced trade. Wha!? This, is an enormous amount of money! Which, which? ah, that. Actually, His Majesty found out through Margrave Volton that we still had some stock of Soma. So it was inevitable that I sold a few to Valkyra Kingdom. And we sold two vials each to Yggurle Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom. Gina was wide-eyed in surprise when she saw the receipt for the sales of Soma. When Sophia and I gave a light exnation, even Ana and Charlotte were dumbfounded. Ah, its because the sale of Soma is not subject to tax. Eh, is that so? Yup, its the same for the Sanctuary wine, but that doesnt apply to items produced and sold in the Sanctuary. Theres no such thing as tariffs. I see. I dont use the Volton workshop much these days, so I make things in the Sanctuary, though there many of them that were subject to taxation based on sales to be paid to Valkyra Kingdom . However, the revenue rting to patents are subject to tax that I pay to Valkyra Kingdom. It was troublesome because it changes based on the item. It seems my new assistants finally grasped why I hired them. Still, calcting this would be plenty of work. Im d we have an abundance of paper, but this amount and the money the amount of money is far too different in magnitude from my parents business. Gina and Charlottes expressions stiffened. Anas cool countenance also crumbled. Calcte oh yeah. Its hard to calcte, huh. Is something the matter? Seeing me brood, Sophia asked out of concern. Youre right. Calctions are hard, so we should make it faster. Knowing that I went into creator mode, Sophia understood and went back into escort mode. If math is hard, then I just have to make a device that would make it easier. I immediately called out to everyone and went to the workshop. Lets make something to relieve the stress of paperwork, shall we? *** Chapter 499: About Calculations Chapter 499: About Calctions I abandoned the mountain of documents and headed to the workshop, and there Laeva was making bowling-rted items. Eh? Is something the matter? Yup, I was thinking of making something that would make it more convenient to make calctions. Calctions? Laevas hands stopped as she asked in curiosity. Yup, we have a lot of moneying in and out, and those amounts are huge. Moreover, calctions are troublesome because taxesplicate it. Certainly, such calctions would be an enormous undertaking. Until now, I had been doing mental math when I did the calctions, but the people of this world were bad at mental math. Well, I suppose thatd be normal. I had been learning it since I was a child in my previous life thanks to the soroban[1]. Even when I calcte these days, I still imagine flicking the beads on the soroban(Japanese abacus) in my head. As could probably already tell, what I wanted to make was an soroban. I had thought about making a calctor-type magic device, but an soroban was more than enough. If they get used to the soroban, it might be possible for everyone to learn mental math. As I processing the wood to be used as the material, Laeva began observing with great curiosity. Is that a tool for calctions? Thats right. Its called a soroban. A soroban? Why is it a soroban? now that you mention it, I didnt think that much about it. Sorry Laeva, I dont know the origin of its name. I chose a hardwood to be manufactured into the beads, but making them all into the same size was a difficult process when done manually, so I will just transmute it all in one go using alchemy. Transmute! ?? They have holes. Come on, just watch. I transmuted poles that would go through the wooden frame and beads. Actually, if i have the materials, Im able to make it in one go using alchemy, but rather than saying on magic power, its easier if I make one from scratch to helps solidify the image. Transmute! oop, its done? Finally, I tried flicking around the beads in thepleted soroban. Ohh! So thats how you use it! Should I teach you how to use it, or would you like to try? By all means, please teach me! The beads on top represent five, and the bottom four beads represented one, So if its six, one of the upper beads goes down, and one of the lower beads goes up like this, and that makes six. To add seven to this, two of the bottom beads goes up, the top bead goes back, one bead for the tens goes up, aaaaaand now its thirteen. Ohh!! When I showed her what was actually simple addition, Laeva stood up excitedly. Thats amazing! Its a simple contraption, and yet it has made calctions so easy! Well, it needs practice though. I will make several, and if I dont return soon, I have to return soon, theres a pile of papers waiting for me. Theyll get mad at me if I dont go back soon. Transmute! I was about to return to the library after transmuting five sorobans when Laeva suddenly stopped me. Wait, Takumi-sama! That soroban is a device that would be highly sought after bypanies! Please sell it! Ehh~ Sell it~~? Why dont you want to!? Give me a break already. The bowling stuff just started, and now another new thing it would increase the amount of paperwork. No matter how I think about it, this will have a patent. Thats so much trouble. Please give up. Making things is your job, Takumi-sama. You cant escape from this. Urk, youre right about that, but haa, it cant be helped. Ill make a sample for Papeck-san. Thats is satisfactory. Laeva nodded in satisfaction and returned to working on the bowling pins. When I returned to the study carrying the sorobans, Gina and Charlotte looked a bit reproachful. No, I wasnt just skipping out on work. Try using these. ? What is this? Its a device you use when youre calcting. Its called a soroban. A soroban? how is it used? Well, watch. Exining it just as I had with Laeva, I taught them how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide, and I could tell from their wide-eyed expressions that they were surprised. What a useful device! This is magnificent. This is a first seeing such a device, even for me. this is convenient. Though we will need to practice a bit. Takumi-sama, may I please borrow one? Yeah, of course. Gina was excited, while Charlotte was surprised in a modest manner befitting of a Nobles daughter, and Ana mentioned practicing on the soroban immediately, so I handed one to each. It was when everyone began practicing that I realized. Huh, this doesnt this mean that I have to settle all the documents by myself? Crap. Ill have to deal with so many documents, so Im d I made the soroban. *** Footnotes: 1. The soroban is the Japanese version of an abacus. As there are several types of abacus, Ill stick with the Japanese name. Chapter 500: As Expected, A Great Demand Chapter 500: As Expected, A Great Demand Perhaps because Charlotte and the other two were excellent, they quickly mastered the soroban. The study was filled with the cking of beads. The girls desks were ced either side of my desk, so the documents to be processed were divided into sales that need calctions, and documents that need to be sorted. During this, Sophia sat on the sofa in the center of the room, drinking tea. As to be expected, it wasnt necessary for her to stand guard behind me while Im working, after all. Actually, there was no need for a guard inside the Sanctuary, but Sophia doesnt want to do anything but guard me. Im d that calctions are much easier now, but this amount of money makes me withdraw. You are right. I was in charge of the management of the Vold Barony, as such, I constantly see the taxation earnings in the fief, as well as the profits from thepany our house, though it is literally several magnitudes higher. Gina and Charlotte were astonished by the sheer enormity of the cash flow. Ana was cool and quiet though. There were several unexpected asions where Sebastian came from the Volton mansion to top up the documents, but by the time we had managed to finish sorting and processing the documents, Akane and Maria casually walked into the study. Youre working hard. You girls are great too. Thank you for your hard work, Takumi-sama. Ahh, its you, Maria, Akane. Are you done talking to Papeck-san? No, were not done yet. Akane handed me a bundle of papers. That, is our contract rting to design fee from the sale of clothes with our design. Review it for us. If there are no problems, well sign the contract. Ah, I see I skimmed through the pages and returned it to Akane. I think theres no issues. Is that so? Then well sign it. Ahh, oh yeah. Takumi, Papeck-san said he wanted to meet you regarding bowling. Uhhuh, gotcha. Ill pick a time to go to Volton. You dont need to do that. Eh? Papeck-san said that he would like to personally experience bowling, so helle to the Sanctuary soon. okay. When my shoulders drooped as I responded, Maria saw the sorobon that was on my desk. Eh? What device is this? Oh my, how nostalgic. Isnt this a sorobon? I also learned it during primary school. Then Akane grazed her hand on the soroban, and as I listened to her speak nostalgically, I had a bad feeling. Y-yeah, right? I also learned to use it when I was in primary school. This is perfect. You can use it to make the most detailed calctions without errors. Ah! Without listening to my reply, Akane grabbed the soroban on my desk and was leaving the study. See ya. Ill give it back soon so lemme borrow it. Lets go, Maria. Akane-san, please teach me how to use that too. Leave it to me. Its easy so youll get the hang of it soon. W-wai, waaaait!! I spoke out futilely, Akane and Maria already left the study. .merchants would pounce on it, would they not? yes. You can tell how handy it is at a nce, after all. thats just great, Takumi-sama. Now it seems we have even more work. As I stood there, dumbfounded and with my arms outstretched, Charlotte and Gina spoke about what would happen, and I slumped down in defeat with Anas extra shot in. Sophia spoke gently to me in such a state. Now, now, Takumi-sama, how about you drink some tea and calm down? Sophia Its the same as usual. It is vital that you get over it. Sophia It was different from kind words. Afterwards, Akane and Maria, who came back upon finishing their discussion about clothing designs, asked for the delivery of several sorobans and talked about patents. About bowling, they want to sell the magic devices for the time being. Laeva is already doing her best at that. As for the soroban, constructing it is simple enough so even the Papeck Company can produce it, but they want a certain amount prepared right away. so wheres my soroban? I gave it to them as a sample. It seems we will have to add on various things to the patent fee. Ha, haha, is that so Was it inevitable for something made for office work would increase office work? *** TLN: Thank you for reading 500 chapters with me! I appreciate you all. Chapter 501: Stress Relief With Sports Chapter 501: Stress Relief With Sports My, as expected, Takumi-sama. Its not a magic device, and yet to have invented such a magnificent tool like this makes you wonder just how no one had ever thought of such a simple tool like this. Ha- haha, who knows Im just reproducing an ordinary soroban, so Papeck-sans excessively high evaluation hurt my chest. I didnt think much on this when I made the water pump for the wells, but that might have been because I was desperate to survive in this world at the time. I apologize for having to ask this, but until we are able to start up a workshop, Iruma-dono, I would like to to order a lump sum, even five hundred no, one thousand pieces. haa. Papeck-san visited the Sanctuary so he could talk to Maria and Akane about their progress with their clothing designs, as well as regarding the bowling-rted contracts. Though he was staying in an amodation directly outside of the Sanctuary gates, we were talking about work in the mansion. And my bad feeling was correct. the soroban quickly spread to the not only Valkyra Kingdom, but also Lomaria Kingdom and Yggurle Kingdom, so until the Papeck Companyunches their specialized workshop, I got stuck with making arge number of it. Its just transmuting all the gathered materials, so making it all at once was my only saving grace. However, it wasnt just the merchants who want the soroban, and there were apparentlyrge orders from countries too. Well, that was only natural. Officials who are in financial affairs would also want them. I made it for that very reason, after all. Thank you very much, Iruma-sama. Ha, haha, I understand I sighed as I saw off Papeck-san who was heading to his amodation in high spirits. Haa, just when I thought this months paperwork was done and dusted It cant be helped. We are indebted to Papeck-san. Youre right. okay! Lets do our best to make the soroban! Takumi-sama, please do your best. Cheered on by Sophia who came with me to see off Papeck-san, I headed to the workshop to reach my quota for now. As I worked on the soroban, Laeva who was also working seemed to have reached a good stopping point. Hnnnghh! Im done! Good work, Laeva. I greeted Laeva who was stretching her arms. Takumi-sama, you have a little bit more to do, I see. Shall I help you? No, its just a little bit left, so its alright. Is that so? Then Laeva will have a cup of tea. Once Laeva had left the workshop, I pulled myself together and continued transmuting sorobans. It was possible to create one, ten, a thousand, or even two thousand at once, but I had to put the soroban into boxes one by one. Then Id have to stuff them into cardboard boxes, so its very time consuming. I transmute twenty pieces at a time, and these are ced into separately transmuted paper boxes. Finally, fifty pieces are ced into a transmuted cardboard box made for this purpose, and the process is repeated. The cardboard boxes are only made to hold fifty wooden sorobans because some people might not be able to carry it if theres too many since it would be too heavy. Excluding the maids, all our members are high leveled, so having five hundred is more than enough, but that definitely wasnt enough for Papeck-sans people. Hurghh! Im dooooone! Good work. Ah, Sophia, youre here. Please have some tea. Thank you. Having reached the quota that Papeck-san had requested, I stretched my arms up and loosened my body. Just then, Sophia hade bringing tea with her. Hmm, being all cooped up in here in the workshop makes me want to do some sports. But I dont feel like going bowling. Takumi-sama, what is sports? Hmmm~ how should I exin this. I think bowling is also a sport, but I guess its a game where you use your body? When she asked me again what sports was, I couldnt find the right words to exin it. I see, the world you and Akanee from is plentiful. The people of this world are barely living by, and as such, do not have the means to enjoy such sports. There arent many ces where people can live without fearing the menace of monsters and thieves. So sports didnt have a chance to be born. Okay! Lets make a sportsground! A sportsground? Yup, its a ce where you can do all sorts of sports. After all, we have more than enough space in the Sanctuary. Now then, a ser field might be nice. Or maybe baseball? How about a ce for track and field? I was having fun thinking about what type of sports we could have. *** Chapter 502: A soccer field? Chapter 502: A ser field? Having decided to build a sports field, I walked around the Sanctuary to both take a walk as well as to find a potential site. I dont remember how big a ser field is. I can get a sense of how big a baseball field should be though. Yes, Im Japanese so I had been ying baseball since I was a kid, but Ive only had ser in ss. And I also used to watch the J League on tv. I dont know the exact size of a ser field. After much thought, I realized there wasnt a point in doing that. Even in bowling, the length of thene, the size of the pin and balls were all vague. Is this ce okay? Indeed. Its a distance not too far from the residential district, its perfect. Okay, Ill imagine the scale as much as possible then. I casted Earth Attribute Magic to tten the ground to the size of a ser field. Around this size? Its alright if I grow the turf here, right?~ Ill leave it to you, Dryas. Leave it to Onee-chan~ A ser field needs a turf, doesnt it? So, I asked Dryas for a favor. The ser field was immediately covered with turf grass before I could even say ah. Its a bit long so it has to be mowed. Well, thats fine as long as we use awnmower. I gave my thanks to Dryas, then took out a cask of wine from the Item Box and gave it to her. Well then, if you need anything else, you can tell Onee-chan.~ Yup, thanks Dryas. Dryas flicked her hand, and the barrel of wine floated with her as she left. What will you do after this? Ill make awnmower, and then well need a ser ball and goal. When I returned to the mansion with Sophia, I immediately locked myself in the workshop and started working on thewnmower. I had made a simple manual push type previously for the garden, so this time, Im thinking of making awnmower powered by magic stones. It would be difficult to mow the grass in a ser field manually, after all. Now then, time to draw up a blueprint. Are you making something new? Yeah, Im thinking of making awnmower. We already have awnmower. That ones inefficient for vast ranges. Ohh! I see, this seems interesting. Drawing out a blueprint In order to fortify my image when I transmute it is very effective. Laeva, who peeked at that blueprint from my side, was amused and had offered to help. Then could you gather the materials, Laeva? Understood. Laeva went to get the necessary ingots and monster materials from the warehouse. Laeva came back andid out the items she had taken from warehouse out of her Magic Bag. I believe this much will suffice. Thank you. How about me try transmuting it right now? I ced the blueprint next to me, strengthening my image and invoked the transmutation. Transmute! The materials were enveloped with a bright light when the spell started and its form changed. Once the light subsided, thewnmower waspleted in its ce. Ohh! This looks cool. You wanna go for a test run right now? Laeva wants to watch. Ill stow it away then. I ced thewnmower into the Item Box, and together with Sophia and Laeva, we went to the ser field. I brought out thewnmower once we had arrived at the ser field, then I filled it up with magic power using a magic stone and sat on the drivers seat. Lowering the rotor des, Im starting it up. I moved the spinning des down to grass level, grasped the steering wheel and ced it into forward gear, stepped on the elerator, and thewnmower started to move slowly. Ohh! The turf has been sheared cleanly! How fascinating! Laeva wants to have a ride as well! Okay, okay. Hold up. Rushed by an excited Laeva, she took over driving thewnmower. Yahoooooo! Shes way too excited. Laeva drove it until she was satisfied, Sophia sheepishly asked if she could have a turn, so I let her operate it, then I used Wind Magic to control the wind and gather the cut grass. Now that the grass around the field was tidied up, I drew up the lines using a dye. Once I ce the goal here, its done. So then, what do we do with this? Ah, I havent made the ball yet. Lets return to the workshop. Wevepleted the ser field, but not the ball. I suppose it would be best to make a lot of them. *** Chapter 503: Superhuman Soccer Chapter 503: Superhuman Ser After making around 10 balls made out of monster leather, I gathered the kids living in the Sanctuary the Cat Sith sisters Miri and L, Catkin siblings Wappa and Sara included, and exined the rules of Ser, then I tried to teach them the basics of the game, from a simple trap to an inside kick. I watched the heartwarming scene of the children then a thought popped in my head. They were skilled. Just very skilled. The children of the Sanctuary were, trained slightly, just ever so slightly. There was practically no danger in the Sanctuary, but there was a chance that the children might leave the Sanctuary in the future, so they had to go through some power leveling. It was a safe and easy job to do, they were given ranged weapons and there was no danger because the monsters had been bound by Kaede, but Sara! Pass! Im doing it, Oniichan! L! Over here nya! Okay! Leave it to me nya! Although their technique was crude, but was it because they were Beastkins and Cat Siths? No, the Human sisters Colette and Shirona, and the Elven sisters Mnie and Malorie were also amazing. everyones so amazing. Arent they all just insanely fast? The overprotective Maria and Kaede did their best to level them, after all. This even adults are raring to have a go at this huh. Yes. Theyre starting to practice passing and trapping. The adults who had been watching the childrens games had also begun practicing traps, passes, and dribbling. Their expressions were earnest. Even the mermaids are here. Ever since they started living the Sanctuary, they started staying onnd more, so they wouldnt simply lose to Humans and Beastkin. Originally, many of the monsters that live in the sea wererge and powerful, but thanks to the Combat Ship Oceanus, they exterminated any monster they encountered using the weapons of the Oceanus during their voyages. It seemed that in doing so, they gained experience in archery, so the women who took turns in shooting had raised their levels enough to be able to easily repel thieves. Of course, their levels werent equal. Even the Cat Siths Miri and Ls parents Mappo-san and Poporo-san, the Elven sisters Mnie and Malories mother Melty-san, and the Dwarves Doganbo-san and Gn-san began to practice. Of course, everyone had already power leveled. Their movements were ridiculous. Ah, Maria, Marnie. Akane, Lulu-chan, and even Laeva are also joining in. In a separate ce from the childrens games, away from the ser field, even our members were having a go at it. This was where I realized that there was something I had left out of my calctions. When I first met Akane in this world, I had the impression that she was the ss president or student council president, but apparently not. She taught the adults around her how to defend and how to kick. They started ying 1 on 1, making a show of her brilliant techniques, from dribbling to feints to skillfully getting past the defense. were you in the ser club? Amazing. Im surprised by the benefit of my own strength! I didnt get an answer, but her traps and ball touches clearly set her apart from everyone else. However, the adults rapid absorption rate of Akanes skills was just as terrifying. After the childrens game was over, and while they were taking a break and drinking water, the adults game began. Huh? Even Sophia? Sophia, who was always standing just behind me and guarding me, was also on the field. Well, theres no need for an escort in the Sanctuary. Daddy! Do your best nya! Mommy! Shoooot it in nya! Mom, go for it! Miri and L were loudly cheering Mappo-san and Poporo-san. As if responding to Mnie and Malories cheering, Melty-san moved with panther-like agility at the pitch with her stylish Elven figure. Among them, Akane stood out in techniques, while Sophia and Maria shined in terms of physical abilities. Of course, Laeva and Lulu-chans movements were also ridiculous. In conclusion, the people of this world who have high physical capabilities ying in a sport like this is like watching a special effects movie. After thinking about it a little bit more, Im d I made the sports oval. This should have been my stress relief though. *** Chapter 504: Games Room Chapter 504: Games Room Joining in on the games, I also had more fun than I had imagined. Its fun because the Body Control and Insight that were for fighting was helpful in a nice way. A ser boom had arrived in the Sanctuary, where a bowling boom was already happening. Although the bowling alley added morenes, considering the number of residents in the Sanctuary, of course it was too few, so there was always a one to two hour wait at any given time. Then with thepletion of the ser field, the residents who watched the childrens match and the matches afterwards with Akane and Maria must have formed ser teams. And so, several ser teams were formed in the Sanctuary. A team mainlyposed of the Mermaids. A team consisting of Beastkin and Cat Siths. A team founded around the Elves. A team of humans. These four teams were formed. Then Akane and Maria were treated as helpers for each team. Apparently, if they were on the same team, that team was guaranteed victory. You wouldnt immediately be skilled at ser with just physical capabilties, but it was, inevitably, an overwhelming advantage. In the end, ser did not be my stress reliever. As the one with the highest status among our people, I was excluded. Moreover, I got a request from the residents to improve the ser fields. They wanted stands to be able to watch the matches. From a grass ser field, an impressive grandstand worthy of hosting the J League was created. Before I had realized it, it had turned into a full fledged stadiumplete with toilets, locker rooms, and even shower rooms. Several days after the ser stadium waspleted, I was drinking tea in my living room as I contemted over things. Since ser is like this, baseball will be the same, huh. I am not aware of what baseball is, but it would be difficult with matches that are heavily influenced by physical abilities. Right. Rather than a team match, it would only be possible in individual sports like bowling. Sophia, who didnt know baseball, was also of the same opinion. Even Akane agreed, saying that team sports would only be possible for normal people. In team sports like ser and baseball, if there was too much of a disparity between the yers strengths, the game bnce would be disrupted. I understand that bowling was a sport that doesnt rely too heavily on someones physical capabilities. Well, Lulu and I enjoy being helpers every once in a while, so its not a problem. At present, when high level yers participate in ser, both sides of the team need to have the same number of them on each team. Then I can also join in, right? Ah, in the case for you and Sophia, wouldnt that be impossible? After all, just the other day, you two were moving like they do in mangas without batting an eye, werent you? So obviously, it would be unreasonable even if you say youd be a helper. y-you have a point. It seems we had overdone it in the game just recently. Sure, its clear cut if you look at it objectively. And even if the residents of the Sanctuary think so, its troublesome since they cant tell me without restraint. Even I am aware that the residents are unable to speak me, the Keeper of the Sanctuary, without restraint. But hey, havent you achieved your original goal? Original goal ahh, yeah. In a world where there was very few forms of entertainment, I made a bowling alley to be enjoyed by the residents of the Sanctuary. However, it was so popr that the waiting time was too long, which was why I thought of ying ser. Then we have to think of something that we would enjoy after that. well, thats fine, but you actually just like to think and make things, dont you? Obviously. You might have forgotten, but Im an artisan. Ahh, yup, I lose the definition of what an artisan is when I look at you. I thought what Akane was saying seemed reasonable, but I just glossed over it and thought about what we could enjoy. What about table tennis? If we yed without teammates, it doesnt seem like it would be an issue. In Darts, people who have high throwing skills would have a huge advantage, and its useless because everyone of us, aside from the servants, have it. How about we just extend the mansion to have a spacious games room for the time being? well, thats fine, I guess. We have a lot of space. Indeed. I believe that is a great idea, the maids would also be able to use it as a break from work on their day off. Youre right. Ill start on it soon. Our maids and butlers have scheduled days off. Here, if it wasnt set beforehand then no one would take the day off, after all. I transmuted a games room in between my mansion and the maids. At that time, the ground had been ttened carefully using Earth Magic. One of the games I was thinking of needed a level room, after all. *** Chapter 505: Various Games Chapter 505: Various Games The transmutation of the Games Room finished in an instant. ttening the ground was actually more time consuming. With the games roompleted, I made the things I had in mind at the workshop. It was a billiards table. I was a middle-aged man in my old life, so while it was a popr game yed by the generation older than me, I still yed it a few times. I had also seen the movie Hustler. That said, all I know is nine ball, eight ball, and rotation. But those should be enough to y during my free time. After taking out wood and cloth from my Item Box, I imagined a table with six pockets lined with green felt, and the billiards table waspleted. I transmuted materials into the balls and the cue stick, and painted the numbers onto the balls. Ah, riiight riiiight, we also need the frame to line up the balls. I nearly forgot about the frame to line up the balls neatly. Oh yeah, I remember the pointed end of the cue stick was leather. I think they rubbed some kind of chalk on it too. I created several cue sticks by changing its materials. There were ridiculously expensive cue stick brands like the Bbushka, and while this doesnte close to that, Its still pretty good to y with. Now that Im done with billiards, lets move on to the next game. I didnt really feel like building a lot more billiards tables, so I thought I should make a few types of games instead. Theres still a lot of free space in the games room, so I decided to make a table tennis table. A table tennis table is simple so transmuting it only took an instant, but Im then confronted by the issue of creating the ping pong balls for it. Ohh! What are you making this time? Hm? Ahh, its you, Laeva. As I was deep in thought with my arms folded, Laeva came into the workshop.. This table feels quite cheap. Yeah, this is a table tennis table. A table tennis table? There was no way she could understand what a table tennis table is when table tennis itself didnt exist in this world, so I thoroughly exined it to Laeva. I see. Is that building a games room? Then is it okay if Laeva makes something too? Of course youre wee to. Its more fun when theres a variety to be had, after all. Roger! The ping pong balls were made by transmuting monster bones and had been enchanted it so it wouldnt break from some impact. After that, I struggled with the rubber of the paddles, but I managed to get it looking somewhat like it. I made a lot of rackets and ping pong balls. Laeva was making the darts that I stopped making. However, darts were an atrocious throwing weapon, so I gave her some advice on that. I made a small table and a set of four chairs. The table was square and had been covered in a slippery cloth. Next, I transmuted 136 tiles using monster bones. This time, I made sure to have a solid image of the designs as I transmute. My experience of going into a mahjong parlor was not in vain. I changed the pattern of each dot and line without coloring them in. To think my deviant school life would be useful. I also created the scoring sticks and dices. I didnt make these one by one either, but all at once. Okay, lets add them to the games room? Understood! Once I had stored everything into my Item Box, I headed to the newly constructed games room with Laeva. Takumi-sama, may I use this wall? Okay. Then Ill put the billiards table over here. Maybe Ill line up the cue sticks on this wall. As Laeva and I talked about it, we decided on where to ce each sport so they wouldnt interfere with the other games. Ah, isnt that table tennis!? Ive only ever yed it at the hot springs! Is this for a throwing practice? Is this a rally of balls? As if waiting for Laeva and I to finish setting the games up, Akane, Sophia, and Lulu-chan entered the games room. Ill exin how to y each game for now. Could you call Mabel and the others? Id like for the maids to use them too. After that, Maria, Mabel, and the others had also gathered in the games room, so I started exining how to y billiards first, then table tennis, darts, and finally, mahjong. As to be expected, I couldnt teach mahjong clearly, so I made a rule book. The scoring system was alsoplicated. From that day on, the games room of our mansion always had someone ying itte into the night, even dragging Princess Mimir and her attendants into it. Of course, even the three also have fun in their time outside of work. *** Chapter 506: Provide games and work increases Chapter 506: Provide games and work increases The sound of the cue stick hitting the targeted ball resounded in the spacious games room. In a different spot, you could hear a ping pong ball being rallied at a high tempo. Focusing elsewhere, there were quiet sounds of darts whizzing by. Ron! Ah, I also a hit. Guhaa! Strange. They should have been beginners, but Sophia and Marniepeting to be the top. And for some reason, I waspeting with Jeeves for what is probablyst ce. After I had exined how to y billiards, table tennis, and darts, as well as demonstrate it, Sophia, Marnie, and Jeeves yed mahjong. In the first half, I somehow managed toe out on top, but after that, Sophia and Marnie were terrifying. Was their insight that amazing? It didnt seem like they would pass at anything I throw, but to think a double By the way, Jeeves was aplete newbie. He should probably learn to make a poker face more. Our maids, the butlers, and my new clerks Charlotte Gina and Ana go to the games rom to relieve their stress from work. Even my neighbor, Princess Mimir, her attendants often used it. And there were people who enjoyed it more than us. Thomas! Master! Leave it to me! The person holding a table tennis paddle and firing orders was my acquaintance, the president of the Papeck Company, Papeck-san. The person paired with Papeck-san was the head clerk of the Papeck Company, Thomas-san. The two enjoying a game of doubles in table tennis. Their opponents were Princess Mimir and her attendant. They had purposely changed into an attire that was easy to move in. Princess! Leave it to me! Princess Mimirs smash decided it, and Princess pair scored the point. Papeck-san looked disappointed as he went to pick up the ping pong ball. It was the same for bowling and ser too, but it feels like everyone is getting more fired up than expected, perhaps because there wasnt any sports or y like them in this world. Actually, this world doesnt even have board game-type games. I thought about making various board games while Im at it, but decided against this. Shogi, chess, go shouldnt be poprized wantonly. I heard these kinds of games train strategic thinking. If I do ever make any, I should choose wisely. As I stacked the mahjong tiles, I thought about things to escape my current reality when I heard Papeck-sans voice while he was ying table tennis. Iruma-sama, I would like to request several of these mahjong tiles and table set. Of course, Ill supplement the purchase price with the patent fee. s-sure. I really am a fool. I would have loved it if things calmed down even slightly even if I make something new I had called Papeck-san to the Sanctuary to discuss the bowling rted topics and the soroban with him. And he had noticed the newly built games room. And of course, he witnessed billiards, table tennis, darts, and mahjong. The gazes from Charlotte and the other two at this time were painful. Charlotte proposed hiring more people who can do clerical work. I hurriedly asked Sebastian to find someone trustworthy. I asked for capable personnel through Moulin-san like I had with Charlotte and the others, but that couldnt be resolved immediately, so the three of them had to work hard for the time being. And Papeck-san wasnt someone who would turn a blind eye to the seeds of profit upon seeing it without reason, so he cued the billiard balls and table. We received multiple orders for table tennis paddles, ping pong balls, the darts and its target the dart board, as well as the mahjong tiles and its dedicated table. None of these have magic devices, so the entire manufacturing process would be handled by the workshop that the Papeck Company will establish, and I will receive royalties, just like with the soroban. By the way, he obviously discovered the ser stadium, but he had absolutely no interest in it. After thinking about it, that was a given, there wasnt enough inside the city to build a ser field, and even if there was, it wouldnt be used for that. That said, in a world where the threat of monsters lie outside the cities, it would be difficult to poprize sports like baseball or ser. Ah, Takumi-sama, thats a hit! No way! Umm, thats a mangan, isnt it? Ha, haha, thats also a bust for me (hakoten). This hanchan (half round) is my loss, it seems. How strange. I remember being pretty strong back in my school days, but was that all a dream? *** TLN The mahjong terms could be wrong, I am not really sure about it. Chapter 507: Emilia-chan’s birthday Chapter 507: Emilia-chans birthday I was busy with various games, but today, I came to Rockford Earldom today. When Papeck-san visited the Sanctuary, I received a letter that he was holding onto. The sender was Emilia-chan. Weve met with Earl Rockfords daughter several times, weve also cured Emilia-chan of her sickness, so among the nobles of Valkyra Kingdom, she and Margrave Volton were the closest acquaintances we had. I received a letter from Emilia-chan inviting me to her birthday party. It said that they were holding a party for the nobles, but in consideration of us, they were also holding a more private birthday party in consideration of us. If they say theyre going that far then I suppose we must go. I havent met Emilia-chan since she waspletely cured, and it could be a good way to rx. We teleported to the Rockford territory. We could have taken Tsubakis carriage from Volton, but we couldnt be away from the Sanctuary for a few days. Charlotte and the others would flip out. Iruma-dono, youvee. Long time no see Earl Rockford. Thank you for inviting us today. No need to be so formal. Now then, have a seat. Shown into the mansion, Earl Rockford greeted us. Madam Rose, d to see you too. Rob-sama, its been a while. Emilia-sama, you seem to be doing well. And happy birthday. Thank you for when Emilia was sick. Please enjoy yourself today. Iruma-san, please call me Rod. You dont need to add sama. Iruma-sama, thank you foring here for my sake. Please also just call me Emilia. Then Ill call you Rod-kun, and Emilia-san. Please use chan. Umm, are you okay with Emilia-chan then? Yes! Fufu, Emilia, oh you. You were so excited to meet with Iruma-san. Mother! Jeez! I greeted Madam Rose, then the eldest son Rod-kun, and Emilia-chan. i thought Emilia-chan was still around 10 years old, but perhaps because people mature fast in this world, so it was an age that would it difficult to call her Emilia-chan, but since she had asked me to call her that, I couldnt refuse. This time, our full party namely, Sophia, Maria, Kaede, Marnie, Laeva, Akane, Lulu-chan, and myself, hade. Its a birthday celebration, so all the party members involved in the collection of materials for Soma were invited. The room we were led to was lined with extravagant dishes. It was a buffet style party, and the other invited guests were already there. Iruma-sama, good to see you. It appears the Papeck Company is selling interesting things again. So you were invited to, Margrave Volton. The one who approached and talked to us was Margrave Volton, a close friend of Earl Rockford. It seems they already knew about what Papeck-san was selling, but which one? Ive been busy with all sorts of things in quick session, so I wasnt aware of which one they were pertaining to. Iruma-dono, much obliged for that time. Please take care of Charlotte. Ah, Viscount Packard. Charlotte-san has been of much help to me. In the party held for Emilias birthday the other day, Lord Packard learned that the benefactor of his daughter and grandchild, Iruma-dono, would be attending the private gathering and asked to attend. Viscount Packard, please use the Sanctuary lodge like usual. I think Charlotte-san would be happy too. Umu, I shall pay a visit. Theres also matters with Elizabeth. Actually, Charlottes mother, Madam Elizabeth is still staying in the Sanctuary lodge. From the lodge, she could visit my mansion, go on a stroll around the Sanctuary, she could spend her time freely. Although they said it was a party only for rtives, Earl Rockford was a high ranking noble. A few nobles he was close to, such as Margrave Volton, were also invited. The grand party that was held a few days prior, and the royalists and neutral faction as well as wealthy merchants were invited to it. Put bluntly, the party held today was so we could be invited. The party started calmly, Emilia informed us on the recent situation. Hee, so youll be in the magic academy starting in the spring of next year huh? Yes! Iruma-san, may I ask for some magic coaching? Lets see. We have Sophia and Akane, so with a bit of time, we can give you advice. Really!? Thank you very much! Thats great, Emilia. Iruma-dono and Sophia-dono are a given, but even Akane-dono, Maria-dono, and Laeva-dono are also very proficient with magic. With this, you can have peace of mind with the magic academys entrance exams. The rehabilitation of Emilias body is pretty much over, and she has pretty much recovered to the point that her daily life isnt impeded. Now, in order to utilize the increase in her magic power due to herplete recovery, she was studying magic very hard to enter the Royal Capitals Magic Academy. When we talked about Emilia-chans magic coaching, Rod-kun made a request himself. Then may I ask for coaching as well? Rod-kun youre a knight with Swordy and Shield Technique, arent you? Then you should probably ask Sophia. There are differences between between Valkyra Kingdom and Yggurle Kingdom, but I believe the basics would be alright. By all means, please do! At Earl Rockfords suggestion, we decided to stay the night and coach Emilia-chan and Rod-kun tomorrow. Today, Im going to enjoy traditional dishes from Valkyra Kingdom. Kaede and Lulu-chan were also jumping between tables lined with food. *** Chapter 508: Presents and Coaching Chapter 508: Presents and CoachingBasically, in therge buffet style room, the moring and merrymaking could be heard. On a table, Iid out Emilia-chans present, and she, Rod-kun, Kaede, and Lulu-chan yed happily. Ah! I encountered a poison slime, Ive been poisoned so I must rest for one turn. Lulu encountered a horned rabbit, I will beat it and received 50 silver nya! Ah! You set off a trap, return two spaces. Yay! I discovered a treasure chest in the dungeon, I got 100 gold! They enjoyed ying as they experienced a roller coaster of joy and sorrow was because of the Sugoroku, a dice board game. Among those, I tried to make a game simr to The Game of Life, which I had yed a lot as a kid. I was worried that it might have been a bit of a childish game to give to Emilia-chan, but Im relieved to see that she was happy about it. As I watched Emilia-chan and the others y the dice board game, Earl Rockford talked to me.. Iruma-dono, what an interesting y equipment. Will you also be selling this to the Papeck Company? No, I dont have any ns to do so yet. Ohh, is that so!? Then would you mind selling it to mypany? Eh, yourpany, Earl Rockford? Yes, our house operates a humblepany, though it does not offer anything special. Was this called a Sugoroku? With this, I have no doubt that this would be well received by the children. Huh, is that so? I will set up a workshop to replicate the one Emilia had received. You shall not be inconvenienced at all, Iruma-dono. I would like to us to sign a patent monopoly contract. I couldnt refuse when Earl Rockford said all that. It was only a matter of discussing patents after that. Charlotte and the others would scold me though We stayed over at the Rockford estate, and after breakfast the next morning, we gathered at the courtyard within the grounds to coach Emilia-chan on magic and Rod on shield technique and swordsmanship. Emilia-chan was taught by our partys rear guards Akane and Laeva, and Maria was there forplete support. Rod-kun was taught swordsmanship and shield techniques by Sophia, who was a former knight of Yggurle Kingdom. There was no other knight here who knows about swordsmanship and shield techniques besides Sophia, so they were doing a one on one coaching. Marnie, Kaede, Lulu-chan, and I were having a cup of tea with Madam Rose by a table a slight distance away. Emilia-sama, do you know your magic attributes? Akane-sama, please refer to me as Emilia. Akane-sama, you are my magic teacher and I am your pupil. Then Ill call you Emilia-san. You dont need to use sama for me either. Yes, then I shall refer to you as Akane-san. Laeva doesnt mind if you use Laeva. As I thought about how strange it was for Akane to act like a proper teacher, I had a chat with Madam Rose. Did you inspect what Emilia-chans attributes are? Yes, as soon as we found out that her magic power was above average when she recoveredpletely, we immediately had her examined. That childs attributes are fire and wind. I see, so shes a double. The Fire and Wind are are verypatible as well. Dear, you may have preferred Water and Earth attributes, but Emilia herself is happy about it. W-well, Water an Earth would have been beneficial in the development of the fief. Before, there had been a tendency of praising offensive magic, but that changed recently. In the past, Earth mages were rounded up to build the outer walls of cities and forts, but ever since a mage established roads, built fort walls, and even built a fortress city entirely with Earth magic, mages of the Earth attribute started bing popr. As for Earl Rockford, he must have wanted Emilia-chan to assist with the development of the territory. Even Wind magic can be used to cut stone. But Emilia-chan seems to want to use for attack magic. Thats right. That child has long admired Iruma-san, Sophia-san and the others, so she had said that she wanted to subjugate monsters Ha, haha, well escort her at that time then. Emilia-chan was apparently the aggressive type, despite appearances. Listen well, whats important when using magic is sensing magic power and manipte that magic power at will. Chants are not necessary when you have a proper image in mind. Eh, is that so? The mages of House Rockford thought me that it was necessary to have the exact chant though Its impossible to do long chants in actual battle unless you have plenty of time to spare. And not a single person in our party chants. Thats right. Knowledge on various natural phenomenon is tied to the optimization of magic power, and so you must study it, but spell incantations are inhibit the growth of the Magic Perception and Magic Power Maniption skills. S-so thats how it is. Ill do my best. Akane and Laeva were telling her the truth, but it was different from themon practices of this world. I wonder if thats alright? Well, Emilia-chan was more of an attacker, so its better to not chant her spells. If theres a problem, Maria would say something. *** Chapter 509: Knight Training is strict Chapter 509: Knight Training is strictWhen I moved my gaze from the area where Emilia-chan was having magic practice over to where Rod-kun was, he was blown away. Once I saw Sophia hold the sword in an imposition stance, I figured that one swing from her sword must have sent her flying. It might seem like she was going too far, but the truth is that has to master swordsmanship and taijutsu through experience. I also had to practice the sword with Margrave Voltons knights and taijutsu with Barack-san of the the adventurers guild so I could improve. Rod-kun, Earl Rockfords eldest son was on the defensive battle against Sophia. She must want to teach him how to fight so he wouldnt lose. Rod-kuns equipment was the standard knight-style long sword and therge kite shield. On the other hand, Sophia was using a long sword of a simr grade with a matching round shield that was smaller inparison to Rod-kuns kite shield. Rod-kun, dont take it on with your shield! Deflect it! Y-yes! Rod-kun stood back up and propped his shield in front of him and swung his long sword at Sophia. Sophia did not avoid the swinging sword and instead, parried it with her shield. His form crumbled as his sword was deflected. Sophia attacked with a roundhouse kick and Rod-kun was blown away once again. I waited to see how Earl Rockford and Madam Rose would react as their eldest son was being trained intensely, but the pair just watched over him with smiles on their faces. It seems I was the only one who thought that it was training that was too severe for the son of a noble, even the knights and maids of House Rockford were neither surprised nor taken aback. Rod attends the Knight Academy in the Royal Capital. In the future, he wille back to govern the fief as its lord, but he will simultaneously be the one in charge of our house knight order. He might note out to the front lines personally, but he cant be a lord who is only capable of desk work. Rather, training of this intensity is ideal. I see, even if he doesmand from the rear, it is better for amander to be be able to defend themselves. Rod-kun was being thrown down relentlessly, but Sophia couldnt go any easier on him than this. There was too much of a difference between them in every aspect, she seemed to be having difficulty adjusting her strength. If its just the Swordy skill, then I was also high leveled, but my fighting style was too far off from a knights, so I wasnt a good exaple for Rod-kun. After all, I fight by the sword or spear as well as using the Alchemy magic Dposition and taijutsu, which is far too different from how a knight fights. Rod-sama, when you deflect it, try to break your opponents form. Y-yes! Parrying Sophias sword even as she goes easy on him was still too difficult for the current Rod, but I think that facing this speed and pressure which he cant experience in training at the knight order and the knight academy is valuable. Rod-kuns training ended with unsteady from fatigue. After that, until he was able to catch his breath, Sophia talked about her usual training menu. It seems like even without us here, he cant escape training. In the future, he will be the head of the Earldom, and will govern thesends, so while he doesnt necessarily require that much strength, his diligence towards training deserves admiration. While keeping the aforementioned in mind, please do your best in your training everyday. Todays lesson is over. Haa, haa, haa, t- thank you very much! A maid tended to the exhausted Rod-kun who was sitting on the ground, providing him with water and a towel to wipe his sweat off. Sophia returned without breaking a sweat. Good work, Sophia. Have some tea. Thank you very much. When I took out a chair from my Item Box, and a maid of House Rockford served Sophia some tea. As Sophia took her first sip of tea, Earl Rockford asked about the training. Sophia-dono, how was Rod? lets see. If I may be so frank, it may be difficult for him to be a top-ss knight, however, he could be a full fledged knight. Fumu, Im relieved to hear that. Rod is the next head of the Rockford Earldom, he does not need to be at the 1% of elite knights. It would be much better to be in a position thatmands such knights, after all. Yes, what Rod-sama needs to do is not perish. Yes, as the heir to a noble house, Rod-kun was not permitted to die. Even if the escorting knights died, he had to survive at any cost. Thats why Sophia had focused on shield techniques. By the time Rod-kun had recovered, Emilia-chans side seemed to have finished as well. Afterwards, in a discussion with Earl Rockford, it was decided that until Emilia-chan needs to enroll into the Magic Academy in the Royal Capital, she will do magic training in the Sanctuary. Rod-kuns vacation was almost over so he soon had to return to the Knight Academy. And Madam Rose seemed very pleased. Madam Rose nned to apany Emilia-chan. Earl Rockford was obviously very busy with his lordly duties so he couldnt leave the territory. Iruma-dono, please look after the two of them. Yes, leave it to me. Smiling wryly, Earl Rockford asked me to take care of them. Princess Mimirs mother, the Queen, was also staying next door. And Charlottes mother, Madam Elizabeth, was also staying in the Sanctuary Why are the number of noblewomen increasing in the Sanctuary? *** Chapter 510: Fluffing Miri and Lala Chapter 510: Fluffing Miri and L Emilia-chan and Madam Rose had some preparations to make, so theylle to the Sanctuary after us. What I saw upon returning ahead of them was Madam Elizabeth making herself at home in the mansion living room. Charlottes mother, Madam Elizabeth, is an honorary baroness acting as the head of their noble house. But having lost their territory, they becamendless nobles. Having lost all her managerial duties, I knew she had a lot of free time, but why was she smiling while holding the Cat Siths Miri and L? Looking carefully, I saw my dice board game prototypeid out on the living room table. Were they ying with a game? Fufufu, this fluff is so irresistable. T-this is ticklish nyaa. Oneechan, too tiiight nyaaa. Thats not it, Madam Elizabeth was holding Miri and L captive. I apologize for mother, Takumi-sama. O-ohh, its you, Charlotte. Im home. Coming up from behind and apologizing from behind was Madam Elizabeths own daughter, the head of our three civil officials, Charlotte. Ah1 Takumi-oniichan! Help me nya! Takumi-oniichaaaan! Madam Elizabeth, Miri and L seem to be suffering, Id like you to be more act with moderation. Oh my, Iruma-san, wee home. Ivee to visit. Were home is not it, why are you embracing Miri and L!? I cant believe her body had been bedridden from worry until just recently, shes doing things in her own ce these days. Oh dear me, Iruma-san, if you speak so loudly, youll scare the little kitties. No, Miri and L-chan arent afraid of me. Takumi-oniichaaaaaan! Takumi-oniichan, save us!! Miri and L were iling their short limbs in a desperate struggle against the cheeks that a very blissful Elizabeth was nuzzling them with. Was she a cat l over? But Wappa and Sara arent in sight. Since I think would have gotten nowhere if I asked Madam Elizabeth, I turned to Charlotte for an exnation. Meanwhile, perhaps having lost interest, Akane, Maria, and Laeva left each left the living room. One went to the workshop, one took a bath, and one returned to their room. Yup, Everyones free to do what they like. So, how did this happen? Yes. In truth, I imagined my mother would have would have grown tired of the lodge. As such, I would guide her around the Sanctuary, and take strolls through various ces on my days off, but she saw Miri-chan and L-chan ying at the bowling alley Sure, Cat Siths are rare, so it must have been her first time seeing the, but does Madam Elizabeth like cats? Wappa and the others arent here though. Wappa-kun and Sara-chan had escaped. Ahh, Wappa and Sara were quick, huh. It seems Madam Elizabeth does like cats. Huh? Were there no Catkin in the Royal Capital or the Vold Barony? In our former domain, Mother hardly ever interacted with our people. It is for that reason that I, too, am perplexed by Mothers actions Is that so? She might have been really stressed, but how about we go and rescue Miri and L first. Yes. Charlotte and I pulled L and Miri out from Madam Elizabeths grasp, and she eximed in disappointment Ahhh~! My kitty cats! Its alright if you y the board game and have tea with them, but you arent allowed to embrace them too intensely. Ahhhhhhh, Iruma-san, so mean~ oh right. Kitty cats, would you like toe home with me? Mother! What absurdities are are you saying!? You cant. Miri and L have a mom and a dad. That would be kidnapping. It is true that a Cat Sith looks small inparison to Humans and other races even as adults, and children like Miri and L were even smaller and cuter. In fact, Miri and L were popr with the Sanctuary citizens and very much loved. Very well then. If I live here, that would solve the problem, no? Oh my, what a bright idea. I can meet Charlotte all the time, and I can also meet these cute kitty cats as well. If this is settled, I must request that Father prepare my luggage. Since she couldnt bring Miri and L with her, Madam Elizabeth suddenly said that she would migrate to the Sanctuary. Moreover, seeing how shes entrusting her luggage to Viscount Package, she really intends to settle down in the Sanctuary as she is. Madam Elizabeth, was she always like this? this is the first time I am learning of this as well. But, honorary title or not, is it alright for a noble of Valkyra Kingdom to immigrate? who knows? Haa, this became a hassle. Ill need to confirm this with Lord Simon. *** Chapter 511: Making indoor toys for children Chapter 511: Making indoor toys for children Madam Elizabeth apologized to Miri and L after that, and then they yed the board game. Promising that they wouldnt run, Wappa and Sara were called to the living room and they seemed happy to y. The Human sisters Colette and Shirona, and the Elven sisters Mnie and Malorie were also called, then the coffee table was moved away and everyone sat down on therge rug and yed the board game. Lets just turn a blind eye to the nobledy in a crawling stance ying and having fun with them. Moreover, I believe it would also be better for my mental health if I dont think about Princess Mimir also mixed in with them. Afterwards, I was dragged into the study by Charlotte, and after having gone through the mountain of papers, it was just in time for dinner. It seems the kids were also eating with us in therge dining room today. Wappa and Sara were waiting eagerly for the food toe to the table, asking if it wasing yet? At times like these, you can really tell the difference in the kids personalities. Compared to Wappa and Sara who were holding knives and forks, Colette and Shirona looked happy but were waiting patiently. Mnie and Malorie looked a little nervous, perhaps because Princess Mimir was also here. Even if that wasnt the case, Mnie and Malorie were quiet kids. When the maids brought the food in on a cart, Wappa, Sara, Miri, and L cheered in delight. After they started living in the Sanctuary, Wappa and the other kids no longer starved, were provided a house where cold wind doesnt blow in, warm beds, clean clothing, and they didnt have to worry about their next meal. Nheless, the food served in my mansion was exquisite, and the children couldnt help but be excited for it. Well then, lets eat. Itadakimaaasu!! So goooooood! This is so good, Oneechan. Yeah, I want mother to try this as well. Hearing Mnie say that she wanted Melty-san to eat this too, Malorie looked in Sophias direction, and Sophia nodded and talked to Mnie and Malorie. We also called Melty-san over, I believe she would being soon. Dont worry, we also called Mappo-san and Poporo-san. Thank you nya. Oneechan, thanks nya. Sophia said this to Miri and L, smiling as she looked at the Cat Sith sisters cheeks stained with the sauce. Madam Elizabeth happily wiped their mouths with a napkin. I thought it was endearing, and I suppose she couldnt help but be somewhat drawn to Miri and L. Afterwards, Miri and Ls parents Mappo-san and Poporo-san, and Mnie and Malories mother Melty-san joined us, and we had a boisterous dinner with everyone. Despite the incident where Elizabeth wouldnt let go of her embrace with Miri and L when they were about to go home after the meal, dinner was fun. However, just as they were leaving, Wappa and Colette asked me one thing. Takumi-oniichan, that board game was fun. Give that to each home. Takumi-oniisan, if theres something kids can y in the house when we cant go outside on rainy days or windy day, we wouldnt be bored. Ahhh, days when you cant y outside are boring, arent they? The kids in the Sanctuary each had work to do everyday, though only a little bit. But it was important to me that the children y and study, so their work was kept to a minimum. Thats why you could hear children ying everyday in the Sanctuary. With the construction of the bowling alley, and ser stadium, they had more options to y with, but bowling and ser were more suited to be yed by adults, so it wasnt just for children. The kids y tag and hide-and-seek, but they brought up wanting games that could be yed inside. It seems they had a lot of fun with the board game. Hey, its fine isnt it? We cant alwayse y at your house, now can we, Oniichan? Youve got a point. Ill make the board game and other stuff then send it over. For real!? Yaaay! Thanks oniichan! Thinking about it, I remember I had just as much toys and games that I could y inside as outside when I was a kid. I didnt notice that while I was talking to the kids about making indoor games, Madam Elizabeth had a sparkle in her eyes as she watched us. *** Chapter 512: Immersing myself in work Chapter 512: Immersing myself in work The day after inviting the kids over for dinner, I left Elizabeth to Charlotte, who was staying at my home instead of in the lodging, and I came to the workshop to make the indoor toys the kids asked me to. We decided that Earl Rockfordspany would sell the dice board game, so I chose not to think too much about the rights to it. Moreover, I dont necessarily have to hold myself back with making all sorts of toys and games for the Sanctuary children. Thats what Charlotte and the others are here for. First, lets make the temte Jenga and Reversi in isekai light novels. The rules are simple, and its easy to make. Next, we should consider chess and shogi a bit more carefully. Wars in this world dont seem to use strategies and tactics as done prior to ancient China. When Triaria Kingdom tried invading the Sanctuary with the Divine Empire of Sydnia, their armies and the Trinationsbined army only fought in directbat formations. Still, I did all sorts of thing, like providing support by making golems, making forts and the barrier, but aside from siege weapons, everything else is the same for these countries. There were several reasons to this. Due to the concept of levels, there was no uniformity in the soldiers abilities. It was jumble of knights, soldiers, adventurers, mercenaries, and other people that cant takemand. Whether or not its a good idea to introduce a game that trains strategic thinking in this world needs much consideration. But chess and shogi would be the perfect game to train the kids critical thinking. Would it be okay if it can only be yed in the Sanctuary, I wonder. I was more of a go yer than a shogi one. When I was a kid, I yed with my grandfather on the porch a lot. Good times. Alright, lets get to making things already. The rest can be whatever I want. I took out dark colored wood from my Item Box, kept a very strong image in mind and activated my spell. Fifty four blocks appeared on the workshop table. Without dy, I stacked them into three towers, each one eighteen blocks high, and checked their bnce. Mhmm, that looks good. its also got the Sanctuary engraving too. Okay, lets make 100 sets for the time being. I took out more wood, and transmuted it in one go. I also made a box that each set can be ced in. It took more time to set them one by one. It needs a box to be stored in after being yed, after all. Next is Reversi. Hmm, should I use stone or bone? I took out several material types that could be used. Lets make some to test out. I tried making a piece made out of stone, monster bone, dragon scale, dragon bone, dragon fang, and a regr bone. I had a lot of dragon materials stocked up from hunting in the dungeons the Demon Continent, so I just tried making it for fun. There was no problem with the feel of the stone piece, but seems weak to several heavy impacts. The monster bone feels nice. It was also durable. The dragon scale was very light and strong so it seems fine. Thats a given though. The dragon fang, bone, and even scales werent that light, but that white brilliance felt high ss, and of course, there was no problem with their durability. Hmm, are stones a no go? I could use monster bone to make the pieces for the general public, and dragon bone for the high ss one, I guess? ha! Before I even knew it, I was already thinking about selling it. I even suddenly made 100 sets of Jenga, and I was already thinking about how to mass produce Reversi. Its a ck and white pieces on an 88 grid board, so is this Othello instead of Reversi? I brought out a lot of monster bones from my inventory. I have an enormous stock of monster bone, if I felt like it, I could even make tens of thousand sets. I brought out a ck dye to color half of the pieces using transmutation. 500mon sets made of monster bone, and 100 high ss sets made of dragon bone werepleted. I prepared paper boxes with themon sets and wooden boxes for the high ss sets. I should make a chess set too while Im at it. I didnt intend to make more than a few of them, so I transmuted it using dragon fangs. I conjured image of the King, Queen, Bishops, Knights, Rooks, Pawn. The chess pieces were cool because of their borate shapes. Making sure to have a strong mental picture, I casted Transmute. Ohh! This is nice! I cant help but toot my own horn with how well the craftsmanship turned out. The chessboard storage box was transmuted from wood. I had a heap of dragon fangs, but Ill start out with just 5 sets. This is getting kinda fun. Oh, right. I should make that. Wappa and the others would definitely be happy about that. *** Footnotes: 1. I dont know the difference between othello and reversi, never yed either game. Chapter 513: Did I make too much? Chapter 513: Did I make too much? I temporarily stored therge piles of Jenga and Reversi. Next, I thought about making ying cards. The materials I will use are Treant wood scraps and several kinds of dyes. Its hard keeping a precise mental image of their faces, but I got through it by simplifying it as much as I could. Transmute! The materials broke down and reassembled, materializing into 54 cards which includes two jokers. Okay, no problem with designs. Kings and Queens are epted even in this world, so theres no issue with the design. But only the joker didnt exist in this world, so I tried using a dragon instead. It might have a different connotation, but that shouldnt be a problem. Since there were no defects on the finished product, I transmuted 50 identical sets. I ced each set into individual boxes and stored them into my Item Box. Just like Mahjong, the ying cards require a booklet for how to y. It was then that I ended up wondering if just indoor games were enough. I started making things that would make it possible to y inside when the weather was bad though Well, whatever. The road connecting to every residential block and facility of the Sanctuary was paved, and even the unpaved roads were even and maintained. Moreover, the unpaved roads were strengthened so carriage tracks wouldnt make indents to it. What I am trying to say is, wouldnt it be useful if I made a bike? The Sanctuary has gotten far more vast than when it first started. First up is the material for the all important frame. In my old world, it was made from chromium molybdenum steel, the so called 41xx steel frame that Ivee to know very well, but by the time I transmigrated, I think they were already using carbon fiber frames for some bikepetitions. The other choices were titanium and aluminum alloy, but magic metals exist in this world. With that being the case, there was no reason not to use them. I took out mithril ingots from my item box. Mithril is the iconic magic metal, but by itself, it would only be slightly stronger than iron. However, if its turned into an alloy, it turns into a light and highly durable metal. First, Ill transmute the mithril alloy, and then shape it into a frame. This is so much easier, I dont have to weld since Im using magic. I then made the other parts, like spokes, handle, pedals, gears, chains, and bearings. I had to take special care with the precision craftsmanship of the ball bearings to be used on the hub bearing. If anyone else were to make the bikes, they would need to have mages, so a bike would cost an astronomic amount. And its possible to recreate rubber, but because I wanted it to be much stronger, so I transmuted monster leather into a rubber-like material and turned that into a tubeless tire. I assembled it as I checked over the minute details. I used monster leather for the bike saddle, so it was exceptionally durable. What to do for the breaks Maybe V brakes would be nice. I prepared the materials and transmuted it all in one go, then finished assembling all the parts. I used magic to fine tune it while, and after about 10 minutes of assembling it, a ssic cross bike wasplete. Mm, this looks cool! Ohh! What is that? As I looked at the bike and was praising myself, Laeva came into the workshop and took the chance to greet me. Ah, Laeva? This is called a bike. A bike? So its a vehicle you straddle and sit on that part. But there are only two wheels. Yeah, that part is called a saddle, and you use these paddles to move forward. Its fine that there are only two tires. Ohh! So its a human powered vehicle. But is it safe for there to only be two wheels? Do you want to try riding it? Yes, please! I would like to ride it! I wanted to confirm if there were any defects as well, so I offered to let Laeva go on a test drive on the bike. I carried the bike out of the workshop and tried it out on the path outside the mansion. Ill show you how to ride it. Thank you. I straddled the bike, put a foot on the pedal, ced my hands on the handle, and finally stepped on the pedal. Ohh! Thats amazing! O-oh my, thats rtively fast! I checked the functionality of the gear, effectiveness of the breaks, and the weight of the pedals as I rode around. Then I made my back to Laeva and pressed on the brakes to stop. Yup, everything looks to be in order. Laeva, you try it out. Roger! Should I hold onto the bike from behind like when kids first learn how to ride one? As I was thinking that, though, Laeva managed to ride it like normal. It seems Ive underestimated just how high spec the people in this world are. *** Chapter 514: Increase production ASAP Chapter 514: Increase production ASAP Laeva seemed to like the bike so she had gone around the sanctuary. As I waited for Laeva toe back in front of the mansion, I ended up rubbing my eyes and doing a doubletake. Laeva dashing back on the bike was fine. The problem was that Wappa and the other Sanctuary children were screaming and running after her. Uwaa, I have a really bad feeling about this. The children ran with huge smiles on their faces as they chased after Laeva who seemed to enjoy pedaling on the bike. I could tell their goal without even needing to think about it. Kiki Laeva pulled on the brakes and began praising the bike so highly. Takumi-sama, this is amazing! Its much faster than walking, and its much more pleasant than running! This isnt even a magic device, Im so surprised! Y-yeah, settle down a bit, Laeva. I wanted to return to the workshop first before asking Laeva for a detailed evaluation, but that didnte to pass. Takumi-oniichan! Let me ride that too! Takumi-oniichan! Sara wants to ride too! Takumi-oniichan, Miri always wants to try! L too! L too! The Catkin siblings Wappa and Sara, and the Cat Sith sisters Miri and L tugged on my pants and were jumping around. They were quite excited. I dont think Ill be able to fool them. After that, Colette, Shirona, Mnie, and Malorie also caught up, and I was being pulled on all sides by kids. W-wait a minute! This bike is for adults, so you guys wait until I make a bike in your size! Ehhhhhh!! Make it right now then! Miri and L are even smaller nya! I get it! Ill make sure to create a bunch of sizes! Then I heard pping. p p p Thats enough, young masters and youngdies, please let go of Master or he will not be able toplete it. Master, please make it as soon as possible. Lets wait obediently at home. kay (nya). It was Maribelle who came out of the mansion. Was today that kind of day? Am I saved for now? Takumi-onichan, please hurry. I will wait obediently nya. The children obediently went home at Maribelles persuasion. Feeling relieved as I saw them off, I turned towards Maribelle because I felt she was approaching, and I came face to face with Maribelle smiling very pleasantly. Master, we maids are unable to ride this. We would like to urgent requisition its improvement. Eh? Umm, you guys will use it too, Maribelle? When I asked again because I couldnt understand her the first time, I tilted my head towards her and hte carriage. Naturally. It would be beneficial for the day to day small purchases and errands that wouldnt necessitate the use of a carriage. Rather, this would be a better vehicle for us maids. Ah- yeah, I see It seems I have to make some for the maids too. Maribelle and the maids had permission to use the carriage, but taking the carriage out was mostly just for bigger asions. For errands and shopping, it would definitely be more convenient if they had a bike. My original reason for making the bike was also because I thought it would be more convenient to have one, after all. I-I get it. Then two for Volton and two for this mansion please. Eh? As soon as Maribelle said that, she bowed politely like always and returned to the mansion. Two for Volton- theyll use it in Volton?? That means Please just give up. Laeva will also help. we cant get out of this, huh. Papeck-dono will soone flying in the speed of light. Yeah I had just been scolded by Charlotte, and I ended up adding more load to us. But its not my fault. I just made what I wanted to make. Please get it together. It will be okay. Takumi-sama, it is your job to create things. I believe you should hold your head up high because youre busy. Y-youre right. Yup, I should just be proud. Okay, I feel a bit better. Shall we make those extra bikes? Roger, lets do our best, Laeva. When we came back into the mansion, the maids encouraged us while Charlotte, Gina, and Ana looked incredulous. Yup, Ill make sure to apologize properly. *** Chapter 480: The garrison of the Royal Capital are troublesome

Chapter 480: The garrison of the Royal Capital are troublesome

As Takumi was building the bowling alley in the Sky Ind that Berkut demanded, Maria and those guiding the children with her were having fun shopping in the Royal Capital. The adults Maria, Marnie, Akane, the Catsith Poporo, the Elf Melty were leading the kids who were seemed to be having fun walking around the main streets of the Royal Capital. In particr, the Cat Sith sisters who lived in hiding looked at everything curiously, and they would have already gotten lost if their hands werent being held. The group led by pretty girls Maria and Akane, and beautiful Rabbitkin Marnie and Elf Melty stood out even in the Royal Capital of Valkyra Kingdom where people of various races lived. The Elven sisters, Catkin siblings, and Human sisters were also eye-catchingly cute, but what was more astonishing to the people in the Royal Capital was the sight of the Cat Sith family, a near legendarily rare species. There were people that looked at them pleasantly, and people that looked at them curiously, but, as a matter of course, there were some among them thinking bad things, illegal organizations acting in the capital in short, the members of dark guilds ran off to get in contact with the bosses of their respective organizations. Oi, those are some nice women. Hoh, redheads are nice, but that bunny is sexy. That ck haired girl is also fine, and theres even an Elf too? You idiots! Thats exactly why you will always be underlings. Look closer, those are Cat Siths! If you sell those to the rich bunch, who knows just much money theyll shell out! So thats a Cat Sith? Its my first time seeing one. Ill let the boss know. The rest of you watch them. Ou! The men who received orders ran off. This kind of scene unfolded all over the Royal Capital. Doganbo and Gn were there as guards, but the greedy men thought the two old Dwarves were unrted. And there was one thing that these Dark Guilds showing movement had inmon. This was that all the organizations were small C medium sized. In reality, Maria is a high ranking adventurer, and above all, it is known within the Adventurer Guild in Valkyra Kingdom that she was a member of Takumis top ss party. The organizations that did not realize this were the small and medium sized organizations that had limited intelligence gathering capabilities. And who would have thought that it would be a major blow to their organization? And it wasnt only the illegal organizations like dark guilds that were astir. When Maria and the others passed through the gates of the Royal Capital, their arrival was immediately reported to the Royal Castle. Of course, it was also reported that there was a Cat Sith mother and children were also part of the group. After that, Valkyra Kingdoms movements was fast. When Prime Minister Simon found out about it, he shared this information with King Valkyra and Knight Leader Ghad, and they decided they must now sweep the Royal Capital. Simon and Ghad were not only guarding Marias group, they were also identifying the hideouts of the organizations targeting the group, and making preparations to secure an attack force. In addition to the Royal Guard, the official protectors of the Royal Capital, Elite knights were selected from each knight orders. At the same time, intelligence organizations are being mobilized in order to swiftly calcte the hideouts, and soldiers are being mobilized and forming blockades around the hideouts in order to transfer the suppressed members of the dark guilds and ensure the safety of the citizens by preventing any escapees. Good grief, I would have liked a word in advance from Iruma-dono. Well, that cant be helped, Lord Simon. To Iruma-dono, this is simply just about shopping. Umu, its just as Ghad says. Good citizens are merely shopping in the Royal Capital. Taking a break after issuing orders, Simon grumbled about Takumi, but Ghad and King Valkyra covered up for him. I have a report. The prey had taken a bite. At present, the point of contact of the prey is running towards their hideouts. The hideouts are being identified, we will deploy knights and soldiers. At that time, the intelligence units who were guarding Maria and the group from the shadows had contacted the higher ups that their prey have bitten the bait. Fumu, that was fast. The first time even weve seen Cat Siths are at the Sanctuary. Its impossible for those greedy bunch to not sink their teeth into that. Then I shall head to the scene myself. I leave the rest to you. Ha! In order for Ghad, who rarely ever leaves King Valkyras side, to go directly to the scene, he had to hand the duty of guarding the King to two of his subordinate in the Royal Guard. Originally, Ghad would not have been needed for things like the extermination of dark guilds, but this was serious enough if something were to happen to Takumis people, and this was a chance to appeal to Takumi that they are this attentive to him. And so, an overpowered fox hunt was about tomence on small to medium-sized dark guilds. Chapter 515: No training wheels necessary Chapter 515: No training wheels necessary Laeva and I returned to the workshop and we talked about making bikes for the children, and bikes that are possible to ride while wearing long skirts that Maribelle had requested, the so-called mamachari. A bike that you could use as is with a long skirt? Yeah, I already know the shape of the frame for it so that should be fine. Ive been riding a mamachari since I was in middle school, so Im well acquainted with its frame. Maybe I should change the size of the tires. Will the frame be made of mithril alloy? As to be expected, mithril alloy might be a problem. Yes, that seems possible. Theres no problem if its used in the Sanctuary, but it would be dangerous if in Volton. Laeva and I used mithril alloy without reserve, but its metal that was originally used in super high quality equipment. Theres always the worry that it would be stolen in Volton. But I dont wanna purposely increase the grade. Then, how about coating it with paint so no one can tell it is mithril alloy? Lets do that. Mithril alloy has a nice tinge, but should we choose different colors? Just as Laeva had said, lets conceal it using paint. I dont feel the need to downgrade what we use. Mithril can be mined inrge quantities at the mining district of the Sanctuary thanks to Gnome. Will we keep the same shape as the prototype? Lets try making different types. I figured wed try creating a few different sizes of mountain bikes instead of cross bikes. Additionally, for the kids who like to wear skirts on a regr basis, we should make a mini mamachari. The problem are the Cat Sith sisters. Hmmm, just in case, Ill make bikes that suit Miri and Ls physiques, but if they cant ride it, Ill think of something else. I was worried about Miri and L riding the bikes because they wereparably smaller than the children of other races, but lets just try making some training wheels that could be included. Itd be so sad if they were left out, after all. Without dy, I transmuted one example to show Laeva how the mamachari frame looks like. Something like this, I guess? I see, even skirts would be alright with this. Then lets continue transmuting the other parts to make a whole bike. Yes! Brakes are difficult, so I just reused the one from the cross bike. I transmuted the handle, saddle, pedals, tires, hubs and smokes, then Laeva and I fine tuned it as we assembled everything together. Ohh, so this is the bike for the maids. Yup, should we have Maribellee by to check? Yes! Laeva took the assembled mamachari out of the workshop. While I was transmuting the parts for the kids bike, Laeva came back with the mamachari. How was it? What did Maribelle say? The head maid would like a basket. A basket, huh. The basket is definitely an essential part of the mamachari. Okay, gotcha. Just as Maribelle had requested, I transmuted a basket often used for the mamachari. While we are at it, instead of in the front, how about a loading rack and a detachable basket on the back? If a heavy load was ced on the front basket, it would be difficult to drive the bike because of poor bnce, so we should also prepare a rear basket. Okay, how about something like this? Laeva, could you please duplicate this? Understood. How many do you need? Uhh, for the time being, well need two for the Sanctuary and two for the Volton mansion, so three more. Ill make it immediately. Thanks. I entrusted the remaining mamacharis to Laeva, and I switched to working on the kids bikes. As I thought about Wappa and the kids heights, I transmuted the frame of the mountain bike. Naturally, I was using mithril alloy. I carefully adjusted the size of everything, including the thicker tires, handle, and breaks as I crafted and assembled it. Since there didnt seem to be any defects, so I transmuted an identical mountain bike in one go. Once Iplete something, it wasnt that difficult to transmute it again and skip steps. Since Mnie and Malorie were Elves, they had longer limbs than Wappa and the others, so I transmuted two bikes of a bigger size. The problem was the Cat Sith sisters bikes. I first tried making the Wappas mountain bikes smaller, but its bnce wasnt all that great, so I tried adjusting everything until it was perfect. Okay, this should be good enough. I should get Miri and L to try it out. With that in mind, I called out to Laeva and then headed to Miri and Ls house. I hope theyll be happy about it. Miri, L, could you try the bikes out for me? Really nya!? Yaaaay! I made some training wheels in case they needed it, but They rode it so smoothly right away. Haha, the children of this world have amazing motor skills. *** Chapter 516: Dedicated Bike Lane Chapter 516: Dedicated Bike Lane I had made the bikes at Wappa and the kids insistence, but there was a problem. Seeing the bikes that Wappa and the kids were riding, the Sanctuary residents also wanted them. As to be expected, I cant distribute mithril alloy bikes to the entire Sanctuary, so I immediately ran to Doganbo-san, Gn-san, and the other Dwarves to make the chromoly frames of the bikes. Depending on the part, only Laeva or I could produce it through alchemy, so in the end, we became extremely busy. Takumi-sama, a request for a cycling road came from the residents. Wait, Sophia, you guys also want to go cycling, right? I know. No, Im not saying I dont want to. Yup, okay I get it. Riding a bike through the Sanctuary felt better than I thought. Naturally, the number of people who liked biking increased. The Sanctuary has well maintained roads, but these are the road that connects every residential district. These roads are a bit unstable for bikes to run through I see. Ill think about it. I couldnt refuse a request from Sophia, who rarely ever acts spoiled with me. Sure enough, cobblestone paths are bit rocky for bikes to run through, making it hard. Ideally, it should be smooth like asphalt and has some flexibility. How about we conduct all sorts of experiments? Roger. After that, I spent my time between grappling with the mountain of paperwork as well as demolishing, switching out the material, and recreating the paved roads. Ohh! This is an excellent feeling. Stepping on the pedal here is so smooth and light. Yeah. IF its like this, I can feel ride for a long time without getting tired. Its smooth, but it isnt slippery. Laeva and I rode cross bikes and had a test ride on the experimental roads. Takumi-sama, this will do. Yeah, I think so too. Once that was decided, our next step was to gather supplies. I went to the mining area alone to excavate some rocks. Why was I alone? Laeva said she had something to do, while Sophia, Maribelle, and the others were having a meeting to select a cycling course. Apparently, Undine, Sylph, and Dryas were also participating in that meeting. Whatever course they select, the natural scenery of the Sanctuary wouldnt be ruined and still be fully enjoyable. That didnt mean that Undine and the others were participating in the meeting to keep an eye out so the Sanctuarys scenery wasnt destroyed. Even though they neither walk nor run, and could even teleport anywhere, the Great Spirits found it amusing to ride bikes. With that being the case, aside from Gnome and Nyx who were indoor folk, the Great Spirits obviously demanded for their own bikes like always. Yes, I made them. I also answered to their design details and various instructions. When I returned to the mansion with a lot of time to spare, the meeting was still underway in the living room. It would also be nice to have a bike path on the road leading to the lodging. Yes, there are working residents whomute to the lodge. That would mean it also needs a ce to store bikes. A bike storage? Thats right, Laeva. We need to make a storehouse for the bikes to keep to the Sanctuarys scenery. Sophia mentioned that there was a need for a bike path up until the lodge by the entrance of the Sanctuary, and agreeing to this, Akane talked about needing a bike storage with Laeva. Wee home, Master. Im home, Maribelle. So, have they decided on an outline of the course yet? I believe it would take a tad longer. Saying so, Maribelle pointed towards the map that Undine, Sylph, and Dryas hadid out on the table and were discussing over. Here, do not leave out this view of the Spirit Spring from the course. The view of the Spirit Tree from across the Spirit Spring is perfect for running the course. In that case, its better to pass through the meadows nearby. The wind would feel so refreshing. Oh my~ Running through the woods here would feel so nice~ It could be forest therapy. The smell of the forest is the best~ Undine, Sylph, and Dryas were quarreling over whose course was best. But for some reason I was gradually getting a really bad feeling. Hmmm, then wouldnt it be fine if we made all of them? Youre right. The Sanctuary residents would be more delighted over that. Lets fill out the map quickly then~ See? My bad feeling was right on the mark. Maribelle, Im heading out. Please take care. Maribelle saw me off, and I left to get more of the materials that I dont have enough of. *** Chapter 517: Busy Days and Disturbing Rumors Chapter 517: Busy Days and Disturbing Rumors My exhausted body sank into the couch, I sighed heavily. Haa~ Im finally done. Thank you for your hard work. Master, Ive brought you some tea. Sophia, Maria, And Marnie spoke appreciative words, and Mabel, the one responsible for the Sanctuary, made some tea. Ipleted building a bikene for the roads already established and a cycling road that melds with the nature around it, but this was more difficult than I had expected. Especially the cycling road, because of Undine and the Great Spirits detailed instructions, I had to be extra careful so as to not destroy the scenery around the Sanctuary. Even with the residents who y ser, the bikes are an easy and popr way for them to get to the sports grounds. It was wise of you to make a ce for storing bikes in the bowling alley. There are always plenty of bikes parked there.Sophia and Marias appreciative voices were healing. I just made the dedicated bikene in my spare time, so I installed bike racks at the ser field, the bowling alley, the lodge, the church, the concert hall, and the park. In short, bikes have gotten so popr that there is at least one bike per household in the Sanctuary. Thats why bike parking was necessary. It was really hard All the residents want the bikes, after all. Yup, they keeping with lots of money on hand. We cant refuse then. Common continental currencies circte in the Sanctuary. There were stores that bought and sold produce grown by the residents of the Sanctuary, the Mermaid-run stores that sell seafood and salt, shops that sell daily necessities made by Dwarves and Elves, and even second hand stores and liquor stores. The price of these products were cheap. The people living in the Sanctuary all had some form of employment, so it didnt mean they had no money. Well, barter was also often practiced in the Sanctuary too, though. But arent you in a deficit? Theres no material cost because I procured everything myself, but I suppose you could say its in the red. Marnie asked if the price of the bikes were too cheap, but actually, the bikes used by the residents werent made of mithril alloy, but rather chromium molybdenum steel, and as for the monster materials used, they were just materials that had no other use than be fertilizers. If I had to procure it from the Adventurers Guilds in Volton and the Royal Capital, it would have costed quite a bit of money, but thats how it is. That was when an exhausted Laeva returned. Fuu~ Im so worn out. Good work. Engraving everyones names must have been so tiring. That is so true. However, there are the same type of bikes that have the same color and shape, so its definitely a good way to prevent trouble. The residents used the mamachari-type, cross mountain type, adult mountain bike, childrens mountain bike, kid mamachari, as well as a beach cruiser type, so it couldnt be helped that there were several bikes that look exactly the same even when this colors are changed, so its to prevent trouble. And so, engraving ones name into the Sanctuary . Im sorry, for always leaving it for you. It cant be held. Takama-sama, Charlotte and the others dragged you into doing paperwork. While we were doing those engravings, I was caught by Charlotte and was confined to study and surrounded by mountains of paperwork. Apparently, Papeck-san immediately took an interest in the bikes ridden by the maids in Volton, locked in a patent contract, and even got a sales contract for the parts that they themselves cant make before I knew it. As to be expected, the ball bearings were difficult for even the Dwarves of this world. A skilled alchemist might be able to make identical sized metal balls through transmutation, but Papeck-sanmented that the number of alchemists were so few. It seems many of the mages in this world have the mindset that was that magic is only magic if its a showy attack magic. I heard that Papeck-san also started training alchemists, but it seems it would take a long time before theyre ready. As if she had just remembered it, Maria talked about a rumor she heard in Volton. By the way, I heard a rumor thats slightly worrying. Lately, refugees from the former Divine empire of Sydnia have been increasing recently. About time. If I remember correctly, after the Divine Empire of Sydnia copsed, Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom took the lead in supporting its reconstruction. Yes. It costs a lot of money to maintain public order, supporting with food rations, restoring livelihoods. I suppose it takes less money than war. If former Sydnia doesnt settle down, its surrounding countries would be in trouble. But, how strange, I heard that the former Sydnia has since somehow managed to settle down as an autonomous cities. The former Empire of Sydnia, which wasnt originally a monarchy, should have started forming autonomous cities in a parliamentary system. I would have understood it if it happened right after the war, but for the refugees to increase after this much time has passed, it leaves me with a bad feeling. I cant get rid of this horrible looming feeling. *** Chapter 518: Going fishing Chapter 518: Going fishing O, sa, ka, nya, osakanya! Tails were swaying in delight in front of me. Miri and L were holding hands and skipping in front of me. Listen, listen, Takumi-oniichan. Do we also have a rod? Yeah, I prepared rods for you guys. Woohoo! Im gonna fish a lot today! Sara will catch way more fish! Today, I was going to the sea and bringing the kids with me. Everyone rode their bikes up to this ce, parked our bikes close to the sandy beach, and were on our way to the fishing spots.If we just wanted to eat fish, we could have just bought from the Mermaids fish market, but fishing was yet another pleasure, after all. Even if you cant catch anything, its still fun. Wappa and the other kids were raring to go fishing though. I made the fishing rods, reels, and hooks, and Kaede offered to supply the line. The members today were the children, myself who was leading them, Sophia who is always with me, and Marnie who was here to take care of me. Maria and Kaede seem to be having a meeting with Akane regarding clothes. Instead, for some reason, Madam Elizabeth wasing with us. Eve though she was the head of a noble family, her attire was very casual, and she was just as eager. Its great that she seems to be having fun, but its probably because Miri and L were here. Laeva has been having it hard recently too, so she dered that she was going to spend all day today resting in bed. Okay, were here. Its dangerous, so dont run. The older ones should watch over the little ones, okay? Yeeees! We arrived at a pier extending from the sandy beach that wasnt used by small fishing boats. Takumi-oniichan, I want to use bait nya. Okay, okay, gimme a second. Miri and L asked me to put bait on their hooks. Iruma-san, myself as well please. okay. Not wanting to be far from Miri and L, Madam Elizabeth seemed to havee along. You have my thanks. Now then, little kitties, lets dangle it on the line. Okay nya. Madam Elizabeth took Miri and L with her when she received the bait. Ill fish too. Nya! A bite nya! Good luck oneechan! Oh my, thats amazing Miri-chan! Hmm, it looks like Miri got a bite immediately. I have to do my best too. Yaaay! I caught a fish nya! Ah! Ls rod has a fish too! Uwaa, L also got a bite? Oh my, something is on my fishing rod as well. Even Elizabeth got a bite, but Ohh, itsing, itsing! Its pulling really hard, Oniichan! Ohh, even Wappa got one No, calm down, calm down, be at peace, yup, peace of mind. Shirona, pull! Wind your reel! I got it Colette-oneechan! Huh? Huh?? Everyone is getting a bite with each catch? except me. Mnie-oneechan caught it! A red fish! Thats amazing, Malorie. Mother is happy for you. Eh, ehhhh~ that looks like a sea bream. I wonder if it tastes good. Wait, Ive eaten that. If I remember correctly, it tasted just like a sea bream. Okay, Ill do my best too. Yaaay! I caught something big! I did too! Oh, I got another one! Miri also got another one! L too! L too! Kya! I caught yet another one! Fishing is fun! Guh, no, not yet. I still have a chance. Takumi-sama, its almost time to go home. yeah, did everyone have fun? Yes, they had a lot of fun. Ha, haha, thats a relief We all ate lunch together and took a short break before going back to fishing, and it seems a lot of fish was caught in the afternoon. My pants were tugged on. When I looked down, L was holding one fish in her hands. Here. Ill give it to Takumi-oniichan nya. T-thanks. L. Kufufu, L caught a lot so you can have this. Ls consideration hurts. Yup, only I caught nothing for some reason. Well, the act of fishing itself is fun, so I suppose I should be d I came. Therge amount of fish everyone caught was stored in my Item Box, and I ced them in the refrigerators in each of the childrens homes. Since Wappa, Sara, Colette, and Shirona were orphans, they each had private rooms in an orphanage-likemunity home, so I ced arge portion into the refrigerator there. After I finished going around the childrens homes, I went back home and sank into the living room sofa. As I drank the tea that a maid prepared, I could hear Madam Elizabeth talk excitedly to Charlotte about the kids catching a lot of fish. Next time, Ill catch a huge one too. *** Chapter 519: Seafood Feast Chapter 519: Seafood FeastThe day after everyone went out fishing, Sophia and Marnie actually caught quite a number of fish. And adding on the ones that Madam Elizabeth caught, it was decided we would be making all sorts of fish dishes today. Maria, Maribelle, and Mabel headed to the kitchen. What should we make? I was thinking we could make some simple salt grilled fish, carpio, and acqua pazza. Acqua pazza? Yup, well, I think it could be done. How about we try making it? In addition to the grilled fish and carpio, I suggested we try making acqua pazza. Actually, I felt like making sashimi because I have soy sauce, but it doesnt fit will with carpio and acqua pazza, so I tearfully gave up. Maria, Maribelle, and Mabel were in charge of the salt grilled fish and carpio. I started on the acqua pazza. I seasoned the fish with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. I poured some olive oil in a frying pan and waited for it to heat up. I sauted garlic and anchovies with some capers, olives, and dried tomatoes. I added man ms and mussels, then dezed it with white wine. I waited until the alcohol evaporated and the shells opened, then I added the herbs and water. After that, I poached the fish for 15 minutes low and slow so it wouldnt scorch, and it was pretty much done. I think it looks somewhat authentic.. mm, what a nice vor. The water and wine make this taste better. Fish and shellfish make a very pleasant broth. Furthermore, it felt like something that was done on tv, it became delicious because of how well the inosinic acid in the dried tomatoes and the glutamic acid in the fish mix together to enhance the umami. Oh yeah. Should we deep fried fish too? Deep fried food, I see. The method of frying food by using plenty of oil was something I never would have never thought of until today. But its delicious, isnt it? Yes. It feels as though I would get fat if I ate too much of it though. I asked for the white fish to be taken from the Refrigerator MD, cut them up into appropriate sizes, seasoned it with salt and pepper then covered it in flour, then into a beaten egg, and covered it with breadcrumbs, then I fried it. I left the frying to Maria, while I made a tartar sauce. Theres mayonnaise in the fridge as well as stocks of it in my Item Box, so I asked Marnie to boil some eggs, while I chopped up minced some onion and pickles. I roughly chopped the boiled eggs and mixed it into the mayonnaise and then added the minced pickles and onions, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and a bit of sugar until it was well incorporated. I tried thepleted tartar sauce with Maria and Marnie. U- Whats wrong? Is there something weird about it? This is delicious! You looked surprised though, Maria. Thats because it was too tasty! Marnie-san, you think so too, dont you!? Yes. This is a vor that I never would have tasted in the vige. Marias exaggerated reaction had me worried, but I have no problems with it if it tasted good. We made mayonnaise regrly, but this was the first time Ive actually tried making tartar sauce. Im d it suits their tastes. Having tasted the tartar sauce, it made me want to eat Ebifurai (Fried shrimp, not to be confused with tempura). Fried oysters would be nice too. There were all sorts of shrimp circting the Sanctuary, but I havent seen oysters. Do they not exist in this world? The taste of tartar sauce made me crave some ebifurai, so Im going out to buy some shrimp. Ebifurai that sounds nice. I have no doubt it would taste amazing. If Takumi-sama teleports, hell be back in an instant. Please buy plenty. Roger. Nudged in the back by Maria and Marnie, I teleported to the Mermaids fish market. Ah, Takumi-san, wee. Takumi-san, its been a while since youve visited. Lately its only been the maids whoe by. Hello there. Im in a bit of a hurry today. These shrimp could I have about 50 of them? Please. Please wait a moment. Ill pack it up immediately. I bought the shrimp from the Mermaid oneechan, and I hurriedly teleported back to the kitchen. Im back. Wee back. Without dy, everyone helped out to shell and devein the shrimp, then we cut the tips of the tail diagonally and scrape the tail so it doesnt stter in the oil. After that, I massaged in the salt, then coated it in some potato starch and massaged it in some more. I rinsed it off with water, drained the water, then made several cuts on its belly side. I then pressed down on the muscles till it snaps to extend it. Now the shrimp would stay straight while frying. From there, I battered and fried it the same way I did with the white fish. Okay! Its done! Then Master, Madams, please wait in the dining room. We leave the rest to you. We entrusted the table setting to the maids and headed to the dining room, and everyone was already waiting in their seats. The seafood dishes served were well liked by everyone. The one who ate the most was Kaede who caught none. Master, Kaede wants to fish too! Mhmm, you shoulde with us next time. Id be in trouble if they said the wanted to go tomorrow, after all. *** Chapter 520: Takumi is scolded yet again Chapter 520: Takumi is scolded yet again The day after the very satisfying fish dinner, I was spending some time in the living room after having lunch when Sebastian, who should have been in the Volton mansion, came up from the basement where the Teleport Gate room was. At that moment, I got a very very bad feeling about it, but Sebastian walked straight to me without any hesitation. Master, you have a summons from Margrave Volton. Urk! I didnt want to ept the summons. I can pretty much imagine whats written in it. Bowling, reversi, mahjong, ying cards, jenga, sugoroku, table tennis, billiards the various games that Papeck-san had discovered. Papeck-san said he would stagger the release times, but some of their respective workshops have already begun operations. Oh yeah, sugoroku was under Earl Rockfordspany. And they arent games, but there was also the Soroban and the sewing machines. These werent leaked to Papeck-san. Akane and Maria apparently met Papeck-san at the games room when he visited while I wasnt there. I would have loved it if they stopped ying to meet him in the living room.She said she was in the middle of a mahjong session with some off-duty maids. It was such a good match that I didnt want to cut it short said Akane. Papeck-san who came for bowling rted matters was dreadfully excited. That said, even Papeck-san knew that releasing all of the games at the same time would be a bad move, so he was using his discretion to carefully time their releases. That must be what Margrave Volton was pertaining to. He must have wanted me to take otherpanies into consideration. But until recently, the countries that have been approaching me were good for nothing folk. Some of those folk were fools who just demand that I give them lucrative money-making ideas, and even more foolish ones that threaten me if I refused. Well, I do feel like Ive overdone it without any restraint. But was it so much to be summoned? Was Margrave Volton getting scorn from nobles of other territories? At any rate, because my mansion was in Volton, the president of the Papeck Company was in Volton. Their Royal Capital branch was indomitably bigger, the Head Clerk Thomas-san is mostly in Volton, and Papeck-san was moving around a lot, but he always frequents the his gship store in Volton. Of course, the tax yields of the Volton Margravery was increasing. He became the target of jealousy. Moreover, Margrave Volton was on guard as well for anyone who would contact me. Or could it be another matter? The cherry blossom season had ended, but the only people Ive given cherry blossom trees were the royal family, Margrave Volton, and Earl Rockford. Huh? Am I being resented a lot? I teleported to Volton, and I headed to Margrave Voltons castle in a carriage with Sebastian. Apanying me as my guard was Sophia. I was shown into a specific room by Chambein Xervus-san, and Margrave Volton, whose eyebrows were furrowed, was tehre. My apologies for having made you wait. Well, sit down for now. Urged to sit by Margrave Volton, I was internally afraid of what he would say, when the words that came from Margrave Voltons mouth was different from my expectations. Iruma-dono. Y-yes. About this vehicle known as a Bike that the maids and butler working in your mansion were riding Ahh, the Papeck Company making various moves all at once, so perhaps it wasnt just about Margravery being envious, but rather, was he trying to say something because Earl Rockfordspany was selling the sugoroku? But it was neither and just about the bike? Did something happen? Thesest several days, there had been several people who have tried to steal or rob it. The maids employed by your mansion and the bikes they ride are unharmed because of the Barrier MD, but I would have liked to have been informed when such an item is being put out into the world. M-my apologies. I didnt hear about it from the maids, but they seem to have experienced attempted robberies and stealing. The maids had been given essory-type magic devices for their own protection, so it was alright, but As of recent, there has been an influx of people into Volton as it experiences its boom, and this has caused the deterioration of public order. Until now, Volton, a city of rowdy adventurers, had managed to maintain security thanks to thebined efforts of the knights and soldiers of the Margravery and the Adventurers Guild, but theyve asked that we do not hasten the increase of new crimes. Sell it as fast as possible. Do something about the current situation, where only your servants have something. Ha, haha, I will tell Papeck-san to hurry. Umu, is there anything that you would like to advise for the city? Lets see. I would be grateful if you could build bike storage areas around the markets. Ah, and, I believe it would be better to have another bike storage as well along the carriage storehouse of the nearlyplete bowling alley. If I didnt put down the rule that bikes must into the bike parks from the beginning, the social problem that it would have be my responsibility in the distant future. Fumu, I see, so it could be seen as a personal horseless carriage? Very well, we shall make steps in that direction immediately. It is thanks to you that the citys budget is plentiful, after all. Please do. He would probably be angry if he found out that the frame of the bikes that the maids ride was made of mithril alloy. I need to discuss bike theft measures with Papeck-san. If I give extra work to the city guards, Id be scolded yet again. *** Chapter 521: Giving help Chapter 521: Giving helpAfter finishing my discussion with Margrave Volton, his chambein, Xervus-san, asked for help. Regarding the bowling alley that the Papeck Company is constructing, a flood of inquiries have beening from all sides But its only been made possible by the expansion of Volton City in the direction of the Savage Lands. Ive exined this to them, but not many were convinced. Im sorry. Ill help in any way I can. Ohh! That would be appreciated! It seems that bowling itself was attracting attention even without knowing what it is. As to be expected, the bowling alley is rtivelyrge building. If the booming Volton City did not expand, it would have been difficult to secure enough space to build in. If a building of that scale is constructed, it was impossible for the neighboring nobles andpanies that consider the Papeck Company as rivals to not pay attention to it, and it had caused Xervus-san to be a nervous wreck. However, my cooperation might have been too hasty. Xervus-san suddenly grew lively. Youve saved me. We need infrastructures in ce preceding the poprization of the bicycles. Ahh, of course you will be rewarded for your help. It would be insignificant inparison to the time that would be saved. Haa Im a human heavy machinery.Does Volton have a craftsman shortage with the expansion of the city into the Savage Lands? So, as the cause, i should help. Its good that Im getting paid. And thats that. Aside from that, the bike storage areas had to be locked. It wasnt necessary if its in the Sanctuary, but here, theyre just asking to be stolen. Please have a look at this map. May we ask you to handle this open lot in this market, dismantle that empty store in thatmerce district, andstly, arge area next to the carriage parking at the bowling alley? I understand. Sebastian returned to the mansion, so Sophia and I were being given the rundown of what were going to be doing by Xervus-san in the carriage. If its only three areas, I should be able to finish it fast. Here please. the grass is endless. We arrived at the vacant lot in the market, but the vacant lot was just indeed vacant, so it needed some soil preparation. I used Earth Magic to dig up the weeds and covered it up, then levelled the ground. Fuu, I cant leave the ground as dirt. I poured magic power into it a second time, and hardening it to the same level of asphalt. Something like this would be alright, I guess. All I have to do now is build a ce where bikes could be parked and locked. I never used them, but it was simr to the bike parking in stations andrge supermarkets. I took out iron ingots from the Item Box. It would be a problem if keys rust easily, so I also got chrome and nickel. And the paint used on bikes. I held a strong image of the instation that would house lined up bikes in a site, coating the steel body in paint, making stainless steel keys, Transmute! Magic power wrapped around the materials and then spread to the ground, then in the next instant, an orderly bike parking rack waspleted. Ohh! Is this an apparatus for storing bikes in? Ill give an exnation. Put the bike here, and actually it might be faster to show you. I took out my own cross bike from the Item Box and showed Xervus-san the process of parking the bike. If you insert the front wheel here, it wont tip over even without the stand. Then this key woulde out of the lock. And after you take out the key, I believe the bike will be alright as long as you do not lose the key. Just in case, I will hand over the master key to you, Xervus-san. I see, so one must prevent the loss of the key, but it is effective against theft. And if we adjust the patrol course of the soldiers, it would be even safer. Xervus-san seemed to be satisfied. Then lets head to themerce district next. Yes. I needed start with a demolition of a store that was vacated because bankruptcy. Sophia and I wouldnt even need a minute to physically demolish it, but it would be bad if we damaged the surrounding shops, so I was disassembling it using alchemy. After I had used Dposition on it, I collected the wood and stone and used on the building and stowed them away, I prepared the soil and hardened it, then transmuted bike parking racks just like the ones in the vacant lot in the market. Thank you for your hard work, Iruma-sama. Thest location is arge establishment, as such, please make it slightlyrger. okay. And finally, the carriage arrived at the nearlyplete building in the newly expandednd in the direction of the Savage Lands, the bowling alley. This will be the carriage parking. Therefore, please do it in the space over on that side. I understand. The carriage parking had been neatly levelled, but the area that Xervus-san had pointed towards was wilderness. Please do your best,. Yup, Im okay, Sophia. Encouraged by Sophia, I ttened the ground and hardened it in one go. I continued by transmuted the bike parking racks, and Xervus-san approached me, smiling and pping. As expected, Iruma-dono. I will take you back to your estate, please board the carriage. Your reward will be sent to you at ater time. yes, I understand. Was this something that only I could do? Well, its toote to think about it now. *** Footnotes: Chapter 522: Takumi, Laeva, and the Struggle Chapter 522: Takumi, Laeva, and the Struggle What awaited me when I returned to the Sanctuary from Volton was arge order of bike parts. The number of alchemists that Papeck Company had secured were few, so they have requested that we sell them the parts for the time being. I suppose so. The papers that Jeeves handed had been written with the types and number of each bike part. If theyre an alchemist, they only need to transmute it once. Takumi-sama, no ordinary alchemist can do such a thing. Yeah, probably not. Even though its just about understanding and visualizes its structure. These so called Alchemists only synthesize materials, dont they? Laeva doesnt know any ordinary alchemists which is why I cant say anything about it, but I cant help but think that they are just as you say. The alchemists hired by the Papeck Company apparently couldnt reproduce the ball bearings among the bike parts.The bearings would, of course, fail at the slightest imperfection. But it must have been difficult for the alchemists of this world who dont have its image. Looking at this order form, it seems they can somehow manage the handle, frame, saddle, pedal, and breaks. It seems so. We can make all sorts of tires, as well as the gears and hub bearings. And the chains too. I would like to say that they should prepare the materials for each bike and transmute one at a time. In Laeva and my case, we have to transmute each part individually to be able to solidify the image at first, and then we were able to transmute multiple at a time. Okay, Ill transmute the front and back wheels, Laeva, you do the chain please. Understood. After that, Laeva and I devoted ourselves into making the parts for the bike. After all, there were a lot of orders. Papeck-san seemed intent on selling torge cities simultaneously. The kinds of bikes hes selling were mainly the mamachari type. Their target audience were not just the women, they had judged that it was easier to ridepared to the cross bike or the mountain bike. Takumi-sama, its been a while since weve had a full course mana potion meal. Youre so right. Its been a while since I drank mana potions while making things. Ill make the tubeless tires, hub, spokes, and rim out of monster materials in one go. I transmuted the front and rear wheel sets 10 at a time. Laeva also transmuted several chains with each cast. Perhaps I thought like this because I was Japanese, but the poption of Valkyra Kingdom wasnt that big for its size. This world is one where they must fight with monsters as they expand their livable space, but even so, there was a lot of residents in therge cities like the Royal Capital and Volton City. What I was trying to say was that we have to make an enormous amount of parts. Oh yeah, does the Papeck Company not want to make bikes for children? Tadahhh! I pulled out another order form and showed it to Laeva. Of course, we had also received an order for parts for childrens bikes. We also a orders for a small number of parts for cross bikes and mountain bikes. I heard these few would be built-to-order. Uhyaaa t-this is a huge undertaking. Right? I was also shocked. It feels like Papeck-san was too invested into this. Papeck-san said that he would sell it as much of an economic prices as he could, but they were still undoubtedly an expensive product. Moreover, I heard that they were going to sell frames of a different material intended for the nobles and wealthy merchants as luxury items. He already had a terrifying smile as he talked. When ites to Papeck-san, that meant that he was going to make a huge profit. Bowling alleys could only be built in cities which can afford to use huge plots ofnd. Thats why its profits directly corrting to its size was a bottleneck. Especially in fortress cities, it was normal for buildings to be so tightly packed that there werent many gaps. Naturally, there wouldnt be space in the bowling alley. The same holds true for the Royal Capital, the slums exist right outside its outer walls. Well, even if it was outside of walls, monsters hardly appear near the Royal Capital, but even so, there wasnt that muchnd left in it, and even if a new noble wants to build a mansion in the city, they have no choice but to search for a used property. Actually, there was a ce where the bowling alley could be built in the Royal Capital. It was in the estate of a high ranking noble. The estates inhabited by nobles of Earl or higher ranking upied enormous plots ofnds. If its in one of those noble estates, they could build several bowling alleys and tennis courts. This world didnt have tennis though. Then, Laeva and I had auditory hallucinations of Papeck-sans loudughter as we transmuted bike part after bike part. Whether or not we respond to additional productions is something we would think about at that time. *** Chapter 523: The visitor is a high ranking noble Chapter 523: The visitor is a high ranking nobleLaeva and I delivered the bike parts as we had be absolutely haggard. Just when I thought we could finally rx, Sebastian came up to the first floor from the teleport room in the basement. Is it wrong that I got a bad feeling just from that? Master, a letter arrived from Lord Portfort. Uhh, from Lord Simon? I nervously opened the letter he handed over. an inspection? On the Sanctuary? Hes been to the Sanctuary before, right? It would seem that when Lord Packard had returned to the Royal Capital, he had boasted about his stay at the Sanctuary in parties Viscount Packard was Charlottes grandfather and Madam Elizabeths father. I had once invited Father and daughter to the Sanctuary. Madam Elizabeth has yet to return though. What? Did he hearints from noblemen?No, Lord Portfort and His Majesty are suppressing those. I thought the letter was aboutints from nobles regarding the nobles that werent invited into the Sanctuary, but it seems I was wrong. Umm, lets see, lets see wait, does this mean hesing by for a visit? it seems so. In the letter from Lord Simon, he wrote about the game room of the mansion and the bowling alley. The boasting that Lord Packard had done in parties must have reached Lord Simons ears. An observation? Why an observation? For the time being, I think its undoubtedly an observation. Lemme see, lemme see. Ah, Akane! Appearing out of nowhere, Akane snatched the letter I was holding. Hmmm, it looks like he really wants to y. The bowling alley was impossible in the Royal Capital. No, it cant be that. Huh? The Royal Capital is in trouble because it doesnt have enough space, doesnt it? Well thats definitely correct, but the estates of high ranking nobles were different. Yeah, they have ridiculously huge estates, dont they? I see, so if theyre interested, nobles could ce an order for a personal bowlingne, huh. Maybe His Majesty told him toe see it. And the Royal Castle definitely has plenty of space. The bowling alley in Volton City was nearing its opening, but if hesing to the Sanctuary, that means that he wants to see other things too. Takumi-sama, wouldnt it be better to add a games room to the Lodge? You think so too, Sophia? Actually I was also thinking that. I suppose we should also separate the bowling alley to be used by the residents and the guests. It was then that I noticed that Sebastian had another letter. Eh? Was there another one aside from Lord Simon? Yes. From Margrave Volton, Earl Rockford, and Viscount Packard. I silently confirmed the contents of the letter, and just as I had feared, they said that they would visit the Sanctuary. Uhh, is it alright for Earl Rockford toe with his family? Margrave Volton wasmign with Xervus-san and guards, and Viscount Packard thought about returning, but It is necessary that we prepare to wee them. You dont need to worry about the budget, so get anything you need in Volton. If theres anything else from the Capital or any other ce, I will go. Certainly. Im sure the ingredients, condiments, and alcohol wille from the Sanctuary, but tableware, essories, cigarettes could be procured in Volton. Ill leave it to you. Laeva, lets install a games room in the Lodge. We should construct a separate building for the bowling alley. Understood. Even if it was Lord Simon or Margrave Volton, I would prefer to not have to bring them into my mansion. Its the ce where I should be able to rx, but when important peoplee by, its stressful. Madam Elizabeth, who had a ce to stay in the Lodge but was practically in the mansion everyday, and Princess Mimir, who lived next door whom I have many chances of meeting, dont cause me the usual stress when I meet them, perhaps because they had such friendly personalities. The Lodge was built for outsiders to stay in at a location near the gates to the Sanctuary. It was built because we invited people to our wedding, but now it was being used as lodging by thosepanies associated with the Papeck Company, as well as the officials of Margrave Volton, Earl Rockford, and those of Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom. Laeva and I worked together to transmute the bowling alley. I piled up a huge amount of rocks, wood, and metals, and ss materials in a spot that had been leveled using Earth Magic. Okay, Ill be in charge of building it. Transmute! My magic power gradually left me, then it enveloped the stacked materials in light, and in the next moment, arge building appeared. Takumi-sama, please have a mana potion. Fuu, thanks, Sophia. I drank the mana potion that Sophia held out, then proceeded with making the building interior. I took from my stock of bowling balls and pins, and rted magic devices from my Item Box and set them up. While Laeva was transmuting thenes, I installed the tables, chairs, lighting fixtures, and others. By the time we were done with installing the toilets, rest areas and other amenities, the sun had already set. *** Footnotes: Chapter 524: Nobles starved for entertainment Chapter 524: Nobles starved for entertainmentThe day after building the bowling alley, I remodeled the interior of the Lodge and built the games room. I added a billiards table, dart board, table tennis table, mahjong table, a table for ying cards, and a bar counter to the games room. I dont know where they heard it from, but when I installed the bar counter, Doganbo-san and Gn-san popped up. Takumi, is this a ce where you serve alcohol? Yup, I thought they could enjoy it while ying or while taking a break. Takumi, is this a metal canteen? Its got a different form though. Thats a shaker. Gn-san was interested in the shaker, so I exined how to make cocktails, and he got into it. I see, so youre going to blend the fruit juice and alcohol!? What an oversight! Isnt that right, Doganbo!? Ou, Gn-aniki! So there were other methods of enjoying alcohol that we Dwarves were unaware of!?Takumi! Teach us how to make those cocktail things! O-okay. C-close, youre too close Gn-san. Spare me from being sandwiched between two sweaty, bearded, beer barreled men. It couldnt be helped, so Ill teach them the several types of cocktail that I know how to make in my limited knowledge in alcohol. Because of the varieties of alcohol made in the Sanctuary, it wasnt just wine and whiskey, but we can also make vodka, gin, and beer, so we could try out all sorts of cocktails. Screwdriver (Vodka + Orange Juice) Gin Buck (Dry Gin + Ginger Ale + Lemon Juice) Salty dog (Vodka + Grapefruit Juice + Table Salt) Mimosa (Champagne + Orange Juice) Mojito (Rum + Lime + Soda + Sugar + Mint Leaves) Spritzer (White Wine + Soda) Red Eye (Beer + Tomato Juice) Daiquiri (Rum + Lime Juice + Sugar) What are the reasons for their names? Well, that much I dont know. Well, whatever. Doganbo, get some lime, orange, and grapefruit. Ou! Lets get all sorts of other things that we might be able to use, Gn-aniki! Youre right. To not have a dwarven original cocktail is a chip at our pride as we are one with alcohol. Saying so, Gn-san and Doganbo-san ran out of the games room. This bar counter it looks like the Dwarves are going to turn into bartenders. Lets leave this to them. Right. Doganbo-san and Gn-san started discussing alcohol to put into the bar, so Laeva and I headed back to the mansion after we finished checking everything, Lets leave the bar to the Dwarves. After a few days of preparations, the first one to arrive was Margrave Voltons party. Considering the distance, this was par for the course. Iruma-dono, we will be in your care for while. Please enjoy your stay. Umu, I worked far ahead of schedule for this. Hahaha. Master did his best. Neither Margrave Volton nor Xervus-san were in work mode. Theyre raring to y. After Margrave Volton checked in, he immediately wanted to see the games room and the bowling alley, so they asked the Sanctuary Residents who worked in the Lodge to show them around. This time, they said that they dont need us to entertain them. It seems they want to be left to y as they like. No, to observe. The next to arrive on on the same day Margrave Volton had, contrary to my expectations, was Viscount Packard. I thought that Earl Rockford would arrive much faster than Viscount Packard who lives in the Royal Capital, but perhaps because he wanted to see his daughter and granddaughter, he said that he would be in my care again even though he had already stayed here for several days just recently. Is his job okay? And the next day, Earl Rockford arrived. Hahaha, Iruma-dono, please take care of us for the time being! Wee, Earl Rockford. Iruma-san, please invite us to your mansion too. Y-yes, please. I want to go to Takumi-sans mansion too! Ha- haha, Emilia-chan and Rod-kun, pleasee if you have time. I apologize for Mother and Sister. The powerful Madam Rose and the lively Emilia-chan, and the worldly-wise Rod-kun. Good luck, Rod-kun. Andstly, the day after Earl Rockfords party arrived, Lord Simon arrived from the Royal Capital. Iruma-dono, thank you foring to meet me. I shall be in your favor. I would like you to enjoy your time, but will your work be alright? Ha ha ha, it is not a problem. In order to take a long holiday, I had been working without any sleep these past few days. Ha, haha, then thats fine. This is an observation, right? Lord Simon had said vacation, and he seemed to have brought his family with him. ording to what I have heard, Margrave Volton, Earl Rockford, and Lord Simons purpose was to observe the bowling alley. I had to emphasize that vacation wasnt the main reason. *** Chapter 525: Observation? Chapter 525: Observation? The day after Margrave Volton, Earl Rockford, Lord Simon, and Viscount Packard were all present in the Sanctuary, Madam Rose and Emilia-chan were happily drinking tea with Madam Elizabeth in my mansion. Ahh, this tea is awfully delectable. Indeed, as to be expected of tea leaves from the Sanctuary. This cookie is delicious too~ In particr, Madam Rose and Madam Elizabeth were acquaintances in parties at the Royal Capital, and they were reminiscing. Emilia-chan was happily eating cookies. Perhaps wanting to avoid being the only man in the group, Rod-kun joined Earl Rockford and Margrave Volton in the games room of the Lodge. Mabel, could you apany Madam Elizabeth and Madam Rose? Ill go take a look at the Lodge. Even though they said they need no guidance or reception, we cant just leave Margrave Volton, Lord Simon, and the others to themselves. Understood. Shall I apany you? No, Sophia you take it easy. Were just going to the Lodge so Ill be fine by myself.This is the Sanctuary so an escort isnt necessary, and yet Sophia still wanted to apany me like always, so I asked her to take it easy and I went out to see how they were doing at the Lodge. I could go there in an instant if I teleported, but I wasnt in a hurry so I will go there using my bike. Riding my bike, the breeze in the Sanctuary felt amazing. The Sanctuary residents used bikes as the practical mode of transportation, but recently, theres been an increase in cycling enthusiasts. I think using a bike to enjoy the breeze and scenery was also eptable too. Perhaps because its early summer, the Sanctuarys climate was hot but not humid, so it was passing easily. Under such warm sunlight, I enjoyed the pleasant breeze as I rode my bike and arrived at the Lodges bike parking. I got off my bike and locked it, then I went into Lodge and tried asking where Lord Simon and the others are. Sorry, a minute please? Takumi-san, Lord Portfort, Margrave Volton, Earl Rockford, and Viscount Packard are all enjoying themselves in the games room. Thanks. Ill go check on them for a bit. When I showed up, the Sanctuary resident working on the front desk of the Lodge, perhaps knowing what I wanted to ask, told me where Lord Simon and the others were. I greeted everyone working on the front desk and headed to the games room. In the games room, I could see that the knights of Lord Simon, Margrave Volton, and Earl Rockford were having fun ying billiards, table tennis, darts, and cards. At the bar counter, Xervus-san was chatting with Doganbo-san while having some drinks. Several other people seemed to be enjoying the cocktails made by Gn-san, so I suppose I was right to install a bar counter. When I looked for the key figures, who would have thought that Id find Lord Simon, Margrave Volton, Earl Rockford, and Viscount Packard sitting around the mahjong table. Resisting the urge to ask them how their observation was going, I approached the four ying at the mahjong table, and for some reason, there was tension in the air. Richi! Kuh, e on, connect. Thats a Ron, isnt it? Ughh! Richi, once, mentanpin, oh, and a dora. Thats a hit, isnt it? Kuh, its a hakoten! Thats already a hanchan! Viscount Packard secured a richi, then Margrave Volton timidly threw away a tile to get a hit. When he went bankrupt, Margrave Volton yelled. Fuu~ Im saved. I somehow got 3rd ce. Hahaha, Im going for the top this time. It seems Lord Simon was in 3rd ce, while Earl Rockford was in second ce. It was then that Lord Simon noticed me approaching and talked to me. Ohh, Iruma-dono. This Mahjong thing is quite entertaining. I would love to take it home with me. Ohh, in that case, I want my own set too. Iruma-dono, may I also have one set? Of course, myself as well! Well be able to give it to the front desk by the time you return. Omitting greetings, Lord Simon stated that he wanted a mahjong set. Without a moments dy, Viscount Packard, Earl Rockford, and Margrave Volton piped up about wanting one too, so they can pick it up at the front desk on their way back. Well then, Iruma-dono, I apologize but we are in the middle of a game. We must rely on you for the observation tomorrow. I have no ns to do an observation, but please tell Elizabeth and Charlotte to make an appearance tomorrow. I will also request a tour tomorrow. I will ask Rose and Emilia. Umm, how about Rod-kun? Ahh, isnt Rod bowling with the knights? Lord Simon and Earl Rockford postponed their observation for tomorrow. For the time being, they still have some intent to do so. And Margrave Volton spoke. This cant end with my loss. Y-yes. He shuffled the tiles and spoke without even turning around. Did he bet on something? *** Footnotes: Chapter 526: The people who don’t want to return Chapter 526: The people who dont want to returnStarting with Lord Simon, Margrave Volton, Earl Rockford, and Viscount Packard had be engrossed with mahjong, so viewing the new facilities was postponed till tomorrow. When I peeked inside the bowling alley, I saw Rod-kun and the knights were having fun. Additionally, I also caught sight of merchants who came to the Sanctuary. As to be expected, it wasnt only the Papeck Company that traded with the Sanctuary. Of course, the Papeck Company had majority of those shares, but otherpanies of Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Yggurle Kingdom alsoe. Naturally, those who pass through the gates of the Sanctuary were permitted to by the Great Spirits. The bowling alley built close to the Lodge was 20nes huge, but there werent that many guests in the Lodge, so I thought that scale would be enough, and yet Its a full house. Moreover, there are people still waiting. When I tried asking the people working in the bowling alley about it, they said that the Sanctuary residents use it too. Apparently, because the bowling alley in the Sanctuary was always full, the wait was always long, so people wandered over to this bowling alley. Bikes were poprized among the residents, soing here was easy. Now that I think about it, there was quite a few bikes parked at the bowling alleys bike park.Anyway, today, Lord Simon, Margrave Volton and the others probably wouldnt be leaving the games room, so Ill visit them again tomorrow. When I returned to the mansion, Madam Elizabeth and Madam Rose were still enjoying their tea and chatting. Did Emilia-chan get bored? She was ying jenga with Kaede and Lulu-chan. Wee back. How were Lord Simon and the others? Im home, Sophia. Lord Simon and the others were engrossed with mahjong at the games room. Ahh they will be there all night, wouldnt they? probably. I also remember the times when I stayed up all night ying mahjong when I was a Japanese high school student in my previous life. Highschool students these days probably dont y mahjong. Even I got addicted to mahjong when I was a student, so there was no way that the people of this world with very few pleasures wouldnt be addicted to it. Margrave Volton was fired up after losing, but that was probably because they were gambling. It is a fact that this world has very few pleasures, but it cant be said that they have absolutely none. Actually, this world ,no, its not just this world, but for some reason, gambling is something everyone likes. Gambling isnt perfect. If someone were to have a match, its normal to bet on who would win. In matches, it wasnt unusual for the lord to be in charge. Even so, there was no roulettes, ying cards, or horse racing. Betting on who wins in matches or fighting tournaments was how this world gambled. Maybe it was unwise to poprize ying cards and mahjong in this world. Come to think of it, there were residents who would wager on winning and losing too. There didnt seem to be anyone who was addicted to gambling so I think it was fine though. The next day, I took my time going to the Lodge, and I found the sleepy lords eating breakfastte. Good Morning. It looks like you yedte into the night yesterday. O-oh, Iruma-dono? Morning. Its shameful how unbing it was of us to be so engrossed. That cant be. It was not only fun, but it also makes you use your head. Godwin, you need to be more insightful. Reud isnt all that different from me, was he? Now now, both of you had gotten overzealous with your wagers. Guh. Lord Simon returned the greeting a bit sleepily. Margrave Volton began talking about mahjong early in the morning, and Earl Rockford mentioned that he should improve upon his insight. It was then that Viscount Packard remonstrated the pair, but judging from his rxed attitude, I guess he must havee out on top yesterday. So, where should I guide you today? When I asked about their ns for today, it was not only Lord Simon but every single one them fell silent. Eh? apologies, Iruma-dono. We have a fight that we must face. Iruma-dono, as men, there are times we must fight, even in the face of defeat. Iruma-dono, my apologies. Eh? That means Lord Simon and Margrave Volton said some strange things. Earl Rockford spoke apologetically, but his expression was no different from Lord Simon and Margrave Volton. Iruma-dono, we must settle things today, so could youe again tomorrow? Haa, so thats how it will be. Very well. I will see you tomorrow. Who would have thought, it looks like theres going to be more mahjong starting today. These people Im afraid they will never go back. *** Chapter 527: Work for the time being? Chapter 527: Work for the time being? The day after rescheduling, I came back to the Lodge. I guided Lord Simon and the others to the bowling alley and exined how the game works. After that, I exined the other games in the game room aside from mahjong. It looks like these men had only yed mahjong from the moment they got here until now. Then in the conference room of the Lodge, I had a business meeting with Lord Simon, Margrave Volton, and Earl Rockford. Incidentally, Earl Packard went to my mansion to meet with Elizabeth and Charlotte. Regarding the bowling alley, I have nothing to say as it is nearingpletion in Volton. Would a bowling alley be impossible for the Rockford Earldom? We do not have muchnd left. Well, it could be made in the castle, but only we would be able to y. The Royal Capital most certainly has no space to build a bowling alley. However, it might be possible to build it at a private estate in the nobles district. I shall confer with His Majesty at the Royal Castle. The bowling alley in Volton was almostplete, so there was no remarks from Margrave Volton. Earl Rockford spoke about how it really must have been impossible with their space issue, and Lord Simon might possibly make a request of certain nobles, but he must first consult with His Majesty.I must also make a lot of bowling balls and pins for the bowling alleys, so I was so d that I didnt have to make it here and there. Next up is table tennis. It would be perfect formoners amusement as its instruments were simple. It would be interesting to construct a building exclusively for it in the recently ergend. If its table tennis then it might be viable as it could be yed in a room that isnt too spacious. Id like you to sell me a few for a trial run. Fumu, it may spread among themoners even in the Royal Capital if its table tennis. Table tennis had earned favorable impressions from Margrave Volton, Earl Rockford, and Lord Simon respectively. Billiards and darts, was it? Those are great to y while drinking. Yeah, youre right. Those are adult games. It would be fun to bring those out at a store that sells liquor, wouldnt it? Right. That would be coveted in bars. Billiards and darts were also looked upon favorably. ying cards look just as interesting as mahjong. ck jack and power, huh. It seems like it would be nice to gamble with. It seems like there are games that even children can y, and adults could ruin themselves with gambling. The paintings are marvelous, and multiple games could be yed with just one deck. From gambling games like poker and ckjack, to happy games like sevens, tycoon, concentration, and old maid, with just one deck, so many games could be yed. There it is, the clincher, mahjong. This can be enjoyed casually and doesnt take that much space. Lets sell this. Yup, the scoringbinations and points are a bitplicated, but these just need to be memorized. It is genuinely fun. Indeed. Lets sell a huge amount in the Royal Capital. It would be interesting to divide it as formoners and for nobles use. These three had yed mahjong all night, so I knew they were in hook, line and sinker. It was then that I forgot to ask something important. Umm, would it be alright to sell these by way of the Papeck Company like always? About that. Bowling is already being spearheaded by the Papeck Company. That sugoroku game thing, wasnt it being sold by Earl Rockfordspany? Since were discussing it, why dont youunch your ownpany at the Royal Capital, Iruma-dono? Eh? Apany? The words that came from Lord Simon left me dumbfounded. I also talked to Papeck about this. It is of no exaggeration to say that the Papeck Company has built up its business as thergestpany in the Kingdom` no, in the continent. As such, it has been amassing more and more jealousy. Well, how to say this. In a situation where the Papeck Company takes all, to put it concisely, the otherpanies affiliated with nobles have been interfering with them. Now, if the inventor Iruma-dono were to establish his ownpany, no one wouldin. Umm, rather, wouldnt it be better if I just stopped selling? Dont be absurd! Hih! It was already troublesome, so I thought it would be better if I just stop selling, but that earned me some really terrifying looks. Lets open up a shop at the capital, and you can ce samples of billiards, darts, and table tennis there. ying cards and mahjong will positively sell, as such, you must arrangerge quantities beforehand. Thats right. My territory will also want a decent amount of ying card decks and mahjong sets. Indeed. You may leave the selection of the stores location to me. U-um, has it been decided that I would establish apany? Of course. Im supposed to be an artisan though You need not fret. Iruma-dono, as long as you are able to deliver the product, the management of the shop could be left to someone else. that would increase my workload even more though. It looks like I have to change jobs to a merchant. *** Chapter 528: Preparations for the Establishment of a Trading Company. Chapter 528: Preparations for the Establishment of a Trading Company.Lord Simon requested that I open a store in the Royal Capital, and I said I would look at it positively but put a pin in it for the time being. A shop huh isnt that good? Youre going to leave it to someone anyway, no? I also see no problem with it. Certainly, if the Papeck Company were to incur the jealousy and envy of being the only one to profit, then Papeck-san may be targeted. Youre right. Its unhealthy for a market to be monopolized by a singlepany, after all. Akane didnt seem all that interested but had agreed, while Sophia and Marnie had always thought that it was far too dangerous for only the Papeck Company to profit. After Lord Simon suggested it, I talked about it with my entire family. Takumi-sama, you dont sell alcohol wholesale to the Papeck Company either, do you? Ill have to make some considerations about alcohol. The Royal Capital might panic over it. Maria said that I should consider selling alcohol in a shop at the Royal Capital, but all things considered, I think alcohol would be risky. The alcohol produced in the Sanctuary was managed by the Dwarves, Elves, and also the Great Spirits Gnome and Smander. Its quality and taste were significantly different from other alcohol circting the continent. So much so that once you have taste of the Sanctuary produced wine, all the other wines you had before that felt like muddy water.Until now, a small amount had been circting from the Papeck Company , but if it appears in a shop at the Royal Capital, it will cause panic when people try to buy it. Wouldnt the store at the capital focus on games? The bikes have already making their rounds in the Papeck Company, and sugoroku is already being produced by Earl Rockfordspany. Billiards tables have to be made to order, but other things will be avable in the store. Akanes points are eptable. We wont be stationed at the store in the capital, so itll be fine even if we only have a few items. Then, next up are the employees and manager of the store. Thats the biggest problem though. It wasnt easy to hire my three assistants, Charlotte, Gina, and Ana. We were able to hire our very capable butlers Sebastian and Jeeves, Maribelle, and the other maids with the help of Undine and the Great Spirits, but I think it would be hard to find one single person to entrust a store to. Just in case, we should consult with Papeck-san. Since it was Lord Simon who brought it up first, you should have Lord Simon introduce someone to you. Indeed. Why not try talking to Margrave Volton and Earl Rockford as well? Akane and Maria said we could have Lord Simon, and the others introduce capable people to us. For now, I dont think anything can start if we dont choose a location for the store at the capital. indeed. However, when is Lord Simon returning? Ha, haha, he did say we can get Papeck-san to show us the shop location, so wed be able to go on a field trip. Lord Simon was going to prepare shop locations, but there was no indication of Lord Simon returning. Lord Simon rides a normal carriage driven by Demon Horses, so it would take several days to reach the capital even at the best of times, and yet he shows no sign of going back home. I teleported to the Royal Capital with Akane and Sophia. The reason why Akane, who rarelyes, joined us was because Akane herself was interested in business. When she was a student back in Japan, Akane had been a student council president C honor student type, but having grown ustomed to this world, she she had be carefree. Akane, among other things, enjoys making money quite a bit. Rather than the money itself, its the process of making it that she finds fun. The designs rted to clothing are also linked to it. We walked to the Papeck Company in the Commerce District. did it get even bigger? it would seem so. Just how much did they profit? The Papeck Company building which had already been big from the start had now be even bigger. It probably bought the buildings beside it and connected them. Such a feat could only be done with the use of magic, but in this world, it isnt difficult to employ Earth Mages. Since their main store was in Volton, this shows just how big the Papeck Company had be. It got way too big. As Akane and I were talking in front of the building, Papeck-san himself came out of the building to meet us. Takumi-sama, thank you foring all this way. Thank you foring out to meet us yourself, Papeck-san. Now now, Sophia-sama and Akane-sama as well, pleasee inside. Papeck-san led us to a room with luxurious couches. After we were served and had a bit of rest, Papeck-san bowed to me in apology. Takumi-sama, I must apologize for this asion. Umm, w-why are you apologizing, Papeck-san? Well, in order to prevent the building envy from otherpanies and nobles, your hand was forced into establishing a tradingpany and opening a store. It was due to my inadequacies. No, you dont need to apologize for that, Papeck-san. I am of the same fault since I entrusted everything solely to you. Now, cant we leave it at that? Papeck-san, could you show us the nned shop location? Yes of course, that would be no problem, Akane-sama. Since Akane had urged him to show the nned shopping locations quickly, Papeck-san started guiding us to the site. The site was in the samemerce district, so apparently, it was fine to walk. Well then, this way please. Thank you. Under Papeck-sans guidance, we walked to the shop. What kind of property was it? I got more and more excited. Looking at real estate is fun, isnt it? *** Chapter 529: This is all too sudden Chapter 529: This is all too sudden In the ce we were showed by Papeck-san, there was a three-story building that was not too big and not too small. My apologies. Takumi-sama, as this is for the establishment of your own tradingpany, I wanted to prepare an even more magnificent building for you, but there would be some particr folk that would yap about a newpany suddenly having arge shop at the Capital No, its no problem at all. I was never really nning on having a varied selection, and it would be too difficult to employ people if the shop is too big. This was really what I thought. It might be a small building to Papeck-san, but it was impressive enough for me, and Akane and Sophia thought the same thing. It gives me peace of mind if you say that. I will show you inside right away. Thank you. We went inside at Papeck-sans lead, and while the exterior was also beautiful, the interior was quaint without looking outdated. Its spacious enough. Actually, the back door connects to the warehouse, so it would be convenient for keeping stock. The second floor can be used as the offices, and the 3rd floor can be used as the housing for the employees.It leaves nothing to be desired. Apparently, there was a warehouse in the back, and the property seems to include it, so it wasrger than we had first expected. By the way, does it have a basement? My apologies. There is no basement, but Takumi-sama, there would be no problem if you yourself make one. I was nning on cing a Teleport Gate in the basement, so Im d I got approval to make one. The shop obviously had the storefront, the second floor had office space, and the third floor could be redecorated into the employees living space. It had a very neat interior. The toilets and bathrooms were fitted with thetest magic devices, and while there was a water well, the water was supplied by magic devices. The warehouse was also scrubbed clean, and there were no problems with its space. The warehouse is enough if Spatial Expansion is used. Itd be difficult if stock had to be replenished often, so we should definitely expand the warehouse. We looked around inside the building, and it seems both Sophia and Akane were pleased with it as well. Naturally, I was also happy about it. So, about the people we can leave the shop to Ahh, I was nning on dispatching a capable manager from my ownpany whom I trust, however, I am having trouble selecting employees. If you could allow me some more time Naturally, please take your time, but could it be that they do not want to work for us? Wont you be understaffed? The people working in the Papeck Company who grew to be the toppany in the continent probably wouldnt want to work as a shop manager for our country. Moreover, they had to be trustworthy,petent people. Thats what I thought when I spoke to Papeck-san but it seems it was slightly different. No no, its quite the opposite, Takumi-sama. You, the driving force for the rapid rise of the Papeck Company through your numerous merchandise, are making your own tradingpany. If it is harder to fail, far too many people were willing to do it, and whittling it down to one person is proving difficult. Taking that into ount, its only natural. Be it Takumis magic devices, the Sanctuarys wine and produce, theyre all line nothing other. That is indeed so, Akane-sama. Of course, Akane-sama, thanks to you, the clothing side of things are doing very well too. Youre the leader of fashion in the Capital. The Purification Magic Devices have be widespread, so the sales were no longer explosive, but even so, numbers were still at a constant. The carriages geared towards nobles and merchants were made to order, and the profits from it were astounding. The potion types were periodically being sold wholesale to the Papeck Company and the Adventurers Guild. I guess I was fortunate enough to have everything that I made sell well. As I was pondering over such things, Sophia looked strange. Urk. Whats wrong Sophia!? Sophia covered her mouth with her hand and rushed to the toilet. Ohh! W-whats going on, Papeck-san!? Papeck-san pped his hands and had a knowing smile. I was bewildered, worrying over Sophia, and when I looked towards Papeck-san for help, his face was saying You still dont get it?. I believe it is a matter of congrattions. eh, congrattions? Pan! Shes got a baby! Get yourself together! Youre about to be a father! Eh?! A father! UoooOOO!! When Akane pped by back, I came back to my senses. I guess it wasnt that strange. Were a married couple after all. This is a natural course of events. It will take some time for Papeck-san to find capable people to entrust the shop to, so we parted ways for today. I teleported back to the Sanctuary with Sophia and Akane. She definitely needed to rest. But I was even more surprised in the Sanctuary. *** Chapter 530: Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 530 Auspicious Day Chapter 530: Greatest Alchemist? Chapter 530 Auspicious DayWhen I returned to the Sanctuary mansion with Sophia and Akane, there, Maria, Marnie, Laeva, Lulu-chan, and Kaede told me something even more surprising. Big news! Big news! What is happening, Takumi-sama? Sophia is pregnant! Eh, me too. Eh!? And Marnie is too, by the way. Yes. The Great Spirits had confirmed it so there is no doubt about it. Three people at the same timeUwaa! Sophia-san, congrattions to you too! Earth to Takumi! Bam! Lulu-chan was jumping for joy. Akane hit me and brought my spirit back into my body. You got married to three people at one time, so it shouldnt be strange if they conceive at the same time! Y-you have a point. And theres other things you should be saying, right? O-oh, yeah. Sophia, Maria, Marnie, thank you. Youve made me a happy man. Yes. But with how things are turning out, theres a lot of things that I need to think about. First off, Sophia was always by my side guarding me, but now she needs to rest. Inevitably, Maria and Marnie also had to stay in the Sanctuary until they give birth to the babies. When I looked at Maria and Marnie closely, they were crocheting something. Was it socks for the baby? If Akane and I have to discusspany things, are there any problems that coulde up? What will we do about Takumi-samas escort? Sophia brought up my escort before anything else. When I first came to this world, I needed an escort while I did artisanal work. But when I mentioned that I was much stronger now so I might not need an escort, I was scolded intensely by the all the girls. Takumi-sama, did you forget that someone tried to assassinate you? N-no, how could I ever forget? Then you shouldnt have said that you do not need an escort. Im sorry. Remember how angry Sophia and Maria were at that time, I meekly apologized. Master, in the first ce, I believe it is not advisable for you to walk around town without an escort. Isnt that exaggerating it too much? It is not an exaggeration. Apart from the Sanctuary mansion, you have arge mansion in Volton, and you employ many maids. Do you think you still pass as amoner? No, Im sorry. Even Sebastian and Maribelle voiced their opinions. It was then that I was curious about why Sebastian was here. I had just received paperwork, so unless it was urgent, the man in question should have been in Volton. Huh? Why are you here, Sebastian? Do you have something to report? I am not here to report. I will consult with Maribelle regarding the maids who would take care of the Madams in this auspicious time. Apparently, it is normal for a ss that employs a number of servants to have a wet nurse who would take care of the child. However, as to be expected with there being three childrening at once, we would like to secure additional personnel. Do you have any objections to this? Ah yeah, of course. This will be my first time with this, so I have no idea what should be done. It was pathetic, but when I was a sryman in my forties, I never had the experience of having a child. I have absolutely no idea how to navigate this new path that I have never been through. Takumi, I will move things along with hiring personnel for the shop at the capital. So please hurry with creating the basement and a Gate connecting our ce to the shop. Sorry about that, Akane. Ill have the basement and teleport gate done by the end of today. Its fine. Im just as excited as the babies as everyone is. Theyll be like younger brothers and sisters. Lulu will be a big sister nya. Akane began talking about what kind of names will be used. Wait wait, WE will decide the names. we will, right? Then Laeva will make arge amount of merchandise to fill the shops warehouse. Lave can only help out with this, after all. Thank you as always, Laeva. I really appreciate your help. Laeva promptly headed to the workshop. She said she would do her best to provide arge amount merchandise, including the portion for the Papeck Company. I have to establish a tradingpany and open a shop in the Royal Capital, but I dont feel like I can do that anymore. It felt like only one person was in a dither. Sebastian and Maribelle seem to have finished their discussion regarding the wet nurses. Now then, Master, please entrust the selection of the wet nurses to us. If necessary, Master and the Great Spirits may have to conduct interviews. The moment Maribelle said that, Sylph, Undine, and the others appeared. Leave that to us. Since a child with the blood of the House Sylphide will be born, it is time for me, the Great Wind Spirit, to take my turn. Yes, it will be the child of the Keeper of the Sanctuary, who is the protector of the Spirit Tree. We will be the judge of the wet nurse disposition. Right~ This gets me going~ If you entrust it to Nyx and I, it would be simple for us to discern the good or evil in a person. leave it to me. Aside from Gnome and Dryas, the five pirs of the Great Spirits Sylph, Undine, Dryas, Selene, and Nyx were all in high spirits. W-well, I do have a request. Their excessive enthusiasm is scary in itself, but Im d that they could be of help. Immediately, Selene went to Sophia, Maria, and Marnie. Apparently, it was to check their due dates. So that was possible. *** Chapter 531: Inform Chapter 531: InformInform There has been a lot of kerfuffle in my mansion in the Sanctuary these past few days. Of course, that was not the case for everyone. Kaede was going about her day as per usual. However, since I wasnt in a state where I could work, I was inconveniencing everyone. Akane was in charge of the Capital store, and production rted matters were being handled by Laeva. It was then that I remembered something important. Ah! I have to inform Sophias mother and father! Yes, we hadnt yet informed Dante-san and Freesia-san, who live in Yggurle Kingdom, of the news. You can leave that to me too! Uwaa! Oh, its you, dont scare me like that, Sylph! I was thinking of how to tell Dante-san and Freesia-san, when suddenly, Sylph appeared.It wasnt strange for her to pop up like that because shes a Great Spirit, but it was a problem how she couldnt be sensed by Presence Detection and Magic Power Detection. She has no bad intentions so its fine though. Im off then. Eh, youll go there personally, Sylph? Yeah, I could leave it to the Wind Spirits, but I dont know if they would be able to speak as well as I can. It would be much faster if I go there myself. Im off. Saying so, Sylph disappeared from my sight. The Great Spirits appearing unannounced was pretty normal, but out of all of them, Sylph was the most free-willed. Maybe it was because she was the wind? ```````` In a remote region at the south of Yggurle Kingdom, the Chevalier House Sylphide governs a rural vige. Even in Yggurle Kingdom which is enclosed by the forests, this region brimming with greenery was, for some reason, Wind Spirits, Tree Spirits, Water Spirits, and Light spirits were dancing with joy today. That day, Dante noticed the strange phenomenon. It wasnt strange to see a lot of Spirits if it was in Yggurle Kingdom. This was the nation of the Elves who revere the Spirits, after all. However, Dante doesnt remember a situations where the Spirits were this boisterous. No, he remembered experiencing it once before. That was when his cute daughter Sophia and Takumi Iruma had their wedding ceremony. As he was thinking such, Freesia hurried over. Oi oi, dont run inside the house. Dante, this is not the time. The Spirits are dancing for joy! Something happened! Im aware of that, but we dont know why theyre happy, do we? Ill check around the territory. Just as he talked to Freesia and was about to go out, a great presence suddenly appeared inside their mansion. Sylph-sama! Sylph revealed herself without hiding her presence. As to be expected of the asion, she did not y a prank by erasing her presence and secretly appearing. It seemed like like a lie that the being standing with its presence unconcealed, whose greatness they understood because they were Elves, was here, because she was usually in the Sanctuary. S-Sylph-sama, what is going on today? Fufu, could you serve tea to stay? Ah, and cookies too, if you have some. W-we will prepare it immediately! Freesia hurriedly ran to prepare tea and snacks. Hey! Dont run! Please excuse her, Sylph-sama. Fufu, how cute. Dont get angry. Despite being a bundle of nerves, Dante showed Sylph to the living room. Fuu~ this is quite the tea. Thank you very much. It was developed in this vige. Sylph felt at home, drinking the tea that Freesia had brewed. However, Dante and Freesia could not settle down. They did not know for what purpose Sylph hade to the Sylphide territory. Fuu, you seem to be curious, so perhaps I should mention the reason for my visit quickly. Today, You must have noticed that an unimaginable number of Spirits, far more than normal, was gathering. Dante and Freesia nodded silently. Grinning at their state, Sylph continued speaking. If you have seen how the Spirits are acting, you must know that it is nothing bad, yes? The pair nodded once again. Congrattions. It is your first grandchild. Eh? Kyaaaaaaaaaaaa!! Well done, Sophia!! Freesia was dumbfounded, and, perhaps denying Sylphs words in his head, Dante froze like a statue. That said, the next second, Freesia yelled loud enough to echo throughout the mansion. I-is this true, Sylph-sama!? Yes, it is true. I wouldnte here just to lie. Kuh Dante understood that his cute daughter was in the hands of a man now that she has been wed, but his indescribable destion as a father far outweighed his happiness for his daughters pregnancy. In contrast to Dante, Freesia was absolutely giddy, jumping so happily from the sofa without a care that Sylph was in front of her. Im heading back to the Sanctuary then. See ya~ Sylph said so and disappeared from that spot. Inevitably, the Sylphide mansion was in an uproar after that. *** Chapter 532: Granny is going to the Sanctuary Chapter 532: Granny is going to the SanctuaryIn the Sylphid mansion, Freesia was unpacking her personal chest. Hm hm,~ H-hey Freesia. Freesia! Can you hear me!? Dante looked bewildered as he spoke to Freesia who was hummed as she took her belongings out of her chest. Oi! Cut it out! Jeez! Dante! Quiet down, will you! W-wat, Freesia, I-I was just wondering why you were packing your clothes. The moment Freesia responded in displeasure to Dantes unintentional yelling, he seemed to have wilted, losing all energy. If I dont pack my things then I wouldnt be able to go to Sophia, now could I? Wait, Freesia, calm down. Sylph-sama said that Sophia is pregnant. Its still a long ways off before she gives birth.Im well aware of that. I am still a mother of two. I will go and take cake of Sophia from here on. No, wouldnt she be fine until she gives birth to the child. The moment Dante uttered those words, he saw the apparition of a demon behind Freesia. Hiik! now that I think about it, when I had Sophia, and when I had Darphy, you were not by my side, were you? W-well, a-at that time I was busy with the Chivalric Order at the Capital It was a month for Sophia, and in Darphys case, it was half a year when he could hold his head up, wasnt it? Freesias icy gaze pierced into Dante. Even after many decades have passed, she still remembered it like it was yesterday. No, wait, Freesia. If you go to Sophia, what am I supposed to do? We cant leave the territory attended for a long period of time. Oh, naturally only I will go. You will be fine even without me. Even if Dante tried stopping her, Freesia turned a deaf ear to him. Why do you have to go all the way to the Sanctuary? Even though it had gotten safer recently, you never know when you will encounter monsters. Fufu, I have a carriage prepared. And of course, escorts. Since when Dante was at a loss for words at Freesias great nning. However, this was not the time to yield, so he collected himself. What about the cost of the carriage and escorts? Oh, I will take it out of my pocket money. Eh? Were you unaware? I have the money that my family had given me when I married you, as well as the money I saved from when I was single. Wha!? House Sylphides financial situation wasnt prospering. Especially since they had beenndless nobles, they had gone through a series of hardships when they gainednd. It was for that reason that Dante thought that he had caused Freesia and Darphy much suffering. Although Dante was stunned, he timidly asked Freesia about her savings. by the way, how much have you saved up? Fufu, there are things in this world that are better left unknown. Dante fell to his knees and hung his head. T-then how many days will you be gone? Composing himself somewhat, he quickly raised his head and asked when she would be back. My, isnt it obvious? I wont return until she gives birth. Wa-wait a minute, Freesia. Sophias due date is still more than half a year from now, isnt it?! Fufu, I wonte home immediately after she gives birth, either. After all, caring for a newborn baby is difficult. I imagine Sophia would be thankful if, I, her mother, help her out. No, cant you leave the care of the child to its mother, Sophia? Iruma-donos mansion has servants too, so you dont have to stay there, Freesia. Just as Dante finished his sentence, the smile on Freesias face as she packed her belongings cheerfully had disappeared. Oh yes. You were of absolutely no help when I was raising both Darphy and Sophia, werent you? N-no, that was the wet nurse and your job, no? It may be possible for high ranking nobles, but do you think a poor Chevalier House is able to hire a wet nurse and maids specialized in caring for children? E-eh, was that the case? Grasping that Freesia was truly angered, sweat ran down his forehead. As he was thinking of how to appease her, Freesia pointed towards the door. You are being a nuisance so could you leave the room? Wa-, F-Freesiayes.. Dante judged that it was impossible for him to get Freesia back into a good mood and obediently left the room. Watching him leave, Freesia sighed deeply,posing herself and resumed packing. Arge number of suitcases were piled up, filled to the brim with clothes from spring to winter. It seemed like she had no intention of returning for a long time. If she sees her grandchilds face, would she reallye back? *** Footnotes: Chapter 533: Handmade is a father’s love Chapter 533: Handmade is a fathers loveI dont know what happened after Sylph had informed Sophias parents of her pregnancy, but I had entrusted Akane with the Capital Shop and I secluded myself in the workshop. As for what Im doing Takumi-sama, why arent you making it using Alchemy? Its important for it to be handmade. Is that so? Though I dont quite get it. Laeva didnt really get it, but I paid it no mind, and just processed a nt simr to rattan that exists here, then braided it into a cradle by hand. I was meticulous over the varying thickness of the rattan as I carefully weaved it together. I had aplete picture of the final product in my head. What I am making right now was a rattan cradle. I might not have used it as a child, but I remember seeing it on TV, and the scene where the baby was being rocked in the cradle came to mind.Through trial and error, I weaved the rattan. Thats quite theplicated weave. Its a beautiful pattern. Thanks. And you will make three identical pieces? Of course, I will. I see, once you have the genuine article, you are sure to have a proper image when you transmute it. Eh, I will make them all by hand. Isnt it only natural? Theres a significance to making it by hand. is that so? Laeva doesnt seem to be convinced, but that doesnt matter. Its a tool that our children will use, so I want to make it from scratch. I was being careful to make sure there were no pointy parts. Naturally, I also smoothed it out so there were no splinters and not even paper would tear. Partway through, I was dragged away by Charlotte and made to do paperwork in my study, but I was somehow able to finish the three cradles in three days. For some reason, the women were all wondering why this was the case, but I paid it no mind. Even Sophia, Maria, and Marnies faces were asking Why not Alchemy?, but that was irrelevant. There were a lot of things that Akane, who was inplete control of the Capital Store was scolding me about, but she was happy about being able to go to the Royal Capital anytime using the Gate. Having finished the cradle, I began making the next item. Oh no. Oh no. This was the first thing I should have made. What are you making this time? While I was muttering to myself while measuring wood, Laeva who was working in the same workshop asked me what I was making. What, you ask. The first thing a baby needs when its born is a bass, isnt it? I see, that is necessary. This time, she seemed to be agree. Could it be, will these also be made by hand? Thats a given. Haa~ Takumi-sama, it would only be an instant if you used Alchemy, and yet you are going through all this trouble. Theres very few things that a father can do, after all. I should do at least this much. I could remember the basss structure, so it was simple to make. Of course, I was thorough with the basss too. This too, of course, I will make three of. As to be expected, because it was a simple build, it only took one day to make all three. The day after that, I was once again in the workshop. What will you be making today? Fufufu, what do you think? For some reason, Laeva looked fed up, but it must be my imagination. Who knows, I have no idea. If the baby goes out, then a stroller is needed. A stroller? Laeva didnt seem to know what a stroller was. And so, I exined it by drawing an illustration. I see, that maye in handy. Right? But Im considering whether I should make three strollers, or a single stroller that can carry three. Wouldnt one that could carry three be too big? You have a point. I should make them individually. The strollers sold in Japan were the type used for babies, and the type that can be used once the babies grow a bit bigger. Perhaps this was because it was too dangerous if babies, who are unable to hold their neck up, are notid t on their back in the basket. What I was making was, of course, something that could be used by newborns, and could then be used for a long time after the children have grown to a certain extent by recing the basket with a seat. Oyo? Will it not be handmade? Ha, haha, one must adapt as necessary, Laeva. Im sorry. I definitely have to rely on Alchemy for this one. It was impossible to make by hand. *** Chapter 534: Forgetting Something Important Chapter 534: Forgetting Something Important As I was making a cradle, bass, and stroller, I had forgotten something important. It was something the baby uses many of everyday. Lets make paper diapers. Yes, diapers. The diapers in this world were, of course, cloth diapers. This was also the case in ancient Japan, but washing cloth diapers to reuse it is a hassle. Naturally, this world has Purification Magic, so it wasnt much of aparison, but there are not that many people were capable of using Purification Magic. Its exceptionally rare, but there were people around me who could use Light Magic, and those who could use Purifying Magic were Akane, Laeva, and myself. Thats why cloth diapers might have been fine, but whether or not a child would befortable with it is different matter. Paper diapers? Dont look at me like youre asking if Ive made another strange thing, Laeva.Yes, a diaper that is disposable would be easier on the mother. Certainly, washing a cloth diaper is a hassle, but will the paper be alright? That parts alright. Laeva, youre aware that paper can be surprisingly durable depending on how its made, right? That is indeed the case, but paper isnt very absorbent. Ive thought of that so its fine. I never got to experience marriage in myst life, but I have changed the diapers of my nephew and niece. At that time, I remember admiring the superiority of paper diapers. Aside from that, I remember the technology of paper diapers being used for greening the desert. If I remember correctly, it used a water absorbent polymer. That said, I dont know theponents of that water absorbent polymer. Was I giving up? Of course not. This is a world of swords and magic. There are alternatives if you look for it, and this is whats called the royal road of fantasy. Tadahhh, well use this. These translucent beads? It looks like that, but youre wrong. This is a slime. Slime? Yeah. The weakest of the weak, a monster that could be defeated even by children, a slime. The slime is a jellyfish-like monster that has a core inside its translucent body mostlyposed of liquid. What remains when you mostly dehydrate slimes are these translucent bead things. Watch carefully. I inserted the slime beads inside a ss container and added water. O-ohh! Amazing! Right? It has a shocking rate of absorption, huh? The few slime beads ced inside the ss container was gradually absorbing the water. That amount absorbed that much? This is useful. I know, right? I was thinking these could absorb the babys pee several times without leaking. How interesting. May Laeva assist you? I wee your help with open arms. We have to develop soft paper, and theres the question of what form we use these slimes in. I was so relieved that Laeva offered her help with the development. Two heads are better than one, and our work speed would increase too. After that, Laeva and I conducted various experiments. The development of paper that feels good on the skin. Experimenting on a paper substance that allows air to pass through without leaking any water. An stic waist band material and a fastening tape. Adjusting the ideal stretchability of the thigh section. How much slime material should bebined to prevent any leakage. We made several prototypes especially for the slime distribution. Takumi-sama, wouldnt this be troublesome if not for alchemy? Of course. We will need a lot of paper diapers, so well have to make the final product using that. We will have to make it in several sizes too. Ohh! Babies grow older, after all! As expected of Takumi-sama! Nah, youre exaggerating. Anyone would have realized that. Anyway, I knew a lot about paper diapers. I often saw mothers carrying paper diapers with both hands in the drugstores, after all. And so, Laeva and I worked together toplete the paper diaper. Weve done it now, Takumi-sama! Thank you Laeva. Its thanks to you that wepleted it. We should by all means sell these! It is for the good of all mothers in the world! T-to sell? If we were to sell these, I have a feeling this might be a huge undertaking because the market is enormous. No, it will definitely be trouble. W-well, Laeva, we still have to make a magic device to throw the used diapers into. Eh? A magic device? Yeah, we have to make an attachable purifying magic device for the trash can. Ohh! That is essential. Yep, yep. Was I able to trick her? It would be a difficult if we even enter the market for childrens articles. Papeck-san would be d since it cant be handled by apany without its sales. Ah, I suppose I should make that too then *** Chapter 535: Freesia-san Visits Chapter 535: Freesia-san Visits With the paper diaperplete, I made arge quantity in various sizes, and then I started wondering if Id need baby wipes to clean their butts. I wonder what the people of this world do? Were they really just using wet cloths? However, its not good to have too much trash. Theres also the issue of resources. Hey,e to think of it, do we need tissues? When I was resting in the living room, I tried asking everyone. Ahh, tissues. What are tissues nya? Akane was Japanese, so she was living a life that required tissues, but ever sinceing to this world, she had apparently gotten by using Purification Magic. That was the same for me. Lulu-chan seemed to not know the word tissues. Its reallyte saying this, but Id be really happy if it exists.I feel like its wasteful but I would be wee it. I would also appreciate it. If its limited to within the Sanctuary, I think theres no problem. I also want to use it. Akane, Sophia, Maria, Marnie, and the rest reached an opinion. However, just as Marnie had said, it would be best if limit it to within the Sanctuary. Even the people of this world want to use things that are handy. Tissues linked to the depletion of the forest resources was a problem that is negated by Dryas being in the Sanctuary. Simrly, there was no concern with a forest monster nest depleting either. Influenced by the dense mana, the growth of the trees in monster nests was fast. It was at a level that wouldnt be strange to treat them like monsters too. Isnt this exactly how Treants were born from these trees? I would like to prepare a pleasant environment for the unborn children. Yes, I am of the same thought. In thecking vige of the Rabbitkin, it was a given that the children were born in a poor environment, but I would want children to have better circumstances. Sophia, Maria, and Marnie appear to be doing everything they could for their own child without any restraint. They had decided to not hold back when ites to items that would benefit the children who will be born in the Sanctuary. As I was having such conversations while drinking tea with everyone, Sylph suddenly appeared. Uwaa, Sylph, if youreing over then use the door. Im in a hurry. Sophia, your mother ising. Eh, Mother is? She ising? The sudden information that Sylph announced had left Sophia in a rare bout of confusion. She was bound toe. ording to Sylph, Freesia-san was jumping for joy upon learning of Sophias pregnancy from the Spirits. Learning this, Sophias mother, Freesia-san, hurriedly packed her things to set off for the Sanctuary. Even though the number of monsters around the Sanctuary had decreased, isnt it dangerous? She had properly arranged for hired escorts so she would be fine. If Freesia was in danger, I just have to bring Takumi there, no? Then how about we go out to meet her? Right, we dont know if the guards and the coachman would be able to enter the Sanctuary either. I proposed going to meet her halfway just in case. Freesia-san was my mother-inw after all. Takumi-sama, Im sorry. What, shes my mother-inw. I left the mansion, took the carriage out of the Item Box, then summoned Tsubaki from the Subspace. Burururu I fastened Tsubaki onto the carriage as she nudged her nose on it, and then we drove off with Sylph and Kaede. Tsubaki, were heading towards Freesia-sans carriage. You dont have to run that fast. Understood, Master. Tsubaki cantered inside the Sanctuary, but picked up the pace as soon as we stepped out of the Sanctuary. In typical Tsubaki fashion, she was cruising, but it was iparably faster than a Demon Horse-drawn carriage. Ah, I can see her already. Why are they in such a rush? Oh, youre right. Freesia-san is definitely inside that carriage. Yes, theres no doubt about it. Sylph pointed towards a moving carriage she had found. That was definitely the carriage that Freesia-san was certainly aboard. As Tsubaki pulled up to the carriage, the opposite carriage slowed down to a stop. When I alighted the carriage, the elven adventurer guarding the other carriage, and was then followed by Freesia-san. Long time no see, Freesia-san. Takumi-chan! Well done! T-takumi-chan!? Freesia-san energetically hugged me as I was bewildered by being called Takumi-chan all of a sudden. Well done So, did you purposely came out to pick me up? Yes. I had heard from Sylph that you wereing, after all. Oh my! Sylph-sama, thank you very much! Thats fine,e bring your luggage. Well be moving using Takumis carriage from here. Yes. Well prepare it immediately. Come now! Dont stand there absentmindedly! Y-yes! The elven adventurer froze from their nerves aftering face to face with Sylph, but upon being hurried by Sylph to move Freesias luggage, they moved in a fluster. Sorry about that. Spirits were selfish beings who move freely, after all. I also helped to move her luggage, then we parted ways, the carriage from Yggurle Kingdom heading to Wedgefort, and ours headed to the Sanctuary. *** Footnotes: Chapter 536: Rooms needed Chapter 536: Rooms neededAt the speed Tsubaki was pulling the carriage, the Sanctuary was just ahead. As for me, I was wondering whether it was fine to ce Freesia-san, who in the Lodge, but it wasnt good to set a precedent. The gate is defended by golems specialized in guarding, and the outer section was being patrolled by security golems, so I thought there was no problem, but my opinion doesnt exactlye across here. We passed through the gate between the outer section and the Sanctuary and headed straight for the center. Aside from my mansion, Princess Mimirs residence, and the mansion for the Great Spirits, this section alsoprised of manymunity establishments such as the church and concert hall. Freesia-san hade here once during the wedding, but she didnt have the freedom to look aroundst time, so she was gazing intently at the scenery of the Sanctuary outside the carriage. I did not have the chance to view thisst time during the wedding, but now that I am looking at it once more, the Sanctuary is impressive. I am a citizen of Yggurle Kingdom which is surrounded by nature, however, this seems pleasant to live in. Pleasant to live in? Freesia-san spoke excitedly, but it felt like there was a worrying word mixed in there. U-umm, what do you mean by pleasant to` Oh my, weve arrived! umm, Freesia-san.The carriage arrived at the mansion, and Sophia and the others came out to meet us. Sophia``! mming the door open, Freesia jumped out of the carriage and pulled Sophia into an embrace. M-mother, please calm down. Well done, Sophia! I am finally going to be a grandmother! Freesia-san was excited and in high sprits, and perhaps because it was her first time seeing her mother like this, Sophia was baffled. Isnt your lower half cold? Have you been taking good care of your nutrition? M-mother, its embarrassing, so please settle down! Takumi-sama and everyone else is watching! Oh my, oh no, I It was then that Freesia looked around. Then she saw Sylph looking unamused. S-Sylph-sama! I have shown you something so unsightly! Perhaps she thought she had exposed the Great Wind Spirit Sylph to disgraceful behavior, she fell to her knees and apologized profusely. for the time being, lets go inside. Right. Freesia-san, pleasee inside first. Mother, this way. Ill bring her luggage in so you guys go on ahead. Sophia guided Freesia-san into the house. I took Freesia-sans luggage out from the carriage and ced them into the Item Box. When I returned to the living room, Sophia and Freesia-san were arguing for some reason. Are you insane, Mother?! Arent you speaking too harshly to your own mother?! It is not harsh! Did father approve of this!? Dantes approval is irrelevant! Umm, did shee without Dante-sans approval? I tried asking Maria what this was about. Umm, what is happening? You see, Freesia-san said that she will note back until Sophia gives birth, and when Sophia heard this Wait, until she gives birth isnt that more than half a year away? My pregnant wives due dates were examined by the Great Light Spirit Selene, and we found out that it was in around half a year. Is it alright for Freesia-san to be away from home for half a year? U-umm, Freesia-san. Oh, my apologies, Takumi-san. No, well, about that, Freesia-san, will you be staying here until Sophia gives birth? Oh my, can I not? N-no, its not that youre not allowed, but Then it is fine. I have my son-inws permission. Mother! Sophia, you cant get agitated. my apologies. For the time being, I had to calm Sophia down. Well, it cant be helped now that Ive arrived. When I return can be solved at a different time. Haa, what will we do about her room? Shes not content with staying in the Lodge, after all. Takumi-sama, how about we take this opportunity to add on to building? Haa, should we? Laeva youll help me right? I can assist with the interior and the magic devices. Thanks a bunch. Sophia, dont get to agitated, okay? Recently, Charlottes mother Madam Elizabeth had been staying in the mansion too frequently. Thats why theres no more vacant rooms. And so, Laeva took this opportunity to propose adding an annex. Incidentally, Madam Elizabeth alternates staying between the Lodge and this mansion. She shows no sign of returning to the Royal Capital. I took wood and stone from the Item Box, solidified an image in my mind and invoked transmutation in one go. The first and second floors added four rooms. I broke down the wall using Dposition to remove that connecting point. After that, Laeva and I split the work to make beds, closets, and other various things. Was she really going to stay more than six months? I feel sorry for Dante-san. *** Chapter 537: Baby Supplies are in High Demand Chapter 537: Baby Supplies are in High DemandFreesia-san suddenly came to the Sanctuary. Moreover, knowing that she was staying until Sophia gives birth, I had no choice but to build more rooms in the annex. Regarding Freesia-san, she still had a lot of time before the delivery date. Perhaps because she has absolutely nothing to do till then, I often see her having tea with Madam Elizabeth who was visiting Charlotte. Does Dante-san really agree to this? Maybe it would be best to have Sophia write a letter to him to confirm. As for me, now that Ive reached a point where I can stop developing things for our unborn children, I should help out with the Capital Shop that Ive been turning a blind eye to. Merchandise lined the inside of a store in the Commerce District of the Royal Company. Large quantities of stock also filled the warehouse, and it was ready to open at any time. The merchandise was mainly the games as originally nned. It will sell readily avable items such as ying cards, mahjong, reversi, table tennis, billiards, darts, to even some built-to-order items. Inside that building were four young men and women moving around busily. They were transfers seconded from the Papeck Company. As it would take too long to train employees from scratch, we solicited candidates from within Papeck-sanspany, with a tight limit of 4 people. Surprisingly, Papeck-san grumbled that it was difficult choosing among therge number of candidates despite being a startuppany.Inside the living room of the store, I was having tea with Akane and Papeck-san. In any case, you must be looking forward to having three at the same time, but it must be a huge undertaking too. Well~ I was also surprised, you know? I still dont know really know how I feel about it. Thats how it is to be a father. Takumi-sama, you will know it once you see the face of your child when it is born. Even so, isnt it horrible of you to leave everything to someone else? When I asked advice from Papeck-san who has seniority as a father, Akane said some stinging words. I feel bad about it. Is that so? I heard you were making cribs and diapers for a long time. Urk, y-you see, I just thought it would be better prepare earlier. Please wait a moment. You mentioned paper diaper. Akane-sama, what are paper diapers? Ah` Papeck-san immediately caught on to the words that spilled from our conversation. Akane and I thought we goofed up, but we realized it toote. Haa~ fine. I sighed in resignation at Papeck-sans expert gaze. When ites to diapers, you would normally think of making it with cloth, but I want to reduce the workload of a mother who is busy with childcare, so I made paper diapers. Ohh! I see! If it is disposable then they could just continue to buy more diapers. As it is you, Takumi-sama, that must not be the only one. Haa~ After that, I had confessed everything that I made upon learning that my wives were pregnant, so I exined the paper diapers performance in detail, garbage bin with the purification and disintegration feature dedicated to paper diapers. The baby cot [1. Switching from bass to cot because apparently bass and cradle are the same thing(?)] and cradle also existed in this world, so Papeck-san didnt even move a finger, but showed eagerness to grasp at the baby wipes and strollers. Paper diapers and baby wipes can be sold as a set. Strollers will be directed towards nobles. Paper diapers and baby wipes are impossible, but strollers can be done even by mypanys workshop. We built our ownpany so you dont earn the ire of otherpanies This is this, that is that. I am ovee with grief over how much profit I have given up with the games No, you could buy it from us and sell it to other regions and countries, right? We dont sell the games in other cities and countries. Thats why Papeck-san was supposed to trade with our ownpany and be an outlet. Well, this is also going to be sold by Earl Rockfordspany too though. What I was trying to say was that it was a huge lie that he was grief-stricken over the sales of the games. Just because you arent involved in manufacturing doesnt change the fact that earn a profit margin. In the end, paper diapers, baby wipes, and strollers would end up in the Papeck Company as an outlet store. Itll be easy since it wouldnt be handmade, but there is no doubt that my work had increased. On the other hand, it was decided that we would recruit a (temporary) store manager for our business from the Papeck Companys candidates. Akane would be the advisor and president above that store manager. She said that if she has many opportunities toe by the Royal Capital, she said that she might be able toe up with design ideas. Akane was undexterous so she could just design though. *** Chapter 538: Why not stay at home? Once I had transferredrge amounts of various sizes of paper diapers, which I recreated for my children, into the warehouse of the Capital store, I returned to the Sanctuary. We had to make additional baby wipes and different sizes of paper diapers. I dont know how much it would sell, but it doesnt expire. Papeck-san asserted that it would sell to the nobles, and that we should stockpilerge quantities of it. I dont have that that much slime in stock though. I should go hunting for slimes with the kids again. As long as it wasnt of a high rank, slimes themselves were monster that even children could beat, so they hunt slimes in monster nests in the Savage Lands with us escorting them. Should we go out like that again? The children also seem like they have fun during the outing. Moreover, Wappa and the other kids power-leveled against a Sea Serpent, so they wouldnt be in danger if theyre fighting weak monsters. While thinking so, I climbed the stairs from the teleport room and headed for the couch in the living room to take a break, but then I saw Madam Elizabeth, Freesia-san, and an Elven woman I dont recognize having tea here. I did a U-turn and ran away to my study.Ah-, Takumi-sama, youre back? Ah just in time. There are documents that I would like you to look over that are umting. please sign here. And of course, I got caught by Charlotte, Gina, and Anna who were in the room. Takumi-sama, additionally, my apologies. Umm, its about Madam Elizabeth, isnt it? Yes. She had said that she go back to the Royal Capital, but So shes settling here, isnt she? Yes Madam Elizabeth is going back to the Royal Capital? Shes going to continue staying in the Sanctuary, isnt she? Thats what Ivee to think upon spending time with her normally. Relying on the Papeck Company which is able to enter and exit the Sanctuary, it seems various packages were being transported from the Capital. Shes basically moving in, isnt she? Well, thats fine, but, no, its not that bad. That aside, theres an Elven woman I dont particrly recognize here, who is she? Im pretty sure this is the first time Ive seen her, but it somehow feels like it isnt the first time. Ahh, she is Madam Lumia. Madam Lumia? Who is that I dont think I really want to ask Princess Mimirs mother. Princess Mimirs Mother!? Yes. Doesnt that means shes the Queen of Yggurle Kingdom!? My head hurts. Why is the Queen of Yggurle Kingdom in my living room? Now I know why I had a bad feeling about it when I heard it even though it should have been our first time meeting. Now that they mentioned it, I can see the simrity between Princess Mimir and her. excuse me. While I was baffled, there was a knock on the door, and when I gave permission to enter, Princess Mimir, who was shown in by Maribelle, bowed and apologized. Umm, please raise your head. Please sit. I offered Princess Mimir a seat on the sofa in my study. Did Her Majestye here on some business? No, it is likely because I have not been staying in the country recently. Mother had spoken of how unfair it was that only I get to enjoy the Sanctuary. It would seem she has ovee opposition from those around her and hade. Uwaa~~ What an active queen. What about King Yggurle? Father does not have the backbone to stand up against Mother. He did not defy her. Ahh, then why are you here? Madam Elizabeth, the honorary head of a noble family, Freesia-san, the wife of the a Chevalier noble family, and the Queen of Yggurle Kingdom. What kind of punishment game is this? My apologies. Mother seemed to enjoy chatting and drinking tea with Madam Elizabeth and Madam Freesia In that case, it would be fine if they go to Princess Mimirs mansion instead. As I was thinking that, Maribelle added onto the story. Master, Madam Lumia seemed to be looking forward to the birth of Mdy Sophias child. Umm, I dont think thats a reason why it has to be at my home though? Madam Freesia and Madam Elizabeth enjoyed chatting over topics such as what to name the child. Wait, thats fine and all, but they dont necessarily have to do it at MY home. The confections served alongside the tea in this household is different from others, after all. Ahh, I see My shoulders drooped in dejection. Huh? Wait a minute. The childrens names, were the ones who wille up with that, no? My apologies. I am sure you are aware that it is difficult for Elves to have children. I imagine Mother is jealous of Madam Freesia. Speaking of which, the Queen of Yggurle Kingdom had said that the Elven Mdy Sophias child was like a grandchild to her. Wha!? Lumia van Yggurle was such a nonsensical person in contrast to the very grounded Princess Mimir, it was hard to see them as mother and daughter. Huh? Will she also stay here until the children are born? *** Footnotes: Chapter 539: Wet nurse (Volume 10 END) Chapter 539: Wet nurse (Volume 10 END) I found out from Mimir-sama that Queen Lumia no, she would scold me if I didnt call her Madam Lumia. I was informed that Madam Lumia would stay in the Sanctuary for at least half a year. At present, under the sharp gazes of Gina and Ana who warn not to interfere with work, an emergency meeting was held. The four participants were, Sophia, Charlotte, Mimir, and I. Now then, how about we raise the issues? Yes. hen I will start. Charlotte raised her hand and began to speak. As you may already know, I am no longer the daughter of a noble, but rather a civil servant of the Iruma family. Because of Takumi-sama, I am happy to have been reunited with Mother, however her desire to settle down was unexpected Right. Viscount Packard also often didnt want to return home, but Madam Elizabeth showed no intent of going home. Madam Elizabeth seems to be settling in fully. I heard she had been trying to talk to Dwarven and Elven craftsmen residing in the Sanctuary for some reason.The fact that she wasnt asking us shows her earnestness. Well, it looks like the ce she will live in to be this house though Mother seems to have already checked out of the Lodge. Her room is steadily getting more furnished. My apologies. That is likely my mothers doing. As Sophia said, the reason why Madam Elizabeth was staying in this house was a result of adding additional rooms for Freesia-san. I didnt want to add just one room, so I added four rooms in total to the first and second floor, and she said she would stay by her daughters side if there was an empty room. Honorary titles dont have any work, huh. No, they usually have some kind of work, but Mother is a special case. Thats because of the situation being as it is. Is that so? Madam Elizabeth lives in the Sanctuary, but wasnt she getting bored? When I tried asking Charlotte this, she answered in a surprising way. The games room, bowling alley, concert hall, as well as the Cathedral for prayers, just those seem to be enough to keep Mother happy everyday, but the reason she is settling down here is because of the the Mistresses pregnancies. Uhh, why is that? Mother seems to want to take care of children. Eh, I dont get what you mean ording to Charlotte, Madam Elizabeth loved children, but she herself only had one daughter, and was discontent over that. Come to think of it, plenty of people in this world haverge families. This was the same for both nobles and peasants. I see, do the heads of noble families have wet nurses? Yes. If its here, then eyes around wouldnt be a concern. The truth was that Madam Elizabeth wanted grandchildren from Charlotte, but she knew that was already unreasonable. Thats why she thought that if things go well, she could fill that void with my wives children. It must be because it is my mothers first grandchild, but as to whether she wants to go home It seems Freesia-san will stay for a while even after the birth. Freesia-san first simply wanted to be there for her daughters first delivery, so I can tell she was happy. Darphy-kun was still an unmarried man, but if he did get married to someone, she didnt know when she would be able to see her grandchilds face because they would both be Elves. And so, the problem was Queen Lumia. My apologies. I had expected Mother toe to the Sanctuary frequently, but I never could have imagined that she would stay for an extended period of time here with her maid Mimir-sama was also concerned that Queen Lumia was bringing arge amount of luggage with her to stay for a long time. It seems she thought about the implications of the Queen being away from the the country for an extended period of time and seems to have told her to return many times. Mother is first and foremost the Queen, the mother to my brother and I, but my brother was born a hundred years before, and I suppose I can say I am a more recent as an elf, but Does that mean she wants to embrace my child? Yes. It would seem she is jealous of Madam Freesia Umm, why is that? The citizens of Yggurle Kingdom were like children to Mother. As such, Freesia-sans grandchild is like Mothers grandchild That is such an absurd reasoning. Yes. It is far fetched. Uwaa~ Living as a member of the Royal Family of Yggurle Kingdom, there arent many chances toe into contact with children. Even under normal circumstances, it was difficult for Elves to bear children, and since the youngest in the Royal Family was Mimir-sama, she wants to hold a baby even if it was another persons child. Fuu, so, in the end? You should let them take care of the babies., it seems. Freesia-san I can barely understand, but it looks like the head of a noble family, and a queen n to take over the roles of wet nurses. I have to write to Dante-san and King Yggurle. *** Footnotes: 1. The way Takumi refers to Mimir will be changed to Mimir-sama when theyre in a private setting mostly to show more familiarity since the Queen will be called Madam Lumia. TLN C This is the end of Volume 10. Thank you very much for reading and supporting all the way to this point. I will see you all in the next update. Please take care and, once again, thank you. Chapter 540: Creating toys (Volume 11 START) Chapter 540: Creating toys (Volume 11 START) Recently, it feels like Sophia, Maria, and Marnies stomachs have been getting bigger, so its been hard for me to rx in the living room even though its my home, and so the workshop has be the ce where I could feel at ease. The reason was, of course, because the living room was often the location of the tea party held by Madam Elizabeth, Freesia-san, and Madam Lumia. Theres a perfectly good ce right next door, why did it have to be at my house? Especially Madam Lumia. Please just have your tea parties at Mimirs house. My stomach wontst. Takumi-sama, you also have it rough. I apologize for Mother. I received constion from Laeva who was working in the workshop. Sophia apologized for Freesia-sans actions, but shes not to me for that. Of course, I knew that Freesia-san had no ill will and was just excited about having a grandchild. However, her actions were just a bit extreme. The living room was upied by the three mothers, so I was often in the workshop. As a result, Sophia, Maria, and Marnie spent a lot of their time in the workshop too. The dreary atmosphere of the workshop wasnt ideal for my pregnant wives, so we added tables and a sofa there. The workshop is spacious, so there was a lot of room.Do you know what Freesia-san and Madam Elizabeth are doing right now? Eh? Arent they having tea in the living room? I dont know why she was grinning as she asked that, but they should have been having a tea party in our living room. Fufu, a tea party is a tea party, but theyre also knitting. Ah, knitting wait, could it be? They are knitting socks for our babies. What!? I knew Maria and Marnie were knitting socks and hats for the babies, but how about Freesia-san and the madams? Im sorry. No, Sophia, its not a bad thing, its something to be grateful for maybe. Given how Sophia find difficulty with knitting, Freesia-san happily took over making hats and socks for the babies. Madam Elizabeth and Madam Lumia were jealous upon seeing that. Three babies areing at the same time so we have to work together. was their iprehensible reasoning. If you dont take the not minding stance already, you will just tire, Takumi-sama. Yup, Ill do that as much as I can. Consoled by Marnie, I just wont think about those three for the time being. By the way, Marnie preferred a lot of clothing that showed a lot of skin, which is very Beastkin-like, but given how shes now pregnant, she had settled with more modest clothing. I moved away from Sophia and the others drinking tea on the sofa and sat at my workbench. Now then, I had already made all sorts of baby articles, but the urge to make things for them isnt weakening. It started with the cradle, then the cot and stroller, paper diaper and baby wipes. And so, the next things I want to make are toys for the babies. Ive heard of intelligence training toys. It helps a childs growth as they y? Well, Im not so sure about that, but I knew of various toys. Of course, there werent toys that newborn babies would y, but if I remember correctly, there is a thing called a mobile that you attach to a crib, which ys music box sounds as it spins over a baby to soothe a baby. Ill make elephants, giraffes, rabbits, birds into cute decorations. For the rotating part, I can draw a magic form that would make it spin in a low speed. Additionally, the rotation will have prongs that would be used to y the melody of a music box. I changed the color and types of hanging ornaments and made three simr crib mobiles. I could hear the voices of Maria and the others who were sitting on the sofa a short distance away. Takumi-sama is making something yet again. It is Takumi-samas job to create things, after all. But ever since he learned of our pregnancies, it feels like he had lost all self control. Fufu, isnt that good? Its all for our babies. Just as Maria had said, even I dont think I have any self control. But there are very few things that a father can do. Maybe thats why. Now then, should I make the building blocks too? The building blocks would be fine as long as I cut wood into squares, triangles, cylinders, and circles, so it was done in no time at all. Oh yeah. I should make something that babies can bite. Ive heard that when a baby starts teething, it would bite into all sorts of things. I made it by altering the shape and firmness, and making it using safe materials. Ah, maybe I should make a rattle. Would a roly-poly doll be too outdated? In the end, I made everyst baby toy that I saw in my old world. After that, Sophia and the others asked me to restrain myself, but I dont regret it. We just have to make sure that Papeck-san doesnt find out about them. *** Chapter 541: A Quiet Day Chapter 541: A Quiet Day These days Ivee to think that Madam Elizabeth and Freesia-san being here was normal, and we were rxing in the garden and having tea while enjoying nature. By the way, Madam Lumia was living on Mimir-samas mansion. Not that it changes how much the Madams were having tea parties at my house though Sophia, Maria, and Marnies stomachs were bing fuller. I had thought that Sophia would be stressed about being restricted from intense movement, but she didnt looked stressed, perhaps because she was swayed by Freesia-san or had some stress relief. It was evident that Maria was genuinely happy about bing a mother. In particr, she was diligently sewing and knitting baby items. Perhaps because Marnie had the lightest of morning sickness from the three, she was also enjoying this period until the baby is born. Apparently, having minor morning sickness is a species trait of a Beastkin. As I gazed at the scenery in the garden while drinking my tea, threedies drinking tea at a table a slight distance away in the same garden came to view. For some reason, sitting on their knees were the Cat Sith L, Catkin Sara, and Human Colette. Look now, L-chan, you have some on your mouth. This cake is yummy nya!Sara-chan, this cake over here is delicious too. Nya! Lots of cake nya! Sirona-chan, we have juice too. Thank you, Lumia-sama. The sight of the adorable little girl squad took hold Madam Elizabeth, Freesia-san, and Madam Lumias hearts. L, Sara, and Shirona, who had very little work because they were still to young, often y at my home. It seems they were discovered by the Madams. There have not been any small children in the Royal Pce of Yggurle Kingdom since Mimir-sama for Madam Lumia. Madam Elizabeth did not have a chance toe into contact with small children after raising Charlotte. Even Freesia-san spoke of how it has been several decades since Darphy had been a small child. Are the Madams rehearsing how to take care ofing babies? Then theres the Cat Sith elder sister Miri, the Human elder sister Colette, and the Elven sisters Mnie and Malorie who were touching Sophias, Marias, and Marnies stomachs. By the way, Wappa was apparently out ying with friends. Gradually, boys and girls will gather and y separately. When I look back to when I was a kid, it was definitely awkward mingling with the girls. Im excited for Sophia-sans baby. Let me hold it when its born, okay? Me too! Me too! Yes, get along with them once theyre born, okay? The Elven sisters Mnie and Malorie happily caressed Sophias belly. Even when Mnie and Malorie were in Yggurle Kingdom, there had been no children around them,so they were excited to see a baby of the same race. Maria-san, Marnie-san! Please let me hold the baby when they are born please! Colette was also a girl so she was curious about babies, so she triedfeeling the belies of Marnie and Maria. Humans and Beastkin have a high reproduction rate, so it wasnt rare to see children, no matter the country. However, due to growing up in extreme poverty, Colette and Wappa saw a lot of small children dying from the hunger and cold. Thats why, now that theyre in a safe environment without hunger, exposure to rain and wind, and are being protected by adults, they can genuinely be happy for the birth of a new life. That made them happy above all else. Well, its not like were the first ones to have children be born in the Sanctuary, but to these children, we were special. As I thought that in a carefree manner, Vanga-san and Martha-san paid us a visit. Hey Takumi, we wanted to give some rabbit. We also brought some eggs, Takumi-chan. We have to give Sophia-chan and the others strength. Thank you very much.. Vanga-san, Martha-san, please have some tea as well. Vanga-san had four rabbits in both hands, and Martha-san was carrying a basket of eggs. Just as before he immigrated to the Sanctuary, Vanga-san was still a hunter. Martha-san bred chicken-like birds and produced eggs at my request. The maids took the gifts that Vanga-san and Martha-san had brought with them, and our new guests joined us. Still, Takumi-chan will be a father~. It feels almost like my own grandchildren will be born. What, theyre our grandchildren all the same. Were pretty much Takumis parents. Haha, you could say that. In fact, Vanga-san and Martha-san had warmly and unconditionally epted me, who didnt know right or left, when I first came to this world. It scares me to think what would have happened had these two not been here. There were many who have ill will towards me, but Im really blessed to have met good people. *** Chapter 542: Fathers are useless Chapter 542: Fathers are useless As my wives pregnant bellies grewrger, Sylph, Undine, Dryas, and Selene visited my mansion more often. This showed that their due dates were approaching. In the end, Freesia-san did not return to Yggurle Kingdom even once, and no choice but to ask to write a letter to Dante-san. Of course, both Sophia and I wrote letters exining the situation to Dante-san. Dante-san wrote back saying that that he was sorry for imposing but he would like us to let Freesia-san stay until she feels like it. Seeing Freesia-sans domineer, Dante-san must have been because of Dante-sans tolerance. or so I would like to think. Madam Elizabeth also showed no signs of returning to the Royal Capital. From time to time, Viscount Packard would visit Madam Elizabeth and Charlotte, but Madam Elizabeth herself does not want to go back. She is a noble of Valkyra Kingdom, will she be alright? And Madam Lumia. As to be expected, she is the Queen of Yggurle Kingdom, so I thought it was impossible for her to live in the Sanctuary, but shes only gone back a couple of times, and after a few days in Yggurle Kingdom, shees back with more personal belongings. Madam Lumias personal maids increased, and she said she would be retire and stay with Mimir-sama in the Sanctuary.That Madam Lumia seemed to like the Cat Sith sisters Miri and L, and I often see her cuddling them. And so, while passing the average day like any other, the time finally came. Sophia went intobor. Wait! Dont walk around the corridor like a restless bear! Thats right nya. Takumi-sama, calm down nya. Ah, yeah, sorry. Restless and unable to calm down In front of the door Sophia was in, I was scolded by Akane and Lulu-chan. Inside the room were, of course, Sophia, Maribelle who has the techniques of a midwife, Mabel who is acting as her assistant, as well as the Great Spirits Sylph, Undine, Dryas, and Selene who were watching over the delivery to make sure nothing goes wrong. In reality, there was not many things I could do, recovery magic would have been helpful, but Selene was already there. To calm down, I sat on the chair ced in the hallway. Katakatakatakatakata Takumi-sama, your fidgeting is too noisy. Ah, s-sorry. Unbeknownst to me, I was fidgeting. Youre about to be a dad so it would be better for you to toughen up. Haa, Freesia-san, youre so calm. Are you not worried? It was the birth of my first child, so I though Freesia-san somewhat understood how Im feeling because its her grandchild, but she was acting normally for some reason. You see, Sylph-sama and the Great Spirits are here. They are watching over the delivery. Im certain the delivery will be safe. Is that how it is? It is. To us Elves, the Great Spirits are objects of worship. It will be alright because such beings are present. Im made to realize once again that the Great Spirits were revered beings to the Elves. It was impossible for me to see the usual Sylph and Dryas and be reassured of my childs safe birth with just their presence. After that, Freesia-san invited me to drink tea in the living room because the delivery will take time, but I didnt move away from the front of the room. Freesia-san moved to the living room with Akane and Lulu-chan. Laeva came with drinks, the maids brought food, and Charlotte delivered documents. Thest one displeased me though. Perhaps because it was a first for me in both lives Ive lived, or maybe because I was frustrated with how useless I was, but this went on for six hours. I dont know how long it would take, or what the average even was. Then, while I was talking to Freesia-san, Akane, Lulu-chan, and Laeva, it happened. Waaah! Waaah! Waaah! We all stood up immediately and watched the door. The door opened and Maribelle came out. Congrattions, Master. Its a healthy baby girl. Sophia-sama is also safe. Congrattions, Takumi. Congrattions nya. Congrattions! S-she did it!! I was so happy I jumped for joy. That got me scolded by Maribelle and Freesia-san, but I couldnt help it. *** Footnotes: 1. Chapter 543: First Child Chapter 543: First ChildFor assurance, please use purification. Gotcha. Instructed by Maribelle to use purification magic, I casted it on everyone. You may enter the room now, but I request that you keep quiet. I know. I entered the room quietly, and there Sophia was, lying on the bed, embracing our newborn child. I could tell that Sophia was, as to be expected, exhausted, but she was brimming with a tender love. Here, Takumi-kun, hold her. Takumi-sama, please carry her in your arms. O-okay.Urged by Freesia-san and Sophia, I nervously held the baby. So small. A being so utterly helpless, unable to sustain itself without its parents protection. The second the baby was in my arms, my first thought was that I had to protect it. Unlike a mother who it had spent a long time with, it was the instant that the baby was ced into my arms that I realize I am a father. Thank you, Sophia. Yes, I would also like to thank you as well, Takumi-sama. I looked at our newborn child again. Perhaps because she was a girl, her hair was already long even though she was just born. Her hair shined just like my silver hair. Still, did she look more like Sophia? She was just born so Im not sure. Mm, her ears are long too. Yes. While I reflected on the weight of a child, Freesia-san said to switch, perhaps because she was unable to endure it anymore. Takumi-kun, isnt that enough? Its my turn now, isnt it? I understand, so please dont rush me. When I gave her to Freesia-san, the way she held the baby evidently shows the experience of a mother of two. Im next. I give my blessings to the Sylphide family. Let me hold it too, okay~ I will give my blessing to our new family member. Ah, me too me too! Just when I thought Sylph took the baby from Freesia-san just because she wanted to hold her, I saw her grant the baby a blessing. Dryas, Undine, and Selene also took turns with holding the baby, and for some reason, everyone was giving the baby their blessing but is that alright? Hey, is that okay? that will be okay, maybe. The issue here might be that there hasnt been any children blessed by the Great Spirits for thest millennia, even in the records of Yggurle Kingdom. I wouldnt say that thats alright. Before I knew it, even Madam Lumia was happily embracing the little baby. Fufu, a silver-haired elf is rare. A special child who has received the blessings of the Great Spirits. It would be troubling if the country finds out. After all, no one even in the royal family has been endowed with a blessing. Madam Lumia mentioned something that I cant just ignore. Madam Lumia, if possible, please keep this confidential. Oh my, that would be impossible. Spirits are free-willed. In particr, if a baby is born to the Sylphide family, the Wind Spirits would be especially joyous, and it would immediately be transmitted to the country. Eh! Ahh, fret not. It wouldnt be told to all citizens of Yggurle Kingdom. Just those connected with Wind Spirits. Thats not relieving at all. Even I was dejected, the Great Spirits, Freesia-san, and Madam Lumia surrounded the baby. p, p, p! Ears please everyone, Sophia-sama and the little baby are tired. Pleasee again tomorrow to meet them. Unable to watch more, Maribelle took the baby from them and ced her on the bed, then made everyone leave the room. Indeed. We have been inconsiderate, shall we head to the living room? Very well. We have toe up with a list. Fufu, leave it to me. Okay, let us convene while having tea cakes in the living room. And so, Madam Lumia seemed to have decided on something and made a proposition. Then Sylph and Dryas agreed, and even Selene said they should talk while having snacks. Undine had already begun considering something. I escorted Madam Lumia and the Great Spirits out the room. It could be that they are considering names. I think there was no doubt about that. Mother left alongside them. Wait, the name of our first child will be given by Sophia and I. W-well, would it not be a good idea to have a variety of names to consider? Hmm, you have a point. I dont know how naming works in this world, so it would help to use those as reference. Indeed. It would be an honor to receive names for consideration from the Great Spirits and Madam Lumia. I dont know if there were rules to giving names. There might be things to consider based on race or n. I would love it if we could choose it ourselves, but Ill have to borrow everyones wisdom here. *** Chapter 544: Naming Dispute Chapter 544: Naming DisputeSophia slept because she was exhausted, so I left the room and went to the living room. There, I saw that they had disregarded Sophia and I, and were considering names for the baby. I still think that a name rted to Wind Spirits would be good. Oh my, it would be even better if its a name connected to water. Fufu, I believe a nt or flower-based name would be nice~. Shes a girl, after all. Light, light would be good. She has dazzling silver hair. First on the list was Sylph, then Undine, Dryas, and Selene all went and insisted on names that were rted to their respective attributes. what names are associated with the darkness or night? No, darkness wont do. This should be a manly fire. Is your head alright, Smander? The child born is a girl. I believe a name associated with thend and earth would be most suitable.For some reason, without realizing it, even Nyx, Smander, and Gnome were participating. Wait, Nyx. I also dont think too favorably towards names with darkness and night. My apologies to the Great Spirits, but I would like to choose the name of my grandchild. Oh my, it is the first child to be blessed by the Great Spirits, even including Yggurle Kingdom. Would that not mean that, I, the Queen, should be the godmother? Freesia-san and Madam Lumia overcame their social ranks and kept each other in check. A godmother~ How nice. Lulu will also think nya Hoho, godmother has such a nice ring to it. Akane, Lulu-chan, and even Laeva were excited. Ill say it as many times as I need to, but its Sophias and my child It was then that Jeeves informed me that there were guests. Vanga-sama and Martha-sama havee. Ah- ahh, Vanga-san and Martha-san? What could it be? Ahh, Ill meet them. I said that to Jeeves and headed to the entryway. There, Vanga-san and Martha-san were holding a package. Ohh, Takumi, congrattions! We heard that the child was born! Congrattions, Takumi-chan. Youve now also be a father. Eh, you already know about it? The baby was just born, and yet Vanga-san and Martha-san already knew about it. Yeah, we heard from the Cat Siths and Elves that it was a celebration. Apparently, it was a blessing that the Spirits were bustling about in the Sanctuary. Were human so we cant see them, though. Ha, haha, is that so? Were heading back, then. Vanga-san handed me a congrattory gift and said theyre going home. Do you not want to see the baby? Takumi-chan, Sophia-san must be tired, and we can meet the baby any time. We look forward to when you can introduce the baby to us. I see. Thank you for today. Dont mention it, we look out for each other. Takumi, youre about to be the old man of three kids in one go. Good luck. Y, yes. Vanga-san patted me on the back and left. After seeing Vanga-san and Martha-san off, I walked back to the living room while pondering over whether I really had to have an introduction, and when I got there, thepetition between the Great Spirits and everyone was unfolding. How about Flora~? I think she will grow up as beautiful as a flower~ What do you think about Tempesta? It sounds strong. No can do, Sylph. Shes a girl. Dryass naming sense was not bad at all. Flora that could be it.. Come on Sylph, Tempesta is a no go. Obviously I wouldnt name my daughter that. It didnt catch on as Undine had rejected it. What do you think about Ymir? Madam Lumia, there is an issue with that. Madam Lumia rmended a name that extends to her own and Mimir-samas name. And of course, Freesia-san said no to that. Lumielle is nice. Its suitable for a dazzling child. Etoile is pretty. Lumielle, huh. Selenes naming sense is pretty good. Surprisingly, Nyxs Etoile isnt bad either. How about Haruka? The kanji for it is nice, and its a very girly name, right? Haruka nya? Is it a name from your hometown, Akane-dono? Now that I think about it, Kaede and Tsubaki are also like that. Haruka? What a pretty name. Akane rmended a very Japanese name. Just as Laeva had said, Kaede and Tsubaki were also Japanese names, so it wasnt bad. In the end, the godparentpetition being held in the living room had to be postponed. The reason for that being Mariained aboutbor pains. *** Chapter 545: All three…… Chapter 545: All three Marias delivery must have been rtively easier. Freesia-san said that Sophia also had it on the easier side for her first delivery. And what was most surprising was my Rabbitkin wife, Marnie. A characteristic of Beastkin was an easy childbirth, and as a result, when she felt the contractions, she gave birth soon after. Yes, instead of deciding a name for the child Sophia gave birth to, we now have toe up with names for three. The baby Maria had given birth to is an adorable girl with cherry blossom pink hair, maybe because of Marias red hair and my silver hair. The baby Marnie gave birth to has nearly white silver hair and rabbit ears, and it was also a girl. Yes, all three babies were girls. I thought it was okay because I was just d that all three were born safe and sound, but Sophia and the others thought that the next boy should inherit the Iruma name. But three girls, huh I dont want them to marry.Is it crazy of me to already be having these thoughts when theyve only just been born. No, I think this is normal. And the naming issue was reignited. The three are now born, so lets consider it once more. Indeed. Be it Human or Rabbitkin, they will be blessed equaly. It is no problem for us to name them either. Fufu, Takumi-chan, leave it to these Oneechans. Once again, Sylph, Undine, and Dryas were excited. I have a chance too. Madam Lumia, I believe I, the grandmother, take precedence though. Freesia-san chided Madam Lumia who has yet to give up on bing a godmother. Now, now, the opinion of the mothers are important too, so how about we discuss this with everyone? Agreed. yes, the mothers opinion is important. Then well discuss this with the mothers. When Akane said that this should be discussed with Sophia, Maria, and Marnie, both Laeva and Nyx agreed with her. Selene spoke then left to call the mothers. Actually, the room allocations were troubling me. Sophia, Maria, and Marnie each have their respective rooms. Currently, I have baby cots set up in each of those rooms, but I think its better to have them all in one room. The reason being that I am also a new dad, and Ive heard that, while they have individual differences, newborn babies need to be breastfed every few hours. In which case, a heavy burden is ced on one mother. All mothers must have gone through this, but I want to do something about that. Wet nurses exist for that reason, but in our case, they wont give milk, but rather help with duties apart from the feedings as well as help raise them. Should we relocate the mothers and babies into the same room? However, in doing that, if one were to cry, all of them would. Ah! I didnt make baby bottles! It was then that I remembered that I had forgotten to make something important. If there are baby bottles, wouldnt that lessen the burdens on my wives? Thinking so, I ran to the workshop. I transmuted ss and formed them into baby bottles and enchanted it so it wouldnt break easily. I created teats out of natural rubber. I could imagine the shape, so I made it with Alchemy in one go. But the form isnt the only thing that matters. I have to check its softness and whether its easy to suck It would be embarrassing to be seen by others, but itll be okay because nobody woulde by the workshop since theyre all by babys side right now. Between an adult like myself and a baby, theres a huge difference in sucking strength, so it would be hard to perfect it, but Id be able to get it to an eptable level. I enchanted it to remove the rubbery smell, and itsplete, so I transmuted both the baby bottle and the teat at the same time. Teats are consumable, so I made plenty of those. Once I had finished transmuting and enchanting them, Maribelle came to call me. So you were here, Master. The childrens names have been decided. Eh? As I said, the childrens names have been decided. Wh- h-how about me? I didnt understand the meaning of the words that Maribelle spoke to me, and so she put emphasis on the same words she spoke. Master was nowhere to be seen, so everyone thought you had gone to the workshop to make something. Then, you should have called me! No, Masters opinion does not carry much weight, and so it was agreed upon that it would be reported to you post-facto. I copsed, heartbroken. Who would have thought I would not be involved with the naming of my children actually no, its not surprising. If its my opinion vs Sophias, Marias, and Marnies, then I have no doubt their opinion would be taken anyway. Im not just making excuses because I lost or anything. *** Footnotes: 1. Chapter 546d: The names have been decided Chapter 546d: The names have been decidedWhen I left the workshop and headed to the room everyone was in, Akane was writing down the name of a child on paper. Sophias baby girl, whose silver hair was rare even for Elves, her name is Etoile. The pink haired baby girl that Maria had given birth to, Haruka. The silver-haired, rabbit-eared baby girl that Marnie had given birth to, it was decided her name would be Flora. I was dumbfounded when I saw the paper with the chosen names that were decided without any involvement from me. Well, I think these are good names. If I remember correctly, Etoile meant Star. It has a nice ring to it. I also have no issues with Haruka and Floras names either though, theyre also pretty names. If possible, I would have liked to at least been told before it was decided. Freesia-san was attached to the baby cot that Etoile was ced in. Im sure shes ted. She was smiling while poking Etoiles cheek.For some reason, Madam Elizabeth, who should have been unrted to all this, was charmed by Haruka grabbing her finger. And perhaps because she recognized that they were both Beastkin, Lulu-chan looked so happy rocking Flora. It looks like Lulu-chan is her big sister. Takumi-sama, Im sorry. No, its fine. Theyre good names. Sophia apologized profusely, but this isnt my wives fault. Right, lets just assume that this world doesnt have the custom of the father naming the child. Yup, that would be better for my mental health. Dont scold Sophia. Etoile was a name granted by the Great Spirits. There is no greater honor than this for an Elf. No, Im not scolding her. Madam Lumia triedforting me, but I was already able to change my view on it, so its fine. In the first ce, I, as a Japanese man, am unknowledgeable regarding this worlds and the Elvens naming sense. Since it probably wouldnt be good for a crowd to stay in the babies room, so everyone aside from the new mothers, Freesia-san, and Maribelle moved. Master, we received an offer from residents of the Sanctuary to hold a congrattory feast at the unveiling of the children. I guess thats necessary. Before I could getfortable in the living room, Jeeves informed me of the request from the Sanctuary residents. Naturally, a feast must be held. Right~ Takumi-chan. The Spirits in the Sanctuary are also looking forward to it~ Surely, Gnome and Smander are already waving the g and already beginning to making preparations, no? Sylph, Dryas, and Undine were also raring to have a congrattory feast. Well ask the maids in Volton for assistance so we could hasten the preparations. Jeeves said so, and perhaps because he wanted to consult Sebastian, he headed to the basement where the Teleport Gate is located. Incidentally, Sebastian and the maids working in Volton were taking turns toe and see the babies. I identally left behind the baby bottles I was supposed to give to Maribelle, but it was then that I realized that I had forgotten something important. Oh yeah. Baby bottles need to be sterilized, dont they? Yes, they used to boil the bottles to sterilize them in the olden days. Now the method of sterilization changes ording to the material. ss bottles and stic bottles, of course, use different methods. But that is irrelevant here in this world where magic exists. After all, purifying magic exists. I easily transmuted a suitable metal box (I chose mithril alloy after considering the weight. It also doesnt rust.) and inserted a purifying magic device into it. I also prepared a container to store breastmilk and enchanted it with State Preservation so microorganisms wouldnt propagate in the milk. The baby bottles and its essories were well received by the new mothers, Freesia-san, Maribelle, and the maids who were in charge of the babies. Additionally, the disposable diapers that they were once reluctant to use because it would be wasteful were now epted for their convenience, and mostly how baby friendly it was. They were also delighted by the trash bin exclusively for the disposal of said diapers. Newborn babies have poor eyesight, so I thought it was still too early for a baby mobile, but Sophia and the others were thankful for the toys such as the baby rattle. Ah! I forgot about the carrier and sling for carrying babies! Takumi-sama, Laevas tribe uses arge piece of cloth. Ahh, right, there were those too. But I was thinking of something that was simpler and more secure. Well, I thought youd say that. Master, leave the fabric to Kaede! Laeva was appalled, and Kaede jumped out from the Subspace and volunteered to help. Now the highest quality cloth will be produced. Aside from Kaede and I who headed to the workshop, everyone came together to start preparations for the feast in the Sanctuary. Am I the only one who feels like this is definitely going to be something important? *** Chapter 547: Grand Unveiling Chapter 547: Grand Unveiling The babies debut was settled a weekter. I was opposed to introducing the babies were who were not even one month old to a multitude of people, but Sylph and the others said that it wasnt reckless if done within the Sanctuary. Takumi, youre too fussy. We, the Great Spirits, have bestowed our blessings upon them. yes. We will protect them. Even Selene and Nyx had given their stamp of approval. Wouldnt it be better if it was at least two months after? was what I was thinking though. Then on the third day, four days before the feast, Sylph said that the Wind Spirits were so overjoyed that an offspring was born to Yggurle Kingdoms Sylphide family, and that Dante-san wasing all the way to the Sanctuary to meet Etoile. Jeez! That guy! Neglecting the territory toe! Wait, is it not about time you head home, Mother? What are you saying, Sophia? Do you want me to live a life where I cant see Etoiles adorable face?When Freesia-san heard that Dante-san wasing to the Sanctuary, she uttered words that made me doubt if she was a nobledy. Hearing this, Sophia suggested that it was nearly time for her to return, but she really doesnt want to go home at all. One shouldnt interfere with a parent-child conversations, right? I went around the Sanctuary to work on the banquet preparations. In the breweries, barrels of wine, ale, and whiskey were being selected. Gnome and Gn-san were in charge of this. And at the za in the central district where the Spirit Tree and my mansion were located, the Dwarves made tables and chairs. The priests of the Genesis Faith who were able to pass through the barrier were cleaning and decorating the Sanctuarys one and only cathedral. The feast will begin at the church with a report and show of gratitude to Goddess Norn. The mermaids led by Fluna-san were doing their best to secure seafood for the feast. And from the building that houses the gate that connects to the Sky Ind, the Aligerous Tribe hauled the meat of the game they hunted. Their chief, Valkan-san, was overseeing them. Valzac-san and Berkut were also there. Im almost certain that Vart-kun and Valto-kun were also working hard somewhere. It appears the Aligerous Tribe will also be fully participating in the banquet. Vanga-san, who also resides in the Sanctuary, was also hunting. Martha-san gathered with the women to help prepare for the feast. I heard they were preparing time-consuming dishes and also making smoked meats and sausages from the captured game. They were also making sweets that would keep for long periods of time for the Sanctuary children. In the Concert Hall, musicians were practicing with their instruments. They were rehearsing for the feast. And, I feel apologetic and grateful for this, but everyone was preparing gifs to celebrate the birth of our newborn children. In the Sanctuary, when ites to gifts, its usually agricultural products or marine products, as well as woodwork and medicinal nts though. Thats because Im involved with most of the Sanctuarys products. It couldnt be helped. It wasnt only food and drinks that were prepared. tes, cups, knives, and forks were also needed inrge quantities. The Dwarves and Elves worked together to make them as well. I could have also made them all at once using Alchemy, but this feast was to congratte me as well, so they said that I shouldnt be involved with the preparations if I could. And so, while I was making my rounds around the Sanctuary, I received word that Dante-sans carriage had arrived in at the entrance of the Sanctuary. What will you do? I had let him pass the first gate, but you want to meet him, dont you? Thanks, Sylph. Ill meet him after speaking with Freesia-san. Using Tsubakis carriage, I headed to the the outer district where the Lodge is located near the entrance to the Sanctuary. Im sorry about this, Takumi-kun. Ive troubled you by making youe out to pick me up. Not at all, Dante-san, you are my Father-inw, so please do not think that you are a bother. You really are kind, Takumi-kun. You should have just let that guy pass through the gate and walk. Ha, haha Freesia-san was displeased because she hated being away from Etoile for even a moment. At first, she even said that there was no need to pick him up. But it would take a long time to walk from the entrance all the way to the central district. Perhaps Freesia-san wasnt being serious she wasnt, right? After securing amodations for Dante-san, his coachman, and his guard, we returned to the mansion with Dante-san. The atmosphere was heavy in the carriage. Freesia-san was displeased, and Dante-san was ufortable. What should I do? *** Chapter 548: Unveiling Banquet Chapter 548: Unveiling Banquet In the mansion, Dante-sans face crumbled at the sight of Etoile. The proper and graceful elf grinned sloppily as he gazed at his granddaughters face. Why does Freesia-san not want to hand over Etoile to Dante-san who just wants to hold their granddaughter. Their rtionship should have been good though There was the issue of whether Dante-san was going to stay at the Lodge or in the same room as Freesia-san in my mansion. They were a normal couple, so I assumed it was alright if they stayed in the same room, but Freesia-san seemed to want to monopolize Etoile as much as she could, so she told Dante-san to stay in the lodge, and so they quarreled a lot. In the end, it was decided that they would stay in the same room together for a few days, but I looked away from theirpetition for Etoile. By the way, Haruka and Flora were also well loved by the maids and the women of the Sancutary. Also, Madam Elizabeth and Madam Lumia favored Etoile, Flora, and Haruka equally. On that day, there was an innumerable amount of Spirits in the Sanctuary, they were flying and dancing all around in joy. Flowers were in full bloom, and the gentle breeze wafted their scent throughout the sanctuary. Inside the Cathedral built at the central district of the Sanctuary, light passed through the stained ss and illuminating the interior with various colors.The symphony of violins, vis, and cellos yed by the Sanctuarys own orchestral band resounded within the Cathedral. Those gathered in this venue were the Elves, Dwarves, Cat Siths, and children who first immigrated, the Mermaids with Fluna-san, and the Aligerous Tribe with Berkut. Naturally, Vanga-san and Martha-san, who were the first people I encountered in this world, were also present. Madam Lumia, Madam Elizabeth, Charlotte and my aids, as well as the maids and butlers in my employ joined us as well. Just for today, even the servants working in the Volton Mansion were in attendance, and the patrol was left to the Security Golems. My inws Dante-san and Freesia-san. Of course, Laeva, Akane, Lulu-chan, as well as Kaede and a tiny version of Titan. And Mimir-sama, the facilitator, was standing alongside Sylph, Undine, Dryas, Gnome, Smander, Selene, and Nyx, in front of Goddess Norns statue waiting for us. Therge doors of the Cathedral opened, Sophia carrying Etoile, Maria carrying Haruka, and Marnie carrying Flora all entered alongside each other, and I followed behind them. Greeted by loud cheering, Sophia, Maria, and Marnie advanced amid the music and cheers. Surprisingly, in all of this, my dear children didnt cry in surprise. Rather, they were sleeping so peacefully. Walking slowly, we arrived in front of Mimir-sama and the Great Spirits, and Mimir-sama reported the birth of the children to Goddess Norn. May the blessings of Goddess Norn be upon Etoile, Haruka, and Flora who were born to the Keeper of this Sanctuary and the Protector of the Spirit Tree, Takumi Iruma, and Sophia, Maria, and Marnie. The moment Mimir stated this and offered up her prayers, even the people did not have the sight for Spirits were able to see the various colors of Spirit Lights dancing aplenty in the Cathedral. Eventually, light gathered at Goddess Norns statue. Ah, this was the recreation of what happened during our wedding. Sparkly lights soon took the form of Goddess Norn, and the dazzling Goddess seemed to smile and spread her arms open. The shining Goddess Norn burst into small lights which poured down onto Etoile, Haruka, and Flora. it appears Goddess Norn has blessed these children. Everyone, offer your prayers to the Goddess. Mimir-sama was moved to tears as she said so, and voices of celebrations, prayers, and appreciation erupted within the Cathedral. When Sophia, Maria, and Marnie came out of the Cathedral with Etoile, Haruka, and Flora in their arms, the Sanctuary residents cheered and scattered flower petals on them. Under the watchful gaze of the residents, we walked around in order to introduce Etoile, Haruka, and Flora. We received the blessings of all the residents who were unable to fit in the Cathedral. Will this happen every time a child of mine is born? Was I the only one who thought that this was far too grandiose formoner children? After that, the mothers and the babies returned to the mansion, and the banquet started. All sorts of food and alcohol was served, and the banquet continued throughout the night. Be it Human, Beastkin, Elf, Dwarf, Mermaid, Aligerous, Cat Sith, or Fairie, everyone celebrated the childrens births and enjoyed the banquet. In this asion, there were no nobles, nomoners, and no racial disputes. Etoile, Haruka, and Floras unveiling banquet continued till dusk the next day. If theres a next time, Ill make it a little bit morepact. *** Footnotes: 1. Chapter 549: Respective Responses Chapter 549: Respective ResponsesAll around the Sanctuary, hungover people were passed out drunk here and there. As to be expected, the Dwarves were cleaning up after the feast as if nothing happened. Naturally, Undine and the rest of the Great Spirits wouldnt suffer from a hangover, and so were functioning like normal. What I do know is that Papeck-san found out that the children had been born. Of course he would. Baby products lined the Capital store, so he knew that Sophia and the other were pregnant. As such, with the passing days and months, it was only natural that they would give birth. The shop manager in charge of our Capital store had sent word to us that Papeck-san wasing to the Sanctuary to congratte us. Even though there was no need toe all the way to the Sanctuary to congratte us, but Papeck-san himself wasing. Because of that, I couldnt say much because the information leaked to the important people of the country. Royal Castle, Valkyra Kingdom Valkyra Kingdoms Prime Minister Simon obtained practically urate information from the intelligence division regarding the Papeck Company Presidents movements. The Papeck Company President is transporting arge amount of packages to the Sanctuary?Yes. And the store that Iruma-dono operates in the Royal Capital is marketing several products for infants. Iruma-dono is having a child? Highly likely Even Simon thought that any toy rted goods would sell well. If toy-rted goods were included in the product list, it would be natural to assume that they were developed out of necessity for Takumi. I must consult with His Majesty, but we must prepare a congrattory item. Then I will tail the Papeck Company President. Umu, use my name if need be. Get as much information as possible. Ha! By yourmand. Once the head of the intelligence unit gave his report and left, Simon quickly made his way to King Valkyra to inform him. Takumi is the most important person to Valkyra Kingdom. They have built up some good rapport with him, but Simon thought that they shouldnt becent with strengthening it. Mhmm, I should tell His Majesty first. This is a good chance to further strengthen our bond with Iruma-dono. Simon walked faster to hold a private audience with King Valkyra. This matter must be kept confidential. It was clear that trouble woulde about if those pesky nobles learn of it. At the same time, Simon began preparing to make his way to the Sanctuary personally. Simon decided that he would give his congrattions personally, and settle his duties ahead of schedule in order to do so. The Royal Castle was not the only one surveilling the movements of the Papeck Company. Papeck was mainly collecting gifts around the Royal Capital as a congrattory gift for Takumi, but the main branch in Volton was also gathering some from the bordends. Papeck also had trouble withing up with gifts for Takumi. Nothing canpare to the food and condiments from the Sanctuary. In general, even the expensive magic devices were things Takumi made himself. Even expensive dresses from the Capital were inferior to the Sanctuary clothing made from the threads produced by Kaede. And so, Papeck was presenting everyday clothing, underclothing, and daily necessities for the residents of the Sanctuary. There are various artisans in the Sanctuary, but they are often treated as high ss merchandise. Ready-made clothing was notmon in this world, any number of clothing that could be worn by ordinarymoners would be appreciated. Papeck also collected dairy products such as cheese, as well as eggying birds simr to chickens. The Sanctuary has the potential for dairy and poultry farming, and it is actually being done in a small scale, but it could not be said that it was enough to satisfy the demand of the Sanctuary. Takumi also bought animals for livestock from the Papeck Company. This time, he decided to bring chickens that dont require much space to raise. Papeck also knew that Takumi creates egg based desserts, so he was certain that Takumi would be happy with the chickens. And so, the Papeck Companys caravan travelled from the Royal Capital and arrived at Volton, then more carriages extended the line and they departed for Wedgefort. The people who witnessed this noticed that this was headed in the direction of the Sanctuary. They couldnt be sure if it was a normal trade or not, but Margrave Volton was aware that Takumis store had recently been selling baby products. With that in mind, it was easy to deduce what the actions of the Papeck Company signify. Inside the Volton castle, the lord presiding over this estate, Godwin, and his chambein, Xervus, were in the middle of a discussion, brainstorming ideas. It seems a child has been born to Iruma-dono. Yes. I believe that to be so. finding a congrattory gift is challenging. Yes. Iruma-sama is capable of obtaining most things he desires by himself. Hmm, ah, right. How about some Treant Wood? That is a wonderful idea, milord. Iruma-sama is able to gather Treant himself, but he has be busy. Coming to the Forest of Death to hunt them himself would be too time consuming, surely he would be pleased with this. Ohh, excellent. Ive heard that the Sanctuary has be more popted and the number of buildings have increased. Hell be in want of any amount of durable Treant Wood. As a result, Margrave Volton gave Takumi arge number of Treant Wood, though it was questionable whether such a gift was appropriate for the celebration of a childs birth. Takumi, whose stock in the Item Box was diminishing, was overjoyed by this gift. *** Chapter 550: Fathers are weak to their daughters Chapter 550: Fathers are weak to their daughters You can tell the corners of my eyes naturally drop. When I hold Etoile, Haruka, and Flora, I could really feel the weight of a life. How ck and loose. Nyaa, it cant be helped nya. Even Lulu cant get over their cuteness nya. As I was carrying Etoile, Akane appeared. Lulu-chan adored Flora, who was a Beastkin just like her. If youre already like that now, youll be in trouble when the girls marry. They wont get married, hmph! Wait, hmph Akanes gaze felt a bit chilly, but that didnt matter to me. If these cutie patooties get married ah, I dont want to think about it.Master, fathers arent all too involved in raising children.. Eh! Is that so!? A-ah, Im sorry, Im sorry, Etoile. I spoke too loud all of a sudden. As I was holding onto Etoile, Maribelle informed me that fathers dont help much with the raising of children. It would seem that in this world, childcare is the duty of mothers, wet nurses, and maids. But I cant agree with this. Unlike mothers who brought to life a baby in their stomach for a long time, fathers feel a sense of fatherhood the first time they hold the baby. I appealed to Maribelle that it was important to be participate in raising the child so they will develop a strong, and loving bond. Wouldnt that be fine, Maribelle? Sebastian-san This is the Sanctuary, not a single resident would be critical of Master. Rather, the sight of Master taking care of the littledies would be epted by the residents. Its not that I want to stick with the kids all the time, but just overlook it a bit. Haa, it cant be helped then. But please do some work. Chharlotte-san is looking for you. Urk, o-okay. Thanks to Sebastian backing me up, Maribelle seemed reluctant but allowed my participation in raising the children. This world wasnt exactly male-dominated, but there were many cases where roles were clearly defined, with fathers working while mothers raise children and do housework. Sebastian told me that in particrly affluent families, childcare is left to the mother and maids. I heard from Maribelle that Charlotte was looking for me, so I suppose I should make my way to my study.. When I opened the door, Charlotte, Gina, and Anas gazes came my way. I heard that Charlotte was calling for me yes. There are documents that you must look over it but why is Flora-chan in your arms? Takumi-sama, this is work. yup, shes adorable, but not in a ce of work. Urk, l-look, her rabbit ears are cute, arent they? I guess holding a baby while working is a no go. Its my cuddle time with Flora right now though. Takumi-sama, I will be taking Flora then. A-ahh, Floraaaaa! Marnie, who was following me from behind took Flora with her. Because she was her mother, when Flora was taken by Marnie, I saw that she didnt kick up a fuss, and that made me a bit jealous. I know it gives the babyfort being in their moms embrace, but Im quite proud that they dont fuss or squirm theyre in my arms, but I could never win against the mom. Once Flora was gone, I quickly got my work done. I want to y with my babies, after all. With that fueling my motivation, I settled documents. Okay! Im done! Then please make paper diapers and dedicated garbage bins please. Eh, Laeva, why are you in the study? The moment I finished all the documents, Laeva spoke up. We received word from the Capital Store that the stock of diapers and bins were selling at an astronomical pace. As such, it is urgently needed. Umm, it cant wait till tomorrow? No, it can not. Now then, I will assist you, so lets be on our way. Uwaa! Etoileeee! Floraa! Harukaaaa! Laeva dragged me by the arm into the workshop I guess Ive got no choice. Lets do our best to finish fast. Thats the spirit. With Laevas help, we made arge number of diapers and bins. Okay! With this much, it should be enough for a while. Good job. I ran out of the workshop as soon as everything was done and went directly to my babies. But Maribelle stopped me at the door. My apologies. The children have just fallen asleep, so please refrain from waking them up. N-no way I fell to my knees right then and there. I cant do anything if they just started sleeping. Sleeping is part of a babys job. I will brew some tea for you, pleasee to the living room. okay. Its okay, they should wake up soon, right? *** Chapter 551: Another Birth At the time when Takumis children were born and the Sanctuary was in a festive mood, in the city at the border of the former Sydnia Empire, an evil child was given birthed. In that city at the border, it was dead silent. Not a light could be seen at night, only darkness spread. Yes, there was not even a single person in that city, a ghost town. The reason being Away from the city, the church in the location of what was once the church of the former Light God Faith was in decay and crumbling down. And in the spot where the altar should have been, a huge tree-like lump of meat stood. It was a sinister tree with countless faces and body parts on its surface. Indeed, therge tree, which originated from the fragment of the Evil Spirit that the priests of the now defunct Light God Faith had offered sacrifices to, had grown so much that it looked so ominous with miasma so dense its visible to the naked eye.There were no more people there. No, nothing existed. In this ce devoid of people, a being that was hardly human-like was taking care of the solidified meat tree. That caretaker, which was something close to a human but was enveloped in dense miasma that people would have unable to endure, and had deviated in some way from humans, like having four arms, more than two legs, and even multiple heads, was loitering around the meat tree to take care of it. To take care of that tree, it sacrifices humans and monsters to it. That was one of the reasons why this city was a ghost town. That didnt mean that all of its residents had been sacrificed though, many of them became victims, and as a result, people fled from this town one after the other. Eventually, this city in the bordends will be corrupted by miasma, and would be a ce that no man woulde near. Taking the continent in its entirety, the Earth Vein is being purified because of the World Tree and the Spirit Tree in the Sanctuary, which is leading to a decline in miasma in the continent, with exception to this city located at the very center of the continent, where the opposite phenomenon is urring. However, that miasma does not have the capability of spreading over a wider area. Compared to the Sanctuary where the Great Spirits have manifested, the influence that a monster raised by feeding the Evil Spirits fragment with the malice of men was known. It did not have the power to spread miasma to the entire country. As such, it was growing slowly. As it stored power little by little. And on that day, from within the trunk of that sinister tree emerged arge cocoon-like thing. Hands protruded out from the meat tree and cradled the newly birthed cocoon, like a mother tightly embracing a child to protect it. The cocoon pulsated as it waited for an opportune moment. After thirty days passed, a change urred within the cocoon. Crick! A small crack appeared on the surface of the cocoon, eventually extending the length of it. Boosh! With the sound of ss shattering, the cocoons shell burst open. The hands protruding from the meat tree reached in and held up a dark-skinned, red-haired baby. Without a cry or a sob, the infant slowly opened its eyes, revealing its shining red pupils. The beings that were once human in the meat tree rejoiced at the birth of the child. They could no longer speak human words. They only amounted to scream, yet there was no doubt that they were overjoyed. The people of the world did not notice. The vestige of the Evil Spirit that once caused the fall of a nation and plunged the continent into chaos was growing *** Chapter 552: Mass Celebration It shouldnt have been that long since Etoile, Haruka, and Flora were born, yet there was a massive amount of gifts that arrived from the Papeck Company. Moreover, Papeck-san himself came as a bonus. Sylph notified me of this. Takumi, the usual old merchant ising closer with a line of carriages. The usual old merchant, do you mean Papeck-san? I wonder why hesing by with a number of carriages at this time? We regrly sell products wholesale to the Papeck Company. But most of the time, those deliveries were sent to their Volton store or the Royal Capital store. Additionally, we sell small quantities of Sanctuary-made wine and whiskey to Papeck-san when hees by, but I cant think of any reason why he woulde with a line of carriages. The poption in the Sanctuary had increased, but it was able to be self sufficient. It didnt need to importrge amounts of produce from outside. Eggs and dairy products like cheese were the exception, but that was about it. Ive also been informed by Sylph that there were some old folk are escorting the caravan. They were with me when I came to Volton for the very first time, and I had been under their care multiple times. Heath-san, Lyle-san, and Bogah-san of the Lions Fang wereing. Takumi, without even thinking about it too much, arent those congrattory gifts? You were the reason why their store became huge. If you have a child, then isnt it a given that he would send one or two gifts? Wait, but theres a line of carriages, you know? Theres no way those are all gifts right?Different from the usual, Heath-san and the high rank adventurer party Lions Fang were even hired as escorts, could it be because they were carrying arge amount of gifts? Haha, no way did someone already tell Papeck-san that my children were born? Shouldnt you go out and meet them? Right. There might be a problem if we let this parade of carriages in with Papeck-san. Bring Kaede and Titan with you. Ill do that then. As ofte, the Volton C Wedgefort C Sanctuary route has a low rate of monster encounters and was a rtively safe route, but because it was a line of carriages of the Papeck Company, they must have hired adventurers other than the Lions Fang . That being the case, it wasnt an option to take in everyone at the Dejima. There were also employees of thepany working as coachmen and porters. It was unreasonable to have them all pass through the gate. Sylph and the Great Spirits screen for people who can pass through and people who will be rejected entry into the Sanctuary. I feel sorry for the people who have to remain outside the gate. Normally, it would only be Papeck-san, his agent, coachman, and a couple of other people, so they would be allowed through to the Dejima. Essentially, security is left to golems, so they cant handle arge number of people. When I went to the first gate into the Sanctuary with Kaede, Titan, and Sylph, Papeck-san was the only person that Sylph let through. Ohh! Takumi-sama, you came to meet me personally? ITs been a long time, Papeck-san. Takumi-sama, it seems your child has been born. Felicitations. Today, Ivee bearing a token of congrattions. I appreciate youing all the way here yourself with these lines of carriages. Takumi, Ill take all the carriages through the barrier, so lets have the golems carry the cargo to the warehouse. While Papeck-san and I were exchanging greetings, Sylph said she was epting the gifts. Oh yeah. Papeck-san, well receive your luggage here. My apologies, but aside from you, one coachman, as well as the members of the Lions Fang, the Sanctuary is Of course. Everyone will head back to Wedgefort with exception to us. Papeck-san instructed all but one carriage, its driver, and the members of the Lions Fang to make their way back. The cargo of the carriages that numbered in the tens were unloaded by the golems. The mountain of goods were, thankfully enough, clothing and underwear for the residents of the Sanctuary. And the chickens and cheese that I wanted. Ooh, chickens. These cant go into storage, please send these to the mansion instead. Master, pudding, I want pudding. Yeah, Kaede, I know you like pudding so Ill make a huge one just for you. Yaaaay! In the Sanctuary, eggs were precious, so I couldnt use them for desserts that much. The number of chickens increased, so from now on, I might be able to use eggs for more dishes and desserts. I ordered the golem to handle that specific crate separately. Papeck-san, these are all things I wanted. Thank you. Ha ha ha, weve been trading for many years. Takumi-sama, I know what would make you happy. Lyle-san seemed to be itching to talk to me, but Heath-san and Bogah-san were ring at him, so he gave up and went back to helping unload the cargo. Well, I n to invite them over to the mansionter, so we can leave it for then. I asked Titan to bring Heath-san and others to my hometer, and Papeck-san and I headed there first. *** Chapter 553: Consecutive Congratulatory Gifts I returned to the mansion with Papeck-san. Papeck-san said he wanted to see my children, so I thought about showing him into the room where all the babies beds were, but Sophia and the others were at the living room at that exact time. Ohh, they are all daughters? You must be worried about the future, Takumi-sama. Please stop, Papeck-san. Theyve only just been born. Not at all. You see, children grow up so quickly. It seems Papeck-san has already married off a daughter. He said he happy with his daughters marriage, but he seemed even lonelier remembering that that time. My son, I raised him strictly so he could seed thepany, and so, at a certain age, our rtionship was more of superior and subordinate than father and son. He said that in the Papeck Company Royal Capital Branch. Papeck-sans son was training. Papeck-san travels back and forth between Volton, Capital, and the Sanctuary, so he does not have much time with his family. In particr, his rtionship with his heir was less familial and more business-like. Ha, haha, it must be hard being the president of a hugepany.That was all I could say. Even so, the gifts you gave is really helpful, Papeck-san. It makes me happy you say that. The multitude of gifts that Papeck-san had given today were things that anyone would appreciate. Even with clothing, what we wear are made from Kaedes threads. They were high ss clothing that I wouldnt know the cost of if put out into the outside world. Wappa and the kids were provided a set of clothes for all four seasons, and sometimes I buy clothes from the Papeck Company for the residents, but even so, the amount he gave us this time was a huge help. With those, maybe we can make a clothing store in the Sanctuary. For daily necessities like dinnerware, the residents basically make it themselves, but that wasnt possible for the children, and there were people who arent good with their hands either. And the dairy products, I would like some on a regr basis. I dont mind if theyre a little bit on the expensive side. If it is alright with you, how about transporting cows? The one to respond to those words was Maribelle. Master, I would very much appreciate it if we could purchase a dairy cow. Could it be for my babies? Yes. I would like for the littledies to drink fresh milk. It wasnt something Head Maid Maribelle normally did, but she interrupted Papeck-san and I when we were talking for the sake of the babies. Actually, Maribelle doted on the babies a lot, and she loved them like they were her own grandchildren. This was the same for all of the maids and my aides. Right now we only have working livestock right? Yes. The cows currently here are too old to make milk. Maribelle, wait a bit for the cows. That was when Sylph put that on hold. O-oh Great Spirit! Whats up, Sylph? Papeck-san froze at Sylphs sudden appearance, but it was nothing new for us so we werent surprised. If you want the finest milk, then it should be the Milqueen! Milqueen? Yes, its a cow monster that produces the finest quality milk. A monster you say, is that safe? Miqueens are docile so its safe. If were unlucky, then wouldnt it just be less docile than a normal cow? Ohh! A Milqueen!? It seems even Papeck-san knew about it. You also know about it? Yes. It is known as the mythical milk. It is something not even royalty is able to consume! If its that delicious, then Im sure it will sell in at the Capital, but Ive never seen it. That is a given, Takumi-sama. ording to Papeck-san, a Milqueen is three times the size of a normal cow. However, because of its gentle temperament, it was easily preyed upon by other monsters. Now that their numbers had fallen, they only inhabit remote areas with fewer powerful monsters. As to be expected, using long distance teleportation on a Milqueen would be challenging. Indeed wait, isnt that also impossible for me? What are you saying? If its you, then it would be simple, no? Well, its pretty easy for me to teleport, I guess? Then Master, Ill leave it to you. I will arrange the construction of a ranch and proceed with selection of caretakers. Ah, Maribelle! aaaand shes gone. Give up. Its for babies. Ah, right, right. A line of carriages loaded with Margrave Voltons gifts are fast approaching. Say that first! I hurried to the gate to meet them. *** Chapter 554: Reunion with the Lion’s Fang The congrattory gift that Margrave Volton sent was arge amount of Treant wood. The Dwarves and Elves were overjoyed by it. As to be expected, lugging arge amount of Treant wood to the warehouse was a huge ordeal, so I stored everything in my Item Box for the time being. Now, it cant be helped if the capacity of my Item Box was being exposed as unusual. At the Lodge, I was able to meet some old friends. They were the members of the Lions Fang who epted the escortmission of Papeck-sans caravan, as well as escorting his partys safe return. Hey hey, Takumi, so youre already a father of three, huh? I havent even gotten married yet, man. Arent Heath-san and Bogah-san both married men too? Heath and Bogah are the same age so its fine. You are a heva lot younger than me, arent ya? Its been a while since Ive met the three members of the Lions Fang, but Lyle-san was already picking a fight. Hes was much older than me, but his bad attitude was still the same as ever..Lyle, stop trying to fight with Takumi. You keep chasing the tails of those women from brothels. its better if you actually make an effort in finding a wife. I love them jiggle jiggles! Jiggle jiggle I cant take you seriously if you say that stuff. Shut it! I will marry those sexy oneechans! Lyle-san yelled at the top of his lungs as he exited the room. He probably went out to drink. Heath-san and Bogah-san just shook their heads in disappointment. The fact that Lyle-san was still acting the same was nostalgic and that made me happy. Still, youre a dad now huh. Were getting old. Heath-san, you guys are still young. Especially Lyle-san. Haha, it would be nice if Lyle settled down some. he just chases tail. Ha, haha, as always. That day, I showed them the bowling alley and the games room in the Lodge, and apanied them for a bit for games and alcohol. Still, this is a great inn. Its extravagant, and it even has this game room. I want to bring my wife and child here. Heath-san, Bogah-san, if its you then Im okay with it. Pleasee visit with your wives and children. It might be difficult to give you the best room, but Ill make sure you stay in one of the regr rooms. Ohh! Id be grateful for that. my wife and child would be happy. The Adventurer party Lions Fang was the top party in Volton, so they must have experienced staying in high ss hotels. But I referenced the high ss hotels of my old world based on my memory for the lodge. It wasnt just for Heath-san, even the usually reticent Bogah-san was somewhat excited. As for Lyle-san Tch, its so friggin tasty. Duh. You cant drink this wine or whiskey anywhere ousitde of the Sanctuary. I thought you already left Volton, what are you doing here? At the bar counter, we came face to face with Doganbo-san. The Dwarves took turns manning the bar counter. They were experimenting different ways to make alcohol taste better. Why, isnt it a given that smithing and alcohole hand in hand when you say Dwarf? No, dont just up and disappear! We didnt know what to do about our gears maintenance! If its maintenance then other cksmiths can do it, no? Crafting alcohol in the Sanctuary is a hundred times more important than that. Kuh, this damn geezer, not even a grain of remorse! The one maintaining their partys equipment seemed to have been Doganbo-san. And they were in trouble because that Doganbo-san suddenly disappeared from his store. So the one maintaining Heath-san and the others gear was Doganbo, huh? Yeah, he was the most skillful cksmith in Volton. its rare to have a Dwarven cksmith at the border. As we talked about ourtest updates, Heath-san suddenly looked serious. Hey, when Bogah and I retire, can we move here? Umm, will you be immigrating? Yeah, we wont always be young. Its not just me who wants to raise my child in a safe environment, Bogah feels the same. Bogah-san nodded along as Heath-san spoke. They had apparently saved up a lot of money from being high ranking adventurers. Since their children were still small, they considered changing from high risk jobs to normal ones. As a profession, being an adventureres with so many risks that it wouldnt be strange to lose your life at any given time. Thats why only the handful of people who have been adventurers for a long time are high level adventurers. Even if its said that you live longer the higher your level is, but were not at that level. No Heath-san, you guys are the top party in Volton, arent you? Even if were at the top, we cantpare to your group. Actually, I would love it if a high ranking party like Heath-san and Bogah-san immigrates to the Sanctuary. I may have made Wappa and the kids power level a bit, but I couldnt teach them fighting skills which include handling swords and spears. Im too busy to do so. If its the dependable Heath-san and Bogah-san, they were the most suitable for teaching in between jobs in the Sanctuary. If talks go well with your party, we will wee you. I can contact you by way of Papeck-san. Thanks, Takumi. I will discuss it with my family too. thanks. I will also try talking to my family. Heath-san and Bogah-san seemed serious. I wonder if their wives would be able to adapt from their life in Volton City to the life in the Sanctuary. Papeck-san was busy with work, so they stayed overnight and the next day, he returned to Volton with the Lions Fang escorting him. *** Chapter 555: Pursuit for the Finest Milk After giving a return gift and letter to Papeck-san and Margrave Volton for their gifts, Maribelle instructed me to search for the Miqueen. I thought it would still be a long ways off before my babies drink anything other than breastmilk, but Maribelle said it would be nice if the residents were able to obtain dairy products easily in the Sanctuary, and I heard that the ranch and apanying facilities were already under construction. So asked if the monster known as a Milqueen was really docile, and Selene and Undine said that they were really safe as long as they werent harmed. And there was a reasonable exnation as to why Miqueens arent extinct yet even though they were docile. Firstly, smaller animals would find it hard to attack if it resisted. It was simr to how elephants and rhinos were rarely attacked. And secondly, while it may be huge, the Milqueen is known to have the finest of milk but its meat did not taste good at all. Even carnivorous monsters wouldnt attack Miqueens because of the taste of its meat wasnt worth the effort of hunting it, unless they were desperately hungry. And surprisingly, Miqueens dont need reproductive behavior. I dont know if its hermaphroditism, they can produce children with just females. Its a monster, so it wasnt strange for it to have characteristics different from animals. Actually, it wasnt rare for this type to survive in the vicious struggle for existence.There is one other trait that the Miqueen has. They dont need to have children to produce milk. Normally, dairy cows produce milk when they give birth to a calf, but Miqueens produce milk without fail all year round. Then Maribelle strongly suggested catching a Milqueen. Master, how about leaving the ranch to Heath-sama and Bogah-sama? Umm, wouldnt that be after they retire as adventurers? Of course, it may be difficult to do so immediately, but I do believe they want to immigrate soon. Hee~~ When asked, even Maribelle seemed to have heard of the good reputation Lions Fangin Volton, and had thought they had good character. Sure enough, the Great Spirits would probably also approve of Heath-san and Bogah-san. I also heard from Heath-san and Bogah-san that they want want to migrate, but I dont think its immediately. Oh my! So Heath-sama and Bogah-sama also wish to immigrate! Capable fighters of good character are valuable, Master. By all means, please invite them. It was then that I had to ask Maribelle something important. Hey, did you not say Lyle-sans name on purpose? I understand that he is not evil, but I believe that he isnt good for the education of not only the little misses Etoile, Haruka, and Flora, but also the Sanctuary children. Umm I think hell be fine. Maybe Does Maribelle also know about Lyle-san goes to brothels frequently in Volton? Master, Lyle-samas frequent visits to the brothels are well known in Volton. I would not want a man of such character anywhere near the little misses. Ha, haha, Lyle-san. What are you doing, really It seems Lyle-san was notorious in Volton for chasing the tails ofdies of the night. Until when will Lyle-san continue to fool around? It wasnt just Heath-san and Bogah-san who thinks its about time he settle down. Lets put a pin on Lyle-sans case for now. We dont know whether he wants to immigrate like Heath-san and Bogah-san, after all. No, Im certain he wishes to immigrate. Umm, why so? Master, there are many unmarried women in the Sanctuary. Ah!? It was only after Maribelle said it that I realized. The Sanctuary has many young Mermaids and Elven women. Lyle-san should be fine, right? Maribelle rushed me into starting my search for the Milqueen. Please leave the Milqueens habitat to me. No, we can get that information from Sylphs familial spirits, cant we? Oh my, all the Wind Spirits in the world are my familials. It is a given that I am able to borrow their strengths. They will be pleased as well. Well, dont push your Wind Spirits too much, okay? Sylph told me to wait three days for the Wind Spirits to gather information and identify the the Milqueens habitat. I wasnt in a rush, so I told Sylph they can take their time. The ones actively pushing for the Milqueen ranch are the girls, after all. *** Chapter 556: The search for the dairy cow I received notice from Sylph that a herd of several Milqueens was discovered. We discovered the habitat of Milqueens. Hee, that was fast. I listened to Sylphs report while holding Flora, who was growing the fastest among my three babies. Because of the growth rate of Beastkin, Flora could already hold her head up. Its not that she was suddenly much taller, but the growth of her physical abilities was fast for their race. The location is at the meadows close to Yggurle Kingdom. There were four cows, one of which was a calf, so three could be milked immediately. Uhh, are we catching all four? Obviously. If we have the finest milk, the variety of desserts would also increase, no? So thats your goalIf it wasnt just Maribelle, but even Sylph being cooperative, it just goes to show true she was to her desires. Well, Spirits are free-willed so I guess it was inevitable. I guess it cant be helped. If its from that ce, then I think its okay to teleport. Teleporting four gigantic Milqueens at the same time would consume a lot of magic power, but that wasnt a problem for me now. besides, I can put them to sleep so it will be fine. Wah! Oh its you, Nyx. You surprised me. I let out a loud yelp when Nyx suddenly appeared, so Flora, who was in my arms, burst into tears. Oh, sorry, sorry. Did I scare you~~ Im sorry. The three of us somehow managed tofort Flora and stop her from crying. So, putting them to sleep, werent Milqueens supposed to be docile monsters? How stupid, Takumi. No matter how docile it is, a Milqueen is still a gigantic monster. And Milqueens are cowards. If strong people like you close in on it, it could act violently out of fear. yes, thats why we will put it to sleep. I see I was convinced when it was exined to me. No matter how docile it is, a Milqueen is still a monster, and Ive heard that it was muchrger than the average cow. If it goes on a rampage because it panicked, well be fine, but the Milqueen might end up getting injured. If it was just one, you could just tame it, but can you tame four at once? Thats impossible. Ill have to tame them one at a time once theyre in the ranch here at the Sanctuary Perhaps, if one of them was a boss then it might be okay to tame, but we wont know which one is a boss. Youre right. The smartest choice would be to have Nyx make them sleep and bring them here. Thats how it should be. leave it to me. It was then that I looked at Nyx. Nyx, who usually doesnt leave the Sanctuary and sleeps often, looked ufortable when she said that she herself would help. Nyx. hm, what? Whats your goal? we secured eggs. We just need milk and everything will be okay. Umm, what do you mean? If theres delicious milk, you can make a lot of cream puffs. C-cream puffs? Nyx loves cream puffs. Im also excited to have cream made from the Milqueens milk. A lot of desserts can be made with it. I seeeee~ So thats how it is. Gotcha. I asked for it, but I reluctantly epted Sylphs reason for helping actively. I also understand why Nyx, who usually didnt go out much, would apany me. I used to make light of womens love for sweets. A horse drawn carriage was travelling north through the Savage Lands at breakneck speeds. Of course, it was the custom made carriage pulled by Tsubaki. Even though it was a highway, the ride inside the carriage was surprisingly pleasant as it ran on a road that wasnt as smooth as an asphalt road. Naturally, there was no vibration that the suspension and damper couldnt absorb. This carriage had gone through multiple remodeling and restructuring, and now the part that people ride waspletely separate from chassis parts like the wheels and suspension that it floats above them. To make it suspend, it needed severalrge magic crystals, but since it wasnt fully flying in the air, itsrge though only the size of a fist. At this pace, well arrive soon, right? Yeah, were close. Today, a small group consisting of myself and Kaede, as well as Sylph and Nyx came to the Milqueens habitat. We got off the highway and headed in the direction that Sylph pointed towards. As to be expected in a ce with no roads, we slowed down, but even then, Tsubakis speed was still much faster than a Demon Horse. Tsubaki, slow down. At Sylphs instruction, Tsubaki lowered her speed. Takumi, over there. Ahh, there they are. Wait, theyre huge. In the direction Sylph pointed to, I spotted cow-like monsters eating tufts of grass. It looked like a short and wide zebra print cow except for its size. No matter how I look at it, it was over three meters tall. And its torso was stocky, and its feet were short and thick, making it look even bigger. Ill put them to sleep. Okay. Lets go. They might run away if Tsubakies close, so we alighted the carriage and I ced Tsubaki into the Subspace, while Sylph and Nyx disappeared. Kaede and I wore our perception inhibiting coats, erased our presence, and used our Stealth Skill as we approached them from downwind. With all our preparation, no matter how sensitive the Milqueens were, they wouldnt notice us. *** Chapter 557: Milk for Everyone As I got closer with my presence concealed, I could really see just how gigantic the Milqueen was. Ill make it sleep, so be careful not to hurt it. Roger. Nyx appeared and cast a spell to make the Milqueens sleep. Once we were sure they were asleep, Kaede and I, as well as Titan who came out of the Subspace, jumped in. Just as it swayed and was about to fall, I enveloped my entire body with magic power to increase my strength so I could catch it gently and slowlyy it down. Kaede and Titan caught the other swaying Milqueens and set them down gently. The Milqueen calf was blown a gentle wind by Sylph. Because of the Milqueensrge bodies, I thought they might injure themselves when they suddenly lose consciousness, so I got help from Kaede and Titan to support the sleeping Milqueens.If it had been a powerful monster, it would have possessed arge amount of magic power within its body that it wouldnt even have a gash if it fell, but Milqueens were low rank monsters, so it would be risky if it gets hit in a bad spot. Fuh, thanks guys. We managed to catch them without any incident. ͣ򡢣  Master, lets go home already. Tsubaki and Titan returned to the Subspace, I stored the carriage into the Item Box, and teleported to the ranch in the Sanctuary with the safely captured Milqueens. There, we were greeted with cheers. Ohhhh!! Theyre huge! Uwaaa! Thats a huge cow! Miss cow is huge nya! The fatigue from a huge chunk of magic power by teleporting the four gigantic Milqueens disappeared in an instant when I heard the delighted cheers from Laeva and the kids. Hey, hey, Oniichan, is miss cow dead nya? Thats nyot it, L. Theyre sleeping nya. Pulling on my pants, the younger Cat Sith L asked in worry, but before I could answer, her older sister Miri told her that they were just sleeping. Shes right, L. They might have gotten hurt if they went wild from being surprised, so we made them sleep. So thats it nya. Thats a relief nya. The Milqueens who gradually woke up from their sleep did not act violently, and listened to us obediently without needing to be tamed. Master, I think they understand that this ce is safe. I think they understand they would be protected from other monsters here. Would they get mad if we milked them? I think it would be okay, but we should test it out. After Tsubaki and Titan came out of the Subspace to make sure they dont go wild and cause damage, I tried milking one. The Milqueen was a bit bewildered when it saw what I was doing, but it calmed down after realizing that I wasnt attacking it, so it quietly allowed me to continue. I casted Purification on the four Milqueens and the milking bucket, then I tried milking it the way I saw on TV in my old life. Ohh! Arge amount of milk ising out. The bucket is gonna fill up really quickly if this keeps up. Takumi-sama, Takumi-sama, Laeva wants to mimic you. Takumi-oniichan, let me try too! Me too! Miri too! Miri too nya! L wants to try the pshuuu too nya! While I was milking the Milqueen, Laeva jumped in saying that she wanted to try doing it, and that sparked the kids into wanting to participate as well. Okay, okay. Well take turns then. After I cast Purification on Laeva and the children, they took turns experiencing milking the cow. Docile it may be, the Milqueen was still a monster, so Kaede, Tsubaki, Titan, and I were alert and on standby so we could respond to anything, but that worry was unnecessary. The gigantic cows seemed to enjoy the milking, as they made movements that seem like they felt good during the process. The milk squeezed out of the Milqueen soon filled 10 buckets. Master Umm, okay. Then before I knew it, Maribelle was already looking at me with a gaze that wanted something. Understanding what Maribelle was trying to say, I casted purifying magic on all of the milk collected. Normally, the milk found in supermarkets and convenience stores were heat sterilized. There was milk that was sterilized by high temperatures for a few seconds, and there was also a slightly more expensive milk that was pasteurized for some time in lower temperatures. But magic exists in this world. With purifying magic, I am able to procure safe milk that doesntpromise on taste. Maribelle ordered the maids she brought with her from the mansion, they left one bucket of milk and carried the rest back into the mansion. Then she pointed to the one remaining bucket and looked at me. I get it. I cooled the bucket of milk to a drinkable temperature. It was then that Maribelle distributed wooden cups to the children. Yup, everyone wants a taste. The taste of a Milqueens milk was of the finest quality that I have never tasted before. *** Chapter 559: Fresh Cream is the Best The after-bath coffee milk and fruit milk was popr among the women and children. Of course, the adults represented by the Dwarves prefer cold ale right out of the bath. I also liked beer right out of the bath, so I dont know how to feel about it. And of course, Maribelle and the other maids werent satisfied with just coffee milk and fruit milk, so I developed a centrifuge for the Milqueen milk so I could make fresh cream. Though it wasnt using the milk from a Milqueen, I have made pudding but Ive put off making the simr-tasting custard cream for cream puffs. Before cream puffs, I thought about eating pancakes with a lot of fresh cream. I had a feeling that the milky taste would be affected if I used fresh cream instead. As I thought, I better prepare a lot of fresh cream. With that in mind, I attempted to make cream puffs. Naturally, I also made butter from the Milqueen milk.As for the eggs, we received of chickens from Papeck-san, so egg production was doing better than ever. Soon, there would be enough eggs for everyone in the Sanctuary to eat everyday. For dessert making, sugar consumption had greatly increased, but strictly in the Sanctuary, we had no problems with sugar because of Dryas. Now, if I remember correctly, custard cream was made of eggs, milk, sugar, and a small amount of flour. There might be other recipes, but for now, I had to conduct trial and error on the right ratios with these ingredients. By the way, pancakes existed in this world. However, they were barely sweet pancakes eaten with expensive honey or Treant Syrup, which was extracted from Treants and tasted simr to maple syrup. Honey and Treant Syrup were extremely pricey, so only the wealthy could ever consume it. When I was a sryman in my 40s in my previous life, I had very few chances to eat pancakes even though they were popr. As one would suspect, going to a ce filled with women and eating pancakes was too high of a hurdle. Even so, I think it might be possible for me to recreate how it looks from what Ive seen from TV, magazines, and social media. Cream use a lot of sugar, doesnt it? Would Maribelle and the others be okay? There were a lot of us, so I have to make a lot of whipped cream, but it was inevitable that I had to use quite a lot of sugar for it. Now, I was frying up a lot of pancakes. The smell of delicious, sweet smelling pancakes wafted all over the mansion. Yes, Ive made two portions! Yay! Next is Laeva! I fried pancakes, quickly topped it with whipped cream, and decorated it with fresh cut fruit. Thepleted tes were then whisked away by the maids. Kuh, I want to hold my daughters Master! More please! I heard Kaedes voice. How many helpings has she already had? How did it turn out like this In truth, aside from the pancakes, I made some cream puffs. Ahh, who would have thought that the arm of a top ss, high level person like myself would ache from making a lot of custard cream Yes, it happened in an instant. The copious amount of cream puffs was gone in an instant. Sophia, Maria, and Marnie were happy eating it too. Even Charlotte and my aides, Madam Elizabeth, Madam Lumia, and Mimir scrambled for some. Yep, it was silent pressure from those guys. As to be expected, I wouldnt make cream puffs a second time, so I made the pancakes. Making whipped cream is a lot of work, but custard cream was even worse. And it was a miscalction on my part, but was it because of the sweet smell? Wappa and the kids arrived. I knew that the Cat Sith sister Miri and L, and Catkin siblings Wappa and Sara had sensitive smells. Even the Human sisters Colette and Shirona, the Elven sisters Mnie and Malorie were enticed by the smell Takumi! Some for us too, please! More fruits for this oneechan please~! More of everything for me please! I want milk too please! fiveyers please. Geh! As I frantically cooked the pancakes, what I was afraid of happening, happened. The requests from the Great Spirits Undine, Dryas, Sylph, Selene, and Nyx came in. Maria and the maids were happy to help me partway through, but in the end, it goes without saying that I was stuck cooking pancakes the entire day. Previous| TOC| Next Up to 5 advanced chapters avable on Patreon! Chapter 560: Milk is Almighty Chapter 560: Milk is Almighty The day after the cream puff and pancake feast, I was dead tired in the living room. Perhaps feeling a bit remorseful, Maribelle promised that the maids would do it the next time. And, realizing how much sugar they were consuming, the girls understand that eating this too often would be bad. Or rather, it might have been me muttering you might gain weight if you eat too many sweets. After eating lunch, the maids, Maria, and I gathered in the kitchen to try out dishes made of the Milqueens milk while making sure not to wake up Etoile, Haruka, and Flora. The babies were still at that phase where they sleep for hours after being breastfed, so it couldnt be helped. Drinking milk and sleeping is the babies job right now. Ive used milk in cream stews in the past, but I have a feeling the taste would elevate remarkably by just recing it with Milqueen milk. First, Ill make a lot of cream stew for dinner. I think the rest would be great in a gratin.I want to eat french toast! When I spoke, Akane interjected with a request of her own. No, french toast wont do for dinner. You can have it for breakfast if you really want it, but nothing sweet for dinner. Cant you just make it as dessert? No, its too heavy for dessert after dinner. Hrrrr, fine. Ill be patient as long as I can have it for my afternoon snack. So its already decided that french toast would be made. Haa, okay I get it. Just know that I wont make that many. Okay! Ill leave it to you then! Akane said that and exited the kitchen. Akane-sama, Akane-sama, is french toast tasty nya? Yeah, its sweet and tasty. Yay! Im excited for snack time! Akane and Lulu-chans voices faded away as they moved farther away from the kitchen. Okay, lets get back on track and begin cooking. Ill peel the potatoes. Ah, let me help. What meat will we use? Lets go with chicken. We began divvying up the workload. I was in charge of the bechamel. The amount of sauce were making would have been hard for the maids to stir. For the gratin, were making the standard macaroni au gratin. The macaroni was made by preparing the urate amounts of its measurements and then using alchemy to transmute it in one go. The maids could have kneaded the pasta from scratch, but were cutting corners this time. (French toast, huh I think it would taste better with some ice cream on top.) Sine Akane requested french toast, it made me want to have some too. I left the work to Maria and the maids, and I retrieved the ingredients I need to make ice cream, transmuted it in search of the best recipe. I tasted tested several samples made by altering the ratios of ingredients. (Mhm, I like this much sweetness.) With the ratio of eggs, milk, fresh cream, and sugar decided, now it was time to make a big batch. From here on, Ill use both magic and manualbor to make it. If I remember correctly, ice cream needed to churn as it freezes, so I made attempts using this shallow knowledge. The cream stew was done, and while it was heavy for an afternoon snack, the macaroni au gratin would also be done once its baked in the oven. I mixed together milk, butter, eggs, and sugar, then I cut up and soaked the bread into the liquid mixture. Is it sweets made with bread? Nu uh, I wouldnt consider it sweets. Well, a dessert is a dessert, but thats not for me, so I guess its breakfast. I ced some butter into a frying pan, then fried the bread that has soaked enough of the liquid. A sweet aroma wafted through the kitchen. Ha! Isnt that another dessert in the end? Toote, Takumi-sama. Maribelle-san now also knows about it. Ah!? When I turned around, Maribelle was standing there, smiling. Im looking forward to it, Master. Ha, haha, itll be done soon I dished up the french toast on the many tes lined up. Takumi-sama, that is? Its vani ice cream. I ced vani ice cream over the french toast. The french toast that Akane requested was greatly received by the women in the Sanctuary. The ice cream was highly praised. We ate macaroni gratin and french toast topped with ice cream at 3pm, so naturally, dinner waste that day. Madam Elizabeth aside, why was Madam Lumia eating at our house as if it was the norm? Its not like we can say no, I guess. *** Chapter 561: Offspring of the Evil Spirit There was a city at the border of the former Divine Empire of Sydnia. Not a single soul to be around, in this ce, there was only one thing? that could be seen. Held by two human arms protruding from a tree formed from an amalgamation of body parts, the baby, despite being born only just recently, had now grown to be a dark grey-skinned, red-headed one year old child. The dark grey-skinned child suckled from a teat of this Flesh Tree[1]. The strange beings, Grotesquelings[2], that once took care of the huge Flesh Tree had undergone an extreme transformation with the birth of the grey-skinned child. Although they were still far from humanoid, they appeared more refined, and were now able to move smoothly and with more freedom inparison to how they were in the past with their impaired movements. Their strength and intelligence were at the level of goblins back when they first turned grotesque, but now its at the level of orcs. If they had been adventurers, then this would be a different matter. However, they were once priests of the Light God Faith. They werent the devoted religionists that threw themselves into ascetic practices, but rather greedy individuals who borrowed the authority of their church and only had their vested interests in mind. Because of that, their magic capabilities and skills werent high, and their levels were that ofmoners.And before Sydnias copse, these beings were mainly the lower ranks among the church officials who had been encroached by miasma who werent allowed to escape to the Demon Continent and didnt participate in the final battle there. When they first turned into grotesque monsters, their ranks were higher than a slime but lower than a goblins. However, they changed dramatically with the birth of that child. This remote region had be a monster nest that centered around the Flesh Tree. Mana was still rtively thin, but the dense miasma wasparable to a mid-sized monster nest scattered across the continent. To the grotesquelings born from the Flesh Tree, this monster nest was the ideal ce for growth. As it was a newly formed monster nest, the monsters were weak enough that even the grotesquelings could defeat. Moreover, among the grotesquelings, there were some variants that were once warrior priests capable of fighting and they were the ones who mainly collected the offerings to for the Flesh Tree. Seemingly having received the blessing of the grey child, the Grostequelings hunted monsters in the monster nest, growing in cycles, changing appearance, and the intelligence that was the at the level of goblins was getting closer to how it was when they were priests. The fact that its a newly created monster nest was a blessing for the Grotesquelings. As the mana gradually grows denser in the monster nest, where the ranks of monsters infesting it was rising bit by bit, it was the best environment for the Grotesquelings growth. Beneath the grey child cradled by the Flesh Tree, the Grotesquelings slowly gathered strength. While cursing the world. To dye the world with miasma. Covertly, but steadily, to umte the power to destroy the world Previous| TOC| Next Up to 5 advanced chapters are avable on Patreon. Footnotes: 1. Changing Meat Tree to Flesh Tree. 2. There was no monster name that I know of that would be fitting but there is a need to differentiate them from other monsters, so I will start calling them Grotesquelings or maybe Fleshlings because theyre from the Flesh Tree. ? Chapter 562: Father-in-Law goes home The racially characteristic well-put face warped pathetically. When Etoile was born, Dante-san hade to the Sanctuary and stayed in at the Lodge in order to see her. Freesia, lets go back home. I dont want to, I cant watch Etoile-chans growth, I want to watch the adorable Etoile-chan grow up every day! No, its about time youe back to our fief Thats your job, isnt it? Freesia~ Having stayed nearly two months, Dante-san knew that leaving his territory for too long was unwise, and so he was going back today. Dante-san thought it was only natural that Freesia-san woulde home with him, and so he was shaken when she refused him outright. On the other hand, Freesia-san, who was holding Etoile, thought it was ridiculous that it was outrageous to go home.Freesia, I also want to watch Etoile grow up every day. But I have a responsibility to our territory. I want you, my wife, to support me by my side Dante-san tried persuading Freesia-san with heartfelt reasoning. Maybe it was unreasonable, but What are you saying? That small territory will be alright even without me, no? Dear, do your best. Okay Etoile-chan, lets say bye bye to the grandpa~ Wai- Freesia, dont take Etoiles hand and wave bye bye! Etoile, tell this gran toe home! No, Etoile cant speak. And Dante-san, you spoke the forbidden words to refer to Freesia-san. Sure enough, the mood around Freesia-san, who took Etoiles hand and waved bye bye to Dante-san, changed. gran? Whoever could you be pertaining to? Hiik! F-freesia, calm down! Youre her grandmother, so gran is right, no? Didnt you just call me grandpa?! I am an older sister! Im not some hag! Freesia-sans face fell when she was called a granny, and she approached Dante-san with a strange intensity. Now that she mentions it, Freesia-san consistently refers to herself as sister in front of Etoile. In reality, Freesia-san and Dante-sans appearances didnt feel like that of a grandmother and grandfather because they were Elves. When Freesia-san and Sophia are together, theyre like sisters. No, thats unreasonable, Freesia. Come home with me. Dont be silly, Dante. This is difficult for Etoile. This is also for Sophias sake. No, cant you juste again once you find some free time? Youre bothering Takumi-kun and Sophia. Oh my, Im not a bother, am I? The conversation turned to Sophia and I, and Freesia-san asked us with a smile on her face. Y-yeah, bothering of course we dont think that. Haa, I do appreciate you being here, mother, but shouldnt you go home with father? S-sophias right. You think so too, Sophia? Dear, listen carefully. Sophia said she appreciates me being here. Come now, the carriage is waiting for you, so hurry and go. Guh, Etoile, grandpa wille back soon! Dante-san was dragged into a carriage by the coachman who enjoyed a nice vacation in the Lodge. Madam, please be well. You can leave Master to me. Please take care of him. Have a safe trip. Yes. Well then, excuse us. The carriage carrying Dante-san, the coachman, and the adventurers guarding them started running out of the Sanctuary. The carriage exited the gate and faded into the distance. Etoileeeeee!! Ille back sooooon!! Leaning out of the carriage window, Dante-san screamed Etoiles name. Sheesh, what an embarrassing grandpa, huh~ Mother, father is so pitiful though. Its fine, its fine. If he wants to stay with Etoile, then he should retire and leave the territory to Darphy. I feel like its too early for Dante-san to retire, but Im quite certain that we will meet Dante-san again in the not so distant future. Previous| TOC| Next Up to 5 advanced chapters are avable on Patreon. Chapter 563: Dante Decides A horse-drawn carriage ran along the well maintained road that runs northwards. From the Sanctuary, the carriage passed through what could be called the gateway to the Sanctuary, Valor, the city that the Trination alliance of Yggurle Kingdom, Valkyra Kingdom, and Lomaria Kingdom worked together to build, and casually headed north. Because the roads were well maintained and the carriage was being pulled by Demon horses, the journey to Yggurle Kingdom was shortened considerably. Even so, it was not a distance that could bepleted in a day or two. The inside of the carriage was filled by a heavy atmosphere. Of course, the source of that heavy atmospherees from none other than the head of the Sylphide family, Sophias father, Dante. Still~ that inn was so luxurious andfortable. It even had games Ive never seen before, there wasnt a day I was bored. You got that right. The bar had tasty and cheap alcohol. and before I knew it, I drank too much every day. Yeah, you cant drink that level of wine even in Yggurle Kingdom. Im gonna have to tolerate bad alcohol once were back in the country.The coachman and escorting adventurers talked about the fun time they had at the Lodge in an effort to distract Dante from his brooding. Even so, Dantes dark expression did not change. Haa~ Master, cheer up. Its definitely quite the distance, so while it might not be easy, but letse again during the off season. Madam as well, once shes spent a little bit more time with Etoile, I believe she will return. They tried to cheer the depressed Dante up, though it seems nothing they did was working. Then, out of the blue, Dante questioned his servant, the coachman. do you think Freesia would ever leave Etoile? Eh, i-indeed. Surely she would return once she is satisfied? Naive! Naive! How naive! You dont know Freesia! Are you underestimating Etoiles cuteness!? W-wait, Master! I didnt want to leave Etoile! Theres no way Freesia would simply leave Etoiles side! Please calm yourself, Master! I am calm. Im calm. Thats why I understand. Freesia isnt interested ining home. A- ah, is that so? Madam was like that, wasnt she? Dante looked indignant, knowing his wifes personality and thoughts, he was worried that she seriously wanted to watch Etoile grow into adulthood, even more so because she didnt say she wanted to migrate to the Sanctuary. Master, our territory is small, so there will be another opportunity to meet Etoile again. H-hm, wait, oh yeah. Wouldnt it be nice if I didnt have to be there? Eh? Right. I cant say he is great, but I do have an heir, do I not? Master, please calm yourself! Is young lord Darphy not too young? If territory management is why he couldnt meet Etoile, wouldnt everything be fixed if he leaves it to his heir? The coachman was flustered by Dantes sudden enthusiasm. ? The opinion of the servant coachman was mainly living in the Yggurle Kingdom. By human standards, Darphy was not at an age people would consider young, but by Elven standards, his age is still treated as a juvenile. What, isnt it simple? Its been over 50 years since I took over managing the territory. Territory management is somehow on track, and thanks to Takumi-kun, Ive had the rare opportunity to meet with His Majesty, Her Majesty, and Prime Minister Balza, and he had been supporting the Sylphide territory from the shadows. If Darphy seeds me now, then it should be alright. W-well, I suppose so. As for Yggurle Kingdom, because of the Great Spirits, the nation would not want to antagonize Takumi as much as they could. Rather, they want to always have a deep connection to him. And since that was the case, their rtionship with House Sylphide became important. It was a given that they would have show favorable consideration towards House Sylphide which was no more than a chevalier. King Yggurle even nned to promote House Sylphide two ranks up and appoint them the title of baron. Ha ha ha, who would have thought, it was this simple. Im going to retire and Darphy is going to seed me just a little sooner. Kukuku, Etoile, grandpa is gonnae see you soon! Haa, young master Darphy, my sympathies Inside the carriage that ran north towards Yggurle Kingdom, the overwhelmingly heavy mood in the carriage just moments ago had vanished, reced by Dantes boisterousughter. At that time, Darphy, who had been working in the Royal Capitals Chivalric Order, was hit by mysterious chill. *** Up to 5 advanced chapters are avable on Patreon. Chapter 564: Darphy’s Homecoming As Dante approached the border of Yggurle Kingdom, Darphy was summoned by the Knight Commander for some reason. Umm, return home? Yeah, thats right. I heard that Lord Dante and Madam Freesia are absent. If the lord of a territory is absent for an extended period of time, the people would be uneasy. Chancellor Balza said that you, the heir, were to keep watch for the time being, P-Prime minister Balza did!? No wonder Darphy was surprised, to him who was a mere sessor to a Chevalier family, the weight of Balza, the name of the an Elven Elder who serves as the countrys prime minister, was far too immense. Of course, Balza had already caught on to Sophias childbirth, and because of this, he knew that Dante and Freesia would have gone to see their grandchild. Next to Takumis house was Princess Mimirs mansion, and right now, Queen Lumia was staying there long-term. As much information as they wish wasing to them. They could profit from creating a chance to owe favor from Dante and Freesia, and connect with Takumi through Sophias newborn child. very well. Until Father returns, I shall govern the territory.Well said. You could think of this as a rehearsal for when you seed your father. Sir, yes sir. As Darphy saluted and left, the Knight Commander looked at him with pity. The Knight Commander was informed. In the not so far future, Darphy would be the head of the House Sylphide. Actually, it was through the spirits who overheard Dante screaming from inside the carriage about how he was entrusting the territory over to Darphy that the Royal Pce learned of this. It seems Wind Spirits were unable to keep secrets. Incidentally, Darphy was unable to hear the voice of the Spirits. He managed to rebound by being able to see them, but even that was impossible with higher rank Spirits, and there was no chance for him to learn of it. With Darphy in such a state, there was no way he would have known his parents circumstances. Could you hand this document to Lord Sylphide at once? To Father? What document is it? What, you will know when you give it. Ahh, you must not look at it. Y-yes sir. There was impossible for Darphy to not be curious about the document handed to him by the Knight Commander, but he did not have the courage to peek at the document that the Prime Minister was addressing to his father. Though not quite convinced, Darphy began his preparations to return to the Sylphide Territory from the Royal Capital and take over. In summation, his mother Freesia began making preparations to leave for the Sanctuary as soon as she learned of Sophias pregnancy. Then upon receiving notice that Sophia had given birth, even his father Dante had made his way to the Sanctuary. Darphy had some choice thoughts towards his father neglecting the territory for over two months, but he was still better than his mother who had not returned in over half a year, and so suppressed his frustration. Well, even with the absence of the lord for several months, it did not have a considerable effect on a small territory, so he did not feel the need to rush back. The farther he got from the capital, the more rural the scenery got outside of the window of his carriage. Normally he would return home by way of horseback, but for some reason, he was instructed by the Knight Commander to load majority of his belongings from the knights dormitories into a carriage as it was likely that he would be staying for an extended period of time. Darphy hated the Sylphide territory. He was working hard to be a respected knight of good standing in the Royal Capital, but he had to inherit a small territory in the not-so-distant future. To Darphy, the Sylphide territory was, put bluntly, at the bottom of Yggurle Kingdom and was simply several small vige in the sticks. Thats why he wanted his father Dante to continue being its lord as long as possible. He was working as a knight to climb the ranks and escape his situation. Even without his antagonistic mindset towards his sister, Darphy had had such a goal. That desire was shattered by unforeseen circumstances, but with regards to rising in the ranks, that woulde trueter on. Darphys carriage arrived at his mansion in the Sylphide territory. At the same time, Dantes carriage had just passed through Yggurle Kingdoms border and was rushing towards the Sylphide territory, with the Demon Horses being pushed to their limits with less breaks than normal. The father who single-mindedly wanted to return to his granddaughters side, and the son who didnt want to seed him were soon about to meet. Previous | TOC | Next Up to 5 advanced chapters are avable on Patreon. Chapter 565: Pitiful Darphy Darphy arrived home and received reports on the territorys current situation, and after a few days of performing duties as acting lord of thend, Darphy who had been secluded himself in the office, had received word that the Sylphide carriage returned. Bam! The office door mmed wide open, Darphys father Dante spotted his son and smiled widely. Darphy! What a relief! Youve saved me the effort of having to call you home! Father, please settle down! What is the matter, this isnt like you. Darphy was bewildered by Dantes strange excited state. In order to calm down somehow, Dante asked the maid to make him a cup of tea then sat down on the sofa in his office. Father, you had been away from thend for far too long. No matter how small thend is, there is work that must be done by its lord. Ah, yeah, sorry Darphy. But Darphy, but this is a good chance for you to learn the ropes of how to do it, isnt it? Well, I did consider it as a rehearsal.Right, thats right. Dante nodded in satisfaction at Darphys response. Then Darphy remembered that there was an envelope from Balza that he was entrusted with. Father,e to think of it, I have an item from His Excellency Prime Minister Balza. From Lord Balza? How unexpected it was for the Balza, the prime minister of Yggurle Kingdom to make direct contact with House Sylphide which was only of Chevalier peerage. Wait, Darphy, I have something I wish to speak of. Father, please settle the matter from the Prime Minister first. Hmph, o-okay. Dante seemed to want to talk about something, but was first told to look into the envelope given by Balza, so he assented and opened the envelope. Huh, Ohhh! By the Spirits! As to be expected of Prime Minister Balza! F-father, whats the matter!? Darphy was bewildered how, upon opening the envelope and reading whatever letter was close inside, his father was, for some reason, delighted. Ah, about that, Prime Minister Balza has done well. He understands how I feel. your feelings, Father? Yeah, this is also rted to what I will talk to you about, Darphy. To me? When Dante, who he had always considered to be a taciturn father, smiled, Darphy worried if this really was his father. You are aware that Sophia had given birth to a child? Yes. She is a lovely child named Etoile. Yes, I was unaware of her name, however, I do understand that she was the reason for theck of your presence here in thend for an extended period of time, Father. Incidentally, I do not see Mother. ??? It was then that Darphy questioned why he has not seen his mother. Darphy was at the Royal Capital, so he didnt know the specifics, but he had heard that shortly after finding out that Sophia was pregnant, his mother Freesia bolted out their home and headed straight for the Sanctuary. It must have taken him a while because he couldnt hear the Wind Spirits voice, but he must have known that Freesia woulde running as soon as she heard it from the Wind Spirits. Considering the time since he heard Freesia was heading to the Sanctuary, he surmised that she must have not returned for over half a year already. As could be expected, Darphy assumed that she would return with his father this time. No, Freesia is in the Sanctuary. Eh!? Mother still hasnt returned home? Yeah, Freesia is also obsessed with how cute Etoile is. Well, it cant be helped that Etoile is too cute, but shes said that she wants to watch Etoiles growth every day. Etoile is so cuuute, you know? She has silver hair that none from our line have, but her face is lovely like Sophias, and the shape of her ears are like mine. Umm, F-father He understood his mother not wanting to return for a time, but upon witnessing his father suddenly bing apletely doting fool, Darphy was at a loss. Dante showed the bewildered Darphy the document that Balza had given him. And this! T-th A family head change request form. Sign this. Once this is submitted to the House of Lords, I can openly retire. I can show Etoile as much love as I want! Wha!? Darphy was at a loss for words. Then he realized something crucial. The one who prepared these documents was Prime Minister Balza. What does this mean? As merely the heir to a Chevalier, this was something that he could not refuse from someone of a much higher standing Look, the document for your resignation from the Knight Order is also included. The Knight Commander who handed Darphy this envelope also nned this outright. Darphy finally understood the uneasy feeling he had when he was told to bring his luggage with him when he returns home. Dante patted the dazed Darphy on the shoulder. Good luck, you will be fine I hope. Stating so, Dante left the office. Previous | TOC | Next Up to 5 advanced chapters are avable on Patreon. Chapter 566: Darphy becomes a Lord In the office devoid of his father, Darphy, who was momentarily stunned, collected himself and stood up from his chair. H-hold on, please wait. Father! Darphy who watched as Dante leave the room happy about his retirement, chased after him upon regaining himself. Retirement? Change of heads? What is Father saying? Darphy was followed Dante while still trying to fully untangle his thoughts. The document handed by Prime Minister Balza was a document for a change of head to be submitted to the House of Lords? Eh, me? Seeding the territory? Darphy couldnt wrap his head around the unexpected development. Minimal clothing and underwear should be fine. Wait, maybe I should bring Freesias ou When Darphy caught up to Dante and entered his parents bedroom, there he found his father muttering to himself as he packed. Father!Hm? Oh, Darphy, whats the matter? Dont whats the matter me! What do you mean by change of heads!? Even if you ask me, thats really all there is to it. Contrary to Darphys agitation, Dantes calm response only exasperated Darphy even more. No way, the reason you are abandoning this territory isnt because you want to be by Sisters childs side, is it? Darphy, its not sisters child. Address her properly as Etoile. No, thats not the problem! Dont yell, Darphy. Youll go bald. I will not go bald! Where did his strict, taciturn, father go? Ever since his grandson was born, he became a totally different jolly person, and that left Darphy confused, frustrated, and irritated, an utter mess of emotions. Darphy, His Excellency the Prime Minister has shown forethought and taken measures to smoothen the session of the House to ensure Freesias and my presence in the Sanctuary to increase the connections our nation has with the Sanctuary. This was their decision. It can not be overturned. M-my position in the order is Hmm, of course, youre leaving it, are you not? Darphy fell to his knees in despair at surging developments and change of head after his return. Dont worry, Darphy. I wont leave for the Sanctuary tomorrow or the next day. You can learn from me about the territory until I do. when do you n on departing? Hmm, I would like to leave within ten days at most. Two days or ten days, thats not much of a difference! At the very least, watch over me until I am capable of managing the territory by myself! Even though Dante returned just today, he said he would leave for the Sanctuary again within ten days at most, so expectably, Darphy couldnt agree with this. ? Impossible. Eh!? Im saying its impossible. No, you have a responsibility as the head of the family, Father You are the head of the family already, Darphy. Well, that may be so, but Father, it is you who developed thisnd. You must have some attachment towards it, are you not worried whether I would be able to manage it well? Worried? My worry at this moment is whether or not Etoile has already forgotten my face! It is impossible for a child who was just barely born would remember your face, Father! What a foolish remark from a doting grandfather. Every foolish remark Dante yelled, Darphy returned with his own yell. Fufu, listen, Darphy. Youre looking down on your own niece. Etoile is a prodigy. Surely she remember her gramps face. Gr Because he was an Elf, Dante looked young, but witnessing him happily call himself gramps truly made Darphy wonder if his father really was a different person. How Darphy saw his father ever since he was young was serious and taciturn. If anything, he thought his father was a humorless man. His mother Freesia was a calm and graceful mother, but when his sister disappeared after the war, she rarely smiled. Ever since Sophia returned to their territory with a human male, she returned to being the calm and graceful mother, but Dante was still a serious and ordinary lord of a small territory. That was I should send Sanctuary wine I brought with me to Lord Balza, His Majesty, and the Knight Commander as a souvenir. Im sure they would be pleased. Ah, right! I should buy hair essories for Etoile. I believe hair ornaments are too early for babies. All Darphy could do was make quips as Dante hummed happily as he packed. Its a matter of session for the Chevalier family, but if the Prime Minister and Knight Commandeer acknowledge it and the current head of the family wanted it, there was nothing that Darphy could do. And so, Darphy was forced to agree. Previous | TOC | Next Up to 5 advanced chapters are avable on Patreon. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!